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itsmemiana's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
disclaimer: I read this on Wattpad which is where the author first posted this book, and I heard the published edition is slightly different so this review is solely based of of the Wattpad edition.
I was really disappointed by this... specially since it's really popular... and I watched the first movie when it came out and I actually liked it (didn't love it but liked it yk)... but the book was just not it. In fact I really don't know if I wanna read the rest, I'm a little curious to what happens next because the book definitely got more interesting towards the end but still idk if I want to put myself through that, we'll see... they're all on Wattpad as far as I know so I can read them for free so we'll see if I decide to read at least one more.
the characters were very meh, and the main relationship was toxic as hell. for example Hardin had A LOT of red flags, like for every green flag he had, there were another 10 red flags. and I don't see many people talking about this because out of the two of them Hardin was definitely worst, but Tessa was toxic too.
this book constantly slut-shames (Tessa does that a lot) and basically makes it seem like virgins are better than everyone else (note that I actually am a virgin, and not ashamed, at the time I'm writing this review and I obviously didn't find this amusing at all).
and yeah the two main characters were cute sometimes but they always went back to being toxic, specially Hardin, I couldn't stand him most of the time.
if I do decide to read another one of these books I hope there's A LOT of character development, because it's very much needed.
I was really disappointed by this... specially since it's really popular... and I watched the first movie when it came out and I actually liked it (didn't love it but liked it yk)... but the book was just not it. In fact I really don't know if I wanna read the rest, I'm a little curious to what happens next because the book definitely got more interesting towards the end but still idk if I want to put myself through that, we'll see... they're all on Wattpad as far as I know so I can read them for free so we'll see if I decide to read at least one more.
the characters were very meh, and the main relationship was toxic as hell. for example Hardin had A LOT of red flags, like for every green flag he had, there were another 10 red flags. and I don't see many people talking about this because out of the two of them Hardin was definitely worst, but Tessa was toxic too.
this book constantly slut-shames (Tessa does that a lot) and basically makes it seem like virgins are better than everyone else (note that I actually am a virgin, and not ashamed, at the time I'm writing this review and I obviously didn't find this amusing at all).
and yeah the two main characters were cute sometimes but they always went back to being toxic, specially Hardin, I couldn't stand him most of the time.
if I do decide to read another one of these books I hope there's A LOT of character development, because it's very much needed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Cursing, and Mental illness
Minor: Sexual assault, Rape, and Vomit
malignant_gnome's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Acephobia/Arophobia, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Abandonment, Biphobia, Infidelity, Toxic friendship, Bullying, Classism, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship
martamae77's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Alcoholism
Minor: Rape, Abandonment, and Violence
kathrinellis's review
challenging
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
First of all the things I especially liked about the book were the short chapters, the suspense and the character development. I especially enjoyed the parts where the protagonists got along and everything was going the right way.
I was a bit disappointed concerning the ending and all the fights which were the same over and over again. Also, some of the erotic scenes made me cringe. Another aspect I don’t really approve of is the fact that everything in Tessa‘s life - apart from the relationship with Hardin and her mother - is too perfect: immaculate GPA, best job, dream apartment, gorgeous looks, her dorm mate being her best friend since day one, several boys flirting with her, …
Nevertheless, I finished reading this within less than 30 hours and I‘m not even a native speaker, so I would say it‘s definitely a catchy plot and I‘m intrigued to find out how the story continues!
I was a bit disappointed concerning the ending and all the fights which were the same over and over again. Also, some of the erotic scenes made me cringe. Another aspect I don’t really approve of is the fact that everything in Tessa‘s life - apart from the relationship with Hardin and her mother - is too perfect: immaculate GPA, best job, dream apartment, gorgeous looks, her dorm mate being her best friend since day one, several boys flirting with her, …
Nevertheless, I finished reading this within less than 30 hours and I‘m not even a native speaker, so I would say it‘s definitely a catchy plot and I‘m intrigued to find out how the story continues!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Blood, Cursing, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Rape, Panic attacks/disorders, Infidelity, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Drug use
lorena3585's review
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Sexual content, and Violence
miasreads's review
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
just be prepared, this book is a whirlwind and sometimes is hard to read
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Gaslighting and Infidelity
roseamillerg's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Drove me mad.
Update: (aug 2021) I had previously rated this 4 stars, wtaf was I thinking?!
Update: (aug 2021) I had previously rated this 4 stars, wtaf was I thinking?!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Alcoholism
nickoliver's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
I was planning to read this in little pieces over several weeks so I didn't go crazy, but someone at my library put it on hold and I did not want to have to borrow it a second time in a few weeks, so instead, I read almost the entire thing over the past two days. My sanity definitely did not appreciate that and ran away.
Tessa was one of the worst, most annoying main characters I've read about in a while (except maybe for Rika from "Corrupt" by Penelope Douglas). I can't even properly express how much I hated her, and let me just tell you - if there's one thing I hate doing, it's getting hateful over female characters. I love loving women and don't like to get back into the toxic, misogynistic mindset I had as a teenager, so every time it happens, I make myself so uncomfortable with the way I think and write my notes about characters like Tessa.
(I mean, obviously, she wasn't the only bad thing, this book is FULL of problematic things and unnecessary drama, but I went into this book expecting to hate Hardin - which, don't get me wrong, I did -, so the vitriol and hate I felt for Tessa was unexpected.)
I really want to write an in-depth review about this book (for some reason, because it's not like I suffered enough already), but I need a break now. I feel like I've just spent twenty years in prison.
Tessa was one of the worst, most annoying main characters I've read about in a while (except maybe for Rika from "Corrupt" by Penelope Douglas). I can't even properly express how much I hated her, and let me just tell you - if there's one thing I hate doing, it's getting hateful over female characters. I love loving women and don't like to get back into the toxic, misogynistic mindset I had as a teenager, so every time it happens, I make myself so uncomfortable with the way I think and write my notes about characters like Tessa.
(I mean, obviously, she wasn't the only bad thing, this book is FULL of problematic things and unnecessary drama, but I went into this book expecting to hate Hardin - which, don't get me wrong, I did -, so the vitriol and hate I felt for Tessa was unexpected.)
I really want to write an in-depth review about this book (for some reason, because it's not like I suffered enough already), but I need a break now. I feel like I've just spent twenty years in prison.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Alcoholism and Violence
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