Reviews

A super soapy, messy romance about a woman learning to embrace the parts of herself that have been long buried after she experiences a heartrending betrayal in her marriage, aided by a romance with a talented and troubled young artist. I found Rachel to be an incredibly compelling and richly developed main character and also enjoyed the soap opera-style web of relationships and drama in a small, affluent town as well as the book's commentary on race in US politics. I found Nathan to be a bit more bland and while I felt like their relationship played an important role in both of their lives, I don't think I finished the book convinced that these two people needed to--or even should--be together forever. I read this for my romance book club and it was a really discussable, juicy choice.

vadams17's review against another edition

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emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

serenaerinreads's review

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3.5

Read This Book If…you love a messy romance!

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5

The Art of Scandal by Regina Black

Genre: romance

Spice Level: 3/5🌶, 1-2 explicit scenes

Setting: Washington DC

POV: dual, 3rd person, past tense

Tropes: reverse age gap (11 years), rival’s son, secret billionaire, secret relationship, cheating(ish)

My Thoughts: Who doesn’t love a dramatic romance with a political backdrop! As a huge fan of the show Scandal and also Kennedy Ryan and Tia William’s writing, I was so excited by the sound of the this book. Unfortunately, it fell slightly flat for me after the first few chapters. The stakes didn’t quite feel high enough and it felt more like a small town than the power players of DC. The romance itself was good and messy, but I would have loved to see everything play out on a bigger and more dramatic scale. A lot of the relationship happened off-page, so I was craving more between these two!

Memorable Quote: “Stories like that make you want to believe that what makes you different also makes you special. That it’s your superpower.”

sassejenn's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful medium-paced

4.0

lovebears's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

gelica2finee's review against another edition

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fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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