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3.13 AVERAGE
3.13 AVERAGE
The cover to this book is absolutely amazing first of all!! I absolutely love it and I want to buy the physical copy just for that reason haha!
This book follows two POV's: Leilani and Logan. Logan is a serial dater and has the reputation to go through girlfriend after girlfriend. Leilani is his next girlfriend whom is struggling with her mental health, battling social anxiety and a prescription medication addiction. Logan decides that enough is enough and decides to take a break on their relationship for one month, giving Leilani time to deal with her issues. However, Leilani wants to get revenge on Logan; but is revenge all it cracks up to be?
So. an alternate POV book is 100% my type of thing, which is something that I say all the time. I just love being able to get to know the characters and their backgrounds from their stance on things. Logan is your stereotypical 'player'. He moves from girl to girl, not even giving a second thought about how they are or what they're going through and I hated him from the start. Leilani is in many ways relatable? She has her flaws, just like we all do but I grew to really like her character.
Overall, I have a few issues with this book which I do not want to go in to at all. In some ways I am glad that books are aiming to raise awareness and give insight into mental illness' such as social anxiety and addiction but I also think that there are aspects of some stories that do more harm than good.
All in all, I did enjoy this book most of the time and I definitely would read another one of Skyler Masons' books. So, thank you so much NetGalley and Skyler Mason for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
This book follows two POV's: Leilani and Logan. Logan is a serial dater and has the reputation to go through girlfriend after girlfriend. Leilani is his next girlfriend whom is struggling with her mental health, battling social anxiety and a prescription medication addiction. Logan decides that enough is enough and decides to take a break on their relationship for one month, giving Leilani time to deal with her issues. However, Leilani wants to get revenge on Logan; but is revenge all it cracks up to be?
So. an alternate POV book is 100% my type of thing, which is something that I say all the time. I just love being able to get to know the characters and their backgrounds from their stance on things. Logan is your stereotypical 'player'. He moves from girl to girl, not even giving a second thought about how they are or what they're going through and I hated him from the start. Leilani is in many ways relatable? She has her flaws, just like we all do but I grew to really like her character.
Overall, I have a few issues with this book which I do not want to go in to at all. In some ways I am glad that books are aiming to raise awareness and give insight into mental illness' such as social anxiety and addiction but I also think that there are aspects of some stories that do more harm than good.
All in all, I did enjoy this book most of the time and I definitely would read another one of Skyler Masons' books. So, thank you so much NetGalley and Skyler Mason for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Revenge is a cake best served after a bad breakup. Or such is the theory of Lelani, the heroine of the book I'm about to review: Revenge Cake, by Skyler Mason. I've been able to obtain an advanced reader copy of this novel on NetGalley, for which I am incredibly grateful.
First of all, I feel the need to say that this book includes possible trigger warnings such as drugs and alcohol abuse, and several sex scenes. That said, let's begin!
Revenge Cake gave me a lot of the same vibes of Normal People by Sally Rooney, but even if I could see many similarities between Marianne and Leilani, there are also a lot of differences, the most important being that Marianne swipes through life apparently uncaring, while Leilani is in fact terribly afraid of living and, most importantly, of failure. She is a control freak because of her anxiety, and when things escape from her tight grip, she spirals down. Hard. Ativan and alcohol are her poison of choice, and they are indeed a quick and extremely unhealthy way to cope with life. As the book shows though, there is no way to keep the addiction under control: sooner or later it will be too strong and it will ruin your life.
As someone who struggles with anxiety, I relate to Lani. In particular, I relate to not being able to move forward because things get scary or overwhelming, or with the awful feeling of being dead/not wanting to die but feeling my departure is imminent. What I definitely don't relate to is how mean she is. We're not talking about your average social ineptitude here; she's borderline abusive toward her boyfriend, from telling him he looks dumb to making him feel small most of the time. As Logan points out in one of their conversations, she often gaslights him, pretending to know him better than he knows himself.
On his part, Logan is clearly someone who gets a high from being mistreated. Moreover, he falls in love all the time and is always ready to replace the old girl with a new one, sometimes even when he is still in a relationship. He might be kind and caring, but he has so much relationship baggage at such a young age that I'm not sure I would even poke him with a stick from afar. Looks aside, what is to like about him? What interesting personality traits does he have, looks and big package aside? And why does he fall for Lani if not for the challenge of pushing her boundaries further and further away until he gets the whole package? Or, as he says, her with a ring on the finger and a pregnant belly.
Interesting characters? Check. I can see them having this unhealthy on-again, off-again relationship for years, despite the sugar-coated ending and the promise of change on both parts. They could easily have one of those unhealthy love stories à la Catherine and Heatcliff, where they tear each other down way more than they lift each other up. They both are toxic people, and I love it. Give me more characters in love despite how wrong they are for one another. In my opinion, this is the kind of stuff that creates nice and compelling conflicts, if you haven't noticed until now. It generates food for thought and strong opinions, which is part of what makes a story not easy to forget.
Did you know that there are two schools of thought in dentistry? Some dentists strongly believe that teeth tend to move back to their original spot, and others think that they keep moving all our life. In both cases the end result is exactly the same: once you've fixed your crooked teeth, you'll have to wear a retainer to keep them in place. Basically, no matter how strong the opinions are, the outcome remains unchanged. This is incredibly similar to how storytellers view the plot vs characters issue: we have those who believe a story needs to be fresh and original at all cost --and nope, unpronounceable names don't make a story original-- and those who'd rather work with fresh ways to twist already existing plots. Hey, that's the reason why tropes and archetypes exist, after all.
My take on this issue is that we only get a limited number of possible plot combinations, and what matters the most is how a writer uses them. This is why characterization is so important to me, and this is why I liked Revenge Cake so much. This novel explores a failed relationship and the need for revenge it causes. Not the most uncommon plot ever, but the characters and their decisions make more than up for it. I liked how focused Lani was on making Logan hurt for his misdeeds. I mean, this girl's dedication is admirable. I enjoyed how thick Logan was, and how it took a lot for him to admit he was freaking wrong. And a jerk. And I liked the corollary of characters around them, from Logan's sister to the sweet (and definitely better suited for Lani, but hey, who am I to complain) Dean.
I liked Skyler Mason's writing style: the book has a great flow, and not once I felt like I could get bored of what I was reading. I didn't even hate either the multiple POVs nor the time jumps, both of which generally are a big no for me. The plot was linear enough that I always had a general idea on where we were and where we were heading. At about 65% of the book I got so curious to know what was going to happen next that it took me a lot of willpower not to jump to the last pages and spoiler myself the ending.
To sum it up, Revenge Cake is worth 4/5 stars in my opinion. Despite the heavy topics addressed in this novel, this is a light and yet interesting read, indeed the kind of book I would give as a present to my friends. Maybe not after a breakup though.
First of all, I feel the need to say that this book includes possible trigger warnings such as drugs and alcohol abuse, and several sex scenes. That said, let's begin!
Revenge Cake gave me a lot of the same vibes of Normal People by Sally Rooney, but even if I could see many similarities between Marianne and Leilani, there are also a lot of differences, the most important being that Marianne swipes through life apparently uncaring, while Leilani is in fact terribly afraid of living and, most importantly, of failure. She is a control freak because of her anxiety, and when things escape from her tight grip, she spirals down. Hard. Ativan and alcohol are her poison of choice, and they are indeed a quick and extremely unhealthy way to cope with life. As the book shows though, there is no way to keep the addiction under control: sooner or later it will be too strong and it will ruin your life.
As someone who struggles with anxiety, I relate to Lani. In particular, I relate to not being able to move forward because things get scary or overwhelming, or with the awful feeling of being dead/not wanting to die but feeling my departure is imminent. What I definitely don't relate to is how mean she is. We're not talking about your average social ineptitude here; she's borderline abusive toward her boyfriend, from telling him he looks dumb to making him feel small most of the time. As Logan points out in one of their conversations, she often gaslights him, pretending to know him better than he knows himself.
On his part, Logan is clearly someone who gets a high from being mistreated. Moreover, he falls in love all the time and is always ready to replace the old girl with a new one, sometimes even when he is still in a relationship. He might be kind and caring, but he has so much relationship baggage at such a young age that I'm not sure I would even poke him with a stick from afar. Looks aside, what is to like about him? What interesting personality traits does he have, looks and big package aside? And why does he fall for Lani if not for the challenge of pushing her boundaries further and further away until he gets the whole package? Or, as he says, her with a ring on the finger and a pregnant belly.
Interesting characters? Check. I can see them having this unhealthy on-again, off-again relationship for years, despite the sugar-coated ending and the promise of change on both parts. They could easily have one of those unhealthy love stories à la Catherine and Heatcliff, where they tear each other down way more than they lift each other up. They both are toxic people, and I love it. Give me more characters in love despite how wrong they are for one another. In my opinion, this is the kind of stuff that creates nice and compelling conflicts, if you haven't noticed until now. It generates food for thought and strong opinions, which is part of what makes a story not easy to forget.
Did you know that there are two schools of thought in dentistry? Some dentists strongly believe that teeth tend to move back to their original spot, and others think that they keep moving all our life. In both cases the end result is exactly the same: once you've fixed your crooked teeth, you'll have to wear a retainer to keep them in place. Basically, no matter how strong the opinions are, the outcome remains unchanged. This is incredibly similar to how storytellers view the plot vs characters issue: we have those who believe a story needs to be fresh and original at all cost --and nope, unpronounceable names don't make a story original-- and those who'd rather work with fresh ways to twist already existing plots. Hey, that's the reason why tropes and archetypes exist, after all.
My take on this issue is that we only get a limited number of possible plot combinations, and what matters the most is how a writer uses them. This is why characterization is so important to me, and this is why I liked Revenge Cake so much. This novel explores a failed relationship and the need for revenge it causes. Not the most uncommon plot ever, but the characters and their decisions make more than up for it. I liked how focused Lani was on making Logan hurt for his misdeeds. I mean, this girl's dedication is admirable. I enjoyed how thick Logan was, and how it took a lot for him to admit he was freaking wrong. And a jerk. And I liked the corollary of characters around them, from Logan's sister to the sweet (and definitely better suited for Lani, but hey, who am I to complain) Dean.
I liked Skyler Mason's writing style: the book has a great flow, and not once I felt like I could get bored of what I was reading. I didn't even hate either the multiple POVs nor the time jumps, both of which generally are a big no for me. The plot was linear enough that I always had a general idea on where we were and where we were heading. At about 65% of the book I got so curious to know what was going to happen next that it took me a lot of willpower not to jump to the last pages and spoiler myself the ending.
To sum it up, Revenge Cake is worth 4/5 stars in my opinion. Despite the heavy topics addressed in this novel, this is a light and yet interesting read, indeed the kind of book I would give as a present to my friends. Maybe not after a breakup though.
It was really 50/50 for me.
I enjoyed it but sometimes it felt like author tries too hard to make all characters good and not guilty. It was uncomfortable to read about. Logan made me uncomfortable the most.
Besides it it was an interesting read
(more like 2.5/5)
I enjoyed it but sometimes it felt like author tries too hard to make all characters good and not guilty. It was uncomfortable to read about. Logan made me uncomfortable the most.
Besides it it was an interesting read
(more like 2.5/5)
Thank you to Skyler Mason and Enticing Journey Book Productions for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Logan is different than most men I read about in books. He is notoriously ALWAYS in a relationship. The book starts off with him just breaking up with a girl and swearing off of relationships for awhile. But since fate can be twisted, he meets Leilani and can’t take his eyes off of her.
Leilani takes time to warm up to Logan. She doesn’t like his reputation and doesn’t want to just be another girlfriend added to his never ending list of relationships.
This book bounces from the past to the present - we experience their relationship and what they went through together as well as a break in their relationship.
I loved the premise of this book but I rated it 3 stars for a couple of reasons:
1. I didn’t really like the characters - Logan was whiny. I understand Leilani’s struggles and think they were definitely an important part of the story but I wasn’t convinced about her feelings for Logan. I felt like she would work better with a more alpha type (especially in the bedroom).
2. The s*x scenes were a little awkward to me - like how can Logan only last 30 sec each time?
Logan is different than most men I read about in books. He is notoriously ALWAYS in a relationship. The book starts off with him just breaking up with a girl and swearing off of relationships for awhile. But since fate can be twisted, he meets Leilani and can’t take his eyes off of her.
Leilani takes time to warm up to Logan. She doesn’t like his reputation and doesn’t want to just be another girlfriend added to his never ending list of relationships.
This book bounces from the past to the present - we experience their relationship and what they went through together as well as a break in their relationship.
I loved the premise of this book but I rated it 3 stars for a couple of reasons:
1. I didn’t really like the characters - Logan was whiny. I understand Leilani’s struggles and think they were definitely an important part of the story but I wasn’t convinced about her feelings for Logan. I felt like she would work better with a more alpha type (especially in the bedroom).
2. The s*x scenes were a little awkward to me - like how can Logan only last 30 sec each time?
Honestly... I'm not quite sure how i feel about this read. The relationship is kind of toxic and unnerving on both ends. Logan is a man who cannot not be in a relationship and often forgets the woes of his past relationships. Lani knows this and while is extremely guarded falls in love with him even though trying her hardest not to. She admits to having panic attacks and anxiety and when it comes to much she falls down an addiction of her anti-anxiety drug and Logan doesn't know how to deal with that. She is revengeful and spiteful and after she said some truly heinous things Logan goes to kiss another woman. Lani takes that as breaking up and creates a plan to get back at him for it.
I like that the story isn't linear. It goes back and forth between the past and present until we find everything out. I liked the beginning when they fell in love and how Logan tries so hard to get this little shy girl to like him. This read was definitely interesting but a good chunk of the time I was like "WTF AM I READING" I struggle with anxiety on the daily and don't really put myself out there to relationships the same way Lani does so I felt akin to that, but I am also willing to learn and find strategies to make it less of a hinderance which it seemed like she just wanted an easy fix not something that would help her lessen the severity, which was annoying.
I like that the story isn't linear. It goes back and forth between the past and present until we find everything out. I liked the beginning when they fell in love and how Logan tries so hard to get this little shy girl to like him. This read was definitely interesting but a good chunk of the time I was like "WTF AM I READING" I struggle with anxiety on the daily and don't really put myself out there to relationships the same way Lani does so I felt akin to that, but I am also willing to learn and find strategies to make it less of a hinderance which it seemed like she just wanted an easy fix not something that would help her lessen the severity, which was annoying.
Thank you to Victory Editing over at Netgalley for approving my request for Revenge Cake.
TW: Panic and Anxiety Attacks, Drug Addiction with Alcohol Consumption, Unsupportive Partner (not sure if it can be a trigger for others, but it was for me)
From this cover, you think that the revenge wouldn't be that bad.
You'd be wrong.
Leilani and Logan are very interesting characters to read from. They're both in their heads a lot– Leilani from her Anxiety and Panic Disorder and Logan relating from his past.
I would be lying if I said that I wasn't frustrated the majority of the time while reading this. Leilani mentioned a few times that Logan was a perfect boyfriend, yet I kept trying to find exactly where he was perfect. Logan was an asshat, not sorry.
Another point I would like to make: I didn't feel genuine feelings between the characters. In my opinion, they didn't have any chemistry. Logan just saw her as a prize to sought over while it felt like Leilani kind of gave in on being with him due to him putting so much effort into being with her.
There were just so many things that bothered me while reading this novel. From the characters to dialogue to decisions that were made. Even the side characters got the questionable side eye from me.
Do I recommend this novel? Yes– especially if you are someone who likes to read angst. However, please keep in mind that this is a heavy novel where the female character has major anxiety and panic disorder who happens to make it about himself and his feelings a lot.
TW: Panic and Anxiety Attacks, Drug Addiction with Alcohol Consumption, Unsupportive Partner (not sure if it can be a trigger for others, but it was for me)
From this cover, you think that the revenge wouldn't be that bad.
You'd be wrong.
Leilani and Logan are very interesting characters to read from. They're both in their heads a lot– Leilani from her Anxiety and Panic Disorder and Logan relating from his past.
I would be lying if I said that I wasn't frustrated the majority of the time while reading this. Leilani mentioned a few times that Logan was a perfect boyfriend, yet I kept trying to find exactly where he was perfect. Logan was an asshat, not sorry.
Another point I would like to make: I didn't feel genuine feelings between the characters. In my opinion, they didn't have any chemistry. Logan just saw her as a prize to sought over while it felt like Leilani kind of gave in on being with him due to him putting so much effort into being with her.
There were just so many things that bothered me while reading this novel. From the characters to dialogue to decisions that were made. Even the side characters got the questionable side eye from me.
Do I recommend this novel? Yes– especially if you are someone who likes to read angst. However, please keep in mind that this is a heavy novel where the female character has major anxiety and panic disorder who happens to make it about himself and his feelings a lot.
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
I felt sympathy for Lani and disliked almost everyone else in the book. Her best friend Brenna was horrible except to Lani. Logan was insecure, manipulative, and unfaithful. The the whole mess was a classic tangle of codependency. I was wondering if this was a romance to the very end because it reads like a domestic melodrama.
I thought placing the blame for Logan’s neediness and relationship amnesia on his mother was trite and immature freudian psychology. Also where are Lani’s parents? They are barely mentioned. This is a college age book and because her emotional disconnect is attributed to severe anxiety disorder I felt there should have been at least as much contact or discussion of her parents as there was of Logan’s.
.
Lani’s ability to sustainably take as much Ativan as she was seems unrealistic. She would run out of her prescription. The book does not mention access to extra dosage. Her doctor might be “afraid” of her (seriously? I don’t think so) but would lose his license if he allowed so much extra dosage. Lani’s “recovery” from Ativan also seemed quick. Three weeks is a very short time to get off the drug and pull oneself together enough to formulate and carry out Lani’s twisted revenge plot. Three weeks is enough time to go to some meetings and start the gradual withdrawal from Ativan. According to American Addiction Centers, going cold turkey and flushing Ativan after taking such high dosage, “can be potentially dangerous and even fatal due to the potential to develop seizures during the withdrawal process. Ativan withdrawal usually occurs in two stages: an acute stage and a prolonged stage”. Because this a a major aspect of the plot and it was so unbelievable it really dampened my ability to immerse myself in the story.
I want to emphasize the irresponsibility of writing about drug misusage and (lack of) withdrawal in this way. I am a mature reader, this novel is directed to younger readers who may not know or do the research and then will carry on with false impressions about this process. She wrote about the Ativan fog but should have changed her timeline to reflect a responsible recovery process.
The ah-ha growth moments are not until the very end. While I had some sympathy I did not believe the relationship will become healthy without a great deal of therapy and am not convinced that Logan would follow through.
Other than lack of research and a potentially codependent, if not unbelievable reconciliation, the writing was good. She made me believe her characters. I could see all of them clearly and that might be why I hated some of them. I did like a couple of supporting characters. At one point I was rooting for Dean because he is quietly supportive, kind, and understanding without being a doormat. It is promising that Ms Mason can write such vivid characters especially since we are seeing the secondary characters through the main characters’ first person narratives. I will read her next book.
I thought placing the blame for Logan’s neediness and relationship amnesia on his mother was trite and immature freudian psychology. Also where are Lani’s parents? They are barely mentioned. This is a college age book and because her emotional disconnect is attributed to severe anxiety disorder I felt there should have been at least as much contact or discussion of her parents as there was of Logan’s.
.
Lani’s ability to sustainably take as much Ativan as she was seems unrealistic. She would run out of her prescription. The book does not mention access to extra dosage. Her doctor might be “afraid” of her (seriously? I don’t think so) but would lose his license if he allowed so much extra dosage. Lani’s “recovery” from Ativan also seemed quick. Three weeks is a very short time to get off the drug and pull oneself together enough to formulate and carry out Lani’s twisted revenge plot. Three weeks is enough time to go to some meetings and start the gradual withdrawal from Ativan. According to American Addiction Centers, going cold turkey and flushing Ativan after taking such high dosage, “can be potentially dangerous and even fatal due to the potential to develop seizures during the withdrawal process. Ativan withdrawal usually occurs in two stages: an acute stage and a prolonged stage”. Because this a a major aspect of the plot and it was so unbelievable it really dampened my ability to immerse myself in the story.
I want to emphasize the irresponsibility of writing about drug misusage and (lack of) withdrawal in this way. I am a mature reader, this novel is directed to younger readers who may not know or do the research and then will carry on with false impressions about this process. She wrote about the Ativan fog but should have changed her timeline to reflect a responsible recovery process.
The ah-ha growth moments are not until the very end. While I had some sympathy I did not believe the relationship will become healthy without a great deal of therapy and am not convinced that Logan would follow through.
Other than lack of research and a potentially codependent, if not unbelievable reconciliation, the writing was good. She made me believe her characters. I could see all of them clearly and that might be why I hated some of them. I did like a couple of supporting characters. At one point I was rooting for Dean because he is quietly supportive, kind, and understanding without being a doormat. It is promising that Ms Mason can write such vivid characters especially since we are seeing the secondary characters through the main characters’ first person narratives. I will read her next book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship
Moderate: Ableism, Infidelity, Sexism, Sexual content