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kelsimitchell's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse
emmy_likes_2_read's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.0
Graphic: Misogyny, Cursing, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Alcohol and Death of parent
Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Grief
caitlinemccann's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Abandonment, Classism, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Sexism, and Gaslighting
bibliobaggins_'s review against another edition
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Toxic relationship
jeniwarren's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Emotional abuse
michaelat21's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Blood, Cursing, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Toxic friendship
myhandmadehell's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
The spice was plentiful and explicit. That’s how I prefer it so the book did not disappoint on that front. I’ve heard Tessa Bailey is referred to as “the queen of dirty talk” or something - some reviews here indicated that the dirty talk was cringey and awful, but I found it was fine at worst, pretty hot at best.
What I didn’t like:
Just their whole relationship really. Every conflict they had came from Brendan being incapable of having a relationship. I don’t hate a possessive MMC but possessive doesn’t have to mean abusive - and yes I said it, and tagged it in the spoilers. He is emotionally abusive of her. And based on the sheer number of times he physically restrains her from walking away from him, when she clearly wants to, I’d also consider tagging in a warning of mild physical abuse as well. In fact, Brendan doesn’t let her do much of anything that he doesn’t approve of. He doesn’t let her finish sentences when she’s struggling to explain her feelings (which are, to say the least, confusing and new to her). He doesn’t give her time or space to think through those feelings. He doesn’t allow her to adjust to her dramatically different life. This sounds extra picky, but he unilaterally buys her jeans she said she doesn’t like! It’s played off as cute and “spoiling her” but it’s just one more way Brendan outs himself as a controlling asshole.
Again, I know this is part of the fantasy for some readers, this gender essentialism that categorizes all actions, appearances, attitudes, and behaviors as solely “male” or “female”, and allows people to explore and revel in the idea of a woman submitting to a man’s emotional and intellectual dominance. And I’m not here to shame anybody for that.
Just saying, for those who didn’t know that this is a book that explores those themes, and it isn’t your cup of tea? It does, and it is pretty blatant.
2.75 stars, losing 2 for all of the above, losing 1 more for the sentence “even a casual mention of Brendan’s name and her pussy started pumping out a slow jam”, and gaining back 3/4 of a star for what turned out to be a reasonably good apology on his part - a good start but not the end of their struggles, I fear.
Graphic: Sexual content, Cursing, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Alcohol, Child death, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
rypie1916's review against another edition
2.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, and Domestic abuse
anigoose's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
When Piper keeps things to herself, he sees it as extreme betrayal and forces her promise that she will never keep anything from him. They have been together 4ish weeks at this point. When she is not complying with his wishes, he yells at her and exploits the two biggest vulnerabilities that she has shown him - her fear of losing him in the ocean like she lost her father, and her fear of being abandoned again.
Brendan makes it clear to Piper that he never loved his first wife, that she was just a means to an end. His mourning for her was a show. This is supposed to show his love for Piper as more real, but all it shows is his lack of empathy and ability to love. Ffs do we even find out if Desiree lived with him in his house? There's no traces of her, no stories of her, no fond memories, only obligation. I have fond memories with all of my exes, even the abusive ones, even the boring ones. It's downright creepy.
Enemies to lovers doesn't work if the reason he felt such animosity towards her was that immediately upon seeing her, she looked like a woman he couldn't control.
This book is an insult to love, an insult to Annie Murphy who played Alexis Rose, to Dan Levy who created Alexis Rose, and to survivors of Narcissist Abusers. There's so much more that is horribly wrong with this book, from the assumption that a fisherman smelling of the ocean smells like anything but rotten fish - believe me, I grew up in a fishing town in the Oregon Coast, it's just rotten fish, babes - to the complete absurdity of the idea that a man who has been celibate for 7 years and who had zero interest in his wife before that is super fucking talented at sex, to...god, I just can't hit on all the things that are warped and awful in this book.
Graphic: Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Misogyny
Moderate: Death of parent
Lovebombing, narcissist, manipulation.yeojinqueen's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship