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gaymoonreader's review
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
TW: Child SA, trauma, child abuse, PTSD
I really enjoyed this book, but I will say it was one of the least cohesive and consistent in terms of the plot. It kind of seemed all over the place, in my opinion. But with that being said, I really loved Teal and Ronan together. I love the chemistry between these two, and I think Teal is my favorite of our MCs thus far. She doesn't seem as untouchable or as unreachable as some of the other ones have been, such as Silver or Elsa (Kim is a close second for me, though).
Ronan is genuinely one of the best of the guys in general when it comes to Rina Kent's books. Take it from someone who has read a lot of them. Pretty much every single guy MC has varying degrees of possessiveness, controlling behavior, and issues when it comes to what I would say is informed consent. It's dubious at best most times. While Ronan is possessive, I didn't really see issues of informed consent or controlling behavior, and he also is genuinely a good guy who has feelings and isn't somewhere on the scale of sociopathy and/or psychopathy. (Xander is another exception to this, which is one of the reasons Kim and Xander are a close second for me in terms of favorite couples of this series). While he absolutely can be a dick at times, he's not actually possibly a clinical psychopath like I would say Aiden is (to some degree). He's not perfect, of course, but he is my favorite of the guys.
As for more on Teal, I got the sense that whether intentionally done or not, she was autism-coded, meaning she is somewhere on the autism spectrum. I could totally be incorrect here, and I welcome discussion on this point (and any point in this review!), but as someone who knows a lot of people on the spectrum and tries their best to be knowledgeable about it, there were a few things that could potentially mean she is on the spectrum. The first thing that made me consider this is generally how she processes not only her own emotions but in how she processes and tries to understand the emotions of others. It's stated several times throughout the book that she has to study facial expressions to pick up on the emotions of others and she sometimes has issues articulating and identifying how she emotionally responds to situations. That to me said she could be on the autism spectrum.
In addition to this, she also states a few times throughout the book that she feels very misunderstood and it's implied that she almost has an innate fear of people misunderstanding her (but when people in her life genuinely understand why she reminds to certain situations the way she does it makes her so happy). This could absolutely just be the author trying to show that she is a traumatized teenager who is coping the only way she can, but in my opinion it could also be showing a sign of being on the spectrum. The last thing is something that genuinely can be attributed to a lot of other mental illnesses, so take it with a grain of salt (you can take all of this with a grain of salt actually since I am someone who is not autistic and thus cannot truly speak to this representation in the book). She has certain special interests or hyperfixations that could possibly be attributed to autism (but I am very aware this could also be attributed to many other mental illnesses). This theory could totally be off-base, but this was something I was thinking about while I was reading the book, so take it with a huge grain of salt.
As for the plot, I was a little lost in trying to see if there actually was one. Sometimes there is with Rina's books and sometimes there isn't. It felt like there was an attempt at having a plot, but it all got rushed at the end. The ending in general was extremely rushed, and given that this book is less than 300 pages, had there been more to work with the plot might have actually worked, but it fell flat for me unfortunately because it wasn't executed well.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book, though I wouldn't go so far as to say it's my favorite of the series. I will also say that I had to skip past the SA scenes because of my own trauma so please be aware those are in this book, so use your own judgment about whether that is something you want to read about! If you are able to read about those topics and dont mind spicy scenes, this might be an interesting one to pick up, but I also acknowledge it's not for everyone!
I really enjoyed this book, but I will say it was one of the least cohesive and consistent in terms of the plot. It kind of seemed all over the place, in my opinion. But with that being said, I really loved Teal and Ronan together. I love the chemistry between these two, and I think Teal is my favorite of our MCs thus far. She doesn't seem as untouchable or as unreachable as some of the other ones have been, such as Silver or Elsa (Kim is a close second for me, though).
Ronan is genuinely one of the best of the guys in general when it comes to Rina Kent's books. Take it from someone who has read a lot of them. Pretty much every single guy MC has varying degrees of possessiveness, controlling behavior, and issues when it comes to what I would say is informed consent. It's dubious at best most times. While Ronan is possessive, I didn't really see issues of informed consent or controlling behavior, and he also is genuinely a good guy who has feelings and isn't somewhere on the scale of sociopathy and/or psychopathy. (Xander is another exception to this, which is one of the reasons Kim and Xander are a close second for me in terms of favorite couples of this series). While he absolutely can be a dick at times, he's not actually possibly a clinical psychopath like I would say Aiden is (to some degree). He's not perfect, of course, but he is my favorite of the guys.
As for more on Teal, I got the sense that whether intentionally done or not, she was autism-coded, meaning she is somewhere on the autism spectrum. I could totally be incorrect here, and I welcome discussion on this point (and any point in this review!), but as someone who knows a lot of people on the spectrum and tries their best to be knowledgeable about it, there were a few things that could potentially mean she is on the spectrum. The first thing that made me consider this is generally how she processes not only her own emotions but in how she processes and tries to understand the emotions of others. It's stated several times throughout the book that she has to study facial expressions to pick up on the emotions of others and she sometimes has issues articulating and identifying how she emotionally responds to situations. That to me said she could be on the autism spectrum.
In addition to this, she also states a few times throughout the book that she feels very misunderstood and it's implied that she almost has an innate fear of people misunderstanding her (but when people in her life genuinely understand why she reminds to certain situations the way she does it makes her so happy). This could absolutely just be the author trying to show that she is a traumatized teenager who is coping the only way she can, but in my opinion it could also be showing a sign of being on the spectrum. The last thing is something that genuinely can be attributed to a lot of other mental illnesses, so take it with a grain of salt (you can take all of this with a grain of salt actually since I am someone who is not autistic and thus cannot truly speak to this representation in the book). She has certain special interests or hyperfixations that could possibly be attributed to autism (but I am very aware this could also be attributed to many other mental illnesses). This theory could totally be off-base, but this was something I was thinking about while I was reading the book, so take it with a huge grain of salt.
As for the plot, I was a little lost in trying to see if there actually was one. Sometimes there is with Rina's books and sometimes there isn't. It felt like there was an attempt at having a plot, but it all got rushed at the end. The ending in general was extremely rushed, and given that this book is less than 300 pages, had there been more to work with the plot might have actually worked, but it fell flat for me unfortunately because it wasn't executed well.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book, though I wouldn't go so far as to say it's my favorite of the series. I will also say that I had to skip past the SA scenes because of my own trauma so please be aware those are in this book, so use your own judgment about whether that is something you want to read about! If you are able to read about those topics and dont mind spicy scenes, this might be an interesting one to pick up, but I also acknowledge it's not for everyone!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Sexual assault
Moderate: Child abuse, Bullying, Drug use, and Pedophilia
thebookishb's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Mental illness, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Rape, Drug use, and Pedophilia
darknesslighttt's review against another edition
dark
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
4.5
π ππππππ π
π§πΏπΌπ½π²π: dark, enemies to lovers, high school,
π§πΏπΆπ΄π΄π²πΏπ: child abuse, alcohol abuse, pedophilia, drug use, suicide attempt
Oh my sweet Ronan!
From the first moments I met Ronan, I wanted to know his story, and I'm glad that Teal is his love interest.
Both have gone through traumatic events, but their way of cooperating is totally different. Teal is very withdrawn, she doesn't really share her feelings, while Ronan protects his past with humor and surrounds himself with people who throw parties.
Their chemistry is very beautiful, although it doesn't start very well, but as they get to know each other better, remove the layers placed on their hearts and realize the strong feelings they have for each other, they become such a beautiful couple.
I don't know, but it seems that the books written by Rina are getting better and better.
π§πΏπΌπ½π²π: dark, enemies to lovers, high school,
π§πΏπΆπ΄π΄π²πΏπ: child abuse, alcohol abuse, pedophilia, drug use, suicide attempt
Oh my sweet Ronan!
From the first moments I met Ronan, I wanted to know his story, and I'm glad that Teal is his love interest.
Both have gone through traumatic events, but their way of cooperating is totally different. Teal is very withdrawn, she doesn't really share her feelings, while Ronan protects his past with humor and surrounds himself with people who throw parties.
Their chemistry is very beautiful, although it doesn't start very well, but as they get to know each other better, remove the layers placed on their hearts and realize the strong feelings they have for each other, they become such a beautiful couple.
I don't know, but it seems that the books written by Rina are getting better and better.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Alcohol, Pedophilia, Child abuse, and Drug use
shaykay's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
4.5
So, I only went into this one with a bit of hope. I was thrilled to finally get to Ronan's book because he was one of my favorites in this universe, but on the other hand, I didn't care much for Teal. But to be fair, I didn't get attached to her like Ronan. She's a relatively new character to this universe, and we haven't gotten to know her much. We know she's Elsa's stepsister, Knox's twin, and aloof. If anything, she has more in common with Cole than anyone else in this group. But she also is the one who volunteered to be in this arrangement and had some ulterior motives going on that we don't find out until this book. I ended up loving Teal and loved seeing how these two clashed together. I really hate that we aren't going to see Remi get his own book because Remi reminds me so much of Ronan. The whole charade Ronan was putting on was because of the trauma he was dealing with, so it leaves me questioning what Remi is hiding. Anyway, I loved this one, and it's either my favorite of this series or tied with Twisted Kingdom. I couldn't get enough of this one!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use, Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Child abuse, Sexual content, and Cancer
britbrit29's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Pedophilia, Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, and Mental illness
Moderate: Cancer, Death of parent, Drug use, and Injury/Injury detail
readwthsam's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Sexual content, Rape, Panic attacks/disorders, Emotional abuse, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Toxic relationship
Minor: Pedophilia
readbyjaimes's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
OMG I had a feeling in my gut Ronan and Teal would be my favs and I was correct!!
I was so excited for Ronans book and I couldnβt be more happy with what I got. He has been a shining star through the series and he did not disappoint once you got into his mind.
Teal was also amazing in this book and she was so great to read from. Being able to see how her mind worked was really fascinating and I also enjoyed seeing her bond with Elsa.
Overall it was a joy to read their story and see them grow from their trauma and love each other!
Teal was also amazing in this book and she was so great to read from. Being able to see how her mind worked was really fascinating and I also enjoyed seeing her bond with Elsa.
Overall it was a joy to read their story and see them grow from their trauma and love each other!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia, Drug use, Child abuse, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Cancer
culzean's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Bullying, Cancer, Medical content, Addiction, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, Pedophilia, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Cursing
nicole_thereader's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, and Sexual content
Moderate: Alcohol and Drug use
Minor: Cancer
dianasofia8's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Child abuse, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, and Sexual assault
Minor: Addiction