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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
Supposed to be a bully romance. I just don't like the way it's written. I just can't.
Ugh
I love it. So much that I have to be up in two hours for work and my kindle is at 10%. I didn't care has to finish it. Now I can't wait for the next one.
I love it. So much that I have to be up in two hours for work and my kindle is at 10%. I didn't care has to finish it. Now I can't wait for the next one.
I haven't read anything since December, so I wanted to ease back in with something familiar. It's been a while since I read this; I don't recall my 2nd read in 2020 (I was in Chicago visiting family at the time) so I went back into this read with a somewhat hazy memory.
Sadly, time hasn't been kind to this book, as my initial standard for rating was "Oh wow, I've read so much horrible stuff that this being alright means it has blown my expectations and I'll give it 5 stars." I've been able to distance myself more from that initial measure of rating wherein the bar was set very low (as this type of book generally is super repellent to me as a reader, just see my Paper Princess Review), and feel I can write a bit better of a review.
For example, I now see some of the more cringe-inducing elements of C.M.'s writing and word choice (I find like, Maryne's quirks and personality really pretentious now; like oh wow you're so special because you only listen to classical music) and am a bit more disappointed in the choices Marnye makes (also, still not sure how her name is said. I saw a typo write it as "Marnie" so I'm going to keep reading it as Marnie in my head).
I understand that the idea is for a 15 year old girl to be naive enough to be vulnerable to more superficial things like small gestures of kindness (or the lack of cruelty) and a pretty face because all teen girls want a rich, popular, attractive boy to like them, but I think it would have been a stronger story is Maryne had come to the school naive and toughed up during this year through having this loss of innocence moment where she realizes bullies aren't just outright, upfront aggressors, but an enemy that's cunning and traitorous.
The backstory of Maryne already being bullied and having endured abuse that was bad enough to make her want to die makes her willingness to interact with the Idol boys come off as her not having taken anything away from her experiences. Although she says "I'll never forget how they treated me" it also doesn't take much at all for her to be willing to trust them enough to gamble with them, get in their cars, kiss them, tell them anything, go on dates with them, etc.
I would have preferred that Tristan, Creed, and Zayd had really tried to woo Maryne, to the point that it's believable that they're trying, and for Maryne to have been skeptical and hesitant for longer before being worn down and trusting. It would have made the ending have a stronger pay off because it would have felt more like a true betrayal and not Maryne letting her lust pull her into what is an otherwise pretty clear trap.
Like, Zack being someone she still interacts with makes at least a degree of sense, as he saved her life. That, if nothing else, would cause enough conflicting feeling in a teenager to make them more receptive to forgiveness or dropping their hostility. Then to top it off, he helps her father out without prompting and doesn't push the boundaries. Zack is making more of an effort, so Maryne being more soft hearted towards him, at least, makes sense, even if it's not necessarily the healthiest move for a teen girl.
But, Tristan and Creed and Zayd are a little nicer than usual and Maryne is willing to engage with them far beyond the banter of enemies or the niceties of classmates/peers.
I know a criticism of this story is the more mature content involving teenagers, but, for all I've seen of the world of books thus far in my twenty something years, I can at least respect that the author didn't dive headfirst into sex or even heavy petting in this one (there's like, kissing, ass groping, and references to the boys being aroused) and that at the start of the novel she clearly provided an explanation of the content to warn away people with triggers and state that this isn't a NA disguised as a YA, but a NA that's meant as a NA.
My bar is still relatively low after all the incredibly terrible things I've read, but, I do have a bit of a better handle on it and can now safely say this is more of a 3.5 star read. Not an absolutely stellar read, but, still not as bad as a lot of other things I've read in a similar vein.
Let's see if book #2 is better, worse, or the same as I remember from my earlier reads.
---------------------
Original, untouched review from 2019
Good god, C.M. Stunich has done it.
She's created a contemporary novel set in an academy with cruel, beautiful boys that's gritty in a worthwhile way that I enjoyed fully and to which I don't have super extreme criticisms of. I never thought I'd see the day. I'm completely in awe.
Part of me is hesitant to give it such a high rating (like a 4-4.5), but as I sit here at 7 am after reading this book all night, I'm emotionally pretty content and can't think of particular things that I found to ruin the experience for me because the author just handled this sort of narrative so WELL. She took something that normally ends up so gross and finessed that line.
Like.... what kind of writing witch... what is this sorcery???
I've tried hard to find books like this. I've been a fan of [b:Boys Over Flowers: Hana Yori Dango, Vol. 1|282425|Boys Over Flowers Hana Yori Dango, Vol. 1 (Boys Over Flowers, #1)|Yōko Kamio|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1357464446l/282425._SY75_.jpg|273978] for a long time and there's a certain appeal to the enemies to lovers trope that sparks me and I feel like high school politics can be a really worthwhile setting if approached the right way. I've read [b:Paper Princess|28678119|Paper Princess (The Royals, #1)|Erin Watt|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1476744953l/28678119._SY75_.jpg|48870448] and [b:The Kiss Thief|41450662|The Kiss Thief|L.J. Shen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1544101164l/41450662._SY75_.jpg|64703632] looking for that same sort of spark and I hated both of them SO much, but even though Filthy Rich Boys exists in much the same vein, what with it being centered around a world of wealth and lies and trying to survive, it did the harsh, cruel edge the right way. It's tantalizing with the darker themes it takes, but it doesn't charge into territory that makes it irreparable.
Marnye (whose name I'm unsure how to pronounce; I've been saying it as Marnie in my head but I have no idea if that's accurate) is a scholarship student at a prestigious California academy who, on her very first day, invites the ire of the school's social hierarchy, the "Idols", simply by being a scholarship student. The book follows Marnye as she strives to get through school despite being bullied and comes to realize there's a lot more to this world of rich kids and her own past than she had ever expected. It utilizes a few classic ideas like bets involving girls, exclusive underground clubs for the rich to do shady things, complex social hierarchies amongst teens, etc. but it utilizes them well and I appreciate how the details are woven together.
I actually really enjoyed Marnye's character, even if she at times seemed a little apathetic (though given her backstory, it seems completely plausible that she could be that apathetic). Her inner thoughts and narrative were great; even when she feels weak to the boys' attentions, she doesn't lose her head. Her reactions feel organic and believable within the context and given Marnye's personality.
It's really great that so far, things are slow burn. There was no sudden plowing forward into love and devotion; the attraction is there, the lust is there, the bits and pieces that ask "can there be more? can this become something?" are there, but Marnye isn't head over heels in love and even the descent into attraction wasn't as hard and severe as a lot of other books and Marnye isn't rendered horribly incapacitated by it. She still regards the boys with an appropriate level of detachment yet has, over the year, gotten to a point of complexities in her feelings that make the way she feels and thinks of them not cut and dry, but ultimately understandable.
I feel like Zayd will be the first to step into the territory of sincerity and have a redemption arc after the events of this first book, considering what we feel from him all around. I hope that the author continues on the right foot with things because I can see this series being fantastic if things are approached well.
I appreciated the ways this book differs from a lot of other academy, bullying, high school, rich boy, etc. literature and I hope that the author delivers on the reverse harem aspect meaning that Marnye will get all three guys in the end, though if this is a series where she enjoys a harem but ultimately has to choose, I'll probably still like it.
Now, there is of course a degree of warning to be had: as this is a book that, upfront, mentions that it's a bully romance about a girl and the boys who torment her, there's some general warnings for mentions of suicide, emotional abuse, slut shaming (though our heroine is like, on the level; she doesn't attack anyone for their sexual history and comments on the irony of how others insult and attack her based on it), betrayal/deception, etc.
Info on like cheating/other woman/infidelity/etc. sort of stuff. Contains spoilers for books 1, 2, and 3:
But I will say that nothing really stood out as "there's 0 way anyone can forgive that." The bullying is intense and Marnye knows its bad and doesn't really forget how she's been treated, but it nicely rides that line, which I like, and ultimately we aren't left trying to excuse for forgive the boys: Marnye has been toyed with but she's not backing down and she's going to get her revenge on these boys who decided to hurt her for no good reason. I'm super excited for book #2 and the way things develop from here on out. I want to see growth in the characters. I want redemption to feel legitimate.
After this book, I'm hopeful that the author is capable. I just REALLY hope that, unlike the other two RH series she has, this one actually makes it to the end. The other two, sadly, haven't been completed so I don't know if the author is one to abandon her projects or what, but I hope I get to see this tale continue and then also get an ending lol.
I could probably write for a while about the ethics and details of a lot of things, but ultimately, this book caught my interest and didn't infuriate me with grossness which is a HUGE achievement, considering how unhappy I am with just about every tale set in modern day focusing on teenagers.
Also, although Marnye and the boys are only 15, there's a candidness about sex that makes this seem like an upper tier YA with NA appeal and seeing as this series will cover the characters until the age of 18 in their senior year, I imagine it'll only get more NA as things go on. update: the author specifically says in a note in each book that she intends this series to be new adult despite this being a story about high schoolers! There's no erotic scenes in this book; we're told when the boys get erections, we have a scene where Marnye walks into the bathroom and sees Tristan having sex with a girl in there, there's general references to the boys' sex lives and what not, but I wouldn't call any of it explicit or out of the realm of a YA novel, though again, since this series will be aging up the characters from 15 to 18, it'll probably only get more mature and will likely eventually culminate in more graphic sexual encounters/scenes.
If you're interested in more specifics about the incidents of bullying or the context of things, please let me know! I wouldn't want to send anyone into this story unprepared simply because the nature of it is around bullying, though if you've ever read a story about guys trying to woo a girl into falling for them for a bet and to be cruel or you've read a story about enemies to lovers in a high school bullying situation you're probably already prepared to handle what this book throws at you.
I hope the next 4 books release in a timely fashion. I read this via Kindle Unlimited, but if it ever goes on sale I'll probably buy a copy for myself. This read is the entertaining, somewhat guilty pleasure read I wanted Paper Princess to be.
I just really hope the author doesn't tank the good thing she's set up here. Like it can go SO bad so easily but this was a good foundation so I'm praying.
Sadly, time hasn't been kind to this book, as my initial standard for rating was "Oh wow, I've read so much horrible stuff that this being alright means it has blown my expectations and I'll give it 5 stars." I've been able to distance myself more from that initial measure of rating wherein the bar was set very low (as this type of book generally is super repellent to me as a reader, just see my Paper Princess Review), and feel I can write a bit better of a review.
For example, I now see some of the more cringe-inducing elements of C.M.'s writing and word choice (I find like, Maryne's quirks and personality really pretentious now; like oh wow you're so special because you only listen to classical music) and am a bit more disappointed in the choices Marnye makes (also, still not sure how her name is said. I saw a typo write it as "Marnie" so I'm going to keep reading it as Marnie in my head).
I understand that the idea is for a 15 year old girl to be naive enough to be vulnerable to more superficial things like small gestures of kindness (or the lack of cruelty) and a pretty face because all teen girls want a rich, popular, attractive boy to like them, but I think it would have been a stronger story is Maryne had come to the school naive and toughed up during this year through having this loss of innocence moment where she realizes bullies aren't just outright, upfront aggressors, but an enemy that's cunning and traitorous.
The backstory of Maryne already being bullied and having endured abuse that was bad enough to make her want to die makes her willingness to interact with the Idol boys come off as her not having taken anything away from her experiences. Although she says "I'll never forget how they treated me" it also doesn't take much at all for her to be willing to trust them enough to gamble with them, get in their cars, kiss them, tell them anything, go on dates with them, etc.
I would have preferred that Tristan, Creed, and Zayd had really tried to woo Maryne, to the point that it's believable that they're trying, and for Maryne to have been skeptical and hesitant for longer before being worn down and trusting. It would have made the ending have a stronger pay off because it would have felt more like a true betrayal and not Maryne letting her lust pull her into what is an otherwise pretty clear trap.
Like, Zack being someone she still interacts with makes at least a degree of sense, as he saved her life. That, if nothing else, would cause enough conflicting feeling in a teenager to make them more receptive to forgiveness or dropping their hostility. Then to top it off, he helps her father out without prompting and doesn't push the boundaries. Zack is making more of an effort, so Maryne being more soft hearted towards him, at least, makes sense, even if it's not necessarily the healthiest move for a teen girl.
But, Tristan and Creed and Zayd are a little nicer than usual and Maryne is willing to engage with them far beyond the banter of enemies or the niceties of classmates/peers.
I know a criticism of this story is the more mature content involving teenagers, but, for all I've seen of the world of books thus far in my twenty something years, I can at least respect that the author didn't dive headfirst into sex or even heavy petting in this one (there's like, kissing, ass groping, and references to the boys being aroused) and that at the start of the novel she clearly provided an explanation of the content to warn away people with triggers and state that this isn't a NA disguised as a YA, but a NA that's meant as a NA.
My bar is still relatively low after all the incredibly terrible things I've read, but, I do have a bit of a better handle on it and can now safely say this is more of a 3.5 star read. Not an absolutely stellar read, but, still not as bad as a lot of other things I've read in a similar vein.
Let's see if book #2 is better, worse, or the same as I remember from my earlier reads.
---------------------
Original, untouched review from 2019
Good god, C.M. Stunich has done it.
She's created a contemporary novel set in an academy with cruel, beautiful boys that's gritty in a worthwhile way that I enjoyed fully and to which I don't have super extreme criticisms of. I never thought I'd see the day. I'm completely in awe.
Part of me is hesitant to give it such a high rating (like a 4-4.5), but as I sit here at 7 am after reading this book all night, I'm emotionally pretty content and can't think of particular things that I found to ruin the experience for me because the author just handled this sort of narrative so WELL. She took something that normally ends up so gross and finessed that line.
Like.... what kind of writing witch... what is this sorcery???
I've tried hard to find books like this. I've been a fan of [b:Boys Over Flowers: Hana Yori Dango, Vol. 1|282425|Boys Over Flowers Hana Yori Dango, Vol. 1 (Boys Over Flowers, #1)|Yōko Kamio|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1357464446l/282425._SY75_.jpg|273978] for a long time and there's a certain appeal to the enemies to lovers trope that sparks me and I feel like high school politics can be a really worthwhile setting if approached the right way. I've read [b:Paper Princess|28678119|Paper Princess (The Royals, #1)|Erin Watt|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1476744953l/28678119._SY75_.jpg|48870448] and [b:The Kiss Thief|41450662|The Kiss Thief|L.J. Shen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1544101164l/41450662._SY75_.jpg|64703632] looking for that same sort of spark and I hated both of them SO much, but even though Filthy Rich Boys exists in much the same vein, what with it being centered around a world of wealth and lies and trying to survive, it did the harsh, cruel edge the right way. It's tantalizing with the darker themes it takes, but it doesn't charge into territory that makes it irreparable.
Marnye (whose name I'm unsure how to pronounce; I've been saying it as Marnie in my head but I have no idea if that's accurate) is a scholarship student at a prestigious California academy who, on her very first day, invites the ire of the school's social hierarchy, the "Idols", simply by being a scholarship student. The book follows Marnye as she strives to get through school despite being bullied and comes to realize there's a lot more to this world of rich kids and her own past than she had ever expected. It utilizes a few classic ideas like bets involving girls, exclusive underground clubs for the rich to do shady things, complex social hierarchies amongst teens, etc. but it utilizes them well and I appreciate how the details are woven together.
I actually really enjoyed Marnye's character, even if she at times seemed a little apathetic (though given her backstory, it seems completely plausible that she could be that apathetic). Her inner thoughts and narrative were great; even when she feels weak to the boys' attentions, she doesn't lose her head. Her reactions feel organic and believable within the context and given Marnye's personality.
It's really great that so far, things are slow burn. There was no sudden plowing forward into love and devotion; the attraction is there, the lust is there, the bits and pieces that ask "can there be more? can this become something?" are there, but Marnye isn't head over heels in love and even the descent into attraction wasn't as hard and severe as a lot of other books and Marnye isn't rendered horribly incapacitated by it. She still regards the boys with an appropriate level of detachment yet has, over the year, gotten to a point of complexities in her feelings that make the way she feels and thinks of them not cut and dry, but ultimately understandable.
I feel like Zayd will be the first to step into the territory of sincerity and have a redemption arc after the events of this first book, considering what we feel from him all around. I hope that the author continues on the right foot with things because I can see this series being fantastic if things are approached well.
I appreciated the ways this book differs from a lot of other academy, bullying, high school, rich boy, etc. literature and I hope that the author delivers on the reverse harem aspect meaning that Marnye will get all three guys in the end, though if this is a series where she enjoys a harem but ultimately has to choose, I'll probably still like it.
Now, there is of course a degree of warning to be had: as this is a book that, upfront, mentions that it's a bully romance about a girl and the boys who torment her, there's some general warnings for mentions of suicide, emotional abuse, slut shaming (though our heroine is like, on the level; she doesn't attack anyone for their sexual history and comments on the irony of how others insult and attack her based on it), betrayal/deception, etc.
Info on like cheating/other woman/infidelity/etc. sort of stuff. Contains spoilers for books 1, 2, and 3:
Spoiler
There is also other woman activity; the guys seduce Maryne for a bet then prank her and return to other girls, but we do find out in book #3 that Tristan hasn't had sex with anyone since first year and that Creed is a virgin. Zayd probably continued to have sex with other girls, but I'm not 100%. There was no established "we're together and exclusive" so for me the infidelity angle wasn't a problem and is properly rectified by book #3, but I know some people don't want anything to do with other women/romantic rivals/etc. Tristan also has a clear romantic attachment to Lizzie that has yet to be resolved by book #3But I will say that nothing really stood out as "there's 0 way anyone can forgive that." The bullying is intense and Marnye knows its bad and doesn't really forget how she's been treated, but it nicely rides that line, which I like, and ultimately we aren't left trying to excuse for forgive the boys: Marnye has been toyed with but she's not backing down and she's going to get her revenge on these boys who decided to hurt her for no good reason. I'm super excited for book #2 and the way things develop from here on out. I want to see growth in the characters. I want redemption to feel legitimate.
After this book, I'm hopeful that the author is capable. I just REALLY hope that, unlike the other two RH series she has, this one actually makes it to the end. The other two, sadly, haven't been completed so I don't know if the author is one to abandon her projects or what, but I hope I get to see this tale continue and then also get an ending lol.
I could probably write for a while about the ethics and details of a lot of things, but ultimately, this book caught my interest and didn't infuriate me with grossness which is a HUGE achievement, considering how unhappy I am with just about every tale set in modern day focusing on teenagers.
Also, although Marnye and the boys are only 15, there's a candidness about sex that makes this seem like an upper tier YA with NA appeal and seeing as this series will cover the characters until the age of 18 in their senior year, I imagine it'll only get more NA as things go on. update: the author specifically says in a note in each book that she intends this series to be new adult despite this being a story about high schoolers! There's no erotic scenes in this book; we're told when the boys get erections, we have a scene where Marnye walks into the bathroom and sees Tristan having sex with a girl in there, there's general references to the boys' sex lives and what not, but I wouldn't call any of it explicit or out of the realm of a YA novel, though again, since this series will be aging up the characters from 15 to 18, it'll probably only get more mature and will likely eventually culminate in more graphic sexual encounters/scenes.
If you're interested in more specifics about the incidents of bullying or the context of things, please let me know! I wouldn't want to send anyone into this story unprepared simply because the nature of it is around bullying, though if you've ever read a story about guys trying to woo a girl into falling for them for a bet and to be cruel or you've read a story about enemies to lovers in a high school bullying situation you're probably already prepared to handle what this book throws at you.
I hope the next 4 books release in a timely fashion. I read this via Kindle Unlimited, but if it ever goes on sale I'll probably buy a copy for myself. This read is the entertaining, somewhat guilty pleasure read I wanted Paper Princess to be.
I just really hope the author doesn't tank the good thing she's set up here. Like it can go SO bad so easily but this was a good foundation so I'm praying.
❤️❤️❤️
I loved this book, it kept me on my toes and my emotions all over the place, not knowing what to expect next...can’t wait for the next book! April please come now!!
I loved this book, it kept me on my toes and my emotions all over the place, not knowing what to expect next...can’t wait for the next book! April please come now!!
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Amazing
The writing is so good that I felt just like Maryne...I wanted to believe they were changing. Even though I knew how the book started!!! Lo!..it just did not compute. I wanted to believe it so much. I also wish the ending had a choose your own adventure components... If she had worn a different dress or one not from them would it have mattered???? So excited for what's to come.
The writing is so good that I felt just like Maryne...I wanted to believe they were changing. Even though I knew how the book started!!! Lo!..it just did not compute. I wanted to believe it so much. I also wish the ending had a choose your own adventure components... If she had worn a different dress or one not from them would it have mattered???? So excited for what's to come.
Rating based on what it is, it’s no literary masterpiece but it’s pretty much exactly what I thought I was getting myself in for EXCEPT!!!!!! I am wilfully disregarding their ages being 15!!! I’m willing to totally ignore it in my brain because otherwise the story is unreadable, but it loses a star rating for reminding me of their age mid story
ALSO for gods sake can fmc start having even just the tiniest bit of curiosity to ask/investigate ANYTHING
ALSO for gods sake can fmc start having even just the tiniest bit of curiosity to ask/investigate ANYTHING
I wasn't particularly fan of this book, here is why:
1. I have never read a book about a Reverse Harem (I think) and it was kinda twisted (cool twisted tho) but what bothered me about this is that THIS WERE CHILDREN! 15 years old!!! At times it felt like this was one of those private college elite books (because of their lifestyle and stuff) the bullying and stuff, that I didn't think twice about, the age was an issue for me.
2. Marnye was dumb, maybe in this naiveness you could tell her young age? I guess in these kind of context I need a strong independent woman! I could not believe she fell so hard for their game! Listen, if a guy does to me half the things they did to her it would be a cold day in hell before they can kiss me or grab my ass!
1. I have never read a book about a Reverse Harem (I think) and it was kinda twisted (cool twisted tho) but what bothered me about this is that THIS WERE CHILDREN! 15 years old!!! At times it felt like this was one of those private college elite books (because of their lifestyle and stuff) the bullying and stuff, that I didn't think twice about, the age was an issue for me.
2. Marnye was dumb, maybe in this naiveness you could tell her young age? I guess in these kind of context I need a strong independent woman! I could not believe she fell so hard for their game! Listen, if a guy does to me half the things they did to her it would be a cold day in hell before they can kiss me or grab my ass!
dark
emotional
fast-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