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keen_peach's review against another edition
5.0
Similar vibes and main character to The Girls I’ve Been but not in a bad way! I loved the focus on the Rubies and how Harley spends the entire book working to protect them and Will. I thought the resolution was satisfying however at times her plan/ actions were confusing.
marieintheraw's review against another edition
4.0
This book was a little lengthy, but reminded me of how talented Tess Sharpe is about hard-hitting topics. Truly a brutal, messy story that deals with family, power and abuse.
I received an ecopy of this through netgalley; however, all opinions are my own.
I received an ecopy of this through netgalley; however, all opinions are my own.
saschabookishowl's review against another edition
5.0
This was a nice surprise.
I think the thriller label doesn't do this book justice, I never really read thrillers so I almost skipped this one. Did this book have suspence? Yes, but it is so much more. This book reminded me a lot of the TV show Sons of Anarchy: it centers on a family at the head of a cartel in a small town in the USA, there are bikers, there's scheming, family drama, focus on loyalty, enemies, and one individual wanting something better for the community/a move away from crime. Because of these themes, this read more like a dark twisted drama with suspence. The chapters alternate between flashbacks to the upbringing of the main character and the here and now, which provided a nice balance between drama and suspence. There's even a tiny hint of romance. I loved the main character, Harley Jean, and all the other characters were done well too. The writing style is nice, it's simplistic enough but offers up some beautiful paragraphs now and then.
Overall I loved this and flew through it, despite it being a chunker. Looking forward to reading more from Tess Sharpe.
I think the thriller label doesn't do this book justice, I never really read thrillers so I almost skipped this one. Did this book have suspence? Yes, but it is so much more. This book reminded me a lot of the TV show Sons of Anarchy: it centers on a family at the head of a cartel in a small town in the USA, there are bikers, there's scheming, family drama, focus on loyalty, enemies, and one individual wanting something better for the community/a move away from crime. Because of these themes, this read more like a dark twisted drama with suspence. The chapters alternate between flashbacks to the upbringing of the main character and the here and now, which provided a nice balance between drama and suspence. There's even a tiny hint of romance. I loved the main character, Harley Jean, and all the other characters were done well too. The writing style is nice, it's simplistic enough but offers up some beautiful paragraphs now and then.
Overall I loved this and flew through it, despite it being a chunker. Looking forward to reading more from Tess Sharpe.
nicovreeland's review against another edition
2.0
Dnf at 30%
This has some moments, and the general premise—a lawless young woman who protects abused women— is pretty righteous.
Unfortunately it does a thing that a lot of this kind of book does, where this woman and most of her close friends and family are GOOD PEOPLE, which means they try not to kill, they get sick when they see violence, etc. These people, in addition to protecting abused women, also run an enormous meth operation. They are definitively bad people, so the squeamishness they show when they have to do bad things comes off oddly.
Doing the criminal with a heart of gold trope is a delicate balancing act, and I think this iteration tips over too much toward the heart of gold and forgets the fact that the MC is a criminal
This has some moments, and the general premise—a lawless young woman who protects abused women— is pretty righteous.
Unfortunately it does a thing that a lot of this kind of book does, where this woman and most of her close friends and family are GOOD PEOPLE, which means they try not to kill, they get sick when they see violence, etc. These people, in addition to protecting abused women, also run an enormous meth operation. They are definitively bad people, so the squeamishness they show when they have to do bad things comes off oddly.
Doing the criminal with a heart of gold trope is a delicate balancing act, and I think this iteration tips over too much toward the heart of gold and forgets the fact that the MC is a criminal
thebookhaze's review against another edition
5.0
I love books with badass female MCs, especially when they're constantly being underestimated. There's a fine balance between having a strong MC and making sure they don't turn into Mary Sues and/or Gary Stus and I'm not exactly sure that Harley isn't a Mary Sue, but her backstory makes it sound reasonable that she would be who she is, and the story itself is so good, it's easy to ignore any plot weaknesses, if there are any.
Personally, I loved the story from beginning to end, and I love the characters as well. Not just Harley, but Brooke and Mo and her Uncle Jake, and of course, Busy. And I also loved how thrilling and fast-paced the story gets the further you get into it.
Great job, Tess Sharpe!
I love it! I love all of it!
Personally, I loved the story from beginning to end, and I love the characters as well. Not just Harley, but Brooke and Mo and her Uncle Jake, and of course, Busy. And I also loved how thrilling and fast-paced the story gets the further you get into it.
Spoiler
To be honest, I was initially a bit disappointed that she resolved everything with as little bloodshed as possible, but then I realized that's just my desensitivity to violence in the media and it's not a good thing! In TV shows and movies, we always want to make sure the bad guy is dead, and you gotta check and check again to make sure they're dead, because if you don't, they'll always come back! But I do like the idea that we can turn away from that and still have really great stories. Plus, I also initially thought that the dog might die, because that's how they hurt us most, but I'm so happy the dog is well and alive!! So yes, I absolutely love that we can turn away from those kind of gimmicks and still have great stories!I love it! I love all of it!
vtlism's review against another edition
It's like her starter novel. Has many themes seen in my favorite book of hers, The Girls I've Been, but has much less likeable characters, not as good of writing, and I don't enjoy her acidic narration. I'd rather spend my time re-reading The Girls I've Been.
shannon_reidwheat's review against another edition
4.0
I stayed up way to late 5o finish this intense, action packed book. Very good read. Enjoyed the main character immensely and the non stop action. I felt the story flowed well. I will look forward to more books by the author and hope to see Harley again!
nklosty's review against another edition
4.0
My taste in books usually has me reading less violent stories. I began to like and cheer for Harley even though her life choices didn't always mesh with my ideas. The story itself was well told and written. 87