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venetiana's review
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Overall, this book sadly really didn't do it for me. Without spoiling stuff, some emotional reactions were overwritten, the background felt too violent for me, and I unfortunately guessed too many things before they happened.
Also, I really didn't appreciate how some heavy and violent stuff was only dealt with and "solved" in passing, like the topic wasn't serious.
Still, some good/cute things inbetween.
A smaller but real bummer: there did not need to be any H*rry P*tter mentions in this book (why do we need to reference a transphobe's work??!!), and there were several. No thank youuu.
Also, I really didn't appreciate how some heavy and violent stuff was only dealt with and "solved" in passing, like the topic wasn't serious.
Still, some good/cute things inbetween.
A smaller but real bummer: there did not need to be any H*rry P*tter mentions in this book (why do we need to reference a transphobe's work??!!), and there were several. No thank youuu.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Medical content, and Gun violence
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Sexual content, and Torture
Minor: Blood, Dysphoria, Eating disorder, Stalking, Transphobia, Grief, Outing, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Vomit, Body shaming, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Emotional abuse, and Fatphobia
fanboyriot's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
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
4.5
Read for:
♡ Idiots in Love
♡ Crime Family
♡ Only One Bed
♡ Forbidden Romance
♡ Angst with a Happy Ending
I enjoyed this book. It was a simple and cute story with forbidden romance vibes. The main characters were cute together.
However, it did kinda feel like it was missing something. There was little backstories and I think parts just kinda felt bland; not to mention the dialogue felt a bit forced at times.
It's a good book to binge read. The angst is light and there were way more wholesome vibes than I was expecting. And so many music and movie mentions, which I always appreciate.
Spice: 🌶
(First Person POV)
Rep: Gay MC, Gay LI
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gun violence, and Mental illness
Moderate: Alcohol, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Torture, and Violence
Minor: Sexual content, Death of parent, Homophobia, Medical content, Misogyny, and War
grimm_bear's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
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
bro i cannot believe what i just read hasn’t been adapted into a movie
the twist in this book caught me wholeheartedly by my surprise after reading the first part of part 3 i couldnt put the book down like what just happened? i need to know what matt is going to do like huh?
and the romance is so UGHSVSHDVJDBD i cant with them they just go together so well
and the advice of leaving a situation you cant live in and cant change was just so nice to hear after having to do the same
and the romance is so UGHSVSHDVJDBD i cant with them they just go together so well
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Gun violence, and Torture
Moderate: Alcohol, Cursing, Murder, Sexual content, Death, Violence, War, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, and Grief
Minor: Death of parent, Homophobia, and Misogyny
emmasbelovedbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Mass/school shootings, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Grief, Gun violence, War, and Bullying
Moderate: Sexual content, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Body shaming, Death of parent, Medical content, Genocide, Kidnapping, Outing, Murder, Torture, Vomit, Bullying, Car accident, and Violence
samms_corner's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
I've been excited about this book for a while and I was not disappointed. I loved the characters and the story but there was some parts of the writing I didn't like.
The constant use of pop culture references mainly in the first part really got on my nerves. A few here and there would be fine but there was multiple lists of different games/books/movies and it felt like the author was just promoting his favourite media.
There was quite a few plot jumps between chapters and it felt like I missed so much context. Obviously I wouldn't want a full recount of every single action, but a bit more context at the beginning of a new chapter would be nice.
I managed to finish it in two sittings. It didn't drag on for too long but it was a bit more fast paced than I like personally.
The plot twist genuinely had me shocked Jason's mum being a COP like damnn and he was bugged too
There was so many cute moments between Matt and Jason but I also think Matt deserves more than someone who only dates him so he can give information to a cop while lying and manipulating him
Overall I'd recommend this if the plot seems interesting to you, it's pretty much exactly what I was expecting from reading the synopsis.
The constant use of pop culture references mainly in the first part really got on my nerves. A few here and there would be fine but there was multiple lists of different games/books/movies and it felt like the author was just promoting his favourite media.
There was quite a few plot jumps between chapters and it felt like I missed so much context. Obviously I wouldn't want a full recount of every single action, but a bit more context at the beginning of a new chapter would be nice.
I managed to finish it in two sittings. It didn't drag on for too long but it was a bit more fast paced than I like personally.
The plot twist genuinely had me shocked
There was so many cute moments between Matt and Jason but I also think Matt deserves more than
Overall I'd recommend this if the plot seems interesting to you, it's pretty much exactly what I was expecting from reading the synopsis.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Gun violence
Minor: Homophobia
greatu's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Torture
Minor: Alcohol, Car accident, and Death of parent
gabrielle1908's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, War, Violence, Murder, Gun violence, and Fire/Fire injury
elwirax's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
*1.5/5
What initially interested me in the synopsis of this book was the mention of criminals and mobsters as I'm an absolute sucker for such premises. I quite liked the Romeo and Juliet- esque dynamics what with the family rivalry and thought the m/m romance was a nice twist to the traditional trope. Truthfully , I was wanting a bit more of the criminal aspects. Much of this was overshadowed by the romance (which i thought was a wee bit insta lovey and didn't have enough substance to have me convinced). That being said, although I didn't really care for any of the main characters I did like Luke as he seemed to be the only character that had any decent depth.
I hate to say that the ultimate downfall of this book was the writing. It felt unrefined and rather juvenile especially the dialogue which didn't come naturally at all. However, I think Cale Dietrich has potential and I definitely think their writing will develop in future works.
As a whole, I think this book had so much potential but the execution fell flat. Really quite dissapointing.
What initially interested me in the synopsis of this book was the mention of criminals and mobsters as I'm an absolute sucker for such premises. I quite liked the Romeo and Juliet- esque dynamics what with the family rivalry and thought the m/m romance was a nice twist to the traditional trope. Truthfully , I was wanting a bit more of the criminal aspects. Much of this was overshadowed by the romance (which i thought was a wee bit insta lovey and didn't have enough substance to have me convinced). That being said, although I didn't really care for any of the main characters I did like Luke as he seemed to be the only character that had any decent depth.
I hate to say that the ultimate downfall of this book was the writing. It felt unrefined and rather juvenile especially the dialogue which didn't come naturally at all. However, I think Cale Dietrich has potential and I definitely think their writing will develop in future works.
As a whole, I think this book had so much potential but the execution fell flat. Really quite dissapointing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Violence
frantic_vampire's review
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Wow, this book gave me such mixed feelings and I’m honestly not sure how to process it. On the one hand, I loved this so much. And on the other, I just wanted so much more from this book. Like, the enjoyment factor was definitely there, but it’s got some problems.
I loved that Matt was so anxious about being in the family business and realizing that it was just not for him. Also, it felt like Matt was written as autistic or at least somewhere on the neurodivergent spectrum. It was so nice! I really loved that he was so happy to make a new friend! That was utterly precious and he needs to be protected at all costs. And the fact that Jason was also really happy to make a friend (even if it was under some dubious circumstances). I also really loved Luke as a big brother! He’s so supportive and loving to Matt. I would die for him! The last thing that I loved was that this didn’t have a lot of the usual teenage drama that comes with YA contemporary books.
The things that I didn’t like were numerous. But the number one being the gaslighting. Like holy shit, there was a lot of it! I just wanted to slap Jason every time he started pushing Matt to talk about his family and then turning it around on him and making Matt feel like a bad friend for not talking. I just...I didn’t like it, at all. There were also a couple of comments that came off as aphobic and they just didn’t need to be in this book. Another thing that I didn’t like was that there were so many little plot holes. Like, did Matt come out to his dad? Did he tell his dad about Jason? Did anyone figure out if the guy they killed was a cop?? And a few other things that just didn’t add up in the end.
As you can see my thoughts are mixed. The story was so enjoyed and fun to read, but there were some problems with it. And in the end it’s a little hard for me to justify giving this more than a 3.25 stars. But don’t let that deter you from reading this! It’s such a good read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Gun violence, and Violence
Minor: Death of parent
Death of a parent is referring to Matt’s mom, who passed away. They do talk about her dying in an accident. The gaslighting is referring to Jason’s behavior with trying to get Matt to talk about his family and the family business.
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