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cdoubet's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Classism, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Sexual content, and Grief
Moderate: Medical content, Terminal illness, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Ableism, Alcohol, Cancer, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Drug use, Sexual harassment, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Body horror, and Blood
melissa_rueff's review
- 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
3.0
Graphic: Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Body shaming, Classism, Death of parent, Fatphobia, Alcoholism, Self harm, Ableism, Addiction, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Sexual harassment
hiraeth_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I actually liked the grumpy x sunshine dynamic in the end even though it's obv very cliché. The characters grew on me even though Rowan is a possessive alphahole (to quote SJM) and Zhara felt a little too not-like-other-girls from time to time. I enjoyed their story even though it was very predictable and some of the struggles seemed unreasonable (the 2nd conflict was so unnecessary). You see? It was a nice, quick read which had me cringing more often than i hoped (some really strong wattpad vibes) but was also able to force a little silly smile out of me. If i had been able to fully immerse into the story the backstories might have made me more emotional, but half of the time i couldn't take Rowan and his daddy issues seriously (even though they are obv understandable, but it just felt very stereotypical).
I really like romance novels but i catch myself being hyper aware of red flags every time i pick a book like that up which leads to me not being able to fully enjoy it. I am a huge advocate for the whole "it's not the same! no, but it's not the same!" when it comes to enjoying (romance) books which display things that are questionable. But i need the story to be written very thoughtfully so i'm emotionally invested before cringe or my red-flags-alarm kick in. Often times I wished the author would've chosen to "show, don't tell".
So: A nice read for everyone who can shut their brain up when sth along the lines "i want to own you" or "you don't have a say in this" comes up. Or who can enjoy reading a billionaire romance without rolling their eyes at the amount of unchecked privilege and classism it displays/reproduces.
Otherwise this book got everything you want from christian-grey-like-flexing-with-wealth (v over the top dates which one can only dream of), a little bit of kind-of-forbidden romance over girl turns icy guy into a simp to tragic backstories.
Minor: Sexual content, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Cancer, Cursing, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Classism, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, and Sexism