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adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Torture, Vomit
challenging
dark
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
First of all, this book is not going to appeal to everyone. TBH, I picked it up because my kindle suggested it to me. This book is absolutely outside my comfort zone.For Whom the Belle Tolls has CW galore. You name it, it’s in this book. Not to mention there is one steamy scene that I completely skipped.(It’s not my jam, but you do you,boo.)
However, I ate this book up in 24 hours,so I’m left feeling…confused? It’s horrific yet cozy? Trauma-filled yet funny? Dark yet oddly found-family? This book deals a lot with religious trauma, and it feels like much of the author’s own personal experiences are steeped in the book. For these reasons, I can’t give this anything lower than a 4. Should you read it? Maybe… maybe not? I’m glad (I think?) that I picked it up. Will I read the next one… not sure! 😂 I read this book on Libby.
However, I ate this book up in 24 hours,so I’m left feeling…confused? It’s horrific yet cozy? Trauma-filled yet funny? Dark yet oddly found-family? This book deals a lot with religious trauma, and it feels like much of the author’s own personal experiences are steeped in the book. For these reasons, I can’t give this anything lower than a 4. Should you read it? Maybe… maybe not? I’m glad (I think?) that I picked it up. Will I read the next one… not sure! 😂 I read this book on Libby.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence
Moderate: Cancer, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Torture, Suicide attempt, War, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Abortion, Alcohol
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
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
This book had so many elements to it that I can’t not rate it a five star. It’s a rom com for sure, with smut and romance and all that delicious stuff. But it’s also a beautiful story about two non perfect individuals finding each other, and others, and working through their trauma. This author just gets people. The characters are so well thought out and complex that I was fed. The book is long, and I admit the start was slow but I feel like that’s a big book intimidation problem and not specific to this book. There’s plot, that comes out in the last third, with many hints up to it in the start. But it’s also a very character heavy plot, and you follow their growth and the life together. The hellp desk is actually a minor plot point but also the heart of the book, as Lily couldn’t be where she is without that. Her writing on religious is so relatable and beautiful, and is really touching especially for people who have had issues with their faith or have left it behind. There are trigger warnings, as the author explores many bad things about humanity as well as the good. Chapter 42 is especially heavy, as it follows Lily’s human life. There’s SA, self harm, suicide attempts and then her actual cancer battle and death. I won’t spoiler warning these as it’s important to know. The grief at the end is so beautiful and I love how the culture of the afterlife is explored in the way the funeral is. The ending is a happy one, and one I feel is fleshed out enough. It makes sense in the end. And I loved the epilogue. I feel like it’s a reference to the skits on TikTok which I know vaguely of but I like it, as it’s a perfect reflection of Lily’s start. I feel lucky to have read this on KU and she’s an author I hopes keeps writing because I haven’t read prose this beautiful in a while.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Terminal illness, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, War
Moderate: Child abuse, Death
Minor: Self harm, Suicide attempt
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Child abuse, Child death
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I don't know if I can accurately put into words just how much I love this book. If there is an afterlife, I hope this is what it's like. This book has one of the kindest, most empathetic takes on death and the afterlife that I have ever seen. This book shattered my heart and put it back together again. I was laughing and crying, sometimes within the same chapter. It is a long book, and you absolutely HAVE to mind the trigger/content warnings. That said, this book could've been a thousand hours long, and I'd have been perfectly content. I've loved the Hell's Belles series on TikTok almost since the beginning, so I already knew and loved the characters, but this book somehow added even more depth to them and made me love them even more, which I really didn't think was possible. I've listened to this book twice already (which is, admittedly, a little insane since it's almost 24 hours long). The first time I read it, I finished it in two days, because I simply could not wait for the next work day to find out what happened next. The second time I read it, it took me through three full shifts at work. To be honest, I'll probably read this several times between now and the release of the next book. The world is so rich and engaging, and the writing is so beautiful. If you love couples who are also best friends, I highly, highly recommend you give this book a try!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Violence, Grief, War
Moderate: Child abuse, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child death, Sexual assault
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
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
it took me a bit to get used to the world (demons in hell playing among us really threw me off for a second lma o), but once i was in, i was IN.
this was NOTHING like i thought it was going to be.
jaysea lynn handled a myriad of sensitive topics with gentle empathy along with appropriate and fierce indignation, her exploration of religious trauma healed something in me, and the relationships she built with these characters made my heart ache and swell.
so excited for the second book <3
this was NOTHING like i thought it was going to be.
jaysea lynn handled a myriad of sensitive topics with gentle empathy along with appropriate and fierce indignation, her exploration of religious trauma healed something in me, and the relationships she built with these characters made my heart ache and swell.
so excited for the second book <3
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Religious bigotry
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Classism
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Sexual assault
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child abuse, Child death
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book had me howling with laughter right after bawling my eyes out. Jaysea has such a great grasp of how to use tension and comedic relief and this book touched on so many topics that hit near and dear to my own lived experience that it felt like it was written for me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: War
Minor: Child abuse, Sexual assault
emotional
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
For fans of TikTok's "Hell's Bells" series, there was always a fear maybe that the story they love would not translate to the written word. Jaysea Lynn blew those fears out of the water with this stunning debut.
The depth of character and quality of writing is phenomenal. Exploring the depths of Lily, Sharkie and Bel was a journey filled with manifold treasures. The cosmology that she has created, that understands evil and good in such a gentle and satisfying way really braces up your view from having watched the TikTok series, but easily stands alone and is worthy of a deep reading.
And the smut is really really satisfying.. Like too satisfying.
Highly HIGHLY recommend!
The depth of character and quality of writing is phenomenal. Exploring the depths of Lily, Sharkie and Bel was a journey filled with manifold treasures. The cosmology that she has created, that understands evil and good in such a gentle and satisfying way really braces up your view from having watched the TikTok series, but easily stands alone and is worthy of a deep reading.
And the smut is really really satisfying.. Like too satisfying.
Highly HIGHLY recommend!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Child abuse, War
Minor: Sexual assault