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mayllomi's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Drug use, Murder, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Addiction, Cancer, Child abuse, Death of parent, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Domestic abuse
ecravens's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual harassment, Cancer, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Blood, Pregnancy, Cursing, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Child abuse, Gun violence, Death of parent, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Mental illness, Stalking, Rape, Toxic relationship, Vomit, and Violence
marissamalark's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Moderate: Addiction, Rape, Drug abuse, Cancer, and Pedophilia
Minor: Vomit and Death
gluvsbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
WOW. ok… so, i did not think I was going to enjoy this book as much as i did. I actually did it backwards and read book 2 in the series before I read book 1, but after loving this so much I’m going to go back and read The Sweetest Oblivion.
I don’t even know what to say about them.
Both Christian and Gianna are two people you wouldn’t expect to be together, they both had a very troubled and traumatic upbringing where they are left to deal with the demons of their past as adults.
Their story is told in two parts. Part one is the past where we see them first meet. Gianna is married to someone else and then she remarried again. Both times she is in unhappy relationships and both times it was never the right time for her and Christian.
That doesn’t mean that they don’t find other way to take all that tension out of themselves though. And no I don’t mean sex, get you mind out of the gutter. Their chemistry together is shown through their endless back and forth at each other. It is none stop and I really enjoyed seeing neither of them give in to the other.
During this time though we also see Christian being and saying mean things to Gianna to get under her skin. As much as some of the things said are upsetting and shouldn’t be excused, I think it can also be explained as it was a way for Christian to get his frustration of the fact he couldn’t have Gianna out, he just directed it at the wrong person.
We also see that in part one, Christian is going to therapy, he’s in it for a few years as well as there are a few times in the present we see him in the therapist office. And the reason for that is Gianna. This man has been so obsessed with something he couldn’t have he ended up needing to talk to someone, not that he actually shares how he feels with anyone.
Also, in part one we see Gianna a lot at her low points. It could be said that she was an addict in someways as she turned to drugs and alcohol to drown out her demons and nightmares. However, that is not to say she is not a strong FMC, because she is. Gianna went through so much, as a child and and even in her adult life too. She never had the long end of the stick, finding herself always being dealt the short end. But she persevered through it all and we find that she eventually comes out on top.
Now, with part two in the present. Christian and Gianna and thrown back together again. They’re still stand off-ish to one another after how things ended up between them in the past. But then everything changes and they give into their years long desire for one another. They end up entering some kind of relationship… one of the sexual kind. Here is where they realise they like each others company and they learn new things by observing the other.
Even though it is just sex… it is a lot more. The little things in the way Christian treats her. His actions speak louder than the words that actually come out of his mouth.
He’s obsessed with her and always has been, if he can’t have her then nobody else can.
We then see that Gianna slowly gives into him and she realises that she’s fallen in love with him, but while he may know everything about her from observing her over the years. Gianna, in fact, knows little to nothing about Christian, maybe just except from the routine he does when stripping down before they sleep together. So she demands more from him but he’s reluctant. He finds himself backed into a corner, one where he either loses her or spills his past to Gianna… and he’s not willing to lose her.
There is an unexpected surprise pregnancy at the end of their story. Now while i don’t particularly always like this trope and how it can sometimes feel like authors are dumping babies onto their characters as a form of ‘oh here a baby will make you happy’. I actually did in fact like this aspect because it was something the character wanted. We see in the book on a few occasions that Gianna had a desirable longing for a family, so I felt like this is something she deserved to finally get.
As much as I enjoyed this book, I did find it to be a bit rushed. It was quite short and could have done with being longer to fully tell Christian and Gianna’s story to it’s full extent. But don’t let that deter you, it was a lovely read.
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Terminal illness, Violence, Cancer, Child abuse, Sexual content, Pregnancy, and Death of parent
stitchof'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? It's complicated
2.75
Graphic: Gaslighting, Murder, Drug use, Stalking, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Violence, Sexual violence, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Adult/minor relationship, Genocide, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Alcohol, Death of parent, Grief, Incest, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Sexism, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Blood, Body horror, Cancer, and Misogyny
plsnotanotherdamselindistress's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
The depth of these characters was captivating. There is no real plot with the book mainly focusing on both characters and their development but there was also no plot needed.
Was it a mafia romance, yes, did I love how real the characters felt, yes.
There definitely were quite the smutty scenes.
!for sensitive readers: better read the content warnings even if they involve spoilers!
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders and Sexual content
Moderate: Murder and Toxic relationship
Minor: Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Rape, Incest, Cancer, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Pregnancy
molly_rose's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Addiction, Child abuse, Murder, Confinement, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Stalking, Death, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Sexism, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Bullying, Vomit, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Body shaming, and Cancer
suttonbriar's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Addiction, Violence, Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, and Murder
Moderate: Blood, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Abandonment, Cancer, and Death of parent
kim03's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
What I liked:
- The character development, which was only possible because the bar was so low that there was no way but up (this is only slightly sarcastic)
- The story was very captivating. I was almost unable to put it down and probably would've finished it in one go if I wasn't so frickin tired.
- Kinda unrelated to the general plot of the book, but the parts that were in Russian... I understood some. In a way, it was a confidence boost. Go me. (For reference: I don't actually understand Russian I've just heard enough to understand some in a context)
- Also, I kind of did like the obsession of Christian, because it showed dedication, however, i doubt it stopped him from sleeping around. Men (eye roll)
- That weird ass therapist. Like, what in the heteronormativity did even happen there? (I'll get to that part later again) this woman (who had a PhD for some inexplicable reason) felt so god-damned unprofessional (it gave me a little Harley Quinn and joker vibes but without him being interested in her at all). She def thought she was the main character in her own story. Anywho.
- Heteronormativity: why does it exist? Every women who appears (or doesn't) in this book, is attracted to Christian and wants to get in his pants. Why? As an asexual, I can't relate. And what about lesbians? They exist? And people have different tastes, not everyone's gonna like him. Especially when he's such a douche to everyone.
The Tropes: kinda enemies to lovers
Triggerwarning / content warnings: infidelity, abuse (physical and emotional), manipulation / gaslighting, violence, assault, harassment, rape, stalking, drug use / drug abuse
Mood song: k. Flay »High enough« (slowed down)
Graphic: Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Infidelity, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Addiction, Cancer, Child abuse, and Rape
anaya_reads's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Blood, Child abuse, Cursing, Death of parent, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Gun violence
Moderate: Cancer and Chronic illness