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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
There’s heartbreak and then there’s the heartbreak this book causes 😭😭😭 that twist was not one I predicted! I honestly love this book! Age gap, forbidden, emotional and spicy in the perfect way. Book 2 is coming up!
Well... a strong contender for the worst book I've ever read.
My first question, who the heck edited this book? A mole? A kangaroo? A turtle? These are the only explanations for why so many painfully glaring errors and oddities were overlooked. Let me flourish you with just a few examples.
1. Our protagonist, an 18 year old girl, falls in love with creepy 30 year old (nearly 31 he says) neighbour. 12 year age gap right? 12 years. If we put the inappropriate age gap aside for a mere moment, why does our thicko protagonist describe the age gap as "thirteen years - almost fourteen" (page 98). Simple mathematics that could've been resolved with the use of a calculator.
2. Secondly, on page 129, thicko, annoying protagonist describes creepy, weirdo neighbour getting into the pool. She says "I watch the water ripple against his waist when he reaches the five-foot section." Five. Foot. AT HIS WAIST. FIVE FREAKING FEET. FROM HIS FEET TO HIS WAIST. Suggesting creepy, weirdo neighbour is approximately 7-8ft tall.
3. SHE HUMPED THE MAN'S LEG IN HER SLEEP. LIKE A RABID ANIMAL. AND HE WAS STILL INTERESTED IN HER. NEED I SAY MORE.
4. Later on creepy, weirdo, predatory neighbour says he refuses to call himself someone's boyfriend as he's 31, and that's "too old" to be someone's boyfriend. Was the author 12 years old when she wrote this novel???? Does she think 31 year olds are elderly people???? Is 31 the new 98???
Errors and oddities aside, did the author just Google "trauma" and then decide to include every example of traumatic experiences into a 400 page spew of literary nonsense?
Probably the most painful thing though was the absolutely terrible writing. It was like being told about someone's day in list format, i.e. "I did this, then I did that. And then I did this. And THEN I did this." The only positive is that it made it a very quick read (and thank goodness, because I didn't want to waste any more time reading this damn book). Not to mention, there were about 300 iterations of the phrase "sent a shiver down my spine". Perhaps our protagonist's spine needs medical attention given the frequency of its disruption.
How anyone enjoyed this book, and considered it a love story, is beyond me.
Absolute trash.
Edit: Also why do they all have such dumb names.
My first question, who the heck edited this book? A mole? A kangaroo? A turtle? These are the only explanations for why so many painfully glaring errors and oddities were overlooked. Let me flourish you with just a few examples.
1. Our protagonist, an 18 year old girl, falls in love with creepy 30 year old (nearly 31 he says) neighbour. 12 year age gap right? 12 years. If we put the inappropriate age gap aside for a mere moment, why does our thicko protagonist describe the age gap as "thirteen years - almost fourteen" (page 98). Simple mathematics that could've been resolved with the use of a calculator.
2. Secondly, on page 129, thicko, annoying protagonist describes creepy, weirdo neighbour getting into the pool. She says "I watch the water ripple against his waist when he reaches the five-foot section." Five. Foot. AT HIS WAIST. FIVE FREAKING FEET. FROM HIS FEET TO HIS WAIST. Suggesting creepy, weirdo neighbour is approximately 7-8ft tall.
3. SHE HUMPED THE MAN'S LEG IN HER SLEEP. LIKE A RABID ANIMAL. AND HE WAS STILL INTERESTED IN HER. NEED I SAY MORE.
4. Later on creepy, weirdo, predatory neighbour says he refuses to call himself someone's boyfriend as he's 31, and that's "too old" to be someone's boyfriend. Was the author 12 years old when she wrote this novel???? Does she think 31 year olds are elderly people???? Is 31 the new 98???
Errors and oddities aside, did the author just Google "trauma" and then decide to include every example of traumatic experiences into a 400 page spew of literary nonsense?
Probably the most painful thing though was the absolutely terrible writing. It was like being told about someone's day in list format, i.e. "I did this, then I did that. And then I did this. And THEN I did this." The only positive is that it made it a very quick read (and thank goodness, because I didn't want to waste any more time reading this damn book). Not to mention, there were about 300 iterations of the phrase "sent a shiver down my spine". Perhaps our protagonist's spine needs medical attention given the frequency of its disruption.
How anyone enjoyed this book, and considered it a love story, is beyond me.
Absolute trash.
Edit: Also why do they all have such dumb names.
emotional
medium-paced
Good read. Read fairly quickly. It dragged on a bit in the middle and picked up the last 10%. Not sure if I plan to read the second one. I wasn’t all that connected to Salem and Thayer.
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
tense
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Sexual assault, Sexual content
Here's the thing, I planned to leave this a three because the writing is irksome, but I also started it at 11pm and ended up going to bed at 4:30am after finishing it and immediately starting the second because I had to know what happened for some reason. It was only the knowledge that I had to be at work at 7am that eventually allowed me to put it down and take a nap at 4:30am. So now it's 10am, I'm 20% through book two, and I'm writing this review instead of taking notes in the meeting that I'm sitting in (I really don't need to be in this meeting, y'all).
The main character is super young, which is part of the concept I suppose, but she's written more like she's a few years older. I think I would have appreciated it more if she was 22-25. Her boyfriend is a huge pushover, but he's a nice little bit of conflict. Mostly, I just wish that he grew a back bone and told Salem, our main character, to screw off. The love interest is grumpy, hot guy who fulfills the grump v. sunshine trope. I don't mind it. You know from the first chapter that they are going to be a couple but it's a bit of a slower burn - however, when they are on, they are ON.
The ending was... something. I can't even share it with you. You just have to find out.
The only complaint I truly have about this book is the way it is written. There are a number of repeated phrases that are very obvious, Salem brings attention to a lot of unnecessary things, there's plenty of "telling not showing," and the main character has a diet coke obsession that rivals the coffee thing in [b:Things We Never Got Over|60060431|Things We Never Got Over (Knockemout, #1)|Lucy Score|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1641629293l/60060431._SY75_.jpg|94213909]
The main character is super young, which is part of the concept I suppose, but she's written more like she's a few years older. I think I would have appreciated it more if she was 22-25. Her boyfriend is a huge pushover, but he's a nice little bit of conflict. Mostly, I just wish that he grew a back bone and told Salem, our main character, to screw off. The love interest is grumpy, hot guy who fulfills the grump v. sunshine trope. I don't mind it. You know from the first chapter that they are going to be a couple but it's a bit of a slower burn - however, when they are on, they are ON.
The ending was... something. I can't even share it with you. You just have to find out.
The only complaint I truly have about this book is the way it is written. There are a number of repeated phrases that are very obvious, Salem brings attention to a lot of unnecessary things, there's plenty of "telling not showing," and the main character has a diet coke obsession that rivals the coffee thing in [b:Things We Never Got Over|60060431|Things We Never Got Over (Knockemout, #1)|Lucy Score|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1641629293l/60060431._SY75_.jpg|94213909]
challenging
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I read this book so fast it was unreal. I was for sure out of my slump for this one. I could of finished in one day. With so much emotion I cried more than once. There were so many parts I was on the edge of my seat in disbelief. I did not expect the small amount of spice that was in this book I went in blind hoping for emotion and I got a surprise. I ate this book up even though it made me cry but we all do that don't we? That ending got me good and I need a little break but also need book 2 ASAP!
I had to spoil myself before reading this when I saw the reviews because I can only handle a certain amount of emotional damage. I had the whole book to mentally prepare myself for what was to come but fuck it still stung. The first part (the happy part) was cute, it was fun. I wasn't OBSESSED with the characters but it was sweet, enjoyable. With the way it ended I am looking forward to reading the next one. Hopefully it doesn't wreck me, let's all pray.