You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing this book, with my honest review below.
Destructively Mine had me a bit confused on its genre, it read at points like YA but then went into serious adult territory with its spice and some of the plot turns. What I’ve settled on is that this is reminiscent of a younger leaning soap opera, melodramatic and likely going to completely drive young adult readers crazy (in a good way) with its extremes.
Part of a series, I’d recommend reading the first book though there are flashbacks and recaps that help. That said this ends on a cliffhanger and is clearly meant to tell the whole story across the series. I enjoyed the parts about the cons and Brooke, Hailey, Rocky, and their families’ background, but those parts don’t make up the majority of the story as the intense relationships and the increasingly tangled web of issues is the focus.
Not for me in that it is too contrived and just too much, I can absolutely see young adults (by which I mean late teens and early 20’s, this one isn’t for kids) who like extreme turns and over the top romance being big fans, as this is passionate. Just be ready to commit to the series as this leads you along with no complete closure but several loose threads to follow in future books about these characters.
Destructively Mine had me a bit confused on its genre, it read at points like YA but then went into serious adult territory with its spice and some of the plot turns. What I’ve settled on is that this is reminiscent of a younger leaning soap opera, melodramatic and likely going to completely drive young adult readers crazy (in a good way) with its extremes.
Part of a series, I’d recommend reading the first book though there are flashbacks and recaps that help. That said this ends on a cliffhanger and is clearly meant to tell the whole story across the series. I enjoyed the parts about the cons and Brooke, Hailey, Rocky, and their families’ background, but those parts don’t make up the majority of the story as the intense relationships and the increasingly tangled web of issues is the focus.
Not for me in that it is too contrived and just too much, I can absolutely see young adults (by which I mean late teens and early 20’s, this one isn’t for kids) who like extreme turns and over the top romance being big fans, as this is passionate. Just be ready to commit to the series as this leads you along with no complete closure but several loose threads to follow in future books about these characters.
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.
Destructively Mine begins right where the first book ended. It had me hooked from the very start. The storyline continued to be interesting and unique. This time around it kept me even more on edge. There was so much going on with the mystery as well as the other activities the characters were involved in. It was almost too much for me at times, but I pushed through because I HAD to know what was going to happen and what would be revealed. I also loved that Phoebe and Rocky were once again the narrators. These two were made for each other and their love was palpable. They had so many great moments together and with their friends and family. Their yearning to be with each other could have easily been the entire story, but I'm glad it wasn't. Their friends and family also had a lot going on. Hailey's storyline took a turn I wasn't expecting, and it is one I'm a little nervous about. The rest of the guys had me a little worried, too. I would love to say more about what was going on with them, but I don't want to give away any of the excitement. I'll just say it was fun and stressful to be back in the small coastal town with everything it was hiding. The twist and turns this book made surprised me when I was least expecting it. And that cliffhanger... I need the next book NOW. I know this was a jumbled mess of a review, but I'm still processing everything that happened and feeling like there is something I missed along the way.
Destructively Mine begins right where the first book ended. It had me hooked from the very start. The storyline continued to be interesting and unique. This time around it kept me even more on edge. There was so much going on with the mystery as well as the other activities the characters were involved in. It was almost too much for me at times, but I pushed through because I HAD to know what was going to happen and what would be revealed. I also loved that Phoebe and Rocky were once again the narrators. These two were made for each other and their love was palpable. They had so many great moments together and with their friends and family. Their yearning to be with each other could have easily been the entire story, but I'm glad it wasn't. Their friends and family also had a lot going on. Hailey's storyline took a turn I wasn't expecting, and it is one I'm a little nervous about. The rest of the guys had me a little worried, too. I would love to say more about what was going on with them, but I don't want to give away any of the excitement. I'll just say it was fun and stressful to be back in the small coastal town with everything it was hiding. The twist and turns this book made surprised me when I was least expecting it. And that cliffhanger... I need the next book NOW. I know this was a jumbled mess of a review, but I'm still processing everything that happened and feeling like there is something I missed along the way.
This was good but not great. I am more invested in the con artist side of things rather than the romance, but this was more romance heavy. I wish we spent less time on spice and more time on the plot. It felt pretty filler heavy and like it didn’t need to be its own whole book. All that being said I did still really enjoy it. I feel like I can picture everything so clearly which is normally hard for me to do and I really hope that Hailey ends up getting a book because there is a love triangle I am actually really invested in. I will 100% be continuing this series, the mystery is just too good, just wish it was a bit quicker paced.
lighthearted
medium-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Sexual assault, Pregnancy