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hollllaaaay's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The Jane Austen quote "if a book is well written, I always find it too short." Does NOT match 'things I wanted to say.'
I loved how he chose her in the end over everyone. Whit grew as a character the most for me in the book, Summer stayed the same, obsessive, submissive, boring character the whole time.
Also why did we jump so many years, the time lines were all over the place near the end.
I wished more from Summer to prove herself and not just sign a document to state she didn't want his money, she never made something of her self in the end she became the thing she said she did not want to be. "A breeding machine for the Lancaster name."
Graphic: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Rape, Sexual assault, and Child abuse
worldofv33'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
5.0
Graphic: Gaslighting, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Addiction, Body shaming, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Mental illness, Murder, Pedophilia, Rape, and Death of parent
thenovelbookshelf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Dark with darker sub-storylines, Monica Murphy builds the characters quite slowly as they show themselves to each other. Lots of adult themes and situations that are quite unrealistic yet fantastical to read and daydream about.
Graphic: Bullying, Sexual harassment, Rape, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Sexual violence, Incest, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Chronic illness, and Classism
Minor: Death, Murder, Drug use, Eating disorder, Alcohol, Pregnancy, Death of parent, and Suicide attempt
isla_gracereader13's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Cursing, Death, Eating disorder, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Addiction, Drug use, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Body shaming, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, and Sexual violence
glden13's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
2.0
I would have stopped in the middle, it’s very long.
Graphic: Sexual content and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Rape, and Death
Minor: Chronic illness and Death
mlburdick'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: Bullying, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Sexual assault, Rape, Pedophilia, and Toxic relationship
lilyemmaaa's review against another edition
3.0
I’m typically not a fan of the bully romances, but here I am now reading a few of them. This book was basically just all smut while still having a decent plot.
My feelings on Whit are hard to explain. I enjoyed reading about his character, but I also hated him in so many moments. He’s a genuine asshole who only cared about himself and I HATE those types of characters. But that is the point of this story. I liked how towards the end he actually succumbed to his inevitable feelings and became just a little bit of a softy, but everything before that was a little hard to read sometimes if I’m being honest.
Summer was a complete submissive and while it was intriguing to read, it also had me wanting her to just stick up for herself at many points. I cringed hard after what happened at the abandoned house prior to the party, I cringed when he called her a whore at the age of 14 where she truly wasn’t, and I cringed when she let him do whatever he wanted all because of blackmail. But she was also so strong. With the mental Ternopil he put her through, the trauma her early teenage years caused, and the mother that she had. I have to give her props because how she got through all that is a little unbelievable to me.
The third act conflict was so hard to read because of all that Summer was put through. I hate Whits mother and the things that she did. I hate how mean Whits sister was to Summer for no reason other than her feeling hurt. And I hate how Summer was abandoned by everyone she basically loved because of it. And then when she got back to her mother, she finds out the truth about the night of the fire? That was a turn I did not see coming and it broke my heart when she realized what it all meant.
But, the way that there was a decent amount of time for her to process everything before Whit came back, felt just a little realistic. And the way he came back had me smiling.
You would think that with all that I wrote I’d have rated it badly, but I love Monica Murphy’s writing and I love the way she wrote this story. It was enjoyable and made me set all my premade opinions aside. A book will barely ever be perfect for me, so a good story and an enjoyable whatever, makes a book good for me. And at the end of the day this book was just that. A good read.
Graphic: Death, Bullying, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Sexual content, Alcohol, and Death of parent
Moderate: Terminal illness, Chronic illness, and Fire/Fire injury
d_fine001's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death, Bullying, Death of parent, and Sexual assault
ecravens'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: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Death, Drug abuse, Grief, Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Eating disorder, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death of parent, and Emotional abuse
nineinchnails's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
13/12/2023
i actually enjoyed this more than i did the first time around but i rate things differently now. the writing style is really charming to me so even though there isn’t a lot of romantic development (imo) i liked reading it. it was a little OTT and very angsty but that’s exactly what i enjoy reading right now. i do feel disappointed that
——
first read: 23/5/2022
Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Bullying, Chronic illness, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Death, Incest, Rape, and Death of parent
Minor: Eating disorder and Pregnancy
disordered eating