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marippe's review against another edition
slow-paced
2.25
Includes spoilers + talks of sexism
I feel very conflicted about this book. I enjoy Mariana's writing style a lot, it really lets me feel like we're entering into a real town, with all the local personalities. I feel like Iris' voice was very fleshed out.
Overall, I was finding myself extremely irritated. This book is extremely sexist, and I get that's the town it's set in, but our narrator and FMC Iris does little to counter this. She expresses when people are objectifying her and how she dislikes it but she does little about it in the narrative.
Rather, she expresses a misogynistic view of her own - slut shaming the many women around her. For example:
I feel very conflicted about this book. I enjoy Mariana's writing style a lot, it really lets me feel like we're entering into a real town, with all the local personalities. I feel like Iris' voice was very fleshed out.
Overall, I was finding myself extremely irritated. This book is extremely sexist, and I get that's the town it's set in, but our narrator and FMC Iris does little to counter this. She expresses when people are objectifying her and how she dislikes it but she does little about it in the narrative.
Rather, she expresses a misogynistic view of her own - slut shaming the many women around her. For example:
- "A blonde woman in a very wrinkled dress that screamed she wasn’t opposed to public fondling."
- "I felt like a drunken prostitute on the way through the hotel lobby and up the elevator with the two friends."
- "Most girls my age were usually trying to take clothes off instead of putting more on. That seemed to be the story of my life. When some people my age were worrying about certain things, I’d be stuck tackling a whole different type of monster. Oh well."
- "I bet no one else got to see his spare bedroom of comic stuff. Iris 1, Hookers Pre-Iris 0."
This "i'm not like other girls" slut-shamey bullshit was AWFUL. She feels as if she feels better than the other women just because she's a virgin and hasn't slept around. Her reaction to Luther's activities in the bar was odd to me, why is it not the predatory men going after women that are young enough to be their children? I get she doesn't agree with Luther wanting younger women, but it's not an equal blame scenario when the women in this town are basically second class citizens. I'm sad we didn't really get to know more about Blue, she could've helped counter this.
Dex was alright, his use of bitch to address women was a major ick and just personally turned me off. I know he's supposed to be a bad guy and sure he can be that bad guy, but that doesn't mean I gotta route for him. At least he's self aware, and he seemed to learn not to address women like that. His nicknames and dirty talk made me cringe tho.
Also??? why is it in books/media that people feel so entitled to know everything about each other? like being mad a friend held a personal secret. why is slim irritated that iris never mentioned that she had cancer? she didn't need to mention it.
Also also? The constant reference to refer to Sonny as her "half-brother" and how he's "not really her sibling" is very ??? That is your brother stop being so weird about it
This book had good potential because I did think it had interesting points, but it needed a lot more reworking and self awareness.
Dex was alright, his use of bitch to address women was a major ick and just personally turned me off. I know he's supposed to be a bad guy and sure he can be that bad guy, but that doesn't mean I gotta route for him. At least he's self aware, and he seemed to learn not to address women like that. His nicknames and dirty talk made me cringe tho.
Also??? why is it in books/media that people feel so entitled to know everything about each other? like being mad a friend held a personal secret. why is slim irritated that iris never mentioned that she had cancer? she didn't need to mention it.
Also also? The constant reference to refer to Sonny as her "half-brother" and how he's "not really her sibling" is very ??? That is your brother stop being so weird about it
This book had good potential because I did think it had interesting points, but it needed a lot more reworking and self awareness.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Sexual content, Vomit, Death of parent, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual harassment, and Violence
amanda_reads13's review against another edition
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- 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
2.5
Iris has recently lost her job and moves from Florida to Austin to live with her half brother, Sonny. Sonny gets her a job at a tattoo shop belonging to Dex.
I really liked Iris. She was quiet and shy, but once she became more comfortable around her coworkers, she was very funny and loyal. She has been through so much pain in her 24 years. She suffered so much loss, abandonment, health issues, and having to raise her sibling. I felt like she was very naive and overly trusting. She was very self-conscious of her scar, which any 20 year old woman would be, but that was the focus of way too much of the book.
I struggled to understand Dex. He is very one dimensional. We know that he is an angry, possessive, tall, tattoo covered hot guy, and that's about it. We don't really get much depth from his character.
He was such an asshole to Iris from the start, but called her babe and baby. Weird. He was unnecessarily angry all the time. He would blow up over the most minor things. We don't really get a reason as to his anger issues (other than the mention that his dad was a dick), nor did he really deal with his issues. This is a major red flag. Then all of a sudden he flips and goes alpha possessive over Iris. The complete 180 is very confusing. He was just way too misogynistic and sexist IMHO.
The bad boy/good girl trope was definitely being played up. The problem is that Iris is way too good for Dex. Yes, she thought he was hot, but he treated her like shit. Then he just laid claim to her one day and she just accepted it. She never really took the time to heal or learn about herself. She just went from a shitty situation to a relationship with an overbearing man.
I liked the Tattoo shop setting and Iris' coworkers. I enjoyed the bond she formed with them and how open she was able to be with them. I also really appreciated how much Sonny looked after her and took care of her.
Tropes: workplace, Biker Gangs, Slowburn, Forced Proximity, Brother's friend, Age Gap (24 x 33), Grumpy x Sunshine, Virgin FMC
I really liked Iris. She was quiet and shy, but once she became more comfortable around her coworkers, she was very funny and loyal. She has been through so much pain in her 24 years. She suffered so much loss, abandonment, health issues, and having to raise her sibling. I felt like she was very naive and overly trusting. She was very self-conscious of her scar, which any 20 year old woman would be, but that was the focus of way too much of the book.
I struggled to understand Dex. He is very one dimensional. We know that he is an angry, possessive, tall, tattoo covered hot guy, and that's about it. We don't really get much depth from his character.
He was such an asshole to Iris from the start, but called her babe and baby. Weird. He was unnecessarily angry all the time. He would blow up over the most minor things. We don't really get a reason as to his anger issues (other than the mention that his dad was a dick), nor did he really deal with his issues. This is a major red flag. Then all of a sudden he flips and goes alpha possessive over Iris. The complete 180 is very confusing. He was just way too misogynistic and sexist IMHO.
The bad boy/good girl trope was definitely being played up. The problem is that Iris is way too good for Dex. Yes, she thought he was hot, but he treated her like shit. Then he just laid claim to her one day and she just accepted it. She never really took the time to heal or learn about herself. She just went from a shitty situation to a relationship with an overbearing man.
I liked the Tattoo shop setting and Iris' coworkers. I enjoyed the bond she formed with them and how open she was able to be with them. I also really appreciated how much Sonny looked after her and took care of her.
Tropes: workplace, Biker Gangs, Slowburn, Forced Proximity, Brother's friend, Age Gap (24 x 33), Grumpy x Sunshine, Virgin FMC
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Misogyny, Abandonment, Body shaming, Grief, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Cancer, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Sexual content
landawn's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.25
Turns out mafia-adjacent romances are definitely NOT for me.
Main gripes:
The slut shaming.
The asshole MMC who won’t try to regulate his emotions.
The immature FMC.
The unnecessary length (300 pages too many)
Should’ve been a DNF!
Main gripes:
The slut shaming.
The asshole MMC who won’t try to regulate his emotions.
The immature FMC.
The unnecessary length (300 pages too many)
Should’ve been a DNF!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Sexism
Moderate: Abandonment, Body shaming, and Cancer
Minor: Grief and Death of parent
devalabra's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
1.5
Zapata's worst so far. I would recommend it if you like misogyny and/or like being treated like property or a slab of meat.
Normally I like her works(although they have their flaws, most notably potty humor and characters being unbelievably dense) but this was just...yikes
Normally I like her works(although they have their flaws, most notably potty humor and characters being unbelievably dense) but this was just...yikes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Sexism
fatkidatheartreads's review against another edition
2.25
The only interesting bit was the smut. Everything else was booooooooorrrrrrringggggg 🥱 and kinda misogynistic!
My last read of 2022 was a flop, but I've got some pretty great books on my 2023 TBR!
My last read of 2022 was a flop, but I've got some pretty great books on my 2023 TBR!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny
ancdl's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Gun violence, Cancer, Abandonment, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Sexual content, Death of parent, and Sexism
carolynlovesbooks's review against another edition
slow-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
0.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, and Sexual content
I'd DNF this book if I didn't buy it (audible) for a book club challenge.valeria_gzz's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
3,5 because I did like this but not as much as Mariana Zapatas other books. I didn’t think Iris was completely annoying but she did have her moments. I have a feeling that the only Mariana Zapata heroines that I like and relate to are Aurora and Jasmine.
Dex was hot but also I do hate the whole “you’re mine” thing so that’s another reason for the 3,5. Also I don’t think I liked the whole motorcycle club aspect.
This book definitely had its moments but it is nothing compared to the way ‘From Lukov with Love’ , ‘All Rhodes Lead to Here’ and ‘Kulti’ made me feel
Dex was hot but also I do hate the whole “you’re mine” thing so that’s another reason for the 3,5. Also I don’t think I liked the whole motorcycle club aspect.
This book definitely had its moments but it is nothing compared to the way ‘From Lukov with Love’ , ‘All Rhodes Lead to Here’ and ‘Kulti’ made me feel
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Sexual content, and Child abuse
Minor: Murder, Sexism, Homophobia, and Misogyny
ashleycmms's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, and Sexual content
Moderate: Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Alcoholism, Cursing, Grief, and Misogyny
Minor: Pregnancy
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