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bookboyfriendandhusbandmake3's review against another edition
5.0
Sooooo good
I’m so mad at myself for not reading this when I first discovered Sam Mariano. Although I’m glad I can go straight into book 2
I’m so mad at myself for not reading this when I first discovered Sam Mariano. Although I’m glad I can go straight into book 2
sonja_ahrb's review
4.0
Well, I can’t say I wasn’t warned that this book was going to be angsty because Sam Mariano’s pretty honest about when she’s going to rip your heart out and stomp on it when it comes to her books. I still went ahead and read Because of You anyway because I love her and I missed her heroes and even though she has a new release coming out soon, I didn’t want to wait any longer. So I decided to get the Because of You duet out of the way because I’m not a fan of angst and I just wanted it over with — plus I wanted to see why everyone loves Derek so much. As of Because of You, I don’t know why that is, he broke my heart and more importantly Nikki’s and my opinion of him is not the highest yet. I don’t know what to tell you, if you love angst or Sam Mariano or both, then I’m sure you’ll love this book. I didn’t love Because of You, I didn’t enjoy it for the simple reason that angst is not my jam, but I’m going to start After You as soon as I finish drowning my sorrows in Dreyer’s Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup ice cream — I highly recommend by the way — and see through to Nikki and Derek finding their happily-ever-after.
~ Sonja, 4 Stars
~ Sonja, 4 Stars
jen286's review
1.0
I would say spoilers for the first chapters of this story, but seriously no one should read this. I don't usually review (or rate) books that I have not read at least 50% of. I figure that is a fair chance and if I am hating it at 50% I probably won't end up loving it. But I couldn't do that with this book. No I only read a tiny bit and I couldn't. This book pissed me off so much I couldn't read on. Because I am NOT ever going to be okay with a rapist piece of shit being someone I am supposed to end up liking. Fuck off with this rapist love story. No. Just no.
So I was really curious how this story was going to go. How the guy would end up with the girl he hates because her mom killed his mom when they were little. Because yeah lashing out at the innocent kid in all this is all kinds of cool. They meet in high school and he is horrible to her, tormenting her all the time and it was not good. But I kept reading just to see what would happen...until the party. Until the guy literally rapes the girl. Not only does he ply her with drinks so she is completely wasted and cannot give consent, he takes her up to a bedroom locking them in and FILMS HIMSELF RAPING HER!!! Yes, that is right, he films himself committing a crime. He is a giant piece of shit. Rape is NEVER okay. Never. So to rape her then use it to blackmail her? I'm out. Nope. No no no no no. Fuck that shit. I could not continue reading a rapist love story. Because that is not a love story. That is fucked up.
So I was really curious how this story was going to go. How the guy would end up with the girl he hates because her mom killed his mom when they were little. Because yeah lashing out at the innocent kid in all this is all kinds of cool. They meet in high school and he is horrible to her, tormenting her all the time and it was not good. But I kept reading just to see what would happen...until the party. Until the guy literally rapes the girl. Not only does he ply her with drinks so she is completely wasted and cannot give consent, he takes her up to a bedroom locking them in and FILMS HIMSELF RAPING HER!!! Yes, that is right, he films himself committing a crime. He is a giant piece of shit. Rape is NEVER okay. Never. So to rape her then use it to blackmail her? I'm out. Nope. No no no no no. Fuck that shit. I could not continue reading a rapist love story. Because that is not a love story. That is fucked up.
psychodavis's review against another edition
5.0
Wow, not what I was expecting and I loved it
What an emotional rollercoaster. I have read a lot of books by Sam and this one was different in so many ways and I loved it. Honestly all I want to do is curl up and cry for the characters in this book. It's a beautifully written heart wrenching story and I can't wait to read part 2 of this magnificent duet.
What an emotional rollercoaster. I have read a lot of books by Sam and this one was different in so many ways and I loved it. Honestly all I want to do is curl up and cry for the characters in this book. It's a beautifully written heart wrenching story and I can't wait to read part 2 of this magnificent duet.
marureviere's review against another edition
3.0
Man, the main characters. Sarap pag-untugin at sakalin tbh
nineinchnails's review against another edition
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
the actual quality of the writing isn’t up to mariano’s usual standards (it is her older work) but the plot kinda sucked me in anyway cause it was like a soap opera
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Bullying
blackmail using explicit content/revenge pornillidia316's review
5.0
This book is heartbreaking. It is such a good story, but the ending ripped my heart out. The characters are fantastic - Nicole is my favorite. I found it very easy to relate to her. The plot is very realistic and is written very well. I can’t wait to read more books by this author.
izziede's review
This is book 1 and it does not end in a HEA.
It has apparently been rewritten.
It is a very angsty read.
It has apparently been rewritten.
It is a very angsty read.
zerosixjune's review against another edition
2.0
I have to start by saying I’m not going to read the second book. I liked the ending in this one. So, I’d like to keep it that way.
I don’t even know why I read this. I expected something good from this book. But no. I didn’t get that. This is my third attempt on reading Sam Mariano’s books. I think it’s time to admit that her books aren’t for me. Because none of it worked for my taste. But that’s okay.
⚠️ SPOILER (a little bit) ⚠️
I think I would have liked this more if it wasn’t for the same conflict between Nikki and her mother. I also started to skim reading the whole thing when that exact same conflict occurred in the story. And all of this happened in high school?
I don’t even know why I read this. I expected something good from this book. But no. I didn’t get that. This is my third attempt on reading Sam Mariano’s books. I think it’s time to admit that her books aren’t for me. Because none of it worked for my taste. But that’s okay.
⚠️ SPOILER (a little bit) ⚠️
I think I would have liked this more if it wasn’t for the same conflict between Nikki and her mother. I also started to skim reading the whole thing when that exact same conflict occurred in the story. And all of this happened in high school?