1.58k reviews for:

Pretty Reckless

L.J. Shen

3.84 AVERAGE

dark emotional medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

The characters were annoying and spoiled brats. It was hella cheesy and convenient at the end. The romance wasn't there. Bit of a let down.

He llorado y sufrido y disfrutado como una enana. Lo que parece una simple novela romántica de corte adolescente tiene una profundidad psicológica que ya quisieras muchos. Trata temas como la autoestima y el amor maternofilial de manera, a mi parecer, muy acertada.

Welp. I pretty much read this in one sitting. And stayed up until 3am. It was THAT good.

You know those stories that make you uncomfortable because you never know what kind of danger is lurking around the corner? Yes, it usually happens with romantic suspense stories... but my anxiety was caused by mean highschoolers. You just never know who is a real friend or who is out to screw you over? Yeah, that's how this story started. Angst and anxiety for DAYS!

But then as the story goes along, it really turns into a sweet love story. And there are so many lesson takeaways.

Daria and Penn. <3 Marx, I just loved them!
For two people who start out doing pretty despicable things, they really find redemption amongst this story in a spectacular way.

Це, без сумніву, одна з НАЙГІРШИХ книг, які я коли-небудь читала. Уже на пролозі в мене з’явилося бажання закрити її й просто викинути. Весь текст написано так, ніби від імені пихатої восьмикласниці, яка мріє стати популярною в школі. Діалоги постійно обертаються навколо тем інтимного характеру, що виглядає дивно, адже на початку історії головній героїні всього чотирнадцять років! Давно не траплялася книга з настільки невдалим сленгом, хаотичним викладом думок і абсолютно штучним сюжетом, який намагається показати, яка особлива і крута головна героїня. Я була просто шокована тим, що таке видали й продають. Думаю, позбудуся цієї книги, щоб більше не бачити її на своїй полиці.

This was a tear jerker

So I started this book off not liking either character then I quickly fell for both them due to their background. The emotional roller-coaster they put me on was rough. I couldn't put the book down, because I needed to know that everything turned out okay for them. I didn't need a happy ending I just needed them to be okay, that's how emotional I was at this point. I can't wait to start the next one.

Gahhhh!!!

This book was EVERYTHING. I truly have no idea how she does it, but LJ blows my mind with each book. Her writing is so unique and unpredictable. I absolutely love that all of her characters have such a unique voice and strong presence. This book is truly one of my favorite reads in 2019.

So much cringe... but also couldn’t not finish it.

This book was amazing and so worth the hype it was getting on LJ Shenn's Facebook page. I loved Daria. I connected to her on a personal level because there have been many times that I've worn a mask hiding my true self. I also thought Penn was a complex love interest. This is not your typical enemy to lovers romance. The bickering and fighting ended up being endearing and I honestly loved everything about this book.
challenging emotional funny lighthearted sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I went into reading this book blind. It was a recommendation from someone in a book group, and then it was gifted to me, so I thought why not give it ago. 

I really enjoyed this book, once I got through the first 3rd of the story. It was quite slow to start and I was wondering if I was going to DNF it. But I decided I would give it a few more chapters, and I'm really glad I did.

This did not turn out the way I thought it would and I was thoroughly surprised. I connected with the FMC quite quickly, and while she is the type of person i would have avoided at school, it was nice to see the hidden parts of her to make her more relatable. 

When the MMC came into the story, I enjoyed reading his POV as well. 

Having the dual POV made it easier to connect with the main characters. 

This was a real enemies to lovers scenario, and the heartbreak from the middle of the book just broke me. I wasn't expecting to cry like it did. 

While the characters are 18, the spice scenes were what you would expect for that age, and nothing was too described. It didn't give me the ick that you would probably feel if it was more intense. 

I will continue the interconnected standalone books in the series.