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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
Pretty Reckless is the first book in the All Saints High Series. This is Daria Followhill and Penn Scully’s story.
What I didn’t know was that this is a spin off from the Sinners of Saint series which was the start and was Daria’s parents story Jaime and Melody’s story in Defy 0.5 a novella. I bought Defy and can’t wait to read their story.
I didn’t like Daria most of the way through Pretty Reckless but I did feel sorry for her. Daria obviously had something going on. Daria felt her mother Melody didn’t love her and she held a grudge against her mom. I didn’t care much for Melody either. At first I thought Daria just had teenage angst and when you are a teenager you don’t love anyone. Not even yourself. She thought everyone was against her. Daria was the mean spoiled rich girl.
Penn’s life just sucked in a very bad way. He had an abusive step-father and a drug addicted mother. He had a twin sister that disappeared because of the abusive step-father. After his mother died his new foster parents were Daria’s parents. Penn seems to be the only person that can talk with Daria.
I loved the ending of the book. LJ Shen tore everyone down and then rebuilt them by the ending. I enjoyed reading Pretty Reckless and now that I know it is a spin off I need to read to go back and read Sinners of Saint Series. I give Pretty Reckless 4 stars.
What I didn’t know was that this is a spin off from the Sinners of Saint series which was the start and was Daria’s parents story Jaime and Melody’s story in Defy 0.5 a novella. I bought Defy and can’t wait to read their story.
I didn’t like Daria most of the way through Pretty Reckless but I did feel sorry for her. Daria obviously had something going on. Daria felt her mother Melody didn’t love her and she held a grudge against her mom. I didn’t care much for Melody either. At first I thought Daria just had teenage angst and when you are a teenager you don’t love anyone. Not even yourself. She thought everyone was against her. Daria was the mean spoiled rich girl.
Penn’s life just sucked in a very bad way. He had an abusive step-father and a drug addicted mother. He had a twin sister that disappeared because of the abusive step-father. After his mother died his new foster parents were Daria’s parents. Penn seems to be the only person that can talk with Daria.
I loved the ending of the book. LJ Shen tore everyone down and then rebuilt them by the ending. I enjoyed reading Pretty Reckless and now that I know it is a spin off I need to read to go back and read Sinners of Saint Series. I give Pretty Reckless 4 stars.
My thoughts:
I think it was a great story, it was exciting and there was always something happening, personally, for me there was too much happen all the time I was seeking a little break from all the drama.
I found it difficult to read as I did not always understand what was being said, it was a bit complicated, I had to read the same sentence several times before I understood the meaning.
It was also written in a harsh?/Dirty type of way that I'm not used to and didn’t really like that much.
All in all, I think the story was great but difficult to read. I think it was written in a confusing way,
I had a difficult time to get into the story, and into the characters, I found it felt harder to feel with the characters as well.
To round up, I did think the story was great, but I did have difficulties whilst reading that made it hard to get into the story, and characters.
The writing for me was confusing and I had to reread several times at some point that I probably missed the entire point with the sentence.
The story line was fine, even though I found there was too much happening all the time. I would have liked a little break at some point from all the drama constantly happening.
I give the book a 3 out of 5.
Reason? It's not the worst I have read but it also isn't the best.
I think it was a great story, it was exciting and there was always something happening, personally, for me there was too much happen all the time I was seeking a little break from all the drama.
I found it difficult to read as I did not always understand what was being said, it was a bit complicated, I had to read the same sentence several times before I understood the meaning.
It was also written in a harsh?/Dirty type of way that I'm not used to and didn’t really like that much.
All in all, I think the story was great but difficult to read. I think it was written in a confusing way,
I had a difficult time to get into the story, and into the characters, I found it felt harder to feel with the characters as well.
To round up, I did think the story was great, but I did have difficulties whilst reading that made it hard to get into the story, and characters.
The writing for me was confusing and I had to reread several times at some point that I probably missed the entire point with the sentence.
The story line was fine, even though I found there was too much happening all the time. I would have liked a little break at some point from all the drama constantly happening.
I give the book a 3 out of 5.
Reason? It's not the worst I have read but it also isn't the best.
Wow. Talk about one twisted tale. This story is Cruel Intentions on crack, with a side of crazy.
"Love is so contaminated. It tarnishes all that is beautiful and corrupts the soul. Love is so much uglier than hate because when you hate, you’re not confused. When you’re in love, you’re dumb."
Do you know why I read romance novels? Do you know why I go batshit crazy over the love between two characters? Do you know why romance novels seem to make me so excited? Let me tell you. Romance novels for me, arouse my soul. Romance novels take me to an unforgettable journey of love with bumps and great obstacles. Romance novels open my heart to endless stories of sweet, sour, bitter, deadly and unorthodox. You become a slave to them. You become captivated. Romance novels like PRETTY RECKLESS. My goodness, my heart is SOARING. My soul is HEAVY. I can’t remember my own name after reading one of the best books of 2019. I am SPEECHLESS. Sometimes you read books that melt your heart. Sometimes you read books that steals every part of you. Sometimes you read books that transport you to another world. Pretty Reckless by L.J. Shen is truly the best thing on earth.
With a clever plot and spectacular writing, Pretty Reckless is the sensational first book in the All Saints High series that made my heart and soul race. A fantastically layered story that titillates the mind. A heart pummeling story that gives goosebumps and butterflies. I felt the butterflies in my stomach. I felt every word in the book coursing through my body. I felt the passion between the characters coursing through my veins. Wow, I am in awe. Wow, I am breathless. Wow, I am utter amazed. The brilliant writing. The fiery characters. The smashing story. L.J. Shen absolutely 100% delivered. Mouth Watering storyline. Heart Raising. Heart Melting. Pretty Reckless is a soul gripping masterpiece that told a story of hate and love. A story of teenage angst. A story with an enemies to lovers tp trope that burned. Burned my heart. Scorched my soul. A story that will take you an emotional roller coaster. You will cry. You will laugh. You will rage. You will swoon. You will smile. Pretty Reckless gave me the sweetest touches and the emotional turmoil that hit deeply inside me. L.J. Shen is a queen. She keeps giving me stories that make you high. She gives her whole heart with her stories, She weaves magic in her stories and writing that keeps me spellbound. Thank you L.J. Shen for a breathtaking story. Pretty Reckless absolutely shined.
L.J. Shen writes amazing asshole alphas. You can’t help but fall in love with them with their bad boy vibes and assholey ways. (Hahaha, assholey. That’s a new world). Penn and Daria brought out my inner teenagers. Explosive chemistry. Sexy love-hate relationship that made me lose my mind and heart. Penn and Daria are truly my spirit animals. I adored them. I fully lived in their love, ups and downs, tragedies and pain. A rich Queen B + a poor football jock equals flames. Inextinguishable flames.
You thought the Hotholes were trouble. Well, you are going to meet their spawns, the Totholes. They are cockier, rule All Saints High with a vengeance, assholey, rich and more trouble you can imagine. Buckle, Todos Santos will never be same.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review.
Do you know why I read romance novels? Do you know why I go batshit crazy over the love between two characters? Do you know why romance novels seem to make me so excited? Let me tell you. Romance novels for me, arouse my soul. Romance novels take me to an unforgettable journey of love with bumps and great obstacles. Romance novels open my heart to endless stories of sweet, sour, bitter, deadly and unorthodox. You become a slave to them. You become captivated. Romance novels like PRETTY RECKLESS. My goodness, my heart is SOARING. My soul is HEAVY. I can’t remember my own name after reading one of the best books of 2019. I am SPEECHLESS. Sometimes you read books that melt your heart. Sometimes you read books that steals every part of you. Sometimes you read books that transport you to another world. Pretty Reckless by L.J. Shen is truly the best thing on earth.
With a clever plot and spectacular writing, Pretty Reckless is the sensational first book in the All Saints High series that made my heart and soul race. A fantastically layered story that titillates the mind. A heart pummeling story that gives goosebumps and butterflies. I felt the butterflies in my stomach. I felt every word in the book coursing through my body. I felt the passion between the characters coursing through my veins. Wow, I am in awe. Wow, I am breathless. Wow, I am utter amazed. The brilliant writing. The fiery characters. The smashing story. L.J. Shen absolutely 100% delivered. Mouth Watering storyline. Heart Raising. Heart Melting. Pretty Reckless is a soul gripping masterpiece that told a story of hate and love. A story of teenage angst. A story with an enemies to lovers tp trope that burned. Burned my heart. Scorched my soul. A story that will take you an emotional roller coaster. You will cry. You will laugh. You will rage. You will swoon. You will smile. Pretty Reckless gave me the sweetest touches and the emotional turmoil that hit deeply inside me. L.J. Shen is a queen. She keeps giving me stories that make you high. She gives her whole heart with her stories, She weaves magic in her stories and writing that keeps me spellbound. Thank you L.J. Shen for a breathtaking story. Pretty Reckless absolutely shined.
L.J. Shen writes amazing asshole alphas. You can’t help but fall in love with them with their bad boy vibes and assholey ways. (Hahaha, assholey. That’s a new world). Penn and Daria brought out my inner teenagers. Explosive chemistry. Sexy love-hate relationship that made me lose my mind and heart. Penn and Daria are truly my spirit animals. I adored them. I fully lived in their love, ups and downs, tragedies and pain. A rich Queen B + a poor football jock equals flames. Inextinguishable flames.
You thought the Hotholes were trouble. Well, you are going to meet their spawns, the Totholes. They are cockier, rule All Saints High with a vengeance, assholey, rich and more trouble you can imagine. Buckle, Todos Santos will never be same.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review.
Love, love ,love it. I identified so much with Daria.The only thing that made me doubt was the alleged relationship and child the hero had, it made me feel icky and thought he was an asshole. But everything else was amazing. I just can’t understand how a mother can fuck up so badly while trying their best. Melody just didn’t seem completely believable to me, loved the dad though.
Once upon a time, we may have had a chance to get our happily ever after, but in this fairy tale turned nightmare, we both did too many awful things for the prince to claim his princess.
O.M.G!!!! Pretty Reckless, the first book in the All Saints High series, by USA Today and Washington Post bestselling author L.J. Shen, was simply phenomenal. Pretty Reckless has been at the top of my most anticipated read list for months, and I have to say, Leigh really outdid herself with this one. It’s no secret that I am obsessed with reading this author’s stories, and that with each book she releases, I find a way to drop everything to read them and Pretty Reckless was no different.
Ever notice how the heart is literally caged by the ribs? That’s insane. As if our body knows it can break so easily, it needs to be protected.
Pretty Reckless is thoroughly entertaining. I was swept away with this book from the first sentence and read it straight through—as if there was any other option. 😉 The story is captivating and the pace is perfect, it didn’t drag or get too slow for me. It’s a dual POV, enemies-to-lovers, YA romance that takes readers back to the series that put Leigh on the map (for many of us), the Sinners of Saint books. The All Saints High books are a spinoff of the Sinners of Saint series, and readers will love catching up with their favorite Hotholes since the spinoff revolves around the totholes, or high school aged children of the characters from the original series. In fictional Todos Santos, California where affluent residents are the norm and the hotholes rule over all, Daria Followhill is their Queen. While reading Pretty Reckless, I was legitimately on pins and needles. The story was original and well planned out. I already want to sit down and reread it… and not just because I consumed this book at warp speed. I am a huge angst fan, and Pretty Reckless was an extremely well written combination of high school drama, first world problems, and young love angsty book.
When someone hits me with a stick, I run over them with a tank.
The characters of Pretty Reckless cast a huge spell on me. Daria Followhill is rich, entitled and rules over All Saints High. She has everything money can buy her, and she’s absolutely miserable. As the head cheerleader at ASH, she has an image to uphold, and a reputation for being a straight up ruthless bitch… which she maintains with relish! But she longs for things that might surprise you. Daria’s not your typical rich kid. Her insecurities are eating away at her and she’s a complex heroine who is far deeper than I originally gave her credit for being. She’s the girl we all wanted to immolate in high school, yet she is also beautifully broken. Leigh did an outstanding job of entwining the negative attributes of Daria’s character with positive ones.
I’m the tin man. I have no heart. Not since Via left. She was my entire world… My heart was rusty before she left, but after? After, it was gone.
If you follow my reviews, you know I have a thing for Assholes… and Leigh writes the best of them! Penn Scully is the boy who took Daria’s first kiss, and now he’s her worst enemy. He’s Daria’s polar opposite, captain of the rival football team and her new foster brother. He’s the tin man, a class A asshole and one of my favorite heroes Leigh’s written to date. His soft center, fierce loyalty, and protectiveness had me on my knees (wait… that might have just been a fantasy 😉).
He was the first boy who noticed the injured animal behind the camouflage of hostility and tried to give it water and shelter.
Together Daria and Penn were straight up dynamite. Their chemistry is so innate that each interaction between them was straight up foreplay… the way Enemies-to-Lovers romances are supposed to be written!! It’s no secret that Leigh writes seXXXy AF romances, and I often joke that when reading her books, you’ll want to go in prepared—have your batteries charged or your spouses on standby because a cold shower is not going to put out the fires she lights. Pretty Reckless is just another example of her skill with layering the sexy and storytelling. She continues to deliver some of the sexiest reads in contemporary romance and my dirty mind absolutely LOVES every minute of them.
“You smell like my new, steady ride.”
While there is certainly more I could say to justify giving Pretty Reckless a five-star review, I will quit here. There is a reason L.J. Shen is a bestselling author and if you’ve somehow been unable to read her work to date, then I can promise you that you have no idea just how much you’re missing out. I have yet to read something that she’s written that I was less than crazy for and they are all five-star reads! Pretty Reckless should absolutely be the next book you pick up to read!!!!
Quotes:
I have a lot of experience when it comes to fakeness. My personality is basically one hundred percent recyclable plastic. The only person who can still scrape a bit of authenticity from me is her brother.
--
She opens her eyes and stares at me. It’s cool to see her like that. Vulnerable. Scared. She’s not the head cheerleader right now, and I’m not the football captain of the rival team. We’re just two teenagers who never stood a chance to be friends in this world, so we became what was expected of us. Enemies.
--
While I’m his hobby, he is turning out to be my… everything.
Read on behalf of:
Okay so- I was gonna give this book a 3.5 star but the ending really took it up a notch. I love how everything came full circle and the FMC got her karma but also had a complete core values switcherooni. Granted, she knew she was a jealous and unkind human, but her character growth really showed at the end- way more than I expected. The beginning- middle dragged but the last I’d say 150-200 pages really aided in the plot and made the story 10x better.