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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The story was mediocre at best. The romance was disappointing. The only part I enjoyed was seeing Daria and Mel fix their relationship. Everything else was very childish bullying.
4.5.... so the only reason this got knocked down for me is because the set up was a little shaky at first. However, once the real plot started setting in, I couldn't put the book down.
The characters were amazing and I mean if you could create teenage angst any better here we are. LOL
I know I'm reading this a little out of order so maybe that's my fault too because of Shen's previous series. The plot was great although some parts where maybe unnecessary I didn't hate those aspects of the story. I was also glad the the smut didn't overtake the entire storyline, but was spice 100% added to the story!!
Maybe I'm bias as this covers two of my favorite tropes, enemies to lovers and the touch her and you hurt you...
So for a story that I felt started a little cringey really dragged me in and got me invested in what was going to happen with the characters!
The characters were amazing and I mean if you could create teenage angst any better here we are. LOL
I know I'm reading this a little out of order so maybe that's my fault too because of Shen's previous series. The plot was great although some parts where maybe unnecessary I didn't hate those aspects of the story. I was also glad the the smut didn't overtake the entire storyline, but was spice 100% added to the story!!
Maybe I'm bias as this covers two of my favorite tropes, enemies to lovers and the touch her and you hurt you...
So for a story that I felt started a little cringey really dragged me in and got me invested in what was going to happen with the characters!
I'm definitely loving L.J. Shen's books in general, though this one I found frustrating at times, only because the hero & heroine kept not trusting each other.
The main part of the book that didn't quite ring true for me was the bit where everyone is making their confessions - it read like a corny scene out of a teen high school movie where the bad guys come good. Via's long speech was a bit unrealistic I think as well. It made me feel that the author was trying to cram all tying of loose ends into one scene and get everyone to be friends again with one shot.
Other than that, I did love the book.
The main part of the book that didn't quite ring true for me was the bit where everyone is making their confessions - it read like a corny scene out of a teen high school movie where the bad guys come good. Via's long speech was a bit unrealistic I think as well. It made me feel that the author was trying to cram all tying of loose ends into one scene and get everyone to be friends again with one shot.
Other than that, I did love the book.
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
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.
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.
I really liked this one. I can’t say I LOVED it but I did really enjoy it and it kept me hooked the whole time.
My lack of love stems from the fact that it sure is a messy, raw, and downright angsty love story, which is actually what I was looking for when I started it. But still, that kind of love story always leaves me feeling a little raw.
Everyone in this book, from the h/H to the side characters is definitely flawed and broken. At first I honestly didn’t like anyone in this book! lol I thought they all seemed shallow and petty and snooty.
But as the story progressed, the walls are torn down and I came to be really invested in the relationship and the characters — even a handful of the side characters who took me by surprise with their loyalty (mainly Knight and to a lesser degree Vaughn).
Honestly it kind of makes me think of Gossip Girl or Pretty Little Liars in a way. You kind of hate the characters at first because they put on a good mask, but when their true broken selves are revealed, you love and appreciate them and their strength all the more.
Penn turned out to be a romantic asshole who firmly won me over with his devotion and passion for Daria. And Daria totally surprised me with her loyalty, strength, and (surprisingly) maturity that developed toward the end of the book.
Them together = yes, yes, a thousand times yes. They are broken and messy and raw but oh so beautiful
I was not a huge fan of the ending. Love the proposal but I hate when books invite all the main characters to join in on the proposal at the end. Who actually wants that? I wouldn’t! To me it’s a private and intimate moment. Not to mention the fact that it was totally unrealistic for all of those people to have followed them to Notre Dame for the proposal.
Still I enjoyed the rest of the book. It was dark and gritty and unapologetic. Romantic in a raw and real sense. But also painful in places.
I definitely want to read on in the series and will be checking out the series that came before this about their parents. But I might need a lighter more fluffy buffer in between. :) Although I’m very intrigued by Knight. :) … UPDATE (10 minutes after writing review) - oh who am I kidding, I gotta know about Knight and Luna’s mysterious relationship. Let round 2 of the angst begin! Lol
My lack of love stems from the fact that it sure is a messy, raw, and downright angsty love story, which is actually what I was looking for when I started it. But still, that kind of love story always leaves me feeling a little raw.
Everyone in this book, from the h/H to the side characters is definitely flawed and broken. At first I honestly didn’t like anyone in this book! lol I thought they all seemed shallow and petty and snooty.
But as the story progressed, the walls are torn down and I came to be really invested in the relationship and the characters — even a handful of the side characters who took me by surprise with their loyalty (mainly Knight and to a lesser degree Vaughn).
Honestly it kind of makes me think of Gossip Girl or Pretty Little Liars in a way. You kind of hate the characters at first because they put on a good mask, but when their true broken selves are revealed, you love and appreciate them and their strength all the more.
Penn turned out to be a romantic asshole who firmly won me over with his devotion and passion for Daria. And Daria totally surprised me with her loyalty, strength, and (surprisingly) maturity that developed toward the end of the book.
Them together = yes, yes, a thousand times yes. They are broken and messy and raw but oh so beautiful
I was not a huge fan of the ending. Love the proposal but I hate when books invite all the main characters to join in on the proposal at the end. Who actually wants that? I wouldn’t! To me it’s a private and intimate moment. Not to mention the fact that it was totally unrealistic for all of those people to have followed them to Notre Dame for the proposal.
Still I enjoyed the rest of the book. It was dark and gritty and unapologetic. Romantic in a raw and real sense. But also painful in places.
I definitely want to read on in the series and will be checking out the series that came before this about their parents. But I might need a lighter more fluffy buffer in between. :) Although I’m very intrigued by Knight. :) … UPDATE (10 minutes after writing review) - oh who am I kidding, I gotta know about Knight and Luna’s mysterious relationship. Let round 2 of the angst begin! Lol
Wow. My love for this book, for these characters! The angst and drama, oh my word, yes, please! This was my first taste of LJ Shen’s work, and needless to say, I was addicted after.
Penn. Scully. Is. Perfect. Honestly, I fell hopelessly in love with him the moment he told Daria to save him all her firsts. I knew I was a goner, and I was.
Pretty Reckless works for me on so many levels. Daria is such an incredibly complex, insecure character, and there are such incredibly hardcore Cruel Intentions vibes going on here. You can’t help but like Daria and root for her, even when she is a wretched bitch. Then there’s Penn, and he is just the most amazing counterpart to her, and their scenes together are just fire, and watching how their relationship starts and crumbles and changes is fantastic. I was there for absolutely every single interaction between them, desperate for every little word and thought between them, for each poem that opened the chapter. Goodness yes. Daria is so damaged and broken, and Penn, too, is deeply flawed, and yet… he knows who and what he is, and he sees Daria.
There are also all the side characters peppered throughout (that all have their own books and stories and I’m here for them all), and I think the dynamic they bring to the story is great as well. I thoroughly enjoyed the splintered relationship between Melody and Daria, and seeing how Jaime was smack in the middle of it all and still doing his best to help Penn, too, while being there for his daughter. It’s a sticky situation and we can judge the parenting as much as we want and the family dynamics, but there is a particularly enlightening chapter where we get to read from Mel’s perspective, and it changes the way you perceive her as one thing, and I think Shen nailed that in this - people are not as one dimensional as you think.
I absolutely could not stand Via, and I can totally see how someone like that could throw a spanner in the works in your life, especially as the impressionable age of 14 where you are wading through all sorts of crap and emotions in your life. Via truly made my blood boil.
Anyway. I don’t know what else to say, except that I absolutely adore this book and can highly recommend it. Penn and Daria are a slice of perfection together and their scenes are beautiful, bittersweet, hopeful, and hot AF.
Penn. Scully. Is. Perfect. Honestly, I fell hopelessly in love with him the moment he told Daria to save him all her firsts. I knew I was a goner, and I was.
Pretty Reckless works for me on so many levels. Daria is such an incredibly complex, insecure character, and there are such incredibly hardcore Cruel Intentions vibes going on here. You can’t help but like Daria and root for her, even when she is a wretched bitch. Then there’s Penn, and he is just the most amazing counterpart to her, and their scenes together are just fire, and watching how their relationship starts and crumbles and changes is fantastic. I was there for absolutely every single interaction between them, desperate for every little word and thought between them, for each poem that opened the chapter. Goodness yes. Daria is so damaged and broken, and Penn, too, is deeply flawed, and yet… he knows who and what he is, and he sees Daria.
There are also all the side characters peppered throughout (that all have their own books and stories and I’m here for them all), and I think the dynamic they bring to the story is great as well. I thoroughly enjoyed the splintered relationship between Melody and Daria, and seeing how Jaime was smack in the middle of it all and still doing his best to help Penn, too, while being there for his daughter. It’s a sticky situation and we can judge the parenting as much as we want and the family dynamics, but there is a particularly enlightening chapter where we get to read from Mel’s perspective, and it changes the way you perceive her as one thing, and I think Shen nailed that in this - people are not as one dimensional as you think.
I absolutely could not stand Via, and I can totally see how someone like that could throw a spanner in the works in your life, especially as the impressionable age of 14 where you are wading through all sorts of crap and emotions in your life. Via truly made my blood boil.
Anyway. I don’t know what else to say, except that I absolutely adore this book and can highly recommend it. Penn and Daria are a slice of perfection together and their scenes are beautiful, bittersweet, hopeful, and hot AF.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No