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kiralillyy's review against another edition
5.0
Holy crap I did not expect to fall in love with all the characters in this book .... But i did. I stumbled upon it on Amazon and said oh this looks a good and man did I completely underestmate it. This book was freaking Amazing and I want more!
beck21's review against another edition
5.0
This series.
This flipping series. I can't, I love all the characters, the storyline is fantastic and it's well written. It's the first series in a long time I've been able to re-read multiple times and not get tired of it. You need to read this. It's worth it
This flipping series. I can't, I love all the characters, the storyline is fantastic and it's well written. It's the first series in a long time I've been able to re-read multiple times and not get tired of it. You need to read this. It's worth it
pterodashtyl's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
tense
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
4.0
hannahlee98's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Violence, Bullying, Gore, Sexual content, Murder, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, and Toxic relationship
stuffandwhatnot's review against another edition
5.0
Okay this is a reread and I just gorged myself on this series for the first time several months ago, prior to my newfound determination to log all my reads. Yes, it's totally ridiculous and over the top and wild and messy but I LOVE IT SO MUCH. I shouldn't--it's high school! It's teen crime lords! One of them's a rockstar, randomly! They're awful to the heroine in the first book and never really grovel about it! It's single POV!--but I dooooo. I loooove it. You will pry it out of my cold dead hands. I will probably reread it again and again.
ppchili93's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.5
What was this? 😠I mean it was my own fault for going into a four-book, bully romance, reverse harem, prep school series, but still. You know it's not great when my favorite part of the entire series was book one where the FMC is essentially tormented for an entire school year by three assholes and one awful girl for literally no reason. The later books where she is dating the three of them and the girl is now her best friend get progressively worse and emotionless somehow. By the end, I was skipping entire paragraphs and my eyes were glazing over even though the plot had become more and more unhinged. I was actually legitimately shocked by the lack of spice throughout the series but it makes sense when you realize the characters are literally fifteen at the beginning. Imagining a fifteen-year-old girl as the leader of an underground criminal organization was laughable. I liked that she was not physically dominant but very intelligent (she didn't always act that way though), but the setup of this world and the story was wildly unbelievable. I don't know why Hanaford couldn't have been a college instead of a high school. Aging these characters up by four years would have made everything better.
0. Lips - the things that happened to this girl 😳. Also, why the hell was her name Lips?! Like Eclipse is an interesting (weird) but pretty name . . . Lips is just embarrassing. Honestly, I preferred Mounty or even Star (where were the usual reverse harem nicknames lol)? I started out liking Lips but grew more and more tired of her as the series went on. I wanted her to be much more than she was - more bloodthirsty, more calculating, more unforgiving, even more vulnerable. Also, her virginity status was whatever (of course she's a virgin while the love interests have slept with hundreds of girls), but I was over her embarrassment about this so quick. Being shy/blushing is a characteristic of hers (and that's fine), but it made the dynamic between her and everyone else very unbalanced (I'm sick of the male characters having sexual knowledge/experience and "giving" it to the FMC). Avery was a virgin too, but she didn't have the same strangeness about it. I wanted an assassin, leader of the criminal underworld FMC to own her sexuality (even if she was a virgin) instead of being so awkward about it.
Now for the boys:
1. Ash - easily the most boring even though he has the most compelling backstory. A serial killer father and brother? A twin he has to protect by working with those psychos? Yet he's somehow still a weird blank. I'm not sure what Ash's personality was really besides yelling at Avery and trying to prevent her from dating (or talking about dating) boys. Out of all three of the boys, Lips definitely spends the least amount of time with Ash and this kinda makes sense (although he has the biggest dick . . . a point we are repeatedly reminded of).
2. Blaise - I love a rockstar romance, but Blaise was just meh. I think he was supposed to be the goofy, comedic relief member of the harem, but he does a poor job of it. In actuality, he's the most dramatic, emotionally unstable, and absolutely worthless in terms of the circumstances the group faces. His family story is also the least traumatic and that pairing makes me wonder (like Lips' sociopathic brother does at the end of book four) what the hell is the musician doing here? He's also the biggest manwhore.
3. Harley - the only one of the boys that I actually liked and even that took me until the end of book two. Mostly I enjoyed this character because he was the most competent, intelligent, driven, un-privileged, protective, possessive one. Actually . . . he was the only one who really ever expressed his feelings verbally and the only one I believe really sees a long-term future with Lips. Blaise was cast as too much of a manwhore and Ash was too emotionally unavailable, but Harley does eventually get over himself and devotes the rest of the series to making it up to Lips. This is why reverse harems always strike me the wrong way though. Why did Lips even like Ash or Blaise? Why were the boys okay with sharing? Especially because Harley is her first kiss, first makeout, first orgasm, and he took her virginity! Plus, he is the first one to confess his feelings to her and he sleeps in her bed every night when the other two don't. Like Ash and Blaise are just waiting around in the wings for Harley to do everything first. Where is the balance in that type of relationship?
4. Avery - not one of the boys, but definitely one of the central points of the series. She is a very confusing character - vaguely likable (mostly because Lips won't shut up about how great she is), but if you think about any of her actions or behaviors beyond 'the family,' she's really just an awful bitch. That's why I think I enjoyed the first book the most, because Lips had a clear moral code and only used her skills to protect herself or bring down truly vile people. She had the clear high ground and the boys and Avery did not. Why did Avery want her out in the first place? This was the weakest part of the premise for me. Why not make it so that the whole group thinks that Lips is a plant/spy for Joey or Senior? That would make their anger and cruelty so much more understandable (and eventually forgivable). Instead, they target her because . . . she snorted at Ash's flirting with the secretary and witnessed Harley being sentenced for stealing a car? That means that they have the green light to verbally abuse her, break into her room, destroy all of her belongings (repeatedly) with pee and paint, drug her, humiliate her, etc., etc., etc.? I don't think so. This is where I wanted Lips to be more bloodthirsty and/or hold out and expect groveling. Instead, Lips literally befriends Avery immediately and then allows the boys to continue to treat her however they want until they realize, hey, I think I actually like her.
I will not be reading the other series or more from this author. Solemnly swear.
0. Lips - the things that happened to this girl 😳. Also, why the hell was her name Lips?! Like Eclipse is an interesting (weird) but pretty name . . . Lips is just embarrassing. Honestly, I preferred Mounty or even Star (where were the usual reverse harem nicknames lol)? I started out liking Lips but grew more and more tired of her as the series went on. I wanted her to be much more than she was - more bloodthirsty, more calculating, more unforgiving, even more vulnerable. Also, her virginity status was whatever (of course she's a virgin while the love interests have slept with hundreds of girls), but I was over her embarrassment about this so quick. Being shy/blushing is a characteristic of hers (and that's fine), but it made the dynamic between her and everyone else very unbalanced (I'm sick of the male characters having sexual knowledge/experience and "giving" it to the FMC). Avery was a virgin too, but she didn't have the same strangeness about it. I wanted an assassin, leader of the criminal underworld FMC to own her sexuality (even if she was a virgin) instead of being so awkward about it.
Now for the boys:
1. Ash - easily the most boring even though he has the most compelling backstory. A serial killer father and brother? A twin he has to protect by working with those psychos? Yet he's somehow still a weird blank. I'm not sure what Ash's personality was really besides yelling at Avery and trying to prevent her from dating (or talking about dating) boys. Out of all three of the boys, Lips definitely spends the least amount of time with Ash and this kinda makes sense (although he has the biggest dick . . . a point we are repeatedly reminded of).
2. Blaise - I love a rockstar romance, but Blaise was just meh. I think he was supposed to be the goofy, comedic relief member of the harem, but he does a poor job of it. In actuality, he's the most dramatic, emotionally unstable, and absolutely worthless in terms of the circumstances the group faces. His family story is also the least traumatic and that pairing makes me wonder (like Lips' sociopathic brother does at the end of book four) what the hell is the musician doing here? He's also the biggest manwhore.
3. Harley - the only one of the boys that I actually liked and even that took me until the end of book two. Mostly I enjoyed this character because he was the most competent, intelligent, driven, un-privileged, protective, possessive one. Actually . . . he was the only one who really ever expressed his feelings verbally and the only one I believe really sees a long-term future with Lips. Blaise was cast as too much of a manwhore and Ash was too emotionally unavailable, but Harley does eventually get over himself and devotes the rest of the series to making it up to Lips. This is why reverse harems always strike me the wrong way though. Why did Lips even like Ash or Blaise? Why were the boys okay with sharing? Especially because Harley is her first kiss, first makeout, first orgasm, and he took her virginity! Plus, he is the first one to confess his feelings to her and he sleeps in her bed every night when the other two don't. Like Ash and Blaise are just waiting around in the wings for Harley to do everything first. Where is the balance in that type of relationship?
4. Avery - not one of the boys, but definitely one of the central points of the series. She is a very confusing character - vaguely likable (mostly because Lips won't shut up about how great she is), but if you think about any of her actions or behaviors beyond 'the family,' she's really just an awful bitch. That's why I think I enjoyed the first book the most, because Lips had a clear moral code and only used her skills to protect herself or bring down truly vile people. She had the clear high ground and the boys and Avery did not. Why did Avery want her out in the first place? This was the weakest part of the premise for me. Why not make it so that the whole group thinks that Lips is a plant/spy for Joey or Senior? That would make their anger and cruelty so much more understandable (and eventually forgivable). Instead, they target her because . . . she snorted at Ash's flirting with the secretary and witnessed Harley being sentenced for stealing a car? That means that they have the green light to verbally abuse her, break into her room, destroy all of her belongings (repeatedly) with pee and paint, drug her, humiliate her, etc., etc., etc.? I don't think so. This is where I wanted Lips to be more bloodthirsty and/or hold out and expect groveling. Instead, Lips literally befriends Avery immediately and then allows the boys to continue to treat her however they want until they realize, hey, I think I actually like her.
I will not be reading the other series or more from this author. Solemnly swear.
laplin's review against another edition
5.0
Love this series but forever reading it as college-aged main characters!
morebooksforever's review against another edition
5.0
Lips is and forever will be my all time favorite bada** babe and girl crush. She is ruthless when needs to be but has a heart and a definite soft spot for Avery! Two women that are complete opposite but my the ultimate BFF squad. Throughout the series we get to see Lips’s relationship with Ash, Harley, Blaise and we are just how much everyone is willing to do to protect one another. The twists and turns that apprise throughout the entire series will keep you guessing until the very end. There is really no point in even trying to figure out where J Bree is going with the story because she is a complete master mind of epic proportion. I would seriously love to be inside her mind to watch her process in coming up with the stories that she does! The Hannaford Prep Series is one of those series that stays in your heart forever and one that you will go back and re-read multiple times because you miss the charters and their world!
camipuchta's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Gore, and Sexual content
drishthings's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
eh it was okay
i hated lips first of all, super cocky
and the ending was dragged out
i hated lips first of all, super cocky
and the ending was dragged out
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Sexual assault, and Blood