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keke_o's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
As a reader of reverse harems their kind of implied incest even though no one is truly related is not a deal breaker for me. This isn't even the first book I've read via TikTok recommendations *eye roll* that included this exact trope of the sudden death of parents and being willed to a younger hot step-uncle.
I really enjoyed the writing of this book and disagree with the reviews that this is all smut without any real plot or character development and that she's just hopping from bed to bed.
She has a unique and developed relationship with all of them. There's small moments with each of them and little small things throughout the novel that build toward the relationship.
****Spoilers*********
Jake should have absolutely kept it in his pants he's 35-45, turn down the hot 18-year-old throwing herself at you just to feel affection. Just straight-up cock blocking the boys to then spank her as if that wasn't a sexual act in itself that was getting them both off. I'm not a Jake fan for sure. Not that she's not an adult (for the rest of the book) and mature enough to make her own decisions. I don't think he took advantage of her but he could have not engaged with her. He was also such a fucking CUNT about rubbing it in the boy's faces immediately afterwards just strutting into the house half-dressed like no one else lives there and he doesn't know it will hurt/upset the boys. He couldn't have been more gross or misogynistic about it without literally throwing her on the floor and fucking her right there.
They're all clinging to her for a different reason.
Jake because he completely shut himself off and never allowed himself to become emotionally involved with anyone for like 25 years, just hiding in the mountains.
Noah because he's desperate to find an escape from the mountains and also meet a girl who's not just trying to immediately have sex with him and talk to him which no one does since his dad has the emotional maturity of a potato and Kaleb is mute.
Kaleb is finding a kindred spirit in her. Both are very quiet and withdrawn due to abuse from their parents/parent and going through life numb due to neglect.
The sexual assault in the beginning was not okay but honestly, there are girls just showing up all the time just to sometimes literally hop on their dicks and leave. He's a flawed character but I don't agree that the relationship comes out of nowhere. He's watcher her all the time and noticing everything about her putting her pictures on the fridge, giving her a belt for her birthday with a custom buckle that even includes her nightmares. Something no one else seems to notice and we find out he's getting out of bed every night and holding her during them. I liked the ending and him teaching himself to talk to for her to be able to say that he loves her.
Tiernan is a character I deeply identify with as someone who experienced child-emotional neglect. The author really captured how it affects you and makes you numb. I love her and Kaleb together. They're love was a real slow burn for sure, they were obviously very attracted to each other but it was the little things that made the love happen.
Graphic: Death of parent and Grief
Moderate: Abandonment, Child abuse, and Suicide
Minor: Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Adult/minor relationship
notamouse's review against another edition
2.75
Graphic: Death of parent, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Death, Grief, Child abuse, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Incest
nicolaj1994's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual violence, Suicide, Cursing, Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Sexism, Sexual assault, Misogyny, Death of parent, and Incest
Moderate: Child abuse, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Grief, Pregnancy, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Fire/Fire injury, and Addiction
britainmic's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.5
Graphic: Death of parent, Incest, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Child abuse, Blood, Drug abuse, and Cancer
rosamaria's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Violence, Incest, Sexual assault, Fire/Fire injury, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Blood, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Death, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Child abuse, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Sexism, Misogyny, and Cancer
mokelly18's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Gun violence, Violence, Sexual content, Child abuse, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Pregnancy, and Suicide attempt
avery_29's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Grief, Child abuse, Sexual harassment, Cancer, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Suicidal thoughts, Cursing, Death of parent, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, Incest, Animal death, Bullying, Blood, Death, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Medical content, Mental illness, Rape, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Violence
booknerdcoco's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Book boyfriend:
Jake 2/5
Noah 4/5
Caleb 3/5
Spice: 5/5 🥵
Plot: 3/5
Graphic: Grief, Sexual content, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, and Child abuse
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Animal death, and Death of parent
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Pregnancy, Bullying, Medical trauma, and Blood
michey2015's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Violence, Alcohol, Animal death, Bullying, Physical abuse, and Suicidal thoughts
_fallinglight_'s review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
0.5
Anyway, I hated that this book used an attempted sexual assault to titillate. I just don't find that hot, it was weird, and worse how Tiernan throughout this story wants to ease Kaleb's culpability and share half the blame to idk give her like control and give it nuance??? And even worse worse when it happens right after Tiernan was raped by Kaleb and then it horrifyingly segues into a sob story of Kaleb's childhood trauma and we have to like feel bad for this serial rapist and forget what he did to Tiernan??? Hello???
The writing in this is terrible; the way every complication was conveniently resolved by Jake or Noah knowing information that would absolve Kaleb of any would be wrongdoing, like if he's a baby daddy (HIPAA? we don't know her) or how also conveniently Kaleb turned out being a diarist and therefore all character development was lazily shown through that. The characterizations were even worse, just all-around levels of dross. (Jake disappears out of the story in a haphazardly done way though who cares bc he SUCKED. And Noah, who is the most normal one out of these clowns but the bar is in hell so, was just a doormat and spokesperson for the man-child nontalking troglodyte. He deserved better. Actually getting away from this horrendous family.)
I'm not too close minded and I don't moral outrage easily so the step-family incest angle of this did nothing to me and I could've overlooked it but the out of nowhere "romance", "love" with a sexual abuser and all the steps Penelope Douglas took to make it cute just enraged me. But then again, there are other awful sins this book makes like sexualizing pigtails (!!) and Penelope Douglas thinking having the attention of an ambiguous 40 year old when you're 17 is hot. Idk about anyone else but at 17 I DID NOT want some 40-something year olds sexual attention and now at 33 I don't want to feel 17 again thinking how nice it'd be to have some 40-something year olds advances. And there's sprinkled homophobic prison rape jokes, for good measure.
I enjoy smut but nothing written here was even good bc the characters were fecal matter awful and just everything that preceded it throughout the story was a nightmare. The ableism and sexism towards Tiernan, for example. This Jake dude wants her to "smile more" and be his little ray of sunshine and her maybe neurodivergence is weaponized against her but his animalistic son who doesn't WANT to communicate is ok? Yeah yeah. At some random point it's shown that Jake wanted to teach Kaleb ASL and whatnot but it was only to conveniently explain what a gesture Kaleb made before disappearing again meant. In conclusion, this is a mediocre and stupid and bad book. Save yourself and don't read it. Don't let curiosity kill the cat like I did.
Graphic: Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, Incest, Adult/minor relationship, Grief, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Cursing, Death of parent, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Ableism, Rape, and Suicide
Minor: Homophobia and Abandonment