Reviews with content warning for Alcohol - The Art of Scandal

Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

The Art of Scandal by Regina Black

6 reviews

felishacb's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Everyone was right! This book is engaging and hot. I love to read stories where a woman overcome and takes back her life.

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bbygirl21's review against another edition

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slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

This was a good read. It was kinda slow for my tastes for the first half of the book and then picked up in the second half. I'm also realizing to don't much care for long chapters in books (which this book has)but that's just my preference. I still thought it was a great book with a great storyline. I'd definitely recommend it.

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peachani's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring slow-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? It's complicated

5.0

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meganbyrd77's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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fangirljeanne's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective 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

5.0

Audio Arc from LibroFM

TW: Cheating, Racism, classism, sexism, panic attack/disorders, cancer

We have so many coming of age stories, perpetuating the misconception that we cease to develop as a person once we reach an arbitrary age. Adulthood isn’t so much a destination as an era in our lives. One of many we will change us in social and psychological as well as physical ways. This is a truth anyone over the age of 25 can confirm.

Which makes the fact that so many of us are pressured either socially or economically to make huge decisions about our lives and relationships at such a young age, often only just as we are becoming “adults.” It’s natural that living in those lives, relationships, and careers for decades would wreak change upon our younger selves in many unforeseen ways.

People in their 30’s and 40’s rarely resemble who they were when they was 18 or 20.

Despite their age difference Rachel and Nathan find themselves similarly dissatisfied and lost in the lives shaped by choices they made when they were young. Meeting each other has caused them both to question who they are and could be if they take chances now they weren’t able or were too afraid to take when they were younger.

A couple’s chemistry is always what makes or breaks a romance for me. These two are amazing together. Not just sexy, but they genuinely connect. Their vulnerability with each other is a big key to what makes their romance believable.

While this book is a Romance that spend lot of time on the relationship, it spends as much of not more time on Rachel’s journey toward self discovery and growth. She’s a wonderful example of the wider range of feminine experiences we miss out on when so many Romances focus only on women in their teens and 20s. Women do not stop deserving love and sex after they turn 25. People can fall in love more than once in their life, especially as they grow older, change, and want different things in life.

The book also explores the subtle racial politics that happen within interracial relationships, especially when one of the partners is a rich white man. This story pulls all the nastiest forms of micro aggressions women of color (especially Black women) deal with on a daily basis even within their own homes and family.

While Nathan is Latino he has to come to terms with his own privilege and prejudices in order to grow into a man worthy of Rachel’s trust and love. But most importantly Rachel has to learn and grow into some one brave enough to be safe for and love herself.

This isn’t always an easy read (check the TW), but it was so worthy it. Love this this always is.

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bookishmillennial's review

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

disclaimer if you’ve read other reviews by me and are noticing a pattern: You’re correct that I don’t really give starred reviews, I feel like a peasant and don’t like leaving them and most often, I will only leave them if I vehemently despised a book. I enjoy most books for what they are, & I extract lessons from them all. Everyone’s reading experiences are subjective, so I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not, regardless if I add stars or not. Find me on Instagram: @bookish.millennial or tiktok: @bookishmillennial

premise:

contemporary romance set in D.C.
third-person POV of love interests
Rachel Abbott discovers her husband of 13 years is cheating on the night of his 40th birthday party with a white woman (she is Black)
Matt, her husband, is in the midst of an election cycle (I think congressional? I forget hahaha but he's the typical cishet white man who wants power and prioritizes his legacy, what's new?!) and he bribes Rachel with $1 million and their home if she keeps up the charade that they are still together until the election is over
Rachel meets a much younger man, 26-year-old Nathan, who is an artist who has seemingly lost his way and his family has their own legacy
Nathan navigates hard news that his father shares with the family and is forced to reconcile his relationship or lack thereof with his father, and the rest of his family too
Rachel has an ice queen persona but begins to examine what went wrong in her marriage, and begins to rediscover her joy and hope again
Rachel had a daughter at 18 years old (which makes her Matt's step daughter), and thinks about her future wrt how the divorce will affect her too
cw: panic attack, infidelity, microaggressions, death of a parent/cancer, drug use, grief
steam: 2/5

thoughts:
ADORED THIS BOOK !!!! Rachel was such a fantastic character to get to know, and I was rooting for her from the very beginning. She was upfront, tactful and searing when she wanted to be. She was an admirable FMC because though she could have truly blown up Matt's image once the affair was revealed, she made sure that her and her daughter would be taken care of. I'm not a mother but I can only imagine that this is how most moms operate -- putting their babies first.

However, that was also part of her arc, which I think so many middle-aged parents or partners can relate to. I don't think it's uncommon for partners to become room mates at some point in their marriage, and when Matt and Rachel finally have the conversation with their therapist about where things went wrong, it felt so real! Not that it was cliche, but that it felt authentic to those who have been together for so long, that they forget to "romance" the other, and forget to challenge each other to be their best selves.

I appreciated Nathan's arc too and found that deeeeply relatable as well! Nathan's vulnerability and exhaustion when it came to his father was sad but also so realistic. I appreciated that this was an age gap romance with both people navigating where they are at in life. No matter what age we are at, at any moment, we can be assessing our purpose, direction, and what our futures will look like.

I loved the longing and tension, and I was so glad for them in the end <3

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