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funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, Vomit, Outing
funny
hopeful
fast-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:
Yes
this was a very fast read even though it’s over 400 pages. i liked the competitive athlete plotline, though i do think it requires some level of suspended disbelief that anyone could be both a competitive olympic level athlete and premed at stanford.
i feel that some pieces of what i haven’t enjoyed in other books by this author were resolved in this (not a copy paste of STEM woman meets STEM man, enemies, lovers, the end) but other parts were not (the smut still feels…cringey? cookie cutter? no woman is having 7 orgasms one after another and ESP not bc omg the dick was so big and amazing?). there are also these moments where random vocabulary gets tossed in that doesn’t feel true to the characters, and that’s a consistent problem as well. also, the whole “i was oblivious to this literal olympian who was in MANY of my classes and dating my teammate and constantly in the same pool as me” is wild.
and then we get to the BDSM elements. on one hand, i get that a lot of it needs to be made more approachable for the general readership. but that kind of sucks, because it does result in watering down that aspect. sure, we get a kink list, but no discussion of limits, no discussion of scenes ahead of time, really no development of the trust needed to dive into that dynamic. there are also several moments where it seems like the communication just freezes, and that’s a huge red flag in a d/s dynamic. we also don’t really see almost any kink exploration; it’s just a dom/sub dynamic with maybe a little orgasm delay and overstimulation. other kinks are mentioned but not actually explored. i just sort of feel like…BDSM was not as major a factor as it was made out to be. which is probably fine for the average reader, but just disappointing to me personally because i think there could have been more emotional depth to it. and also please stop calling them sexual deviants omg. that entire frame of thought went on far too long and kind of detracts from trying to show that kinky people aren’t damaged or fucked up.
there’s also the element of female friendship, particularly that between competitive athletes. i was pretty happy with how that element ended up; i always enjoy seeing women lift each other up when it’s expected they would tear each other down.
i think if someone was willing to give some more constructive feedback for the smut and actually allow more of a deep dive on these elements ali clearly wants to explore (omegaverse, BDSM), there would be a huge improvement in the quality of her stories. the ideas and the pace are there, but i really think her editors are failing her.
i feel that some pieces of what i haven’t enjoyed in other books by this author were resolved in this (not a copy paste of STEM woman meets STEM man, enemies, lovers, the end) but other parts were not (the smut still feels…cringey? cookie cutter? no woman is having 7 orgasms one after another and ESP not bc omg the dick was so big and amazing?). there are also these moments where random vocabulary gets tossed in that doesn’t feel true to the characters, and that’s a consistent problem as well. also, the whole “i was oblivious to this literal olympian who was in MANY of my classes and dating my teammate and constantly in the same pool as me” is wild.
and then we get to the BDSM elements. on one hand, i get that a lot of it needs to be made more approachable for the general readership. but that kind of sucks, because it does result in watering down that aspect. sure, we get a kink list, but no discussion of limits, no discussion of scenes ahead of time, really no development of the trust needed to dive into that dynamic. there are also several moments where it seems like the communication just freezes, and that’s a huge red flag in a d/s dynamic. we also don’t really see almost any kink exploration; it’s just a dom/sub dynamic with maybe a little orgasm delay and overstimulation. other kinks are mentioned but not actually explored. i just sort of feel like…BDSM was not as major a factor as it was made out to be. which is probably fine for the average reader, but just disappointing to me personally because i think there could have been more emotional depth to it. and also please stop calling them sexual deviants omg. that entire frame of thought went on far too long and kind of detracts from trying to show that kinky people aren’t damaged or fucked up.
there’s also the element of female friendship, particularly that between competitive athletes. i was pretty happy with how that element ended up; i always enjoy seeing women lift each other up when it’s expected they would tear each other down.
i think if someone was willing to give some more constructive feedback for the smut and actually allow more of a deep dive on these elements ali clearly wants to explore (omegaverse, BDSM), there would be a huge improvement in the quality of her stories. the ideas and the pace are there, but i really think her editors are failing her.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I am unapologetically obsessed with this book. I absolutely adored the characters, the relationship dynamic, and the trust and safety that was developed between our main characters. Each Ali Hazelwood book that I read is better than the last and this is my favorite by far. I love Lukas and the way he is absolutely head over heels for Scarlett. I loved the sports element of the book. I loved the cameos from our faves in Ali's first published book. I loved almost everything about this! I did not love the dynamic between Scarlett and Lukas' ex. It felt very forced and the fact that they made up with one another after the way Pen treated Scarlett was kind of disappointing for me. Regardless, the romance is what I loved and I think this will be a book I re-read many times in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Bullying, Death of parent
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
for a while i wondered if i was obsessed with hazelwood’s books bc everyone was talking about them and i got caught up in it. so i waited to read this and NOPE, she truly is just a phenomenal author.
this was done so well and some very heavy topics were handled beautifully. tbh scarlett and lukas might be my favorite couple ever written. (if you don’t like bdsm romance, this isn’t for you)
this was done so well and some very heavy topics were handled beautifully. tbh scarlett and lukas might be my favorite couple ever written. (if you don’t like bdsm romance, this isn’t for you)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Grief
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Medical trauma
Moderate: Child abuse, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail