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mbolde8's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Moderate: Murder, Torture, Child abuse, Death of parent, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, Cancer, and Car accident
shannabanana06's review against another edition
Graphic: Child abuse, Gore, Domestic abuse, and Murder
heather_harrison's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Cultural appropriation, Domestic abuse, Confinement, Death of parent, Child abuse, Sexual content, and Violence
angelofthetardis's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The narrators of this were spot on for the characters, and they were both engaging and easy to listen to. They suited the characters they were playing, and neither made any major changes when giving voices to other characters - it's certainly less 'acted' than the others in the series, and as a result works so much better. The male performance has also vastly increased my liking of Julian as a character - he may now be my favourite leading man of the series!
They also brought the story to life very well. I was able to more readily engage with the storyline and get more out out of it than I was from my initial read (although I admit that might be down to the fact I had read all of the books in very quick succession, whereas the audios force you to slow your pace). I am pretty confident that this audio will allow me to enjoy the physical book more the next time I pick it up, which I don't necessarily think is the case with the others in the series.
I also like the fact that this one has the extended epilogue included - the rest don't (but fortunately I have the ebook versions of them).
Out of all four books I've listened to from the series, this is the audio I'd buy without hesitation. Definitely deserves an increased rating from the first read!
Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Misogyny, Cursing, Cancer, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Grief, Torture, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Death, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Murder, and Blood
Minor: Alcohol, Car accident, and Classism
kylasmv15's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Blood, Death, Cancer, Child abuse, Torture, Toxic relationship, Gun violence, Murder, Grief, Cursing, Sexual content, Violence, Death of parent, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Body horror
Moderate: Medical content, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Kidnapping, and Infidelity
Minor: Car accident
maryrosem's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death of parent, Murder, Death, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Sexual content, Physical abuse, and Gun violence
Minor: Child abuse
bo_okish's review
- 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
Graphic: Murder, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Child abuse, Sexual content, Grief, and Death of parent
readyforit's review
- 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
4.0
This book is an Aladdin retelling kind of, in that the author uses names and places and some similar plot. This book is a lot darker for the backstory though. Julian was abused as a child and the author gets very descriptive. I would skip this book if that is a trigger for you. I really liked his character and I couldn’t help but root for him even though he was the villain. I just knew he was misunderstood. Yasmin is a spoiled rich only child of Ali, who owns a huge diamond conglomerate. She knows her dad isn’t exactly an above-board guy but she has no clue just how deep it goes, and he wants to keep it that way. He’s a dying man (his cancer is heavily mentioned) and all he wants is for his daughter to marry a man who will take care of her and continue the business. She is offended that he doesn’t offer it to her, but later in the book we kind of see how sheltered she was and that she most likely would not have succeeded. Julian has basically run the business for many years since he worked his way up and he’s offended that HE wasn’t offered to take it over. So he devises a plan to marry Yasmin, take over the business, then kill her. Why would Yasmin agree to marry Julian? She’s in love with Aiden, whose mother works in her father’s mansion. She knows her father would never let her marry him, so she asks for Julian’s help. He sends Aiden to Egypt to look for a long-lost and very valuable lamp, and if he finds it, Ali might just allow him to marry Yasmin. In the meantime Julian plans to marry and seduce Yasmin.
This book is a little less spicy than the others bc it’s a true slow burn. There’s lots of tension in the beginning and middle but they don’t even hookup until like 70% of the way through I think.
I loved Julian and Yasmin’s relationship. They met when she was younger but he didn’t have any interest in her until now (they are 23&36). They are a true enemies to lovers, slow burn, touch her and die, where is my wife type of romance. He literally waits for her to tell him that she loves him bc he doesn’t want to ruin her chances of fixing things with Aiden. And honestly, fuck that guy. They were supposedly best friends for 12+ years and he didn’t even know how she took her coffee. Meanwhile Julian has only been around her a couple of months and he already knows how she takes her coffee, what shampoo she uses, and notices that she never learned to drive and tries to teach her. He gets her the EXACT diamond ring she wants, without even asking🥹.
Julian had a rough childhood and has self esteem issues and problems with letting people in. Because he’s such a paranoid person, it’s hard to know which characters to trust. Yasmin discovers that her father “protecting” her for her whole life really did her a disservice. She can’t even cook or do laundry. They both grow together and find they deserve happiness in each other. The extended epilogue that is available through the author’s website was nice too.
The audiobook was phenomenal and the narrators were perfect for the characters. They each had just a slight accent for some words. This audiobook didn’t have any discrepancies with the ebook this time like with others in the series. Overall I really enjoyed it and read it in one sitting! I would probably opt to reread the audiobook in the future.
Graphic: Blood, Cancer, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic friendship, Death, Death of parent, Sexism, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Murder, Physical abuse, Classism, Sexual content, Body horror, Child abuse, Terminal illness, and Torture
Minor: Alcohol and Vomit
missbirdy_'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? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Child abuse
lisa07xie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Sexual content, Grief, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Alcohol, Cursing, Death, Terminal illness, Body horror, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Torture, and Toxic friendship