Reviews

Highest Bidder by Sara Cate

daphnedarling's review against another edition

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5.0

I instantly liked Ronan. He is very likeable and perfect in every way. He checks in with Daisy, takes care of her every single need, and knows his boundaries. Daisy is young and navigating life without her mom, and she never really grieved like she should’ve, and after 3 years it hasn't gotten any easier for her. Daisy is crap at taking care of herself, but like what 22-year-old isn’t? Lines blur and they become more than friends—they just fit so perfectly. Anyways, Daisy is holding on to a HUGE secret that could sabotage their relationship. Daddy, I mean Ronan, just wants to give her the world. My heart at the ending couldn’t take it! Also, I smell a Madam book coming up.

Sara Cate is talented at creating worlds. When I read her stories they never feel impossible or far fetched, it feels like I'm reading a story that someone's experienced. The characters, the plot, and the timelines are all cohesive.

5 stars
Spice: 3/5
Tropes: alpha male, age-gap, innocent heroine, instant connection, “Daddy” vibes


rhiannon_the_reader's review against another edition

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4.0

Rating ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ /5
Spice

meadows_girl's review against another edition

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1.0

DNF 74%

ruby7moon31's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

maggie951's review against another edition

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5.0

Ughh absolutely amazing.

Painfully wonderful. I was so excited for the book to come out, but I didn't know I would love it this much. The roller coaster of emotion Sara took me on was unexpected and just a lovely ebb and flow of plot and character, filled with pain and love.

kayisreadingbooks's review against another edition

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4.0

My heart aches… So smutty, but oh my lord are they cute

sipsandbooks__'s review against another edition

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5.0

OHMYGOD!

juliied96's review

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adventurous emotional fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

piratebar's review against another edition

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2.0

To preface, I do want to say I really enjoyed a good chunk of this book. I thought Ronan and Daisy had a lot of chemistry (more so than I could say for the previous book couple honestly) but towards the midway and end of the book I started to get a little irritated.

First, we all knew from the first few chapters what the conflict was going to be. I honestly cannot STAND when one MC is keeping this "big secret" from the other for the majority of the book. I don't understand Daisy's reasons for not talking to Ronan about this sooner, like before the auction night. In the beginning of the story, she clearly had no sexual interest in him at all, although maybe slightly intimidated by him, he was the whole reason she uprooted her life, you would think someone who does that would want to find answers as quickly as possible.

Second, I'm not a huge fan of how Sara Cate depicts mental health. She tends to use it as a plot device when it doesn't make sense. Daisy didn't really behave like someone who was crippled by grief, yes of course she had moments when she was upset about her mother passing, but until the conflict in the relationship happened, I didn't see it as being a big issue. But Ronan telling her she needs to fix herself and learn to take care of herself before they could be together made me roll my eyes HARD. Daisy HAS been taking care of herself for the last 3 years since her mother died. She hit some rough times financially but she learned to navigate that. She forgot to eat sometimes, of course that's an issue with her condition but anyone can forget things like that on occasion. I just don't like how things wrap up in a tidy bow, they break up because Daisy needs to cope with her grief, book cuts to two months later when she's in grief counseling and apparently a new woman. They get back together. Problem solved. Oh and don't forget the surprise baby that fixes everything.

Thirdly, it's a very weird choice to have Daisy be the daughter of Ronan's ex, I tried not to think about it too much but whenever I did I felt a little icky. Ronan had every right to react the way he did, and Daisy's "woe is me" after the fact made me really dislike her. And I know the age gap was discussed a little, but why wasn't it discussed MORE? Especially when they found out they're pregnant, he's going to be in his 70s when the kids hit high school. Sure age is just a number, but an age gap that large needs to be acknowledged a little more than that. She kept mentioning the way her dad might react but we never actually got to see them meet. The age gap should have been the conflict, not the stupid secret or Ronan thinking she needs to grow up.

Lastly and maybe an unpopular opinion, I think her books have too much sex in them. Towards the end of her books I just skip over the sex scenes as I get a little bored with them.

I wanted to love this so much but it started to go downhill for me fast towards the midway point. The first book I think is the only one worth reading.

wattsyareading's review against another edition

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4.0

Excellent age-gap romance. Ronan in *chef's kiss*.
I have truly loved this series.