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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
Fast forwarded through it listened to about half of it.
Not a great read.
Not a great read.
Amazing!
I am so happy that Charlie got his happy ending. I have to say I was shocked but not really with where the book started. However the story was amazing! I am so glad that the story went in that direction. It was such a great love story and showed us the side of Charlie we all knew and loved even if we only saw it for a short amount of time. Great read!
I am so happy that Charlie got his happy ending. I have to say I was shocked but not really with where the book started. However the story was amazing! I am so glad that the story went in that direction. It was such a great love story and showed us the side of Charlie we all knew and loved even if we only saw it for a short amount of time. Great read!
"No man like being an island."
It was hard to go into this book because of the awful things Charlie had a hand in in the prior books. He took a bullet, sure, but he still didn't do much to redeem himself of his dispicable actions. As a character he's proven to be rather flighty and a bit naive. The plor went nowhere, other than the subtle bomb of her relation to the other her, there was nothing going on. It fell flat after such a great start to the series. I had to move on because I didn't want Jackson to be ruined too.
*Note that this review was intended to be posted when the book was read in 2021, but got buried in my drafts. From the time of reading to now I have gotten even more into dark romance and I don't feel like I would dislike this book as much now so I've changed my rating based on what I can remember but will be re-reading and completing this series.
It was hard to go into this book because of the awful things Charlie had a hand in in the prior books. He took a bullet, sure, but he still didn't do much to redeem himself of his dispicable actions. As a character he's proven to be rather flighty and a bit naive. The plor went nowhere, other than the subtle bomb of her relation to the other her, there was nothing going on. It fell flat after such a great start to the series. I had to move on because I didn't want Jackson to be ruined too.
*Note that this review was intended to be posted when the book was read in 2021, but got buried in my drafts. From the time of reading to now I have gotten even more into dark romance and I don't feel like I would dislike this book as much now so I've changed my rating based on what I can remember but will be re-reading and completing this series.
2.5 Insta-Love Stars
ohmegerddd... let's fall in love dramatically and then attempt to push you away just like the series before meee.
Yeah. Not feeling it.
And holy instalove! I mean... you go from 'despising' someone to telling them you're in love with them damn near overnight? yeeeeahhh... okie.
I lived for the first three books in this series and this one was just NOT doing it for me. I was very hopeful that this would carry my love for the Rydeville series... but it just didn't do it for me. Maybe it's because I hated Charlie in the earlier books and I didn't feel like their was any redemption, or maybe it was because this book just...the same as the ones before..
Regardless.. didn't love it and I'm more hopeful for the next than what I was before.
ohmegerddd... let's fall in love dramatically and then attempt to push you away just like the series before meee.
Yeah. Not feeling it.
And holy instalove! I mean... you go from 'despising' someone to telling them you're in love with them damn near overnight? yeeeeahhh... okie.
I lived for the first three books in this series and this one was just NOT doing it for me. I was very hopeful that this would carry my love for the Rydeville series... but it just didn't do it for me. Maybe it's because I hated Charlie in the earlier books and I didn't feel like their was any redemption, or maybe it was because this book just...the same as the ones before..
Regardless.. didn't love it and I'm more hopeful for the next than what I was before.
4.5 stars.
Okay so I really loved the story line, and the dynamic. The push and pull and the way they met had me hooked! My only issue is I wished it wasn’t a novella. I felt like there was a moment where it went from zero to 60 in no time. The characters were great, I just wished she added more chapter in when she add the extended epilogue.
That being said it’s still a high rating, I couldn’t put it down. And it was a nice way to ease into the world for me. Since I am not quite ready for the darkness of the first 3.
Okay so I really loved the story line, and the dynamic. The push and pull and the way they met had me hooked! My only issue is I wished it wasn’t a novella. I felt like there was a moment where it went from zero to 60 in no time. The characters were great, I just wished she added more chapter in when she add the extended epilogue.
That being said it’s still a high rating, I couldn’t put it down. And it was a nice way to ease into the world for me. Since I am not quite ready for the darkness of the first 3.
This is a reread/listen for me.
Dual narration and Charlie a great addition to the Ryderville family.
I absolutely adore Siobhan and I’ve read the whole Ryderville series. This is my first actual listen to the series.
Charlie is a complex character and it was great to see him redeem himself by the end of the book.
Yes Charlie starts off as a grade A jerk but with reason, As the story unfolds he not only redeems himself but we get Charlie’s pOV on circumstances that occurred in the first 3 books too.
Audio Review:
Charlie is voiced by Michael Gallagher and i adore him. He’s a favorite of mine in Siobhan books because he just always brings the characters he portrays to life.
Demi was portrayed by Sarah Puckett and her performance was equally amazing and her emotions in certain scenes was spot on
Well done on all aspects
Dual narration and Charlie a great addition to the Ryderville family.
I absolutely adore Siobhan and I’ve read the whole Ryderville series. This is my first actual listen to the series.
Charlie is a complex character and it was great to see him redeem himself by the end of the book.
Yes Charlie starts off as a grade A jerk but with reason, As the story unfolds he not only redeems himself but we get Charlie’s pOV on circumstances that occurred in the first 3 books too.
Audio Review:
Charlie is voiced by Michael Gallagher and i adore him. He’s a favorite of mine in Siobhan books because he just always brings the characters he portrays to life.
Demi was portrayed by Sarah Puckett and her performance was equally amazing and her emotions in certain scenes was spot on
Well done on all aspects
Finally, some redemption for the first beloved, then loathed Charlie from the Rydeville Elite series!
To be honest, I did not think that Siobhan could redeem Charlie, who was perhaps the most heartbreaking character from the Rydeville stories for me. Oh, sweet Charlie. He did horrible things, his humanity totally derailed, and he was the least reliable character- constantly ping-ponging from the right team to the wrong. I loved him early on- he was the sweet teddy bear, seemingly the “heart” of the squad, and then we find that was an act. From then on, his motivations were always in question for me. Last we left him, he’d destroyed much of his life, but we didn’t feel any sympathy for him because he made his bed, even if he comes through at the end for our squad.
So, when I found it he was getting his “happy ending,” I wasn’t sure I could get back behind him- nor was I sure I could trust any emotion was genuine, that he would be a reliable narrator. And, thus, that was my orientation as I started to read Charlie’s story with Demi. Siobhan smartly begins this tale in the key moment when I gave up on Charlie- one of the many mysteries, namely, his and Abby’s botched wedding night. We find out just where he was- and with whom- and why, and we get a glimpse inside what losing Charlie’s father really did to him. And, with that shattering opening, my heart started beating for Charlie again.
He didn’t win me over completely, to be honest, or quickly- he spends much of this story in self-destruction mode- punishing himself for his sins and therefore punishing everyone else around him- and he loves nothing more than to punish and bully Demi, a woman he blames for what he sees as one of his gravest missteps. Oh, and she’s also his PA. We get the love-hate push-pull tension that Siobhan is so good at creating, we get to walk alongside two characters who are trapped in heartbreaking realities (Demi’s life has been derailed as she tries to care for her ailing father) and struggling to cope, and we see them slowly, and unwillingly, weave themselves together when their vulnerabilities they bottle up so closely accidentally seem to spill out with one another.
The romantic pace here is pretty quick- the feelings don’t have as much time to simmer and marinate as they would in a longer novel or trilogy, and we have a lot of ground to cover since we’ve not met Demi before. She suffers a bit for it- we don’t fully know her in the way we know Abby or Harlow or others, but I like her- she’s intelligent and sharp, she’s pretty patient, she’s stoic and rational- she’s grounding for Charlie, like a softer, more steady conception of Abby. And we get the gambit with Charlie- so much so that his emotional whiplash made it hard for me to believe his feelings were fully realized at the end (nor his slow re-entry into the lives of our favorites, like Kai and Abby)- but the bonus content we get in this version (vs. the anthology) really made a huge difference- both in my buy-in with Demi as well as my belief in Charlie.
If you read this story as part of the Bully Me: Class of 2020 anthology, GET THE EXTENDED VERSION. Had I rated the story based on just what was in the anthology, I would have probably given it 3.5 or 4 stars. I spiritually love anthologies because you get so much content, but the word limits really limit authors from telling anything that feels complete, which is why so many stories from that anthology ended up being prequels to full length novels. If you are curious, this is still a SHORT novel- but not a novella at 60K words. The extended version delivers 3 extra meaty chapters (two of which are epilogues) that answer some of the burning questions that made me feel Charlie was too hastily concluded in the anthology- particularly three things that felt crucial:
a) more of what Demi and Charlie looked like when they were actually committed and functional (much of Bully Me is them just working their way to being actually together): the extra content here is SO fulfilling and makes me really believe Charlie’s redemptive arc a lot more because I get to see him being the Charlie I wanted to believe he really was
b) more time with Demi: we don’t get three books to love her like we do with Abby, we only have a short novel. And, while I LIKED her in the anthology, I didn’t love her yet- I needed more time with her. Sure, a few extra chapters still mean she’s not my Abby, but we get to see some important moments for Demi that makes us feel more intimately connected to her
c) we find out what happened in that conclusion with Demi’s father
Overall, I’d give this 4.5 stars- Charlie does feel like he’s on the pathway to the redemptive arc, I care about him again, and we have some new ELITE drama brewing that is going to set us up nicely for Jackson and the future of this crew. After reading this, I’m happy Charlie is back at the table- and I think we’ll get more time with Demi, not only because of her relationship with Charlie but also because of her family history.
To be honest, I did not think that Siobhan could redeem Charlie, who was perhaps the most heartbreaking character from the Rydeville stories for me. Oh, sweet Charlie. He did horrible things, his humanity totally derailed, and he was the least reliable character- constantly ping-ponging from the right team to the wrong. I loved him early on- he was the sweet teddy bear, seemingly the “heart” of the squad, and then we find that was an act. From then on, his motivations were always in question for me. Last we left him, he’d destroyed much of his life, but we didn’t feel any sympathy for him because he made his bed, even if he comes through at the end for our squad.
So, when I found it he was getting his “happy ending,” I wasn’t sure I could get back behind him- nor was I sure I could trust any emotion was genuine, that he would be a reliable narrator. And, thus, that was my orientation as I started to read Charlie’s story with Demi. Siobhan smartly begins this tale in the key moment when I gave up on Charlie- one of the many mysteries, namely, his and Abby’s botched wedding night. We find out just where he was- and with whom- and why, and we get a glimpse inside what losing Charlie’s father really did to him. And, with that shattering opening, my heart started beating for Charlie again.
He didn’t win me over completely, to be honest, or quickly- he spends much of this story in self-destruction mode- punishing himself for his sins and therefore punishing everyone else around him- and he loves nothing more than to punish and bully Demi, a woman he blames for what he sees as one of his gravest missteps. Oh, and she’s also his PA. We get the love-hate push-pull tension that Siobhan is so good at creating, we get to walk alongside two characters who are trapped in heartbreaking realities (Demi’s life has been derailed as she tries to care for her ailing father) and struggling to cope, and we see them slowly, and unwillingly, weave themselves together when their vulnerabilities they bottle up so closely accidentally seem to spill out with one another.
The romantic pace here is pretty quick- the feelings don’t have as much time to simmer and marinate as they would in a longer novel or trilogy, and we have a lot of ground to cover since we’ve not met Demi before. She suffers a bit for it- we don’t fully know her in the way we know Abby or Harlow or others, but I like her- she’s intelligent and sharp, she’s pretty patient, she’s stoic and rational- she’s grounding for Charlie, like a softer, more steady conception of Abby. And we get the gambit with Charlie- so much so that his emotional whiplash made it hard for me to believe his feelings were fully realized at the end (nor his slow re-entry into the lives of our favorites, like Kai and Abby)- but the bonus content we get in this version (vs. the anthology) really made a huge difference- both in my buy-in with Demi as well as my belief in Charlie.
If you read this story as part of the Bully Me: Class of 2020 anthology, GET THE EXTENDED VERSION. Had I rated the story based on just what was in the anthology, I would have probably given it 3.5 or 4 stars. I spiritually love anthologies because you get so much content, but the word limits really limit authors from telling anything that feels complete, which is why so many stories from that anthology ended up being prequels to full length novels. If you are curious, this is still a SHORT novel- but not a novella at 60K words. The extended version delivers 3 extra meaty chapters (two of which are epilogues) that answer some of the burning questions that made me feel Charlie was too hastily concluded in the anthology- particularly three things that felt crucial:
a) more of what Demi and Charlie looked like when they were actually committed and functional (much of Bully Me is them just working their way to being actually together): the extra content here is SO fulfilling and makes me really believe Charlie’s redemptive arc a lot more because I get to see him being the Charlie I wanted to believe he really was
b) more time with Demi: we don’t get three books to love her like we do with Abby, we only have a short novel. And, while I LIKED her in the anthology, I didn’t love her yet- I needed more time with her. Sure, a few extra chapters still mean she’s not my Abby, but we get to see some important moments for Demi that makes us feel more intimately connected to her
c) we find out what happened in that conclusion with Demi’s father
Overall, I’d give this 4.5 stars- Charlie does feel like he’s on the pathway to the redemptive arc, I care about him again, and we have some new ELITE drama brewing that is going to set us up nicely for Jackson and the future of this crew. After reading this, I’m happy Charlie is back at the table- and I think we’ll get more time with Demi, not only because of her relationship with Charlie but also because of her family history.
What a great book! Glad Charlie found his way. Very intrigued by Abby and Demi’s relation. I can’t wait for the next books :) I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
Siobhan Davis just shocked me with the release of Charlie. I’ve hated this character after the events of the Ryderville Elite books, and yet, here I am surprisingly doing a reversal and ultimately coming to the conclusion that he’s not as much of a douche as I took him for.
4.5 star read!!!!! This novella redeemed Charlie in a big way! Such a broken, misunderstood and empty character who was completely brought back to life.
I loved Charlie in the Rydeville series until I didn’t. If you’ve read the series, you’ll understand. So I was a little apprehensive on how the author was going to try to get him into our good graces again. Boy, did Siobhan blow me away!
I absolutely loved the chemistry / battles between Demi and Charlie. They were obvious attracted to one another but were determined to make it impossible to get along with one another. I liked their battle of wills and back and forth jabbing!
This novella was full of heartbreak, unraveling secrets, grief and discovery. Charlie’s entire back story was so dark and traumatic. His mixed up feelings about Abby and the death of his father left him completely bitter and unapproachable. He kept so many walls up to protect himself, never letting anyone get too close to his heart. His obsession with Demi seemed to be misplaced in the beginning, but as their relationship developed and flourished, it became apparent that his feelings were completely genuine and real. The way he provided unwavering support for Demi through one of the hardest times in her life, proved that he was a good man who’d been forced to survive an evil upbringing.
The ONLY reasons this wasn’t a solid 5 star read for me...
- The use of the term “fucktard” really rubbed me the wrong way. It was used more than once in the story which was extremely unfortunate.
- The weeks to months worth of time jumps. It made the story feel a little rushed.
- Relatively quick and drama free “forgiveness” between characters. They were fast to let things slide and get over them which was completely uncharacteristic of the overall series style.
I loved Charlie in the Rydeville series until I didn’t. If you’ve read the series, you’ll understand. So I was a little apprehensive on how the author was going to try to get him into our good graces again. Boy, did Siobhan blow me away!
I absolutely loved the chemistry / battles between Demi and Charlie. They were obvious attracted to one another but were determined to make it impossible to get along with one another. I liked their battle of wills and back and forth jabbing!
This novella was full of heartbreak, unraveling secrets, grief and discovery. Charlie’s entire back story was so dark and traumatic. His mixed up feelings about Abby and the death of his father left him completely bitter and unapproachable. He kept so many walls up to protect himself, never letting anyone get too close to his heart. His obsession with Demi seemed to be misplaced in the beginning, but as their relationship developed and flourished, it became apparent that his feelings were completely genuine and real. The way he provided unwavering support for Demi through one of the hardest times in her life, proved that he was a good man who’d been forced to survive an evil upbringing.
The ONLY reasons this wasn’t a solid 5 star read for me...
- The use of the term “fucktard” really rubbed me the wrong way. It was used more than once in the story which was extremely unfortunate.
- The weeks to months worth of time jumps. It made the story feel a little rushed.
- Relatively quick and drama free “forgiveness” between characters. They were fast to let things slide and get over them which was completely uncharacteristic of the overall series style.