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meliroo's review against another edition
1.0
Graphic: Death, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship
4books_of_sand's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Drug abuse, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Stalking
reader118'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
4.5
Graphic: Rape, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Abandonment, Blood, Cursing, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Car accident and Alcohol
fictionmajorette's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This was my first Pam Godwin and I can see why she is many people's go-to for dark romance. I liked some parts of the book, but overall this was a bit of a miss for me. My main issue with the book revolves around Conor's agency. It felt like, until about the 75% mark, that the men in her life had taken away all her agency and the only reason they would give was that it was 'for her own good'. The characters try to explain that if they would have told her the truth from the beginning that she would have insisted to be involved and probably would have gotten hurt. So instead, they basically went no-contact with her and made her think for 6 years that her brother, boyfriend, and best friend had abandoned her after her brutal assault. Not a great foundation for a romance, in my opinion. I also have no experience with PTSD or PTSD treatment, but I really hated how Jake was forcing Conor to work through her triggers and memories so quickly and head-on and it read more emotionally abusive than caring to me. However, after the 75%-ish, Conor does gain back her agency and is able to put her past somewhat behind her. She knows all the secrets now and can make informed decisions about her life. As a hopeless romantic, I did really like the 'meant to be together' feeling of Jake and Conor's relationship and how straightforward Jake was about how Conor is everything for him. I was really interested in the secrets they uncovered while Conor was gone and if this was structured a little differently - maybe more like a typical romantic suspense - with Conor more involved in the secrets as well as her own recovery, I could easily see this as a 5-star read. It sounds like the rest of the series leans more into the traditional romantic suspense sub-genre so I will most likely be reading on in the series.
Graphic: Physical abuse and Sexual assault