You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
ARC Review (second edition)
Overall, this was an enjoyable and well written book. The author did a great job building the romantic tension between our two MCs, as well as building the mystery tension and keeping us on our toes. The plot for the mystery was great in the beginning, and I loved all the little touches that were included like pictures of the police reports. I enjoyed the found family, though some of side characters felt a bit 2D.
I think the main thing for me were the tropes that were “marketed” vs how they were done in the book. Thomas is hockey captain and a law student, but neither of these traits are then really mentioned or are relevant to his character. I also didn’t see much of their academic rivalry, mostly because the book takes place outside their university term, but I enjoyed their flirty competitiveness. Based on social media, I think some of the chapters taking place at their university were included in the special edition, so my comments might not apply to that edition.
Thank you to the author for the ARC!
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
read #2 - 2nd edition arc (4⭐️)
this is basically the perfect read for summer. the way i loved this edition even moree??
genuinely I'm so happy the author decided to make this 2nd edition because we got so much more content that enhanced the story!
and my favourite thing in this edition was having less spice!
and i absolutely didn't expect to cry but i gotta admit that several chapters from Thomas's perspective had made me tear up...
and let's be honest a story is never complete without the funny side character which is why braxton is literally my fav person in this world rn.
i really loveddd this book and this is my petition for the author to keep writing mystery romances because WOW! i am so ready to read so many more books whether they were in the same world as this one or completely different one!
• the vibe that this book gave me:
the summer i turned pretty meet outer banks meet agggtm.
• the spice in the first edition was excessive to me and sort if ruined my reading experience because i had to skip it every few chapters.
making this edition less spicy was MY FAV THING EVER, and i am sooo thankful forthe guide in the beginning warning me from the 🌶 incoming.
• i absolutely loved how other povs suddenly made appearances
• making the sheriff a good guy made sooo much sense in here (even tho i hated it and needed someone to blame i still felt like he deserved it)
so overall, such a good and enjoyable book! the writing style was truly captivating
—
Read #1 - first edition (3.5⭐️)
this was agggtm x the summer i turned pretty + add some spice
it was really good and it really caught my attention. the whole book was sooo enjoyable!!
i usually hate pure romance books but this was just the most perfect combination of romance and mystery.
and oh my god the short chapters had made everything better (it made me read soooo fast)
this is basically the perfect read for summer. the way i loved this edition even moree??
genuinely I'm so happy the author decided to make this 2nd edition because we got so much more content that enhanced the story!
and my favourite thing in this edition was having less spice!
and i absolutely didn't expect to cry but i gotta admit that several chapters from Thomas's perspective had made me tear up...
and let's be honest a story is never complete without the funny side character which is why braxton is literally my fav person in this world rn.
i really loveddd this book and this is my petition for the author to keep writing mystery romances because WOW! i am so ready to read so many more books whether they were in the same world as this one or completely different one!
• the vibe that this book gave me:
the summer i turned pretty meet outer banks meet agggtm.
• the spice in the first edition was excessive to me and sort if ruined my reading experience because i had to skip it every few chapters.
making this edition less spicy was MY FAV THING EVER, and i am sooo thankful forthe guide in the beginning warning me from the 🌶 incoming.
• i absolutely loved how other povs suddenly made appearances
• making the sheriff a good guy made sooo much sense in here (even tho i hated it and needed someone to blame i still felt like he deserved it)
so overall, such a good and enjoyable book! the writing style was truly captivating
—
Read #1 - first edition (3.5⭐️)
this was agggtm x the summer i turned pretty + add some spice
it was really good and it really caught my attention. the whole book was sooo enjoyable!!
i usually hate pure romance books but this was just the most perfect combination of romance and mystery.
and oh my god the short chapters had made everything better (it made me read soooo fast)
5+ stars! I'm so excited about this book. It's like reading A Good Girls Guide to Murder x The Reappearance of Rachel Price + some romance and spicy scènes. The book even has an dicktonairy haha! The mystery in the book about Lizzie Rhodos is very interesting. Thomas and Connors mom, they go back to the small town where she was last seen 12 years ago and then they are going to investigate it together with friends. Of course there are happening shady things while they are there.. you really have to read it!
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Strong premise but execution left much to be desired. The lack of conjunctions within this book, especially in dialogue, made some of the prose feel clunky and robotic. I don't know if English is the author's first language, so I'm not going to judge this too harshly, but utilizing more casual language could prove useful in future projects. I'm going to break this review into two parts, the romance and the mystery.
Romance:
While Kinsley and Thomas certainly had chemistry, I felt like their romance was rushed.The first time they kiss is less than a hundred pages into the book. For a romance advertised as being one where "they both think the other hates them", it certainly didn't feel that way in practice. The smut often came out of nowhere. It wasn't poorly written, but there were moments where I was confused as to the point of there being a sex scene.
Mystery:
The mystery aspect of this book really took a backseat, which, case dependent, I don't particularly mind. In this case, however, I felt that the mystery needed a bit more, especially in the first half of the book. It seemed like the characters didn't really care, so I didn't really care either.I also find it kind of icky that the murderer's motive was jealousy caused by mental illness. I can't say for sure if the author intended to villainize a disorder the way she did, but that is the way the reveal came off. I also don't think there was enough foreshadowing to really create a satisfying reveal.
Romance:
While Kinsley and Thomas certainly had chemistry, I felt like their romance was rushed.
Mystery:
The mystery aspect of this book really took a backseat, which, case dependent, I don't particularly mind. In this case, however, I felt that the mystery needed a bit more, especially in the first half of the book. It seemed like the characters didn't really care, so I didn't really care either.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content
mystery romance with bite, at a lakeside holiday destination.
I didn’t guess what had occurred at all until it all unfolded on the pages, great suspense, I loved how Kinsley just seemed to make friends so easily but her connection with Thomas was a slow burn
I didn’t guess what had occurred at all until it all unfolded on the pages, great suspense, I loved how Kinsley just seemed to make friends so easily but her connection with Thomas was a slow burn
2.5
there's potential but i think it lacks depth. too many topics and none of them was elaborated enough.
i'd also go for less smut/relationship focus and more about actual researches!
there's potential but i think it lacks depth. too many topics and none of them was elaborated enough.
i'd also go for less smut/relationship focus and more about actual researches!