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dark
funny
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Soooo... I liked it. I liked it more than the previous one, but it was different.
Lights Out was very obviously a dark comedy, and I enjoyed that. Caught Up was more like a dark romance, which I also enjoyed, but the change gave me whiplash.
I liked the characters, especially the roomates, and I loved the cameos from Josh and Aly.
The broader LGBTQ+ representation was amazing too.
The main characters though? They fell a little short. Junior was okay, I guess. But he kept going on and on about his darkness and then proceded to prove there wasn't that much of it anyway (he didn't even really kill Lauren's dad!
I don't know if the dark romance I read from time to time has desensitized me, but it felt like this book was trying to be a dark romance but was afraid to pull through, and then came back to the previous formula of trying for comedy, while not commiting to doing either.
Lauren... I had a weird relationship with her. I loved the representation for sex workers. I pretty much liked her. But I felt like sex and the related topics were 90% of her personality and the rest was her repeating how she would stand up for herself, and how she couldn't let go of the hurt Junior had caused her only to then get back together with him, have sex with him (very hot sex, might I add), and then everything was fine. As if nothing had happened.
Even Junior kept saying how they should have a serious conversation about their past and what they wanted from this second shot at their relationship, and she just wanted to fuck.
I get it, you're into him and sex is a big thing for you, but don't go down that road and then act like a ridiculous child who can't be made responsible for her own decisions because #hormones or, better yet, #possession from a horny nun. Wow.
So, I think this one was better written than Lights Out, and the serious topics that were touched here made it more interesting, but I enjoyed the other one better (at least it made me laugh).
So, I'm just gonna give it the same score and hop on to the next one when it's out because Tyler's story intrigues me.
PS: The unthinkable has happened, the narrators failed me this time. I adore Teddy Hamilton, and his work is usually pretty reliable, but I think I've heard so so soooo much from him that I just overdosed this time. Or maybe his heart wasn't on this one. Or maybe it was just too hard to voice so many male characters (he sounded weird when voicing Josh and a little forced the rest of the time). Or maybe it was the lack of accent (I've realized I've never heard him try an Italian accent or a British one, where some of his peers excell at). I don't know, maybe I should take a little break from his beautiful voice and see how he fairs the next time.
Lights Out was very obviously a dark comedy, and I enjoyed that. Caught Up was more like a dark romance, which I also enjoyed, but the change gave me whiplash.
I liked the characters, especially the roomates, and I loved the cameos from Josh and Aly.
The broader LGBTQ+ representation was amazing too.
The main characters though? They fell a little short. Junior was okay, I guess. But he kept going on and on about his darkness and then proceded to prove there wasn't that much of it anyway (
I don't know if the dark romance I read from time to time has desensitized me, but it felt like this book was trying to be a dark romance but was afraid to pull through, and then came back to the previous formula of trying for comedy, while not commiting to doing either.
Lauren... I had a weird relationship with her. I loved the representation for sex workers. I pretty much liked her. But I felt like sex and the related topics were 90% of her personality and the rest was her repeating how she would stand up for herself, and how she couldn't let go of the hurt Junior had caused her only to then get back together with him, have sex with him (very hot sex, might I add), and then everything was fine. As if nothing had happened.
Even Junior kept saying how they should have a serious conversation about their past and what they wanted from this second shot at their relationship, and she just wanted to fuck.
I get it, you're into him and sex is a big thing for you, but don't go down that road and then act like a ridiculous child who can't be made responsible for her own decisions because #hormones or, better yet, #possession from a horny nun. Wow.
So, I think this one was better written than Lights Out, and the serious topics that were touched here made it more interesting, but I enjoyed the other one better (at least it made me laugh).
So, I'm just gonna give it the same score and hop on to the next one when it's out because Tyler's story intrigues me.
PS: The unthinkable has happened, the narrators failed me this time. I adore Teddy Hamilton, and his work is usually pretty reliable, but I think I've heard so so soooo much from him that I just overdosed this time. Or maybe his heart wasn't on this one. Or maybe it was just too hard to voice so many male characters (he sounded weird when voicing Josh and a little forced the rest of the time). Or maybe it was the lack of accent (I've realized I've never heard him try an Italian accent or a British one, where some of his peers excell at). I don't know, maybe I should take a little break from his beautiful voice and see how he fairs the next time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence
Moderate: Cursing, Sexism, Stalking
Minor: Death of parent
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Sexual content, Stalking
Moderate: Sexism, Torture, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cannibalism
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Not as good as the first one but a classic smutty Mafia romance nonetheless. I enjoyed it and I didn’t care that her roommate was nonbinary like a lot of other Karen’s on the internet.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Sexual content, Stalking
Moderate: Violence, Blood, Murder
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I def liked the first book more and wasn’t planning on reading this until I started HRCYED. So I already came in with reservations.
It’s mafia, miscommunication, battling stigmas while getting upset, little to no past character chemistry or current chemistry.
Don’t get me wrong, stand up against the stigmas but home girl could have gone to get a masters or doctorate in psychology with the amount of money she was making. Like to say she’s only using her degree to connect more with her subscribers was just wierd to me…like go get an mba. She literally does not need to work normal work hours.
I did not like the FMC. At all.
The MMC was slightly better but he still irked me to no end. Like he could have written instead of pining for no reason for 10+ years. Like idk I felt zero emotional chemistry, connection. There was no past reason for them to have such strong feelings other than the physical.
Just not for me.
It’s mafia, miscommunication, battling stigmas while getting upset, little to no past character chemistry or current chemistry.
Don’t get me wrong, stand up against the stigmas but home girl could have gone to get a masters or doctorate in psychology with the amount of money she was making. Like to say she’s only using her degree to connect more with her subscribers was just wierd to me…like go get an mba. She literally does not need to work normal work hours.
I did not like the FMC. At all.
The MMC was slightly better but he still irked me to no end. Like he could have written instead of pining for no reason for 10+ years. Like idk I felt zero emotional chemistry, connection. There was no past reason for them to have such strong feelings other than the physical.
Just not for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Violence, Blood, Stalking, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Emotional abuse, Sexism, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment
adventurous
dark
funny
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:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Torture, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I want to start off by saying the three narrators, ESPECIALLY KACI, did a phenomenal job. They poured so much emotion into this book and even when I wanted to throw the book (metaphorically speaking, since I had the audio), they drew me back into the story.
This book handled sex work SO beautifully. Sure, they’re faced with discrimination and stigma, but there are the truly beautiful sides and support from their community. Lauren’s roommates were two beautiful souls and I am grateful Ryan, the nonbinary character, received their own voice.
My one main issue with this book is how Junior felt unoriginal. Josh from book one was funny and supportive and I couldn’t help but love him. Junior gave me a headache at times. But I still really enjoyed the book and I loved the ending.
This book handled sex work SO beautifully. Sure, they’re faced with discrimination and stigma, but there are the truly beautiful sides and support from their community. Lauren’s roommates were two beautiful souls and I am grateful Ryan, the nonbinary character, received their own voice.
My one main issue with this book is how Junior felt unoriginal. Josh from book one was funny and supportive and I couldn’t help but love him. Junior gave me a headache at times. But I still really enjoyed the book and I loved the ending.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Sexual content, Violence, Stalking
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Bullying, Vomit, Cannibalism
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Hilarious and filled with all the dark romance vibes a person could ask for. I really enjoyed Lauren’s friends and all their banter not to mention Taylor’s choice of a weapon when she thought someone was breaking in, iconic 😂. There were so many moments of comfort with this book and at times it felt like being apart of their found family and I was all the way here for it.
Nico (Junior) was just as amazing as Lauren. They were really such a well balanced couple and seeing their history it was an entertaining read to see how things progressed when the odds weren’t in their favor.
Also Lauren’s grandmother was a total icon and I loved her comments so much. And of course, I loved the mentions of Aly and Josh and their children (the cats). Josh being a friend to Junior was hilarious and oddly wholesome.
This book definitely lived up to the high hype I had for it! I even got the audiobook on Libby to follow along as I annotated the paperback. The narrators did an amazing job!!
Read For
✓ Found Family
✓ Amazing Friends
✓ Stalker Romance
✓ Sex Work (Positive)
✓ Childhood Crush to Lovers
𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Sad Level: 💧
Plot: 10/10
Pace: 10/10
Ending: 10/10
Characters: 10/10
Enjoyability: 10/10
Writing Style: 10/10
Would I Recommend? Yes
Favorite Character: Nico and Lauren
Favorite Quote: ❝ "You can't hit on your employee, you ho bag. It's unethical." ❞
POV: Duel, First Person
Pages: 342
Format: Paperback
Language: English
Release Date: 10, June 2025
Rep/Extras: Sex work (positive), Non-binary (side character)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gun violence, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting
Minor: Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Cannibalism, Death of parent
adventurous
dark
funny
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:
Yes
This was a highly anticipated read (or listen, I guess) for me! I want to give Nico and Lauren the credit they deserve while saying if you expect them to be Aly and Josh 2.0, you will be disappointed. Caught Up feels a little darker, despite touching on less heavy subject matter and still having its funny moments. I’m usually not a mafia girly and was surprised at how much I enjoyed that aspect. I loved all the supporting characters, especially Junior’s family. Fingers crossed Junior’s brothers get their own books in the future. I thought Lauren and Nico’s chemistry was good…but not great. Nico’s chapters held my attention but I found myself wanting to rush through Lauren’s and becoming irritated with her for getting upset when her mob boyfriend did, I dunno, mob shit? The character felt underdeveloped, and besides being a cam girl and having a bad dad, I doubt I could tell you anything I just read about her. Nevertheless, still a four star read and Navessa remains the reigning queen of morally grey MMCs.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Murder, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail