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gillianw's review against another edition
3.0
3.5ish stars??
Are you sitting comfortably? Good, because I have some (probably incoherent) thoughts.
Look, I'm pretty much an AJH fangirl and I have loved the previous two books in this series a whole fucking lot. Basically, I was pretty much ready to five star this baby from the time I opened my Kindle to start reading this book. So, what happened?
Well, here are some points that are in no particular order but that sum up my feelings about Belong (I'm using point form because I've tried to write this review several hundred times and it wasn't working):
-Belong didn't have the same magic that made Bang and Blow so lovely and enjoyable
-Nathaniel deserved better
-I don't think Caspian earned Ardy's forgiveness nor do I think he's good enough for Ardy
-The redemption arc was underwhelming
-The ending felt more like an HFN than an HEA (which is fine in other books except that's not what the end of a 3 book series should feel like)
-George was cool and I liked her and Ardy together
-Bellerose was cool and I liked the thought of him and Ardy together even just for a fling
-What was with the lawyer? Was he in love with Ellery? That part was jarring
-Ardy's dad storyline was an odd choice that felt tossed in just to allow Caspian and Ardy to see each other again
-Ellery is unlikeable which I know is her thing, but show me something - ANYTHING - that makes her even a little bit of fun to hang out with (other than finally humanizing her just a wee bit during the Nik visit)
I'm making it sound like the book was terrible, which it most definitely is not. It just didn't seem like AJH's heart was in it. I could be completely wrong of course, but it felt distracted somehow.
In the end, I just felt like with everything Ardy went through, he deserved better than someone who spent the better part of three books going "It's not you, it's me". I don't think Caspian is in a place to make promises for a solid future together and given that we're supposed to be convinced of their commitment to each other after everything, I simply wasn't.
Ultimately, I was underwhelmed.
Are you sitting comfortably? Good, because I have some (probably incoherent) thoughts.
Look, I'm pretty much an AJH fangirl and I have loved the previous two books in this series a whole fucking lot. Basically, I was pretty much ready to five star this baby from the time I opened my Kindle to start reading this book. So, what happened?
Well, here are some points that are in no particular order but that sum up my feelings about Belong (I'm using point form because I've tried to write this review several hundred times and it wasn't working):
-Belong didn't have the same magic that made Bang and Blow so lovely and enjoyable
-Nathaniel deserved better
-I don't think Caspian earned Ardy's forgiveness nor do I think he's good enough for Ardy
-The redemption arc was underwhelming
-The ending felt more like an HFN than an HEA (which is fine in other books except that's not what the end of a 3 book series should feel like)
-George was cool and I liked her and Ardy together
-Bellerose was cool and I liked the thought of him and Ardy together even just for a fling
-What was with the lawyer? Was he in love with Ellery? That part was jarring
-Ardy's dad storyline was an odd choice that felt tossed in just to allow Caspian and Ardy to see each other again
-Ellery is unlikeable which I know is her thing, but show me something - ANYTHING - that makes her even a little bit of fun to hang out with (other than finally humanizing her just a wee bit during the Nik visit)
I'm making it sound like the book was terrible, which it most definitely is not. It just didn't seem like AJH's heart was in it. I could be completely wrong of course, but it felt distracted somehow.
In the end, I just felt like with everything Ardy went through, he deserved better than someone who spent the better part of three books going "It's not you, it's me". I don't think Caspian is in a place to make promises for a solid future together and given that we're supposed to be convinced of their commitment to each other after everything, I simply wasn't.
Ultimately, I was underwhelmed.
thelasthousewife's review against another edition
funny
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
rachelrude's review against another edition
emotional
funny
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
iread2dream's review against another edition
4.0
Cute. Lots of emotions. Things got resolved too quickly at the end for my taste. Sometimes I felt like too much was going on. The first two books were mostly Arden and Caspian, but this had a lot more plot lines with a lot more people.
nick_name_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-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
4.0
sarahsupastar's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
welkinvault's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
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
4.5
Yes, it’s a MM romance with BDSM elements, but it’s also funny and referential to literature and pop culture. Thoroughly enjoyed this novel. The two chapters dealing with that god awful dinner at Nathaniel’s, had me laughing so hard my throat hurt. Oh my God how can a scene so desperately angst ridden be so bloody funny at the same time!?!
mdee's review against another edition
5.0
4.75 stars
Ok so overall I really enjoyed this and it was definitely worth the long wait. Though I wish we had a bit more time with Caspian/Arden together and maybe even an update on side characters like Ellery, Bellerose, and even that ass Lancaster (like please tell me he gets all the horrible shit he deserves) at the end. I feel like having an epilogue could have easily fixed all of this and made the story feel a bit more complete. Nevertheless Arden remains one of my favourite characters ever and I’m glad to add George (loved her!) to that list as well. I hope we can get more books in this universe focusing on characters like George and Bellerose.
Ok so overall I really enjoyed this and it was definitely worth the long wait. Though I wish we had a bit more time with Caspian/Arden together and maybe even an update on side characters like Ellery, Bellerose, and even that ass Lancaster (like please tell me he gets all the horrible shit he deserves) at the end. I feel like having an epilogue could have easily fixed all of this and made the story feel a bit more complete. Nevertheless Arden remains one of my favourite characters ever and I’m glad to add George (loved her!) to that list as well. I hope we can get more books in this universe focusing on characters like George and Bellerose.