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laurenbane's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
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? It's complicated
4.5
This book was a delight. I am very musically inclined, so it was even more enjoyable because I could really understand and feel the joy of creating music. I enjoyed learning about all the characters and their backstories. Many of them were very loveable. I think Maggie was one of my favorite characters. At first, I didn't really like her, but then I grew to lover her, especially after I found out how understanding she was about the whole cheating situation. The depth of Ridge's character really helped me love him. Especially when he finally performed, my heart literally died, it was so cute. Overall, it was an amazing book and I highly recommend it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Chronic illness, and Sexual content
Moderate: Alcohol and Physical abuse
nxclx's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I live reviewed this book, so it's got spoilers...
The entire book was a constant mix of "oh my god" and "oh no"'s, which can be good or bad depending on how you wanna take that. I was really into this book at first, even though there was cheating involved. Oops. Spoiler? Depends on what you define as cheating I guess. I'm here for the morally grey stuff, but I also want to root for the characters. The only thing I was rooting for here was a polyamorous ending. Guess what I didn't get? That. I loved Maggie too much to have her go through that and Sydney and Ridge just pissed me off. I didn't want them to get together in the end, I wanted them to get their comeuppance. It wasn't bad at first, but then it just went downhill. Fast.
Anyways, here's my live review, chapter by chapter so you can scream with me while you read it.
Prologue:
Why did she punch them? Very confused as to whats going on, but I guess I'm here for it?
Two years, AND it's her birthday? This poor girl, but like WHATS GOING ON?
/We don't slut shame in this house./
Bridget is really rude.
NO, no. Don't do it. Don't fall for Ridge.
Annnd there it is.
Jeez Louise.
Chapter 1:
Sydney....
Why not tell anyone you like writing music? Weird choice, but okay.
You already don't sound comfortable in your relationship.
GIRL. Hoover is a great writer so far. I feel suffocated by this relationship and I'm not even in it.
Ridge....
5 YEARS. 5 whole years.
The guy voicing this sounds boring.
Chapter 2:
Sydney
Why is this guy hitting on her right now? Also, is this now Taylor Swift?
"Please, I'm desperate" lmao OKAY sure dude
Is she just out there while her boyfriend is inside with the roommate? Like I know she doesn't know at this point but like?
Ridge
Just knowing lyrics.. you need to know the chords they line up with
Dude that's so trashy
Who watches porn in the living room?
theyre INSECURE
Chapter 3:
Sydney
youre so jealous, you have a BOYFRIEND
shes suggesting it bc they are! OHNO
it says a lot that your first thought is cheating
Ridge
I want to hear these amazing lyrics
hi maggie and him are cute? yikes.
oh shit...
Chapter 4:
Sydney
wait how does he play the guitar (apparently I'm one of those people)
lets get drunkkkkkkkk
Ridge
This guy sounds really boring ugh
why is everyones solution PUNCHING???
Chapter 5:
Sydney
DO IT yesss
lmao this is kinda funny
Ridge
oof tension
don't control her
why is bridget a rude person
ugh don't compare them i don't like that
how does he know that though?
oh they lyrics. gotcha. still wanna hear them with music
Chapter 6:
Sydney
Well this isn't appropriate
The band name is kinda stupid but thats a nick pick
okay thats kinda cute >:(
Ridge
oooo tell me. hahahaha
thats INAPPROPIATE
Chapter 7:
Sydney
yikes where is maggie.
you're just realizing you have a crush?
YOU HAVE A GIRLFRIEND
Sydney /NO/
ew leave Hunter
Ridge
OH SHIT they fell asleep
hiding it makes it even more suspicious
ughh
Chapter 8:
Sydney
Yeah... he didn't mention her that's a weird thing.
WHY DOEs EVERYONE WANT TO PUNCH
yeah she has a right to be upset
yikes maggie is so sweet
Ridge
and it's the typical hot girl transfermation
lmao stupid. i like maggie too much she doesn't deserve this.
Chapter 9:
Sydney
I already don't think this is going to go well.
It's the name of the book!
Okay so my solution is to have a poly relationship uh oh
uh oh theyre alone
annnddd its not appropriate again
Ridge
exchanging of secrets hmm
stop staring, oh my god stooooop
ugh if you have to remind yourself youre not in it anymore
Chapter 10:
Sydney
Where is this Sydney x Warren stuff coming from, I do not see it.
well isn't that... sweet? no. not sweet. but sure
Ridge
THIS IS NOT GOING TO END WELL
Chapter 11:
Sydney
Its the name of the book again!
Welp. He obviously is acknowledging his feelings? Yeah this is emotional cheating five sure
Ridge
I just put it on 1x speed and HOLY HELL THIS IS SLOW. but I wanna hear the song. Of course theyre not gonna play it. Time to look it up
I'm not disappointed its a country song, you are!
THIS ISN'T SEXUAL AT ALL NOPE
this isn't gonna end well
full out cheating
Chapter 12:
Syd
How does it feel to be a Tori? Sucks doesn't it.
DONT KISS HER AFTER YOU KISSED SOMEONE ELSE. I cannot stand that NO
YOU WOULDN'T TELL HER AFTER WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN THROUGH??
/POLY RELATIONSHIP/
acknowledging your matureness takes away from that fact, Hoover.
This is not ending the flirtation?
Ridge
that was short and youre still emotionally cheating you also never told maggie about the kiss
Chapter 13:
Sydney
OH NO its Hunter
JESUS Sydney
dude don't force her. no, you don't get to be sweet after being an ass.
Nah, I'm out of the relationship now.
Ridge
Ridge is making me mad now
You know what you're doing. Knock it off.
Chapter 14:
Sydney
BRUH
not a good enough reason to use the word penetrate
man i am NOT liking this attitude from Sydney
Ridge
maggie is so sweet and blissfully ignorant
don't divulge your secrets to her and not your gf of 5 YEARS
okay but you DID CHEAT
Chapter 15:
Sydney
stop telling intimate stories
the only thing the flaw telling is doing is admitting the attraction.
you can't joke about hooking up with someone else and then that's a major problem?? you two aren't together, he's with SOMEONE ELSE
Not again. okay thank goodness
Ridge
oh my /god/
OH MY /GOD/
/polyamorus.../
what's maggie's story..?
"he will never leave her" is looking a lot more real..
Chapter 16:
Sydney
Oh gosh well that was an intro I wasn't expecting
drunk girls are adorable
OH NO
wait what. no this is a dream oh okay. wait. what.
they're nothing but trouble but I love them
Ridge
IF THEY DON'T ALL END UP TOGETHER WHAT IS THE POINT
oh my godddddd
Chapter 17-18:
Sydney
Um who is this?? Is that maggie??
jesus...
Ridge
sigh
Sydney
Warren what the hell thats messed up
WHY DOES EVERYONE GO FOR THE PUNCH
good leave!
no one just recovers from punches like that?
oo transvestite...? not sure about that
idk i don't feel her sadness
Ridge
SEVERE EMOTIONAL CHEATING...
i hate this 'other half of my heart' stuff.
you don't see that much in a persons eyes
Chapter 19:
Sydney
honestly at this point im so out of the relationship i don't want them to end up together
ew don't do the thing where he talks to her and not maggie.
i feel like he's only staying with maggie out of obligation?
yeah, um no. she's got every right to be absolutely upset and furious
Ridge
apparently you don't tell her everything
Chapter 20:
Sydney
THAT IS NOT THE ONLY THING HE DID WRONG
nah
nah
nah
get out
Ridge
why the hell are you trying to keep things from your gf and being upset at yourself for not hiding it better. you don't hide things.
i'm more disappointed than anything
Chapter 21:
Sydney
ugh this is annoying
Ridge
almost as much as maggie. tragic.
BREAK UP WITH HIM DO IT
NO DON"T KISS HER ICKY
oh look everyone knows the story that no one knew before
'you think thats what you want' thats disgusting
im over this and im ready for this to be over
Chapter 22-25:
over this
him demanding her address is a little controlling
yeah this is weird
dude she said leave you don't trap her in the bedroom and force a kiss on her.
no, absolutely the hell not. this is creepy as hell and im uncomfortable
i hate everything about this honestly
you already know what's going to happen i wonder why im still listening.
Ending:
no one has sex like this??? i mean maybe if you have a heartbeat kink i guess???
The entire book was a constant mix of "oh my god" and "oh no"'s, which can be good or bad depending on how you wanna take that. I was really into this book at first, even though there was cheating involved. Oops. Spoiler? Depends on what you define as cheating I guess. I'm here for the morally grey stuff, but I also want to root for the characters. The only thing I was rooting for here was a polyamorous ending. Guess what I didn't get? That. I loved Maggie too much to have her go through that and Sydney and Ridge just pissed me off. I didn't want them to get together in the end, I wanted them to get their comeuppance. It wasn't bad at first, but then it just went downhill. Fast.
Anyways, here's my live review, chapter by chapter so you can scream with me while you read it.
Prologue:
Two years, AND it's her birthday? This poor girl, but like WHATS GOING ON?
/We don't slut shame in this house./
Bridget is really rude.
NO, no. Don't do it. Don't fall for Ridge.
Annnd there it is.
Jeez Louise.
Chapter 1:
Why not tell anyone you like writing music? Weird choice, but okay.
You already don't sound comfortable in your relationship.
GIRL. Hoover is a great writer so far. I feel suffocated by this relationship and I'm not even in it.
Ridge....
5 YEARS. 5 whole years.
The guy voicing this sounds boring.
Chapter 2:
Why is this guy hitting on her right now? Also, is this now Taylor Swift?
"Please, I'm desperate" lmao OKAY sure dude
Is she just out there while her boyfriend is inside with the roommate? Like I know she doesn't know at this point but like?
Ridge
Just knowing lyrics.. you need to know the chords they line up with
Dude that's so trashy
Who watches porn in the living room?
theyre INSECURE
Chapter 3:
youre so jealous, you have a BOYFRIEND
shes suggesting it bc they are! OHNO
it says a lot that your first thought is cheating
Ridge
I want to hear these amazing lyrics
hi maggie and him are cute? yikes.
oh shit...
Chapter 4:
wait how does he play the guitar (apparently I'm one of those people)
lets get drunkkkkkkkk
Ridge
This guy sounds really boring ugh
why is everyones solution PUNCHING???
Chapter 5:
DO IT yesss
lmao this is kinda funny
Ridge
oof tension
don't control her
why is bridget a rude person
ugh don't compare them i don't like that
how does he know that though?
oh they lyrics. gotcha. still wanna hear them with music
Chapter 6:
Well this isn't appropriate
The band name is kinda stupid but thats a nick pick
okay thats kinda cute >:(
Ridge
oooo tell me. hahahaha
thats INAPPROPIATE
Chapter 7:
yikes where is maggie.
you're just realizing you have a crush?
YOU HAVE A GIRLFRIEND
Sydney /NO/
ew leave Hunter
Ridge
OH SHIT they fell asleep
hiding it makes it even more suspicious
ughh
Chapter 8:
Yeah... he didn't mention her that's a weird thing.
WHY DOEs EVERYONE WANT TO PUNCH
yeah she has a right to be upset
yikes maggie is so sweet
Ridge
and it's the typical hot girl transfermation
lmao stupid. i like maggie too much she doesn't deserve this.
Chapter 9:
I already don't think this is going to go well.
It's the name of the book!
Okay so my solution is to have a poly relationship uh oh
uh oh theyre alone
annnddd its not appropriate again
Ridge
exchanging of secrets hmm
stop staring, oh my god stooooop
ugh if you have to remind yourself youre not in it anymore
Chapter 10:
Where is this Sydney x Warren stuff coming from, I do not see it.
well isn't that... sweet? no. not sweet. but sure
Ridge
THIS IS NOT GOING TO END WELL
Chapter 11:
Its the name of the book again!
Welp. He obviously is acknowledging his feelings? Yeah this is emotional cheating five sure
Ridge
I just put it on 1x speed and HOLY HELL THIS IS SLOW. but I wanna hear the song. Of course theyre not gonna play it. Time to look it up
I'm not disappointed its a country song, you are!
THIS ISN'T SEXUAL AT ALL NOPE
this isn't gonna end well
full out cheating
Chapter 12:
How does it feel to be a Tori? Sucks doesn't it.
DONT KISS HER AFTER YOU KISSED SOMEONE ELSE. I cannot stand that NO
YOU WOULDN'T TELL HER AFTER WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN THROUGH??
/POLY RELATIONSHIP/
acknowledging your matureness takes away from that fact, Hoover.
This is not ending the flirtation?
Ridge
that was short and youre still emotionally cheating you also never told maggie about the kiss
Chapter 13:
OH NO its Hunter
JESUS Sydney
dude don't force her. no, you don't get to be sweet after being an ass.
Nah, I'm out of the relationship now.
Ridge
Ridge is making me mad now
You know what you're doing. Knock it off.
Chapter 14:
BRUH
not a good enough reason to use the word penetrate
man i am NOT liking this attitude from Sydney
Ridge
maggie is so sweet and blissfully ignorant
don't divulge your secrets to her and not your gf of 5 YEARS
okay but you DID CHEAT
Chapter 15:
stop telling intimate stories
the only thing the flaw telling is doing is admitting the attraction.
you can't joke about hooking up with someone else and then that's a major problem?? you two aren't together, he's with SOMEONE ELSE
Not again. okay thank goodness
Ridge
oh my /god/
OH MY /GOD/
/polyamorus.../
what's maggie's story..?
"he will never leave her" is looking a lot more real..
Chapter 16:
Oh gosh well that was an intro I wasn't expecting
drunk girls are adorable
OH NO
wait what. no this is a dream oh okay. wait. what.
they're nothing but trouble but I love them
Ridge
IF THEY DON'T ALL END UP TOGETHER WHAT IS THE POINT
oh my godddddd
Chapter 17-18:
Um who is this?? Is that maggie??
jesus...
Ridge
sigh
Sydney
Warren what the hell thats messed up
WHY DOES EVERYONE GO FOR THE PUNCH
good leave!
no one just recovers from punches like that?
oo transvestite...? not sure about that
idk i don't feel her sadness
Ridge
SEVERE EMOTIONAL CHEATING...
i hate this 'other half of my heart' stuff.
you don't see that much in a persons eyes
Chapter 19:
honestly at this point im so out of the relationship i don't want them to end up together
ew don't do the thing where he talks to her and not maggie.
i feel like he's only staying with maggie out of obligation?
yeah, um no. she's got every right to be absolutely upset and furious
Ridge
apparently you don't tell her everything
Chapter 20:
THAT IS NOT THE ONLY THING HE DID WRONG
nah
nah
nah
get out
Ridge
why the hell are you trying to keep things from your gf and being upset at yourself for not hiding it better. you don't hide things.
i'm more disappointed than anything
Chapter 21:
ugh this is annoying
Ridge
almost as much as maggie. tragic.
BREAK UP WITH HIM DO IT
NO DON"T KISS HER ICKY
oh look everyone knows the story that no one knew before
'you think thats what you want' thats disgusting
im over this and im ready for this to be over
Chapter 22-25:
him demanding her address is a little controlling
yeah this is weird
dude she said leave you don't trap her in the bedroom and force a kiss on her.
no, absolutely the hell not. this is creepy as hell and im uncomfortable
i hate everything about this honestly
you already know what's going to happen i wonder why im still listening.
Ending:
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity, Chronic illness, Physical abuse, and Toxic relationship
Does punching count as Physical Abuse? Not sure but there is several punches in this book. The chronic illness is
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