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xxmedicxx's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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? N/A
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Sexual content, Blood, and Death of parent
cielosiluminado's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-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
3.0
this book had so many rollercoasters. so many plot twists too. i love me a gray, morally questionable mmc; and alex volkov was exactly that. his groveling in the book? ugh *chefs kiss*
Darkness craves light as much as it wants to destroy it,
i also enjoyed how ava didn’t forgive him quickly and he had to earn her love and trust back. it was heartbreakingly beautiful reading the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Sexual content, and Murder
xapoptosisx's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
It was good I'll read the other books in the series as I enjoyed the friend group.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gun violence, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
Minor: Drug use and Vomit
exteenawreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, and Gaslighting
dlsmk's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
This was predictable but it was funny and just a good time dude.
Listen. The plot? Predictable. The characters? Mid. The vibes? Immaculate. This was so fun. I laughed out loud. I swooned. I had multiple WTF moments about her being just so OK with him being like, a murderer and being an overbearing, jealous, grade A for Asshole, douchebag. However, I'm going to read the rest of them because the banter (when things weren't going like, completely off the rails) was actually quite fun. And I did enjoy the female characters so like, I want the next one.
Listen. The plot? Predictable. The characters? Mid. The vibes? Immaculate. This was so fun. I laughed out loud. I swooned. I had multiple WTF moments about her being just so OK with him being like, a murderer and being an overbearing, jealous, grade A for Asshole, douchebag. However, I'm going to read the rest of them because the banter (when things weren't going like, completely off the rails) was actually quite fun. And I did enjoy the female characters so like, I want the next one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
reisingerovaa's review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
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
5.0
alex fucking volkov is the definition of 'touch her and die' trope
🛐🛐🛐🛐🛐🛐🛐🛐🛐🛐
🛐🛐🛐🛐🛐🛐🛐🛐🛐🛐
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Sexual content, Blood, Murder, and Gaslighting
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, and Death of parent
sea_vid123's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
lbooch24's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence and Death of parent
Moderate: Suicide
leikyr's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence and Violence
xabbeylongx's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Spoilers Ahead:
This book has been on my TBR list for ages, so when I found it on my Kindle Unlimited, I jumped at the chance to read it. I put all of my university books aside, forgot about my reading list for my classes, and I picked up this book and started reading. I can’t lie to you though, I’m not 100% sure on my thoughts of it.
We follow Ava as her brother moves to do his Medical Residency, and he enlists the help of his childhood friend, and best friend, Alex to look after her whilst he’s away. He lives next door, and constantly makes sure she’s okay.
Alex, when he was younger, witnessed the death of his parents, and has been living his life to avenge them with his uncle, unknown to most. Ava and Alex are sworn enemies, because Alex is quite a rude person, but also Ava is the only person who makes him feel emotions, and Ava’s friends want to try and test that. They figure out that Alex quite likes Ava, though she disbelieves it at first.
There’s a lot that happens in this book, so I’ll go over the most important stuff. Alex finds out that the people who killed his parents were actually hired by his uncle, and so that makes him go ape-shit. Ava finds out that her fear of water is actually caused by her father, who tried to drown her. All the while he was telling her that her mother was the one who tried to kill her, even though she wasn’t around to tell her otherwise. With not much else to threaten him with, Alex’s uncle captures Ava and her friend, and then threatens to kill her, and he resorts to blackmail against his uncle. To try and save Ava, Alex tells her how he only became friends with them to get to her father (he was somehow involved in the business with his parents’ deaths) and that he never actually liked them, and she is nothing to him now he’s used her - even though this is not the case, and she’s the only person he’s ever had feelings for. I think Alex shoots his uncle, but they say it is self-defence, and the police don’t ask many questions.
Ava moves to London to pursue her own thing, and Alex follows her, trying to keep her ‘safe’, but essentially, he is just stalking her. He wants her to forgive him, and says he will do anything to prove that he loves her, and that he didn’t mean it. After months and months of him grovelling, she finally forgives him - but doesn’t forget - although her brother stops talking to the both of them. And rightly so, I’d say.
To sum it up, this book was good, but it wasn’t my favourite. I was debating on messing around and putting it as 5 stars, but, for some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I don’t know why it wasn’t exactly what I wanted, either; it’s a complete mystery! I honestly think it must be the characters; he is possessive, definitely stalker-ish, and she is just whiny and annoying, a really stereotypically portrayed female, and it sort of hurt me to read about it at points.
It’s annoying, because - to me - I actually sometimes really liked him. Personally, I liked Alex a whole lot more than I did Ava, because, as I said before, she’s a stereotypical woman, and it reminds me of how ‘men write women’, if you get what I mean.
I think there is actually no way in hell that she should have gone back to him. I get that when you love someone you forget flaws, but after everything, there’s absolutely no way they should have been endgame. I remember reading it and thinking, “How are they going to get through this then?”. The whole book seems quite realistic, which is good in a way, but I don’t understand how she forgave him. And it made the relationship seem less stable after it, I can’t lie to you. Very unrealistic. And I want to finish the rest of the series, but if all the relationships are going to be that unhealthy, I don’t know whether I can stomach the rest of the books. Also, why was the part about Ava’s dad necessary? Yeah, it’s a good plot twist and a cool storyline, but it isn’t really necessary to the plot, in my opinion. And, with something that big, surely it would be talked about more afterwards? And also the bet that her friends made about getting Ava to try and figure out his emotions, why was that in there? It would make more sense to either take it out or make him find out about it, and cause a rift in it. Because, rightfully so, it’s mostly her that gets annoyed, but it forgets all the things that she does that are also questionable.
Overall, I do like the book, and I think as a romance book it isn’t too heavy on the sex being the ultimate part of the relationship, but I just find the plot a little weird at points, and some of it can be cut out completely as they add nothing to the story. Also, the underlying sexism within Ava - and even most of the other female characters - is kind of annoying to read when the concept is actually quite good.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Gun violence, Death of parent, and Murder