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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was terrible! I love morally gray characters and dark romance, but the writing in this book was just all over the place. Mom has cancer, very generic story line. The author obviously did little to no research into this, it's just the mom has cancer and then she can't work. Huge info dump in the first few pages and the fact that a teenage girl working a part time job to support her family in what seems like a very rich area, that's not even possible even with changing credit cards. Also the constant way the author makes sure to tell the reader how poor they are, the mom would have gotten disability and all kinds of help if she couldn't work due to health problems. Seriously, dear Sam learn to research! Also the whole thing with trying to have "houses like Harry Potter " story line she just randomly starts talking about halfway thru the book, just seems completely irrelevant. I finished this book, because I really wanted it to get better, it doesn't, trust me, read something else.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Genuinely … what the actual f did I just read? Starts off with a borderline normal romance trope of “I dare the popular boy to get with the unpopular girl”….. and then it gets WEIRDDDDDDD. Dare is genuinely a sociopath, so why are we romanticising his actions as “possessive”? Especially the way Aubrey reacts to him… MADAM HE HAS LITERALLY DRUGGED YOU AND THEN R***ED YOU????????? Why is she still made to be with him, and then consistently tells him “I love you”. I know this is fiction, but I find it so so so unacceptable when it comes to SA, especially when these actions are absolutely irrelevant to the plot. Big fat NO!!!!
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'm obviously sick because I couldn't get enough of this! Saying Dare is problematic and that their relationship is toxic is an understatement. The sexual things he did to her after he drugged her....which he later admitted to casually O.O Because there weren't a lot of Dare pov chapters, I couldn't quite grasp how he truly felt about Aubrey and what his intentions/end goals were. Thank goodness he DOES care about her and doesn't want to truly hurt her and that he's a fairly calculated person (instead of acting on impulse) because i can't imagine the evil he would commit otherwise. I love when fear is part of the dynamic (in fiction only of course) because it has me on the edge, scared about which way the story will tip. However, what is strange is Aubrey didn't come off as a pushover in the beginning so it wasn't very realistic how she became THAT docile with Dare.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Even If it Hurts is the first book in Sam Mariano’s new Coastal Elite series. Dark romance at its finest. Still, Dare can’t beat Carter for me (from Untouchable). Sorry, Dare.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail
4.5⭐️
First and foremost, Dare is one manipulative & toxic ass bastard! I’ve read a lot of books with manipulative hero’s but even I was shook at some of the things he did
First and foremost, Dare is one manipulative & toxic ass bastard! I’ve read a lot of books with manipulative hero’s but even I was shook at some of the things he did
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
There are really few words for this book. If you are looking for sick twisted villains then you are in the right book. This book is dark. Dare is NOT a good guy. There is little redeeming about him but they do say there is someone for everyone. Aubrey is definitely not what he's looking for. She isn't even on his radar. If there is someone for everyone then it seems Aubrey is it. She's tough, smart, and caring. I seriously don't know if the ending is truly happy. It seems in its own messed up way it is but should I feel good or bad about the ending? I just don't know. It's well written and a fascinating take on sociopaths.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping
Minor: Cancer, Chronic illness, Cursing, Infidelity, Abandonment