Reviews with content warning for Physical abuse - Layla

I did not live up to my expectations but it has a good twist that I haven't read about before which had me intrigued but yet it didn't captivate me. I felt somewhat underwhelmed. I think it is a good beginner for paranormal thrillers.

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mel_s_bookshelf's review against another edition

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mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.0

This was a unique take on a romance novel. I know that some people are put off by the paranormal themes explored in this book, however, I actually didn’t mind the concept and overall, I found it to be an enjoyable read. As usual, Colleen Hoover's writing style is great and easy to read - I binged it quite quickly as I was very keen to see how things unfolded.

Although I enjoyed the mystery of this book, I found that the character development wasn’t up Colleen Hoover's usual standards. It is primarily focused on the present happenings; however, I feel as though a little more back story on Leeds and Layla would have helped me to be more invested in them. I also felt disappointed by the ending, which just didn’t sit right with me.

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bethshuff's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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? Yes

4.0

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nickgalentine's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.75

The more I ruminate on this book, the more I dislike it.
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I enjoyed reading this one just because it kept me guessing, but I hated Willow before I knew she was Layla (and kind of after too) Sable and Leeds (what an awful fucking name). It was interesting, but I wouldn't say good. I don't think it deserves 3 full stars, but it deserves more than 2. It felt very... problematic.

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marybsimp's review

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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cbbyles07's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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toofondofbooks_'s review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I'm gonna need at least 200 more of these thriller/supernatural books from Colleen Hoover, because this knocked me on my ass almost as much as Verity. I didn't even know what this book was half the time, but I knew that it was really hard to detach myself from my kindle because I just wanted to know what happened and what it was all leading up to. It didn't disappoint me, I'm happy to report. However, I wanted to push the main character, Leeds, off of the nearest cliff. Have I ever hated a male protagonist more? I don't think so. I feel like that was almost the goal of the narrative, though. If it was, congrats Ms. Hoover, you win at writing insufferable men 😂 i don't even know what to do with myself after this one. I already cried, now what?

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