Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
*******WARNING********
THIS REVIEW IS SPOILER FILLED!
STOP READING IF YOU DON'T WANT
TO BE
SPOILDED.....
Rating: 4 (Hear me out) stars
Okay I'm going to start this review off by saying in NO WAY do I condone rape/sexual assault or sexual harassment. What the H and his friends did in the beginning of the book was despicable and I came very close to not continuing. However after reading some reviews I decided to perceiver on (thinking I was still going to loathe this book) but you know what I think I kind of ended up liking it. whoops.
Lets start of with the h: Zoey Ellis is your all around small town/church going/virgin/nerd girl. At first I thought she was going to be our typical cliché heroine who falls for the bad boy and forgives all his faults and turns a blind eye because she loves him. While she did eventual give Carter the benefit of the doubt later on into the book she actual held him to his crap most of the time, I was shocked. I loved the way the author wrote her character, being in Zoey's mind was interesting she wasn't judgmental and looked at people with open eyes. She was curious and wanted to know why these people did what they did. What were their motives and could she change them? It was refreshing and interesting to read her perspective. I never got bored with her or thought she was being a dumb person. Carter explains her character very well in the book she is not stubborn she is actually pretty flexible and open minded, willing to make changes and adapt to different circumstance. Which she needed a lot of when she was dealing with Carter. I very much enjoyed her sticking to her morales and calling Carter out on his shit!
*Side note: I know the whole thing about him putting a condom on was ridiculous and he should have listen to her from the beginning, I completely agree. Although I did find their bantering about her getting pregnant quite hilarious. So sue me.....haha.
Carter: What. A. Dick. I'm not sure what else I can say about him that hasn't already been said. Look, yes he started off as a rapey asshole, and yes he kind of has reasons for being that way after learning his back story. But idk with him I guess you either love em'or hate em'. I fall in the category of "he grew on me". I definitely didn't hate him at the end of the book and I could tell how much he truly loved Zoey so I guess that endeared me to him. But trust me in no way while I was reading did I ever forget what he did in the beginning. And honestly I don't think he ever once apologized for it in the end. So I guess if you can look through all his MANY faults you might actually enjoy Carter as our hero. He is funny and quick witted, him and Zoey were well matched when it came to the battle of the minds between them. Some of my favorite scenes between them were when they would banter or joke about their future. I loved how Zoey always said that she wasted her best years on him. lols.
Side Note #2: I didn't really like how Zoey accepted Carter's money soooooo easily from him, especially right after he assaulted her. IDK it seemed weird and off to me and it was a recurring thing through the whole book. I understand the h was poor but I think she should have stood on her own too feet when it comes to something like that. But I also understand taking help when you need it, it just seemed weird that he paid for pretty much EVERYTHING. *shrugs*
Alright well to conclude: "I didn't hate it and I think I kind of liked it" is were I am currently at with this book. Would I recommend it to someone else....ehhh. No probably not, mostly because this book is not for everyone and you need to decided on your own if you think you can handle it. I gave you the tools now it's your turn to decided.
THIS REVIEW IS SPOILER FILLED!
STOP READING IF YOU DON'T WANT
TO BE
SPOILDED.....
Rating: 4 (Hear me out) stars
Okay I'm going to start this review off by saying in NO WAY do I condone rape/sexual assault or sexual harassment. What the H and his friends did in the beginning of the book was despicable and I came very close to not continuing. However after reading some reviews I decided to perceiver on (thinking I was still going to loathe this book) but you know what I think I kind of ended up liking it. whoops.
Lets start of with the h: Zoey Ellis is your all around small town/church going/virgin/nerd girl. At first I thought she was going to be our typical cliché heroine who falls for the bad boy and forgives all his faults and turns a blind eye because she loves him. While she did eventual give Carter the benefit of the doubt later on into the book she actual held him to his crap most of the time, I was shocked. I loved the way the author wrote her character, being in Zoey's mind was interesting she wasn't judgmental and looked at people with open eyes. She was curious and wanted to know why these people did what they did. What were their motives and could she change them? It was refreshing and interesting to read her perspective. I never got bored with her or thought she was being a dumb person. Carter explains her character very well in the book she is not stubborn she is actually pretty flexible and open minded, willing to make changes and adapt to different circumstance. Which she needed a lot of when she was dealing with Carter. I very much enjoyed her sticking to her morales and calling Carter out on his shit!
*Side note: I know the whole thing about him putting a condom on was ridiculous and he should have listen to her from the beginning, I completely agree. Although I did find their bantering about her getting pregnant quite hilarious. So sue me.....haha.
Carter: What. A. Dick. I'm not sure what else I can say about him that hasn't already been said. Look, yes he started off as a rapey asshole, and yes he kind of has reasons for being that way after learning his back story. But idk with him I guess you either love em'or hate em'. I fall in the category of "he grew on me". I definitely didn't hate him at the end of the book and I could tell how much he truly loved Zoey so I guess that endeared me to him. But trust me in no way while I was reading did I ever forget what he did in the beginning. And honestly I don't think he ever once apologized for it in the end. So I guess if you can look through all his MANY faults you might actually enjoy Carter as our hero. He is funny and quick witted, him and Zoey were well matched when it came to the battle of the minds between them. Some of my favorite scenes between them were when they would banter or joke about their future. I loved how Zoey always said that she wasted her best years on him. lols.
Side Note #2: I didn't really like how Zoey accepted Carter's money soooooo easily from him, especially right after he assaulted her. IDK it seemed weird and off to me and it was a recurring thing through the whole book. I understand the h was poor but I think she should have stood on her own too feet when it comes to something like that. But I also understand taking help when you need it, it just seemed weird that he paid for pretty much EVERYTHING. *shrugs*
Alright well to conclude: "I didn't hate it and I think I kind of liked it" is were I am currently at with this book. Would I recommend it to someone else....ehhh. No probably not, mostly because this book is not for everyone and you need to decided on your own if you think you can handle it. I gave you the tools now it's your turn to decided.
This was a rough one for me. Not because of the sexual proclivities of the characters or the bullying. I actually like the sexual exploration of the characters. It was like looking into he mind of the adult mafia/crime lords as a teen. Seeing how they got to that aggression an control. I also didn’t mind the heroine, and her acceptance of what she likes .
The big issue for me was the plot holes and the unfinished plot threads. There is so much in this story that the reader has to suspend belief for simply because of their age, but I couldn’t overlook some of these aspects. And the big reveal, the reason behind his choices, was too expected. I would have much rather it been an exploration of what they like in sex
I did, however, love Carter. Somehow.
The big issue for me was the plot holes and the unfinished plot threads. There is so much in this story that the reader has to suspend belief for simply because of their age, but I couldn’t overlook some of these aspects. And the big reveal, the reason behind his choices, was too expected. I would have much rather it been an exploration of what they like in sex
I did, however, love Carter. Somehow.
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Ya know, sometimes you’re in the mood for a dark high school bully romance lololol don’t judge me. I ate this up. Sam Mariano hit the nail on the head with a true bully romance. This book isn’t going to be for everyone and the author has a full warning page at the beginning of the book telling you this. What goes down between Carter and Zoey is very fucked up. This is categorized as dark for a reason, so proceed with caution.
I don’t even know where to begin with Carter lol. He’s messed up in the head. The ultimate alphahole. Some of his actions are truly unforgivable and I really wanted to hate him, but something must be wrong with me as well because I absolutely hate that I love him 😂. Carter is a piece of work that’s for sure.
Zoey surprised the hell out of me. Her character went through the most growth I think. She started out meek and reserved, but by the end, I couldn’t imagine anyone more perfect for Carter. She could truly hold her own with him and quickly learned herself how to manipulate him as he was her. I never said this relationship was healthy. It’s toxic AF, but they’re the perfect little toxic couple lol. They are so entertaining.
I’m excited to read more of Sam Mariano’s work. I thought her writing was very good and everything flowed at a good pace. I will say this book was a tad long…I was having a good time though so it wasn’t that big of an issue. Also, the storyline and the actual thought processes of the high school characters were very unrealistic. The way Zoey was able to psychologically analyze scenarios was way more mature than her age. I don’t think I am even able to analyze situations like that and I’m almost twice her age lolol regardless, I was highly entertained the whole book so whateves.
Anyone know anything about restaurant guy’s book?? I am intrigued…
Tropes
- Bully Romance
- Enemies to Lovers
- Sports Romance
- Opposites Attract
Spice Level
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
dark
emotional
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
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment
Very sick and twisted beginning. You would not think I would like a hero who did those things he did in the first chapters, but I ended up liking him towards the middle and end.
I really liked this book. Did not expect to, based on some of the reviews, which I must admit, are warranted; This book's hero is not... nice. And some readers may hate him too much to finish this book.
But this is fiction, and I rather enjoyed a lot of this. And most importantly, the characters can be understood. I even understand the hero, sometimes.
Both characters are so smart and understood one another, more than anyone else around them can. I LOVE their dialogues, just love the way they spoke and banter with each other.
The only thing I wished for was a stronger heroine. Zoey made it too easy for Carter and she barely puts up a fight.
At the end of the day, this is a story about how an assaulter fell in love with his victim. Not an ideal situation for a victim, but this victim is a bit... willing? Very intriguing dynamic.
Plus, this is fiction.
Enjoy!
I really liked this book. Did not expect to, based on some of the reviews, which I must admit, are warranted; This book's hero is not... nice. And some readers may hate him too much to finish this book.
But this is fiction, and I rather enjoyed a lot of this. And most importantly, the characters can be understood. I even understand the hero, sometimes.
Both characters are so smart and understood one another, more than anyone else around them can. I LOVE their dialogues, just love the way they spoke and banter with each other.
The only thing I wished for was a stronger heroine. Zoey made it too easy for Carter and she barely puts up a fight.
At the end of the day, this is a story about how an assaulter fell in love with his victim. Not an ideal situation for a victim, but this victim is a bit... willing? Very intriguing dynamic.
Plus, this is fiction.
Enjoy!
The beginning of this book was so messed up, I honestly wondered how the author was going to sell me on an HEA for this couple. Boy, did she pull it off, though. This is definitely an uncomfortable book, but I could see what the author was trying to do and really got into it. I was fascinated by Carter just as much as Zoey was. By the end, I was a little in love with him, too. ♥️
I’ve seen this book quite a few times being recommended in a couple of fb groups. I perused some reviews and I totally clicked it based on the one star reviews. I just had to check it out. I feel like you need to gird you loins for this one. For me, I thought it was going to be a lot darker than what it was. There are a couple of parts in the beginning where I see it pushing people outside of their comfort zones. Definitely heed the warning. I actually liked the storyline. It was kinda weird that they were 18, they spoke like they were in their late 20’s. I would’ve love to read from Carter’s POV because I wanted to get into his head. But it’s all from Zoey and she has a ton of inner dialogue. I’m not a huge fan of copious amounts of “inner-ness” but I was really into this one. For some reason I was drawn in and I didn’t want to put it down. But that’s just me. I would like to know who the heck the friend is at the end. I’ve never read anything else by this author so I’m unsure if he’s from another book or not. Other than that, I can see where people will either love it or hate it. There really is no in between.
Definitely pay attention to the TW & CW for this one. Carter is an absolute villain of a MMC. This book is NOT for the faint of heart and definitely dark, bully romance. I went on a journey with this one