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A review by kfriend
Ruined Things by Samantha Lovelock
4.0
And we’re back in Folkestone, where elite teenage angst meets cloak and dagger family secrets, legacies, and corruption. The heirs drama continues to evolve, but given all of the painful drama that left us hanging in Sunday and Payne’s first book, the heirs’ machinations are the least of their worries- our lovable besties turned hesitant lovers are broken, in more ways than one, and it is unclear just if they can ever be the same again.
This story went in a direction I wasn’t expecting-it’s a much more intrapersonal narrative. A logic choice given the earlier circumstances of this book (being vague to avoid spoilers), but the result is that we spend a lot of time with our characters in isolation, trying to work through their baggage and trying to figure out how to move forward. Like Poe and Stella’s second book, there is a pace shift from the first book in the duet- the story is slower, has less external drama and more internal angst (A LOT OF ANGST), quieter and more introspective. And, in some, this pays off- especially in terms of character growth. In many ways, both Payne and Sunday have lost the safety in their relationship, and lost their hope in each other- forcing them to confront their own shortcoming and complicitness in their perpetually nebulous, almost-more-than friends relationship. Can they finally break the cycle of half truths, indecision, and repressed emotions? Well, only if they face something catalytic enough to force them to step off the proverbial wheel.
I really love Sunday and Payne together- their familiarity and authentic connection feels so natural and compelling. And SL really ratchets up the angst and anticipation in this one- so much back and forth, so much unspoken feelings, and a lot of mistakes. The heirs drama is still woven in, but takes a backseat for the most part, as we spend ample time in both Sunday and Payne’s emotions. Sunday in particular is just really captivating in this story- her forgiveness, her strength, her grace and openness are such pivotal moments of growth for her, and I loved watching her lean into her heart more. I also LOVED her and Stella in this story- quite honestly this book felt just as much a love story between Stella and Sunday as Payne and Sunday. This is some intense sisterhood and girl power between them. Stella’s evolution as a character continues to sparkle even as a secondary character- and truly this book was about our female characters shining.
I’m happy Sunday and Payne are having their moment to be the focus and find their HEA, though the pacing of this novel wasn’t perfect for me. There were parts of this story that felt somewhat static- with us just waiting for the story to progress. The majority of our story progression- both with the romance and the heirs intrigue- happens in the last 20% or so of the story. The Sunday-Payne dynamics make sense given the plot, though I do wish we’d gotten to actually SEE and experience them together more- at times this felt more about two individuals then their love story- which was interesting and I loved, don’t get me wrong, but I just love them so much I wanted more of them together- to get to revel in them together a bit more. Most of their relationship progress happens quickly at the end. That part felt the most familiar to me in terms of what I’ve loved about the rest of the series, and was my favorite part of the story. I love this series, and I love the heirs dynamic. Each romance offers new dynamics- they feel fresh, interesting, and complex. The heirs overarching story progressing over the books seems to get slower with each book- a pace a bit slower than my impatience, and it also means I keep having to remind myself of past developments since we aren’t getting a ton of answers, and four books in, my brain wants them! After the epic and perfect denouement of Poe and Stella’s story and the shock of book 2, I expected a bit more progression and answers- but the story doesn’t build much (yet) on those revelations. We do get a characteristic Lovelock finale that adds all new dynamics to this story (and sets us up for the next couple), and makes me thirsty for more.
I continue to marvel at the quality of Samantha’s writing- the prose is so artfully done. And, even though I’m getting antsy for answers, I’m all in. I’m super invested in this series and these characters, and I'm excited to see where Samantha goes next.
This story went in a direction I wasn’t expecting-it’s a much more intrapersonal narrative. A logic choice given the earlier circumstances of this book (being vague to avoid spoilers), but the result is that we spend a lot of time with our characters in isolation, trying to work through their baggage and trying to figure out how to move forward. Like Poe and Stella’s second book, there is a pace shift from the first book in the duet- the story is slower, has less external drama and more internal angst (A LOT OF ANGST), quieter and more introspective. And, in some, this pays off- especially in terms of character growth. In many ways, both Payne and Sunday have lost the safety in their relationship, and lost their hope in each other- forcing them to confront their own shortcoming and complicitness in their perpetually nebulous, almost-more-than friends relationship. Can they finally break the cycle of half truths, indecision, and repressed emotions? Well, only if they face something catalytic enough to force them to step off the proverbial wheel.
I really love Sunday and Payne together- their familiarity and authentic connection feels so natural and compelling. And SL really ratchets up the angst and anticipation in this one- so much back and forth, so much unspoken feelings, and a lot of mistakes. The heirs drama is still woven in, but takes a backseat for the most part, as we spend ample time in both Sunday and Payne’s emotions. Sunday in particular is just really captivating in this story- her forgiveness, her strength, her grace and openness are such pivotal moments of growth for her, and I loved watching her lean into her heart more. I also LOVED her and Stella in this story- quite honestly this book felt just as much a love story between Stella and Sunday as Payne and Sunday. This is some intense sisterhood and girl power between them. Stella’s evolution as a character continues to sparkle even as a secondary character- and truly this book was about our female characters shining.
I’m happy Sunday and Payne are having their moment to be the focus and find their HEA, though the pacing of this novel wasn’t perfect for me. There were parts of this story that felt somewhat static- with us just waiting for the story to progress. The majority of our story progression- both with the romance and the heirs intrigue- happens in the last 20% or so of the story. The Sunday-Payne dynamics make sense given the plot, though I do wish we’d gotten to actually SEE and experience them together more- at times this felt more about two individuals then their love story- which was interesting and I loved, don’t get me wrong, but I just love them so much I wanted more of them together- to get to revel in them together a bit more. Most of their relationship progress happens quickly at the end. That part felt the most familiar to me in terms of what I’ve loved about the rest of the series, and was my favorite part of the story. I love this series, and I love the heirs dynamic. Each romance offers new dynamics- they feel fresh, interesting, and complex. The heirs overarching story progressing over the books seems to get slower with each book- a pace a bit slower than my impatience, and it also means I keep having to remind myself of past developments since we aren’t getting a ton of answers, and four books in, my brain wants them! After the epic and perfect denouement of Poe and Stella’s story and the shock of book 2, I expected a bit more progression and answers- but the story doesn’t build much (yet) on those revelations. We do get a characteristic Lovelock finale that adds all new dynamics to this story (and sets us up for the next couple), and makes me thirsty for more.
I continue to marvel at the quality of Samantha’s writing- the prose is so artfully done. And, even though I’m getting antsy for answers, I’m all in. I’m super invested in this series and these characters, and I'm excited to see where Samantha goes next.