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A review by bookmarkedtbr
Once Upon A Pack by Ari Wright
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Received an e-arc as part of Ari Wright's Cheer Squad.
Wow. I really loved this book. There’s something so deliciously indulgent about the premise. Maybe it’s my latent Cinderella fantasies from when I was younger, but there’s something about the juxtaposition of innocence & debauchery, and this fairytale of a prince (or princes) coming to save you that just hit me in the exact right way. Sometimes I feel like we as a society overcorrected after the era of the Disney princess. Sometimes I want to indulge in this fantasy of fated love, of your soulmate coming to save you, of being able to lay down all of life’s stresses and hardships and allowing yourself to be pampered and loved and cared for.
I say it all the time, but Ari Wright creates some of the best characters I’ve ever read. They’re so fully fleshed out and each so distinct, it truly feels like you could pick up the phone and talk to one of them. I really enjoyed the pacing of this story, which is a credit to Ari and her OV world. Had this been a non-OV world, I could see it being dragged out for most of the book "who is the girl behind the mask?" But because of scents and mates and all kinds of fun things, that is quickly nipped in the bud. Thank GOD. I would have simply perished otherwise from stress. I don't want to part with them! Can we please get a fluffy book of them being Queen & Kings and raising heirs?? I
Tropes: Cinderella, evil stepmom/aunt, childhood friends, bad boy biker, golden retriever, simps, FMC befriends all of the animals, maid x prince, mistaken identity kind of?
Lots of spice! Nothing too k!nky if you’re familiar with OV
Ivy: maid, sweet, innocent, befriends animals, overworked, emotionally abused at home, kind, wants to help everyone and everything, latent omega
Ash: crown prince, duty bound, kind of a nerd, shunned by other kids growing up, completely & utterly devoted to Ivy
Bastan: gorgeous athlete turned goofball, holding onto his pack with two hands, lightens every situation, Ivy’s (eventual) best friend
Dair: bad boy, playboy, rides a motorcycle, covered in tattoos, impulsive, hard shell with a gooey inside, pretends he doesn’t care, #1 simp
Highlighted SFW Quotes
-Does she ever go anywhere for fun? Does she have someone to tell her how beautiful she looks in the sunshine? Or kiss her until she can’t breathe?
-Maybe I just… love her. How could I not? It would be like not appreciating sunsets or springtime or the stars she likes to wish on.
-Now, there’s just silence. Peace. The rain. And her. Her hair sliding through my fingers. The warm skin between her collarbones. The drops clinging to her lashes as her lips part around my name. There’s only her. And me. Until suddenly, in the space of half an instant, there’s us.
-The sweet omega bites her glossy lip and darts a timid look at the landing situated between both sets of curved stairs. Because she doesn’t want everyone to look at her when she steps out into the light? Why does that make my heart hurt?
-She can have as little or as much of me as she wants. I’m hers either way.
-“If you’re the same girl I knew,” I murmur, “then you are the one I’ve loved and missed every d*mn day since I made the mistake of letting you go. And that makes you my queen.”
-My hand snaps up from her legging-covered a** to cup her chin. Scowling, I demand, “Baby, what the f*ck? You haven’t eaten? Or rested?” This girl might be good at taking care of us, but she’s obviously abysmal at looking after herself. F*ck it. That will be my job now.
Wow. I really loved this book. There’s something so deliciously indulgent about the premise. Maybe it’s my latent Cinderella fantasies from when I was younger, but there’s something about the juxtaposition of innocence & debauchery, and this fairytale of a prince (or princes) coming to save you that just hit me in the exact right way. Sometimes I feel like we as a society overcorrected after the era of the Disney princess. Sometimes I want to indulge in this fantasy of fated love, of your soulmate coming to save you, of being able to lay down all of life’s stresses and hardships and allowing yourself to be pampered and loved and cared for.
I say it all the time, but Ari Wright creates some of the best characters I’ve ever read. They’re so fully fleshed out and each so distinct, it truly feels like you could pick up the phone and talk to one of them. I really enjoyed the pacing of this story, which is a credit to Ari and her OV world. Had this been a non-OV world, I could see it being dragged out for most of the book "who is the girl behind the mask?" But because of scents and mates and all kinds of fun things, that is quickly nipped in the bud. Thank GOD. I would have simply perished otherwise from stress. I don't want to part with them! Can we please get a fluffy book of them being Queen & Kings and raising heirs?? I
Tropes: Cinderella, evil stepmom/aunt, childhood friends, bad boy biker, golden retriever, simps, FMC befriends all of the animals, maid x prince, mistaken identity kind of?
Lots of spice! Nothing too k!nky if you’re familiar with OV
Ivy: maid, sweet, innocent, befriends animals, overworked, emotionally abused at home, kind, wants to help everyone and everything, latent omega
Ash: crown prince, duty bound, kind of a nerd, shunned by other kids growing up, completely & utterly devoted to Ivy
Bastan: gorgeous athlete turned goofball, holding onto his pack with two hands, lightens every situation, Ivy’s (eventual) best friend
Dair: bad boy, playboy, rides a motorcycle, covered in tattoos, impulsive, hard shell with a gooey inside, pretends he doesn’t care, #1 simp
Highlighted SFW Quotes
-Does she ever go anywhere for fun? Does she have someone to tell her how beautiful she looks in the sunshine? Or kiss her until she can’t breathe?
-Maybe I just… love her. How could I not? It would be like not appreciating sunsets or springtime or the stars she likes to wish on.
-Now, there’s just silence. Peace. The rain. And her. Her hair sliding through my fingers. The warm skin between her collarbones. The drops clinging to her lashes as her lips part around my name. There’s only her. And me. Until suddenly, in the space of half an instant, there’s us.
-The sweet omega bites her glossy lip and darts a timid look at the landing situated between both sets of curved stairs. Because she doesn’t want everyone to look at her when she steps out into the light? Why does that make my heart hurt?
-She can have as little or as much of me as she wants. I’m hers either way.
-“If you’re the same girl I knew,” I murmur, “then you are the one I’ve loved and missed every d*mn day since I made the mistake of letting you go. And that makes you my queen.”
-My hand snaps up from her legging-covered a** to cup her chin. Scowling, I demand, “Baby, what the f*ck? You haven’t eaten? Or rested?” This girl might be good at taking care of us, but she’s obviously abysmal at looking after herself. F*ck it. That will be my job now.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse
Minor: Bullying, Chronic illness, Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Pregnancy