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A review by readfrenzy
Blind Kiss by Renée Carlino
3.0
The premise of Blind Kiss is intriguing, and I confess I expected there to be some angst. What I didn’t expect was for the book to leave me mentally exhausted and exasperated.
The book opens with high intensity in the present day. There’s so much raw emotion and crazy behavior that I couldn’t help but get sucked in. I wanted to know what led the characters to such a desperate point in their lives.
Rewind to fourteen years ago and we see how Penny and Gavin met. This was one of the most enjoyable parts of the book. They are paired up as subjects in a college psychology experiment that tests whether or not you can be physically attracted to someone you haven’t seen. It’s funny and sweet. Gavin’s quirky personality and caring nature are clear from the start, and I instantly fell in love. I was drawn to Penny’s complexity.
They rapidly become best friends who have a whole lot of sexual tension between them. I envied their strong bond. I understood Penny’s reasons for placing Gavin in the friend zone initially, but I grew weary of all the years of pining and denial. It stopped making sense after awhile. As the story flip flops between past and present, the characters are surrounded by toxic influences and are prone to melodrama.
Honestly, most of this soap opera is rather depressing and predictable. I felt tortured by and for these characters up until the extremely rushed ending. Ultimately, I was left drained and had a bitter taste in my mouth. I’m giving the book praise for the strong beginning and the writing style, but unfortunately it just didn’t live up to my expectations.
The book opens with high intensity in the present day. There’s so much raw emotion and crazy behavior that I couldn’t help but get sucked in. I wanted to know what led the characters to such a desperate point in their lives.
Rewind to fourteen years ago and we see how Penny and Gavin met. This was one of the most enjoyable parts of the book. They are paired up as subjects in a college psychology experiment that tests whether or not you can be physically attracted to someone you haven’t seen. It’s funny and sweet. Gavin’s quirky personality and caring nature are clear from the start, and I instantly fell in love. I was drawn to Penny’s complexity.
They rapidly become best friends who have a whole lot of sexual tension between them. I envied their strong bond. I understood Penny’s reasons for placing Gavin in the friend zone initially, but I grew weary of all the years of pining and denial. It stopped making sense after awhile. As the story flip flops between past and present, the characters are surrounded by toxic influences and are prone to melodrama.
Honestly, most of this soap opera is rather depressing and predictable. I felt tortured by and for these characters up until the extremely rushed ending. Ultimately, I was left drained and had a bitter taste in my mouth. I’m giving the book praise for the strong beginning and the writing style, but unfortunately it just didn’t live up to my expectations.
*I received an early copy of this book. It does not affect the content of my review.*