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kiaraa1 's review for:
The Sweetest Oblivion
by Danielle Lori
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I wanted to be obsessed with this book. And in some ways? I kind of was. But also… a few things made me side-eye hard 👀
🖤 Tension? Off the charts.
One thing this book nailed was the tension—and I don’t just mean a little chemistry, I mean that real, chest-tightening kind of tension. The glances, the awareness, the push and pull… it was so well done 🔥
Honestly, it proves you don’t need ten spicy scenes to make it hot. The anticipation is the payoff 😮💨 Nico and Elena tried so hard to keep it platonic, but come on. They had less self-control than a toddler near cake 🎂
😈 Nico: walking red flag, fictionally delicious
Nico 100% carried the book for me. His chaotic possessiveness, his sharp protectiveness. He’s wild, but you can tell he cares. Just, you know, in morally messy ways 🖤
I didn’t mind his dark humor or the shady stuff he did—I mean, it’s a mafia romance, not a Hallmark movie 💅
Also, his POV? Delicious. I wish we got more. The way he thought about Elena, how badly he wanted her while pretending not to? Babe, you are absolutely delulu, and I fully support your spiral.
Let’s be real: he fell first, fell hardest, and somehow managed to (mostly) respect her boundaries while still being completely unhinged. That’s fictional growth
👩🏻 Elena: soft, sweet… a little forgettable
Elena wasn’t bad, she just didn’t stick. I liked her more when she dropped the polite mask and gave Nico actual attitude. Her perfectionism and caregiver energy were relatable, but personality-wise? She was kind of a blurry sketch.
That said—her internal conflict? Juicy 🍷 She thought she wanted a kind, gentle man… but what she really wanted was Nico, rage issues and all.
“A man with a clean conscience and clean hands would never fit me just right.”
OKAY. POETRY ✍️
🕴️ Side characters: blurry shadows in suits
Outside of Elena’s immediate family (and even that’s pushing it), I couldn’t tell you who anyone was. Another uncle? A cousin? A man in a suit? I gave up trying to keep track
Except Nonna. Nonna was absolutely unhinged in the best way. She deserves her own novella 🐍
Adriana (the younger sister) had potential but felt like three different personalities in one dress
📉 Plot? I barely know her.
Was there a mafia storyline? Technically yes. Did it matter? Not really. This was very much vibe first, action second. The real drama came from the whole he’s-engaged-to-her-sister situation
🇮🇹 The Italian… ti prego, no.
Mini rant. If you’re writing about an Italian-American mafia family… please, I beg you, get the Italian right 😩
There were random errors throughout, but the worst? Elena acting confused when someone says “belleza” in Spanish (aka bellezza in Italian) like she’s never heard the word before. GIRL. Your family is Italian. Be serious
Small thing, but it yanked me right out of the moment.
😤 Miscommunication: their toxic love language
You know what assuming gets you? Apparently, this entire relationship 😮💨
Half of this book could’ve been resolved if they’d had one honest conversation. But no—he thinks she’s in love with someone else, she thinks he doesn’t care, and neither of them bothers to ask a single clarifying question
It’s not third-act-breakup bad, but the constant low-key miscommunication wore me out. Just TALK 🗣️
✨ Favorite moments:
- The slap scene — Nico stepping in like: “Hit a woman in front of me and you won’t be alive to do it again.” Protectiveness level: 🔥
- The gas station — he senses something’s wrong, promises not to overreact, then burns the place down anyway. Romantic in the most mafia way 🖤
- The “platonic” kiss bluff — and how it wrecked both of them 😮💨
- “You are my psychosis.”
🖤 Tension? Off the charts.
One thing this book nailed was the tension—and I don’t just mean a little chemistry, I mean that real, chest-tightening kind of tension. The glances, the awareness, the push and pull… it was so well done 🔥
Honestly, it proves you don’t need ten spicy scenes to make it hot. The anticipation is the payoff 😮💨 Nico and Elena tried so hard to keep it platonic, but come on. They had less self-control than a toddler near cake 🎂
😈 Nico: walking red flag, fictionally delicious
Nico 100% carried the book for me. His chaotic possessiveness, his sharp protectiveness. He’s wild, but you can tell he cares. Just, you know, in morally messy ways 🖤
I didn’t mind his dark humor or the shady stuff he did—I mean, it’s a mafia romance, not a Hallmark movie 💅
Also, his POV? Delicious. I wish we got more. The way he thought about Elena, how badly he wanted her while pretending not to? Babe, you are absolutely delulu, and I fully support your spiral.
Let’s be real: he fell first, fell hardest, and somehow managed to (mostly) respect her boundaries while still being completely unhinged. That’s fictional growth
👩🏻 Elena: soft, sweet… a little forgettable
Elena wasn’t bad, she just didn’t stick. I liked her more when she dropped the polite mask and gave Nico actual attitude. Her perfectionism and caregiver energy were relatable, but personality-wise? She was kind of a blurry sketch.
That said—her internal conflict? Juicy 🍷 She thought she wanted a kind, gentle man… but what she really wanted was Nico, rage issues and all.
“A man with a clean conscience and clean hands would never fit me just right.”
OKAY. POETRY ✍️
🕴️ Side characters: blurry shadows in suits
Outside of Elena’s immediate family (and even that’s pushing it), I couldn’t tell you who anyone was. Another uncle? A cousin? A man in a suit? I gave up trying to keep track
Except Nonna. Nonna was absolutely unhinged in the best way. She deserves her own novella 🐍
Adriana (the younger sister) had potential but felt like three different personalities in one dress
📉 Plot? I barely know her.
Was there a mafia storyline? Technically yes. Did it matter? Not really. This was very much vibe first, action second. The real drama came from the whole he’s-engaged-to-her-sister situation
🇮🇹 The Italian… ti prego, no.
Mini rant. If you’re writing about an Italian-American mafia family… please, I beg you, get the Italian right 😩
There were random errors throughout, but the worst? Elena acting confused when someone says “belleza” in Spanish (aka bellezza in Italian) like she’s never heard the word before. GIRL. Your family is Italian. Be serious
Small thing, but it yanked me right out of the moment.
😤 Miscommunication: their toxic love language
You know what assuming gets you? Apparently, this entire relationship 😮💨
Half of this book could’ve been resolved if they’d had one honest conversation. But no—he thinks she’s in love with someone else, she thinks he doesn’t care, and neither of them bothers to ask a single clarifying question
It’s not third-act-breakup bad, but the constant low-key miscommunication wore me out. Just TALK 🗣️
✨ Favorite moments:
- The slap scene — Nico stepping in like: “Hit a woman in front of me and you won’t be alive to do it again.” Protectiveness level: 🔥
- The gas station — he senses something’s wrong, promises not to overreact, then burns the place down anyway. Romantic in the most mafia way 🖤
- The “platonic” kiss bluff — and how it wrecked both of them 😮💨
- “You are my psychosis.”