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A review by elspethmigliore
The Sweetest Oblivion by Danielle Lori
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
okay, it was decent.
I have mixed feelings about it for many reasons.
the writing was actually very nice and descriptive. the smut wasn't too much and it wasn't very fade-to-black which can be appreciated, and the storyline was there throughout it all. I also really appreciated how well the relationship between the two main characters went from enemies to lovers in a very smooth way. It was slow burn, but the tension built perfectly. (although at the end it seems like the tension just immediately jumped to love and I was a little confused bc it almost like switched on suddenly with no buildup. the beginning tension contrasted well with the ending but the buildup near the end was not good.) My main issues with this book are about the characters and the general feel of the story.
The presence of misogyny, racism, and homophobia was way too strong for my liking. I understand it's a mafia romance which means "men, men, men!" basically, but the subtle racist and homophobic insults were too much. Also, the whole idea of the "Sweet Abelli" thing being based off of men and how the main character was too sweet and innocent that men couldn't control themselves was really an annoyance.
I got very annoyed with the miscommunication, but then again that's normal for a mafia romance (btw, not a really big fan of mafia romances to begin with). I do think the characters could have brought a little bit more, and I wish we could have seen more of the reactions of everyone to basically the whole story.
Although it wasn't my favorite book, it really was hard to put down. I did enjoy how the story just pulled me in.
would most likely reread it, but not definitely ☑️
I have mixed feelings about it for many reasons.
the writing was actually very nice and descriptive. the smut wasn't too much and it wasn't very fade-to-black which can be appreciated, and the storyline was there throughout it all. I also really appreciated how well the relationship between the two main characters went from enemies to lovers in a very smooth way. It was slow burn, but the tension built perfectly. (although at the end it seems like the tension just immediately jumped to love and I was a little confused bc it almost like switched on suddenly with no buildup. the beginning tension contrasted well with the ending but the buildup near the end was not good.) My main issues with this book are about the characters and the general feel of the story.
The presence of misogyny, racism, and homophobia was way too strong for my liking. I understand it's a mafia romance which means "men, men, men!" basically, but the subtle racist and homophobic insults were too much. Also, the whole idea of the "Sweet Abelli" thing being based off of men and how the main character was too sweet and innocent that men couldn't control themselves was really an annoyance.
I got very annoyed with the miscommunication, but then again that's normal for a mafia romance (btw, not a really big fan of mafia romances to begin with). I do think the characters could have brought a little bit more, and I wish we could have seen more of the reactions of everyone to basically the whole story.
Although it wasn't my favorite book, it really was hard to put down. I did enjoy how the story just pulled me in.
would most likely reread it, but not definitely ☑️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Alcohol, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Vomit, Body shaming, Misogyny, and Sexual harassment