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smoothunicorn 's review for:
The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
by Elizabeth O'Roark
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Another five star read for me for 2024! I loved Drew and Josh from the first moment they interacted. Usually contemporary enemies-to-lovers kinda annoys me because the banter sometimes seems like it tries too hard, but in this case it worked brilliantly. They have the exact same sense of humor, which means the “I hate you” chatter is constantly being escalated to some weird and gross places, and the way they build off each other’s jokes and one-up each other is just such a delight to read.
Watching that dynamic go from “I hate you so much and I’m going to let you know it every chance I get” to “even when we’re mean to each other, I never want this conversation to end” to “I will literally throw away everything else in my life for you” was *fucking thrilling*. They were so unbelievably hot together, and once the spice started happening, my only criticism was that it wasn’t as explicit as I wanted it to be.
I was rooting for them so so hard - not just for them to get together but for Josh to learn how to balance his needs with the needs of the people he loves, and for Drew to learn how to open up and rely on someone else for once. Her story in particular was so heartbreaking and poignant, and the author did such a beautiful job digging deep into Drew’s feelings, fears, cynicisms, hopes, and dreams. It really felt like I was in her head and not in an annoying way.
Anyway, five stars for this book, absolutely loved it, can’t wait to read the novella!
Watching that dynamic go from “I hate you so much and I’m going to let you know it every chance I get” to “even when we’re mean to each other, I never want this conversation to end” to “I will literally throw away everything else in my life for you” was *fucking thrilling*. They were so unbelievably hot together, and once the spice started happening, my only criticism was that it wasn’t as explicit as I wanted it to be.
I was rooting for them so so hard - not just for them to get together but for Josh to learn how to balance his needs with the needs of the people he loves, and for Drew to learn how to open up and rely on someone else for once. Her story in particular was so heartbreaking and poignant, and the author did such a beautiful job digging deep into Drew’s feelings, fears, cynicisms, hopes, and dreams. It really felt like I was in her head and not in an annoying way.
Anyway, five stars for this book, absolutely loved it, can’t wait to read the novella!