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A review by imme_van_gorp
Finding Finley by Riley Hart
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
➛First read: March 2022 | ★3.5 stars
➛Second read: May 2024 | ★1.5 stars
EDIT after my re-read:
I tried to be really open-minded the first time I read this, but I simply can’t deny that there was something off about this entire relationship. It felt very unromantic and the writing had an oddly clinical vibe to it. It felt so… fake. Maybe it’s because I simply cannot relate to their kink, but it all felt so weird and inauthentic to me. Besides, the lack of emotional depth bugged me too; I hated that their entire relationship was built on a kink, and nothing else.
Moreover, I honestly did not like the way Aidan treated Finley; it gave me the creeps. Aidan was a controlling, self-assured arsehole and Finley was a spineless, pathetic loser. Sorry not sorry. I mean, having a kink during sex is fine, but when it’s your entire personality and you can’t interact with someone in any other way, then I find that a problem. Like, Finley literally wasn’t allowed to ever speak his mind or basically say anything other than “Yes, Sir” and I found that to be a very sad thing indeed. It’s basically an abusive relationship but with consent…? Which, to each their own, obviously, but I just didn’t enjoy reading about it.
Anyway, last but not least; this was beyond repetitive and dragged-out. It got super boring after a while.
Original Review:
I have mixed feelings. There were things I really liked here, but also things I really didn't.
I thought the submissive/dominant kink was really interesting and sometimes even hot, but it was different from what I thought it would be. Finley and Aidan weren't just sub/dom in the bedroom, but instead had an entire sub/dom lifestyle.
Aidan had control over every aspect of Finley's life and behaviour: Finley served him and was his houseboy. Finley kneeled and crawled for him. Finley got owned by him, got hurt by him. Finley cried for and because of him. Basically, he listened to everything Aidan told him to do; sexually or otherwise. It was.. something. And I honestly kind of struggled with it from time to time.
It's not that I think any of this was abusive or something, as it was abundantly clear that this was what Finley wanted and needed, I just wasn't sure if it was something I wanted for them. It intrigued me, but sometimes also made me uncomfortable?
I mean, I did really like the sub/dom dynamic, but sometimes I just felt like it was a bit too much.
It just went on and on and on. I simply wish we got to see a bit more of them interacting without the "yes, Sir" and "good boy" thing. It would have made me feel better about their relationship, as I don't think everything should be about pleasing and obeying. They obviously did really love each other, though.. that wasn't the problem. I just wanted to see a deeper connection besides being each other's submissive and dominant.
The fact that their kink was the primary storyline, and not much else (if anything) happened, did make this book rather repetitive. A lot of the same behaviour and dialogue occurred over and over again, and a lot of this could have been cut. All in all, I think the book would have been far better off if it had been a lot shorter.
There was also never any type of real conflict or drama between these two. Yes, they have a few angsty thoughts about each other, but that’s about it. I was really waiting for something more intense to happen regarding jealousy or possessiveness, but it never did.
In my opinion, I hardly ever saw Finley truly be himself with Aidan (even though Finley would argue that serving is being himself, but whatever). Finley didn't speak a lot of his thoughts out loud when he was with Aidan and he was never free and open with him like he was in his inner monologue or even with his friends, Ian and Jordan. This lack of openness was really something I felt was missing here, and had this not been the case, I think I would have felt very different about their relationship.
After all, I think Aidan was actually quite caring and even lenient when it came to being a dom. He truly seemed to take Finley's feelings into account, and wanted what was best for him (in their own unique way, of course).
Aidan's feelings eventually even led to some relationship growth when he let their kink turn into love and adoration. They started to have these few moments where they were just being themselves without their 'roles', and I could see how happy they made each other even without being sub/dom.
However, most of the time when these two were together, Finley was incredibly submissive and needy, and Aidan's stoic emotions also didn't always sit right with me. I also didn't like some of the more hardcore 'pain' stuff. I don't really know how to explain it exactly, but sometimes their interactions just kind of made me raise my eyebrows in a 'yikess' kind of way..
Long story short, this book incorporated a lot of intense kink stuff, which I often liked, but should have been toned down a bit for me to truly love it. The way it was now, I couldn't really root for the relationship, and more so had to treat these characters with interest from afar.
➛Second read: May 2024 | ★1.5 stars
EDIT after my re-read:
I tried to be really open-minded the first time I read this, but I simply can’t deny that there was something off about this entire relationship. It felt very unromantic and the writing had an oddly clinical vibe to it. It felt so… fake. Maybe it’s because I simply cannot relate to their kink, but it all felt so weird and inauthentic to me. Besides, the lack of emotional depth bugged me too; I hated that their entire relationship was built on a kink, and nothing else.
Moreover, I honestly did not like the way Aidan treated Finley; it gave me the creeps. Aidan was a controlling, self-assured arsehole and Finley was a spineless, pathetic loser. Sorry not sorry. I mean, having a kink during sex is fine, but when it’s your entire personality and you can’t interact with someone in any other way, then I find that a problem. Like, Finley literally wasn’t allowed to ever speak his mind or basically say anything other than “Yes, Sir” and I found that to be a very sad thing indeed. It’s basically an abusive relationship but with consent…? Which, to each their own, obviously, but I just didn’t enjoy reading about it.
Anyway, last but not least; this was beyond repetitive and dragged-out. It got super boring after a while.
Original Review:
I have mixed feelings. There were things I really liked here, but also things I really didn't.
I thought the submissive/dominant kink was really interesting and sometimes even hot, but it was different from what I thought it would be. Finley and Aidan weren't just sub/dom in the bedroom, but instead had an entire sub/dom lifestyle.
Aidan had control over every aspect of Finley's life and behaviour: Finley served him and was his houseboy. Finley kneeled and crawled for him. Finley got owned by him, got hurt by him. Finley cried for and because of him. Basically, he listened to everything Aidan told him to do; sexually or otherwise. It was.. something. And I honestly kind of struggled with it from time to time.
It's not that I think any of this was abusive or something, as it was abundantly clear that this was what Finley wanted and needed, I just wasn't sure if it was something I wanted for them. It intrigued me, but sometimes also made me uncomfortable?
I mean, I did really like the sub/dom dynamic, but sometimes I just felt like it was a bit too much.
It just went on and on and on. I simply wish we got to see a bit more of them interacting without the "yes, Sir" and "good boy" thing. It would have made me feel better about their relationship, as I don't think everything should be about pleasing and obeying. They obviously did really love each other, though.. that wasn't the problem. I just wanted to see a deeper connection besides being each other's submissive and dominant.
The fact that their kink was the primary storyline, and not much else (if anything) happened, did make this book rather repetitive. A lot of the same behaviour and dialogue occurred over and over again, and a lot of this could have been cut. All in all, I think the book would have been far better off if it had been a lot shorter.
There was also never any type of real conflict or drama between these two. Yes, they have a few angsty thoughts about each other, but that’s about it. I was really waiting for something more intense to happen regarding jealousy or possessiveness, but it never did.
In my opinion, I hardly ever saw Finley truly be himself with Aidan (even though Finley would argue that serving is being himself, but whatever). Finley didn't speak a lot of his thoughts out loud when he was with Aidan and he was never free and open with him like he was in his inner monologue or even with his friends, Ian and Jordan. This lack of openness was really something I felt was missing here, and had this not been the case, I think I would have felt very different about their relationship.
After all, I think Aidan was actually quite caring and even lenient when it came to being a dom. He truly seemed to take Finley's feelings into account, and wanted what was best for him (in their own unique way, of course).
Aidan's feelings eventually even led to some relationship growth when he let their kink turn into love and adoration. They started to have these few moments where they were just being themselves without their 'roles', and I could see how happy they made each other even without being sub/dom.
However, most of the time when these two were together, Finley was incredibly submissive and needy, and Aidan's stoic emotions also didn't always sit right with me. I also didn't like some of the more hardcore 'pain' stuff. I don't really know how to explain it exactly, but sometimes their interactions just kind of made me raise my eyebrows in a 'yikess' kind of way..
Long story short, this book incorporated a lot of intense kink stuff, which I often liked, but should have been toned down a bit for me to truly love it. The way it was now, I couldn't really root for the relationship, and more so had to treat these characters with interest from afar.