allimowrey 's review for:

Wild Side by Elsie Silver
4.75
adventurous challenging hopeful inspiring lighthearted sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5 

 
Tropes: 
💞 Enemies to Lovers
❤️‍🔥 Slow burn romance
💍 Marriage of convenience
❤️‍🩹 Trauma healing/grief

What I loved:
-Rhys is the perfect book boyfriend and stand-in dad
-The nuance with which the book addressed
addiction
and Erika's character development
-The
WPW/wrestling
storyline
-The way Tabby and Rhys' relationship developed (it felt realistic but electrifying at the same time)

What I didn't:
Honestly, I just wish we had more time to learn more about Rhys' back story and the way his relationship with Tabby and Milo evolved as he
healing from his injury


Overall reaction:
I absolutely loved this book. Tabby and Rhys were everything—I was equally invested in both of their journeys. Their banter crackled with tension during the enemies phase, and once the emotional walls came down, their love story was completely addictive.

The
addiction
subplot was handled with impressive nuance, especially through Erika’s character. Her complexity—her humanity, her struggles with
addiction
, and the layers of jealousy and competitiveness with her sister—made her feel deeply real and fully dimensional.

The
wrestling
angle was such a surprising highlight. I didn’t expect to enjoy it, but by the end, I found myself wholeheartedly rooting for Wild Side.

This book did nuance better than any of the previous Rose Hill novels. It felt emotionally honest, mature, and, most of all, real. I'm torn between this and Wild Eyes as my favorite—both are exceptional—but Wild Side definitely hits in a different, deeper way. Can't wait for Wild Card!

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