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A review by thebookscientist
Five Brothers by Penelope Douglas
3.0
I’m honestly not sure what to say about this book.
I fully support women embracing their sexuality. As long as everything is consensual, it shouldn’t matter how many partners someone has or what their choices are—especially given the double standards that exist between men and women.
That said… this made me feel kind of icky.
I don’t know if it was because most of the brothers were either bullying or outright disrespecting Kristjen, or because she ends up with one of them after sleeping with all but one. The power dynamics felt off, and instead of feeling empowered, Kristjen often seemed trapped or worn down.
“I just want to stop sometimes, Kristjen,” he tells me, still not meeting my eyes. “It wasn’t always this bad, but when it is, I can’t remember when it was good. I don’t like it here.”
That line sums up how I felt reading parts of this—just uncomfortable. I don’t know. It was weird. Maybe that was the point, but I’m still not sure how I feel about it.
The one bright spot? The full cast of narrators. Andrew Eiden, Aaron Shedlock, Robin Blake, Kaleo Griffith, Abby Craden, and Jeremy York did a phenomenal job. Their performances brought a ton of emotion and nuance to the story—sometimes more than the writing itself.
Also, fun fact: the Jaeger brothers have a sister, Olivia, who’s one of the FMCs in [b:Tryst Six Venom|54661258|Tryst Six Venom|Penelope Douglas|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1620195849l/54661258._SY75_.jpg|85282745], also by Penelope Douglas. So if you're reading through her universe, you should start there.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
HEA? yes
3rd act break-up? yes
Audiobook
I fully support women embracing their sexuality. As long as everything is consensual, it shouldn’t matter how many partners someone has or what their choices are—especially given the double standards that exist between men and women.
That said… this made me feel kind of icky.
I don’t know if it was because most of the brothers were either bullying or outright disrespecting Kristjen, or because she ends up with one of them after sleeping with all but one. The power dynamics felt off, and instead of feeling empowered, Kristjen often seemed trapped or worn down.
“I just want to stop sometimes, Kristjen,” he tells me, still not meeting my eyes. “It wasn’t always this bad, but when it is, I can’t remember when it was good. I don’t like it here.”
That line sums up how I felt reading parts of this—just uncomfortable. I don’t know. It was weird. Maybe that was the point, but I’m still not sure how I feel about it.
The one bright spot? The full cast of narrators. Andrew Eiden, Aaron Shedlock, Robin Blake, Kaleo Griffith, Abby Craden, and Jeremy York did a phenomenal job. Their performances brought a ton of emotion and nuance to the story—sometimes more than the writing itself.
Also, fun fact: the Jaeger brothers have a sister, Olivia, who’s one of the FMCs in [b:Tryst Six Venom|54661258|Tryst Six Venom|Penelope Douglas|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1620195849l/54661258._SY75_.jpg|85282745], also by Penelope Douglas. So if you're reading through her universe, you should start there.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
HEA? yes
3rd act break-up? yes
Audiobook