A review by lilwanderingpages
The Tie That Binds by Catharina Maura

tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

2.0 i-love-you-but-don’t-want-u ⭐’s 

 Everything was going so well, I was liking this book until we got to around 60% and I started to get really angry and annoyed at the characters even though I was understanding their reasons and all. Even I couldn’t overlook things (and, for Cora Reilly fans, I loved Lucca for a whole while), this book goes more and more downhill. 

  • Resuming this angry note on it: I’m really happy this wasn’t my first contact with the author, I read “Forever After All” and fell in love with her, that’s why I’ve been reading everything in the order she recommended on her site. What I liked most in the books I’ve read so far was her character development and all that, you can feel she really thought about them while writing + even though I don’t really like feeling angry, she’s always able to make me feel so much, some bad feelings but mostly good. Well, none of this was the case here, I’ll get more into some parts to explain my point better but I don’t have it in me to re-live everything. 

I liked their goals and the ending but the way there was so badly executed. I don’t know if it was the author’s intention or not but it completely cut all my excitement, ruining even the things I’d be fully enjoying. 

 I read this in a day so I considered it very fast-paced with really flawed characters and no development of them whatsoever. It had SO MUCH potential, the story and the characters had such space to be good and it was all ruined. Guess the book was so plot-driven that ir forgot we should love the characters or something. You’d never think he’s 32 and she’s 22 considering how fucking fickle he is, seriously, he’s so immature for someone that’s 10 years older than her and claims to have lived a lot. Alyssa begged him to at least communicate and he can’t even do it AT ALL. I got all giddy at so many moments but the good things were overshadowed by all of these plenty of irritating ones. By the end of the book I was enraged. 

  Weirdly enough for me (since I always have a clear view of who I liked/loved/disliked) there’s no one in particular that comes to my mind by the end of it. Before 60% I’d say Alyssa was my fav character. Throughout the book she handed things very well, was a super girl boss in every way, took all the ‘right’ choices and gave the best advices. By the end she continued being  always completely honest with everyone (which it’s her best part) but with the heartbreak she was making decisions I couldn’t see her doing no matter what.
She was beggin for a man that was making it clear in every way possible he didn’t want her
, it pissed me off through the whole end bc that just wasn’t the character we were following until 60% or so, if it was, I wouldn't have like her at all. I don't even have strenght to talk more about this book.
 
  I do have to say I'll just pretend this potential story didn't go to waste and that I never even seen this book, moving on to the next according to her recommended order. I've already read Forever After All and the whole Stolen Moments trilogy. This one wasn't for me but I'll move on to the next, by the end of the week I'll give my review on "Until You" (the first in the standalone series "Off-Limits").
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