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A review by books_and_cha
The Hell You Say by Josh Lanyon
2.0
2.5 stars
I find it ironic that the only book from this series that won an award was the one that I liked the least. Now, it wasn't terrible - it was decently written and the mystery, once revealed, made sense. The pieces fit. It says a lot that these are the few positive points I could come up with.
For starters, the mystery was not up my alley. Death threats from possible demonic cults? No, thank you. Add in the leisurely pacing amongst relationship angst, and suddenly, you see why this was not my cup of tea. At all.
The romance (can we even call it that, after what happened?) was upsetting. Not sad, not hurt/comfort (there was no comfort, what?), upsetting. You know how you have those graphs about story-writing, with the rising action, climax, etc.? If we're looking only at the relationship between Adrien and Jake, this book is rock-bottom. It is dark and rough and ugly. The events of this book don't just straddle the line between relationship drama and abuse - it crosses it.
Secondly, the part where Jake shoves Adrien onto his back and threatens him? The scene suggests that Jake's rage was fueled by protectiveness, but no one has any right to physically impose their will on you, regardless of whether they're looking out for your safety. It's just like how patients have the right to refuse treatment. You're allowed to say no. Except here, Adrien faces physical and emotional damage for literally nothing. There is no justification. There was senseless emotional and physical damage and I hated it. This was abuse, and I recognized it as such.
By the end of this book, I was done rooting for Jake and Adrien to be together. I decided to read the rest of the series to see how it ends, but at this point, the only character I care about is Adrien. The Hell You Say, indeed. What was this?
I find it ironic that the only book from this series that won an award was the one that I liked the least. Now, it wasn't terrible - it was decently written and the mystery, once revealed, made sense. The pieces fit. It says a lot that these are the few positive points I could come up with.
For starters, the mystery was not up my alley. Death threats from possible demonic cults? No, thank you. Add in the leisurely pacing amongst relationship angst, and suddenly, you see why this was not my cup of tea. At all.
The romance (can we even call it that, after what happened?) was upsetting. Not sad, not hurt/comfort (there was no comfort, what?), upsetting. You know how you have those graphs about story-writing, with the rising action, climax, etc.? If we're looking only at the relationship between Adrien and Jake, this book is rock-bottom. It is dark and rough and ugly. The events of this book don't just straddle the line between relationship drama and abuse - it crosses it.
Spoiler
Let's talk about the break-up, shall we? Kate and Jake decide to get married, and Jake breaks up with Adrien. Fair enough. What's not fair is that Jake makes it seem like Adrien has no right to be upset, and Adrien internally agrees with him. Even though Jake never promised anything, that still doesn't negate the fact that Adrien has feelings for him, and has every right to be hurt and upset. No one gets to take that away from him.Secondly, the part where Jake shoves Adrien onto his back and threatens him? The scene suggests that Jake's rage was fueled by protectiveness, but no one has any right to physically impose their will on you, regardless of whether they're looking out for your safety. It's just like how patients have the right to refuse treatment. You're allowed to say no. Except here, Adrien faces physical and emotional damage for literally nothing. There is no justification. There was senseless emotional and physical damage and I hated it. This was abuse, and I recognized it as such.
By the end of this book, I was done rooting for Jake and Adrien to be together. I decided to read the rest of the series to see how it ends, but at this point, the only character I care about is Adrien. The Hell You Say, indeed. What was this?