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A review by imme_van_gorp
Taming 7 by Chloe Walsh
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Wow. Okay. I don't even know where to start. This whole book frustrated me beyond relief and I'm terribly disappointed by it.
First of all, I think it's important to realise that this was not really Gibsie and Claire's book. It was only Gibsie's. Yes, we get Claire's POV as well, but the whole focus of this book is Gibsie's trauma and his way of dealing (or, more so, not dealing) with it. If you're looking for a grand romance here, you will be at the wrong address. The focus is never their relationship; we don’t actually get to see them do cute things together (like we saw from them in the previous books) or anything remotely meaningful. I thought this book would have beautiful relationship development with delicious pining and angst, but also a truly deep friendship that will finally turn into something more.
But no. Instead, it was mostly just Claire screaming “FUCK ME ALREADY!” and Gibsie screaming “NO, I CAN’T” which, of course, led to Claire huffing and puffing about not getting any sex, but then she simply forgets about it the next day, and the whole thing stars all over again. From the very beginning of the book they are basically already in a relationship, just without the physical intimacy due to Gibsie’s past trauma. It was perfectly valid for Gibsie not to want to take that step yet, and his only mistake was not being open and honest to Claire about why. If he had talked to her, there would have been no issues between them whatsoever. As it was, they were simply in a relationship without actually calling it one, and sometimes had a little tiff, but then always made up without even talking it out.
Furthermore, I was completely missing the undying-love, soulmate connection I was expecting from these two. I didn’t really feel their chemistry anymore and Gibsie never fought for her. He treated her like a princess when they were friends, don’t get me wrong, but whenever it was clear that she wanted more and he might lose her if he didn’t step up, he just did… nothing. He was not pro-active, and he was not the whipped boy I was promised.
All in all, this was just not a great romance. I think it’s important to realise that before reading it because you can lower your expectations in that regard.
Now, what is this book then, if not an actual romance? Well, mostly I think it was a trauma book. There is only one single thing this book actually focuses on and that is Gibsie’s inability to overcome his trauma. It did break my heart to see this sweet, innocent boy be so haunted by his past, especially since he refused to let anyone be affected by his own hurt. He always shouldered his trauma without complaint and he would rather die than inconvenience anyone with his pain. He was such a strong, kindhearted person and it shattered my soul to see him deal with it all on his own, while never letting the smile leave his face. He tried to stay a happy, positive person, even though he went through so much horror, and I can’t even imagine the bravery and perseverance someone must have to be able to do that. He was an angel.
Which, to be honest, only made it more sad that nobody ever stood up for him. There was not a single person who had his back, not a single person who was always in his corner, nobody. His friends and his mother needed to learn that he was raped as a little boy by his step-brother to finally take a stand against the people who have been hurting him for years. But, honestly, I really feel like he didn’t need to have a tragic past to deserve love and to deserve to be defended. He should have gotten that regardless. But no. They weren’t there for him then. Nobody was.
Considering Gibsie is the very best friend in the world to all the people around him, it made me very sad to see him not get that same energy back. He would have never stood for it if anyone bullied his friends the way he got bullied by Lizzie, but all of his friends just let it slide. Nobody called her out, nobody acknowledged the abuse he suffered each day by that monster. And no, it didn’t matter whether Lizzie was right or not. Even if Mark had raped Caoimhe, Lizzie still had zero right to put that blame on an innocent, traumatized boy who had nothing to do with it and who had already tragically lost his father and baby sister. Besides, I guess we all know Lizzie never cared about rape in the first place, and she just wanted a punching bag for her horrible attitude, because after the truth came out, she didn’t even apologize. Even worse, she still treated Gibsie like the enemy. Lizzie is the one who doesn’t believe rape victims, and she’s the one who would bully one. She’s the type of person she claims to hate.
Which, kind of brings me to my final, and most aggrivating point: There was nothing worse in this book than suffering through the scenes where that demon from hell, Lizzie Young, appeared on the page. She’s truly such a vile, disgusting person and it physically made me sick to see her get away with all the things she says and does. She’s a nasty bully who takes all of her issues out on the innocent people around her. She can manipulate and guilt-trip all she wants, but any reasonable person knows she had zero excuses for the way she behaved, none whatsoever, and I really wanted her to suffer the consequences of her actions for once.
I can’t, for the life of me, understand why anyone put up with her. She deserves to be alone and friendless, and it keeps pissing me off that that’s not happening right now. She needs to be called out, but nobody ever does. Why not? I guess it’s because all the girls are scared of the cruel words she would hurl their way, while all the guys are too busy getting a boner over her. Seriously, she’s the definition of pretty privilege, because she would not get away with any of the things she does if she didn’t have her beauty (especially since that’s the only thing she has going for her). I genuinely hate her.
All in all, this book was just very frustrating to read for me. Not only was it written like a Wattpad story, it was also incredibly aggravating to see Gibsie get zero recognition during the whole book. The fact that nobody noticed or cared about that boy’s suffering was just beyond upsetting, and every time he got abused by that bully Lizzie without anyone standing up for him just had my blood boiling. Long story short, this was far from a pleasant read. All it did was make me angry. And in the moments I wasn’t angry, I actually felt a bit bored. Because, like I said, I also did not get the beautiful romance I was promised. Far from it.
First of all, I think it's important to realise that this was not really Gibsie and Claire's book. It was only Gibsie's. Yes, we get Claire's POV as well, but the whole focus of this book is Gibsie's trauma and his way of dealing (or, more so, not dealing) with it. If you're looking for a grand romance here, you will be at the wrong address. The focus is never their relationship; we don’t actually get to see them do cute things together (like we saw from them in the previous books) or anything remotely meaningful. I thought this book would have beautiful relationship development with delicious pining and angst, but also a truly deep friendship that will finally turn into something more.
But no. Instead, it was mostly just Claire screaming “FUCK ME ALREADY!” and Gibsie screaming “NO, I CAN’T” which, of course, led to Claire huffing and puffing about not getting any sex, but then she simply forgets about it the next day, and the whole thing stars all over again. From the very beginning of the book they are basically already in a relationship, just without the physical intimacy due to Gibsie’s past trauma. It was perfectly valid for Gibsie not to want to take that step yet, and his only mistake was not being open and honest to Claire about why. If he had talked to her, there would have been no issues between them whatsoever. As it was, they were simply in a relationship without actually calling it one, and sometimes had a little tiff, but then always made up without even talking it out.
Furthermore, I was completely missing the undying-love, soulmate connection I was expecting from these two. I didn’t really feel their chemistry anymore and Gibsie never fought for her. He treated her like a princess when they were friends, don’t get me wrong, but whenever it was clear that she wanted more and he might lose her if he didn’t step up, he just did… nothing. He was not pro-active, and he was not the whipped boy I was promised.
All in all, this was just not a great romance. I think it’s important to realise that before reading it because you can lower your expectations in that regard.
Now, what is this book then, if not an actual romance? Well, mostly I think it was a trauma book. There is only one single thing this book actually focuses on and that is Gibsie’s inability to overcome his trauma. It did break my heart to see this sweet, innocent boy be so haunted by his past, especially since he refused to let anyone be affected by his own hurt. He always shouldered his trauma without complaint and he would rather die than inconvenience anyone with his pain. He was such a strong, kindhearted person and it shattered my soul to see him deal with it all on his own, while never letting the smile leave his face. He tried to stay a happy, positive person, even though he went through so much horror, and I can’t even imagine the bravery and perseverance someone must have to be able to do that. He was an angel.
Which, to be honest, only made it more sad that nobody ever stood up for him. There was not a single person who had his back, not a single person who was always in his corner, nobody. His friends and his mother needed to learn that he was raped as a little boy by his step-brother to finally take a stand against the people who have been hurting him for years. But, honestly, I really feel like he didn’t need to have a tragic past to deserve love and to deserve to be defended. He should have gotten that regardless. But no. They weren’t there for him then. Nobody was.
Considering Gibsie is the very best friend in the world to all the people around him, it made me very sad to see him not get that same energy back. He would have never stood for it if anyone bullied his friends the way he got bullied by Lizzie, but all of his friends just let it slide. Nobody called her out, nobody acknowledged the abuse he suffered each day by that monster. And no, it didn’t matter whether Lizzie was right or not. Even if Mark had raped Caoimhe, Lizzie still had zero right to put that blame on an innocent, traumatized boy who had nothing to do with it and who had already tragically lost his father and baby sister. Besides, I guess we all know Lizzie never cared about rape in the first place, and she just wanted a punching bag for her horrible attitude, because after the truth came out, she didn’t even apologize. Even worse, she still treated Gibsie like the enemy. Lizzie is the one who doesn’t believe rape victims, and she’s the one who would bully one. She’s the type of person she claims to hate.
Which, kind of brings me to my final, and most aggrivating point: There was nothing worse in this book than suffering through the scenes where that demon from hell, Lizzie Young, appeared on the page. She’s truly such a vile, disgusting person and it physically made me sick to see her get away with all the things she says and does. She’s a nasty bully who takes all of her issues out on the innocent people around her. She can manipulate and guilt-trip all she wants, but any reasonable person knows she had zero excuses for the way she behaved, none whatsoever, and I really wanted her to suffer the consequences of her actions for once.
I can’t, for the life of me, understand why anyone put up with her. She deserves to be alone and friendless, and it keeps pissing me off that that’s not happening right now. She needs to be called out, but nobody ever does. Why not? I guess it’s because all the girls are scared of the cruel words she would hurl their way, while all the guys are too busy getting a boner over her. Seriously, she’s the definition of pretty privilege, because she would not get away with any of the things she does if she didn’t have her beauty (especially since that’s the only thing she has going for her). I genuinely hate her.
All in all, this book was just very frustrating to read for me. Not only was it written like a Wattpad story, it was also incredibly aggravating to see Gibsie get zero recognition during the whole book. The fact that nobody noticed or cared about that boy’s suffering was just beyond upsetting, and every time he got abused by that bully Lizzie without anyone standing up for him just had my blood boiling. Long story short, this was far from a pleasant read. All it did was make me angry. And in the moments I wasn’t angry, I actually felt a bit bored. Because, like I said, I also did not get the beautiful romance I was promised. Far from it.