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A review by bookish_mischief
Play Pretend by Emily Alter
4.0
Sweet Story, Queer Cast, Surprisingly Tame.
After Reading [b:Gift for a Demon|182519132|Gift for a Demon (Possessive Love)|Emily Alter|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1691501048l/182519132._SY75_.jpg|187031108] I expected this book to be a little more intense since that was all I knew of Emily Alter's work. That being said I am not disappointed in what Play Pretend gave us.
Sapphic Boss x Secretary but slightly kinky and trauma aware would be the best description for the book. The honest depictions of working through the CPTSD caused by an abusive ex were refreshing because they so often get candy coated in love bombing by new partners and friends in fiction.
The risk aware approach to kink and open and honest communication of boundaries and limits gives readers a more realistic view of how people in this community truly operate and I love to see that after spending 19 years in the community myself.
My only criticism was the disjointed and unresolved tension between Moníca and her family and the many loose threads of secondary characters. While I know many of those loose threads may be tied off in future additions to the series, I don't see how Moníca's family tension will be resolved unless there is a direct sequel. (Still ABSOLUTELY going to read [b:Hopes and Dreams|214370332|Hopes and Dreams (Plumas Universe)|Emily Alter|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1722097218l/214370332._SY75_.jpg|220642196] to see Sergio's HEA)
After Reading [b:Gift for a Demon|182519132|Gift for a Demon (Possessive Love)|Emily Alter|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1691501048l/182519132._SY75_.jpg|187031108] I expected this book to be a little more intense since that was all I knew of Emily Alter's work. That being said I am not disappointed in what Play Pretend gave us.
Sapphic Boss x Secretary but slightly kinky and trauma aware would be the best description for the book. The honest depictions of working through the CPTSD caused by an abusive ex were refreshing because they so often get candy coated in love bombing by new partners and friends in fiction.
The risk aware approach to kink and open and honest communication of boundaries and limits gives readers a more realistic view of how people in this community truly operate and I love to see that after spending 19 years in the community myself.
My only criticism was the disjointed and unresolved tension between Moníca and her family and the many loose threads of secondary characters. While I know many of those loose threads may be tied off in future additions to the series, I don't see how Moníca's family tension will be resolved unless there is a direct sequel. (Still ABSOLUTELY going to read [b:Hopes and Dreams|214370332|Hopes and Dreams (Plumas Universe)|Emily Alter|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1722097218l/214370332._SY75_.jpg|220642196] to see Sergio's HEA)