A review by mells_view
Surrender by Sam Mariano

If you want my review of Surrender, Silvan and Sophie’s story, then you can read that at the link below…

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5148461446

”You shouldn’t be so reckless, mermaid. Do you know what I would do if someone took you away from me?”

I’m not going to rate this one because I only picked it up for the Sleeping Beauty add on at the end. Which gives us an update on Dare and Aubrey from Even If It Hurts and a smidge of a hint on where Hannah’s story might go. Not 100% how I feel about it. I realize it’s fiction and not real, but it’s starting to feel a little overly contrived. Aubrey is realizing more and more she’s in love with someone who basically abuses her because he legit knows no other way, but she still loves him. Which, whatever that’s 90% of the time how Sam’s books go, but for some reason this story made it feel even less balanced and like it just doesn’t work. Plus it doesn’t help that the Aubrey in this story felt less like Aubrey and more like Zoey from Untouchable in voice. I know time has passed, so maybe her “fog” has lifted a little more, but it sounded like a different character to me. With where I’m assuming the story may go that may be intentional, so whatever for now, but it just didn’t work for me in this little short. It was less entertaining and felt more like listening to your friend who is being abused and knows it, but can’t make herself leave because she knows leaving might be worse. It was kind of sad tbh.