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A review by drcaligari
The Wallflower Wager by Tessa Dare
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
this my favourite so far because i love penny with all of my being. i laughed out loud so many times i lost count. i genuinely read this book in like 3 or 4 hours bc i couldn't stop. i swear i just never had as much fun with a book than with the wallflower wager.
penny and her farm animals plus parrot plus otter had me smiling the entire time. i just love how she's unabashedly herself.
around the end the book changes tones a bit, exploring themes such as pedophilia, sexual trauma, trauma surrounding living in poverty and in the streets, and child abandonment. it is not exactly heavy, i think the author did a good job of balancing the serious and the light-hearted. her comedy timing was perfect. there were serious things happening but then someone would say just the right thing to break the tension and lighten the mood again. like there would be a life and death situation but you didnt have the time to be tense about it bc in the middle of it ash and chase found time to bicker about the most ridiculous things, you couldn't help but laugh at their absurdity.
the love interest was not what i expected, but i liked him. specially his interactions with ash and chase had me absolutely losing it. plus he telling himself and penny that they can't happen and he can't kiss her only to kiss her every time they meet bc the sexual tension is just that big and he can't resist her. chef's kiss
penny and her farm animals plus parrot plus otter had me smiling the entire time. i just love how she's unabashedly herself.
around the end the book changes tones a bit, exploring themes such as pedophilia, sexual trauma, trauma surrounding living in poverty and in the streets, and child abandonment. it is not exactly heavy, i think the author did a good job of balancing the serious and the light-hearted. her comedy timing was perfect. there were serious things happening but then someone would say just the right thing to break the tension and lighten the mood again. like there would be a life and death situation but you didnt have the time to be tense about it bc in the middle of it ash and chase found time to bicker about the most ridiculous things, you couldn't help but laugh at their absurdity.
the love interest was not what i expected, but i liked him. specially his interactions with ash and chase had me absolutely losing it. plus he telling himself and penny that they can't happen and he can't kiss her only to kiss her every time they meet bc the sexual tension is just that big and he can't resist her. chef's kiss
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Pedophilia and Sexual assault
this is around 60% of the book if im not mistaken. it is mentioned the circumstances surrounding the sexual assault, how the pedophile was a family friend and how he gained her trust as a child and how he manipulated her to keep secret, but not the act itself. later she has to face the pedophile which can be a bit triggering. she has her revenge on him tho and he is left quite unhappy at the end