A review by katemc7
Lights Out by Navessa Allen

dark funny hopeful mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I think the last time I reacted to a book this original was Butcher & Blackbird. And while this was SIMILAR to that in the whole the couple who slays together stays together it was also unlike anything I have read before, and I seriously LOVED it. I laughed out loud. I cringed. I panted and had to fan myself. I googled things that I didn't even know were possible while reading this book. This was a true work of art. I LOVED our characters. They were both disturbed but loyal and perfect for each other. I loved the layers that they had and these different personas. They seemed to be perfectly normal to the outside world and then behind closed doors their inner darkness and I LOVED that they could be themselves and that they made each other better. Josh was epically romantic in a stalker kind of way. The way he brought Ally snacks and picked her up after knowing she had a hard shift. The way he took care of her in and out of the bedroom. I loved his vulnerability and his humanness in being afraid of how Ally would react to learning about his dad. I loved how he talked about Ally's cat like he was their kid from day 1. He was just TOO freaking cute! And Ally- our superhero nurse who works herself to death to be able to save people because she couldn't save the one most important person in her life. I LOVED watching her get comfortable in this new skin of hers around Josh and realizing that her inner desires were cherished by him. 

Ally has a secret. She watches masked men on Insta do things that make her imagine all kinds of scenarios. In fact, she has a specific one that she can't stop following. So when she is kind of drunk and rejected by her recent hookup, she DMs him and wouldn't you know his next video is taken from her bedroom. HER BEDROOM. And though she finds herself freaked out she also finds herself intrigued. What if he showed up in her house one day and she wasn't expecting him? What would go down between them? Would the chemistry be as amazing as she thinks it would be. And then she starts to realize he is watching her. She toys with him a little. Things get real fast and here he is...in her room. Playing to her fantasy. Which is everything she thought it would be. And now he seems to be taking care of. She is dying to know who he is. And when she figures out, nothing about it changes how she is starting to think and feel about him. Things go sideways a little and they find themselves in a darker situation than either of them thought but she knows that they will be able to get through it together because as Josh says "the couple who slays together, stays together." She has never felt more alive and more herself around someone. Everything is coming so easy between them. Let's just hope he doesn't get scared away by her family or any other scenario they may encounter. 

Josh lives a lonely life. He finds himself drawn to people but really only his roommate Tyler knows his background. He knows how people are and how they come to the wrong conclusions about people. Which is how he has found himself making thirst traps for millions of online followers. He has fantasies. Things he doesn't think he will ever be able to do in real life until he can. One of his followers who also happens to be his roomie's kind of ex is into what he posts. So he decides to take it a step further and see how she responds. He goes full stalker mode but in like the best way. He finds himself wanting to get to know the real her and help her since she doesn't have anyone. Which is how he finds himself offering rides home with snacks. Catering to her cat who seems to be kind of obsessed with him and now helping her move a body that came about under suspicious circumstances. What he does know is that he really cares about Ally. He is absolutely drawn to her unlike he has anyone else. And now that she knows about his dad and doesn't seem phased, he is all in. Because one thing he does know is that the couple that slays together stays together. 

The chemistry and spice between these two was UNREAL. Way to completely knock me out with these scenes Navessa. The way this book had me in knots and tangles and laughing out loud was just epically amazing. I can't recommend this one enough and LOVE the teasers we got on Junior. Can't wait to see who he falls for and how the story comes about. I loved reading about a not so conventional meet cute turning into meeting your person here!!