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A review by jscarpa14
Cherry Beats by Vicki James
3.0
High 3 almost 4
So I liked the slow burn of this, but here's the thing, there's the typical split scene that occurs over over promises broken and things not shared. I don't feel this is a spoiler because it's kind of a staple of romance. And James did this thing that instantly got my hackles up, even though he's the one in the wrong, her friends blamed her and she blamed herself, plus she sacrificed the things that made her life for him, though in this case I sort of understand the choice, but I hate when the girl gets blamed for not insta forgiving a guy whose fucked up and lied to her. Real people don't get over betrayals in an instant and if they do they're lying through their teeth in order to keep the peace. And what's more, no one, absolutely no one, should expect them to. And while I know it's not James's fault, but typically when you find this in romance, a character being guilted for not just falling into line, its always the girl. Nobody expects man real or fictional to just get over it when he's been betrayed or let down, but somehow they expect women too, the same way older generations often think wives should turn a blind eye to infidelity to save their marriage or what not. (Not that that occurs in the book, just using it as an example.) Younger generations have realized that's not okay, so when are we going to realize that women should not be okay with being let down and lied to? Women should not be okay with partners who keep secrets (excluding those related to career related confidentiality laws). It sets me off when I see it in fiction just as it sets me off when I see it in life. Granted I liked the grand gesture, but most of the characters don't acknowledge her right to be angry, her right to need time and the fact that Tess isn't the fucking bad guy. And it's a theme I see all too often in romance that I'm really not okay with.
Also I'm not sure I'll explain this next part well. The book is longer and takes place over a decent length of time, but at the same time whether the characters admit it to each other right away or not, it implies love at first sight which I think is a crock. And while there are some moments of just them, there's also a lot of sex and it comes across as though the sex is what makes their love story. It's not sex that makes love story, that just makes a lust story. Those moments being summarized, the conversations and casual glances, the butterflies in her stomach, his need to make her notice him, that's what makes a love story and there's not enough of that despite the length and the time this takes place over. I also feel like this story would have benefited a lot with more of Presley's point of view, besides the epilogue. Tess outright admits at numerous points in the story that she's in love with a man she doesn't really know. And because she's right, neither does the reader. And that's the problem, love isn't constantly being turned on by the sight of your partner or that way he has of bringing you to orgasm that no one else does. Love is knowing them inside and out, knowing their very soul, all the dark parts and flaws and still wanting to be right there beside them. It realizing when they need help and them trusting you enough to let you. Love isn't wanting someone perfect, expecting your relationship to be so, its knowing they aren't perfect and neither is your relationship and the ability to say to yourself fuck perfect, what I have is so much better. And knowing with every piece of you that what you've said is true. It's not sex, though that's always a nice benefit of being in love. And that's why I touch on sex in so many of my reviews because I can understand why people can't see that, why they skip and gloss over those parts to get behind closed doors as if those scenes are supposed to be the meat of the story when they're really only a side dish. And that's another big reason why I didn't rate higher is that while there are some emotional scenes the biggest focus in this relationship is on the couple sexually rather than emotionally.
That said I liked this characters and actually did like the story as a whole despite my obvious issues with it.
So I liked the slow burn of this, but here's the thing, there's the typical split scene that occurs over over promises broken and things not shared. I don't feel this is a spoiler because it's kind of a staple of romance. And James did this thing that instantly got my hackles up, even though he's the one in the wrong, her friends blamed her and she blamed herself, plus she sacrificed the things that made her life for him, though in this case I sort of understand the choice, but I hate when the girl gets blamed for not insta forgiving a guy whose fucked up and lied to her. Real people don't get over betrayals in an instant and if they do they're lying through their teeth in order to keep the peace. And what's more, no one, absolutely no one, should expect them to. And while I know it's not James's fault, but typically when you find this in romance, a character being guilted for not just falling into line, its always the girl. Nobody expects man real or fictional to just get over it when he's been betrayed or let down, but somehow they expect women too, the same way older generations often think wives should turn a blind eye to infidelity to save their marriage or what not. (Not that that occurs in the book, just using it as an example.) Younger generations have realized that's not okay, so when are we going to realize that women should not be okay with being let down and lied to? Women should not be okay with partners who keep secrets (excluding those related to career related confidentiality laws). It sets me off when I see it in fiction just as it sets me off when I see it in life. Granted I liked the grand gesture, but most of the characters don't acknowledge her right to be angry, her right to need time and the fact that Tess isn't the fucking bad guy. And it's a theme I see all too often in romance that I'm really not okay with.
Also I'm not sure I'll explain this next part well. The book is longer and takes place over a decent length of time, but at the same time whether the characters admit it to each other right away or not, it implies love at first sight which I think is a crock. And while there are some moments of just them, there's also a lot of sex and it comes across as though the sex is what makes their love story. It's not sex that makes love story, that just makes a lust story. Those moments being summarized, the conversations and casual glances, the butterflies in her stomach, his need to make her notice him, that's what makes a love story and there's not enough of that despite the length and the time this takes place over. I also feel like this story would have benefited a lot with more of Presley's point of view, besides the epilogue. Tess outright admits at numerous points in the story that she's in love with a man she doesn't really know. And because she's right, neither does the reader. And that's the problem, love isn't constantly being turned on by the sight of your partner or that way he has of bringing you to orgasm that no one else does. Love is knowing them inside and out, knowing their very soul, all the dark parts and flaws and still wanting to be right there beside them. It realizing when they need help and them trusting you enough to let you. Love isn't wanting someone perfect, expecting your relationship to be so, its knowing they aren't perfect and neither is your relationship and the ability to say to yourself fuck perfect, what I have is so much better. And knowing with every piece of you that what you've said is true. It's not sex, though that's always a nice benefit of being in love. And that's why I touch on sex in so many of my reviews because I can understand why people can't see that, why they skip and gloss over those parts to get behind closed doors as if those scenes are supposed to be the meat of the story when they're really only a side dish. And that's another big reason why I didn't rate higher is that while there are some emotional scenes the biggest focus in this relationship is on the couple sexually rather than emotionally.
That said I liked this characters and actually did like the story as a whole despite my obvious issues with it.