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A review by dreamthorne
Regretting You by J.L. Beck, C. Hallman
1.0
I don't venture into romance books too often, but it feels like every time I do, I'm reminded of why I steer away from this genre for so long before trying again. I wanted to DNF this early on, mostly because I couldn't see how the male protagonist could ever become a redeemable character. It bothered me that Kennedy was so naive, and that she kept letting Jackson push her around (as someone that grew up with an emotionally-abusive loved one, I could relate to her sometimes. Other times, I was baffled by her logic), and then be shocked when he was cruel or demanding. Girl, he's already said he's going to make your life a living hell.
There's physical violence from the very beginning (Jackson, having Kennedy in a choke-hold, which happens more than once in the book). There are things that happen that makes me wonder why Kennedy doesn't call the police on Jackson, why other people aren't calling the police on Jackson. He seems to get away with everything. The first choke-hold scene was on that made me scratch my head. He just casually strolls off and the person that saw him doesn't just call the police? Her neighbors don't call the police when he's banging on her door, being an obnoxious prick? You can't tell me that at least one person on the floor wouldn't have called. Logic flies out the window pretty often with this one. I get that Kennedy feels immense guilt for Jillian's death, and that this is punishment for what she feels she's done, but you can't tell me that nobody else doesn't use their brain in this situation.
Kennedy, who is not sexually active and still a virgin, is on birth control pills. Why? Does she have a medical condition? This isn't explained at all. She doesn't date. She doesn't have friends. This was just an odd detail flung in. I guess we didn't need to worry about unintended consequences. The first sex scene left me unsettled. And honestly, I pretty much glossed over every other sex scene because there was nothing sexy about them. There was nothing romantic about them.
I just found Jackson so repulsive. By the time all the secrets are in the open, Jackson is a completely different person. He almost did something at the beginning of the book that would have made him no better than Ty, and I never forgot that. He used physical violence from the start, and I never forgot that. It didn't matter to me that he learned the truth and realized they were both suffering. There's no excuse for some of the things he did to Kennedy.
Just from the reviews alone, I can tell there are folks that can overlook all that. The book has a high rating, despite some of the content. If you're okay with physical violence, mental and emotional abuse, then you might enjoy this. It definitely wasn't for me. I knew that Jackson was going to be a bully, but holy hell. I just don't think this genre is for me.
There's physical violence from the very beginning (Jackson, having Kennedy in a choke-hold, which happens more than once in the book). There are things that happen that makes me wonder why Kennedy doesn't call the police on Jackson, why other people aren't calling the police on Jackson. He seems to get away with everything. The first choke-hold scene was on that made me scratch my head. He just casually strolls off and the person that saw him doesn't just call the police? Her neighbors don't call the police when he's banging on her door, being an obnoxious prick? You can't tell me that at least one person on the floor wouldn't have called. Logic flies out the window pretty often with this one. I get that Kennedy feels immense guilt for Jillian's death, and that this is punishment for what she feels she's done, but you can't tell me that nobody else doesn't use their brain in this situation.
Kennedy, who is not sexually active and still a virgin, is on birth control pills. Why? Does she have a medical condition? This isn't explained at all. She doesn't date. She doesn't have friends. This was just an odd detail flung in. I guess we didn't need to worry about unintended consequences. The first sex scene left me unsettled. And honestly, I pretty much glossed over every other sex scene because there was nothing sexy about them. There was nothing romantic about them.
I just found Jackson so repulsive. By the time all the secrets are in the open, Jackson is a completely different person. He almost did something at the beginning of the book that would have made him no better than Ty, and I never forgot that. He used physical violence from the start, and I never forgot that. It didn't matter to me that he learned the truth and realized they were both suffering. There's no excuse for some of the things he did to Kennedy.
Just from the reviews alone, I can tell there are folks that can overlook all that. The book has a high rating, despite some of the content. If you're okay with physical violence, mental and emotional abuse, then you might enjoy this. It definitely wasn't for me. I knew that Jackson was going to be a bully, but holy hell. I just don't think this genre is for me.