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lostinmoonlitpages 's review for:
Spiral
by Bal Khabra
I was very excited to read this book as I loved Collide, and I am a big fan of the fake dating and sport romance tropes, but I ended up a little bit disappointed...
I really enjoyed Collide, and I was excited to go back to the same world and group of friends, so I was a bit confused at first that it wasn't based in college anymore, but we still got some scenes with the Dalton team, which I loved! We had already met Elias, so I was excited to meet Sage. I enjoyed the start of the book, but their reasons for fake dating felt a little bit unrealistic, especially Sage's. I liked their banter and how they get to know each other, but I struggled a bit to get invested in the romance as I did not feel their emotional connection. I'm not going to lie, I was a bit enraged about the I understand it, and it added a little bit of angst to the story, but for me, I think it would have made more sense and added more to the story if it had been introduced earlier on. I did enjoy the spice once it happened, and it helped to like the characters a bit more.
The pace felt very weird at times, and some things were solved or brushed off very quickly and easily, and I would have liked to see more development and depth. I did not understand why the drama with the ballet was starting after the 80% mark. I would have preferred to have it earlier on in the story, because it felt as if it was mostly focused on Elias side of the story, and once that was solved, then it was Sage's turn... I would have liked to see them navigate the highs and lows that happened to them at the same time. I liked Sage's relationship with her brother, and I could related to her worries as an older sister. I do wish their relationship with their uncle would have been more developed though.
The ending dragged on for a while, and there were at least 3 or 4 chapters that the book could have ended with, and yet, it kept going. Overall, I would have liked to see a more emotional connection between the characters, but it was a fun and easy read!
Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
I really enjoyed Collide, and I was excited to go back to the same world and group of friends, so I was a bit confused at first that it wasn't based in college anymore, but we still got some scenes with the Dalton team, which I loved! We had already met Elias, so I was excited to meet Sage. I enjoyed the start of the book, but their reasons for fake dating felt a little bit unrealistic, especially Sage's. I liked their banter and how they get to know each other, but I struggled a bit to get invested in the romance as I did not feel their emotional connection. I'm not going to lie, I was a bit enraged about the
Spoiler
celibacy storyline, like seriously!!!The pace felt very weird at times, and some things were solved or brushed off very quickly and easily, and I would have liked to see more development and depth. I did not understand why the drama with the ballet was starting after the 80% mark. I would have preferred to have it earlier on in the story, because it felt as if it was mostly focused on Elias side of the story, and once that was solved, then it was Sage's turn... I would have liked to see them navigate the highs and lows that happened to them at the same time. I liked Sage's relationship with her brother, and I could related to her worries as an older sister. I do wish their relationship with their uncle would have been more developed though.
The ending dragged on for a while, and there were at least 3 or 4 chapters that the book could have ended with, and yet, it kept going. Overall, I would have liked to see a more emotional connection between the characters, but it was a fun and easy read!
Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!