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ioana_maris17 's review for:
Oleander: A Great Expectations Reimagining
by Scarlett Drake
When Romance Misses the Mark: 'Oleander' Leaves Much to Be Desired
• Rating 2.5/5
• Romance 1/5
• Spice Level 1.5/5
• Writing Style 4/5
• Audio Narration 5/5
This book has been making waves in the book community, but sometimes a story doesn't resonate with every reader. Despite the hype, I found myself struggling to connect with this tale of unrequited love and complicated relationships.
The story centres around Jude and Caspian, two characters who are as different as night and day. Jude is warm and earnest, while Caspian is distant and often cold. Unfortunately, their relationship feels forced and lacks the essential chemistry that makes a romance compelling.
The interactions between them often come across as toxic, with Jude continuously putting himself in emotionally damaging situations for the sake of a love that doesn't seem to love him back. One of the main issues is the lack of insight into Caspian's behaviour. Throughout the book, his actions remain inexplicable, and we never truly understand what drives him. This makes it difficult to empathize with his character or root for their relationship. Jude basically remains obsessed with Caspian no matter how much time has passed and how many times he gets rejected. This was another extremely non-realistic thing for me.
I kept hoping for a revelation that would justify his demeanour or at least provide some depth, but it never materialized.
The absence of mutual respect and genuine connection between the protagonists makes their eventual pairing feel unearned.
Character development is another area where Oleander falls short. Both Jude and Caspian remain largely static, showing little growth despite the challenges they face.
This stagnation made it hard to stay invested in their journey, and I found myself wishing for more evolution or at least a clearer resolution to their personal struggles.
On every interaction between them where Jude is asking for explanations, ALL THE TIME ALL HE GETS BACK IS “IT WASN’T LIKE THAT” – but with 0 explanations as how it was.
To be honest, I don’t understand why Caspian blamed Xavier or Gideon, when all the fault for this failed story is on him. Caspian is a character that did not deserve to even have his own story, not to mention own HEA. He was mean/rude/bad from the beginning till the end with no reason at all.
The ending left me feeling unsatisfied, as it seemed like a convenient way to bring the characters together without addressing the underlying issues in their relationship. It felt more like a forced happy ending than an earned conclusion to their story. I definitely didn’t think they deserve to be together. Their chemistry and connection was inexistent during 95% of the book.
While Oleander has moments of beautiful prose (very few I might add) and the potential for a deep, emotional narrative, it ultimately didn't deliver the romantic connection and character development I was hoping for. Sometimes, love stories remind us that not all relationships are meant to be, and that's okay.
If you're curious about the buzz and want to form your own opinion, give Oleander a read. But for those seeking a heartfelt romance with well-developed characters and genuine chemistry, this one might not hit the mark.
I just feel I lost 2 days of my life listening to this audio…
• Rating 2.5/5
• Romance 1/5
• Spice Level 1.5/5
• Writing Style 4/5
• Audio Narration 5/5
This book has been making waves in the book community, but sometimes a story doesn't resonate with every reader. Despite the hype, I found myself struggling to connect with this tale of unrequited love and complicated relationships.
The story centres around Jude and Caspian, two characters who are as different as night and day. Jude is warm and earnest, while Caspian is distant and often cold. Unfortunately, their relationship feels forced and lacks the essential chemistry that makes a romance compelling.
The interactions between them often come across as toxic, with Jude continuously putting himself in emotionally damaging situations for the sake of a love that doesn't seem to love him back. One of the main issues is the lack of insight into Caspian's behaviour. Throughout the book, his actions remain inexplicable, and we never truly understand what drives him. This makes it difficult to empathize with his character or root for their relationship. Jude basically remains obsessed with Caspian no matter how much time has passed and how many times he gets rejected. This was another extremely non-realistic thing for me.
I kept hoping for a revelation that would justify his demeanour or at least provide some depth, but it never materialized.
The absence of mutual respect and genuine connection between the protagonists makes their eventual pairing feel unearned.
Character development is another area where Oleander falls short. Both Jude and Caspian remain largely static, showing little growth despite the challenges they face.
This stagnation made it hard to stay invested in their journey, and I found myself wishing for more evolution or at least a clearer resolution to their personal struggles.
On every interaction between them where Jude is asking for explanations, ALL THE TIME ALL HE GETS BACK IS “IT WASN’T LIKE THAT” – but with 0 explanations as how it was.
To be honest, I don’t understand why Caspian blamed Xavier or Gideon, when all the fault for this failed story is on him. Caspian is a character that did not deserve to even have his own story, not to mention own HEA. He was mean/rude/bad from the beginning till the end with no reason at all.
The ending left me feeling unsatisfied, as it seemed like a convenient way to bring the characters together without addressing the underlying issues in their relationship. It felt more like a forced happy ending than an earned conclusion to their story. I definitely didn’t think they deserve to be together. Their chemistry and connection was inexistent during 95% of the book.
While Oleander has moments of beautiful prose (very few I might add) and the potential for a deep, emotional narrative, it ultimately didn't deliver the romantic connection and character development I was hoping for. Sometimes, love stories remind us that not all relationships are meant to be, and that's okay.
If you're curious about the buzz and want to form your own opinion, give Oleander a read. But for those seeking a heartfelt romance with well-developed characters and genuine chemistry, this one might not hit the mark.
I just feel I lost 2 days of my life listening to this audio…