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A review by lauren_soderberg
Playing with Fire by L.J. Shen
5.0
L.J. Shen’s Playing with Fire is a poignant, angsty, steam fest that is as captivating as it is well written. It’s an opposites-attract, friends-to-lovers feast that I want to devour over and over again.
Grace Shaw has withdrawn from the life she used to know. She hides in plain sight, wishing for a time when things weren’t so complicated. The last thing she expects is for bad boy West St. Claire to take notice of her. But he does, and their friendship grows from a place of mutual understanding and underlying pain. She knows that she shouldn’t fall in love with him, but can’t help but be attracted to him like a moth to a flame.
One of the things that Shen is masterful at is creating a story so enthralling, so heartbreakingly REAL, that it seeps inside your bones and take residence there. Reading an L.J. Shen novel is always a wholly immersive experience.
Playing with Fire is, in many ways, a departure from her typical oeuvre, but is as well-sketched and as brilliantly written as its predecessors. Shen presents us with a version of love that isn’t all flowers, candy, and heart eye emojis; rather, it’s a deep, genuine love that is borne of pain, trauma, and, ultimately, healing and redemption. Grace and West are riveting characters, and the bond and chemistry they share leaps off the page. The narrative arc in this novel is brilliantly paced, the dialogue is full to the brim of Shen’s typical sardonic wit. It’s a work that will stay with you long after you’ve finished, and that will be an even richer experience the next time around.
If you are new to Shen’s work, this is a wonderful place to start. Prepare to have your heart ripped out and then placed lovingly back into your chest… in the best way possible.
Grace Shaw has withdrawn from the life she used to know. She hides in plain sight, wishing for a time when things weren’t so complicated. The last thing she expects is for bad boy West St. Claire to take notice of her. But he does, and their friendship grows from a place of mutual understanding and underlying pain. She knows that she shouldn’t fall in love with him, but can’t help but be attracted to him like a moth to a flame.
One of the things that Shen is masterful at is creating a story so enthralling, so heartbreakingly REAL, that it seeps inside your bones and take residence there. Reading an L.J. Shen novel is always a wholly immersive experience.
Playing with Fire is, in many ways, a departure from her typical oeuvre, but is as well-sketched and as brilliantly written as its predecessors. Shen presents us with a version of love that isn’t all flowers, candy, and heart eye emojis; rather, it’s a deep, genuine love that is borne of pain, trauma, and, ultimately, healing and redemption. Grace and West are riveting characters, and the bond and chemistry they share leaps off the page. The narrative arc in this novel is brilliantly paced, the dialogue is full to the brim of Shen’s typical sardonic wit. It’s a work that will stay with you long after you’ve finished, and that will be an even richer experience the next time around.
If you are new to Shen’s work, this is a wonderful place to start. Prepare to have your heart ripped out and then placed lovingly back into your chest… in the best way possible.