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imme_van_gorp's Reviews (778)
I was really looking forward to reading this. The premise sounded so deliciously angsty, and I was very excited to see it all play out. Unfortunately, though, I feel like the premise itself was really the most interesting thing about this.
The story takes place at an all-boys boarding school, where Ryan is now the new kid, while Hudson is a popular jock. Hudson is best friends with Ryan’s new step brother, who absolutely hates him, and thus, convinces Hudson to take on a bet to hurt Ryan. This bet entails that Hudson will try to make Ryan fall in love with him and then break his heart. However, in the process of pursuing Ryan, Hudson obviously falls head-over-heels in love as well.
After becoming closer and closer to Ryan, Hudson fears there is no way out of his sticky situation concerning the bet without losing Ryan, which is something he desperately wants to avoid. He tries to lie his way out of things, but eventually things come to a head anyway, and both of their hearts end up broken.
As I said before, I loved this premise. I loved the angst surrounding the bet, and I was anxious to see how the reveal would go. I couldn’t wait to see how Ryan would react, and how Hudson would inevitably win him back. I love that kind of stuff, and I wasn’t disappointed here either. Hudson was genuinely destroyed on the inside when Ryan found out about the bet, and Ryan truly made him work for his forgiveness. It took plenty of tries from Hudson before Ryan finally gave in.
The story takes place at an all-boys boarding school, where Ryan is now the new kid, while Hudson is a popular jock. Hudson is best friends with Ryan’s new step brother, who absolutely hates him, and thus, convinces Hudson to take on a bet to hurt Ryan. This bet entails that Hudson will try to make Ryan fall in love with him and then break his heart. However, in the process of pursuing Ryan, Hudson obviously falls head-over-heels in love as well.
After becoming closer and closer to Ryan, Hudson fears there is no way out of his sticky situation concerning the bet without losing Ryan, which is something he desperately wants to avoid. He tries to lie his way out of things, but eventually things come to a head anyway, and both of their hearts end up broken.
As I said before, I loved this premise. I loved the angst surrounding the bet, and I was anxious to see how the reveal would go. I couldn’t wait to see how Ryan would react, and how Hudson would inevitably win him back. I love that kind of stuff, and I wasn’t disappointed here either. Hudson was genuinely destroyed on the inside when Ryan found out about the bet, and Ryan truly made him work for his forgiveness. It took plenty of tries from Hudson before Ryan finally gave in.
“I fucked up so badly, but I love you so much. I don’t want to go another day without you. I miss you. I miss everything about what we had. Please, give me another chance. I promise I won’t hurt you like that again.”
He’s so vulnerable, so open, and I just… “I can’t.” The words leave my lips in a whimper and I see his entire body stiffen as his face falls in devastation. “I’m sorry.”
Aside from the bet thing, though, I just don’t think there was much about their relationship that really captivated my interest. There was absolutely no depth to their connection, and that kind of disappointed me. I’m not really sure why Hudson fell for Ryan, since I don’t see what made him so different from all his many previous hook-ups. All they did was make out and be generally sappy, but they didn’t get to know each other in a special way. They didn’t have meaningful conversations, and they truly had an infatuation type of relationship rather than a deep one. I guess it makes sense that their relationship was mostly cheesy, physical and cutesy, considering they are only seniors in high school, and not adults, but still.
Also, when it comes to the characters, I thought they were a bit confusing. Apart from being kind of bland, I simply do not understand Hudson. There was absolutely no reason for him to take on such a cruel bet, considering he is not a mean person in any of his other actions or thoughts. It was completely out of character, and that kind of ruined the whole ‘bet’ thing a little, since it didn’t make sense. I feel like Hudson would have needed a better reason to take on such a bet other than his best friend simply asking him to. It was a bit ridiculous.
Anyway, long story short, I liked the idea of this book and some of its execution, but it could have been a lot better. The characterization just wasn’t all that great and neither was the development of the relationship. Something was definitely missing for this to be a truly good romance.
This whole thing was definitely way too cheesy and sappy. Their frequent love declarations were also very over-the-top and I lost interest in them really fast.
For example, they were legit crying during sex because it was just “so emotional and loving”. And I mean.. that’s sweet and all, but a little much for me personally.
This is insta-love with a moderately slow pace. With that I mean to say that they are basically in love since before the book even starts, yet they tip-toe around that for the first half, and then in the middle they get together and that is pretty much it. Nothing really interesting about it.
And what the actual reason was as to why they are in love? I have absolutely no clue. We don’t really get to know that, which sucks.
The dynamic had potential, but wasn’t greatly executed. Mads wasn’t adorable enough, and Anthony wasn’t broody enough. They were trying to go for the grumpy/sunshine trope, but didn’t follow through entirely. It felt a little bland and incomplete.
There’s far too much sex here, but at least it was pretty hot. I can imagine some people really enjoying those scenes, even though I personally got bored with it since I don’t really like smut, so I skimmed a bit of it.
The plot was pretty dumb and ridiculous, but that was to be expected to be honest. The action simply bored me to tears, so I skimmed a lot of that.
The cameos from other series were definitely fucking annoying and excruciatingly uninteresting, so I skimmed all of that.
The writing style was also just too detailed and too boring. I was really struggling to get through this without either falling asleep or skimming. I ended up picking the latter most of the time.
Overall, I didn’t like this book, and I kind of wish I had DNF’ed it.
I also regret picking this book up instead of waiting for book 3 and reading that one instead. Because honestly, Luca and Ford’s dynamic seems a lot better to me, but I don’t think I’m willing to read anything else in this series after hating this one.
For example, they were legit crying during sex because it was just “so emotional and loving”. And I mean.. that’s sweet and all, but a little much for me personally.
This is insta-love with a moderately slow pace. With that I mean to say that they are basically in love since before the book even starts, yet they tip-toe around that for the first half, and then in the middle they get together and that is pretty much it. Nothing really interesting about it.
And what the actual reason was as to why they are in love? I have absolutely no clue. We don’t really get to know that, which sucks.
The dynamic had potential, but wasn’t greatly executed. Mads wasn’t adorable enough, and Anthony wasn’t broody enough. They were trying to go for the grumpy/sunshine trope, but didn’t follow through entirely. It felt a little bland and incomplete.
There’s far too much sex here, but at least it was pretty hot. I can imagine some people really enjoying those scenes, even though I personally got bored with it since I don’t really like smut, so I skimmed a bit of it.
The plot was pretty dumb and ridiculous, but that was to be expected to be honest. The action simply bored me to tears, so I skimmed a lot of that.
The cameos from other series were definitely fucking annoying and excruciatingly uninteresting, so I skimmed all of that.
The writing style was also just too detailed and too boring. I was really struggling to get through this without either falling asleep or skimming. I ended up picking the latter most of the time.
Overall, I didn’t like this book, and I kind of wish I had DNF’ed it.
I also regret picking this book up instead of waiting for book 3 and reading that one instead. Because honestly, Luca and Ford’s dynamic seems a lot better to me, but I don’t think I’m willing to read anything else in this series after hating this one.
This was actually pretty cute. I didn’t love it, since I had quite a few issues with it, but I did think it was sweet.
When it comes to the romance, I really liked that it was a bit of slow-burn, and that Elijah and Shaw truly got to know each other in depth. Even though they were opposites in a lot of ways, they matched well together. Their connection was genuine and extensive, and did not feel superficial at all.
They were also prepared to go to great lengths for the other’s happiness, and always managed to remember the little things. Their actual relationship was just very thoughtful and cute.
I also liked the fake-dating trope we got here, and even more so when it was paired with Shaw’s jealousy and their constant realizations of how real their feelings truly were.
However, I did think that their banter was a little annoying and I believed that their animosity towards each other at the beginning went on for a little too long. It didn’t quite make sense to me why they were so rude to each other when there was literally no reason for it (especially Elijah). Luckily, they eventually grew out of that childish behaviour a little, but still not entirely, which was a shame.
I also thought that their inability to admit that they liked, and eventually even loved, each other was a little immature and stupid. Especially Shaw was ridiculous in this aspect: I mean, I’m sure teenage heartbreak can hurt like hell, but refusing to believe in love after that for seven years straight, even when you are basically dating the perfect man for you? That’s just silly.
Anyway, long story short, this book had some things that annoyed me, but I did think these two could be plenty adorable together. Thus, it was an okay read and I enjoyed myself quite a bit.
When it comes to the romance, I really liked that it was a bit of slow-burn, and that Elijah and Shaw truly got to know each other in depth. Even though they were opposites in a lot of ways, they matched well together. Their connection was genuine and extensive, and did not feel superficial at all.
They were also prepared to go to great lengths for the other’s happiness, and always managed to remember the little things. Their actual relationship was just very thoughtful and cute.
I also liked the fake-dating trope we got here, and even more so when it was paired with Shaw’s jealousy and their constant realizations of how real their feelings truly were.
However, I did think that their banter was a little annoying and I believed that their animosity towards each other at the beginning went on for a little too long. It didn’t quite make sense to me why they were so rude to each other when there was literally no reason for it (especially Elijah). Luckily, they eventually grew out of that childish behaviour a little, but still not entirely, which was a shame.
I also thought that their inability to admit that they liked, and eventually even loved, each other was a little immature and stupid. Especially Shaw was ridiculous in this aspect: I mean, I’m sure teenage heartbreak can hurt like hell, but refusing to believe in love after that for seven years straight, even when you are basically dating the perfect man for you? That’s just silly.
Anyway, long story short, this book had some things that annoyed me, but I did think these two could be plenty adorable together. Thus, it was an okay read and I enjoyed myself quite a bit.
I love Ilya Rozanov with all of my heart and he honestly deserved so much more than he got most of the time. That’s really the most important thing I have to say here.
However, I should of course also mention that I absolutely loved the banter, the cuteness, the intimacy, the angst, the love, the chemistry, the freaking puppy, and so much more. I genuinely felt giddy reading this and swooned non-stop.
I wholeheartedly adore Shane and Ilya’s relationship and, of course, ILYA mother-fucking ROZANOV in particular! I mean, Ilya is legit the best boyfriend ever and the softest human being with the most amazing humour. I love him.
I am just so happy these two got everything they could have ever wanted in the end, and I’m still smiling about it now.
However, I should of course also mention that I absolutely loved the banter, the cuteness, the intimacy, the angst, the love, the chemistry, the freaking puppy, and so much more. I genuinely felt giddy reading this and swooned non-stop.
I wholeheartedly adore Shane and Ilya’s relationship and, of course, ILYA mother-fucking ROZANOV in particular! I mean, Ilya is legit the best boyfriend ever and the softest human being with the most amazing humour. I love him.
I am just so happy these two got everything they could have ever wanted in the end, and I’m still smiling about it now.
Just like the first book in the series, this was a sweet and cute read, but it wasn’t anything special.
Something about these books just does not manage to hit deep, but luckily they do succeed in giving me butterflies from time to time.
Jameson’s general shyness and constant rambling was all very endearing, and I definitely loved Will’s complete acceptance and utter adoration of him. They were honestly really good together, and I liked them as a couple.
There wasn’t any real drama between them, which was maybe slightly boring, but it did show how well they worked in a relationship. Of course there were still insecurities and problems along the way, and we also stuck with the whole “this is just a fling” thing for quite some time, but it was always obvious they were going to choose each other in the end and that they were really happy with that decision.
This is a super easy and light read with some adorable characters and a very sweet romance, but does not offer much more than that.
Something about these books just does not manage to hit deep, but luckily they do succeed in giving me butterflies from time to time.
Jameson’s general shyness and constant rambling was all very endearing, and I definitely loved Will’s complete acceptance and utter adoration of him. They were honestly really good together, and I liked them as a couple.
There wasn’t any real drama between them, which was maybe slightly boring, but it did show how well they worked in a relationship. Of course there were still insecurities and problems along the way, and we also stuck with the whole “this is just a fling” thing for quite some time, but it was always obvious they were going to choose each other in the end and that they were really happy with that decision.
This is a super easy and light read with some adorable characters and a very sweet romance, but does not offer much more than that.
This was definitely very silly and very smutty.
I don’t think this was a necessarily bad attempt at the human-alien erotica genre, but I do think that that whole thing might just not be for me.
Honestly, the idea of having sex with a random alien who you cannot communicate with feels a little weird to me and seems extremely superficial. Even if this random alien turns out to be your “mate”, it’s still questionable at best.
I also had a lot of difficulties caring about these characters and even the story itself, and thus ended up skimming quite a bit.
I was simply very disinterested in it all and unfortunately just did not like it.
I don’t think this was a necessarily bad attempt at the human-alien erotica genre, but I do think that that whole thing might just not be for me.
Honestly, the idea of having sex with a random alien who you cannot communicate with feels a little weird to me and seems extremely superficial. Even if this random alien turns out to be your “mate”, it’s still questionable at best.
I also had a lot of difficulties caring about these characters and even the story itself, and thus ended up skimming quite a bit.
I was simply very disinterested in it all and unfortunately just did not like it.
Urgh. This was so annoying and so boring.
The beginning of this book was pretty decent and I liked the pining.
However, the very moment Tristan said “I love you” to Hayden, the whole thing went completely downhill. I just got so incredibly frustrated with Hayden’s sudden evasive behaviour. His constant self-doubt got on my damn nerves and my patience with Hayden ran out very quickly. And I know he has had a difficult life, but his whining still became very tiresome. Sorry not sorry.
I was just completely over this relationship in general. Tristan deserved better and Hayden’s behaviour was annoying. The whole thing was also terribly repetitive and I just didn’t like it at all.
In fact, I cared about this book so little, I even started skimming before we got anywhere near the end.
The beginning of this book was pretty decent and I liked the pining.
However, the very moment Tristan said “I love you” to Hayden, the whole thing went completely downhill. I just got so incredibly frustrated with Hayden’s sudden evasive behaviour. His constant self-doubt got on my damn nerves and my patience with Hayden ran out very quickly. And I know he has had a difficult life, but his whining still became very tiresome. Sorry not sorry.
I was just completely over this relationship in general. Tristan deserved better and Hayden’s behaviour was annoying. The whole thing was also terribly repetitive and I just didn’t like it at all.
In fact, I cared about this book so little, I even started skimming before we got anywhere near the end.
I really liked this! I’m not sure what it was exactly, but something about this one worked really well for me. Maybe it’s because I genuinely liked Zach and cared about getting to see his journey of self-discovery unfold. Or maybe it’s that the writing was engaging and fun in a way that never had me bored. I don’t know, but I just liked it.
The romance was also pretty great and I loved the age-gap!
However, I do have to admit that this could have used a little more detail or depth. We never got to read from Henry’s POV, so perhaps that might be what was missing. On the other hand, I did enjoy Zach’s perspective a lot, so I wasn’t sad about it or anything.
My favourite part about their relationship was definitely Henry’s adoration for Zach and his willingness to do anything for him; it was very sweet. The bits of drama that ensued due to this were also entertaining and plenty swoon-worthy.
Anyway, like I said before, I cannot pin-point what exactly made this book such a big win for me, but it just was. I genuinely had a really good feeling while reading this.
The romance was also pretty great and I loved the age-gap!
However, I do have to admit that this could have used a little more detail or depth. We never got to read from Henry’s POV, so perhaps that might be what was missing. On the other hand, I did enjoy Zach’s perspective a lot, so I wasn’t sad about it or anything.
My favourite part about their relationship was definitely Henry’s adoration for Zach and his willingness to do anything for him; it was very sweet. The bits of drama that ensued due to this were also entertaining and plenty swoon-worthy.
Anyway, like I said before, I cannot pin-point what exactly made this book such a big win for me, but it just was. I genuinely had a really good feeling while reading this.
I’m This is a mystery, suspense, drama and romance all rolled into one, and it made for a very amazing whole. All the different aspects were worked out well and added their own value to the overall story. It was intriguing, enthralling and truly managed to capture my interest as well as my heart.
I honestly cared about what I was reading here, and that was mostly due to the fact that I loved our main character, Charlie, so incredibly much. Charlie’s personality was complex and heart-breaking, and I couldn’t help but want to find out everything that had happened to him and see how he was feeling about it all.
Charlie’s mental health issues were a big part of this story, and I thought it was very well-done. I got pissed off on his behalf plenty of times, and I genuinely felt like strangling everyone who kept dismissing him and refusing to listen to what he had to say as if he was nothing more than a paranoid lunatic. Charlie invoked a lot of sympathy from me, and I grew incredibly fond of him.
My immense love for Charlie was why I was really happy that after a while he at least had an ally in Takoda, who constantly stood by his side, thoroughly defended him and always had his best interest at heart. It was truly the type of love and care Charlie deserved, and I was so happy he finally got that, even if it was with someone who did not make the best first impression.. But I’m not going to get into that, since Takoda more than made up for his less than stellar introduction! His relationship with Charlie ended up being very sweet and gentle, which I loved.
The plot developed at a really nice pace and really managed to capture a feeling of suspense. I truly wanted to find out every single thing about what had happened to Charlie in the past and also about what was happening to him now. The mystery was always present in the story, and didn’t feel like it was just a tool to create drama or shock. It was all well-written and very interesting in nature.
My one real complaint with this book would be that I very much preferred the first half over the second. I’m not sure what it was that made my engrossment wane a little, but unfortunately that did happen. I felt a little less invested in the story and the characters at that point, whereas before, my investment levels were at a ten out of ten. Maybe it was just me or maybe the book truly went downhill.. Whatever it was, I wish I would have enjoyed this book equally the whole way through. But oh well. I’m still a big fan overall, and I thought this book was really great!
I honestly cared about what I was reading here, and that was mostly due to the fact that I loved our main character, Charlie, so incredibly much. Charlie’s personality was complex and heart-breaking, and I couldn’t help but want to find out everything that had happened to him and see how he was feeling about it all.
Charlie’s mental health issues were a big part of this story, and I thought it was very well-done. I got pissed off on his behalf plenty of times, and I genuinely felt like strangling everyone who kept dismissing him and refusing to listen to what he had to say as if he was nothing more than a paranoid lunatic. Charlie invoked a lot of sympathy from me, and I grew incredibly fond of him.
My immense love for Charlie was why I was really happy that after a while he at least had an ally in Takoda, who constantly stood by his side, thoroughly defended him and always had his best interest at heart. It was truly the type of love and care Charlie deserved, and I was so happy he finally got that, even if it was with someone who did not make the best first impression.. But I’m not going to get into that, since Takoda more than made up for his less than stellar introduction! His relationship with Charlie ended up being very sweet and gentle, which I loved.
The plot developed at a really nice pace and really managed to capture a feeling of suspense. I truly wanted to find out every single thing about what had happened to Charlie in the past and also about what was happening to him now. The mystery was always present in the story, and didn’t feel like it was just a tool to create drama or shock. It was all well-written and very interesting in nature.
My one real complaint with this book would be that I very much preferred the first half over the second. I’m not sure what it was that made my engrossment wane a little, but unfortunately that did happen. I felt a little less invested in the story and the characters at that point, whereas before, my investment levels were at a ten out of ten. Maybe it was just me or maybe the book truly went downhill.. Whatever it was, I wish I would have enjoyed this book equally the whole way through. But oh well. I’m still a big fan overall, and I thought this book was really great!
This premise was pretty nasty and non-consensual. Theo basically blackmails Logan into having sex with him in return for tutoring sessions Logan desperately needs. And when they actually get to all their manipulated sexual deeds, Theo is harsh and cold; it gave me the creeps.
Luckily, though, this was mostly only a problem in the first half of the book, but still.. They definitely had a very rocky start, which made it difficult for me to get into the romance.
Nonetheless, I did think that this book got a little better over time and the characters became a little less annoying, but I still can’t say I ever became a big fan. My feelings on this book went from “ew” to “mwah” and eventually even ended on “mhm”, but I never actually got to a point of love or genuine investment. I ended up feeling ambivalent towards the whole thing, which isn’t awful but definitely isn’t great either.
This relationship actually reminded me a lot of Luke and Elliot (from Cora’s previous book), which is not a good thing in my opinion. Their dynamic was very similar with Logan just following Theo around like a brainless puppy, willing to do everything for him, while Theo is not giving him anything other than the cold shoulder or the occasional cruel words. It pissed me off a lot and also made it very hard for me ship these two.
However, I do have to admit that Logan was never quite as stupid as Luke, and Theo was never quite as mean as Elliot, but still… Logan needed to learn some self-respect, while Theo genuinely needed to grow up and just get a grip. It was embarrassing for both of them.
I think the best part about this whole book was the excitement I felt for Landon and Finn’s relationship. Their dynamic was so lovely and so cute, and I have to say I am very much looking forward to reading their story in the next book!
However, if their book turns out to be a disappointment as well, then I think I might actually be done with this author for a while. As it is now, I still have faith and am hoping that some of her books just need a better premise with better characters. After all, I know she can get it right; she’s done it before with other books. Fingers crossed!
Recommendation: If you read this author's previous series and were a huge fan of “Whit” and “Luke”, then I think you might love this book, because there are many similarities with those two stories. However, if you are more like me, and only really loved “Sem” and/or “Emery”, then I think this book will most likely be a bust for you too.
Luckily, though, this was mostly only a problem in the first half of the book, but still.. They definitely had a very rocky start, which made it difficult for me to get into the romance.
Nonetheless, I did think that this book got a little better over time and the characters became a little less annoying, but I still can’t say I ever became a big fan. My feelings on this book went from “ew” to “mwah” and eventually even ended on “mhm”, but I never actually got to a point of love or genuine investment. I ended up feeling ambivalent towards the whole thing, which isn’t awful but definitely isn’t great either.
This relationship actually reminded me a lot of Luke and Elliot (from Cora’s previous book), which is not a good thing in my opinion. Their dynamic was very similar with Logan just following Theo around like a brainless puppy, willing to do everything for him, while Theo is not giving him anything other than the cold shoulder or the occasional cruel words. It pissed me off a lot and also made it very hard for me ship these two.
However, I do have to admit that Logan was never quite as stupid as Luke, and Theo was never quite as mean as Elliot, but still… Logan needed to learn some self-respect, while Theo genuinely needed to grow up and just get a grip. It was embarrassing for both of them.
I think the best part about this whole book was the excitement I felt for Landon and Finn’s relationship. Their dynamic was so lovely and so cute, and I have to say I am very much looking forward to reading their story in the next book!
However, if their book turns out to be a disappointment as well, then I think I might actually be done with this author for a while. As it is now, I still have faith and am hoping that some of her books just need a better premise with better characters. After all, I know she can get it right; she’s done it before with other books. Fingers crossed!
Recommendation: If you read this author's previous series and were a huge fan of “Whit” and “Luke”, then I think you might love this book, because there are many similarities with those two stories. However, if you are more like me, and only really loved “Sem” and/or “Emery”, then I think this book will most likely be a bust for you too.