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lastblossom's review
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
tl;dr
Messy soapy teen drama with a paranormal twist. Hits a few of my personal peeves, including jealous boyfriend and miscommunication.
Thoughts
The author's notes at the end describe this book as a guilty pleasure soapy read, and I can see why. It's packed with messy teens, high drama, jealousy, dark family secrets, and a big paranormal twist partway through that almost seems to shift the genre. Unfortunately, it turns out guilty pleasures and soap are not my thing. Some of my least favorite storytelling flourishes are in here. He grabs her to keep from walking away when she wants to leave. He secretly follows her back to her room for her own safety. Sometimes he gets violent when other guys get too close. He just can't help himself. I don't vibe with that. Also, everyone jumps to a lot of conclusions. Both POV characters become wildly jealous seeing the other merely hanging out with someone. Misunderstandings propel a lot of the drama. I found myself yelling "what if you just talked to each other?" I'm just not clicking with the leads and their relationship, it seems. If you are unlike me and you enjoy the things I listed, feel free to get excited, because it's all in there. There're also some well-telegraphed paranormal twists and a lot of dark family mysteries hinted at, with a cliffhanger that promises even more drama in the next installment.
Thanks to NetGalley and Mogul Scarf Productions for the advance copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.
Messy soapy teen drama with a paranormal twist. Hits a few of my personal peeves, including jealous boyfriend and miscommunication.
Thoughts
The author's notes at the end describe this book as a guilty pleasure soapy read, and I can see why. It's packed with messy teens, high drama, jealousy, dark family secrets, and a big paranormal twist partway through that almost seems to shift the genre. Unfortunately, it turns out guilty pleasures and soap are not my thing. Some of my least favorite storytelling flourishes are in here. He grabs her to keep from walking away when she wants to leave. He secretly follows her back to her room for her own safety. Sometimes he gets violent when other guys get too close. He just can't help himself. I don't vibe with that. Also, everyone jumps to a lot of conclusions. Both POV characters become wildly jealous seeing the other merely hanging out with someone. Misunderstandings propel a lot of the drama. I found myself yelling "what if you just talked to each other?" I'm just not clicking with the leads and their relationship, it seems. If you are unlike me and you enjoy the things I listed, feel free to get excited, because it's all in there. There're also some well-telegraphed paranormal twists and a lot of dark family mysteries hinted at, with a cliffhanger that promises even more drama in the next installment.
Thanks to NetGalley and Mogul Scarf Productions for the advance copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Violence, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Car accident
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