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lauraelovesbooks's review against another edition
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
An undeniably polarizing book that I can’t help but enjoy. So toxic and full of tension, it’s addicting. I love the focus on gymnastics, it makes the book a lot more interesting
This is going to be a series you either love or hate
This is going to be a series you either love or hate
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Eating disorder, Fatphobia, and Injury/Injury detail
sienasummerrreads's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
This started strong. Love the forbidden taboo dynamic. The FMC Adrianna’s determination and competitive fight with a touch of being a brat and talking back to the coach was delicious. Kova was saying and doing all the right things until I started getting the ick. Don't get me wrong I think this book is good and I'm intrigued to continue to see where it goes but I had a real issue with character behaviours so let's talk about it.
(POTENTIAL SPOILERS BELOW)
First off the FMC is a virgin also 17 so we have the taboo element. It is discussed in the book the legal age of consent which is fine just keeping in mind she is still a minor. When we got to the spice no discussion of protection. I just don't believe this grown-ass man who is 32 didn't have the decency to verbally discuss if she has done it before and not using protection. When it comes around to doing it again the FMC pokes the bear and says something like “Why don't you go back to Katja” the partner he is with and cheating on. He turns around and says “I don't want her right now” WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T WANT HER RIGHT NOW? You're acting like you'll have whoever whenever you feel like it. ICK. Then the FMC who has had one or two rodeos on this man says to him during the intimate scene “Is she tight like me?” WHAT girl come on you only just found out how to navigate the appendage. Sit down and stick to the books. Then it starts getting toxic and manipulative when the situation comes up of we can't do this anymore he starts saying well you're the fault or in a way it paint that he thinks she is the instigator. Basically manipulating her. It gets worse though because THIS GROWN ASS MAN TURNS AROUND AND SAYS…
“If you get pregnant, I'll deny it till the day I die”
Throw him in the bin at this point. This fictional man needs to grovel from the grave because he is 10ft below right now. Redirecting back to the FMC she started getting worse towards the end going into the office and throwing a tantrum saying she would cry wolf. It is toxic, manipulative and gaslighting behaviour more from the MMC side but also the FMC aswell. Both are just as bad as each other but I do have a bit more anger toward the adult who is clearly a man-child. It was a real turn-off. I'm gutted.
Minor pick up of detail at the start the FMC had burgundy hair but in the end Alburn. One is more red the other is more purple so not sure what happened there.
Now I will read the next book. I'm interested to see if I change my mind but I have been told the toxic behaviour continues.
If you love:
🔹Taboo
🔹Forbidden
🔹Sports Coach and Student
🔹Age Gap 15yrs
🔹Slow Burn
🔹Toxic Relationship
Genre/Type: Adult Sports Romance 18+
APK: Kindle / Audiobook - Audible
Pages: 592
Audiobook Length: 17hrs 18mins
Narrators: Sarah Puckett - Solo
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟
Spice: 🌶️🌶.5
Series or Stand Alone: Book One In The Off Balance Series
Tropes or Themes: Sports (Gymnastics), Forbidden, Forced Proximity, Age Gap (15 yrs), FMC Gymnast, MMC Coach, FMC Brat, Jealousy, Manipulation, Gaslighting, Toxic Relationship, Letters, Cursing, Drug Use, Medical Content, Sexual Content, Praise, Virgin, Spanking and Dirty Talk
Mentions: Rape
Check Triggers ⚠️ 💫
All Round Romance Reader
Sienasummerrreads 💕📚
TikTok | Instagram | Goodreads | StoryGraph | Everand | Amazon | Audible Reviews 💫
(POTENTIAL SPOILERS BELOW)
First off the FMC is a virgin also 17 so we have the taboo element. It is discussed in the book the legal age of consent which is fine just keeping in mind she is still a minor. When we got to the spice no discussion of protection. I just don't believe this grown-ass man who is 32 didn't have the decency to verbally discuss if she has done it before and not using protection. When it comes around to doing it again the FMC pokes the bear and says something like “Why don't you go back to Katja” the partner he is with and cheating on. He turns around and says “I don't want her right now” WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T WANT HER RIGHT NOW? You're acting like you'll have whoever whenever you feel like it. ICK. Then the FMC who has had one or two rodeos on this man says to him during the intimate scene “Is she tight like me?” WHAT girl come on you only just found out how to navigate the appendage. Sit down and stick to the books. Then it starts getting toxic and manipulative when the situation comes up of we can't do this anymore he starts saying well you're the fault or in a way it paint that he thinks she is the instigator. Basically manipulating her. It gets worse though because THIS GROWN ASS MAN TURNS AROUND AND SAYS…
“If you get pregnant, I'll deny it till the day I die”
Throw him in the bin at this point. This fictional man needs to grovel from the grave because he is 10ft below right now. Redirecting back to the FMC she started getting worse towards the end going into the office and throwing a tantrum saying she would cry wolf. It is toxic, manipulative and gaslighting behaviour more from the MMC side but also the FMC aswell. Both are just as bad as each other but I do have a bit more anger toward the adult who is clearly a man-child. It was a real turn-off. I'm gutted.
Minor pick up of detail at the start the FMC had burgundy hair but in the end Alburn. One is more red the other is more purple so not sure what happened there.
Now I will read the next book. I'm interested to see if I change my mind but I have been told the toxic behaviour continues.
If you love:
🔹Taboo
🔹Forbidden
🔹Sports Coach and Student
🔹Age Gap 15yrs
🔹Slow Burn
🔹Toxic Relationship
Genre/Type: Adult Sports Romance 18+
APK: Kindle / Audiobook - Audible
Pages: 592
Audiobook Length: 17hrs 18mins
Narrators: Sarah Puckett - Solo
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟
Spice: 🌶️🌶.5
Series or Stand Alone: Book One In The Off Balance Series
Tropes or Themes: Sports (Gymnastics), Forbidden, Forced Proximity, Age Gap (15 yrs), FMC Gymnast, MMC Coach, FMC Brat, Jealousy, Manipulation, Gaslighting, Toxic Relationship, Letters, Cursing, Drug Use, Medical Content, Sexual Content, Praise, Virgin, Spanking and Dirty Talk
Mentions: Rape
Check Triggers ⚠️ 💫
All Round Romance Reader
Sienasummerrreads 💕📚
TikTok | Instagram | Goodreads | StoryGraph | Everand | Amazon | Audible Reviews 💫
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Drug use, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Rape
mrsmonty503's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
bookswithkat97's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Infidelity, and Sexual content
Moderate: Bullying and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death of parent and Abandonment
100_pages_hr's review against another edition
2.5
This book is messed up! Check content warnings
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Sexual content, Blood, Medical content, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Rape and Abortion
aklovekorn's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Cursing, Infidelity, Sexual content, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Drug abuse, Eating disorder, and Alcohol
renharms's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship and Sexual content
Moderate: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death of parent
sniderbeebooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
This is not a rage-induced one-star rating. I don't care that the book is taboo or the romance forbidden; it makes no difference to me. Instead, this is a one-star book because, to be blunt, it is the most miserable romance reading experience I've ever had.
I was hating this book at 40% and I was guiltily scrambling for how/why I would justify a low rating among all of the praise this book has received. I felt like I was being really nit-picky, but the book just felt... off. Well, I finished it and I'm not feeling guilty anymore.
I've said before when it comes to taboo or forbidden romance novels, the point is to bend a reader to your will and make them champion a couple that by all standards, should not be together. Adrianna and Kova should not have been together. Her age. His position. But instead of finding myself longing to see them together as I expected, I desperately wanted them to not work out. That or become totally different people.
If it were just her age or just his position of power, then maybe my feelings would have been different. But there was wrongness at every single turn in this one. Kova has a girlfriend, so he's also cheating. Ria knows he has a girlfriend and enables the cheating. Not only that, but they actually banter back and forth about Kova's girlfriend while they're being intimate. How is that sexy?
Kova is entirely focused on his own gratification and self-preservation, at one point telling her that if he gets her pregnant, he will deny it until his dying breath. Their intimate scenes are all about Kova being self-focused. He seduces her by vocalizing the battle raging between HIS desires and HIS lack of control. How he can't help himself with her and she needs to be the one to stop things from going further.
Ria is entirely focused on Kova and his gratification. She hides her inexperience from him. She hides the pain he inflicts upon her from him. She literally allows herself to be harmed for his satisfaction.
In fact, no one in this book has Adrianna's best interests at heart and she's the impressionable 15 year old!
Kova is disgusting. The ways he treats Ria are disgusting. The things he says to her, again, disgusting. Ria is annoyingly stubborn, rebellious, and frankly stupid. She doesn't even try to stay healthy and/or well.
Like if you think 50 Shades was toxic.... allow me to introduce you to this series opener.
Content aside, the book is just a mess. First, it's 600 pages of slow-moving, overly technical, mundane details. An editor could have cut at least 200 pages from this book. Easily. It's also broken up in a completely arbitrary way. Chapters end and begin in the middle of conversations even though there is no point of view shift. Why? Meanwhile, the narrative will jump ahead by days or weeks in the middle of a single chapter. I mean, what are you doing? The pacing is also a mess, the details are confusing, and then it turns into melodrama.
The ending of this book is so ridiculous, I wanted to throw my phone across the room. All I wanted was to be able to sympathize with Adrianna in the face of her constant mistreatment at the hands of her closest guardian. Instead, she quickly becomes the villain in my eyes and there is suddenly nothing redeemable about her. She deserves everything her coach does to her.
I watched a video that spoils the rest of the series. There are five whole books full of this torture, the shortest of which is still over 450 pages. It sounds like nothing improves, the melodrama only gets worse, the side characters become even more deplorable, and I'm not convinced that at any point, Kova or Adrianna could have won me over. You know, should I be stranded on a deserted island for eternity with only these five books to keep me company. That's the only way I'd read them.
I was hating this book at 40% and I was guiltily scrambling for how/why I would justify a low rating among all of the praise this book has received. I felt like I was being really nit-picky, but the book just felt... off. Well, I finished it and I'm not feeling guilty anymore.
I've said before when it comes to taboo or forbidden romance novels, the point is to bend a reader to your will and make them champion a couple that by all standards, should not be together. Adrianna and Kova should not have been together. Her age. His position. But instead of finding myself longing to see them together as I expected, I desperately wanted them to not work out. That or become totally different people.
If it were just her age or just his position of power, then maybe my feelings would have been different. But there was wrongness at every single turn in this one. Kova has a girlfriend, so he's also cheating. Ria knows he has a girlfriend and enables the cheating. Not only that, but they actually banter back and forth about Kova's girlfriend while they're being intimate. How is that sexy?
Kova is entirely focused on his own gratification and self-preservation, at one point telling her that if he gets her pregnant, he will deny it until his dying breath. Their intimate scenes are all about Kova being self-focused. He seduces her by vocalizing the battle raging between HIS desires and HIS lack of control. How he can't help himself with her and she needs to be the one to stop things from going further.
Ria is entirely focused on Kova and his gratification. She hides her inexperience from him. She hides the pain he inflicts upon her from him. She literally allows herself to be harmed for his satisfaction.
In fact, no one in this book has Adrianna's best interests at heart and she's the impressionable 15 year old!
Kova is disgusting. The ways he treats Ria are disgusting. The things he says to her, again, disgusting. Ria is annoyingly stubborn, rebellious, and frankly stupid. She doesn't even try to stay healthy and/or well.
Like if you think 50 Shades was toxic.... allow me to introduce you to this series opener.
Content aside, the book is just a mess. First, it's 600 pages of slow-moving, overly technical, mundane details. An editor could have cut at least 200 pages from this book. Easily. It's also broken up in a completely arbitrary way. Chapters end and begin in the middle of conversations even though there is no point of view shift. Why? Meanwhile, the narrative will jump ahead by days or weeks in the middle of a single chapter. I mean, what are you doing? The pacing is also a mess, the details are confusing, and then it turns into melodrama.
The ending of this book is so ridiculous, I wanted to throw my phone across the room. All I wanted was to be able to sympathize with Adrianna in the face of her constant mistreatment at the hands of her closest guardian. Instead, she quickly becomes the villain in my eyes and there is suddenly nothing redeemable about her. She deserves everything her coach does to her.
I watched a video that spoils the rest of the series. There are five whole books full of this torture, the shortest of which is still over 450 pages. It sounds like nothing improves, the melodrama only gets worse, the side characters become even more deplorable, and I'm not convinced that at any point, Kova or Adrianna could have won me over. You know, should I be stranded on a deserted island for eternity with only these five books to keep me company. That's the only way I'd read them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, and Injury/Injury detail