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adriannasophiabookss's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this! I am aware this one has mixed reviews but for me it was a solid romance read.
This is a high school/new adult romance (all of the characters are around 18) following multiple characters but for this first book the main characters are Sloane and RJ. RJ has just been sent to Sandover Prep, an elite all boys school, after being expelled from every school he’s been to before. His new Stepfather is wealthy and has pulled a few strings to get him in but he’s not excited about his new predicament, especially when his new Stepbrother Fenn and his two friends Lawson and Silas try to draw him out of his shell. Sloane is the headmaster’s daughter and she is way off limits but when she and RJ bump into each other they can’t deny that there is something there.
That’s the basic plot, there is a lot going on here as this book also deals with drug and alcohol addiction, complex parental relationships and bullying. I know a lot of people didn’t like this book because of the multiple POV’s but I absolutely loved it because of that. I was so invested in everyone’s stories and it made me excited to see each character’s development in their own book. I really enjoyed RJ and Sloane as characters and I really felt the chemistry between them. They had amazing communication between them and their fallouts were solved maturely. I thought they were a really healthy couple and really good for each other as well. Another character I LOVED was Casey and I can’t wait to read more about her in the next book! She’s so mature and thoughtful even after everything she’s been through.
I’m so glad I got the ARC of the next book (although it’s already out now) because wow did this one end on a cliffhanger! It felt like a season finale of gossip girl honestly. I’ve seen a few people disliking the bisexual rep in this book and I wanted to give my views as a bisexual person on this matter. I personally enjoyed the rep, I liked that Lawson was out, accepted and had a supportive group of friends. Yes some of his comments were stereotypical like “I need to have lots of sex because being bisexual means there are more people to sleep with” but I just took that as his sense of humour. I personally wasn’t offended by any of the content. There were no homophobic slurs used so I’m happy. There are also some reviews that comment on his drug and alcohol addiction and the way it was handled but I think Elle is going to dive deeper into this in future books.
Talking of future books I need to get to the next one NOW!
This is a high school/new adult romance (all of the characters are around 18) following multiple characters but for this first book the main characters are Sloane and RJ. RJ has just been sent to Sandover Prep, an elite all boys school, after being expelled from every school he’s been to before. His new Stepfather is wealthy and has pulled a few strings to get him in but he’s not excited about his new predicament, especially when his new Stepbrother Fenn and his two friends Lawson and Silas try to draw him out of his shell. Sloane is the headmaster’s daughter and she is way off limits but when she and RJ bump into each other they can’t deny that there is something there.
That’s the basic plot, there is a lot going on here as this book also deals with drug and alcohol addiction, complex parental relationships and bullying. I know a lot of people didn’t like this book because of the multiple POV’s but I absolutely loved it because of that. I was so invested in everyone’s stories and it made me excited to see each character’s development in their own book. I really enjoyed RJ and Sloane as characters and I really felt the chemistry between them. They had amazing communication between them and their fallouts were solved maturely. I thought they were a really healthy couple and really good for each other as well. Another character I LOVED was Casey and I can’t wait to read more about her in the next book! She’s so mature and thoughtful even after everything she’s been through.
I’m so glad I got the ARC of the next book (although it’s already out now) because wow did this one end on a cliffhanger! It felt like a season finale of gossip girl honestly. I’ve seen a few people disliking the bisexual rep in this book and I wanted to give my views as a bisexual person on this matter. I personally enjoyed the rep, I liked that Lawson was out, accepted and had a supportive group of friends. Yes some of his comments were stereotypical like “I need to have lots of sex because being bisexual means there are more people to sleep with” but I just took that as his sense of humour. I personally wasn’t offended by any of the content. There were no homophobic slurs used so I’m happy. There are also some reviews that comment on his drug and alcohol addiction and the way it was handled but I think Elle is going to dive deeper into this in future books.
Talking of future books I need to get to the next one NOW!
frauke_vk's review
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
leonieparamor's review
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
mad005's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
maggiereb17's review against another edition
5.0
Holy fucking shit, that was a RIDE.
First of all, I fucking adore this book. I love the characters, I love their Gossip Girl/Heathers-esque banter. I love that each one of them is completely fucked up and so so damaged. I love the story, and the drama, and the endless winding plot threads all overlapping.
I think the thing about this book that is going to get it mislabeled/misunderstood, is that it’s not so much a romance as it is the beginning of an R rated teen drama book series. The first book isn’t just the story of RJ and Sloane, though their romance does have an arc and ends in a good place, it’s more the story about the boys in the prep school. It’s about each one of them and all the messed up things they’ve done, or that have happened to them. This isn’t so much a romance series as it is a NA contemporary series with romance. And I absolutely love that about it.
The boys are all fucked up in their own way and I love them all for it. RJ, who despite being the boy who’s been kicked out of almost every school he’s ever attended, is actually the best acting and most well adjusted of them all. Silas, who pretends at being the all American good guy, but who lets himself be swayed by petty jealousy, strings along his girlfriend, and is the only one who won’t admit to the damage he’s done to get put in Sandover. Fenn, who’s seemingly an all cards on the table a pretty boy man slut, but who actually has deep dark secrets he keeps in fear of losing the very few friends he has. And Lawson, who is fucked up beyond belief, and who loves to create chaos and inebriate himself so badly that he doesn’t have to live in his own mind while sober.
Then there are the girls, Sloane and Casey, polar opposites but tough enough to handle the fucked up boys at Sandover. Sloane who, for all her pretty popular girl exterior, is much more of a Bender than a Claire. And Casey, who is as genuinely good and kind as she seems, but is intensely traumatized.
The characters themselves are what make this book so good in my eyes, and I love that we got POVs from almost all of them (all save Casey), because their stories are all interesting. I loved reading the romance between RJ and Sloane, but I equally loved watching Fenn and Casey circle each other, watching Silas make all the wrong choices, and watching Lawson fall into a spiral of self destruction so thorough and complete I don’t know how he’ll top it.
I know how the series will likely end: RJ with Sloane, Casey with Fenn, and Silas with Lawson. But I know that getting there is going to be an endless spiral of high school drama and I am so ready to read it. This makes the favorites list and I am eagerly awaiting the next one.
The important thing to remember when going into this book, is that more than being a romance, it’s a Gossip Girl-esque NA prep school drama series about the boys at Sandover. They are the main characters, and, though the romance is the main plot, it’s not the only plot.
For me that is what makes this book so good/unique/interesting. Elle Kennedy excels at writing men, more so than most romance authors do, and so writing a series with 4 broken prep school assholes as the main characters? Of course she’s going to kill it.
I’m eagerly awaiting the next one, and I already can’t wait to re-read this one.
(My 100th book of the year)
First of all, I fucking adore this book. I love the characters, I love their Gossip Girl/Heathers-esque banter. I love that each one of them is completely fucked up and so so damaged. I love the story, and the drama, and the endless winding plot threads all overlapping.
I think the thing about this book that is going to get it mislabeled/misunderstood, is that it’s not so much a romance as it is the beginning of an R rated teen drama book series. The first book isn’t just the story of RJ and Sloane, though their romance does have an arc and ends in a good place, it’s more the story about the boys in the prep school. It’s about each one of them and all the messed up things they’ve done, or that have happened to them. This isn’t so much a romance series as it is a NA contemporary series with romance. And I absolutely love that about it.
The boys are all fucked up in their own way and I love them all for it. RJ, who despite being the boy who’s been kicked out of almost every school he’s ever attended, is actually the best acting and most well adjusted of them all. Silas, who pretends at being the all American good guy, but who lets himself be swayed by petty jealousy, strings along his girlfriend, and is the only one who won’t admit to the damage he’s done to get put in Sandover. Fenn, who’s seemingly an all cards on the table a pretty boy man slut, but who actually has deep dark secrets he keeps in fear of losing the very few friends he has. And Lawson, who is fucked up beyond belief, and who loves to create chaos and inebriate himself so badly that he doesn’t have to live in his own mind while sober.
Then there are the girls, Sloane and Casey, polar opposites but tough enough to handle the fucked up boys at Sandover. Sloane who, for all her pretty popular girl exterior, is much more of a Bender than a Claire. And Casey, who is as genuinely good and kind as she seems, but is intensely traumatized.
The characters themselves are what make this book so good in my eyes, and I love that we got POVs from almost all of them (all save Casey), because their stories are all interesting. I loved reading the romance between RJ and Sloane, but I equally loved watching Fenn and Casey circle each other, watching Silas make all the wrong choices, and watching Lawson fall into a spiral of self destruction so thorough and complete I don’t know how he’ll top it.
I know how the series will likely end: RJ with Sloane, Casey with Fenn, and Silas with Lawson. But I know that getting there is going to be an endless spiral of high school drama and I am so ready to read it. This makes the favorites list and I am eagerly awaiting the next one.
The important thing to remember when going into this book, is that more than being a romance, it’s a Gossip Girl-esque NA prep school drama series about the boys at Sandover. They are the main characters, and, though the romance is the main plot, it’s not the only plot.
For me that is what makes this book so good/unique/interesting. Elle Kennedy excels at writing men, more so than most romance authors do, and so writing a series with 4 broken prep school assholes as the main characters? Of course she’s going to kill it.
I’m eagerly awaiting the next one, and I already can’t wait to re-read this one.
(My 100th book of the year)
gdeplasco's review against another edition
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
accidiosav's review
challenging
dark
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
tianamaelyn's review
3.0
I have so many mixed feelings about this book. The overall story of Sloane and RJ is good, but I found the other povs a little bit pointless. I get that they’re setting up the series but they made this book drag on which put me in a slump. There were also so many different plots included in this book that just made it hard to keep up; so many things happening at once just made it difficult to stay interested and I wish they focused on one thing at a time. I also hate that cliff hanger at the end of the book because now it means i have to read the sequel lol