katieklysmic's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Sexual content, Violence, Drug abuse, Gun violence, and Drug use
Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, and Child abuse
marissamalark's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Moderate: Addiction, Rape, Drug abuse, Cancer, and Pedophilia
Minor: Vomit and Death
aelin_morgenstern's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Trafficking, Vomit, Child abuse, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Sexual assault, Drug use, Stalking, and Violence
Minor: Rape, Pregnancy, and Drug abuse
dollettes's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual violence, Murder, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Gun violence, Drug abuse, Drug use, Domestic abuse, Vomit, Mental illness, and Cursing
gluvsbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
WOW. ok… so, i did not think I was going to enjoy this book as much as i did. I actually did it backwards and read book 2 in the series before I read book 1, but after loving this so much I’m going to go back and read The Sweetest Oblivion.
I don’t even know what to say about them.
Both Christian and Gianna are two people you wouldn’t expect to be together, they both had a very troubled and traumatic upbringing where they are left to deal with the demons of their past as adults.
Their story is told in two parts. Part one is the past where we see them first meet. Gianna is married to someone else and then she remarried again. Both times she is in unhappy relationships and both times it was never the right time for her and Christian.
That doesn’t mean that they don’t find other way to take all that tension out of themselves though. And no I don’t mean sex, get you mind out of the gutter. Their chemistry together is shown through their endless back and forth at each other. It is none stop and I really enjoyed seeing neither of them give in to the other.
During this time though we also see Christian being and saying mean things to Gianna to get under her skin. As much as some of the things said are upsetting and shouldn’t be excused, I think it can also be explained as it was a way for Christian to get his frustration of the fact he couldn’t have Gianna out, he just directed it at the wrong person.
We also see that in part one, Christian is going to therapy, he’s in it for a few years as well as there are a few times in the present we see him in the therapist office. And the reason for that is Gianna. This man has been so obsessed with something he couldn’t have he ended up needing to talk to someone, not that he actually shares how he feels with anyone.
Also, in part one we see Gianna a lot at her low points. It could be said that she was an addict in someways as she turned to drugs and alcohol to drown out her demons and nightmares. However, that is not to say she is not a strong FMC, because she is. Gianna went through so much, as a child and and even in her adult life too. She never had the long end of the stick, finding herself always being dealt the short end. But she persevered through it all and we find that she eventually comes out on top.
Now, with part two in the present. Christian and Gianna and thrown back together again. They’re still stand off-ish to one another after how things ended up between them in the past. But then everything changes and they give into their years long desire for one another. They end up entering some kind of relationship… one of the sexual kind. Here is where they realise they like each others company and they learn new things by observing the other.
Even though it is just sex… it is a lot more. The little things in the way Christian treats her. His actions speak louder than the words that actually come out of his mouth.
He’s obsessed with her and always has been, if he can’t have her then nobody else can.
We then see that Gianna slowly gives into him and she realises that she’s fallen in love with him, but while he may know everything about her from observing her over the years. Gianna, in fact, knows little to nothing about Christian, maybe just except from the routine he does when stripping down before they sleep together. So she demands more from him but he’s reluctant. He finds himself backed into a corner, one where he either loses her or spills his past to Gianna… and he’s not willing to lose her.
There is an unexpected surprise pregnancy at the end of their story. Now while i don’t particularly always like this trope and how it can sometimes feel like authors are dumping babies onto their characters as a form of ‘oh here a baby will make you happy’. I actually did in fact like this aspect because it was something the character wanted. We see in the book on a few occasions that Gianna had a desirable longing for a family, so I felt like this is something she deserved to finally get.
As much as I enjoyed this book, I did find it to be a bit rushed. It was quite short and could have done with being longer to fully tell Christian and Gianna’s story to it’s full extent. But don’t let that deter you, it was a lovely read.
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Terminal illness, Violence, Cancer, Child abuse, Sexual content, Pregnancy, and Death of parent
stitchof's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Graphic: Gaslighting, Murder, Drug use, Stalking, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Violence, Sexual violence, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Adult/minor relationship, Genocide, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Alcohol, Death of parent, Grief, Incest, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Sexism, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Blood, Body horror, Cancer, and Misogyny
queenie_ofthe_void's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Drug abuse, Blood, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Drug use, Death of parent, Gore, Mental illness, Murder, Grief, Rape, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Gun violence, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Stalking, Toxic relationship, and Violence
ingrid6's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Super toxic relationship. Lots of drug use.
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Drug use, Drug abuse, and Sexual content
Moderate: Sexual assault and Child abuse
haven12's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.25
Graphic: Gun violence, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Cursing, Trafficking, Sexism, and Misogyny
Moderate: Pedophilia, Grief, and Infidelity
Minor: Sexual harassment, Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Stalking, Vomit, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, and Drug use
afifahcookie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Unfortunately, I found myself pushing hard to finish this book mainly because some things didn't make sense. Maybe I anticipated too much, given the story's build-up. I did feel some similarities between this book & Twisted Love by Ana Huang but at least this book is giving.
This was my favourite bit:
What are you afraid of?”
“Everything,” I whispered, trailing my finger across the starched collar of his dress shirt.
“You’re not afraid of me.”
We were so close his cheek brushed my tear-streaked one when he rasped,
“And, baby, I’m worse than the dark.”
Maybe that was why I felt safe from it now.
Moderate: Drug abuse, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Addiction, Drug use, and Domestic abuse