Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

Dear Ava by Ilsa Madden-Mills

6 reviews

sienasummerrreads's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

Sometimes the loneliest place on earth is in the midst of a crowd. But that’s okay. I’m here and that means something.

This follows Ava who has a brother she needs to keep an eye on and care for. Abandoned by her mother at a young age and always felt like a second choice. After a high school party that changed everything she is back eight months later with a new look and attitude face to face with the voices who call her names and a liar. Will the truth of that night be revealed? 

Loved this new adult stand-alone. It is an emotional read that deals with some heavy topics so be mindful going in. Ava comes from a broken home, she has had to mature young to take care of her special needs brother and will do anything for him. She is strong, resilient and has a point to prove. I loved Ava’s vibe. Knox is the shark and quarterback of the school, he may look rich and family put together on the outside but once you get to know him he is dealing with a lot of guilt but also taking on responsibility. The things this man did in the background for her and helping her without her knowing was beautiful. He may be hiding his feelings but towards her, he has his heart on his sleeve. Enjoyed the storyline, plot and characters. Recommend if you want something more emotional and deep and darker themes. 

Audiobook was fantastic love Savannah’s and Zachary’s work. 

If you love: 

🔹Enemies To Lovers 
🔹Sports (NFL) 
🔹Opposites Attract 
🔹Slow Burn 
🔹High School
🔹Chemistry and Intimate Spice

Genre/Type: New Adult & College Romance 18+
APK: Kindle / Audiobook 
Pages: 351
Audiobook Length: 10hrs 3mins
Narrators: Savannah Peachwood and Zachary Webber - Dual
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Spice: 🌶️
Series or Stand Alone: Stand Alone 
Tropes or Themes: Small Town, Enemies To Lovers, Sports (NFL), Opposites Attract, Slow Burn, High School, College, Chemistry, Guardian, Alcohol, Letters, Vomit, Violence, Blacked Out, Grief, Intimate Tattoo, Sexual Assault, Rape, Suicidal Thoughts, Mental Health and Sexual Content
Mentions: Death Of Parent, Suicide, Drugged Situation and Abandonment
Check Triggers ⚠️ 💫 

All Round Romance Reader 
Sienasummerrreads 💕📚
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sophiejo_'s review against another edition

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challenging emotional fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

[ spoilers at the bottom ] y’all THIS BOOK omg i was in a slump and i think this put me back in one 😭😭

i’ve never read romance this well WRITTENNNN i mean maybe i have but it was overwhelmingly good. like knox was making me SWOON and i loved all the characters w my whole heart (esp. tyler and dane and wyatt they deserve hugs omg but esp. dane bc i love him. can i have a sequel about dane pls? pls?)

anyways i’ve realized recently that i can only ADORE a romance when i like both the main characters which makes sense but so frequently a character annoys me. like a bouncy happy girl i want to punch or a guy that’s a dick that i also want to punch. but ava was such a badass omg and knox’s vulnerable side (the best side of any guy character btw) made me want to scream and cry and throw up. soooooo

the very minuscule bad:
• a little too many all caps
• a little too many epilogues (but i can overlook it bc they were soo heartwarming which is surprising bc babies showed up which i usually hâte but i couldnt this time)
• the “plot reveal” was LAME

✨ best non romance quote ✨ “Ignore them. Testosterone-addled morons,” Wyatt murmurs next to me and tosses an arm over my shoulder, and I lean into him, needing reassurance. “Do you have any clue how much I adore you? If you weren’t gay, I’d kiss you.”

⚠️ spoilers ⚠️ but to elaborate, i wanted dean to be the one that did it. it would be sooo well done if he did it but liam made him and maybe drugged him..? or drank him into a stupor..? it’d be difficult to read but that’s how i would write it. by having liam do it (an obvious villain from the start) it felt a little expected and underdeveloped. but i can’t argue too much bc it was still fantastic, i just would’ve written it differently. [ spoilers over ]

tbh if they finished w that plot it would’ve been 6 stars but ig they’ll have to suffer w 5 lmaoo. i NEED to read others by this author bc she wrote the romance so well and full of good lines and angst but not too much sex or pda ugh it was so good. anyways i’ll stop ranting. read the triggers !! but if you can handle it, this book is the most underrated AGHHHJDIRJDK. 

⚠️ triggers ⚠️
sexual assault and rape, sexual content, violence, drugs and alcohol abuse, abusive parents and relationships, abandonment, foul language and slurs

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culzean's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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? It's complicated

4.25


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lilli0311's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-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

4.75


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rosie_read_it's review against another edition

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challenging emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I struggled a lot with this book. Certain aspects of the plot were handled really well, and I think the relationship was good - but so much of it just seemed creepy to me. And the last chapter was frustrating, but I guess it worked in context. 

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ashleycmms's review against another edition

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dark emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5


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