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romanceschmomance's review
3.0
It has been a while since I've read from this author duo and I was intrigued to give their debut dark romance a try. It didn’t feel like other dark romances that I’ve read, but there’s definitely that darker undertone because of the life Lilah and Jimmy grew up in.
Just by reading the synopsis, there's no doubt that this was going to be an emotional journey. Childhood best friends with lots of trauma, and they wanted nothing more than to be free of that life to have a better one.
In adulthood, Jimmy is an up and coming actor whose career is about to set off, but what's dragging him back is his utmost devotion and loyalty to his best friend, Lilah.
Lilah's story is absolutely heartbreaking and she deals with her broken-ness in the worst ways possible. And it was a vicious and toxic cycle. Dealing with drugs and abuse, her life was spiraling down rapidly. I could absolutely see why she made the decisions that she did as tough as it was to watch. Addiction and wanting to help yourself is not an easy decision.
With this book being broken down into two parts, you have to get through the hard parts first before the HEA. And everyone reaches their breaking point. By then I was eager for part two and I just loved seeing Lilah's journey of being sober and starting a new life for herself.
I struggled with Jimmy's character in part two. There's a time jump and something major keeps them apart during that time. I didn't love how things went down and I was eager for truths to come out. And when it did, I didn't get the reaction and groveling I was hoping for.
I understand how hard it is to build that trust again with someone who is an addict. And in part two, I loved seeing how Lilah's journey turned out. She overcame so much and even then, it felt like the blame will and always be on her. I didn't love that part.
In the end, this book came down to things that just didn't work for me. I've always loved Piper Rayne's writing and I had no problem with that at all in Beautifully Scarred, just had some elements that didn't hit the mark.
But definitely give this emotionally charged romance a try.
*check the content notes*
Just by reading the synopsis, there's no doubt that this was going to be an emotional journey. Childhood best friends with lots of trauma, and they wanted nothing more than to be free of that life to have a better one.
In adulthood, Jimmy is an up and coming actor whose career is about to set off, but what's dragging him back is his utmost devotion and loyalty to his best friend, Lilah.
Lilah's story is absolutely heartbreaking and she deals with her broken-ness in the worst ways possible. And it was a vicious and toxic cycle. Dealing with drugs and abuse, her life was spiraling down rapidly. I could absolutely see why she made the decisions that she did as tough as it was to watch. Addiction and wanting to help yourself is not an easy decision.
With this book being broken down into two parts, you have to get through the hard parts first before the HEA. And everyone reaches their breaking point. By then I was eager for part two and I just loved seeing Lilah's journey of being sober and starting a new life for herself.
I struggled with Jimmy's character in part two. There's a time jump and something major keeps them apart during that time. I didn't love how things went down and I was eager for truths to come out. And when it did, I didn't get the reaction and groveling I was hoping for.
I understand how hard it is to build that trust again with someone who is an addict. And in part two, I loved seeing how Lilah's journey turned out. She overcame so much and even then, it felt like the blame will and always be on her. I didn't love that part.
In the end, this book came down to things that just didn't work for me. I've always loved Piper Rayne's writing and I had no problem with that at all in Beautifully Scarred, just had some elements that didn't hit the mark.
But definitely give this emotionally charged romance a try.
*check the content notes*
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Drug abuse, and Drug use
Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
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