ebancroft's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I loved the character development and fell more in love with Tate and Charlie and the book went on, I especially enjoyed how different Charlie was for the main love trope in a steamy book.
A good read, didn’t feel like a 700ish page book. I wish there was a few less contemporary references (felt a little bit cringe at times) but overall I loved it, and I love the way this author writes.
Graphic: Cursing, Alcoholism, Infertility, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Death, Drug abuse, Addiction, Grief, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
orangeaiya's review
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Suicide, Addiction, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Drug abuse, Medical content, Mental illness, Alcoholism, Bullying, and Death of parent
Moderate: Pregnancy
Minor: Self harm
robynnnx'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
this book broke my heart - MULTIPLE times. but ultimately it helped heal something in me.
from the moment i started reading the first part of this book and realised where that small section was going, i knew i was headed for a long, tough journey. it really took no time at all to get so attached to Kellan and the introduction to him over those first few chapters plus the slow release of new information about him throughout the book tore me to shreds - and yeah i’m specifically talking about THAT voicemail (i’m gonna need a while to recover). i also ended up falling in love with Charlotte and Tate and i think Parker handled their relationship perfectly all things considered.
essentially this book is about loss and grief and how that affects you, your loved ones, and even those who aren’t. it perfectly highlighted that everybody is fighting their own demons and sometimes those demons win. but for others, those battles aren’t won in a day and it’s okay to get help and rely on others.
is this book completely perfect? perhaps not. but a five star read doesn’t have to be. it just has to evoke that strong feeling where i know it’s gonna sit with me for days, weeks, months afterwards.
and that’s exactly what this book did.
Graphic: Suicide, Fire/Fire injury, Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Death of parent, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Medical content, Self harm, and Infertility
kayceeisbookish's review
- 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
Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Medical content, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Sexual content, Vomit, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts
laneylo'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
4.0
I love how everything tied in and felt purposeful.
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Death, Grief, Death of parent, and Suicide
Minor: Infertility, Pregnancy, Self harm, Alcoholism, Cursing, Drug use, Medical content, and Fire/Fire injury
bbygirl21's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The build up to Charlotte and Tate getting together was amazing. I felt their chemistry through and through even through all their hate for each other in the beginning.
And Leah (Charlotte's sister) I found myself rooting for her on her journey as well with love and acceptance of herself and letting others in after heartbreak and emotional/physical scarring. And Jonah is the most patient man I every had the pleasure of reading about. He understood Leah's insecurities and loves her unconditionally despite her trying to push him away.
By the end we got three love stories. Kellen and Charlotte (first love), Tate and Charlotte (soulmates drawn together by fate) and then Leah and Jonah (the patient love that takes determination and persistence). I loved reading every single one of their love stories no matter how shortlived or long lasting they ended up being.
I honestly can't recommend this book enough. I just highly suggest checking the trigger/content warnings because it gets quite heavy throughout the entire book.
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Alcohol, Cursing, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Addiction, Death, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
Moderate: Drug use, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Drug abuse, Dysphoria, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Blood, Bullying, Vomit, Stalking, and Violence
ruthhmarieereads's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Miscarriage, Abandonment, Addiction, Blood, Car accident, Child death, Death, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Drug use, Infertility, Medical content, Suicide, Grief, Medical trauma, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Toxic relationship
northernbooknerd'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? Yes
5.0
PLEASE check trigger warnings before reading.
I realized, with depressing clarity, that she wasn’t the venom at all, she was the antidote, but the quantities were off.
My Thoughts ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Do you ever finish a book and have the desire to turn right back to page one and reread it instantly? Well that's how I felt after being utterly destroyed by this book. I am also finding it difficult to collect my thoughts on this one, and I'm not sure that waiting to complete a review will make much of a difference because whatever I say couldn't possibly do this book justice.
Don't let people fool you into believing this is just a spicy romance story. I've seen it advertised as such a few times, and frankly that does this story a huge disservice. Yes, there are some spicy scenes in this book, but it is not the primary focus, nor should it be. In my opinion the romance, while great, as a whole took the backseat to the more important themes explored throughout the story such as depression, loneliness, loss, grief, and guilt.
With this book being written through multiple POVs you are able to see how our perception and idea of “reality” is not always accurate and certainly not the full story. It also does a great job of depicting how everyone deals with grief and guilt in their own way, highlighting the importance of having empathy for each other.
Huntington has a way of making you feel every emotions her characters do. When they hurt, you hurt. When they are conflicted, you question everything. When they are happy, you feel joy.
As I went into this as blindly as possibly the plot truly took me for a right and there were moments I HATED it (while still being fully engrossed and committed). I think this is part of why the story had such a profound impact on me, dredging up all of my emotions. For this reason, if you have checked the triggers and feel you can handle reading about them, I'd suggest reading this book without looking up plot details.
Final Thoughts
Beautifully heartbreaking is the best way I can think to simply describe this story. Darling Venom may very well be my top read of 2022 so far, it is certain a book that will stay with me and I fully intend on purchasing a physical copy to reread and annotate.
A love story that never happened. A love story that never would.
Format: Audiobook 🎧
Plot: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Characters: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Writing: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Narration: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (Dual)
Spice: 🔥🔥
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Who would like? Anyone who looking for a love story that is so very much more, that will break your heart and slowly piece it back together. *Again, check trigger warnings*
Quotes
Still, my heart was steadfast. The defiant little creature. It was a lesson I’d started to get used to: I had no control over my heart. It would do what it would do with no regard to the rest of my body. I guess that was the whole fascination with this organ. It could be your ruin, your salvation, your friend, and your enemy.
I knew myself well enough to know I didn’t survive books. They tore me to shreds. I’d never met an inanimate object as talented at breaking hearts as a book.
Pain is growth. Fear is risk. You can’t be happy if you’re not growing and taking risks.
Adolescent love is the greatest pain of all. It teaches you the power other people have to destroy you.
Grief is a side effect of love. It lasts as long as love lasts. You get used to the pain until you’re reminded it’s there. That is how it always works.
“I hope I never fall in love. Falling in love makes you so dumb.”...
“I hope you do. Falling in love makes you feel immortal. Don’t you want that?”
Triggers
Spoiler
Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide, Death of Parent, Death, Drugs, Alcohol, Bullying, Addiction, Abandonment, Depression, Pregnancy, Self Harm, Medical Content, Fire, Substance Abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Still Birth, Overdose** This list is not extensive**
Tropes
Spoiler
Best Friends Brother, Age Gap, Slow BurnGraphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Addiction, Self harm, Death of parent, Abandonment, Grief, Alcoholism, Child death, Suicide attempt, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Infertility, Miscarriage, Medical content, Pregnancy, and Bullying
madz_'s review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Sexual content, Suicide, and Self harm
Moderate: Addiction and Medical content
marybsimp's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Addiction, Drug use, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Alcohol, Grief, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Self harm, Alcoholism, Child death, Cursing, and Death