breenanyx's review against another edition
4.0
Very sweet story. It's nice to read about people who are struggling financially and don't have some fairytale rich person to save them.
mrsmorris0620's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
dinipandareads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Having read and loved Walsh's Havenbrook series, I'm sad to say this was sorely disappointing! This was leaning toward being a 3-star read until the last roughly 25% when I started to get really frustrated by their relationship and the lack of communication from one of them. I found the writing was also very repetitive which made the story feel disjointed and a little boring at times. I started this book really rooting for these two but I didn't end up really liking either of them, especially Winter and how she basically said "screw all the years I've put into working towards this degree and being independent because the only thing that makes me happy is this man I've known for a few months." Yeah, no. I felt myself wilt a little on the inside reading that. By that point, I also wasn't really rooting for her because she drove me up the wall with her secrecy. I'm not saying her childhood abandonment and foster care experiences weren't good reasons for wanting independence or for finding her own way in the world, but I don't think it translated well in the story. And though she ultimately realises that she hasn't been making the right decisions, her character development came a little too late.
I think there were more elements to like about Cade although I have to say that his behaviour at the start was uncomfortably intense. I appreciated his need to take care of the people he cares for in his life—he's a carer, I get it—but he could be quite overbearing at times. I loved his passion for food and that he was training to become a chef and that it was actually an integral part of his character. I also really liked his relationship with his sister Tessa and Haley, although again, he was quite overbearing with them at times, too. Ultimately, I felt that the relationship between Winter and Cade was more physical than anything else because the only thing he could really say about her the whole time was that he liked how she looked and the fierceness that sparked in her eyes every time she was around him. And he repeated it often. Very often. I guess in the end I just wasn't really sold on their relationship because it didn't feel like there was much there between them and it felt too insta-lovey for my liking.
This didn't end up being the romance that I thought it'd be and I'm surprised I didn't enjoy this one much at all, but that's not going to stop me from reading the next book in the series. I just hope that won't let me down too.
I think there were more elements to like about Cade although I have to say that his behaviour at the start was uncomfortably intense. I appreciated his need to take care of the people he cares for in his life—he's a carer, I get it—but he could be quite overbearing at times. I loved his passion for food and that he was training to become a chef and that it was actually an integral part of his character. I also really liked his relationship with his sister Tessa and Haley, although again, he was quite overbearing with them at times, too. Ultimately, I felt that the relationship between Winter and Cade was more physical than anything else because the only thing he could really say about her the whole time was that he liked how she looked and the fierceness that sparked in her eyes every time she was around him. And he repeated it often. Very often. I guess in the end I just wasn't really sold on their relationship because it didn't feel like there was much there between them and it felt too insta-lovey for my liking.
This didn't end up being the romance that I thought it'd be and I'm surprised I didn't enjoy this one much at all, but that's not going to stop me from reading the next book in the series. I just hope that won't let me down too.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Abandonment, and Sexual content
Moderate: Violence and Death of parent
tashiibee's review against another edition
emotional
sad
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
3.75
deedee25's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
merlin_reads's review against another edition
4.0
Girl running from her past meets boy who wants to fix it. This isn’t a new idea in New Adult. In fact, it’s one of the most common. What it boils down to is how the author tells the story and what they bring to it emotionally that makes it stand out.
Caged in Winter tells the story of Winter, a disillusioned girl who is struggling to make it on her own as a waitress in a dive bar. She hates the job, but can make bank in tips by pretending to flirt with the clientele. When knight in shining armor Cade shows up and “saves” Winter from getting groped, he doesn’t get the thank you he was expecting. Instead, Winter is furious. And here begins Cade’s infatuation with this feisty, fiery-eyed girl.
Winter, on the other hand, just wants to be left alone. She’s counting down the days until she can graduate and move on and she just doesn’t know what to do with this boy, especially when he starts showing up after her shifts to walk her to the bus stop. Over the course of many walks, Winter slowly starts to let down her guard. Cade, ever persistent, doesn’t give up until he has the promise of a date.
While I didn’t swoon over the entire book, Cade was definitely swoonworthy. First, he’s a chef in training. And because of tragic events in their past, he helps his sister in raising his niece. A cook and has tea parties with little girls…
If I had any issues with this book it was mostly on the side of Winter. While I admire her for supporting herself and pushing her way through college, there comes a point where it’s okay to ask/accept help. It doesn’t make you weak and it doesn’t make you less of an independent person. These were things Winter just couldn’t understand and it just caused problems everywhere. It was hard to feel sorry for her towards the end because she was the one putting herself in that situation.
Overall, I really enjoyed this one. The chemistry was real and I felt it between the characters. I like how Walsh took the time to show that Cade wanted to get to know Winter, it wasn’t just instant lust in a “let’s have sex now” kind of way that plagues the NA genre. Their banter and time spent getting to know each other was what made this book for me. And I also liked the overall idea of following your own dreams and not planning your life around someone else.
A solid debut from Brighton Walsh and I look forward to reading more of her work.
Caged in Winter tells the story of Winter, a disillusioned girl who is struggling to make it on her own as a waitress in a dive bar. She hates the job, but can make bank in tips by pretending to flirt with the clientele. When knight in shining armor Cade shows up and “saves” Winter from getting groped, he doesn’t get the thank you he was expecting. Instead, Winter is furious. And here begins Cade’s infatuation with this feisty, fiery-eyed girl.
Winter, on the other hand, just wants to be left alone. She’s counting down the days until she can graduate and move on and she just doesn’t know what to do with this boy, especially when he starts showing up after her shifts to walk her to the bus stop. Over the course of many walks, Winter slowly starts to let down her guard. Cade, ever persistent, doesn’t give up until he has the promise of a date.
While I didn’t swoon over the entire book, Cade was definitely swoonworthy. First, he’s a chef in training. And because of tragic events in their past, he helps his sister in raising his niece. A cook and has tea parties with little girls…
If I had any issues with this book it was mostly on the side of Winter. While I admire her for supporting herself and pushing her way through college, there comes a point where it’s okay to ask/accept help. It doesn’t make you weak and it doesn’t make you less of an independent person. These were things Winter just couldn’t understand and it just caused problems everywhere. It was hard to feel sorry for her towards the end because she was the one putting herself in that situation.
Overall, I really enjoyed this one. The chemistry was real and I felt it between the characters. I like how Walsh took the time to show that Cade wanted to get to know Winter, it wasn’t just instant lust in a “let’s have sex now” kind of way that plagues the NA genre. Their banter and time spent getting to know each other was what made this book for me. And I also liked the overall idea of following your own dreams and not planning your life around someone else.
A solid debut from Brighton Walsh and I look forward to reading more of her work.
alienor's review against another edition
1.0
► Someone please tell me that this book is a parody.
Seriously, though. Se-riou-sly. Where am I supposed to start?
✔ With the caricatural characters who made me lose patience almost instantly?
✔ With the cliché and repetitive writing?
✔ With the clumsy narrative and the failed alternative POV? (sorry, but when both voices sound the same, it is a fail)
✔ Oh, no. Let's start with the stalker oh-so-endearing thought of having someone waiting for you at the end of your shift every day and asking you out over and over again, no matter how many times you tell him to back the fuck off.
Because that's just so fucking sweet.
Not.
Look, there's no denying that Cade is obviously a good guy, given what we read through his POV. It is manipulative, though, because he is still insta-obsessive and way too possessive - he creeped me out. There.
One more thing : The fact that Winter calls him on his shit doesn't make his behavior okay. It's better than nothing, I admit, but it doesn't make me forget what I'm sold : that a woman saying no can mean something else by it.
Fuck. That.
Just imagine one second that it happens to you. You work as a waitress. You walk every night to the bus stop. You meet one guy someday (who defends you against some jerk while at work). Your exchange three words, and not nice ones. Then this guy shows up every day in front of the bar at midnight to walk you to the bus stop. Every fucking day. You tell him to stop. He doesn't. You don't want to tell him your name. He insists. Every fucking day, until you dive in. At this point, it doesn't matter that Cade has good intentions, he's still a creepy stalker in my book, and I don't care if I sound too harsh. His chivalrous but not wanted behavior might seem sweet to some women, it sure isn't to me (bear in mind that I'm not talking about the way he defended her, which was pretty nice). No is no. Point.
It's not endearing, it's aggravating.
That's why I'm certainly not willing to root for him, and in a romance novel, well, it sucks.
✔ Or, oh, or, let's talk about the complete lack of chemistry. Why fucking bother with such a thing in a romance novel really? ARG.
✔ I guess it would be better to deal with the climax, the plot, the tension - if only this book had those. Oh, yes, it did have A LOT of unnecessary angst ☑ Stupid reactions that make no sense ☑ Overdramatic take on minuscule events ☑ That it did.
Gah. Waste of my time.
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charmaineac's review against another edition
1.0
Winter was way too hard to get. Cade was insanely aggressive.