Reviews with content warning for Sexual violence - Jamais Plus

Starting off strong with the main character being called Lily Blossom Bloom, which is something 12 year old me would’ve loved, but that 27 year old me just found very cringeworthy. It doesn’t get that much better or worse either.

I finished this book in a day, so it’s a fairly easy read. I wouldn’t say I liked it, but wouldn’t say I disliked it either. The writing isn’t anything special, however there are some moments that were really pleasant to read. This book definitely isn’t a realistic take on abusive relationships, so I would take it with a grain of salt if you’re after a good representation of it. You can tell the author loved Ryle too much to make him a “bad guy”. It’s also pretty disappointing that the “good guy” is 18 whilst having sex with a 15 year old. Hm.

Loved the sister though, and the side characters. I enjoyed the pacing, and the idea of what this book could’ve been.

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haileyprevett's review against another edition

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2.0

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gaby_readsss's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful informative sad medium-paced

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

3.0

I listened to this audiobook with my husband after we watched the movie. I had read the book twice and had rated it five stars in the past.
But after listening to the narration of the book, I have to admit the writing and the plot of this book is not as great as I remember it being. 🫠
It makes me think that you can change your opinion about a book as you grow into a different type of reader, and it’s okay to not love a book as much as you did in the past.
I don’t know if the movie kinda ruined the version I had of it in my head or if I just outgrew this type of writing.

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stirlitza's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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aloepal's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful tense fast-paced

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

5.0

This was a tough read for me because it reminded me of my marriage.

I know other people have complained about disagreeing with characters' actions, or not understanding some of the antagonist's motivations if the antagonist is really supposed to be such a reprehensible character, but for me it felt real. I'm glad that the antagonist wasn't cartoonishly evil. I'm glad the protagonist wasn't always making perfect choices. I felt understood.

For anyone seeing my review and wondering whether or not to read this, I've read some other stuff by Hoover, and I'm not a Hoover fangirl, but I really liked this book. I'm not sure whether or not I would have liked it as much if I didn't feel personally connected to the story, so feel free to take my review with a grain of salt.

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