oolymee's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? No
2.75
I am conflicted because I both liked and hated this book. I liked it because I can tell that Sierra Simone is a great writer. But, god, I hated the main characters. Tyler and Poppy are both insufferable. I'm a big character reader, so not having a character to like in this book was a challenge for me. Again, though, I enjoyed Sierra Simone's writing.
michwithbooks's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
sexyvixenreader's review against another edition
4.0
Holy hell bells, that is freaking awesome. How could something so taboo be so good. Damn good I say!!
julzangold's review against another edition
4.0
I am in no way religious (to the point I had to look up some Catholic jargon), so perhaps this taboo book didn’t have the same impact on me as it could have. I bounced between finding this book sacrilegious (and not really caring) and still promoting Catholicism? The (very sexual) relationship between Tyler and Poppy was portrayed as godly, which threw me off a bit, referencing the feeling of an almost-ancient ritual. But I overcame that and honestly saw a pretty beautiful relationship and chemistry.
Poppy’s struggles, however, felt so privileged that I could not sympathize with her. She made some really dumb decisions that translated to the miscommunication trope (which I hate) and she was just forgiven by everyone in the blink of an eye. Albeit, I was kind of obsessed with her as well, somehow, but still… girl.
The part I wasn’t a fan of was the fluctuation of Tyler’s conflict between priesthood and a relationship. What he previously had decided was a lose-lose option became sooo easy for him to accept at the end? Like- was all of this conflict imagined? It could have been so much easier from the start…
Anyways, the spice was scrumptious and I was satiated.
Poppy’s struggles, however, felt so privileged that I could not sympathize with her. She made some really dumb decisions that translated to the miscommunication trope (which I hate) and she was just forgiven by everyone in the blink of an eye. Albeit, I was kind of obsessed with her as well, somehow, but still… girl.
The part I wasn’t a fan of was the fluctuation of Tyler’s conflict between priesthood and a relationship. What he previously had decided was a lose-lose option became sooo easy for him to accept at the end? Like- was all of this conflict imagined? It could have been so much easier from the start…
Anyways, the spice was scrumptious and I was satiated.
darkndani's review against another edition
4.0
I was between a 3 and a 4 star for this book, and even still I am unsure how to feel. I'm sure that has something to do with my upbringing and religious trauma in general. A few parts were just very cringy to me and at sometimes it felt like I was reading a cheesy and poorly written porn. Probably didn't help that I decided to listen to the audiobook, so it felt even more so like I was listening to cheesey poorly written porn.
BUT, with all that being said, I still had a lot of fun reading this book. It is probably the most taboo book I have ever read and the spice was great. A full 5 peppers in my opinion. The author didn't shy away from descriptive words and detail. And the narrator did an excellent job as well.
I did not connect with the romance as much as I would have liked, which also played into me almost rating this 3 stars. But even still, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book so I can't fault it for the lack of depth in the romance department. This is definitely an erotic book and if that's what you're looking for then look no further!
BUT, with all that being said, I still had a lot of fun reading this book. It is probably the most taboo book I have ever read and the spice was great. A full 5 peppers in my opinion. The author didn't shy away from descriptive words and detail. And the narrator did an excellent job as well.
I did not connect with the romance as much as I would have liked, which also played into me almost rating this 3 stars. But even still, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book so I can't fault it for the lack of depth in the romance department. This is definitely an erotic book and if that's what you're looking for then look no further!
mordshunger's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
Just because it's smut doesn't mean it cannot have any plot.
This does not have plot. It also doesn't have characters. The love interest is a sex fantasy so basic and painful it's mind boggling. I've read shampoo labels with more personality. She's sexualised before we even see her. Consent is present sometimes? He talks about "Feminist Ally Tyler" in third person (gag). He's a total asshole with a revengeful, mean twist the second she does something to displease him.
There really is nothing to this book.
Even if empty, badly written sex scenes do it for you, I'd advise getting those for free on ao3.
This does not have plot. It also doesn't have characters. The love interest is a sex fantasy so basic and painful it's mind boggling. I've read shampoo labels with more personality. She's sexualised before we even see her. Consent is present sometimes? He talks about "Feminist Ally Tyler" in third person (gag). He's a total asshole with a revengeful, mean twist the second she does something to displease him.
There really is nothing to this book.
Even if empty, badly written sex scenes do it for you, I'd advise getting those for free on ao3.
theaelise's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
4.0
lugysuperfly's review against another edition
4.0
3.5⭐ My goodness I fee so filthy for kinda liking this!