claire_michelle18's review
3.0
TW in this book for self-harm and abusive parent relationships.
There were a lot of things I liked about this. Talia is a really interesting main character, she's strong, she's resilient, she's flawed, she's conflicted about her kinks. It was also really interesting to see a Jewish main character, particularly one who's religion is portrayed not as a plot point but as a very normal part of her life. The relationship she and Sean have is very intense but very loving, fun and healthy from the outset. His desire to care for her comes clearly from a place of love not of control which is very different from certain other BDSM romance stories.
A few small niggles though. Talia's therapist basically gaslights her into making her think she's in an abusive relationship, insists she needs to take anti-depressants, then betrays her confidentiality to tell her mother when she doesn't. I also found Talia's support network a bit baffling - very quickly jumping to the conclusion that she was being abused but then equally quickly seemingly getting over it by the end of the book. Neither of those reactions really felt right.
There were a lot of things I liked about this. Talia is a really interesting main character, she's strong, she's resilient, she's flawed, she's conflicted about her kinks. It was also really interesting to see a Jewish main character, particularly one who's religion is portrayed not as a plot point but as a very normal part of her life. The relationship she and Sean have is very intense but very loving, fun and healthy from the outset. His desire to care for her comes clearly from a place of love not of control which is very different from certain other BDSM romance stories.
A few small niggles though. Talia's therapist basically gaslights her into making her think she's in an abusive relationship, insists she needs to take anti-depressants, then betrays her confidentiality to tell her mother when she doesn't. I also found Talia's support network a bit baffling - very quickly jumping to the conclusion that she was being abused but then equally quickly seemingly getting over it by the end of the book. Neither of those reactions really felt right.
tayslibrarybooks's review
5.0
5 stars.
So, I was recommended Hold Me Down via this great blog post by The Book Voyagers, and I was not disappointed. It was such a great, funny, heartbreaking, and careful read that I think deserves more attention in the New Adult / Romance genre.
Some things that I loved about this book (and I really had to narrow it down because I loved a lot of things):
Talia’s character development is placed a the center of the story. Her character voice was a great perspective to read from: she was smart, funny, and insightful. I loved reading about her religious relationship with Judaism, and about her friendship with Mallory. As other reviews’ have noted, this book deals explicitly with Talia’s internalized shame and guilt because of her sexual preferences. I was pleasantly surprised to read such a sensitive topic being written about with attention and sensitivity. Talia's conflict was nuanced: intersecting with her family relationships, mental health, and her personal values, and it is a perspective that I think was needed in romance.
In terms of Talia’s relationship with Sean, there were multiple scenes of healthy negotiations of rules and boundaries between the two main characters. Sarah Taylor Wood really centered Talia and Sean’s romance on trust and communication. Sean in general was a great surprise. Having read a good amount of romance, a lot of times it feels like romance authors cannot separate the “dom” personality of their characters from the “regular” personality. There is a very clear distinction in this novel between the two. While Sean does enjoy kink and domination, he is also a regular person with a regular life outside the scene. Also, Sean has the aesthetic of “lumberjack, tattoo Thor”, so there was that.
Overall, there was a great respect given to the characters, their identities, and the subject matter. A great summer read (or anytime read, really).
TW: a BDSM relationship which focuses on pain, age difference (Talia is 20, Sean is 27), description of a past episode of self-harm (cutting).
So, I was recommended Hold Me Down via this great blog post by The Book Voyagers, and I was not disappointed. It was such a great, funny, heartbreaking, and careful read that I think deserves more attention in the New Adult / Romance genre.
Some things that I loved about this book (and I really had to narrow it down because I loved a lot of things):
Talia’s character development is placed a the center of the story. Her character voice was a great perspective to read from: she was smart, funny, and insightful. I loved reading about her religious relationship with Judaism, and about her friendship with Mallory. As other reviews’ have noted, this book deals explicitly with Talia’s internalized shame and guilt because of her sexual preferences. I was pleasantly surprised to read such a sensitive topic being written about with attention and sensitivity. Talia's conflict was nuanced: intersecting with her family relationships, mental health, and her personal values, and it is a perspective that I think was needed in romance.
In terms of Talia’s relationship with Sean, there were multiple scenes of healthy negotiations of rules and boundaries between the two main characters. Sarah Taylor Wood really centered Talia and Sean’s romance on trust and communication. Sean in general was a great surprise. Having read a good amount of romance, a lot of times it feels like romance authors cannot separate the “dom” personality of their characters from the “regular” personality. There is a very clear distinction in this novel between the two. While Sean does enjoy kink and domination, he is also a regular person with a regular life outside the scene. Also, Sean has the aesthetic of “lumberjack, tattoo Thor”, so there was that.
Overall, there was a great respect given to the characters, their identities, and the subject matter. A great summer read (or anytime read, really).
TW: a BDSM relationship which focuses on pain, age difference (Talia is 20, Sean is 27), description of a past episode of self-harm (cutting).
somasis's review
3.0
On the one hand, I really liked the heroine's arc and how she struggles to accept her needs and kinks. There is a very important message here about outside judgement of very personal matters, the pressure a person faces to be 'normal', and the struggle to find happiness in a fulfilling relationship. On the other hand, strong feelings of love developed REALLY fast, and though the moment of crisis in the relationship felt very real and not at all contrived, I would have been more invested in its outcome if I had a slower buildup and a more clear emotional bond.
trogdor19's review
5.0
This book was HOT and smoothly written, with deep and interesting characterization and did I mention HOT? New favorite author right here.
literaturesque's review
5.0
I loved this.....and I loved Talia and Sean so much omg. I really enjoyed the way their relationship was explored and how it developed. Their chemistry was top notch and everything I need in a good romance, especially one with kink. Wish I could just read more and more about them, tbh. I've been anticipating this one for a few months now and I'm so happy it didn't disappoint! 💖
bandherbooks's review
4.0
I finally read this because my fated mate Leigh Kramer (please read her review) loves this book, as does other trusted romancelandians. And wow I was really blown away!
A thrilling exploration kink and consent between Talia, a college student, and Sean, a bit older graduate student. It is insta-lust that turns into the sweetest love story (the way Sean cares for Talia whew), albeit one that enjoys their pleasure with some pain and daddy play.
I was really concerned about Talia's therapist who really was trying to make Talia feel like she was damaged and wrong, and that part of the story did make me uncomfortable. I am not knowledgeable to comment about rep, but the way the author portrays it, the reader is fully aware this therapist is not a good fit for Talia and is in fact harming her. So do take care with that if needed.
CW for cutting (in the past, described), depression, gas lighting (not between main characters), and more that I am now forgetting because I read this a bit ago and did not note them down (not doing an official review).
A thrilling exploration kink and consent between Talia, a college student, and Sean, a bit older graduate student. It is insta-lust that turns into the sweetest love story (the way Sean cares for Talia whew), albeit one that enjoys their pleasure with some pain and daddy play.
I was really concerned about Talia's therapist who really was trying to make Talia feel like she was damaged and wrong, and that part of the story did make me uncomfortable. I am not knowledgeable to comment about rep, but the way the author portrays it, the reader is fully aware this therapist is not a good fit for Talia and is in fact harming her. So do take care with that if needed.
CW for cutting (in the past, described), depression, gas lighting (not between main characters), and more that I am now forgetting because I read this a bit ago and did not note them down (not doing an official review).
gretchening's review
4.0
This was a surprisingly tough read for a book whose structure and prose make it seem like it should be a breezy romance. The way the MC has to grapple with her own internalized anti-kink prejudice, while defending against the negative reactions of everyone close to her, is very, um, relevant to the experiences many of us have had or continue to have. I really identified with those aspects of the book. I adored Talia's slightly fucked up but very self-knowledgeable approach to throwing herself into things, and her resilience for when they don't go well. Speaking of which, some TWs: . I really liked the depiction of a MC so invested in kink and so hungry for experience that she goes for what she wants despite the negative pressures she has around it. I loved the way this story explores the gap between amorphous-yet-researched desire and experience, the awkwardness, the space between intent, experience, and reaction and the ways trust, consent, and resilience aren't always enough. It is a surprisingly complex book and as an aside, I loved Talia's unabashed Jewish identity.
Spoiler
This book contains reflections on a past experience of cutting, which Talia did because she wants to explore pain but many people in her life interpret it as self-harm. Talia uses exercise as a means of accessing endorphins, and that intensity might be triggering for people with difficulty around the topic of exercise, though I don't recall any specific moments of body image issues otherwise. There is also a negative kink experience, for which Talia safewords out and the aftermath of which causes her and the love interest to break up for a while.reyahwolfe's review
5.0
This book broke me in all the best ways. I loved the humor of it and the intensity of the emotions. I loved the honesty of it and I just. I cannot begin to recommend this book *enough*. If you love heroes with a sense of humor, the kind that can elicit a chuckle or a belly laugh, heroines that fight for what they love even when the world is telling them they shouldn't love it, and incredibly hot sex scenes, you want to read this book.