kewtika's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
4.5
celandine's review against another edition
3.0
This book should have come with a trigger warning. Well, actually… two.
Suicide ideation. Legit, though. A warning would have been nice. There’s glossing over it happening, and there’s punching you in the face over and over again. This book took the latter route. (Hence the star rating).
That this book would make me sob. Like ugly cry, loud howling sobs ripped from my chest. The epitome of gut-wrenching.
I kept going though. And after a while, the book became less about the romance (slow-burn) orthe spice-factor (adequate), and more about life and death, living with the aftermath of death. How they would pick up the pieces after “The Big T,” how it would all fit together again. How they would forgive each other, forgive themselves. And in some ways, all reminders, huge flags and flashing neon signs that should be signs directing me on my own path. (I don’t recall wanting a self-help book, Huntingdon!)
This book wrecked me. Third trigger warning. This book will turn you inside out, and continue to shake you like it’s looking for any and all pocket change in the form of emotions.
I didn’t like half of these characters in this book for the first half of the book. I’m still not sure if I really like them at all or not. Or if I love them. I feel like that makes them lifelike, redeemable in a way.
To summarize from Darling Venom itself - after I devoured this book in a day: “When I finished, there was nothing left of me but bones, flesh, and blood. I sprawled across the hard-wood planks, loose-limbed and exhausted.”
Suicide ideation. Legit, though. A warning would have been nice. There’s glossing over it happening, and there’s punching you in the face over and over again. This book took the latter route. (Hence the star rating).
That this book would make me sob. Like ugly cry, loud howling sobs ripped from my chest. The epitome of gut-wrenching.
I kept going though. And after a while, the book became less about the romance (slow-burn) orthe spice-factor (adequate), and more about life and death, living with the aftermath of death. How they would pick up the pieces after “The Big T,” how it would all fit together again. How they would forgive each other, forgive themselves. And in some ways, all reminders, huge flags and flashing neon signs that should be signs directing me on my own path. (I don’t recall wanting a self-help book, Huntingdon!)
This book wrecked me. Third trigger warning. This book will turn you inside out, and continue to shake you like it’s looking for any and all pocket change in the form of emotions.
I didn’t like half of these characters in this book for the first half of the book. I’m still not sure if I really like them at all or not. Or if I love them. I feel like that makes them lifelike, redeemable in a way.
To summarize from Darling Venom itself - after I devoured this book in a day: “When I finished, there was nothing left of me but bones, flesh, and blood. I sprawled across the hard-wood planks, loose-limbed and exhausted.”
lotta_lip's review against another edition
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- 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? No
4.5
jess_mason's review against another edition
4.0
Trigger Warning, this book talks about un aliving and grief and healing in the aftermath. The way you see both sides and its effects on everyone is touching. My only reason for taking away a star, is long chapters. Would love to see this made into a movie!
jackies_journal's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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? Yes
4.0
danisbookishchat's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this book. I loved everyone in it. Even Terry after a while. My heart broke for Kellan and I bled for everyone throughout the book. I only gave it 4 stars because , while I absolutely love slow burn romance, I feel like this book was wayyyy to long. I feel like it could use some trimming in a lot of areas but the book was still amazing. I just wish there was a way for us to get more from Kellan. I really loved him.
kellsmorgan's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- 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
3.75
esperodrigueez's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- 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? It's complicated
4.25
No podría plasmar en una reseña todo lo que este libro me ha hecho sentir ni aunque lo meditara durante dias. Asi que allá voy:
Confesaré que TikTok me hizo leermelo por un video donde salía una escena spicy vale? No me escondo. Si que es verdad que despues de volver a chequear un dato del video y ya en el 8% del libro me di cuenta de que los nombres no me cuadraban...
Ay 💘
Me costó meterme en la historia las primeras 30 paginas porque estaba confusa y convencida de que la trama no iba a ser de mi estilo. Aviso desde ya: este libro es único a todos los que me he leído nunca.
Y (odio esconder reseñas por spoilers) empiezo a spoilear libremente:
Todo el tema del suicidio me tenia confundida pero sabía, y se veía venir, se intuía, que lo de Kellan era algo que iba a pasar. Lo que no esperaba era pasarlo tan mal (y sentir angustia durante todo el libro).
No me quise creer que lo había hecho a pesar de que se especifica. Si no hay cuerpo no hay muerto or something like that. Y en el momento en que Tate aparece en escena dije: what is happening here? (Sí, llegué a creer que Kellan habia fingido su muerte yo que se)
El 30% inicial del libro y de Tate en escena me tenía con sentimientos encontrados porque ya sabia por donde iba a ir la cosa y no sabia si me sentia capaz de aceptarlo, la verdad que Kellan me tocó la fibra y mi lealtad estaba en parte con el.
En cuanto a los pesonajes...todos me parecen fantasticos la verdad.
🫶🏻 Jonah me parece monísimo y un tío de 10 la verdad.
❤️🩹 Leah me angustiaba la mayor parte del libro y me encanta su arco como personaje.
🫀 Kellan...Ay, me dolió y no me lo esperaba pero es un personaje de los que se hacen huequito en mi alma.
🖤 Charlotte, Charlie, Lottie, Veneno😌 la amo. Me parece una de las FMC mas guays que he leido. Si que (y esto lo pienso de casi todos) opino que necesita terapia, they actually deal with all by themselves. Te quiero decir, si para los pensamientos suicidas nadie decide buscar ayuda, por lo menos para el post si no?? Aun asi y a pesar de su "complejo" de heroína me parece que para sus veinti pocos años es una diosa.
❤️🔥 Tate...que decir de este man tan roto pero tan sexy. La entrada en trama es como poco peculiar pero si que siento que para nada define su personalidad en el libro. Es decir, el hombre (de 32, age gap i freaking love age gap) no de da cuenta de que tiene que caer en el pozo para salir y sanar hasta que Charlie entra en escena. Me flipa bastante el arco de este personaje sobre todo cuando toca fondo. Me ha conmovido bastante porque se veia venir tambien toda la "polémica" que mantenía consigo mismo por Charlie y Kel y hasta yo me replanteaba la situación. But they were meant to be 😌 (siempre me picará un poco la no historia romántica de V y Kellan)
Seguramente se me olvide algo mas en esta verborrea pero mi cabeza ahora mismo repite escenas y diálogos del libro todo el rato hasta que se asienten en el corazón, porque ahí se va a quedar esta historia🤍
Mención especial a las escenas spicy (obvio) porque madremiademividaydemicorazon *cheff kiss*🤌🏻
Confesaré que TikTok me hizo leermelo por un video donde salía una escena spicy vale? No me escondo. Si que es verdad que despues de volver a chequear un dato del video y ya en el 8% del libro me di cuenta de que los nombres no me cuadraban...
Ay 💘
Me costó meterme en la historia las primeras 30 paginas porque estaba confusa y convencida de que la trama no iba a ser de mi estilo. Aviso desde ya: este libro es único a todos los que me he leído nunca.
Y (odio esconder reseñas por spoilers) empiezo a spoilear libremente:
Todo el tema del suicidio me tenia confundida pero sabía, y se veía venir, se intuía, que lo de Kellan era algo que iba a pasar. Lo que no esperaba era pasarlo tan mal (y sentir angustia durante todo el libro).
No me quise creer que lo había hecho a pesar de que se especifica. Si no hay cuerpo no hay muerto or something like that. Y en el momento en que Tate aparece en escena dije: what is happening here? (Sí, llegué a creer que Kellan habia fingido su muerte yo que se)
El 30% inicial del libro y de Tate en escena me tenía con sentimientos encontrados porque ya sabia por donde iba a ir la cosa y no sabia si me sentia capaz de aceptarlo, la verdad que Kellan me tocó la fibra y mi lealtad estaba en parte con el.
En cuanto a los pesonajes...todos me parecen fantasticos la verdad.
🫶🏻 Jonah me parece monísimo y un tío de 10 la verdad.
❤️🩹 Leah me angustiaba la mayor parte del libro y me encanta su arco como personaje.
🫀 Kellan...Ay, me dolió y no me lo esperaba pero es un personaje de los que se hacen huequito en mi alma.
🖤 Charlotte, Charlie, Lottie, Veneno😌 la amo. Me parece una de las FMC mas guays que he leido. Si que (y esto lo pienso de casi todos) opino que necesita terapia, they actually deal with all by themselves. Te quiero decir, si para los pensamientos suicidas nadie decide buscar ayuda, por lo menos para el post si no?? Aun asi y a pesar de su "complejo" de heroína me parece que para sus veinti pocos años es una diosa.
❤️🔥 Tate...que decir de este man tan roto pero tan sexy. La entrada en trama es como poco peculiar pero si que siento que para nada define su personalidad en el libro. Es decir, el hombre (de 32, age gap i freaking love age gap) no de da cuenta de que tiene que caer en el pozo para salir y sanar hasta que Charlie entra en escena. Me flipa bastante el arco de este personaje sobre todo cuando toca fondo. Me ha conmovido bastante porque se veia venir tambien toda la "polémica" que mantenía consigo mismo por Charlie y Kel y hasta yo me replanteaba la situación. But they were meant to be 😌 (siempre me picará un poco la no historia romántica de V y Kellan)
Seguramente se me olvide algo mas en esta verborrea pero mi cabeza ahora mismo repite escenas y diálogos del libro todo el rato hasta que se asienten en el corazón, porque ahí se va a quedar esta historia🤍
Mención especial a las escenas spicy (obvio) porque madremiademividaydemicorazon *cheff kiss*🤌🏻
debbie2232's review against another edition
5.0
“I wish I had cancer. Or some other grand battle. Dementia, stroke, organ failure. If I lose those fights, I’m brave. But the thing I’m battling is my mind. And if I lose, they’ll just call me weak.”
5 Stars! TW suicide and self harm
God damn, this book was intense. I honestly wasn’t sure if I was going to really enjoy it after reading so many bad reviews. But I ended up loving this story. It’s very unique and also extremely depressing. Of course I made the mistake of falling in love with Kellan, even though I knew what was going to happen…. I did not like Tate at first. He was a complete jerk, but when I got farther into the story I started to understand why he was like that.
“It was a promise I shouldn’t have made. One that defied the hardest lesson I’d ever learned. Love is expensive. Its currency is grief. And sometimes, it costs more than you can afford.”
This book was definitely a slow burn, like really slow. But I’m glad there was no insta love in this story. It would’ve felt rushed and honestly making it a slow burn really added to the plot. As I said I didn’t like Tate at first, but I love him now that I understand exactly what he’s been through. I really liked Charlie right away, even though she had plans to end her life, she ended up fighting it. She tried saving Kellan’s life and even though she couldn’t save his, she was able to save his brothers. Gah, this book sounds so f*cked up the more I think about it. Falling in love with the older brother blah blah. I know it sounds kinda messed up. Trust me though, this is a great story. It’s an age gap which I love. I normally try to stay away from books that are about suicide and self harm. But this one I did really enjoy, I didn’t feel like the author was trying to romanticize suicide like some have. Like I said this book is definitely not a happy one, but I still really enjoyed the plot and how Tate and Charlie were able to find peace together. By the way it does have a happy ending. The plot is just depressing. *Obviously*
One more thing I have to add is that obgyn scene was uh, something else….
“Falling in love makes you feel immortal. Don’t you want that?”
5 Stars! TW suicide and self harm
God damn, this book was intense. I honestly wasn’t sure if I was going to really enjoy it after reading so many bad reviews. But I ended up loving this story. It’s very unique and also extremely depressing. Of course I made the mistake of falling in love with Kellan, even though I knew what was going to happen…. I did not like Tate at first. He was a complete jerk, but when I got farther into the story I started to understand why he was like that.
“It was a promise I shouldn’t have made. One that defied the hardest lesson I’d ever learned. Love is expensive. Its currency is grief. And sometimes, it costs more than you can afford.”
This book was definitely a slow burn, like really slow. But I’m glad there was no insta love in this story. It would’ve felt rushed and honestly making it a slow burn really added to the plot. As I said I didn’t like Tate at first, but I love him now that I understand exactly what he’s been through. I really liked Charlie right away, even though she had plans to end her life, she ended up fighting it. She tried saving Kellan’s life and even though she couldn’t save his, she was able to save his brothers. Gah, this book sounds so f*cked up the more I think about it. Falling in love with the older brother blah blah. I know it sounds kinda messed up. Trust me though, this is a great story. It’s an age gap which I love. I normally try to stay away from books that are about suicide and self harm. But this one I did really enjoy, I didn’t feel like the author was trying to romanticize suicide like some have. Like I said this book is definitely not a happy one, but I still really enjoyed the plot and how Tate and Charlie were able to find peace together. By the way it does have a happy ending. The plot is just depressing. *Obviously*
One more thing I have to add is that obgyn scene was uh, something else….
“Falling in love makes you feel immortal. Don’t you want that?”
_modern_misery_'s review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-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
4.0