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booksandladders's review against another edition
3.0
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This started off really good but then became very meh throughout. I liked the relationship but it wasn’t enough to sustain the story.
This started off really good but then became very meh throughout. I liked the relationship but it wasn’t enough to sustain the story.
shananigans1988's review against another edition
2.0
Johnny Gamble couldnt handle her being independent. She couldnt lift a finger. Cant deal with own horses, cant buy her own flowers, couldnt set up for a party without him getting salty that Izzy and Addie did it themselves.
It's not attractive.
2.5
It's not attractive.
2.5
scubacat's review
2.0
I don't understand how this book has such good reviews. It was not well written and the characters were one dimensional. The author's love of repetition and sentence fragments turned me off almost immediately. Johnny was not an alpha male - he was controlling, domineering, and violent. He told Izzy what to wear, what to eat, and even where to sit. There were so many screaming red flags to this guy, she should have run as fast as she could in the opposite direction. I really hope women who read this book don't start thinking this is the type of guy they need to find. Instead of an alpha male, they will end up with a controlling abuser.
amandamarie793's review
5.0
Damn, that Johnny!!!!
I thought this book was well done, KA is a great author in that her descriptions are so detailed and she records every single thought and conversation the characters have. It can feel boring or overwhelming at times but I didn't feel that at all with this book!
I thought this book was well done, KA is a great author in that her descriptions are so detailed and she records every single thought and conversation the characters have. It can feel boring or overwhelming at times but I didn't feel that at all with this book!
vanessa_issa's review
3.0
Esse foi o primeiro livro da Kristen Ashley que li.
Temos alguns momentos muito bons, mas senti que faltou uma ligação entre eles. Gostei da Izzy como personagem principal. Apesar dela cair em muitos clichês, pelo menos parecia sincera em suas atitudes. Já o Johnny não conseguiu me cativar tanto. Nem mesmo nos momentos em que deveríamos sentir pena dele, eu não consegui. Alguns diálogos me soaram muito fictícios.
Mas, apesar de tudo, até que foi uma leitura que fluiu rápido e me agradou no final.
Temos alguns momentos muito bons, mas senti que faltou uma ligação entre eles. Gostei da Izzy como personagem principal. Apesar dela cair em muitos clichês, pelo menos parecia sincera em suas atitudes. Já o Johnny não conseguiu me cativar tanto. Nem mesmo nos momentos em que deveríamos sentir pena dele, eu não consegui. Alguns diálogos me soaram muito fictícios.
Mas, apesar de tudo, até que foi uma leitura que fluiu rápido e me agradou no final.
birbpal's review against another edition
3.0
⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book gave me whiplash. I was both enjoying and hating aspects of the story. I even considered dropping it at one point, but I'm glad I didn't. Let me break down the book.
The Good:
• The side characters and general cast of the book were heartwarming. The overall message of this story was that happiness in life is the people in it. FMC Izzy and MMC Johnny created a family with their friends and mentors. One of my favorite book tropes is Found Family, and I really loved this one. Especially Margot. She's the GOAT.
• There were a lot of discussions about happiness and healing that were had. The author made me self-reflect a lot while reading, which I appreciate.
• Spice was delicious. It didn't just feel like sex. It felt like lovemaking. Even when it got dirtier or rougher, it was done with lots of passion between Izzy and Johnny. I'm a big fan of that!
• Johnny is quick to move on from his past and get with Izzy. Now, this might be a negative to some of you since that kind of throws the initial conflict out the window. I, for one, appreciated his no bs pursuit to win Izzy's love. The author throws in little conflicts here and there to keep me semi-invested in the story. Honestly, though, most of the problems are just internal struggled up until the very end of the book.
• Also, he really loved his mother figure Margot. At the end of the book, he tells her to her face how much he loves and appreciates her. That was beautiful, made me tear up.
Now the Bad:
• This is another preference of mine, so take my grievance with a grain of salt. As a Gen Z women, traditional Alpha Male types are very hit-or-miss. Don't get me wrong, I love myself a possessive and protective MMC, but I draw the line at some of the more extreme aspects that come with those traits. Johnny almost lost me a couple of times. One minute, I was oooing and awing at his actions. The next, I wanted to drop kick him into outer space. No spoilers, just a warning: he gets enraged to the point of breaking something. Izzy doesn't appreciate that and asks him to cease doing that in the future. He basically shrugs his shoulders and uses his favorite line, "That's the kind of guy I am." Ew, ew ew. That gave me the ick.
• And this comes around to my issue with Izzy. Sweet, beautiful, soft Izzy. That girl had no, and I mean NO backbone whatsoever. She was completely fine with Johnny railroading her on a lot of stuff. And if she wasn't, then this is exactly how it would go: 1. She would either bring it up politely or quietly stew on it. 2. Johnny would get frustrated and say the infamous "that's just who I am" line. 3. She would huff and puff a tiny bit, but he would kiss her, and all is right with the world.
• As much as I loved their found family, I felt the majority of the characters were a little two-dimensional. For example, Izzy's best friend, Deanna, felt stereotypical instead of a living, breathing woman with her own thoughts, feelings, and motivations. Same with Addie, Izzy's sister (who is the main character of the next book btw) Besides Margot, the entire cast felt very flat to me, even though I loved what they represented for Izzy and Johnny.
• Plot was boring for the majority of the book. Like I said above, I enjoyed the introspective aspects and quiet moments between the main couple. But at the same time, I was dragging my feet reading this book. I had to put it down a lot because I was reading the same paragraph over and over. I think a lot of that also has to do with the overall writing style. There were too many walls of paragraphs to get through. This is my first time reading from this author, so idk if this is a common occurrence or not.
Final thoughts: It was a sweet love story that I was enjoying at times, or not at all. So yeah, it was a bit of a journey. I might give the next book a shot if I'm feeling up for it, but I don't see myself reading this story again. The ending was sweet, and I only wanted to drop the book because Johnny got on my feminist nerves. So take that information and do with it what you want.
This book gave me whiplash. I was both enjoying and hating aspects of the story. I even considered dropping it at one point, but I'm glad I didn't. Let me break down the book.
The Good:
• The side characters and general cast of the book were heartwarming. The overall message of this story was that happiness in life is the people in it. FMC Izzy and MMC Johnny created a family with their friends and mentors. One of my favorite book tropes is Found Family, and I really loved this one. Especially Margot. She's the GOAT.
• There were a lot of discussions about happiness and healing that were had. The author made me self-reflect a lot while reading, which I appreciate.
• Spice was delicious. It didn't just feel like sex. It felt like lovemaking. Even when it got dirtier or rougher, it was done with lots of passion between Izzy and Johnny. I'm a big fan of that!
• Johnny is quick to move on from his past and get with Izzy. Now, this might be a negative to some of you since that kind of throws the initial conflict out the window. I, for one, appreciated his no bs pursuit to win Izzy's love. The author throws in little conflicts here and there to keep me semi-invested in the story. Honestly, though, most of the problems are just internal struggled up until the very end of the book.
• Also, he really loved his mother figure Margot. At the end of the book, he tells her to her face how much he loves and appreciates her. That was beautiful, made me tear up.
Now the Bad:
• This is another preference of mine, so take my grievance with a grain of salt. As a Gen Z women, traditional Alpha Male types are very hit-or-miss. Don't get me wrong, I love myself a possessive and protective MMC, but I draw the line at some of the more extreme aspects that come with those traits. Johnny almost lost me a couple of times. One minute, I was oooing and awing at his actions. The next, I wanted to drop kick him into outer space. No spoilers, just a warning: he gets enraged to the point of breaking something. Izzy doesn't appreciate that and asks him to cease doing that in the future. He basically shrugs his shoulders and uses his favorite line, "That's the kind of guy I am." Ew, ew ew. That gave me the ick.
• And this comes around to my issue with Izzy. Sweet, beautiful, soft Izzy. That girl had no, and I mean NO backbone whatsoever. She was completely fine with Johnny railroading her on a lot of stuff. And if she wasn't, then this is exactly how it would go: 1. She would either bring it up politely or quietly stew on it. 2. Johnny would get frustrated and say the infamous "that's just who I am" line. 3. She would huff and puff a tiny bit, but he would kiss her, and all is right with the world.
• As much as I loved their found family, I felt the majority of the characters were a little two-dimensional. For example, Izzy's best friend, Deanna, felt stereotypical instead of a living, breathing woman with her own thoughts, feelings, and motivations. Same with Addie, Izzy's sister (who is the main character of the next book btw) Besides Margot, the entire cast felt very flat to me, even though I loved what they represented for Izzy and Johnny.
• Plot was boring for the majority of the book. Like I said above, I enjoyed the introspective aspects and quiet moments between the main couple. But at the same time, I was dragging my feet reading this book. I had to put it down a lot because I was reading the same paragraph over and over. I think a lot of that also has to do with the overall writing style. There were too many walls of paragraphs to get through. This is my first time reading from this author, so idk if this is a common occurrence or not.
Final thoughts: It was a sweet love story that I was enjoying at times, or not at all. So yeah, it was a bit of a journey. I might give the next book a shot if I'm feeling up for it, but I don't see myself reading this story again. The ending was sweet, and I only wanted to drop the book because Johnny got on my feminist nerves. So take that information and do with it what you want.
queennia's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75
cute especially at the start and the epilogue. the whole thing was great tho
mooncricketjp's review
4.0
Sweet
This wasn’t as emotional or angsty as we are used to from Kristen Ashley but it was still written in her usual style and there is some. It took until the fifth chapter to start getting it but I loved it. I’m looking forward to more in the series.
This wasn’t as emotional or angsty as we are used to from Kristen Ashley but it was still written in her usual style and there is some. It took until the fifth chapter to start getting it but I loved it. I’m looking forward to more in the series.
seriouslybookish's review
4.0
4.5 stars. This book was beautiful, sweet and just radiates happiness. My only issue was that I felt like their needed to be more angst from Johnny and more interaction with his ex.