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booksalacarte's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Mafia dark romance
Beauty and the beast retelling
Enemies to lovers
Professional ballerina
Opposites attract
“Touch her and die”
The writing is really stilted int he beginning. Maybe it’s the dual first person POV. And it’s needlessly repetitive. Something said in chapter 2 is almost verbatim in chapter 6.
The monotonous replay of a specific scene in the other POV in first person isn’t interesting, it’s boring.
The characters are under developed. There is such potential, but their character arcs are rushed and their relationship arc hardly goes beyond Stockholm syndrome. Their on page interactions are very few, making their relationship seem very immature. There is very little on page tension because they hardly ever interact.
But it was a quick and easy read.
Thank you NetGalley and Bloom Books/Sourcebooks for an Advanced Reader Copy of the ebook in return for an honest review.
Graphic: Gaslighting, Gore, Gun violence, Cursing, Suicide, Kidnapping, Hate crime, Murder, Stalking, Confinement, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Rape, Violence, Misogyny, and Sexual harassment
carla20's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Rape, Suicide, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Kidnapping, Murder, and Violence
a_libra_library's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Classism, Confinement, Drug abuse, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Child death, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Drug use, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, Death, Self harm, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Abandonment, and Blood
darkclouds's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Miko's character was much more compulsive and for the most part, I could bear the leads for this story. What Sophie Lark couldn't sell me on was the immediate empathy between them two following ONE dinner and a dance. We went from Nessa being frightened, to a forced dinner playing dress up and dancing like Beauty and the Beast (which this story tried so hard to reimagine) to suddenly placing niceties and an odd shared compassion for one another.
It did not flow. At all.
We knew the Stockholm Syndrome vibes was already toeing the line but there was barely any development for them to have reached an understanding after 2/3 interactions. Also Nessa being SO SMART that she could speak Polish that fluent after reading translated books of her favourite children books? Being receptive when it comes to learning choreography in dance is NOT the same as adeptly learning a whole new language. Especially one so difficult.
A whole lot was happening and yet nothing at all. Because it's just narrated to us without actually showing us what's happening. So the whole book went on Nessa being pampered. Miko stalking her on CCTV. Lot of food and scenes with bonding with the Polish speaking maid whom Nessa easily understood. Intelligence you guys. Remember?
We went from lowkey slow burn to instalove in moments I don't even know how that was possible.
It was a messy wrap up but it was a degree better than the first story that's for sure.
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Kidnapping, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Confinement
Minor: Sexual assault and Suicide
__romancereader__'s review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Gore, Rape, Toxic friendship, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Alcohol, Blood, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Self harm, Sexual content, Stalking, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Grief, Gun violence, Physical abuse, and Sexual assault
Not all content warnings are about the main characters some are and some are about the characters you meet/hear in the book 🫶🏼🫶🏼🥰🥰Enjoyecravens's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Sexual content, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Rape, Toxic relationship, Blood, Child death, and Death
lilyemmaaa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Murder, Alcohol, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Child death and Death
niamhstorme's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Blood, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Murder, and Sexual content
bedtimesandbooks's review against another edition
- 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
2.25
Graphic: Stalking, Violence, Kidnapping, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Rape, Suicide, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, Cursing, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Blood
amanda_reads13's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
I thought this was a pretty good twist on Beauty and the Beast (the references were a little too in your face). I liked the chemistry between Nessa and Miko. I really enjoyed seeing the evolution of Miko's feelings and all the little things he did for her (ex. Bought her dance outfits). You could tell he had really fallen hard. Nessa's age kind of bothered me, she was young (19), I wish her character had been a bit older. This kind of boardered on insta love.
Tropes: Mafia, enemies to lovers, fairy tale retelling
Graphic: Blood, Gaslighting, Murder, Stalking, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Gun violence, Kidnapping, and Misogyny