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A review by denasweeney
Vicious by L.J. Shen
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
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
Vicious, LJ Shen
Available in KU
⭐️ 4
🌶️ 3
What you can expect
🌸 Bully Romance
🌸 Enemies to Lovers
🌸 Sunshine/Grum
🌸 Dual Time Line
Trigger Warnings
Past Child Abuse
Extreme Bullying
Dena’s Thoughts
I devoured this book. I first read this about two years ago and it was my first experience with bulky romances. When I saw the arc sign ups for physical book releases I knew I had to get it!
Emilia is quirky, artistic and kind. Everyone adores her… except Vicious. He can’t stand her country twang, how nice she is, and that it seems like she couldn’t care less about him and his world. Going back and forth between senior year and ten years later, we see him relentlessly bully her and run her out of town to bumping into her years layers and not being able to let her go.
What I love about this book is how genuinely horrible he is. No one is safe from his boarder line psychotic tendencies including his best friends. Red flags in real life, green flags in book life. Only in the later time line when he realizes his feelings do we see him not be horrible…to just one person but we love that.
I also really enjoy Emilia. She stands up to him, calls out his bs and holds her boundaries. When he messes up she makes him earn her attention back. Aside from Vicious, she’s dependable, nurturing and super witty. She helps take care of her sick sister to lighten her parent’s load by working multiple jobs while putting her own dreams on hold.
This really is by far one of my favorite reads. I’m probably about to put my tbr on hold and read the whole series to be honest because I’m addicted. Bully romance is possibly my favorite trope of dark romance and this one is top tier.
Thank you to the @author agency and @ljshen for allowing me to read this arc!
Available in KU
⭐️ 4
🌶️ 3
What you can expect
🌸 Bully Romance
🌸 Enemies to Lovers
🌸 Sunshine/Grum
🌸 Dual Time Line
Trigger Warnings
Past Child Abuse
Extreme Bullying
Dena’s Thoughts
I devoured this book. I first read this about two years ago and it was my first experience with bulky romances. When I saw the arc sign ups for physical book releases I knew I had to get it!
Emilia is quirky, artistic and kind. Everyone adores her… except Vicious. He can’t stand her country twang, how nice she is, and that it seems like she couldn’t care less about him and his world. Going back and forth between senior year and ten years later, we see him relentlessly bully her and run her out of town to bumping into her years layers and not being able to let her go.
What I love about this book is how genuinely horrible he is. No one is safe from his boarder line psychotic tendencies including his best friends. Red flags in real life, green flags in book life. Only in the later time line when he realizes his feelings do we see him not be horrible…to just one person but we love that.
I also really enjoy Emilia. She stands up to him, calls out his bs and holds her boundaries. When he messes up she makes him earn her attention back. Aside from Vicious, she’s dependable, nurturing and super witty. She helps take care of her sick sister to lighten her parent’s load by working multiple jobs while putting her own dreams on hold.
This really is by far one of my favorite reads. I’m probably about to put my tbr on hold and read the whole series to be honest because I’m addicted. Bully romance is possibly my favorite trope of dark romance and this one is top tier.
Thank you to the @author agency and @ljshen for allowing me to read this arc!