A review by laylareadsthings
Say You Swear by Meagan Brandy

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This is the true definition of an emotional roller coaster. I went from almost DNFing (sometimes reading the 18ish age range is tough for me, and you’re introduced to A LOT of characters and places very quickly) to literally finishing in one sitting. Noah Riley officially tops the list of book boyfriends, I don’t see him ever being dethroned. Ari is written so beautifully, I absolutely loved her development and emotions, and how she processed everything. I’m not usually one for contemporary sports romances but I found this to be a truly beautiful book that I think anyone who finds themself in a space needing to heal process will truly love. Some really wonderful side characters that I’d love to revisit in the future if they have their own books. Spoilers ahead, but if you want to know why this isn’t a perfect five stars:
Spoiler I think Chase might just be the most awful character I’ve read in recent memory, and for some reason I could NOT get over his friends not calling him on his absolute disgusting behavior. He was predatory and disturbing throughout, but especially towards the end of the book. And I felt it was disguised with the frequent “but he really is a good guy I swear!” excuse, even though he has not a single redeeming moment or quality. This took me out of the plot flow at times but was resolved in a way that made sense and was true to the story.
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