A review by mingostudio
Kiss the Sky, by Krista Ritchie, Becca Ritchie
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
no spoilers; triggers at the bottom
tbh i have no clue why i decided to pick up this book after rating “addicted to you” one star, but i had hope in Rose’s strong character. but ig let’s get into why i rated this book 2 stars…
✨ the unsurprising bad ✨
* rose and connor’s relationship was a disappointment. i thought they’d finally write a strong, independent, anti-Lily character, but the minute they try to… they give her a partner whose ego is through the roof. it’s like the authors are so stuffed with internal misogyny, they can’t let an independent woman win a simple argument with her boo thing. no he has to be constantly right and hold her back from ferally attacking people, but don’t worry! they have a very equal relationship! well except for in bed when aLpHa cOnNoR gets all the control because ofc he does! UGH I COULD VOMIT it’s a super gross “exchange”
* on the same token, they’re both portrayed as rich, snotty pricks with nothing better to do but quote Confucius and constantly compete with each other. and i can appreciate some competition in a relationship, but the way it was written in this book was UNHEALTHY; you can’t hide life changing decisions for weeks bc you want your partner to figure it out on his own. period, full stop.
* the smut was pretty foul. aLpHa cOnNoR and his bdsm kink is one thing, but how is the entire book supposed to spout the importance of protection and safe sex to lily and loren, but then PURPOSEFULLY ignore condoms when they do it, EVEN WHEN ROSE ASKED. it’s like this book is displaying what NOT to do in a relationship, bc if that was the goal, they’re doing real well.
* scott needs to die in a hole full of leeches, but ig they needed an anger-inducing antagonist so check that box
* the plot twist at the very end was rushed, but i’m finding that’s how these authors right: not like a usual plot mountain but just quick ups and downs until the book ends.
* there’s prob more i’m missing, including numerous plot holes, but it’s been a few days and my memory is foggy :’)
✨ the minimal good ✨
* the entire reason i finished this book after all the misgivings was the whole reality show concept tbh. it was FULL of drama and while it could get very unhealthy and repetitive (?) it was certainly entertaining. this goes back to the writing style as well, the concept of an ongoing reality show hid the lack of plot mountain, and instead just introduced problems and solved them (or attempted to) as the book flowed on.
* RYKE AND DAISY y’all they have my heart i loved their dynamic throughout this book, esp. how he protected her from Julian and all the other idiots slobbering after her. can’t WAIT for their book.
* Lilly and Lo IRONICALLY were mostly good in this book. it was rough reading in Lilly’s pov, but outside of it just reading little snippets of them comforting each other or just being affectionate or flipping off the cameras to mess with Scott, it was all very enjoyable.
* the constant FMK game with fictional characters was really funny and prob the most relatable part of the whole book lmaoo.
* Connor’s therapist was such a mood. enough said.
overall, it really was a very bad book. couldn’t stand the main characters (yet again), and anyone reading this could learn some VERY bad advice for having relationships, dealing with stress, and other things that i would name, but they’re spoilers. if the only redeeming qualities are the side characters, two stars seems about right for me.
⚠️ triggers ⚠️
violence, mention of physical, verbal, and sexual abuse, explicit sexual content, harassment, drug abuse, sex and alcohol addiction, and ofc, mommy issues.
tbh i have no clue why i decided to pick up this book after rating “addicted to you” one star, but i had hope in Rose’s strong character. but ig let’s get into why i rated this book 2 stars…
✨ the unsurprising bad ✨
* rose and connor’s relationship was a disappointment. i thought they’d finally write a strong, independent, anti-Lily character, but the minute they try to… they give her a partner whose ego is through the roof. it’s like the authors are so stuffed with internal misogyny, they can’t let an independent woman win a simple argument with her boo thing. no he has to be constantly right and hold her back from ferally attacking people, but don’t worry! they have a very equal relationship! well except for in bed when aLpHa cOnNoR gets all the control because ofc he does! UGH I COULD VOMIT it’s a super gross “exchange”
* on the same token, they’re both portrayed as rich, snotty pricks with nothing better to do but quote Confucius and constantly compete with each other. and i can appreciate some competition in a relationship, but the way it was written in this book was UNHEALTHY; you can’t hide life changing decisions for weeks bc you want your partner to figure it out on his own. period, full stop.
* the smut was pretty foul. aLpHa cOnNoR and his bdsm kink is one thing, but how is the entire book supposed to spout the importance of protection and safe sex to lily and loren, but then PURPOSEFULLY ignore condoms when they do it, EVEN WHEN ROSE ASKED. it’s like this book is displaying what NOT to do in a relationship, bc if that was the goal, they’re doing real well.
* scott needs to die in a hole full of leeches, but ig they needed an anger-inducing antagonist so check that box
* the plot twist at the very end was rushed, but i’m finding that’s how these authors right: not like a usual plot mountain but just quick ups and downs until the book ends.
* there’s prob more i’m missing, including numerous plot holes, but it’s been a few days and my memory is foggy :’)
✨ the minimal good ✨
* the entire reason i finished this book after all the misgivings was the whole reality show concept tbh. it was FULL of drama and while it could get very unhealthy and repetitive (?) it was certainly entertaining. this goes back to the writing style as well, the concept of an ongoing reality show hid the lack of plot mountain, and instead just introduced problems and solved them (or attempted to) as the book flowed on.
* RYKE AND DAISY y’all they have my heart i loved their dynamic throughout this book, esp. how he protected her from Julian and all the other idiots slobbering after her. can’t WAIT for their book.
* Lilly and Lo IRONICALLY were mostly good in this book. it was rough reading in Lilly’s pov, but outside of it just reading little snippets of them comforting each other or just being affectionate or flipping off the cameras to mess with Scott, it was all very enjoyable.
* the constant FMK game with fictional characters was really funny and prob the most relatable part of the whole book lmaoo.
* Connor’s therapist was such a mood. enough said.
overall, it really was a very bad book. couldn’t stand the main characters (yet again), and anyone reading this could learn some VERY bad advice for having relationships, dealing with stress, and other things that i would name, but they’re spoilers. if the only redeeming qualities are the side characters, two stars seems about right for me.
⚠️ triggers ⚠️
violence, mention of physical, verbal, and sexual abuse, explicit sexual content, harassment, drug abuse, sex and alcohol addiction, and ofc, mommy issues.
Graphic: Violence, Sexual content, Physical abuse, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Drug abuse, Abandonment, and Addiction