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A review by tawnyad2004
If Only in My Dreams by Carrie Aarons
1.0
DNF 29% Trigger warning: emotional/verbal abuse
I started this because of all the rave reviews I’ve seen of it all over Instagram, tic Tok and good reads. I understand it is an enemies to lovers troupe. To me this was so much more cruel then enemies to lovers. With enemies it’s someone you don’t like (but maybe crush on in secret), or a rival you love to fight. This was a selfish, emotionally broken man who was a complete and utter ahole to a sweet, innocent, kind girl. I know we all love to love the bad boy but him…. I could not stand this man.
The biggest and probably only reason is because of how emotionally and verbally abusive he was to Madison. From the first sentence he said to her till I stopped reading the book he was the text book definition of emotionally abusive
“verbal aggression, intimidation, manipulation, and humiliation, which most often unfolds as a pattern of behavior over time that aims to diminish another person’s sense of identity, dignity and self worth”
How is this a man to emulate or even empathize with. I get that he’s emotionally “broken” and hurt but that is NOT a reason to treat others like this. If he took it out on her physically everyone would have been up in arms. Instead bc he takes it out on her verbally it’s ok? I want nothing to do with a character like this.
I started this because of all the rave reviews I’ve seen of it all over Instagram, tic Tok and good reads. I understand it is an enemies to lovers troupe. To me this was so much more cruel then enemies to lovers. With enemies it’s someone you don’t like (but maybe crush on in secret), or a rival you love to fight. This was a selfish, emotionally broken man who was a complete and utter ahole to a sweet, innocent, kind girl. I know we all love to love the bad boy but him…. I could not stand this man.
The biggest and probably only reason is because of how emotionally and verbally abusive he was to Madison. From the first sentence he said to her till I stopped reading the book he was the text book definition of emotionally abusive
“verbal aggression, intimidation, manipulation, and humiliation, which most often unfolds as a pattern of behavior over time that aims to diminish another person’s sense of identity, dignity and self worth”
How is this a man to emulate or even empathize with. I get that he’s emotionally “broken” and hurt but that is NOT a reason to treat others like this. If he took it out on her physically everyone would have been up in arms. Instead bc he takes it out on her verbally it’s ok? I want nothing to do with a character like this.