Tag Note: I added SA to the tags more out of caution. Their relationship is rough, but there are some questionable moments. Most of the SA stuff is off screen and there are drugs involved so consent is "dubious". I wanted to mention this up front. Personally, It didn't bother me but I can think of 1 person that it might bother them.

Plot: 4/5
Spice: 3.5/5 (# of scenes, descriptions)
Characters: 4/5
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Overall reco:
I picked this up because I was looking to read something that would hurt me, that would make my heartache. Starting out this book I DID see a note that while a stand alone there was back story that would be missed but it wasn't critical and while I agree it didn't seem critical I think I missed out by having not read the other works that apparently lead up to this. Which is disappointing. The book starts out with the feeling like you already know these characters and know their story, so some character building is done but it felt kind of a little flat?
The story itself is one of those trainwrecks that you absolutely cannot put down. I don't know if I saw any errors or issues or anything because when I was reading this I was flying through the pages. When I got to the last like 200 or so pages I just devoured it. I didn't even highlight anything, not that there was the desire too, quotes from this didn't really stick out.
I did feel like there was a lot of whiplash. I was expecting sustained bullying and that wasn't exactly the case. OR more internal heartbreak. The amount of alcohol consumption was crazy, I felt like I was going to have a hang over. Also, and I don't want to like judge on peoples recovery, everyone's is different and rich kids people don't have to follow any of the processes after rehab that others do.. Xavi's recovery felt surprisingly easy as a reader. Like, only once, is he tempted and even then we don't really get to see his internal strife about it. But it comes up a few times and there is absolutely no temptation that is expressed to the reader.
Not even when he goes to his

dealer and has the pill in his hand and he's playing with it. He's hesitating and he doesn't know why (because the hero is coming to save him). This didn't feel like addict behavior, especially someone who was in rehab for 4 months after YEARS of easy access.

  I was expecting more struggle from Xavi about his drug use, and maybe thats because I didn't have the prior knowledge of the characters? It felt kind of superficial.

In the end, it didn't fully scratch my "make me hurt" itch, but it was enjoyable.