littleredmacks's reviews
528 reviews

We were promised many things that didn't feel like they were delivered. 

This book was well done and I have a lot of thoughts and they are all overshadowed by the torture and death of a dog. 

This book had so many things going for it. It had mystery, childhood friends to lovers, slow burn, traumatic pasts and even a writing style that felt unique and engaging. I was READY to fall in love with this one. 

But holy AIRBALL, did we drop it. 

The MMC is the heart of this book. He was missing for 22 years, hidden away underground and cut off from the world. Watching him rediscover the world was endearing and even occasionally funny. He carried this story and their entire fucking romance. 

I usually root hard for a flawed female lead. I'll give her more grace than most but this one had me rooting for the OTHER WOMAN in the story. We've got a man who was literally imprisoned underground for two decades and SOMEHOW he's doing all the emotional labor of their relationship. H'e bringing vulnerability, effort, even growth and she's leaving her fucking doors unlocked after a LITERAL home invasion where they didn't catch the guy because 'it's fine'. Spoiler alert. It was NOT fine. 

Then there's the 'finally together' moment. And after all that, what should have been this meaningful moment between two friends who found more in each other, we got generic, factory standard smut. It was NOT a culmination of two broken people finding solace in each other (though neither did their entire relationship so IDK why I was surprised). Their entire relationship was just lust. Shallow lust-seriously shallower than a kiddy pool. More like a splash pad. 

This could have been something really beautiful. The bones were there.  

Thanks for holding up the mirror, Ali. 

This book hit me right in the college era feelings and surprise me in the best way because I saw SO MUCH of my younger self in the main character. The perfectionism masked in ambition. The white knuckled grip on control that only ever covered up insecurities. The quiet spiral as you try to hold everything together while hoping that someone else might see what you're going through. 

A lot of readers didn't like her and said she was too insecure or felt like she was accepting less than she deserved. And I agree. But that's why I loved her. She was real. If you've ever wrestled with your own trauma, disordered thinking, or  trying to grow up while still healing from the things that broke you while you were a child then you'll get her. And you might even relate to her the way I did. 

Now, if you're picking this up and expecting 300 pages of kink and spice you will be left wanting. There is tension and it builds slowly before they even get into the BDSM lite stuff. The romance is even slower building as Scarlett has a lot of work to do before they can work. 

I think that if you go into this book expecting a traditional romance, you might be let down. I think it's better to go into this book expecting some smut, and a lot of mental blocks (in more ways than one) and growing so you can learn to swallow love. Truly, I loved this one and it's my first Ali Hazelwood book so I'm interested to see what comes next. 

I went into this one with pleasantly LOW expectations and at least at the beginning, it looked like I was going to be proven wrong. The opening was solid, intriguing and I was buckled in and ready for what appeared to be a surprisingly good time. 

And then we violently crashed down a hill. 

Somehow, most of the ACTUAL plot happened OFF the screen. It was like this buffet of filler content that dragged on and on and on and on. I considered DNFing several times but decided to finish out of spite. 

The slow burn really TRIED in the beginning of the story and wasn't terrible. But then there was ONE (read that again ONE) spicy moment and BAM. Honestly, I felt more chemistry between Tamlin and Feyre before I DNFd that one (at like 20%) than I did here. 

If we were to cut all the fluff and gave this plot some structure, it could easily be chopped in half. Don't get me wrong, this isn't the worst thing I've ever read ACOTAR still takes that cake, but it was very much a miss. 

Listen, if you're going to fall for a stalker, this is the one to do it will. This book walks that razor thin line between "sir, that is a crime" and "...okay but respectfully" and nails it honestly. 

The audio is a must. The narrators had me snorting and literally laughing out loud. The chemistry is phenominal and the banter is genuinely funny. 

What really worked for me was the balance of trust and tension. The consent/non-consent dynamic was handled with care, making the relationship feel layered and even wholesome. He was a very polite stalker. 

I find it difficult to rate nonfiction with a start system, but this book is an absolute must read. The author presents a deeply researched (if the pages upon pages of cited sources are anything to go off of), unflinching look at the ways anger is conditioned, surpassed, and weaponized against women. The statistics shared throughout the book broke my heart, triggered genuine rage, and genuinely shifted the way I view my role as a teacher, especially in early childhood education. 

Some of the truths in this book are incredibly difficult to swallow and that is exactly why they matter. It is a powerful reminder that our girls deserve better, and if we don't keep pushing for systemic change, they will not get it. 

This book is an essential read.