i loved this! it took me a minute to get really invested, but i was so attached to the characters + the writing + the message💗💗💗 awesome book

for a book that definitely has its dark parts, i weirdly had a lot of fun with this. i liked seeing these two characters together 

this was just wonderful. the plot was great, their relationship was great, everything was great. i would have liked another chapter or two, though, just for fun, and also some groveling would have really worked for me

my least favorite full-length ali hazelwood but still enjoyable! i just didnt find it quite as romantic as the other two, and i didnt love the conflict. still good and probably a new comfort read, just like every ali hazelwood book. i wish ali hazelwood could release a book a month. i do hope she tries out more diverse settings, characters, and storylines soon, tho. 

This book opens with a prologue wherein the author's thesis is that Carter's presidency was underrated, while his post presidency was underrated. I do not think that Jonathan Alter succeeded in proving this thesis. In my opinion, he did not try hard enough to actually prove either point, and when he did insert his opinion, it felt like the wrong time. He did point out, though, that most of Carter's accomplishments were either ignored, credited to Reagan, or credited to one of his Democratic successors. I did learn a lot about Carter, though some parts were hard to read and left me feeling like Alter was too critical of Carter. I acknowledge that these feelings may just stem from my own bias because it is hard for me to accept criticism of Carter. As a student of history, sometimes it seems like everything sucks, people are evil, and good things are rare, but I always look upon Carter as someone who genuinely tried his best to make a positive difference in the world, which constantly inspires me. Speaking of trying his best, I also do not feel that Alter did a good job of emphasizing the title and showing the many ways that Carter gave 110% to the presidency. His discussion of the gas crisis could have been more coherent, too. Finally, Alter constantly mentions how Carter was obsessively detail-oriented, but one could say that this book is obsessively detail-oriented. There was no reason for it to be so long. If he truly wanted to fight widespread misconceptions about Carter (most of which stem from the cynical post-Watergate media), he would make this book shorter and thereby more accessible. 

this pleasantly surprised me bc for the first half, i thought declan was completely irredeemable, but i came around. its still not my absolute fav and i probs wouldnt reread, but this is just a masterclass in how to write a slow burn redemption arc. he’s still not perfect OR my favorite hero, but i do think that this is so impressive. the torture is REALLY rough though and could have been less graphic

i liked the characters for the most part (alice’s innocence made her seem like a caricature), and their chemistry was well done, but i didnt care abt the plot

ppl apparently dont like this, but i enjoyed it! it was cute & sweet & easy

unbecoming: 4/5
evolution: 3.5/5
retribution: 3.75/5. not enough closure