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My rating is contingent on completely, wholeheartedly ignoring how much of an asshole Weston was in the first half of this book. Because in real life, that guy would be a walking, talking, breathing red flag. And no amount of daddy issues can justify his behavior.
Recommended with caution.
Recommended with caution.
Cute at first. But this book dragged too much. And I truly could not have cared less.
Trust Nikki Sloane to get me to like my least favorite trope: daddy fucking.
Final impressions:
• Age-gap romance between a 19-year-old girl and her ex-boyfriend's dad with impressive awareness on power dynamics.
• Seconding Inah's comment on the Pomodoro technique of writing smut. There's definitely more sex and vibes than plot.
• Can guarantee some nice doctor-patient sex roleplaying.
• "Dirty/Naughty/Bad girl"
• In addition to the generous serving of steamy scenes, there are also tender moments shared between Cassidy and Greg, which got me smiling.
• Not my favorite Nikki Sloane book, but it gets the job done, I suppose.
• Light taboo brimming with fantasies and a touch of angst - Perfect if you're looking for a quick read with generous erotic content.
Recommended with caution.
Final impressions:
• Age-gap romance between a 19-year-old girl and her ex-boyfriend's dad with impressive awareness on power dynamics.
• Seconding Inah's comment on the Pomodoro technique of writing smut. There's definitely more sex and vibes than plot.
• Can guarantee some nice doctor-patient sex roleplaying.
• "Dirty/Naughty/Bad girl"
• In addition to the generous serving of steamy scenes, there are also tender moments shared between Cassidy and Greg, which got me smiling.
• Not my favorite Nikki Sloane book, but it gets the job done, I suppose.
• Light taboo brimming with fantasies and a touch of angst - Perfect if you're looking for a quick read with generous erotic content.
Recommended with caution.
Final impressions:
• The sex scenes were really hot, but there weren't enough of them, in my humble opinion.
• The "Oh no, I'm in love with my bestie, but I don't want to ruin our friendship" bit was a little too drawn out for my liking.
• Super solid beginning with great banter, but kind of lackluster towards the end.
• However, because of that fine-ass restaurant scene, I am more than happy to overlook all of the minor flaws.
Recommended.
• The sex scenes were really hot, but there weren't enough of them, in my humble opinion.
• The "Oh no, I'm in love with my bestie, but I don't want to ruin our friendship" bit was a little too drawn out for my liking.
• Super solid beginning with great banter, but kind of lackluster towards the end.
• However, because of that fine-ass restaurant scene, I am more than happy to overlook all of the minor flaws.
Recommended.
This second-chance romance definitely left me feeling bitter and sweet.
Maybe I'm just projecting, but I saw a lot of myself in Michelle, and while I am of the opinion that Gabe is kind of an asshat and still has a lot of growing up to do, I'm very glad that she got her happy ending anyway.
I won't delve into specifics, but many aspects of their relationship hit really close to home. And quite frankly, it hurt - but in a way that's inexplicably cathartic. I could not have started my 2022 with a more fitting read.
Highly recommended.
Maybe I'm just projecting, but I saw a lot of myself in Michelle, and while I am of the opinion that Gabe is kind of an asshat and still has a lot of growing up to do, I'm very glad that she got her happy ending anyway.
I won't delve into specifics, but many aspects of their relationship hit really close to home. And quite frankly, it hurt - but in a way that's inexplicably cathartic. I could not have started my 2022 with a more fitting read.
Highly recommended.
I went into Quarantine and Chill with the hope of finding wish fulfillment. And for me, wish fulfillment would've been two delightfully compatible people going at it like bunnies while staying socially distant from the rest of the world. Unfortunately, this novel was not that.
- Spoilers ahead! -
Despite the instant lust/attraction between Kamal and Jade, the story took its time in moving their relationship along. There was a lot of teasing and flirting. And while I enjoyed the banter (and witnessing these two hooligans pull off a heist for toilet paper), the smut took too long to arrive. The first sex scene was about 55% into the book, which was literally the opposite of what I was hoping for. And to make matters worse, I was served uninspired, penetration-centric sex with awkward dialogue.
The succeeding sex scenes were even less impressive. At some point, I had to put down the book and ask aloud, "How can an author make balcony sex sound so underwhelming?" Because the quality of the smut was consistently disproportional to the level of emotional buildup - and that's truly a shame.
However, bad sex scenes aside, what truly turned me off was the weird murder/suicide subplot in this book. I am extremely uncomfortable that Amber, Kamal's ex-girlfriend, was villainized for being mentally ill. Being mentally ill fractured her relationship with Kamal (with cheating as the proverbial straw), being mentally ill turned her into an obsessive stalker, and being mentally ill led to her brandishing a gun towards Jade. Although the toxic ex-girlfriend trope is fair game, this poor portrayal of mental illness is insensitive and irresponsible as it contributes to the prevalent stigma surrounding depression and addiction. On top of that, her violent suicide was used as the "obstacle" between Kamal and Jade that they had to overcome to stay together. The whole thing was exceedingly gross and destroyed whatever little enjoyment that I got from this book.
Other red flags:
- Kamal using sex to manipulate Jade into moving in with him
- Kamal having unprotected sex with Jade without her consent
- Mention of Israel (#FreePalestine)
Not recommended.
[ Trigger/Content warnings: ]
- Spoilers ahead! -
Despite the instant lust/attraction between Kamal and Jade, the story took its time in moving their relationship along. There was a lot of teasing and flirting. And while I enjoyed the banter (and witnessing these two hooligans pull off a heist for toilet paper), the smut took too long to arrive. The first sex scene was about 55% into the book, which was literally the opposite of what I was hoping for. And to make matters worse, I was served uninspired, penetration-centric sex with awkward dialogue.
The succeeding sex scenes were even less impressive. At some point, I had to put down the book and ask aloud, "How can an author make balcony sex sound so underwhelming?" Because the quality of the smut was consistently disproportional to the level of emotional buildup - and that's truly a shame.
However, bad sex scenes aside, what truly turned me off was the weird murder/suicide subplot in this book. I am extremely uncomfortable that Amber, Kamal's ex-girlfriend, was villainized for being mentally ill. Being mentally ill fractured her relationship with Kamal (with cheating as the proverbial straw), being mentally ill turned her into an obsessive stalker, and being mentally ill led to her brandishing a gun towards Jade. Although the toxic ex-girlfriend trope is fair game, this poor portrayal of mental illness is insensitive and irresponsible as it contributes to the prevalent stigma surrounding depression and addiction. On top of that, her violent suicide was used as the "obstacle" between Kamal and Jade that they had to overcome to stay together. The whole thing was exceedingly gross and destroyed whatever little enjoyment that I got from this book.
Other red flags:
- Kamal using sex to manipulate Jade into moving in with him
- Kamal having unprotected sex with Jade without her consent
- Mention of Israel (#FreePalestine)
Not recommended.
[ Trigger/Content warnings:
Spoiler
adultery / infidelity; self-harm / suicide (graphic); death; attempted murder; animal mistreatment (a dog was shot); stalking; substance addiction; mental illness (depiction of depression); loved one falling ill (COVID-19); pregnancy; manipulation
Flawed with unchecked sexism/misogyny. But this book made me laugh anyway, so.