 4.5 stars
What a neat concept for a horror (speculative?) novel centered on the deep, dark woods. Come for the split-timeline horror pitch—stay for the creeping tension and seriously trippy finale. Concept: ★★★★★ Pacing: ★★★ Enjoyment: ★★★★ The Dark Between the Trees is a novel I've put off reading for quite a long time. I'm not completely sure why, but the core idea is that I thought I knew what this novel was about. Let's clear that assumption right away: I did not. This is one of those nebulous stories that sounds really vague and predictable from the synopsis. A group of people disappeared into a supposedly haunted woods in the long-ago past. Today, a group of people head into that same woods to see if they can discover what happened to that lost group. Dun dun dun, it's about to get dark real fast. (And we don't think that present-day timeline group of people are going to have a good time.) On the surface, that IS what this novel is about. Two timelines, two groups of people, two ventures into the deep dark with unexpected trials awaiting them. But let me be both vague and yet, hopefully, more interesting—this novel takes us to some interesting places. I found myself captivated by the tension and anxiously eager to see where this plot was heading. It's a taut, bare-bones plot with a great sense of ominous atmosphere. And its ending is truly quite cool—can't say it's something I've read before and it's very unique in its particular level of execution (or at least, it was new to this reader). Is it a mystery/thriller? A horror novel? An unexpectedly speculative/magical adventure? All of the above? ...Yes and no. This hybrid beast is all of the above, and I think that's partially why the ratings for The Dark Between the Trees are so lukewarm. It's not enough of a mystery, not enough of a horror, not enough of a resolution. It just is. It's a lingering, half-formed, folkloric kind of thing. If you like weird little tales of the dark woods, check this one out with an open mind. It's pretty cool.
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 4 stars
It’s always a good day when I read a new KA book! Two friends who have orbited around each other for decades finally break the seal on the tension—will their friendship and romance remain, or will they burn up in the launch? Characters: ★★★★ Plot: ★★★ Pacing: ★★★★ Writing style: It's a KA book, so keep this in mind as her writing style is Very Dramatic and you either love it or hate it. (I love it!) Embracing the Change is the 6th book in the River Rain series, and unlike the 5th book, Fighting the Pull, this one is definitely a series continuation and should NOT be read as a standalone. Nora Ellington is a New York socialite enjoying her life as a divorcee with her adult children orbiting around her and her wonderful friend/family group filling her life with fun and drama. Her life is full, and she is happy. Part of the reason Nora's life is both of those things is Jamie Oakley. Jamie Oakley is a billionaire who's been happily married twice before and had both of those marriages end in tragedy. He's comforted his pain with his adult children, their successes, and the fact that his friend/family group is rich in love. He's happy, his life is full, and he's comfortable. Part of the reason Jamie's life is all of those things is Nora Ellington. Everyone in the River Rain family/friends dynamic knows about Jamie and Nora. They've been best friends and dating-without-dating for years. Their lives orbit each other and they're happiest when they're together. But neither one of them will break that final seal—you can't put the jack back in the box, after all, and both of them are too scared of losing what they have to try for something more. So they wind and wind that jack in the box tighter. And tighter. But then Jamie kisses Nora. PING, goes the jack in the box. Now Jamie and Nora have to deal with decades of history, deep-seated love, and reconciling with both of their problems before their foundations crumble under the strain of the "will they, won't they" cascading down around them. Ahhhhhh, it's ALWAYS good to be back in the saddle with a KA romance. These novels have something addictive in them, folks, and long-time mutuals of mine know that I can't be stopped—if it's KA, I'm there, and I'm not leaving until I've devoured it all (and likely more than once). The River Rain series is one that I was late to the party for, which I know is shocking based on what I just said. But I missed it when it was first released—I'd been making my way through KA's backlist and knew I'd get to this series eventually. Now I'm here, albeit with half of the playbook as I started with Fighting the Pull, and I'm having such an emotional time. This series is different for her and yet exactly the same. The main difference is the sheer depth of the family/friend dynamics—this isn't like the Rock Chicks with one continuous line of friends getting their moment in the sun. This series is an entire blended family of multiple generations, friends, family, and others all mushing together into each book for a myriad of different set ups. It's dense! Which makes it kind of complicated, if I'm honest, and very hard for a newer reader to get into it and have a good time without making a detailed map of the family/friend tree. However, the core of this story is the same as all KA--the romance is top-tier, the love is strong, and the sense of community and family prevailing over all gives me the warm fuzzies, every time. Nora and Jamie's story has some bumps in the road. But not too many, and it's not that hard of a journey. They're adults, after all, and they don't have time for each other's B.S.! (A take that I loved and hated, as a person who lovesss her angst but agrees that sometimes it's not needed.) Don't miss this latest installment. And if you're new to River Rain, start at the beginning with After the Climb!  4.5 stars
It feels so surreal to be talking about this third and final book in the one-of-a-kind Frozen Fate trilogy. These characters and this truly bonkers/dark/wonderful/epic storyline have held me in a GRIP all year! And we're finally here... at the end. Do NOT continue reading this unless you've read the first two books in this trilogy or are okay with lots of spoilers for the previous books. It's literally impossible to discuss anything without spoiling massive cliffhangers in books 1 & 2. Consider this your warning!! Curious about this series? Check out my reviews... My review of Hills of Shivers and Shadows. My review of Cage of Ice and Echoes. Okay, the newbies gone? Let's dive in. Heart of Frost and Scars starts exactly where the previous book left off--Frankie, our survivor and main female protagonist, has escaped the hellscape of HOSS with her lovers, Kodiak and Leo, and all three of them have been forcibly reunited with Frankie's husband, Monty, who has been on a rampage looking for his missing wife. They've been through fresh hells, all four of them, and now it's time to assess their next move(s). Denver, Frankie's abductor and Kodiak and Leo's abuser, is dead courtesy of Frankie. But Denver's legacy lives on... At the end of book two, we discovered that there's another person out there stalking Frankie and willing to do depraved things to have her. In typical Denver fashion, this posthumous information is delivered with much drama and no answers, leaving Monty, Kodiak, Leo, and Frankie all in the lurch and afraid of an unseen target. So naturally, they all move to Monty's heavily fortified and secured island. Yes, you heard that right—Frankie, her two new lovers Kodiak and Leo, and Frankie's husband, Monty, all in one unhappy pile on Monty's property. What could go wrong?? Oh, and did I mention that the Strakh men all recently discovered that they're all related?? Yes, so we've got Monty, Frankie's husband and Leo's uncle / Kodiak's half-brother. Kodiak discovers that while he's the same age as Leo, he's actually Leo's uncle as he was fathered by Rurik Strakh—Denver and Monty's father. And Denver was Leo's father. Making Monty Leo's uncle. (And they're all in love with Frankie. And they're all traumatized beyond belief but unwilling to remove themselves from the ring of Frankie's suitors.) Listen, I told people in my very first review of this series that this was a Credence for another, darker audience. And I meant it. And that's it, that's the setup—the rest is what this third novel is about, and it's best to go into it blind for best effect. My general, non-spoiler thoughts for Heart of Frost and Scars are.... 1. Pam Godwin is a masterclass in angsty, real-world, painful scenarios. She takes these characters to the very brink of reality and then gives them impossible choices. As a reader who's been around the block, I find this level of adrenaline-soaked decision making to be very...fresh. We go there, folks, and we confront the worst corners with eyes wide open. It's dark, it's extremely trigger-filled—but it's raw. There's an intensity to this writing and these concepts that I appreciate. 2. That arc of incorporating Frankie's husband into this new dynamic??? So rich. Rich with tension, angst, drama, and healing. Monty's a possessive bastard who had a monogamous marriage until a shattering abduction and now... there's other men? and they're newly discovered relatives? His raw reactions to that setup were fascinating to me and, honestly, my favorite part of this particular installment. 3. This entire series hinges on secrets and surprises, with the stakes rising with each chapter. With that, I was nervous for this third book. Would the final pay-off be worth it? Would the romance(s) break apart or mesh? How could we resolve this extreme plot? Without getting into spoilers, I think it did and it didn't. Did I love reading it? Yes. Was it a great story? Yes. Did I feel... fully satisfied, fully complete with the arcs, pacing, final reveal, and time spent with the build up? ...Not completely. But similarly to the first book, I wonder if this one needs to be sat on for some time before fully actualizing into a favorite read. Don't get me wrong—I still loved it. But there were some threads, some arcs, and some pacing moments that I didn't completely love. Truly, one of the most unique and interesting romance series currently on the market. All the kudos to Pam for making this a reality—and I am SO looking forward to more. Dun dun dun...!  5 stars
Obsessed with this. There is nothing I love more than a hybrid-genre, convoluted, and dramatic mess mixed with the occult and dark academia. Evocation is a dash of polyamory, a dash of messy rich people, a heavy dusting of the occult, a moderate dumping of modern-day Boston, and a clash of speculative mixed with academia mixed with paranormal fantasy vibes. Concept: ★★★ Pacing: ★★★★★ Characters: ★★★★★ Vibes: ★★★★★ As a teen, David Aristarkhov was a psychic prodigy, operating under the shadow of his oppressive occultist father. Now, years after his father’s death and rapidly approaching his thirtieth birthday, he is content as a Boston attorney, moonlighting as a powerful medium for his secret society. But with power comes a price, and the Devil has come to collect on an ancestral deal. David’s days are numbered. Reluctantly, he reaches out to the only person he’s ever trusted, his ex-boyfriend and secret Society rival Rhys, for help. However, the only way to get to Rhys is through his wife, Moira. Thrust into each other’s care, emotions once buried deep resurface, and the trio race to figure out their feelings for one another before the Devil steals David away for good… This book has oddly low ratings, considering it's a new favorite read for me. I think it's a mix of a few issues. The first and largest one being that this novel is not too much of any one thing. The dark academia folks coming from The Secret History aren't finding enough literary descent into madness. The occult baddies are not finding enough buzzwords and practical plot developments to make this feel like a dark tapestry of occult happenings. And the people who like strictly fantasy, or horror, or speculative, are confronted with this hybridized version of all three concepts wrapped up in a package that feels very... contemporary fiction vibes with its modern-day dramas and emotional politics between late 20-somethings in Boston. I like it all, folks, so this series opener was a smash hit for me. The exes drama? On point. The slow-build poly negotiations? Exquisite. The culture clash of old-world occult with talk of cell phones and Boston apartment costs? I love that duality. Evocation will be a slow-burn hit for those who like to read a little bit of everything. I hope it finds its audience, as I NEED the author to keep going and write us more about these characters and their world. I'm obsessed. Very much looking forward to where ST Gibson takes us with this series, especially as we move beyond the opening act of relationship-dynamic excavation and move on to the good stuff in the demonic plot and the (hopefully) good ending for all of our favs on the page.  5 stars
A new favorite book!! Like a continued conversation of C.S. Lewis' Narnia but with some much-needed modern updates and encapsulating the most important bit: the joy of portal fantasy. Concept: ★★★★ Pacing: ★★★★★ Characters: ★★★★ Plot: ★★★★ As boys, best friends Jeremy Cox and Rafe Howell went missing in a vast West Virginia state forest, only to mysteriously reappear six months later with no explanation for where they’d gone or how they’d survived. Fifteen years after their miraculous homecoming, Rafe is a reclusive artist who still bears scars inside and out but has no memory of what happened during those months. Meanwhile, Jeremy has become a famed missing persons’ investigator. With his uncanny abilities, he is the one person who can help vet tech Emilie Wendell find her sister, who vanished in the very same forest as Rafe and Jeremy. Sometimes, there are stories that come out of nowhere and knock you back on your feet in pure joy. The Lost Story was one of those tales for me. I went into this novel with little to no expectations—it was my Book of the Month book club pick, and seemed like the best of the lot in a lackluster selection pool. So it was to my pleasant surprise that I found myself captivated by this fairytale of childhood escapades colliding with adult dreams. If you were a Narnia kid, you've got to give this novel a try. (And, if you weren't a Narnia person for the religious reasons, rest assured that this story is a safe space for you too as religion is not a factor in this remake.) The Lost Story is about two adult men coming together again after decades of separation and separate grief periods following a mysterious lost period of their childhood. It's also about an adult woman looking for her long-lost sister, who she never knew but has always mourned. And it's about "finding" in all of its forms. Finding your way, finding love, finding home, finding what was once lost. Like all the best fairytales, this story isn't that deep yet hits all of the deep notes. We're not excavating Christianity like C.S. Lewis, and we're not trying to take any moral stance on anything. But we are coming to the meaning of love, and acceptance, and overcoming childhood traumas to discover inner peace. I think it's best to go into this novel with little more than that as preparation—part of the magic is in the joy of experiencing this story for what it is. However, please note there are some trigger warnings: childhood abuse, parental abuse of father to child (not sexual), trauma from those experiences affecting the child as an adult, confronting your abuser, homophobia.  4.5 stars
Honestly, this is a huge growth leap for Hazelwood emotionally and narratively. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I am reinvigorated from my Reylo fatigue and excited for future Hazelwood books. Concept: not a silly rom-com Plot/Pacing: ★★★★ 1/2 Romance: ★★★★ Enjoyment: ★★★★★ Kind of bummed to see the lower reviews for this story, not gonna lie folks. I thought this was Hazelwood's strongest emotional narrative that she's traditionally published and marks a new turning point for her writing. The niche that Hazelwood has comfortably inhabited for several years now is an expected one: she was a Reylo fanfiction writer (Star Wars fandom, Kylo Ren + Rey) who seriously loved Adam Driver and wrote funny / witty romantic comedies starring an Adam Driver-variant hulking dude with brooding silent issues falling in love with a tiny anxious girlie in STEM. The blueprint worked, the books are hilarious, and it made her a romance reader household name. Not in Love is a departure from this blueprint. (I found this tidbit extremely exciting.) It's still a woman in STEM, and it's still a tall dude. But here are the differences: physically, they're actually unique people and the woman is normal proportions and quite tall (stated as 6 feet tall in moderate heels). The male love interest is not silent or broody—he's driven, communicative, and the emotionally mature pilot of this romance. And most important to me, this narrative is emotionally complex and extremely nuanced. Rue, our female protagonist, has some pretty serious childhood trauma that has affected her to this day. She's also very clearly spectrum-coded, or at least to me. With her trauma and her autistic aloofness cocooning her in a blanket of perceived coldness, Rue's had an interesting go of relationships all her life. She has rules, she follows them, and the only true constants in her life are her best friend and her boss. Eli is a confident businessman who owns a company with his friends. They're in investments, they buy out other companies and make them succeed under their leadership. When his company acquires Rue's STEM corporate company in a gentle takeover, Eli is taken aback to realize that Rue, the woman he'd just met the night before in a failed hook-up, is one of his new employees. He's shook, as the brief contact with her the night before was electric and he was hoping to pursue it. But now it's complicated. Eli and Rue are quick to discover that their chemistry cannot be denied—no matter the stakes. And as the two of them spiral deeper and deeper into obsession, they realize that their pasts are each others for the discovery...if only they can get over their hang-ups to reach for it. Not in Love is, well, NOT a rom-com. It's a catharsis. Something that will either deeply resonate with you or deeply turn you off, depending on your personal triggers and your ability to step into the shoes of these two flawed characters. Rue's autistic-coded aloofness reads as extremely cold, and she's blatantly unapologetic about it in a way that I can see being off-putting to prior Hazelwood readers looking for the "cute quirky" variant of the spectrum girlie. And Eli's brand of sexual obsession and soft dominance is also a little different from the previous Hazelwood leads, in a way I personally found refreshing but others might not. Given this departure from Hazelwood's comfort zones, I'm very excited to see where she goes next. Don't sleep on this one if you're looking for a deeper emotional read!  4.5 stars
Guess who's back?? You know it's summertime when a new Riley Sager hits the shelves. His perfect blend of atmosphere, twists, and propulsive narratives are always a hit with me. Come, join us for a deep dive into the dark pasts of suburbia in Middle of the Night... Concept: ★★★ 1/2 Pacing: ★★★★★ Mysteries/Final Reveals: ★★★★ Enjoyment: ★★★★ 1/2 At this point, you might as well call me a Riley Sager review plant, seeded to guarantee a positive review in the mix no matter the content. It feels that way to me, anyway--I seem to have an addiction to his stories and pacing structures. They're so perfectly paced for me. Middle of the Night takes place in the most Americana of locations: the suburb. And not just the suburb, but the microcosm: the cul-de-sac. Bonded by location and forced into tragedy by a disappeared boy in the late 1990s, this small group of cul-de-sac neighbors has weathered the decades with grief, life, and ever-present neighborly status. Who took Billy from his tent in the backyard one summer night? Why did they leave Ethan, the other boy on the scene, sleeping peacefully in the tent? Why has Billy never been found? Now in his 4os, Ethan is an adult haunted by the incident of his missing boyhood friend. He has recurring dreams and chronic insomnia and a bone-deep paranoia that doesn't seem to abate with his adult wisdom. At the start of the novel, Ethan's back in his cul-de-sac recouping from marital strife and housesitting for his parents. It's stirring up ghosts of all kinds in the sleepy—yet vigilant—neighborhood. And then they find Billy. Things are about to bubble to surface of this sleepy community whether the neighbors want it to or not... AH. Another winner from Sager. I said it at the beginning of this review and I'll say it again—I just really, really like his stories. The formula works for me and if you're a fan of his earlier books, let's just say you're going to love this one too. It's spooky without being a paranormal-driven narrative. It's split-timeline with the 1994 events spliced between Ethan's modern-day dramas in the neighborhood to create such perfect tension. And most of all?? It has some red herrings and distracting elements that make you feel like you're on top of the twists...and then it gets you. Even if you get some of it, there's enough nuance to the final third act that I bet you'll be pleasantly surprised by at least something. (Always a treat to be partially surprised by a mystery when you've previously read/watched so many twist formulas in media.) I am very pleased to have this join my Sager shelf. And I'm already ready for the next one!  3.5 stars
When the Moon Hatched was equally interesting and unwieldy. It was a very cool world concept and an interesting premise, but the story fell apart under the author’s meandering scene structures and overwritten length. However, I did enjoy the raw hunk of narrative within the mess, so….? It’s one of those series that I think will improve with later installments. Concept: ★★★★★ Pacing: ★ 1/2 Action vs. filler scenes: ★★ 1/2 World building: ★★★★ This is a reaction review, please see the book's description for the blurb. When the Moon Hatched is one of those independently published novels that got picked up by a traditional publisher because of the grassroots marketing and hype. I'm not trying to knock it or call it out for this reason, but for those who are not plugged in to the publishing world updates and/or read this review after 2024 when the hype dies down, I think it is relevant information to have. I have mixed feelings about independently published books. On the one hand, I LOVE THEM. It's a way for authors to publish books without the red tape, and it often leads to more freedoms and control for marginalized authors who can't get through the maze of the uptight publishing machine. It also leads to some really, really great books. But on the other hand... traditionally published books are vetted like nobody's business. They're ruthlessly edited for length, consistency, pacing, and more. They're shaped into final products, and there is (usually) a quality control element that ensures that the book you pick up in the store is going to work out for you on a mechanical level, if not an enjoyment level due to optional factors like tastes, writer's voice, and actual plot contents. I unfortunately do not think that When the Moon Hatched is a final product like those traditionally published novels or some of my favorite independently published authors. It has such a cool world: There's dragons in it, but dragon's aren't the be-all, end-all of the world building (something that tends to be the easy hook for other dragon books). Everyone is fae, with all the usual tropes that entails PLUS a fun elemental magic element that is truly unique involving the elemental gods. The customs, phrasings, and set up of this world is SO intriguing and immersive that I found myself immediately wishing for more fanart and spin-offs to the concept—it's a rich enough world to sustain that. It also has a pretty decent hook: Raeve, our female protagonist, is an assassin-for-hire in the rebel underground who has deep secrets and a revenge vendetta that fuels her motivations—and she's about to find herself in the middle of a huge quest plot involving a hot dude. Yes, it's been done by many of the titans of romantasy and fantasy, but it's a solid hook and I like reading that kind of story. So where did When the Moon Hatched fall apart?? Easy answer: the meandering length. This whopper 700+ page tome did not have enough raw plot/action to cover that kind of page count, so what could have been an unputdownable 400-500 page experience became a slog involving multiple sessions of "sigh, let me try to get through more of this today" energy that felt unfulfilling due to the sheer amount of filler content and repetitive scene structures in the novel. Too many scenes with Raeve being the "mentally traumatized yet outwardly tough assassin who can't trust anyone" mixed with Kaan, the male love interest w/ harsh kindness and unbelievable magical strength who clearly knows more than Raeve and yet doesn't tell her the facts. (Such an annoying dichotomy that only carries you for the first few hundred pages before you lose all patience with the concept and just want the truth already so that the real plot can progress). I was tolerant of this trope for the first 400 pages because a) it's in a lot of these stories and I don't mind it when it's done well and b) there was so much going on / getting explored in the world and plot that it wasn't a plot crutch, it was just waiting for its turn. That patience dissolved with prejudice when, in the second half of the novel, we sat in this loop of nonsense—repeated types of actions, repeated interactions with characters, odd side quests, barely fleshed out introductions of new POVs after an already established 2-POV structure—where the delays to information served...no real purpose. The weight of the payoff collapsed, and I was left frustrated, angry, and bored. Never a good combo for a reader! HOWEVER, all that griping and negativity aside, I thought this tale had that extra "something" to it that makes for a good story. I think, with editing, this series could really turn into something epic. I am looking forward to the sequel and will definitely revisit this world again.  4.5 stars
Another adorable win from Julie Soto. Her brand of funny + emotional + medium-stakes drama really works for me, apparently. (Even if I'm getting pretty tired of the 'published Reylo fanfiction' element of romance books these days.) Writing: ★★★★★ Characters: ★★ Plot/Pacing: ★★★★ Not Another Love Song is for us musician girlies. You know, the ones who were too involved in their high school band or orchestras—or maybe even those of us who made it to college-level bands or orchestras too, or even beyond that. If you don't love the lifeblood of being a concert musician, I don't think this novel will hit you quite the same. But for those of us who remember those days... Gwen Jackson is a early 20s violinist for the Manhattan Pops, an orchestra group that plays non-classical orchestra arrangements. She's be a respectable member of the violin section, never standing out yet never flopping, for years. So when she is unexpectedly given the first chair / concertmaster seat, Gwen's floored. Xander Thorne is the bad boy of the Manhattan Pops, arriving late and barely practicing each piece. He's a musical prodigy and the headliner for a popular rock-strings ensemble (think Vitamin String Quartet) that tours the world. He's too good for the minor leagues, and the worst thing is he knows it. Obviously, Xander and Gwen are going to butt heads with Gwen's recent promotion and Xander's absolute fixation on Gwen's performances. There's something about Gwen's raw sight reading that calls to Xander in his blood, and he must know what it is. (Gwen has no idea what he's talking about, but she's pretty obtuse in this arena.) And the two of them find themselves fascinated by the other for various reasons. Fans of Ali Hazelwood and other "Reylo" fanfiction tropes will automatically recognize the arcs of this story. Aloof yet smart, hulkingly large dark-haired man with tiny, smart yet seriously situationally stupid pretty girl fall in love with the miscommunication trope. I'll be brutal, that's what this—and apparently every other Reylo story in the canon—is at its basic level. It either works for you or it doesn't, and for me, I'm in the "it works" camp for at least a little longer. I look forward to more Julie Soto—but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that her next read freshens up the tropes a bit. (Even someone who enjoys the Reylo archetype gets tired of it.)  5 stars
Enemies to lovers. Hate banging to love banging. Complex family and friend dramas. Addictive pacing. Realistic egos and flaws. What's not to love?? Concept: ★★★★ Characters: ★★★★★ Steam factor: ★★★★★ Drama: ★★★★ Sometimes there are books that are tailor-made for you. Things Amy likes to read: enemies to lovers with real dislike on both sides, intense sexual chemistry regardless of mental interest, secret dramas that cause angst to both people, and some sort of angst that both ties the characters together and viciously keeps them apart. Twisted Hate had all of those things in spades, y'all, and I am OBSESSED with it. I can already tell I'm going to read this story again, and again, and again—because that's what I do with these types of angsty HEAs. Jules Ambrose and Josh Chen hate each other. Jules is best friends with Ava Chen, Josh's sister, and she knows Josh hates her because she overheard him telling Ava that Jules was bad news back when Jules and Ava first roomed together in college. He's been a pain in her ass ever since, and she's returned the same energy back to him blow for blow. Josh Chen can't stop fixating on Jules Ambrose. She's fiery, a troublemaker, a spitfire with more balls than common sense. And he hates her. (He also knows where she is and what she's up to at all times, but that's just knowing your enemy. Right??) Both Jules and Josh find themselves stuck in eternal snarky orbit with their close relationships to Ava, and it all comes to a head when the universe decides to place them in a remote Vermont cabin... with only one bed. The seal breaks on their sexual chemistry and both Josh and Jules realize that there's no way out but through—so they decide to secretly bang it out of their system. Enemies with benefits always ends well... Add in a heavy dose of drama, some serious personal angsts, secret trysts, and high emotional stakes and we've got ourselves Twisted Hate. Like I said at the beginning of this review, I loveddd this story. No notes, I had such a good time and thought it was all great. However, a note on the reviews—it seems that many reviewers found this one difficult to love due to the third act conflict. Let me state for the record: I had zero issues with the third act here. Given Josh and Jules' dynamics and the hefty egos + emotional immaturities on both sides, I actually thought that conflict was extremely realistic. They're in their early 20s, they've never had a successful emotionally deep/communicative relationship before, and they're both glass castles of fragile ego. That conflict made TOTAL sense given those factors. But I guess some people have had healthier in-real-life relationships than me and/or never had something similar happen to them in their early 20s years (good for y'all). |
Amy Imogene ReadsJust someone looking for her own door into Wonderland. Categories
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All reviews posted are my own and do not reflect the opinions of any other individual or entity. When applicable, reviewed titles sent to me by the publisher are noted at the bottom of each review.
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