I attribute this rating to one thing - reading too much Ali Hazelwood at one. Her books are so painfully the same story over and over again.2.5/5 ⋆˙⟡♡
I attribute this rating to one thing - reading too much Ali Hazelwood at one. Her books are so painfully the same story over and over again. The men are exactly the same. They are so fun to read, and I loved Love on the Brain, the Love Hypothesis & Love Theoretically - but realistically they are all the same story. Guy who she hates/is an 'asshole' turns out to have loved her all along and didn't actually ever do anything wrong. Guy is always 6'4, built (in a lot of detail), who doesn't date anyone else/hasn't really dated.
There's always a bit where the main character sees a girl's name pop up on his phone, a picture of her on social media/in real life where she automatically goes "yeah they have a girlfriend that's it".
I enjoy these books a lot, but I think I need a longer grace period in between them.
₊˚⊹♡ reading log
↪ 30/06 3:39pm a FOOTBALL reference, Orlando Pride? I cannot believe it but she supports Real Madrid I can't
↪ 26/06 8:43am i’ve been so incredibly busy with uni i haven’t even thought about picking up a book, i don’t know how people manage their time like that at all
↪ 21/06 7:10pm im in a romance burnout im trying i swear ...more
Well as the self proclaimed romance hater - I'm giving this 4 stars, which is probably like 6 stars in a romance lover's eyes. This was such a g 4/5 ☆
Well as the self proclaimed romance hater - I'm giving this 4 stars, which is probably like 6 stars in a romance lover's eyes. This was such a good story, I loved following it and it was genuinely just cute. Her writing was just smooth and buttery.
I usually don't like the FMC in romances (but I've only really read Ali Hazelwood and all her characters are the same person in different fonts) - but she was really relatable and I was rooting for her the whole time. Her whole 'finding herself journey' was so wholesome and heartwarming to follow. I relate to her relationship with her mother, and with finding friends. I think I do the same thing too, but I just didn't know how to express it until Emily Henry put it into words. I rarely sink the time into people and just conclude they'll be an acquaintance.
Miles is a top tier guy, I would totally date him in real life and he'd give me so many butterflies - I'd also think he was being 'just nice' like Daphne did and not that he actually liked me.
I love Julia and Ashleigh as well - such girls girls, I would love to have friends like them. I'm genuinely so proud of Daphne, it makes my heart so fuzzy and warm. I would have loved to live this romance.
I couldn't give this 5 stars (for personal reasons), because I winced at certain moments and was like 'why isn't love like this in real life'. ⋆...more
So I actually didn't DNF it and decided to finish it this morning.
You gotta hear me out on this one. I don't think this is a BAD book by any means. I'So I actually didn't DNF it and decided to finish it this morning.
You gotta hear me out on this one. I don't think this is a BAD book by any means. I'm just the tin man and can't stand when 'normal' love happens. I'm not going to give a proper in depth review like I usually do because I just don't feel like I have the credentials.
I conquered my fear, a romance novel.
Things I will say - Maddy was my favourite character. Justin and Emma are both too equally perfect, and I think this is the 'will they won't they' trope? (can you tell how much I read romance). It didn't feel like there was any jeopardy, which is my type of love - *cough* Magnolia Parks *cough*.
If you like romances, please don't be discouraged by this review and take it with a grain of salt.
*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊
reading log ୨ৎ
i'm soft DNFing this at 48%, i think i just cant be around a meet cute love right now and the characters are frustrating me and i'm just in a state - i think this is a it's not you, it's me type of situation with this book
13/04 7:14pm why do i feel like there’s no plot? like they’re already a perfect match and basically in love what are the rest of the pages for i’m confused and please don’t hate me i just don’t typically read romances i’m sorry
13/04 6:30pm what on gods green earth you expect me to believe a seemingly perfect man everyone just declares isn't the one what do you mean? like what do you mean this is all too meet cute for me i'm what do you mean?
13/04 1:40pm i will never understand the american diet or how they describe coffee orders what the heck is a grande triple caramel macchiato iced tea infusion thingy; the dragon fruit one? when i order a coffee (which i don't) i get a flat white
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⋆˙⟡♡ pre-reading
everyone please pray for me - i'm tackling my biggest fear, a romance novel. i will do my very best to not DNF this....more
ˋ°•*⁀➷ My initial thoughts are this was very bingeable - I finished it in 24 hours. It was over the top and ridiculously detailed - in a g3.9/5 ⋆˚☆˖°
ˋ°•*⁀➷ My initial thoughts are this was very bingeable - I finished it in 24 hours. It was over the top and ridiculously detailed - in a good way. I adore Lachlan Kane & their romance was very swoon worthy. I love unconditional love, despite all the skeletons in the hypothetical closet.
The only thing I didn't like about this book is that I felt like it lacked plot - or the plot was very shallow, in my opinion. Compared to Butcher & Blackbird, I'd say I liked the romance in this one more but the plot in the first one more.
ˋ°•*⁀➷ Plot: A fake marriage of convenience is always a creator of tension and a lot of fun. This was less convenience fake dating though, this was like 'we need to marry or you die.' I loved being in this universe again though, two morally grey characters that hate each other and end up married.
I will say, this was more character driven than Butcher & Blackbird. There's no fun murder games this time and even though this book followed the same formula as the first one, it felt a little more lacklustre.
There is plenty of gore and serial killer madness, as well as some very sufficient spice scenes. I'm not typically a reader of spice, but I'm a fan of Brynne Weaver's depictions.
ˋ°•*⁀➷ Characters: I liked Lark and Lachlan wayyyy more than I liked Sloane and Rowan. Lachlan is the broody older brother and is definitely attractive in a bad boy that you want to have a soft spot for you kind of way. He's not all sex, he has such a caring, nurturing but leading masculine vibe. 10/10.
Lark is bubbly and fun. She's the golden retriever to Sloane's black cat personality. I found her just fun to follow, and she was complex. A little bit of childhood trauma mixed with a fierce protector - leads her to make life altering decisions. I was a bit surprised that (view spoiler)[ she doesn't tell Sloane about her 'multiple deleter' antics. I think they'd have a blast carrying out their vigilante justice right? (hide spoiler)]
ˋ°•*⁀➷ World/Setting: This was where I didn't really notice anything special. It's set in... Boston? or Rhode Island? I'm genuinely not sure because it was never really relevant to the story in my opinion. The graphic scenes where described in great detail, and were so incredibly uncomfortable that I visibly cringed - exactly like they were intended to make you feel.
ˋ°•*⁀➷ Pacing: I finished this in less than 24 hours - so it was for sure easy to flip the pages. It felt like the romance was developing more and more at a good pace - the plot though was never really at the forefront so I can't really comment on that.
ˋ°•*⁀➷ Enjoyment: I did love reading this - mainly because I just adored the romance and felt my heart flutter during all their tense pining. The plot is a fun premise and I enjoy reading about serial killers. In no way is this a thriller though. I saved a bunch of quotes that I wish I could hear in real life.
Would I recommend this? Yes - especially if you've read the first one! ᥫ᭡
07/06 12:13am ʚɞ » it's midnight and i can't put it down help
⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ── pre-reading
I have never been so excited for a release to come out this year - as I completely adored butcher & blackbird I have been impatiently awaiting this book and I have such high expectations but I am so certain this will deliver
︶︶︶ ⊹ ︶︶︶⠀୨♡୧⠀︶︶︶ ⊹ ︶︶︶
june tbr:
ಇ. first lie wins ಇ. the only one left ಇ. leather & lark ಇ. if something happens to me ಇ. the familiar ಇ. the warm hands of ghosts ಇ. a court of silver flames...more
"You know what they say, Blackbird. 'It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye,"
(i'm redoing a bunch of ratings because i do 4.5/5 *ੈ✩‧₊˚
"You know what they say, Blackbird. 'It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye,"
(i'm redoing a bunch of ratings because i don't know what parasite was in my head when making these decisions)
This book combines love and murder in a light-hearted but also I would die for you way. I was skeptical how much I'd enjoy this because of the graphic sex scenes, but it wasn't too prevalent and I honestly ate it up. I would say this is a romance, not a thriller.
If you love serial killers and the idea of them getting into a weird twisted relationship that everyone around them finds the cutest thing ever, this is for you. The book is more relationship driven than plot driven, which usually I'm not okay with. This relationship was so much fun though and I was so invested that it didn't bother me too much, and there is a pretty big plot twist for all you thriller fans.
Warning - this book has a list of content warnings longer than the terms and conditions of any website so make sure you check those.
︶︶︶ ⊹ ︶︶︶⠀୨♡୧⠀︶︶︶ ⊹ ︶︶︶
જ⁀➴ The banter, the dynamic of all the relationships is just fun. I enjoyed the dialogue of our two main characters Sloane and Rowan so much that I would audibly gasp at how cheeky he is and jump up and down when she would finally blush. It's not just them though. Sloane and Lark, also a giant favourite. Girlhood to me is their relationship. Lachlan as well? IN LOVE. Maybe I have issues.
જ⁀➴ The premise of the plot is fun and enticing, but is not the main focus. The whole point is that they have this game/competition to see who can kill their mark first, but honestly that really faded into the back of the story for me. It wasn't completely irrelevant and still provided us with shocking, dramatic and grotesque moments that move the characters along. It gives us plenty of moments for our characters to explore their own serial killer ways in front of each other. Just don't expect there to be shocking twists or necessarily high stakes. If you've read a lot of thrillers, this will probably read more like a romance to you.
જ⁀➴ There's a bit of spice. Chapters duration of spice. It goes on for a while and if you love that, this would be your jam. I think for me the fact that there was only a few of them worked for me, I'm not the biggest spice reader but this still gave me butterflies. Please check the content warnings before you read this - I can't stress this enough!
જ⁀➴ Would I recommend this? If you like dark and twisty - YES. This was my second 5 star read of the year, both of them dark and twisty. Both utterly hard hitting. I might have a type. I will be reading the next book in this trilogy Leather and Lark when it comes out!
︶︶︶ ⊹ ︶︶︶⠀୨♡୧⠀︶︶︶ ⊹ ︶︶︶
⋆˙⟡♡ post-reading my 2nd 5 star read of the year ladies and gentlemen - I did not expect this one at all! I think because I expected this to be a thriller and not a romance romance, I wasn't expecting much but I was pleasantly surprised. RTC!
⋆˙⟡♡ pre-reading
is this going to be absurd as everyone says? probably. am i going to enjoy serial killers falling in love? yes. yes i am....more
im sorry no no no i couldn't take it anymore no no what im counting this as read because i gave too much of my life to this ):
⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ── readingDNF @ 67%
im sorry no no no i couldn't take it anymore no no what im counting this as read because i gave too much of my life to this ):
⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ── reading log
25/05 2:17pm oh god i got my first glimpse of the romance and the whole feeding thing i dont like it
25/05 9:07am it feels very wattpad i cant take it seriously
24/05 6:36pm okay it’s getting a bit better i’m like halfway through, everything about their world is a bit more manageable but i like it as is i don’t wanna get to the romance part
24/05 10:56am i’m finding this very hard to read the writing is not flowing for me
⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ── pre-reading
since I can tolerate romance now, I want to know what all the fuss is about this book I'm experiencing such major FOMO
︶︶︶ ⊹ ︶︶︶⠀୨♡୧⠀︶︶︶ ⊹ ︶︶︶
may tbr:
ಇ. salt to the sea ಇ. powerless ಇ. house of earth and blood ಇ. everyone in my family has killed someone ಇ. bride ಇ. listen for the lie ಇ. she's not sorry ಇ. love on the brain ಇ. the familiar ಇ. a court of wings and ruin + a good girl's guide to murder + the clinic + a court of frost and starlight + funny story...more
"You don't shy away from hard things, you're not scared of things that hurt you-you look them in the eye and stare them down until they'r
4/5 ✮⋆˙
"You don't shy away from hard things, you're not scared of things that hurt you-you look them in the eye and stare them down until they're on their knees and doing exactly what you want them to do."
Daisy and Christian are my roman empire. I went into this expecting it to be like the first MP, but oh my god I was blown away - stuff actually happens in this book! All the characters are *chef's kiss* magnifique - my only quams with this novel is that the story isn't the most thrilling thing in the world. Although the ending did absolutely crush my soul.
︶︶︶ ⊹ ︶︶︶⠀୨♡୧⠀︶︶︶ ⊹ ︶︶︶
જ⁀➴ daisy haites. a gem. a likeable, witty, reasonable gem. she's got issues yes, obsessed with her ex? check. but not in the painful intolerant way magnolia was, oh no. her trauma, which hasn't made her cold or jaded - explains so many of her actions. MP and BJ, 10x more toxic, 10x more unreasonable. I love that she's studying medicine - she felt a bit like Wendy in Peter Pan, not in a traditional way, that all these boys would die for her. loved every second of her.
જ⁀➴ christian hemmes is my new book boyfriend. in the first one, he was intolerable and whiny and I had 0 sympathy for him. In this he's assertive and bold - everything I love in a man. unrequited love sucks, and christian embodies exactly why it sucks. if you do the wrong thing it sucks, if you do the right thing it sucks. christian has some overprotective jealous tendencies (nowhere near as bad as BJ, but still bad) - but ultimately, he puts her first. big respect for christian.˚ ...more
summary: this is a guilty pleasure read. toxic romance that is somehow very addicting. I don't think I can really even call the relationship 3.25/5 ✭
summary: this is a guilty pleasure read. toxic romance that is somehow very addicting. I don't think I can really even call the relationships in this book 'romance' it's definitely too toxic for that. There were no characters that I wanted to root for, they were all equally as bad as each other.
okay! i probably shouldn’t be reading romance after going through a heartbreak - but this is a ⭐️ 3.35/5
(i'm redoing my old ratings bc they need help)
okay! i probably shouldn’t be reading romance after going through a heartbreak - but this is a GOOD read that i would recommend.
love the STEM elements, love all the female characters (although some felt a bit bare bones or like they were weirdly missing something - mainly cece) - don’t know how I feel about elsie’s obsession with cheese.
as far as book boyfriends go, jack smith-turner is a 10/10. a masculine, authoritative, caring, respectful & intelligent man.
i struggled to get through some of this towards the end - but then it really picked up and all the elements came together and it made sense and amplified the love story.
i didn’t demolish this like i would a thriller, i just like thrillers better. this didn’t have enough moments to make it compete with thrillers so that’s why it’s not a whole 4/5....more
Natilie ‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡🪐༘⋆
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