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tarakb08's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Punk 57. Wow. What a ride. I loved this book to pieces honestly. Just—beautiful. The emotional scenes are what really got to me; taking two incredibly rough, cocky characters and watching them break down, be vulnerable, and being able to come right back around again was everything to me. The spice felt a bit abrupt at some parts, but was generally very good, and got even better towards the end when it was rightfully placed around more vulnerable scenes.
And, side note: as a metalhead and rock enthusiast, the playlist and references mentioned throughout this book are so real and absolutely amazing. Plus, I cried reading the extras and author’s note at the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Grief, Stalking, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Pregnancy
myromantasyempire's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
4⭐️??
did i almost dnf this like 3 times? yes.
did i also finish it in under 2 days because i couldn't put it down? also yes.
clearly, i have a lot of conflicting feelings about this book.
i was not expecting the high school setting. tbh i spent part of this pretending the characters were in university and not high school. if tv has taught me anything it's that american high school and university are basically the same except that one of them costs a lot of money and has fraternities/sororities 😂
if you're the type of person who only reads books with MCs you can relate to, then this probably isn't for you unless you're an awful teenager with issues. there's a lot of problematic behaviour in this book, but it's a pretty accurate reflection of some peoples lived experiences. (and just because it wasn't your lived experience, doesn't mean it's not true)
you'll spend a lot of time not liking the characters, bc they are very unlikable for a lot of the book and that's kind of the point. these aren't characters who are thriving during the peak years of their lives in a perfect fictional world. they are characters who struggling to find themselves, learning who they are/who they can be, and learning who they don't want to be.
i also really appreciate the way misha's sisters death was handled. we often see grief from the pov of the parent who loses a child, but the experience of the sibling is usually forgotten. the effect that the death of a younger adult has on the siblings and how that effects all the relationships in the family is so complex. i think that was handled really well and quite accurately here.
there's a lot more floating around in my brain, but i can't get the words right for now, so maybe i'll edit this later with some more thoughts. or maybe not. who knows.
did i almost dnf this like 3 times? yes.
did i also finish it in under 2 days because i couldn't put it down? also yes.
clearly, i have a lot of conflicting feelings about this book.
i was not expecting the high school setting. tbh i spent part of this pretending the characters were in university and not high school. if tv has taught me anything it's that american high school and university are basically the same except that one of them costs a lot of money and has fraternities/sororities 😂
if you're the type of person who only reads books with MCs you can relate to, then this probably isn't for you unless you're an awful teenager with issues. there's a lot of problematic behaviour in this book, but it's a pretty accurate reflection of some peoples lived experiences. (and just because it wasn't your lived experience, doesn't mean it's not true)
you'll spend a lot of time not liking the characters, bc they are very unlikable for a lot of the book and that's kind of the point. these aren't characters who are thriving during the peak years of their lives in a perfect fictional world. they are characters who struggling to find themselves, learning who they are/who they can be, and learning who they don't want to be.
there's a lot more floating around in my brain, but i can't get the words right for now, so maybe i'll edit this later with some more thoughts. or maybe not. who knows.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Body shaming, Child death, and Abandonment
alyssas_bookshelf's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I stayed up till 3am binging this book last night and finished it as soon as I got back home after running errands today. The spice was spicyyy, but the plot was fully there. I decided to read it in between Hideaway and Kill Switch and I absolutely adored the pop ups from my favorite characters in the Devil’s Night series.
I related to Ryen so much, it physically hurt. The pain of wanting to fit in with the popular kids at school is something that I think almost everyone has experienced and I truly appreciated the way Penelope Douglas portrayed her as a character.
Since going back on my ✨meds✨, I haven’t been able to cry, but I’ll tell you what.. I was SO close to breaking down when that last plot twist hit us. The raw emotion from Misha and the devastating conversation had me yearning to be able to shed tears and if I wasn’t mentally stable thanks to a little (Dr. prescribed*) pill, I would have been bawling my eyes out.
Ready to resume my Devil’s Night reads— Penelope Douglas has quickly become one of my new favorite authors. 🖤
I related to Ryen so much, it physically hurt. The pain of wanting to fit in with the popular kids at school is something that I think almost everyone has experienced and I truly appreciated the way Penelope Douglas portrayed her as a character.
Since going back on my ✨meds✨, I haven’t been able to cry, but I’ll tell you what.. I was SO close to breaking down when that last plot twist hit us. The raw emotion from Misha and the devastating conversation had me yearning to be able to shed tears and if I wasn’t mentally stable thanks to a little (Dr. prescribed*) pill, I would have been bawling my eyes out.
Ready to resume my Devil’s Night reads— Penelope Douglas has quickly become one of my new favorite authors. 🖤
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Death, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Body shaming, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Pregnancy, and Abandonment
romanticlover_777's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Bullying, Drug abuse, Drug use, Hate crime, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Addiction and Death
kennedybug12's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
i read this book once a couple years ago and i loved it then, it was my first real smut book. reading again, it is still so good. the pacing is awesome and you don’t have to wait forever for the tension to build - it’s already there due to the plot! normally plot isn’t really something that authors pay too much attention to in smut novels but there are some twists in this book that make it really enjoyable beyond the hot sex.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Sexual content, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Body shaming and Sexual harassment
Minor: Death, Drug use, and Homophobia
grayson_reads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.75
This book is great! I found this entire read very enjoyable and there was lots of emotion and an amazing plot twist at the end. The epilogue being five years later was the perfect addition to the end of the story. I kind of wish this book was longer and maybe even a series. This is only my second Penelope Douglas book and I continue to be amazed by her writing and her writing style is so easy to read. It’s very fast paced in this book particularly..
i’m rating this book a 4.75 because I honestly might read it again
i’m rating this book a 4.75 because I honestly might read it again
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Homophobia, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, and Outing
Minor: Addiction, Death, Abandonment, and Alcohol
amberwill0w's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, Self harm, Stalking, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment
rebeccaknight's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Sadly I just couldn’t get into this book. I didn’t enjoy the two main characters relationship, especially at the beginning, their bullying of each other got really boring and I didn’t find their relationship endearing or ‘flanter’ or whatever.
The smut aspects honestly just made me uncomfortable given it was all set in a school. Given this book is supposed to be spicy I didn’t feel it massively ticked the box and other books I have read have much better written spice scenes.
I found the premise of the book pretty boring, that being said there were some nice parts of this book and it was a nice, satisfying ending
The smut aspects honestly just made me uncomfortable given it was all set in a school. Given this book is supposed to be spicy I didn’t feel it massively ticked the box and other books I have read have much better written spice scenes.
I found the premise of the book pretty boring, that being said there were some nice parts of this book and it was a nice, satisfying ending
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment
kenzieboyer1994's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
Worst book I finished all year. Will not be reading anymore from this author.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Stalking, and Sexual harassment
meg53's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Death, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Body shaming, Drug use, Homophobia, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Alcohol