“One last dance, my lady, before I am never to see you again?” – 2.5/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: invisibility cloak, magical teeth, silver, hidden romances, dance slippers, suitors, underground worlds, and secret passages.

Just when Azalea should feel that everything is before her—beautiful gowns, dashing suitors, balls filled with dancing—it’s taken away. All of it. And Azalea is trapped. The Keeper understands. He’s trapped, too, held for centuries within the walls of the palace. So he extends an invitation.

Every night, Azalea and her eleven sisters may step through the enchanted passage in their room to dance in his silver forest, but there is a cost. The Keeper likes to keep things. Azalea may not realize how tangled she is in his web until it is too late.

Yeah, this was not for me! I personally didn’t love this story if I’m being honest.
This is a retelling of the “Twelve Dancing Princesses” story – which I’m not the biggest fan of in the first place. In this retelling, in particular, twelve princesses were forbidden by their father to stop dancing for one year because their mother died and they had to spend the year mourning. Their father soon abandons them to go to war, and they are left sad and alone. But when they find a secret magical passage to a place where they can secretly dance all night, they decide to break the rules and dance the nights away!
From all the things I could point out from this book, this is the main critique: this could have been way shorter – it dragged out so much and it was very unnecessary! The pacing was really slow, and I quickly lost interest in the story because nothing engaging ever happened.
The characters were also pretty bland and uninteresting. Azalea was an okay character – not super likable, but not insufferable as well. In general, I think the characters lacked development and personalities. They’re all named alphabetically and after flowers, which I thought was cute. I’m not sure if this is part of the original story or not, but I thought it was a fun detail.
There’s a bad guy in the story that was really creepy, so it was uncomfortable at times to read when he came up. He was from the underworld, where the girls would dance all night to exhaustion. At first, he seems nice, but he turns out to be very dangerous to them and the kingdom.
Also, I guess there was some romance? Although it was mostly nonexistent – not a single spark was spotted -, which was a little disappointing to me because I thought this retelling screamed romance, but that’s on me.
Yeah, overall this wasn’t for me. The story wasn’t terrible, but the slow pace, lack of character development, and the overall plot didn’t make me a fan. I’m sure there are better retellings of this fairy tale out there, so I would skip this one!

“Love is the most powerful healing force there is. You can take this love out into the world and silently share it with everyone you meet. Love yourself. Love one another. Love the planet and know that we are all one. And so it is.” – 5/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: meditation, healing, hard work, and a ton of mirror work!

AN ESSENTIAL SELF-CARE GUIDEBOOK FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF YOU CAN HEAL YOUR LIFE

LOUISE HAY’S 21 DAY SIGNATURE DAILY PRACTICE FOR LEARNING HOW TO LOVE YOURSELF BASED ON HER MOST POPULAR VIDEO COURSE, LOVING YOURSELF

Mirror work has long been Louise Hay’s favorite method for cultivating a deeper relationship with yourself, and leading a more peaceful and meaningful life.

The Mirror Principle, one of Louise’s core teachings, holds that our experience of life mirrors our relationship with ourselves; unless we see ourselves as loveable, the world can be a dark and lonely place.

Mirror work—looking at oneself in a mirror and repeating positive affirmations—was Louise’s powerful method for learning to love oneself and experience the world as a safe and loving place.

Each of the 21 days is organized around a theme, such as monitoring self-talk, overcoming fear, releasing anger, healing relationships, forgiving self and others, receiving prosperity, and living stress-free.

The daily program involves an exercise in front of the mirror, positive affirmations, journaling, an inspiring Heart Thought to ponder, and a guided meditation.

Packed with practical guidance and support, presented in Louise’s warmly personal words, MIRROR WORK—or Mirror Play, as she likes to call it—is designed to help

• Learn a deeper level of self-care
• Gain confidence in their own inner guidance system
• Develop awareness of their soul gifts
• Overcome resistance to change
• Boost self-esteem
• Cultivate love and compassion in their relationships with self and others

In just three weeks, you will  establish the practice of Mirror Work as a tool   for personal growth and self-care, and a path to a full, rich life.

MIRROR WORK CHAPTERS

WEEK ONE
·         Loving Yourself
·         Making Your Mirror Your Friend
·         Monitoring Your Self-Talk
·         Letting Go of Your Past
·         Building Your Self-Esteem
·         Releasing Your Inner Critic

WEEK TWO
·         Loving Your Inner Child – Part One
·         Loving Your Inner Child – Part Two
·         Loving Your Body, Healing Your Pain
·         Feeling Good, Releasing Your Anger
·         Overcoming Your Fear
·         Starting Your Day with Love

WEEK THREE
·         Forgiving Yourself and Those Who Have Hurt You
·         Healing Your Relationships
·         Living Stress Free
·         Receiving Your Prosperity
·         Living Your Attitude of Gratitude
·         Teaching Mirror Work to Children
·         Loving Yourself Now

“Mirror work—looking deeply into your eyes and repeating affirmations—is the most effective method I’ve found for learning to love yourself and see the world as a safe and loving place. I have been teaching people how to do mirror work for as long as I have been teaching affirmations.

The most powerful affirmations are those you say out loud when you are in front of your mirror. The mirror reflects back to you the feelings you have about yourself.

As you learn to do mirror work, you will become much more aware of the words you say and the things you do. You will learn to take care of yourself on a deeper level than you have done before.

The more you use mirrors for complimenting yourself, approving of yourself, and supporting yourself during difficult times, the deeper and more enjoyable your relationship with yourself will become.”

Love,
Louise Hay

I absolutely loved this book! This is one heck of a book, my friends – you have to read it! You know when you start reading a random book without thinking too much, and you didn’t even know how much you needed it in your life? That’s what happened to me!
In “Mirror Work”, the author Louise Hay shows readers how we can heal ourselves by taking her 21-day journey of mirror work. The days are divided by chapters, so the goal is to read a chapter each day to complete the 21 days. Each day focuses on a specific topic, such as healing the inner child, letting go of anger, letting go of fear, etc. It is a very well–structured book, and the chapters are fairly short, so you can take 10 minutes of your day to read it! Another good thing is that each chapter always ends with exercises to do in front of the mirror and meditation, so you’ll be practicing what is preached every day!
I enjoyed this book a lot and I took a lot from it – so that’s why I will always recommend it to other self-development readers. I know it sounds cliché, but I’m not the same person I was when I first started reading it. Now I feel more comfortable looking at the mirror, I talk to myself more and I appreciate myself more after reading this book.
This ended up being a life-changing book for me, and I can’t recommend it enough! I loved it so much that I still read a chapter once in a while to start my day the right way. If you’re into self-development, this is a must!

“There were rules among friends, commandments, really, and the most important one was Thou Shalt Not Lust After Thy Friend’s Sister.” – 3/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: duels, chestnut hair, ballrooms, aristocrats, viscounts, big families, fake courtships, prospects, reputations, and rakes. 

The Duke and I is a romance set in the Regency era.

In the ballrooms and drawing rooms of Regency London, rules abound. From their earliest days, children of aristocrats learn how to address an earl and curtsey before a prince—while other dictates of the ton are unspoken yet universally understood. A proper duke should be imperious and aloof. A young, marriageable lady should be amiable… but not too amiable.

Daphne Bridgerton has always failed at the latter. The fourth of eight siblings in her close-knit family, she has formed friendships with the most eligible young men in London. Everyone likes Daphne for her kindness and wit. But no one truly desires her. She is simply too deuced honest for that, too unwilling to play the romantic games that captivate gentlemen.

Amiability is not a characteristic shared by Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings. Recently returned to England from abroad, he intends to shun both marriage and society—just as his callous father shunned Simon throughout his painful childhood. Yet an encounter with his best friend’s sister offers another option. If Daphne agrees to a fake courtship, Simon can deter the mamas who parade their daughters before him. Daphne, meanwhile, will see her prospects and her reputation soar.

The plan works like a charm—at first. But amid the glittering, gossipy, cut-throat world of London’s elite, there is only one certainty: love ignores every rule…

Ohh my dearest Bridgertons! I’ve wanted to start reading this series for a while now, but now that the 3rd season of the Netflix show just came out, I knew I needed to make this series a priority.

But now that I’ve read the first book in the series… I have to say I’m not very impressed. In fact, after some thought, I decided to lower my rating to a 3-star rating. The truth is that I didn’t find the book to be very memorable – I read it last month and I can’t remember much from it. It’s not bad, just a little bland.

I found Daphne’s story to be boring and slow-paced. It was difficult for me to find the motivation to keep reading if I’m being completely honest. 

Now, to be completely fair to the books, the show version is packed with drama and is very fast-paced, so it’s way more addicting! Of course, it’s difficult not to compare the two versions when you’ve experienced both of them. I still plan on continuing the series, but I think reading “The Duke and I” made me realize that the books are going to be… less embellished. 

Would I recommend this to romance readers who love the Netflix show? Even though there were a lot of scenes I recognized, the pace was way slower, the characters were bland, and the story didn’t have that much drama. So my answer would be: probably not. Just like what happened to me, you would probably be disappointed.

“The night before her wedding, Daisy taught me that after the world ended, you still had to get up in the morning, and the things that you ruined would still be there, needing to be fixed. When I looked at famous Jay Gatsby, soul gone and some terrible engine he called love driving him now, I could see that for him, the world was always ending. For him, it was all a wreck and a ruin, and he had no idea why the rest of us weren’t screaming.” – 2.5/5 stars!

Immigrant. Socialite. Magician.

Jordan Baker grows up in the most rarefied circles of 1920s American society—she has money, education, a killer golf handicap, and invitations to some of the most exclusive parties of the Jazz Age. She’s also queer, Asian, adopted, and treated as an exotic attraction by her peers, while the most important doors remain closed to her.

But the world is full of wonders: infernal pacts and dazzling illusions, lost ghosts and elemental mysteries. In all paper is fire, and Jordan can burn the cut paper heart out of a man. She just has to learn how.

Nghi Vo’s debut novel The Chosen and the Beautiful reinvents this classic of the American canon as a coming-of-age story full of magic, mystery, and glittering excess, and introduces a major new literary voice.

I can’t believe I was tricked into reading “The Great Gatsby” again. Well, it is my fault for not reading the synopsis beforehand, but how could I imagine by the title and cover this was going to be a retelling of that classic?

When I finally discovered this was a retelling, I was at least hoping the story would be changed to accommodate the magic, the Vietnamese representation, and an LGBTQ representation to the plot – like the synopsis indicates – but that did not happen.

It’s not that it’s a bad book, I just don’t see the point of writing the exact same story from top to bottom with a different POV and adding random magical elements here and there. The names are the same, the plot is exactly the same… there was no surprise in what I was reading. The only difference is that this is being told by Jordan’s POV, she is queer and there is magic – and unfortunately, that wasn’t enough for me. I’m not the biggest fan of the original book as well, so I can’t even say I enjoyed reading the story once again. 

Although I found beauty in the writing, there were a lot of moments that needed context and explanation, but that never happened. I thought the magic was going to save the book, but I was wrong. It was underwhelming, nothing exciting happened, (again) nothing was ever explained, and frankly, the magic was almost non-existent.

I guess I could recommend this to the fans of the original book, but what would be the point? If anything, just reread the original!

“Maybe it wasn’t only John Neville who stole April’s life. Maybe she has done the same.” – 4/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: theatre wigs, Oxford, pranks, pregnancies, emergency room visits, creepy stalkers, a lot of suspects, old friendships, interviews, high heels, night gatherings, and… delivered packages.

April Coutts-Cliveden was the first person Hannah Jones met at Oxford.

Vivacious, bright, occasionally vicious, and the ultimate It girl, she quickly pulled Hannah into her dazzling orbit. Together, they developed a group of devoted and inseparable friends—Will, Hugh, Ryan, and Emily—during their first term. By the end of the second, April was dead.

Now, a decade later, Hannah and Will are expecting their first child, and the man convicted of killing April, former Oxford porter John Neville, has died in prison. Relieved to have finally put the past behind her, Hannah’s world is rocked when a young journalist comes knocking and presents new evidence that Neville may have been innocent. As Hannah reconnects with old friends and delves deeper into the mystery of April’s death, she realizes that the friends she thought she knew all have something to hide… including a murder.

The #1 New York Times bestselling author of One by One returns with an unputdownable mystery following a woman on the search for answers a decade after her friend’s murder.

Wow, I actually enjoyed this a lot! 

I would describe this as a dark academia, murder-mystery kind of thriller. So if you don’t know, this book follows a group of friends who are studying in Oxford. But one night, the “it girl” of the group, April, is found dead in her dorm room – and the main suspect is the creepy porter Neville, who was the last person who saw April alive. Our main character, Hannah, April’s best friend, testified against the porter and along with the other friends, gave enough reasons to convict him. Ten years later, the news reported that Neville died in prison, and now a journalist who has been talking to Neville for the last years is claiming he was innocent the entire time. Hannah, now pregnant and married to April’s at the time boyfriend – oh yes, you read that right -, is starting to question if he really was guilty, and now tries to find out what really happened the night April was killed.

How interesting does that sound, right? Of course, I was super invested in the story! I personally love Ruth Ware’s books, so I already knew this would be a hit – and I wasn’t disappointed.

The characters were great! April reminded me a lot of Regina George, so I imagined her the entire time. I feel like April was a better friend than Regina, but other than that, I think they were very similar.

Hannah was a little annoying and too stubborn at times, especially for the way she couldn’t let go of the subject and take care of her baby. With that said, I liked her as a main character.

The plot was very good and it kept me interested in the story. The reason why I didn’t give this a higher rating is simple. I was suspicious of two characters (including the culprit), so I can’t say I was super surprised when the big revelation was done. I kind of saw it coming, I just didn’t know how or why – but I was suspicious, so the shock factor was missing! With that said, the story was really good and I found myself looking forward to picking up the book during my breaks.

I definitely recommend it!

3.75/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: scripts, scams, parties, new jobs, acting skills, coffee, and secret dates.

When Chloe Gibson accepts an English teaching job in Korea, the last thing she expects is to end up broke and alone, wandering the streets of Seoul with nowhere to go. But just as she’s ready to give up and go home, a twist of fate lands her a role in a new K-drama.

Rising star Shin Jinseung seeks to catapult his career to the next level with his first lead role. When he lays eyes upon Chloe, it’s a blast from the past he won’t soon forget.

Sparks fly between the pair, especially when they find out their characters will share a kiss. But real-life kissing is forbidden. Shin Jinseung has a set of rules to follow: no dating, no relationships, and no falling in love. Consider it career suicide.

As Chloe’s attraction grows, will Jinseung be prepared to risk everything to give her the love she craves?

Ooh, this was a fun one!

This is probably one of the most cliché romance books I’ve ever read, but it didn’t bother me too much – that’s what good K-dramas are all about!

So, this story follows Chloe who just arrived in Korea to start a new job as an English teacher. As it turns out, the whole thing was a scam, and while she is crying on the streets of Seoul she is recruited as an actress for a new K-drama. Thanks to this job, she meets a lot of new interesting people, including the rising star Shin Jinseung who plays her love interest. I don’t have to tell you what happens next, I’m sure you can figure it out!

Like I said, this is a very cliché kind of romance. A random, beautiful girl with no training in acting or modeling gets the opportunity to star in a K-Drama with a very famous actor… overnight. Yeah, I didn’t think this was the most realistic story ever, but it sure portrays the dream of every K-Drama lover!

The romance was cute, but the reason why I didn’t give this a higher rating is because the guy was a little too indecisive and kept changing his mind all the time – too hot and cold for my taste. Also, there is not a lot of character development overall and I wish the author spent more time adding descriptions and more cultural references to create the setting.

I knew from the get-go this was part of a duology (now turned into a trilogy apparently), but I thought the books were companion novels. It turns out the second book is the continuation of this story! From what I’ve read so far, I think the story should be a standalone and end here – but we’ll see how it goes.

I would definitely recommend this book to K-drama lovers!

2.5/5 stars!

A hilariously honest, heartwarming essay collection about life, love, and discovering you have ADHD at age 35.
 
Despite being a published writer with a family, a gaggle of internet fans, and (most shockingly) a mortgage, Emily Farris could never get her act together. As she saw it, disorganization was one of her countless character flaws—that is, until she was diagnosed with ADHD at age 35. Like many women and girls who go undiagnosed, Farris grew up internalizing criticisms about her impulsivity and lack of follow-through. She held on to that shame as she tried (and often failed) to fit into a world designed for neurotypical brains.
 
I’ll Just Be Five More Minutes is a personal essay collection of laugh-out-loud funny, tear-jerking, and at times cringe-worthy true stories of Farris’s experiences as a neurodivergent woman. With the newfound knowledge of her ADHD, Farris candidly reexamines her complicated relationships (including one with a celebrity stalker), her money problems, the years she spent unknowingly self-medicating, and her hyper-fixations. 
 
I’ll Just Be Five More Minutes is a powerful collection of deeply relatable, wide-ranging stories about a woman’s right to control her own body, about overwhelm and oversharing, about drinking too much and sleeping too little, and about being misunderstood by the people closest to you. At its heart, it’s about not quite fitting in and not understanding why.

I can’t say this was a book I was dying to get my hands on, but it sounded interesting enough and fairly short, so why not? This book is essentially described as an autobiographical collection of stories, focused on the author’s experience living with ADHD. I thought it would be interesting to read about someone else’s experience – like their struggles and maybe how they found balance in everyday life.

At first, I was having a good time learning about her experiences and I even laughed a few times here and there. But as the book progressed, I started losing interest. While reading about some of her experiences was, in fact, interesting and relatable, there were two things I identified that made me not love this.

The first one was the fact that it was all over the place. I get that that’s the point – showing how her brain works through the book – but I think this backfired and decreased the quality of the book. That could also be achieved if the book was a little more organized and structured. There were so many moments where I thought to myself “What is she talking about” or “Why is she talking about this”. It was a mess.

The second thing, and probably the bigger reason why I didn’t love this, was the fact it seems focused on the author’s quirks and personality other than ADHD. There are a lot of stories in the book that weren’t relevant and at some point, it felt like the author was just rambling talking about random events that happened – and worse, I feel like the diagnosis was used constantly as an excuse for her poor behavior towards others. It was a little weird because it felt like I was just reading a random, quirky biography of someone who sees themselves as a main character.

So do I recommend this book? I’m not sure if I would still recommend this to other readers. I’m sure there are better books on the subject, but if you’re just looking to read about someone else’s experience with ADHD… you should try it out. I personally didn’t love it.

“You do not have to earn the right to rest, connect, or recreate. Unlearn the idea that care tasks must be totally complete before you can sit down. Care tasks are a never-ending list, and if you wait until everything is done to rest, you will never rest.” – 5/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: practical tips, shame, validation, gentle skill-building, and a lot of compassion.

How to Keep House While Drowning will introduce you to six life-changing principles that will revolutionize the way you approach home care—without endless to-do lists. Presented in 31 daily thoughts, this compassionate guide will help you begin to get free of the shame and anxiety you feel over home care.

Inside you will learn:
· How to shift your perspective of care tasks from moral to functional;
· How to stop negative self-talk and shame around care tasks;
· How to give yourself permission to rest, even when things aren’t finished;
· How to motivate yourself to care for your space.

Holy crap, I loved this book!

I have never thought I would feel this validated after reading a book, but here we are! The title describes exactly what this book is about, how to keep your house clean and organized when feeling overwhelmed. The author decided to write this book based on her own experience: when her kids were small, she often felt like a failure because she couldn’t get a hold of her house chores. Consequently, she felt a lot of shame for not being able to keep up – and for always comparing herself to others.

There is a lot of great, achievable advice in this book! Let me tell you about the most memorable tips for me:

• Care tasks are morally neutral. Meaning, there’s no point in being shamed when it comes to home chores. Having trouble completing care tasks is not related to morality in any way. Therefore, we need to let go of the judgment because it’s not helpful. As the author said, “No one ever shamed themselves into better mental health”. It can be overwhelming to keep a space clean and organized, so your feelings are valid and you’re not a bad person if you can’t keep up.
• Rest is a right, not a reward. Don’t think you only deserve to rest if you can achieve your house chore goals; rest is necessary for normal functioning, so stop using it as a reward.
• Reset the space for functionality. So instead of thinking about “having to do your chores”, you should shift your perspective to think of the tasks as care tasks and that you are making your life easier if you maintain a clean and organized space.
• You deserve kindness and compassion. The goal of this book is to tell you it’s okay – It’s okay not to have everything figured out. It’s okay to not have a perfectly clean and organized home. It’s okay to feel overwhelmed sometimes. Using the author’s own words, “Good enough is perfect”. Work on your gentle skill-building, be kind to yourself, and don’t beat yourself up if you can’t keep up. 

The writing is good and it’s a very easy book to read. The short chapters help a lot! The author also defined sections in each chapter that specifically say “main point”, to help with focus and understanding what the chapter is trying to communicate.

Like I said, I felt very validated reading this book. We are human after all, and we can only do so much! It’s a really good book to pick up, whether you’re having trouble keeping house or not. 

“The real problem is that people are living lives that are incongruent with their authentic selves either because they’re following in their family’s footsteps instead of carving their own path, or they’re doing what worked for them ten years ago but simply doesn’t anymore, they’ve closed themselves off to what life has to offer because of fear or any number of other reasons. Every situation is unique.” – 5/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: great advice, practical tips, examples, plenty of exercises, and the best and worst versions of ourselves.

The first book from Coach Mike, well-known life coach, personal development coach, addiction specialist, and soon-to-be Dr. Phil Show regular; an inspiring, invigorating program to help you examine where your life is now. Determine once and for all who you want to be and where you want to go, and live authentically and happily forever.

“There is a pervasive belief in society that people can’t change, not really. That is absolutely 100% untrue. If people couldn’t change, I’d still be penniless and addicted to drugs. If people couldn’t change, everyone would basically be doomed. I’ve seen people overcome all odds. People change. They did. You can.”

Life coach Mike Bayer, a gentle giant with an easy but focused manner, has helped all kinds of clients, from pop artists to athletes to top level business executives to families in refugee camps, to ordinary people like you and me. With care, subtlety, and a series of important, but tough questions, he inspires and directs people to transform their lives by empowering them to break free of destructive patterns. As a mental health specialist, a personal development coach, and an all-around crisis agent, Coach Mike has seen the damage we can do to ourselves. He understands our struggles intimately, because he’s faced—and overcome—his own.

Now, as a member of Dr. Phil McGraw’s core team and a show regular, Coach Mike will be bringing his knowledge and experience to millions across America. As a teaching tool for the 2019 season, this book will empower Dr. Phil’s guests, and in turn viewers, to confront their fears, acknowledge what is holding them back, and break through to live a passionate and authentic life to the fullest.

Coach Mike has quietly become one of the biggest names in mental health in the country—a behind-the-scenes superstar quietly making our lives and world better. His unparalleled passion for helping people, and a desire to make mental health care as mainstream as going to the gym is what brought him to the attention of Dr. Phil. With this book, Coach Mike’s simple yet powerful tools are ready for the mainstream, so that everyone can live the authentic life they truly desire and deserve. His brand of coaching teaches you manage your life from the inside out. His belief is once given the tools you can definitely learn to “Star In Your Own Life.” This book is a “how to” action oriented guide to becoming your own Life Coach!

Hands down, one of the best non-fiction/self-development books I have ever read! I loved plenty of things about this book, but what I liked the most was how practical it was and the intention behind it. 

Did you know Coach Mike turned his life around from being a drug addict to being extremely successful? From everything I’ve heard from him, he seems like a very down-to-earth person, and he has a very well-defined intention of helping others change their lives. And this book shows exactly that! It helps you by showing you how you can turn your life around, with kindness and compassion.

The concept of this book is fairly simple to understand. We all have a best self (our best version) and anti-selfs (our worst versions, there can be more than one). These versions guide our everyday thoughts and actions, so we need to understand who is in charge in critical times! If one of our anti-selves is operating, we should shift to what our best self would be doing instead. That way, we can navigate life being our best version! Ok, I know it sounds a little complicated, but Coach Mike explains everything in the book in an easier way, I promise!

What distinguishes this book from other self-help books is how it is a very practical book. There are a lot of exercises that you need to complete as you read each chapter – so you have no option but to reflect on all areas of your life. The exercises are “easy”, but my advice to you is that you really commit to doing them. You need to be intentional and honest with yourself if you’re looking for real change. Don’t worry if it seems complicated to keep up with, Coach Mike kept the humor and lightness throughout the book, so it was very easy to read and keep up with his train of thought. 

It is an amazing book and, unfortunately, it is very underrated. It’s a great way of looking at all areas of your life and getting some inspiration to start making changes. 

I highly recommend this one, it’s the perfect book to read if you want to make changes in your life.

“I may not have had money, breeding, power, or influence, but pride was free, and it was one of the few things I did possess in abundance.” – 2/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: rollerskates, part-time jobs, traumatizing experiences, new cars, college assignments, swans and riddles.

Xavier
This is not a love story.
I hate you not for who you are, but what you represent.
I’m the whispers in the darkness you can’t quite hear.
I’m the unease that can’t be explained, but won’t go away.
I’m your worst nightmare come to life.
I’m the filthy rich guy who’s coming for revenge.
Everything you’ve ever had.
Everything you hold dear.
I won’t stop until I break you.

Rocky
You were once my savior.
Now you’re my bully.
I’m the girl from the wrong side of the wrong side of the tracks.
No match for your money, your might, or your wrath.
But I’m not going down without a fight.
When I go, I’ll take you with me.
Because we’re more alike than you want to admit.
And more connected than you know.
This is not a love story.

Yeah, I didn’t like this at all. There was nothing about this book that made any sense, and unfortunately, it wasn’t a pleasant reading experience. I’m probably going to give you a few spoilers here, so keep that in mind. You have been warned!

The romance was… non-existent? I had so many issues with this book! For starters, the book consisted mostly of smut. To clarify, I love smutty books, but I wish there was some sort of romantic relationship developed between the characters here – or even an actual plot. They never actually spent time together or shared any sort of affection other than the usual sexual encounters, but by the end of the book they are telling each other how much they love each other. What? That made no sense. There was zero chemistry between them, so that didn’t help as well.

I liked Rocky as a character and how badass she was throughout the book, but the way she forgot everything that happened to her by the end was… out of character, to say the least. Is she seriously forgetting how much she was terrorized? He literally pushed her to (what she thought was) her death! And she forgives him in a matter of seconds? I really didn’t like the change of heart and character because it didn’t match her personality.

I kind of saw the drug “business” coming, but I was still curious to know what the basis for the revenge was. Imagine my face when I found out the reason. THAT was the reason for traumatizing a person who has nothing to do with the business? And for what, what was the goal?

I wished the assignment they had to do together was part of the ending since it was a big part of the plot and what brought them together – but it wasn’t, it was completely forgotten. Also, what about the car situation? She now has a new car to her name… Again, nothing makes sense.

How can people say the writing was great? I’m genuinely confused about that. I thought about it for a while, but I don’t think I’ll be picking up the rest of the books.