3.25 ⭐️ This is a hard one for me to rate. The story itself is captivating, but it was just so f*cking long.
"You're a sickness inside of me that begs 3.25 ⭐️ This is a hard one for me to rate. The story itself is captivating, but it was just so f*cking long.
"You're a sickness inside of me that begs never to be cured. Infecting me with this unshakable craving for things I shouldn't want. "Then, let me go." "No," he said in an uncompromising tone, his fingers digging into my hips. "I can't"
WHAT TO EXPECT: ✨ gothic romance ✨ dark academia ✨ forbidden romance ✨ morally grey MMC ✨ student x teacher ✨ age gap ✨ slow burn ✨ “touch her and die” ✨ one bed ✨ 3/5 ...more
"That’s not how love works, Elsie. But don’t worry, I’ll show you.”
WHAT TO EXPECT: ✨ STEM romance ✨ he's a 5 ⭐️ My favorite Ali Hazelwood book yet!!!!
"That’s not how love works, Elsie. But don’t worry, I’ll show you.”
WHAT TO EXPECT: ✨ STEM romance ✨ he's a straightforward, confident, perceptive, head of the MIT Physics Institute ✨ she's a broke, people-pleasing, adjunct professor of physics interviewing for her dream job at MIT ✨ academic rivals/hate to lovers ✨ grumpy x sunshine ✨ fake dating (his brother) ✨ he falls first ✨ lots of tension ✨ amazing banter ✨ slow burn ✨ 2.5/5 spice ✨ "let me take care of you" ✨ complicated family dynamics ✨ found family ✨ lie by omission ✨ HEA ✨ single pov ✨ twilight references ✨ diabetes representation ✨ ace/aro spectrum representation ✨ Adam and Olive from The Love Hypothesis cameo
My Thoughts:
Absolutely LOVED!!!! Better than the Love Hypothesis (4-stars) and Love on the Brain (3-stars)! Honestly, my favorite contemporary romance of the year! ...more
I liked it. However, I didn’t ever feel super attached to characters. This may be due to the length of the story, but there 3 ⭐️ Cute but forgettable
I liked it. However, I didn’t ever feel super attached to characters. This may be due to the length of the story, but there are also time jumps that took up a majority of the story, and I found them necessary but annoying. The story would have been better if it was told chronologically and focused more on the present....more
I received an e-ARC of this story on NetGalley in the Fall of 2021, and I finally finished one year lat2 ⭐️ A sweet story, but it wasn't executed well
I received an e-ARC of this story on NetGalley in the Fall of 2021, and I finally finished one year later. Sorry, it took me so long to write this review.
WHAT TO EXPECT: ✨ Scientist FMC with brain injury ✨ CEO/Scientist MMC ✨ Office-romance ✨ Boss x Employee ✨ Grumpy x Sunshine ✨ past trauma (emotional and physical) ✨ healing journeys ✨ spice
What I liked:
I really enjoyed the premise behind the story. A young woman suffering from a brain injury learns she is perfect just the way she is and is capable of living a fulfilled life. A CEO learns how to open his heart and what it’s like to be cared for. These main characters had a lot of potential.
I truly adored Seraphina and Milo together. They both had some things to work through, and this led to some emotional moments. Seraphina's love and guilt over the accident and her struggles with her injuries were heartbreaking. Milo’s past familial trauma was terribly sad. Both their stories gave me the feels. But how they supported and listened to one another was lovely.
What I didn't like:
The story often felt forced. Milo and Seraphina would do or say things that were out of character in order to push the story along. For example, Milo (a notorious asshole CEO who never gives anyone the time of day) happened to talk to Seraphina in a crowded elevator. Or when Seraphine (notorious for her habits and sticking to a schedule to create a sense of normalcy in her life) invites Milo up to her apartment after he drove her home, and they eat dinner and cuddle while watching tv - all things that are very unusual for her to do since she doesn’t have any friends. Or when Seraphina, who is nervous about interacting with people, in general, feels comfortable enough to have sex with her boss after only working with him for 2 months and has gone on one date.
The author repeated a lot of mundane information that we already know. I found it annoying.
There were times when background information was mentioned and then later on repeated, but then it went into further detail. It happened a lot and made the story feel disjointed.
It took a really long time to like Milo. I was specifically thrown off by how much we were supposed to dislike him. We were repeatedly told how big of an asshole he was, how he likes to have regular sex with escorts, and how he has anger problems. But there was no explanation as to why he was this way until later. But by that time, I already had a very negative opinion of him. Now, after I’ve read the story, I get it. I feel for the guy, and I’m happy he’s in a happy relationship, but I was not rooting for him for a while.
Milo’s descriptions of how petite, weightless, and hairless (down by her pussy) Seraphina was gave me the ick. I HATE when books describe women through what women think is the male gaze. Guys don’t think or talk like that. At least, not any guys I know.
The dirty talk was sometimes cringe. “You are hugging me so tight. Go easy, I don’t want to bruise you.” I’m sorry, bruise her pussy? Wtf? That’s weird. That’s not a common thing, let alone something you mention during the first time you have sex with someone.
The conflict at the end wasn’t very dramatic. It was centered on character growth, which was fine and all, but there were no consequences for the person who spurred it on - Kendall. Bitch should have been fired.
I’m conflicted as to why Sera had to apologize to Milo for her freakout. She has been through so much - losing her mom tragically and having a life-altering brain injury. She is allowed time to have freakouts and time to adjust. I just hated some of the dialogue that was around that described her as being foolish. The people who said this had the best intentions and weren’t wrong in their assessment of Seraphine during her meltdown. However, the way it was written wasn’t quite right or sensitive to someone in this situation.
Overall, I think this story has a few good qualities, but it needed more work. The story was mainly lacking development in the plot and romance. I do like how the author writes in general, but I’d just want it to be more fleshed out and sensitive to the characters and their situations.
Thank you, NetGalley, for providing an e-ARC copy in exchange for an honest review! As always, all opinions are my own....more
So first off, I want to say that Ali Hazelwood is an excellent writer who can write about science in a way that non-science folks (l3 ⭐️ I wanted more
So first off, I want to say that Ali Hazelwood is an excellent writer who can write about science in a way that non-science folks (like me) can understand and find entertaining. I’m also a huge fan of her humor and one-liners. Plus, she does an amazing job creating tension between the MCs. I will definitely read anything and everything by her! ...more
4 ⭐ I can't believe this story originated as a Reylo fanfic
*For those of you unfamiliar with the term, Reylo is the couple name for Rey and Kylo Ren, 4 ⭐ I can't believe this story originated as a Reylo fanfic
*For those of you unfamiliar with the term, Reylo is the couple name for Rey and Kylo Ren, characters from the latest Star Wars films.
While this story may be based on a sci-fi romance fanfic, it does NOT feature aliens or interstellar travel. Instead, it takes place on Earth, specifically at Stanford University. The characters are Ph.D. students and scientists - not sexy Jedi (Obi-Wan), sexy Sith (Darth Vader), or sexy Smugglers (Han Solo).
BUT. . .
The love interest's name is Adam, like Adam Driver (the actor who plays Kylo Ren), and he's incredibly tall and has black hair, brown eyes, large hands, and a deep voice that will make you shiver. Plus, he's a certified genius.
Did I imagine Adam Driver the entire time while reading this book? Yes . . . yes I did. ...more
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