⭐☆☆☆☆ | I Want My Time Back
I went into Detention by Emilia Rose thinking, okay, student-teacher romance, probably a little edgy, maybe like Sweet Destruction by Heather Ashley. You know, forbidden love, a little dark, a little angsty.
What I got instead? A complete dumpster fire of a plot, a hero who is no hero at all, and a heroine who throws her entire life away for a man who doesn’t even deserve a second glance.
🚨 Let’s break this down:
• Insta-Love at Its Worst
• By Chapter 2, they’re already sleeping together. CHAPTER TWO. So tell me, why is this book 400 pages long? If it starts there, where is the tension? The build-up? The emotional depth? Spoiler: it doesn’t exist.
• This Ain’t a Love Story—It’s a Crime Spree
• You think you’re getting an age-gap romance? No. You’re getting murder, a severed head delivered as a gift, and a man who literally kills his own wife so he can be with a high schooler.
• He is MARRIED. And not just unhappily married—he has cheated before. This isn’t some "love that defies all odds" situation. This is just an unhinged man cheating, killing, and trying to knock up an 18-year-old.
• The Mob Angle Was Useless
• Why? Why was this here? What purpose did it serve except to make everything more ridiculous? Callan Avery is supposedly an executioner for the mob, but the way it’s written makes zero sense. Instead of adding depth, it just feels like a weak excuse to justify the nonstop murder spree.
• The Heroine Deserved Better (but Apparently Didn’t Think So)
• Sakura is supposed to be valedictorian. She’s bright, top of her class, and on the fast track to success.
• But instead of using any of that, she:
• Falls for this disaster of a man without a second thought.
• Actively tries to get pregnant because he wants it.
• Acts like she’ll keep the relationship hidden from her father until she finishes school. (Like that somehow makes it better??)
• And They Don’t Even Get a Proper HEA
• After all that murder and life-ruining decisions, you’d think at least there’d be a solid ending? Nope. The relationship is still under wraps, and they don’t even get to be together openly.
• WHAT WAS THE POINT OF THIS BOOK?
Final Thoughts
I don’t understand the four-star ratings on this. Have people never read a truly well-written dark romance? Do they not realize that just because something is "taboo" doesn’t mean it’s good?
This book was exhausting, frustrating, and a complete waste of time. It’s not romantic. It’s not sexy. It’s just bad.
If you’re looking for a real student-teacher romance, Sweet Destruction did it a thousand times better. Don’t waste your time on Detention. Zero stars if I could.