Pretty Little Pledge

by Luna Oblonsky

Wild parties, cruel games, and an unexpected romance of sapphic proportions.

Nicole knows that pledging to the most exclusive sorority on campus means every boundary she has will be pushed to its limit, she will be debased and humiliated on a daily basis, and she’ll have to endure all this suffering in silence because hazing isn’t technically allowed.

What she doesn’t expect is to fall for her sorority big sister, Christina, a beautiful blonde bombshell who enjoys toying with her a little too much.

Christina is a star soccer player with a killer smile and a mysterious secret. Nicole becomes Christina’s assigned pledge, shares a room with her, and spends every waking minute with her. The line between pledge and member blurs until they’re forced to admit their attraction to each other.

When pledging evolves from humiliating mind games, to blackmail, to an unprecedented campus controversy, Nicole and Christina must decide where their loyalties lie.

Pretty Little Pledge is a standalone F/F sorority bully romance novel that contains scenes and references to hazing, abuse, assault, and detailed sex. Suitable for readers 18+.

4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads!

Genres: Lesbian, Romance, Contemporary, Novella, Queer, Lesbian Fiction, Adult

181 pages, Hardcover

Published September 1, 2023

About the author

Author of the Her Spell Trilogy, Luna Oblonsky has a passion for crafting stories infused with themes of sapphic romance, magic, and historical elements. She resides in the city of Los Angeles with her beloved orange cat.

Connect with Luna on Instagram and TikTok [@lunaoblonsky] for behind-the-scenes glimpses into her creative process and exclusive updates on her latest projects.

Reviews

[Jamie (TheRebelliousReader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. I’m the issue. It’s me and I’m aware of that. I just really fucking love toxic ass sapphic romances. I make zero apologies about that. Christina literally is apart of the awful hazing that Nicole goes through for that dumbass sorority and yet they still fall in love. And I bought into it 100% because I *am* the red flags.

I ate this book up. It was a wild ride. Fucked up but the romance between Nicole and Christina was really good. I liked both characters a lot and their chemistry was so good. The smut? *chefs kiss* So fucking hot and I really liked how everything wrapped up. Too convenient? Yes, but it was nice. I really enjoyed this and I’m determined to read everything that Oblonsky has published because her writing style just really works for me.

[emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was fine. i think it's honestly more of like a 2.5ish level of enjoyment for me, but i'm not starting the year of rounding down. i think this ended up a lil more erotica with less plot than i had anticipated and i like a bit more drawn out plot with my smut, personally. it just kinda felt like everything was a bit fast, pacing-wise. but it's a super quick, fairly fun and sexy read so i'm no fussed about it. i def enjoyed and prefered the witchy dark academia one i read by this author, more than this one, though.

[Lexi · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this book more or less on a dare, which, in strange parallel to what happens throughout this book, was something unpleasant done for the amusement of others by someone who doesn’t have the self-respect to say no (that’s me).

When I say that this book shouldn’t have been released, I use that word in a catastrophic dimension, like the release of toxic chemicals or an invasive species. It is bad in an existential sense, and while an editor may have been able to hone its badness into something nearing readable, I would never accuse it of having the sort of insight, wit, or really even heart to make for a book that could be mistaken for good. The prose is at best incompetent, the constant tense switching like a Chinese water torture of poor writing mechanics. The romance is hack, but not nearly as hack as the half-baked hazing plot with its revenge porn and exposé twist emptily playing at social relevance. The smut is mostly constructed from porny cliches I’d expect to find in fanfiction, which manages to be the closest to something good I have to say about the book.

It gets a well earned solitary star, a true F for effort.

[Juniper L.H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, this was one of the rare cases where I didn’t particularly like a novel, but I recognize that its good enough that it deserves a higher rating than I would have given it based on my personal opinion. This novel wasn’t for me, but I assumed that going in so its my fault. I just kept seeing it everywhere, and people liked it, and it looks like the cover of that one Fletcher album, so I figured I would give it a whirl just so I could stop thinking about it. I think that this was a fine novel, but reader experience will vary depending on your tastes.

I try to rate novels based on what they ARE and what they are trying to be, (not just my personal opinion) and I think this novel did a great job of delivering what it promised.

Likely spoilers below:

I personally really dislike situations where a person in a situation of power over others uses that power to be cruel to others; this applies to lots of things like workplaces, cops, parents of children, and of course this novel. This novel is literally based on that concept where the pledges are being harassed/hazed/abused, and that’s the entire point. This premise made me uncomfortable at times. I don’t understand why this is an actual thing in the real world either. THAT SAID, it actually (for the most part) wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought/feared it would be, so that’s something to consider for potential readers too. If I knew exactly how far they would push things, I likely would have been less stressed while reading this (but I assume that’s somewhat the point of the experience eh?). Of course, lots of what happened was straight-up abuse, so I guess its complicated. Also, I know some people love this kind of thing, so this novel will be right up your alley.

(Noteworthy; there can absolutely be types of initiations/hazing that isn’t too bad and wouldn’t bother me, I think it depends on what they are being made to do and the vibes around it. In this novel some characters doing the hazing were explicitly cruel and obviously enjoyed inflicting pain on the pledges simple for their own enjoyment. Forcing people into unwanted sexual situations is also a point of contention for me; at some point its simply sexual assault regardless of how you look at it)

So, all that said, the good points! The romance plotline was great. It was sweet and a lot of fun to follow them through the story. I liked this couple together, despite the circumstances. The writing was mostly well done, and the story flowed well. I disliked some choices that were made, but overall this was a good novel (if you ignore the part I have issue with). The ending was satisfying and I think did a lot of the work towards making me like the novel overall, even including the elements that I disliked.

[khadeja · Rating 4 out of 5]

embarrassing to admit i read but i need the book for my reading goal

[Amanda Ramos · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I started this book, I had mixed feelings about the writing. The style is a little different from what I’m used to, and at first, I thought the narration was a bit too fast. I felt like I was missing the characters’ inner voices. Maybe it’s because I’m not used to reading shorter books, but I felt the events lacked description and seemed a little rushed. Eventually, though, I understood that this was the author’s intention and just went with it.

The second thing I’d like to mention is the bullying aspect. This definitely isn’t for everyone, and I get that. Some parts are quite aggressive, which could be a turn-off for some readers - it almost was for me. Make sure to check the TWs.

That said, the characters grew on me, and I became really invested in their relationship. The book has plenty of spicy scenes, and they’re very well written. I could feel the chemistry between the characters, so there was never a dull moment. It did feel a bit like insta-lust, but for a short novel, I don’t think that’s necessarily a problem - especially since the relationship is later developed, and we see the characters grow together.

Without entering spoiler territory, I’d say the ending was satisfying enough to make up for some of the uncomfortable moments. But again, this is a bully romance, so I think part of the point is to provoke discomfort. I also have to give kudos to the author’s creativity. Even though the writing style didn’t always click with me, there were plenty of unexpected moments that made it clear she knew what she was doing.

I recommend this book if you’re okay with the darker side of bully romance, and especially if you’re in the mood to feel all hot and bothered by the spice - it’s good!

[Celina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crazy but sweet

I love it. It's got all the crazy drama that I enjoy. And the half in-closet sweet loving, just adorable.

[Carol (bookish_notes)]

I’ve been struggling to find a good sapphic bully romance after reading T6V and it looks like I will continue to struggle and the search continues.

speaking as someone who was in a SEC sorority, this reads like it’s by an author who has absolutely no idea how sorority recruitment works and this is more like a fantasy book than a contemporary one in that sense. everything is so inaccurate it’s actually too distracting to even get past the first few pages.

[Sapphic Bookshelf]

Pretty Little Pledge is an Adult Bully Romance that makes for a spicy read.

{A girl pledges an exclusive sorority and undergoes intense hazing while falling for her sorority big sister}

I can’t recall the book stating what year the story takes place but since they said Beyoncé is 24 years old I’m going with 2006. And I definitely felt the early 2000s vibes with all the references to throwback music and the fact homophobia was so rampant among characters.

🌶️I will fully admit I read this book because I knew there was a heavy heaping of spice and wow was there ever. A wide variety of scenes from various locations, toys, and levels of intimacy.

I never felt fully immersed into the writing, but I still enjoyed the way this romance developed and seeing how the story played out.

This was my first bully romance. I’m not sure how I feel about this sub-genre yet, but I did love to see the relationship between Nicole and Christina grow in intimacy. So if that is common for bully romances, I think I can get behind them 😅

Overall I’d say this book is for anyone looking for a spicy college romance.

[Sydney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was surprised by how much I liked this book. I just finished another book by Oblonsky that left me less than enthused with their work. But, this with the sapphic bully romance really called to me, and I'm glad I listened. I was worried that the same thing would happen for this book as the other I read. Namely that the MCs would get together too early and the rest of the book wouldn't have enough plot to hold it up. The MCs do get together fairly early in the story, and if it was much longer than it was it probably would have had more problems with plot, but this was the perfect length. This book is also set in 2005, and I remember distinctly all the news stories that came out around that time about the abuses of fraternities and sororities with hazing and the like. This book does a pretty good job of representing that without becoming overly cruel or life-threatening. And the end was pretty cathartic in a way.

Christina and Nichole are so great together. I loved their dynamic and how the bullying turned more into teasing after awhile. I'm actually hesitant to really classify this as a bully romance. There is a lot of spice in this book as well. Their chemistry is off the charts. We don't really get a chance to get to know any of the other girls that well, which I think is a crime.

There is no third act breakup. They for the most part even communicate with each other pretty well. There is the moment of "don't tell her" from a blackmailer...when you know that's the first thing she should do, and it doesn't last very long before the MC is able to identify her worry and pry the information out of the other MC. Honestly, I loved the way the two MCs really got each other.

[Cathy Malfoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had such a good time with this book! It was fast-paced, spicy, very cute, and honestly it just felt SO refreshing to read a sapphic romance. WLW books deserve way more love and spice like this.

The "bully to lovers" trope is what made me pick up the book, but I did get instead more like slightly rude to lovers. Christina wasn’t really a bully, I mean, I expected full-on mean girl energy, emotional damage, enemies-to-lovers tension through the roof. But nope, she was fine. Sass levels: medium. No real bullying. So if you're here for the angst and cruelty-to-lovers arc, lower your expectations.

BUT! That plot twist had me sitting straight up in bed, jaw on the floor, blinking at the page like ???
SO good and so unexpected! Honestly, it gave the story the little punch it needed.

Another thing I really appreciated: the book didn’t shy away from talking about hazing and toxic dynamics in sororities. That’s something we need to see more of in fiction. Important stuff!

Now, let’s talk writing. The writing style felt a bit clunky or even childish at times, like it needed one more solid round of editing or a rewrite to smooth things out. It didn’t ruin the experience, but I definitely noticed it.

That said, the story itself was worth it. I don’t regret reading it, it was spicy, sapphic, and fun.
I would totally recommend it to WLW romance lovers looking for a fast, hot read with a wild twist.

I wouldn't recommend it for hardcore bully-to-lovers fans.

Final thoughts: give us more sapphic spice, but next time let the “bully” actually be a bully plz 💅

Oh and I loved Christina <3333333

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I expected this to be a hot, conflicted but ultimately sweet enemies to lovers bully romance with probably some abuse but like to fit the fantasy. It just really wasn’t that.

For starters, Christina isn’t a bully? Like, wtf? She clearly wants no part of this and is just consistently sweet and kind. I mean, that’s great for her as a person but what’s she doing here? We can’t have enemies to lovers without the enemies bit.

The sorority nonsense—I know it’s a real thing but I just find the entire concept to be absurd and comically over the top—flips flops between harmless over the top nonsense that’s hard to take seriously, harmful over the top nonsense that’s still hard to take seriously, and genuinely uncomfortable stuff that I don’t want to read about. Like, I get it, this is bad stuff. But I still should have fun reading it.

The romance itself was cute but there wasn’t all that much of it and the cuteness was overshadowed by a constant atmosphere of dread hanging over most of the book. I thought I might have found a new favorite author after Her Spell That Binds Me. This wasn’t quite the follow-up.

[Marina Feliz Imba · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book could have been much better if the author hadn't focused so much on such superficial topics. She tried to make it sexy but in my opinion she didn't succeed. I love bully romance but this one wasn't for me. The description of sex is boring, the emotions are mediocre and the story in general is very flat. One thing that I loved was the writing style. Too bad that the story didn't much the authors talent in writing.
Something I noticed is that the story in general is more like a men's fantasy than a women's? It has fully naked women doing things of their own volition. Don't get me wrong I love boobs too but I think I can manage to read a story with less mentions of boobs you know? It's not sexy after a while.
Also I don't give a fuck about the characters. I don't care what will happen to them or if they're gonna end up together. I don't know anything about them. The book ends and the characters have no background even after 160 pages.

[TKICADBWAWNYDSAMSBNIB · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an alright reading, i would recommend it if you feel like reading a smut-with-a-litte-plot kinda a book. It's very short and you can really tell because there's not much of a bulit up and most of the times I was confuse with all the sht they put the pledges through but maybe that just me (sororities and frats don't exist in my country) and making the twins make out?? weird af, its already bad that straights girls do it but these was just straight up incest and was brushed off just like nothing..
But anyways at least the relationship between Christina and Nicole was cute and steamy, so i enjoyed their interactions but it did feel like we didn't get to see them being their "own person" outside of their relationship which was kind of boring. Also i was expecting a dark romance kind of bullying but Christina wasn't even that bad, she even hated doing it so i kinda sells an idea that isn't really there.

Not a bad reading, just higher expectations!

[Cmadler · Rating 1 out of 5]

There's just no way around it, this is an atrociously bad book. Not only was the prose itself terrible in ways that make me fear for the future of the written word, but the romance (such as it was) was badly contrived. Finally, the college setting and the plot itself made me strongly suspect that the author's only knowledge of any of this was from watching movies and TV shows -- it was just cliché after cliché after cliché with absolutely no sense of the reality of university academics, athletics, Greek life, or for that matter, human relationships.

I strongly encourage you, whoever you are, not to read this book. You can easily find scores of better things to read on Literotica, AO3, or any other free site of your choosing. This book does not deserve your time.

[Chelles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty Little Pledge

This was a nice little spicy surprise 🌶🌶🌶

Sorority pledges go through hazing hell. There was a twist in the end that, I admit, did not see coming. Nicole and Christina have explosive chemistry. The pace of the story was perfect - no lulls, and it didn't feel rushed in the end either. I enjoyed it.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

A freshman goes through the pledge process at a sorority but falls for her tormentor.

This was cute, but I definitely wanted to really hate the bully. The good bullying was done by other sorority girls, so the girl in question felt like a mild bully character. This was still super cute even if it has a big tense problem.

Fast burn with restraints, electro play, and strap.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
POV: Solo Third Present

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing

This was an amazing find of a read. It’s gritty and raw and looks into life of sororities and pledges. Emotionally charged and filled with strong lead characters that in the end find HEA.

[Shana Peliti]

I don't feel as if I could give this a fair rating, as I didn't realize this was a bully romance, and those are not my cup of tea. I did finish the book, though. It was a quick and easy read. I came here after finishing Her Ties That Bind Me. That book and this one are like night and day.

[kayo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I mean like a good past time, just to relieve the itch to read another book. Cringey at some parts but what can you expect? Very surface level, the story could have more depth if we knew more about the main characters and their backstory. No character arc.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

The revelations at the party caught me off guard. I was NOT expecting that.

[Freda Nissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 💫

[Chrissy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Terribly edited. Nothing puts me off as much as finding several typos/ errors in a text. I wouldn’t run to recommend this. Read at your own risk.

[Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was adorable. Wanted to find a sapphic sorority book and this did not disappoint.

[Evone Elia-Clancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished this book in 2 days. I couldn't put it down, it was spicy and a great story! The chemistry between the 2 MCs was great and funny. After 2 DNF books, glad this was my next to read.

[reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good!!

Christina and Nicole are so cute 🥰

[Helen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Stupid. Dont waste time.

[Madeleine · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 ⭐

What in a missing episode of Euphoria is this? Jk. I like the plot twist, but as a whole not so much. I realized that this genre is not for me, but I appreciate the story. Lol

[zb · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 stars rounded down for terrible writing. If the smut was better it could have been a 2-star read, but… alas. One for the “needs an editor” pile. I didn’t DNF it and that’s on me.

[M · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some of the dialogue in this was horrid and Christina was in love Nicole out of nowhere but who gaf. Lesbian timing.
Fab. Had fun!