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All Saints High #4
Damaged Goods
Underneath the goody two-shoes persona is damaged goods… but can the bad boy across the street save her?
Bailey Followhill is the perfect daughter. Sweet. Charitable. Pretty. Control freak. Not a hair out of place, not an inch out of line, she is everything her troublemaking sister Daria isn't. But when her A game turns out to be a lukewarm C- at Juilliard, Bailey's picture-ready life starts fraying faster than the worn satin ribbons of her pointe shoes. She's becoming a piece of gossip. The Troubled Child. A drug abuser. No longer the girl her best friend once knew.
Lev Cole is so golden, he's got the Midas Touch. Prized quarterback. Football captain. Hottest guy in SoCal. A textbook cliché. But with a girlfriend he doesn't love and a career path he doesn't value, Lev is coasting. The only two things he cares about? Bailey and becoming a pilot? are out of reach. But Lev is done being satisfied with the life others have chosen for him. He wants to pick his own cards. To demolish the seamless kingdom of lies his family stitched together on the ruins his mother left behind. The question is, can he save his best friend and his dream before too much damage is done?
Bailey Followhill is the perfect daughter. Sweet. Charitable. Pretty. Control freak. Not a hair out of place, not an inch out of line, she is everything her troublemaking sister Daria isn't. But when her A game turns out to be a lukewarm C- at Juilliard, Bailey's picture-ready life starts fraying faster than the worn satin ribbons of her pointe shoes. She's becoming a piece of gossip. The Troubled Child. A drug abuser. No longer the girl her best friend once knew.
Lev Cole is so golden, he's got the Midas Touch. Prized quarterback. Football captain. Hottest guy in SoCal. A textbook cliché. But with a girlfriend he doesn't love and a career path he doesn't value, Lev is coasting. The only two things he cares about? Bailey and becoming a pilot? are out of reach. But Lev is done being satisfied with the life others have chosen for him. He wants to pick his own cards. To demolish the seamless kingdom of lies his family stitched together on the ruins his mother left behind. The question is, can he save his best friend and his dream before too much damage is done?
409 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 23, 2024
2532 people are currently reading
21910 people want to read
About the author
L.J. Shen
77 books56k followersL.J. Shen is a New York Times, USA Today, WSJ, Washington Post and #1 Amazon Kindle Store bestselling author of contemporary romance books.
She writes angsty books, unredeemable anti-heroes who are in Bill Gates's tax bracket, and sassy heroines who bring them to their knees (for more reasons than one).
Keep up with L.J. on all platforms:
Newsletter Sign up ➜ https://bit.ly/3LhsIrb
Instagram➜ shorturl.at/cDJRZ
TikTok ➜ shorturl.at/frw59
Facebook➜ https://goo.gl/fKCSo4
Website ➜ www.authorljshen.com
She writes angsty books, unredeemable anti-heroes who are in Bill Gates's tax bracket, and sassy heroines who bring them to their knees (for more reasons than one).
Keep up with L.J. on all platforms:
Newsletter Sign up ➜ https://bit.ly/3LhsIrb
Instagram➜ shorturl.at/cDJRZ
TikTok ➜ shorturl.at/frw59
Facebook➜ https://goo.gl/fKCSo4
Website ➜ www.authorljshen.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,655 reviews
January 26, 2024
okay, fine. final final edit (01/26/2024): read the bonus epilogue, and it looks like lj is trying to rectify things to save her ratings, confirming that dixie ended up with the doctor so suddenly from deandixie having this:
“they’re on the frayed veins between friends and lovers.”
we get this:
“For the last six months, however, they turned from friends to lovers. I haven't seen much of Dr. Coughlan since Lev and I are mostly in Colorado, but I'm happy to see Dixie the happiest she's ever been.” 💀
lj making dean donate his sperm to dixie and having a child with her when all this time she could get it from someone else 😭 yeah, she’s just trying to appease deanrosie fans for the ratings atp lmao
honestly, poor man considering the fact that the baby is the child of another man AND said man bought his girl a house to be closer to them 😭
——————
final edit (01/23/2024) reasons why the og “ride or die” fans are upset with this book:
✔️ dean offering his sperm to knight’s biological mom. this was the same woman who tried to kiss him after rosie’s death. girly is really trying to get him and his family 🥴
✔️ naming their baby “rosie” after his deceased wife (if this doesn’t give you the ick…)
✔️ dean buying dixie a house in cash so she can live close by “to see her and the baby all the time” (at this point lj might as well confirm that they’re together)
✔️ other characters rooting for dean and dixie all throughout the book
✔️ lev eavesdropping on dean and dixie outside dean’s bedroom and cheering for his dad to make a move while thinking that dean and dixie are fucking (lmaoo weird dude)
✔️ lj hinting that dixie might be involved with the doctor but this was never really confirmed
✔️ let’s not forget the fact the constant emphasis on what dean and dixie’s relationship is in the book… it’s like they’re convincing each other that they really are just friends (“best friends”) even though they’re doing a lot of married couple shit
✔️lj convincing her readers that they don’t end up but “they’re on the frayed veins between friends and lovers”(who are you fooling ma’am lmao)
✔️ lj trying to appease both fans of deanrosie and deandixie but is failing
✔️all the comments/reviews saying:
- “they’re just fictional characters, stop being hellbent” okay?? and so are you? just because we didn’t give your fave author 5 stars y’all are crying about it?
- “you didn’t read the ending. they didn’t end up together” pls read my list above and tell me again. again, lj might as well confirm them as a couple. i’m standing my ground.
- “most ppl in real life move on” true and okay but you just said dean and rosie are fictional right? exactly, lol.
- “you act like this is the primary storyline.” let me tell you something. it only takes one single thing to ruin a book for me. in this instance, it happens to involve an og couple in her most loved series.
- “you are mean and rude. this is not a review. this is a rant” awww, i thought mine was already the nicest one-star review of this book? and since when can’t we rant in our reviews?
——————
2ND EDIT: so they didn’t “end up together” but LEV gives major LOSER vibes during that one scene when he was outside dean’s bedroom and eavesdropping on dixie and dean.
man’s really rooting for dean to make a move. “c’mon, dad. make a move.” tf is that? the way lj wrote this part and the epilogue is so unnecessary lmao like what did it even contribute to the whole book?????
——————
FIRST EDIT: THIS IS WHY AUTHORS HAVE TO STOP FORCING THEMSELVES TO WRITE ABOUT SECOND GEN. THEY’RE DOOMED TO FLOP AND RUIN THE OG COUPLES. THANKS FOR RUINING WHAT DEANROSIE HAD!
MAY THIS BE YOUR LAST BOOK TO WRITE
——————
call me all the names you want but i’m giving this 1 star for making Dixie and Dean end up together and them having a baby together named ROSIE???! that’s some deep level madness and evilness
“they’re on the frayed veins between friends and lovers.”
we get this:
“For the last six months, however, they turned from friends to lovers. I haven't seen much of Dr. Coughlan since Lev and I are mostly in Colorado, but I'm happy to see Dixie the happiest she's ever been.” 💀
lj making dean donate his sperm to dixie and having a child with her when all this time she could get it from someone else 😭 yeah, she’s just trying to appease deanrosie fans for the ratings atp lmao
honestly, poor man considering the fact that the baby is the child of another man AND said man bought his girl a house to be closer to them 😭
——————
final edit (01/23/2024) reasons why the og “ride or die” fans are upset with this book:
✔️ dean offering his sperm to knight’s biological mom. this was the same woman who tried to kiss him after rosie’s death. girly is really trying to get him and his family 🥴
✔️ naming their baby “rosie” after his deceased wife (if this doesn’t give you the ick…)
✔️ dean buying dixie a house in cash so she can live close by “to see her and the baby all the time” (at this point lj might as well confirm that they’re together)
✔️ other characters rooting for dean and dixie all throughout the book
✔️ lev eavesdropping on dean and dixie outside dean’s bedroom and cheering for his dad to make a move while thinking that dean and dixie are fucking (lmaoo weird dude)
✔️ lj hinting that dixie might be involved with the doctor but this was never really confirmed
✔️ let’s not forget the fact the constant emphasis on what dean and dixie’s relationship is in the book… it’s like they’re convincing each other that they really are just friends (“best friends”) even though they’re doing a lot of married couple shit
✔️lj convincing her readers that they don’t end up but “they’re on the frayed veins between friends and lovers”(who are you fooling ma’am lmao)
✔️ lj trying to appease both fans of deanrosie and deandixie but is failing
✔️all the comments/reviews saying:
- “they’re just fictional characters, stop being hellbent” okay?? and so are you? just because we didn’t give your fave author 5 stars y’all are crying about it?
- “you didn’t read the ending. they didn’t end up together” pls read my list above and tell me again. again, lj might as well confirm them as a couple. i’m standing my ground.
- “most ppl in real life move on” true and okay but you just said dean and rosie are fictional right? exactly, lol.
- “you act like this is the primary storyline.” let me tell you something. it only takes one single thing to ruin a book for me. in this instance, it happens to involve an og couple in her most loved series.
- “you are mean and rude. this is not a review. this is a rant” awww, i thought mine was already the nicest one-star review of this book? and since when can’t we rant in our reviews?
——————
2ND EDIT: so they didn’t “end up together” but LEV gives major LOSER vibes during that one scene when he was outside dean’s bedroom and eavesdropping on dixie and dean.
man’s really rooting for dean to make a move. “c’mon, dad. make a move.” tf is that? the way lj wrote this part and the epilogue is so unnecessary lmao like what did it even contribute to the whole book?????
——————
FIRST EDIT: THIS IS WHY AUTHORS HAVE TO STOP FORCING THEMSELVES TO WRITE ABOUT SECOND GEN. THEY’RE DOOMED TO FLOP AND RUIN THE OG COUPLES. THANKS FOR RUINING WHAT DEANROSIE HAD!
MAY THIS BE YOUR LAST BOOK TO WRITE
——————
call me all the names you want but i’m giving this 1 star for making Dixie and Dean end up together and them having a baby together named ROSIE???! that’s some deep level madness and evilness
January 22, 2024
(01/21/2024)
.
Who tf cares whether DeanDixie is involved romantically or not. The fact that they have a baby together is enough ick. The final straw is them naming that baby after Rosie really felt like a slap to the face. I honestly don't understand why LJ kept on pushing other characters wanting Dean to move on. This is why Dean is such a loser and should just k*ll himself when he had a chance. I know Christian Allister and Aiden King would ☝️ (which they said so themselves) #DeanIsNotARealMan
.
.
(30/11/2023)
.
ALL WE ASK IS DEAN SERVING DEATH TROPE SO HE CAN BE REUNITED WITH ROSIE. BUT NO, LJ ENDED UP MAKING DEANDIXIE HAVING A CHILD TOGETHER. SHE RUINED EVERYTHING 😭😭😭
.
Who tf cares whether DeanDixie is involved romantically or not. The fact that they have a baby together is enough ick. The final straw is them naming that baby after Rosie really felt like a slap to the face. I honestly don't understand why LJ kept on pushing other characters wanting Dean to move on. This is why Dean is such a loser and should just k*ll himself when he had a chance. I know Christian Allister and Aiden King would ☝️ (which they said so themselves) #DeanIsNotARealMan
.
.
(30/11/2023)
.
ALL WE ASK IS DEAN SERVING DEATH TROPE SO HE CAN BE REUNITED WITH ROSIE. BUT NO, LJ ENDED UP MAKING DEANDIXIE HAVING A CHILD TOGETHER. SHE RUINED EVERYTHING 😭😭😭
January 17, 2024
MY REVIEW AND OTHERS can also be found on my blog: ╰┈➤KITTY KATS CRAZY ABOUT BOOKS
❀ 𝐃𝐀𝐌𝐀𝐆𝐄𝐃 𝐆𝐎𝐎𝐃𝐒 ❀ Is the fourth full length romance book within the (All Saints High) series by author L.J. Shen.
Spoken in 'dual perspectives.' ❥ Bailey & Lev ❥ Be aware that this may have triggers for some.
𝘿𝙖𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙙 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙𝙨.
𝙄𝙩'𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡.
𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢. 𝙎𝙪𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙫𝙤𝙧𝙨.'
I could feel all the hurt that was going to come my way as it was building up in the background, careening towards me, knowing that I'd be riding a wave of emotional angst that I knew was going to wipe me out was exactly what I was experiencing chapter by chapter.
'𝑩𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒔𝒖𝒆 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒅𝒂𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒓𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒚.
𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒂𝒍 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏'𝒕 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎𝒔.
𝑩𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏 𝑨𝒍𝒍 𝑺𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝑯𝒊𝒈𝒉 𝒇𝒐𝒐𝒕𝒃𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒄𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝒇𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒅𝒊𝒅𝒏'𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒌 𝒊𝒕, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒊𝒕 𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒊𝒕 𝒃𝒓𝒐𝒌𝒆 𝒎𝒆.'
This one burnt, like a double sworded jagged knife, either way your going to hurt as you stumble down a emotional hole as these two fought tooth and nail to be there for the other through their most darkest times, the push and pull felt like my heart was getting stabbed over and over again.
He had my heart in his hands from the get go
She put my heart through the wringer in the very first chapters.
'𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙧𝙪𝙜𝙨 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙚𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙨𝙢.
𝙄𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩.
𝙃𝙤𝙣𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩. 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙙𝙞𝙜𝙮 𝙗𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙖.
𝙋𝙧𝙞𝙯𝙚𝙙 𝙙𝙖𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙚𝙧.
𝙄 𝙛𝙚𝙡𝙩 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙄 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣'𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙖𝙞𝙡.
𝘼𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜. 𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙧.'
Where addiction grabs you by the throat and doesn't let you go
The lies
The cravings
Like an hourglass both their dreams were slipping through their fingers.
This is definitely one series that I could happily read from front to back, book to book, to feel all those first feels again, to get lost in the sorrow, the angst, the healing. The love I've felt for all these characters.
* Teaser used is off the authors facebook page *
November 30, 2023
#not my dean, he would never.
this is how u throw away first and second gen with just one book btw.
this is how u throw away first and second gen with just one book btw.
December 9, 2023
“i live for you. breathe for you, i will die for you.” These are Dean's exact words so HE WOULD NEVER did you hear me lj shen HE WOULD NEVER. A author should be creative, not destructive and you're RUINING everything beautiful. You destroyed them already and now you’re destroying their past. But Rosie wished it were too😪 BLAH BLAH BLAH lj shen, would you want your husband to interact with another woman at your funeral, marry that woman, have children with her, and name his child after you? YOU DID NOT WANT THIS. NO ONE WANT THIS.
Did you think this would be sweet? REALLY? I hope your career drowns in that sweetness😻😽
fuck this shit i’m out✌🏽
Did you think this would be sweet? REALLY? I hope your career drowns in that sweetness😻😽
fuck this shit i’m out✌🏽
January 23, 2024
my first 1-star rating this year and it's for viciousemilia, vaughnlenora, and daria's crumbs bc they will always be dear to me and the reason I still read what LJ Shen writes, but this book, in general, was a sick joke, and ain't no way anybody should take this seriously bc you just can't.
Oh and Dean and Dixie is the least of all the problems of this book because EVERYONE already knew they would end up together after Broken Knight. Now c'mon Lev checking Bailey's pussy and ass to see if he can find drugs there? I'm mortified, I don't know how LJ isn't arrested for writing this shit yet.
Oh and Dean and Dixie is the least of all the problems of this book because EVERYONE already knew they would end up together after Broken Knight. Now c'mon Lev checking Bailey's pussy and ass to see if he can find drugs there? I'm mortified, I don't know how LJ isn't arrested for writing this shit yet.
November 19, 2023
WHAT IS SHE THINKING IS SHE INSANE
November 30, 2023
wtf is wrong with this woman?? she deserves to never leave her flop era
dnf
January 26, 2024DNF at 38%. I’m out. Not him repeatedly saying the heroine’s name the first time he was inside his fuck buddy 🥴. The girl also looks exactly like the heroine. It was mentioned sooo many times too!
Nope. Idk why I keep giving this author so many chances. Nothing she writes will ever top Vicious for me. I keep trying to find that same vibe but I’m done.
And we are supposed to believe that Lev and Bailey have this strong soulmates type of connection but I honestly didn’t feel that.
And the ow drama was so cliche and boring 🥱 like you can’t come up with any other type of conflict?? So annoying.
Nope. Idk why I keep giving this author so many chances. Nothing she writes will ever top Vicious for me. I keep trying to find that same vibe but I’m done.
And we are supposed to believe that Lev and Bailey have this strong soulmates type of connection but I honestly didn’t feel that.
And the ow drama was so cliche and boring 🥱 like you can’t come up with any other type of conflict?? So annoying.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 25, 2024
There should be a trigger warning for Dixie's name. I swear everytime I read her name my mood gets rotten.Not sure if I even hate a real person more than her. Dixie should've died instead of Rosie. Period
January 18, 2024
4.5⭐️
Thank you to Bloom Books for sending me an arc!!
BAILEV BAILEV BAILEV BAILEV
To say I’m obsessed with them is an UNDERSTATEMENT.
This book was so heartbreaking and beautiful and full of ANGST. I finished it in one day (which im regretting now because I miss them so much already)
Something about childhood best friends to lovers gets me every time🤭 (this was one of the best I’ve ever read)
This book really reminded me of addicted to you/saving 6/redeeming 6. So if you enjoyed those, I highly recommend reading this one!
The cameos from everyone in the previous books and from the parents series made me so happy🥹
LJ shen absolutely DEVOURED with this one.
Tropes:
✨childhood friends to “enemies” to lovers
✨forced proximity
✨ballerina x football player
✨SO much angst
✨ “it’s always been you”
ALSO for everyone giving it a one star rating for the dean/dixie thing—ITS NOT WHAT YOU THINK. Yall overreacted…probably because you haven’t even read the book and are spreading misinformation! Dean is still in love w Rosie and I don’t want to spoil anything, but trust that it’s not what you’re assuming.
One of my fav Dean quotes from Damaged Goods:
“Look, this is probably a terrible life lesson to pass on to your kids, but it’s not gonna happen, okay? I’m not gonna magically get over Rosie LeBlanc. I’m never getting over her, I’m never moving on. There won’t be a second chapter because the minute I met this woman, my epilogue was already written. I’ve accepted my fate and find my pleasures elsewhere. I have you. Knight. Cayden. Football. Plenty of friends. I have big family vacations. I love my job. Taking it one day at a time is manageable for me.”
Thank you to Bloom Books for sending me an arc!!
BAILEV BAILEV BAILEV BAILEV
To say I’m obsessed with them is an UNDERSTATEMENT.
This book was so heartbreaking and beautiful and full of ANGST. I finished it in one day (which im regretting now because I miss them so much already)
Something about childhood best friends to lovers gets me every time🤭 (this was one of the best I’ve ever read)
This book really reminded me of addicted to you/saving 6/redeeming 6. So if you enjoyed those, I highly recommend reading this one!
The cameos from everyone in the previous books and from the parents series made me so happy🥹
LJ shen absolutely DEVOURED with this one.
Tropes:
✨childhood friends to “enemies” to lovers
✨forced proximity
✨ballerina x football player
✨SO much angst
✨ “it’s always been you”
ALSO for everyone giving it a one star rating for the dean/dixie thing—ITS NOT WHAT YOU THINK. Yall overreacted…probably because you haven’t even read the book and are spreading misinformation! Dean is still in love w Rosie and I don’t want to spoil anything, but trust that it’s not what you’re assuming.
One of my fav Dean quotes from Damaged Goods:
“Look, this is probably a terrible life lesson to pass on to your kids, but it’s not gonna happen, okay? I’m not gonna magically get over Rosie LeBlanc. I’m never getting over her, I’m never moving on. There won’t be a second chapter because the minute I met this woman, my epilogue was already written. I’ve accepted my fate and find my pleasures elsewhere. I have you. Knight. Cayden. Football. Plenty of friends. I have big family vacations. I love my job. Taking it one day at a time is manageable for me.”
January 27, 2024
Horrible book.
There's aspects of magnolia parks in this book, one being a knock off version of "how's the weather, parks?"
Also this book has the same exact concept of broken knight just after Rosie is dead, the girl is one year older and is already in college while the boy is in his last year of high school, one of the mc have a drug addiction and the other is dealing with the death of his mother.
Moving on, Dixie needs to go away - like honestly. Lj ruined the whole series with this book. She kills off one of the main characters in the first series(Rosie) so their son(Knight) could reunite with his bio mom(Dixie) and make a family with the other main character from a book in the first series? (Dean). They don't necessarily end up together however it is extremely obvious they will in the near future, considering how every single person including Rosie and Dean's children are trying to get them together.
She wanted that money grab fr
P.s. lj for sure saw how magnolia parks was trending with ‘how’s the weather’ and decided to jump the train for that tiktok fame. "You can not out do the original"
There's aspects of magnolia parks in this book, one being a knock off version of "how's the weather, parks?"
Also this book has the same exact concept of broken knight just after Rosie is dead, the girl is one year older and is already in college while the boy is in his last year of high school, one of the mc have a drug addiction and the other is dealing with the death of his mother.
Moving on, Dixie needs to go away - like honestly. Lj ruined the whole series with this book. She kills off one of the main characters in the first series(Rosie) so their son(Knight) could reunite with his bio mom(Dixie) and make a family with the other main character from a book in the first series? (Dean). They don't necessarily end up together however it is extremely obvious they will in the near future, considering how every single person including Rosie and Dean's children are trying to get them together.
She wanted that money grab fr
P.s. lj for sure saw how magnolia parks was trending with ‘how’s the weather’ and decided to jump the train for that tiktok fame. "You can not out do the original"
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 18, 2024
Back in Todos Santos!
The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💚🖤💙💖
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌏🌍
Character development: 😄😮🙂🥰😍
Narrator(s): 🎙🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration type: Dual Narration
The heroine: Bailey Followhill - she has always been the good girl in her parents' eyes. She has wanted to be a ballerina since she was five years old. She has been attending Juilliard since the beginning of this year, and she is doing well in all her academics, but has been failing her dancing classes. She has fractures in both legs and in her back and has been self medicating to deal with the pain. When she overdoses, everyone in her life is surprised because she has always been so perfect.
The Hero: Lev Cole - he is a year younger than Bailey and is the captain of the football team of All Saints high school. He has been casually seeing Talia, who happens to look just like Bailey from the back, though she knows she can never have his heart. He and Bailey had been in love and best friends since they were young, and even though everyone expected them to be together romantically, they never were. Lev is good at football and his family expects it of him, though what he really wants is to go to join the air force and become a fighter pilot.
The Story: When Bailey returns to Todos Santos after her overdose, everything is changed. She used to be the most successful girl, her parents’ pride and joy and now she is acting differently, possibly going through withdrawals and lying to everyone about what she has been going through. Lev is at a loose end as to what to do with her.
I love the whole Todos Santos world, and this book has a lot of references to all of our favorite residents, such as Melody, Dean, Vicious, Trent, Knight, Vaughn and more. The love story of Bailey and Lev is a strange one since they had been best friends for so long and it was obvious that they loved each other, though both of them slept with different people while they were apart. They were never actually together before she left, so it isn’t technically cheating, but they did love each other, so it kind of is.
I have to say though, as much as I love the characters in this world. This book was a bit too depressing for my tastes. Too much of it was about Bailey denying that she is an addict and trying to find some drugs to take. She is in pain and tells herself that she really wants to practice ballet to get back to Juilliard and the only way she can do that is to take the drugs to dull her pain. The love between the two of them shines through the whole story though and it is both sweet and steamy.
This one went to places I never expected. It got deep and emotional and was so high school at times and so adult at others. There was so much going on, much more than just the drug addiction. There was Lev’s feelings about his mother’s death, his father's grief after losing the love of his life. Lev’s playing football because he was trying to make his father happy even though what he really wanted was the Air Force, there was also Lev’s relationship with the Bailey look alike and her machinations to keep him. On top of all that was the love of these families for each other. It certainly held my interest all the way through.
This book was told in dual points of view via dual narration and was narrated by Aiden Snow and Savannah Peachwood. These are two of my favorite narrators and I love them both. Aiden has a sexy deep voice and Savannah sounds youthful and feminine. They are both great at showing emotions through their voices and don’t sound at all like they are just reading.
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The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💚🖤💙💖
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌏🌍
Character development: 😄😮🙂🥰😍
Narrator(s): 🎙🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration type: Dual Narration
The heroine: Bailey Followhill - she has always been the good girl in her parents' eyes. She has wanted to be a ballerina since she was five years old. She has been attending Juilliard since the beginning of this year, and she is doing well in all her academics, but has been failing her dancing classes. She has fractures in both legs and in her back and has been self medicating to deal with the pain. When she overdoses, everyone in her life is surprised because she has always been so perfect.
The Hero: Lev Cole - he is a year younger than Bailey and is the captain of the football team of All Saints high school. He has been casually seeing Talia, who happens to look just like Bailey from the back, though she knows she can never have his heart. He and Bailey had been in love and best friends since they were young, and even though everyone expected them to be together romantically, they never were. Lev is good at football and his family expects it of him, though what he really wants is to go to join the air force and become a fighter pilot.
The Story: When Bailey returns to Todos Santos after her overdose, everything is changed. She used to be the most successful girl, her parents’ pride and joy and now she is acting differently, possibly going through withdrawals and lying to everyone about what she has been going through. Lev is at a loose end as to what to do with her.
I love the whole Todos Santos world, and this book has a lot of references to all of our favorite residents, such as Melody, Dean, Vicious, Trent, Knight, Vaughn and more. The love story of Bailey and Lev is a strange one since they had been best friends for so long and it was obvious that they loved each other, though both of them slept with different people while they were apart. They were never actually together before she left, so it isn’t technically cheating, but they did love each other, so it kind of is.
I have to say though, as much as I love the characters in this world. This book was a bit too depressing for my tastes. Too much of it was about Bailey denying that she is an addict and trying to find some drugs to take. She is in pain and tells herself that she really wants to practice ballet to get back to Juilliard and the only way she can do that is to take the drugs to dull her pain. The love between the two of them shines through the whole story though and it is both sweet and steamy.
“It looks like he stuffed an entire baloney into his boxers.”
This one went to places I never expected. It got deep and emotional and was so high school at times and so adult at others. There was so much going on, much more than just the drug addiction. There was Lev’s feelings about his mother’s death, his father's grief after losing the love of his life. Lev’s playing football because he was trying to make his father happy even though what he really wanted was the Air Force, there was also Lev’s relationship with the Bailey look alike and her machinations to keep him. On top of all that was the love of these families for each other. It certainly held my interest all the way through.
This book was told in dual points of view via dual narration and was narrated by Aiden Snow and Savannah Peachwood. These are two of my favorite narrators and I love them both. Aiden has a sexy deep voice and Savannah sounds youthful and feminine. They are both great at showing emotions through their voices and don’t sound at all like they are just reading.
Blog|Goodreads|Facebook|Instagram|Twitter|BookBub
January 23, 2024
This book is angst walking on steroids.
Can you hear that sound? It's me hyperventilating... I just finished Damaged Goods and my heart forgot how to find it's beat.
Author created story that fills the last hole in Sinner's fans heart. After all these years she rebuild our fave characters with so much love and compassion, I felt like we are really coming back home in Todos Santos.
Damaged Goods is amazing but it's also truly bitter sweet journey because coming back delivers a lot of heartbreaking moments. The moments I ugly cried ? Not sure If I could count... This book is angst walking on steroids. Damaged Goods touched my heart deeply, and I cannot stop thinking about it. This book is not only romantic suspense, but it's also beautiful, complicated love story about healing.
It's hard to say anything without spoilers but what I can add at the end is that Bailey is everything what I didn't expect... Lev is perfect combination of Dean's sass and Rosie's big heart. She was so right, Guys - Cole men are very easy to love and I choose to love them FOREVER.
MUST READ TITLE.
Can you hear that sound? It's me hyperventilating... I just finished Damaged Goods and my heart forgot how to find it's beat.
Author created story that fills the last hole in Sinner's fans heart. After all these years she rebuild our fave characters with so much love and compassion, I felt like we are really coming back home in Todos Santos.
Damaged Goods is amazing but it's also truly bitter sweet journey because coming back delivers a lot of heartbreaking moments. The moments I ugly cried ? Not sure If I could count... This book is angst walking on steroids. Damaged Goods touched my heart deeply, and I cannot stop thinking about it. This book is not only romantic suspense, but it's also beautiful, complicated love story about healing.
It's hard to say anything without spoilers but what I can add at the end is that Bailey is everything what I didn't expect... Lev is perfect combination of Dean's sass and Rosie's big heart. She was so right, Guys - Cole men are very easy to love and I choose to love them FOREVER.
MUST READ TITLE.
January 31, 2024
1 star
I am not quite sure how I managed to make it all the way through this book - I was definitely skimming parts by the 75/80% mark. It wasn't even just the plot that was disappointing but it was the writing too. Too many metaphors that would take me out of the moment .. "he was cut like shredded lettuce" - why is the description of this man making me crave a salad?!
I enjoyed 'The Kiss Thief' but I am beginning to wonder if that was a bit of a one off.
Perhaps if you had read other books from the series you might have got more from this one, but sadly it was only marginally better than a DNF and that was from pure grit and determination to stick it out.
I am not quite sure how I managed to make it all the way through this book - I was definitely skimming parts by the 75/80% mark. It wasn't even just the plot that was disappointing but it was the writing too. Too many metaphors that would take me out of the moment .. "he was cut like shredded lettuce" - why is the description of this man making me crave a salad?!
I enjoyed 'The Kiss Thief' but I am beginning to wonder if that was a bit of a one off.
Perhaps if you had read other books from the series you might have got more from this one, but sadly it was only marginally better than a DNF and that was from pure grit and determination to stick it out.
February 7, 2024
Everything was fine until the fucking epilogue came like damn that caught me by surprise LITERALLY.
Epilogue aside Lev and Bailey were cute, yes Bailey can be a handful when reading this book but you have to know she was going through something so I sympathized with her and loved her overall. And oh my gosh Lev has such a big heart like my boy took care of her and pretty much was there for her the entire time she was hitting rock bottom. This book was fine UNTIL THAT DAMN EPILOGUE WTF 💀
Epilogue aside Lev and Bailey were cute, yes Bailey can be a handful when reading this book but you have to know she was going through something so I sympathized with her and loved her overall. And oh my gosh Lev has such a big heart like my boy took care of her and pretty much was there for her the entire time she was hitting rock bottom. This book was fine UNTIL THAT DAMN EPILOGUE WTF 💀
January 9, 2024
i have read every single lj shen book, but i’m never reading this. no. absolutely not. NO. he would never. rosie for life
January 29, 2024
3.5 stars
bailev were good what can i say. also really wanted vicious out here to add a couple more bodies to his ki!! list but it’s alright ig
LEV PROPOSING TO BAILEY WITH ROSIE’S RING WITH DEAN’S PERMISSION. THAT SHIT HURT SO GOOD 💗
also thank god for deandixie never actually being a romantic or sexual relationship (sorry dixie you tried and failed heheheh). still an absolute ick that they had a CHILD NAMED ROSIE AND THAT THE MAN BOUGHT HER THE HOUSE NEXT DOOR IN CASH… like if home girl wanted a baby that bad why did it have to be with dean??? she should’ve just went to the sperm bank like she planned. fucking weirdo behavior and for lev AND knight to instigate and even want dean to be with dixie in the first place. these cole men need to GET IT TOGETHER.
but tbh all the spoiler reviews that came before release day had me mad panicking about deandixie and the reality is that it’s bad but it wasn’t BAD BAD. it’s definitely not what everyone was making it out to be.
but fr, my issue isn’t dean moving on and finding love again. my issue is doing all of that with dixie sorry not sorry
anyways i digress. thanks lj shen for not making deandixie happen. i can’t even imagine the pile of hot garbage and complaints you got and are continuing to get from readers on both sides ✌🏼
———
11/29/23
wait wait WAIT IS THIS TRUE?!??
deanrosie deserved better but having a child with dixie and intentionally naming the baby rosie?! LIKE AFTER YOUR DEAD FUCKING WIFE. the audacity of lj. this is so sick and twisted. dean should’ve mourned her forever idc. he didn’t deserve rosie.
———
im reading this for lev and bailey (the book we should’ve gotten years ago)
but im mostly reading this book to talk shit about deandixie
bailev were good what can i say. also really wanted vicious out here to add a couple more bodies to his ki!! list but it’s alright ig
LEV PROPOSING TO BAILEY WITH ROSIE’S RING WITH DEAN’S PERMISSION. THAT SHIT HURT SO GOOD 💗
also thank god for deandixie never actually being a romantic or sexual relationship (sorry dixie you tried and failed heheheh). still an absolute ick that they had a CHILD NAMED ROSIE AND THAT THE MAN BOUGHT HER THE HOUSE NEXT DOOR IN CASH… like if home girl wanted a baby that bad why did it have to be with dean??? she should’ve just went to the sperm bank like she planned. fucking weirdo behavior and for lev AND knight to instigate and even want dean to be with dixie in the first place. these cole men need to GET IT TOGETHER.
but tbh all the spoiler reviews that came before release day had me mad panicking about deandixie and the reality is that it’s bad but it wasn’t BAD BAD. it’s definitely not what everyone was making it out to be.
but fr, my issue isn’t dean moving on and finding love again. my issue is doing all of that with dixie sorry not sorry
anyways i digress. thanks lj shen for not making deandixie happen. i can’t even imagine the pile of hot garbage and complaints you got and are continuing to get from readers on both sides ✌🏼
———
11/29/23
wait wait WAIT IS THIS TRUE?!??
deanrosie deserved better but having a child with dixie and intentionally naming the baby rosie?! LIKE AFTER YOUR DEAD FUCKING WIFE. the audacity of lj. this is so sick and twisted. dean should’ve mourned her forever idc. he didn’t deserve rosie.
———
im reading this for lev and bailey (the book we should’ve gotten years ago)
but im mostly reading this book to talk shit about deandixie
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 12, 2024
If there were the option of zero stars, I would gladly put it. You deserve this lj
January 16, 2024
ʜᴏᴡ’s ᴛʜᴇ sᴋʏ ʟᴏᴏᴋɪɴɢ, ᴅᴏᴠᴇ? 🕊
Oh my, 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘹. If you’ve been an L.J. Shen reader a while, then you’ve probably (𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧) been waiting for this book for some time now - We're going back to All Saints High!! This series and being with these characters - seeing the og SOS become dads in ASH and now finally, come full circle and watch them be grandparents. The smallest little glimpses into these characters' lives make me feel so nostalgic; 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺.
ɪᴛ’s ᴏᴋᴀʏ ᴛᴏ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴅᴇᴍᴏɴs. ᴡᴇ ᴀʟʟ ᴅᴏ. ʙᴜᴛ ɪᴛ ɪs ɴᴏᴛ ᴏᴋᴀʏ ᴛᴏ ʟᴇᴛ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ᴡɪɴ.
Swoony. Heartbreaking. Wholesome.
I love these two so freakin’ much. There is no Bailey Followhill without Lev Cole, and vice versa - BAILEV have my whole heart.
Damaged Goods touches on sensitive subject matters. Their story as a whole is heartbreaking; it’s a journey.
From the very first page, I had tears in my eyes – with flashbacks to life after ‘Ruckus’, I was an emotional mess.
I don’t want to give ANY spoilers, so this will be vague because every piece of this story feels too spoilery to share. But, every piece of their story is them. So many emotions, life lessons; so much love, and L.J. Shen delivers them beautifully.
ɴᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ ɪs ʙɪɢɢᴇʀ ᴛʜᴀɴ ʙᴀɪʟᴇᴠ
sʜᴇ’s ᴍʏ ʙʟɪɴᴅ sɪᴅᴇ. ᴍʏ ᴡᴇᴀᴋ sᴘᴏᴛ. sʜᴇ ɪs ᴍʏ ᴀᴄʜɪʟʟᴇs’ ʜᴇᴇʟ.
ᴀʟᴍᴏsᴛ ᴇɪɢʜᴛ ʙɪʟʟɪᴏɴ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ ᴏɴ ᴛʜɪs ᴘʟᴀɴᴇᴛ, ʙᴀɪʟᴇʏ ғᴏʟʟᴏᴡʜɪʟʟ, ᴀɴᴅ ʏᴏᴜ’ʀᴇ ʜᴀɴᴅs ᴅᴏᴡɴ ᴍʏ ғ_____ ғᴀᴠᴏʀɪᴛᴇ.
𝘐 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘦, 𝘓𝘦𝘷𝘺. 𝘈 𝘭𝘰𝘵.
ʏᴏᴜ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏsᴛ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴅᴏᴠᴇs?
ᴛʜᴇʏ’ʀᴇ ʟɪᴋᴇ ʜᴜᴍᴀɴ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛs. ɴᴏ ᴍᴀᴛᴛᴇʀ ʜᴏᴡ ʟᴏsᴛ ᴛʜᴇʏ ɢᴇᴛ, ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴄᴀɴ ᴀʟᴡᴀʏs ғɪɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ᴡᴀʏ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ʜᴏᴍᴇ.
ᴅᴀᴍᴀɢᴇᴅ ɢᴏᴏᴅs ᴀʀᴇ sᴛɪʟʟ ɢᴏᴏᴅs. ɪᴛ’s ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴇɴᴛs ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ᴛʜᴇᴍ sᴘᴇᴄɪᴀʟ. ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ᴛʜᴇᴍ. sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴏʀs. ᴍᴏʟᴅᴇᴅ ʙʏ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ᴇxᴘᴇʀɪᴇɴᴄᴇ. ʙᴇ ᴘʀᴏᴜᴅ ᴏғ ʏᴏᴜʀ sᴄᴀʀs, ᴅᴏᴠᴇ. ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ sᴇᴇ ʜᴀʀᴅsʜɪᴘ, ɪ sᴇᴇ ᴏᴘᴘᴏʀᴛᴜɴɪᴛʏ. ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ sᴇᴇ ɪᴍᴘᴇʀғᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴs, ɪ sᴇᴇ ɢʀᴏᴡᴛʜ. ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ sᴇᴇ ғᴀɪʟᴜʀᴇ, ɪ sᴇᴇ ᴇғғᴏʀᴛ. ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ sᴇᴇ ᴅᴇsᴘᴀɪʀ, ɪ sᴇᴇ ʜᴏᴘᴇ.
ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇɴ’ᴛ ᴊᴜsᴛ ɢᴏᴏᴅ ᴇɴᴏᴜɢʜ—sᴏᴍᴇᴛɪᴍᴇs ʏᴏᴜ ғᴇᴇʟ ᴛᴏᴏ ɢᴏᴏᴅ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴛʀᴜᴇ.
Oh my, 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘹. If you’ve been an L.J. Shen reader a while, then you’ve probably (𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧) been waiting for this book for some time now - We're going back to All Saints High!! This series and being with these characters - seeing the og SOS become dads in ASH and now finally, come full circle and watch them be grandparents. The smallest little glimpses into these characters' lives make me feel so nostalgic; 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺.
ɪᴛ’s ᴏᴋᴀʏ ᴛᴏ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴅᴇᴍᴏɴs. ᴡᴇ ᴀʟʟ ᴅᴏ. ʙᴜᴛ ɪᴛ ɪs ɴᴏᴛ ᴏᴋᴀʏ ᴛᴏ ʟᴇᴛ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ᴡɪɴ.
Swoony. Heartbreaking. Wholesome.
I love these two so freakin’ much. There is no Bailey Followhill without Lev Cole, and vice versa - BAILEV have my whole heart.
Damaged Goods touches on sensitive subject matters. Their story as a whole is heartbreaking; it’s a journey.
From the very first page, I had tears in my eyes – with flashbacks to life after ‘Ruckus’, I was an emotional mess.
I don’t want to give ANY spoilers, so this will be vague because every piece of this story feels too spoilery to share. But, every piece of their story is them. So many emotions, life lessons; so much love, and L.J. Shen delivers them beautifully.
ɴᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ ɪs ʙɪɢɢᴇʀ ᴛʜᴀɴ ʙᴀɪʟᴇᴠ
sʜᴇ’s ᴍʏ ʙʟɪɴᴅ sɪᴅᴇ. ᴍʏ ᴡᴇᴀᴋ sᴘᴏᴛ. sʜᴇ ɪs ᴍʏ ᴀᴄʜɪʟʟᴇs’ ʜᴇᴇʟ.
ᴀʟᴍᴏsᴛ ᴇɪɢʜᴛ ʙɪʟʟɪᴏɴ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ ᴏɴ ᴛʜɪs ᴘʟᴀɴᴇᴛ, ʙᴀɪʟᴇʏ ғᴏʟʟᴏᴡʜɪʟʟ, ᴀɴᴅ ʏᴏᴜ’ʀᴇ ʜᴀɴᴅs ᴅᴏᴡɴ ᴍʏ ғ_____ ғᴀᴠᴏʀɪᴛᴇ.
𝘐 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘦, 𝘓𝘦𝘷𝘺. 𝘈 𝘭𝘰𝘵.
ʏᴏᴜ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏsᴛ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴅᴏᴠᴇs?
ᴛʜᴇʏ’ʀᴇ ʟɪᴋᴇ ʜᴜᴍᴀɴ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛs. ɴᴏ ᴍᴀᴛᴛᴇʀ ʜᴏᴡ ʟᴏsᴛ ᴛʜᴇʏ ɢᴇᴛ, ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴄᴀɴ ᴀʟᴡᴀʏs ғɪɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ᴡᴀʏ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ʜᴏᴍᴇ.
ᴅᴀᴍᴀɢᴇᴅ ɢᴏᴏᴅs ᴀʀᴇ sᴛɪʟʟ ɢᴏᴏᴅs. ɪᴛ’s ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴇɴᴛs ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ᴛʜᴇᴍ sᴘᴇᴄɪᴀʟ. ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ᴛʜᴇᴍ. sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴏʀs. ᴍᴏʟᴅᴇᴅ ʙʏ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ᴇxᴘᴇʀɪᴇɴᴄᴇ. ʙᴇ ᴘʀᴏᴜᴅ ᴏғ ʏᴏᴜʀ sᴄᴀʀs, ᴅᴏᴠᴇ. ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ sᴇᴇ ʜᴀʀᴅsʜɪᴘ, ɪ sᴇᴇ ᴏᴘᴘᴏʀᴛᴜɴɪᴛʏ. ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ sᴇᴇ ɪᴍᴘᴇʀғᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴs, ɪ sᴇᴇ ɢʀᴏᴡᴛʜ. ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ sᴇᴇ ғᴀɪʟᴜʀᴇ, ɪ sᴇᴇ ᴇғғᴏʀᴛ. ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ sᴇᴇ ᴅᴇsᴘᴀɪʀ, ɪ sᴇᴇ ʜᴏᴘᴇ.
ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇɴ’ᴛ ᴊᴜsᴛ ɢᴏᴏᴅ ᴇɴᴏᴜɢʜ—sᴏᴍᴇᴛɪᴍᴇs ʏᴏᴜ ғᴇᴇʟ ᴛᴏᴏ ɢᴏᴏᴅ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴛʀᴜᴇ.
January 22, 2024
5 Beautifully Broken Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
It’s so good to come back to Todos Santos. Also bittersweet, as one of my favorite series comes to an end. All Saints High, as well as Sinners of Saint, are two of my all time favorites. Each book in the series includes some sort of heartache &/or trauma (check TW), but this book. THIS BOOK. Oh My Marx, I was not prepared.
LJ Shen has a flawless way with words - intertwining real life & relatable issues and trauma with perfectly timed humor and witty banter & one-liners. All mixed together into our favorite alphahole book boyfriends (aka: HotHoles & TotHoles) and the strong women, who can bring them to their knees. You can feel her connection to each book she writes. In her attention to detail. In the way she makes her readers feel everything in full force, bare-boned and down to their soul. And the way she mends each beautifully broken heart with her words.
Bailey and Lev’s love story is a messy one. A beautifully painful, heart wrenching and complicated messy one (again, check the TW). And completely opposite of what I expected. But it is indeed a love story. A very strong love story. Unconditional, unwavering, and resilient. Even in the worst of times. They are Soulmates. They’re endgame. They have loved one another, in some capacity, since birth. Best friends, in-love, codependent, etc. And in a way became human shields for one another. Protecting the other from all the pain and stress that life brings. Their inner battles start to surface more with their first big separation - Bailey leaving to attend Juilliard. And they have to face things independently and on their own. Without the constant support, protection and enabling they have always provided one another. Things change. They change. And things start spiraling.
I initially had to acclimate myself to seeing them as young adults. We’ve seen them as kids and preteens/young teens up until this point. And I think we were meant to see and feel that. That’s how their family sees them. As the flawless, innocent and perfect kids in the family. The stars that shine bright and will carry on familial legacies and fulfill dreams. They both have a lot of expectations placed on them, from an early age. From their families as well as from themselves. The need to please everyone eventually comes to a head, as these expectations are stifling and birth secrets, lies, resentment & overwhelming pressure.
There is a lot of heartbreak and mending in their story. Together and Individually. It becomes a cycle. They each have their own personal battles and demons to overcome. Bailey’s addiction being one of them. Their need to please their family, another. You will feel their struggles. It’s palpable and painful. And at times it gutted me. It was a rollercoaster of emotions, once you survive one heartbreak another one comes at you fast, hard & unexpected. And that’s another thing I think we were meant to feel. Because that is how addiction can sometimes feel. The ups and downs. The set backs. The pain. The need to fix the other. But there is also healing, self discovery, growth and pride. And as much as you feel their pain, you will revel in their happiness and successes. This is a love story that will find a permanent place in your heart and stay with you.
“𝙔𝙤𝙪’𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙗𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙢𝙮 𝙢𝙞𝙙𝙙𝙡𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙮 𝙚𝙣𝙙.”
It was packed with a lot of great cameos - all of our favorites - some having a stronger presence than others. Especially with their immediate family. I loved Jaime as a father in Pretty Reckless and that carried on in Damaged Goods. He has a such a sweet and extremely supportive & involved relationship with his daughters. You just want to hug him. Daria is Daria. She is a tremendous source of unconditional love and support for her sister, amongst all her “Daria-ness”. Dean’s nature really reflects in his two sons. All three are extremely devoted and dedicated to the women they love. Cole men love hard and fiercely. Lev’s overprotectiveness may trump the other two, though. The four families are extremely enmeshed with one another. Zero boundaries. Continual & complete support. Which is something I’ve always loved. This book also offered closure to the families as a whole, tying up loose ends & sensitive subjects with grace.
Damaged Goods is a deep love story filled with heartache, overcoming obstacles, healing, forgiveness and coming in to one’s own true self. A destined love that was strongly fought for. I felt the pain and the joy. And I loved all of it. A must read and new favorite of mine.
𝙃𝙤𝙬'𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙠𝙮 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝘿𝙤𝙫𝙚? 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙫𝙤𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙨𝙠𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙.
𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙠𝙮 𝙛𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙣 𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙚. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙡, 𝙄 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙙.
It’s so good to come back to Todos Santos. Also bittersweet, as one of my favorite series comes to an end. All Saints High, as well as Sinners of Saint, are two of my all time favorites. Each book in the series includes some sort of heartache &/or trauma (check TW), but this book. THIS BOOK. Oh My Marx, I was not prepared.
LJ Shen has a flawless way with words - intertwining real life & relatable issues and trauma with perfectly timed humor and witty banter & one-liners. All mixed together into our favorite alphahole book boyfriends (aka: HotHoles & TotHoles) and the strong women, who can bring them to their knees. You can feel her connection to each book she writes. In her attention to detail. In the way she makes her readers feel everything in full force, bare-boned and down to their soul. And the way she mends each beautifully broken heart with her words.
Bailey and Lev’s love story is a messy one. A beautifully painful, heart wrenching and complicated messy one (again, check the TW). And completely opposite of what I expected. But it is indeed a love story. A very strong love story. Unconditional, unwavering, and resilient. Even in the worst of times. They are Soulmates. They’re endgame. They have loved one another, in some capacity, since birth. Best friends, in-love, codependent, etc. And in a way became human shields for one another. Protecting the other from all the pain and stress that life brings. Their inner battles start to surface more with their first big separation - Bailey leaving to attend Juilliard. And they have to face things independently and on their own. Without the constant support, protection and enabling they have always provided one another. Things change. They change. And things start spiraling.
I initially had to acclimate myself to seeing them as young adults. We’ve seen them as kids and preteens/young teens up until this point. And I think we were meant to see and feel that. That’s how their family sees them. As the flawless, innocent and perfect kids in the family. The stars that shine bright and will carry on familial legacies and fulfill dreams. They both have a lot of expectations placed on them, from an early age. From their families as well as from themselves. The need to please everyone eventually comes to a head, as these expectations are stifling and birth secrets, lies, resentment & overwhelming pressure.
There is a lot of heartbreak and mending in their story. Together and Individually. It becomes a cycle. They each have their own personal battles and demons to overcome. Bailey’s addiction being one of them. Their need to please their family, another. You will feel their struggles. It’s palpable and painful. And at times it gutted me. It was a rollercoaster of emotions, once you survive one heartbreak another one comes at you fast, hard & unexpected. And that’s another thing I think we were meant to feel. Because that is how addiction can sometimes feel. The ups and downs. The set backs. The pain. The need to fix the other. But there is also healing, self discovery, growth and pride. And as much as you feel their pain, you will revel in their happiness and successes. This is a love story that will find a permanent place in your heart and stay with you.
“𝙔𝙤𝙪’𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙗𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙢𝙮 𝙢𝙞𝙙𝙙𝙡𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙮 𝙚𝙣𝙙.”
It was packed with a lot of great cameos - all of our favorites - some having a stronger presence than others. Especially with their immediate family. I loved Jaime as a father in Pretty Reckless and that carried on in Damaged Goods. He has a such a sweet and extremely supportive & involved relationship with his daughters. You just want to hug him. Daria is Daria. She is a tremendous source of unconditional love and support for her sister, amongst all her “Daria-ness”. Dean’s nature really reflects in his two sons. All three are extremely devoted and dedicated to the women they love. Cole men love hard and fiercely. Lev’s overprotectiveness may trump the other two, though. The four families are extremely enmeshed with one another. Zero boundaries. Continual & complete support. Which is something I’ve always loved. This book also offered closure to the families as a whole, tying up loose ends & sensitive subjects with grace.
Damaged Goods is a deep love story filled with heartache, overcoming obstacles, healing, forgiveness and coming in to one’s own true self. A destined love that was strongly fought for. I felt the pain and the joy. And I loved all of it. A must read and new favorite of mine.
𝙃𝙤𝙬'𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙠𝙮 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝘿𝙤𝙫𝙚? 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙫𝙤𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙨𝙠𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙.
𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙠𝙮 𝙛𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙣 𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙚. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙡, 𝙄 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙙.
January 22, 2024
edited (01/22): so they did not end up together. i will edit this again after i read this.
edited (01/22 pm): tf i do not care if they did not end up together but them being a companion and raising kids because dixie wanted it? loser behaviour.
idgaf if you think dean has the right to move on. this book just invalidates ruckus. dean and rosie had their hea there. and dean ended up with dixie and them naming her after rosie??? thats bullshit.
edited (01/22 pm): tf i do not care if they did not end up together but them being a companion and raising kids because dixie wanted it? loser behaviour.
idgaf if you think dean has the right to move on. this book just invalidates ruckus. dean and rosie had their hea there. and dean ended up with dixie and them naming her after rosie??? thats bullshit.
January 14, 2024
This book was everything I wanted it to be and more. I had been hoping for years that Leigh would decide to continue with these characters, so I have been not so patiently waiting for this release ever since the moment it was announced. I appreciate that she waited until she had a good story to tell, rather than just writing something to write something, because reading it, you can definitely tell how much work she put into this book.
Bailey and Lev are both such interesting characters. They're both the youngest siblings in their families, the perfect siblings. They excel at academics, and their respective extracurriculars: football and ballet. They've spent their entire lives working toward fulfilling their parents dreams for them, and this book is the product of what happens when someone feels like they have the weight of the world on their shoulders. They're both weighed down by their familial expectations, so they push their own needs to the backburner. I was so happy with the way Leigh handled this. I really empathized with how conflicted Lev was between football, and his desire to live out his own dreams, as well as doing what he can to help Bailey, and on top of all of that, still dealing with the loss of his mom.
As for Bailey? I was so happy with how Leigh handled Bailey's addiction. The idea that someone gets sober because of the person they love is so overdone in romance books, but so unrealistic. It has to be the person's choice that they make for themselves, not for anyone else, so I was so pleasantly surprised that Leigh took the realistic approach instead of a romanticized one. I really felt like she handled this aspect with such care and detail, so I could tell the subject matter was important to her.
These two characters have been through so much throughout their lives and their choices in this book reflected that. By the time I reached the end of the book, I was crying because I was so happy with their growth and development.
Alright, I know why you're actually here. You want to know about the Dean storyline... Well, I for one, think Leigh handled it so respectfully, and always felt Rosie's presence in the book. She is the love of his life, and that will never change. He will never really be able to move on from her, and that is made quite clear. So if you're seeing reviews that have turned you off from this book regarding a certain storyline involving Dean, I really did not read it that way at all, and thought it was handled quite well, so don't let that sway you from reading the book.
Overall, this book delivered everything I wanted and then some. As always, I loved returning to Todos Santos, and getting to revisit these characters once again.
Bailey and Lev are both such interesting characters. They're both the youngest siblings in their families, the perfect siblings. They excel at academics, and their respective extracurriculars: football and ballet. They've spent their entire lives working toward fulfilling their parents dreams for them, and this book is the product of what happens when someone feels like they have the weight of the world on their shoulders. They're both weighed down by their familial expectations, so they push their own needs to the backburner. I was so happy with the way Leigh handled this. I really empathized with how conflicted Lev was between football, and his desire to live out his own dreams, as well as doing what he can to help Bailey, and on top of all of that, still dealing with the loss of his mom.
As for Bailey? I was so happy with how Leigh handled Bailey's addiction. The idea that someone gets sober because of the person they love is so overdone in romance books, but so unrealistic. It has to be the person's choice that they make for themselves, not for anyone else, so I was so pleasantly surprised that Leigh took the realistic approach instead of a romanticized one. I really felt like she handled this aspect with such care and detail, so I could tell the subject matter was important to her.
These two characters have been through so much throughout their lives and their choices in this book reflected that. By the time I reached the end of the book, I was crying because I was so happy with their growth and development.
Alright, I know why you're actually here. You want to know about the Dean storyline... Well, I for one, think Leigh handled it so respectfully, and always felt Rosie's presence in the book. She is the love of his life, and that will never change. He will never really be able to move on from her, and that is made quite clear. So if you're seeing reviews that have turned you off from this book regarding a certain storyline involving Dean, I really did not read it that way at all, and thought it was handled quite well, so don't let that sway you from reading the book.
Overall, this book delivered everything I wanted and then some. As always, I loved returning to Todos Santos, and getting to revisit these characters once again.
December 3, 2023
As someone who has lost a parent at a young age, and as someone who has begged someone they love to please choose life over drugs, this book hit me in so many different ways. I truly believe LJ Shen put her soul into this and left a piece of it behind. We see Bailey though out the all saints high series. Here they are, 4 years after the loss of Levs' mother. Bailey has always made it a point to be there for those she holds dear but as we know, the strongest of us fall sometimes. It’s Levs turn to pull Bailey back from the ashes, because sometimes the person who’s always been there for everyone else also needs saving. We also see our favorite characters from Sinners and Saints & all Saints High. We get a peak into how they are doing and we get to check in our broody, broken hearted Dean. Our beautiful Ruckus, who is still completely broken over the loss of his one and only true love Rosie. Vicious is still very much vicious 🤣. We also get a peak into Knight and Luna. The story is intense, but as always, Shen gives us those nice moments of angsty dry humor to help combat the hard times.
“I'm serious. I would die before willingly watch you suffer."
“I'm serious. I would die before willingly watch you suffer."
January 15, 2024
Bailey was always the perfect daughter. The one destined for greatness but when the reality of her grueling ballet program at Juilliard start to become too much she turns to pharmaceuticals to help her get through. She’s convinced she’s got it under control until one bad dose almost takes her away for good. Now she’s back in Todos Santos having to live with her fall from grace.
Lev has never been more scared than when he got the call from Bailey the night he almost lost her. So what if she maybe broke his heart when she left. Yes they may not have been as close as they were but now that she’s back he’s determined to get her sober and to get her. But Bailey isn’t ready to admit she’s got a problem and he’s still got to figure out his after college decisions and the situationship he got himself into in Bailey’s absence. Can they finally get the timing right?
Bailey and Lev’s story can only be summed up in one word and that’s fate. It was so clear that these two were end game yet there were so many obstacles and timing in the way to get things right. This book consumed me. I could not put it down. I devoured this epic love story and my heart felt every shattering moment of BaiLev.
Lev is definitely Dean’s kid because when he falls he falls hard and there’s nothing that can be done to dissuade him. Bailey was a mess but no matter what Lev’s unwavering love was there even when he had to pull it back to help her help herself.
Speaking of Dean, the hardest part of a story after the loss of Rosie was knowing that we’d have to see the aftermath on him. I am a Dean/Rosie stan so this was probably the majority of my anxiety going into the book. I am so happy with how true to his character his story arc was and while his ending wasn’t conventional by any means it was everything I’ve always loved about him.
I couldn’t imagine a more fulfilling or perfect wrap up to the Sinner of Saints/ All Saints High world if I tried. This book truly wrapped it up to perfection and I know I will be revisiting this world and these characters time and time again with a smile on my face and happy tears in my eyes. This is how you conclude a series!
Lev has never been more scared than when he got the call from Bailey the night he almost lost her. So what if she maybe broke his heart when she left. Yes they may not have been as close as they were but now that she’s back he’s determined to get her sober and to get her. But Bailey isn’t ready to admit she’s got a problem and he’s still got to figure out his after college decisions and the situationship he got himself into in Bailey’s absence. Can they finally get the timing right?
Bailey and Lev’s story can only be summed up in one word and that’s fate. It was so clear that these two were end game yet there were so many obstacles and timing in the way to get things right. This book consumed me. I could not put it down. I devoured this epic love story and my heart felt every shattering moment of BaiLev.
Lev is definitely Dean’s kid because when he falls he falls hard and there’s nothing that can be done to dissuade him. Bailey was a mess but no matter what Lev’s unwavering love was there even when he had to pull it back to help her help herself.
Speaking of Dean, the hardest part of a story after the loss of Rosie was knowing that we’d have to see the aftermath on him. I am a Dean/Rosie stan so this was probably the majority of my anxiety going into the book. I am so happy with how true to his character his story arc was and while his ending wasn’t conventional by any means it was everything I’ve always loved about him.
I couldn’t imagine a more fulfilling or perfect wrap up to the Sinner of Saints/ All Saints High world if I tried. This book truly wrapped it up to perfection and I know I will be revisiting this world and these characters time and time again with a smile on my face and happy tears in my eyes. This is how you conclude a series!
pass-shitty-books-asshole-authors
January 26, 2024EDIT…
Raise of hands.
Who thinks the bonus epilogue that came out in an email was an attempt to recover from the Dean/Dixie fiasco??
ORIGINAL….
The deets are stringing out…not happy.
Issue 1
I’m a widow. I get moving on. I don’t get what happened here. When you lose your ride or die, you aren’t jumping back into the pool of eligibles with any alacrity.
Issue 2
I hate that Dixie is much younger (cuz that’s not cliched). If Shen had the balls to make his new partner widowed and his age, maybe I could be on board.
Issue 3
This is Romancelandia, fucking with golden HEA’s is verboten. It’s a fucking unwritten rule, and if you attempt it, it better be mother-fucking stellar. Not this lame ass bullshit where you name your kid with the new chick after your dead wife…we already had to get over the drama with Dean and Emilia to get to Dean and Rosie and it was enough to just overcome that.
Ms Shen, I’ve been on this crazy ride with you as an angst ho since the beginning. Been a cheerleader through all your IRL bullshit with other writers cuz you write some absolutely dope shit. But this BS and the utter inanity of the Boston Belles series and I’m out.
Raise of hands.
Who thinks the bonus epilogue that came out in an email was an attempt to recover from the Dean/Dixie fiasco??
ORIGINAL….
The deets are stringing out…not happy.
Issue 1
I’m a widow. I get moving on. I don’t get what happened here. When you lose your ride or die, you aren’t jumping back into the pool of eligibles with any alacrity.
Issue 2
I hate that Dixie is much younger (cuz that’s not cliched). If Shen had the balls to make his new partner widowed and his age, maybe I could be on board.
Issue 3
This is Romancelandia, fucking with golden HEA’s is verboten. It’s a fucking unwritten rule, and if you attempt it, it better be mother-fucking stellar. Not this lame ass bullshit where you name your kid with the new chick after your dead wife…we already had to get over the drama with Dean and Emilia to get to Dean and Rosie and it was enough to just overcome that.
Ms Shen, I’ve been on this crazy ride with you as an angst ho since the beginning. Been a cheerleader through all your IRL bullshit with other writers cuz you write some absolutely dope shit. But this BS and the utter inanity of the Boston Belles series and I’m out.
December 29, 2023
Lev and Bailey’s romance was heartbreaking, beautiful and complex. I loved every minute of them. LJ Shen seriously stepped up with this book and gave it her all. I always assumed Lev would be one with the darker side but seeing it was Bailey so unexpected and honestly brilliant.
The conversations around addiction and loss were handled with care but still gutted you whole.
The ending is one on here that a lot of people are complaining about that I will say this. If you read the book it’s about context and don’t let that deter you away from Bailey and Lev because as an end to the series. We got what we needed.
Thanks to Bloom Books for the arc!
The conversations around addiction and loss were handled with care but still gutted you whole.
The ending is one on here that a lot of people are complaining about that I will say this. If you read the book it’s about context and don’t let that deter you away from Bailey and Lev because as an end to the series. We got what we needed.
Thanks to Bloom Books for the arc!
January 14, 2025
Nach langer Zeit wollte ich L.J. Shen mal wieder eine Chance geben, da mich der Klappentext hiervon sehr angesprochen hat, aber leider musste ich einfach wieder feststellen, dass ich keine Nähe zu ihren Charakteren aufbauen konnte und der Aufbau der Geschichte mir auch nicht zusagt. Ab jetzt werde ich es bleiben lassen.
January 14, 2024
I really don’t like when author absolutely destroy their own character. I wanted to read this book for the two sweet kids whom I was curious about but the minor fact about Dean is a NO. This changes everything. The Dean who I know from his book and in broken knight is completely destroyed. The character development was not needed.
Yes, Dean moving on is reality BUT I DONT READ BOOK FOR REALITY. I want my characters to be solid, forever even after dead cause it’s not possible in real life. I read books for my fake reality. By realising this book with that minor detail is the pill I cannot sallow. So no. I’m not reading this book.
I cried for Dean and Rosie in broken knight. This literally kills the emotion, feeling and love I felt for in dean in his own book and broken knight.
Fuck no.
Why do author even do this.
Yes, Dean moving on is reality BUT I DONT READ BOOK FOR REALITY. I want my characters to be solid, forever even after dead cause it’s not possible in real life. I read books for my fake reality. By realising this book with that minor detail is the pill I cannot sallow. So no. I’m not reading this book.
I cried for Dean and Rosie in broken knight. This literally kills the emotion, feeling and love I felt for in dean in his own book and broken knight.
Fuck no.
Why do author even do this.
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