The Ordeal of Being Known

by Malia Rose

How did they meet? Slightly dramatic individuals, Jess and Layla, meet so the golden boy of the NBA could commission the very talented, well-known artist, but they end up in a hospital by the end of the day because a mutual friend of theirs is injured. Each of them has a plan to nurse him back to health. It was supposed to be one of them, but a shared stubbornness forces them to coexist for a couple of weeks in the same apartment. To their utter dismay, the pair develop a slightly obsessive habit of watching each other all the time. Chaos fills the air, and a spark ignites that feels impossible to ignore. With the new season approaching and Layla provoking the media more than ever, Jess finds himself aching to unravel her secrets.
The ordeal of being known explores the loneliness of healing, the pain of acceptance, and the longing for being seen and known.

Genres: Romance, Sports Romance, Forced Proximity, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Mental Health, Sports

194 pages, Paperback

Published November 25, 2023

Reviews

[lulu · Rating 4 out of 5]

”you’re too full of life to be half loved by someone.”

i have so many thoughts and feelings about this book i don’t even know where to start.

the book took me by surprise. i really didnt expect to connect to it as much as i did. there were so many quotes that felt like they were pulled out of my brain. i felt like i wasnt alone. and not only that, but this book gave me hope. i have hope that things won’t always be as hard as they are. that’s one of the greatest things you can take from a book.

i will say though that i did have some qualms with the writing. it wasn’t my favourite thing in the world. a lot of the book didn’t actually flow very well. it read kind of messy. the pacing felt off as well. also their friend group kinda confused me at times ngl so many names just getting throw at us i kept forgetting who was who.

despite that i still really loved this. and i loved the main characters and the romance between them. layla has gone through such a tough life. i sobbed for her character. i understand her character so well. her thoughts and feelings made me feel seen. it broke my heart seeing the long lasting effects of growing up in an abusive household. jess and her were so perfect for each other. the patience they had for one another was absolutely beautiful. they gave each other so much space, they understood the other’s needs, their struggles felt real. they are so good for one another.

overall it was a beautiful book and a great debut novel. i look forward to reading more books by malia rose! <3

quotes:

“she couldn’t afford to get used to gentle touches. it’s best if i don’t know what they feel like, she thought.”

“he wished he had someone who could see right through him and sometimes, he hated himself a little for it.”

“she would try later to paint something that felt similar to how she felt as his forehead rests on hers, as their heartbeats matched each other’s.”

“layla was the true north of his heart’s compass. a feeling like this only existed in his thoughts. it was never something that was within reach.”

“you know, wanting to be with someone, wanting something serious with someone you feel so strongly about, is not just reserved for those who are mentally healthy all the time. perfect people. that’s not how it works. it’s also not fair.”

[keonna ᥫ᭡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

“𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙄 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪’𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙤 𝙛𝙪𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙛 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙛-𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚. 𝙄 𝙝𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙡𝙚𝙩 𝙢𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙞𝙣 𝙛𝙪𝙡𝙡 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙘𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄 𝙙𝙤. 𝙄 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙤 𝙢𝙪𝙘𝙝.”

꒰ 𝗔𝗥𝗖 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪 ꒱

⤷ *𝗦𝗖𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗠𝗦 𝗜𝗡 𝗣𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗢𝗪* have I grown attached to yet another fictional couple? yes. 𝗮𝗺 𝗜 𝗴𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝘂𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀? 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝘆𝗲𝘀. 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝘆? 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗯𝗹𝘆 𝗻𝗼𝘁.


𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘁- ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

⤷ the plot was everything I didn't know I needed. 𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰. 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰. 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻, 𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗱𝘂𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱! although it was written in the third person, I’m so impressed by how the author still found a way to make readers connect with her characters on an intimate level. you could feel every emotion they felt and how she described their feelings? ugh! I’m at loss for words. loved the meaning behind this story. it was truly deeper than your regular romance. no plot holes and the build-up was extremely satisfying. my only complaint is that I wish it was drawn out more so we could experience more of the details in the ending and have a fairer closure.


𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗲- ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

⤷ the spice itself was partly closed door but it was written in a captivating way and 𝗛𝗔𝗗 𝗠𝗘𝗔𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚. 𝗜 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗻’𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗺 𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗽𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘁. it was so satisfying and had my toe-curling at moments.

⤷ 𝗵𝗼𝘄𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿, 𝗜 𝗳𝗲𝗹𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱’𝘃𝗲 𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗳 𝘀𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝗸𝗲𝗽𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗱𝗼𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗽 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘆. extra star because aside from spice, the tension between these two had me giggling like a schoolgirl.


𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗱:

🎨 golden retriever x black cat
💌 reserved fmc
🏀 sports romance
💐 mutual pining
🎨 queer representation
💌 tragic backstories
🏀 mute mmc
💐 found family


𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗜 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸:

⤷ the writing was what won me over! I'm not usually a fan of the third-person writing style because I felt like it was missing the personal connections I needed to have to characters but malia proved me wrong. I felt closer to layla and jess than I did with most characters I know written in first person. I don't know how she does it but her writing style is ideal for the third-person pov.

⤷ I loved every single character and will protect them with my life. I especially 𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗗 layla (my strong girl is also palestinian🇵🇸). I can’t believe I had the privilege of reading her story and watching her heal in such a beautiful way. bless her! (starts crying again)

⤷ I can’t forget my baby jess. he is 𝗧𝗛𝗘 standard and is now added to the list of book boyfriends who have officially ruined men for me. something about fictional men with golden retriever energy :) 𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗼𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁. 𝗜 𝗡𝗘𝗘𝗗 𝗛𝗜𝗠. our golden boy is also mute but he really never shuts up and every word he says is worth it!

⤷ I'm a sucker for the found family trope so the fact that there was a big friend group and everyone was so interesting and well rounded? I need all the books 𝗣𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗘! I hope we get a book for mateo and also one for his sister cecilia.

⤷ loved the bi-representation in this book and loved that it was very diverse and not in a forced way!


𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸:

⤷ as mentioned I really wish it was lengthier for my sake and the stories, as I thought it would've done more justice.

⤷ not necessarily hate 𝗔𝗕𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞 since malia did amazing with writing a hatable antagonist. I hate that abusive, skank sharon so much. something about abusive parents just hits a little harder and makes me want to stomp their faces in. may she and her loser husband never know peace🙏.


𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀:

⤷ really really grateful I got the opportunity to read this as an arc. it was truly a story I don’t think I’ll ever forget and has successfully made me a fan of malia! cannot wait to buy my copy and I genuinely recommend this to anyone looking for a romance book that focuses on not only the couple but their own struggles. also if anyone is looking for palestinian authors to support during this time, this is the perfect place for you as the author is palestinian and so is the main character!

[๑ seungchaccomin ๑ · Rating 3 out of 5]

‘you know, i bet the stars would be very pleased to know that they created someone as bright as you.’

to be honest, i appreciate between a deaf man and a woman who has an äbüsïvë past in palestine. the way that both mc's depicts their serious individual topics. and of course, their love for each other. the way jess questioned layla if it's okay to touch her make my heart melt ☹️

the problem is that i get easily bored after 30%, but i still want to finish this because i want to know what happened between both mc's. i know that this is written by an indie author and published independently, but she needs more time to edit some specific parts. also, their pov's are so confusing. for example, it's jess's pov, then proceeds to write layla's without putting her pov in bold letters. when it comes to writing 3rd person pov's, it should be focused on one person before proceeds to next chapter with another pov. that's why i give the lower rating.

but hey, i didn't expect that there's an artwork inside the book 🤭

───────────────────────

pre-read:

of course i want mood read this romance novella while reading a mystery book to giggling and kicking my feet 🤭

also, based on the reviews, the author is palestinian, which is amazing because i've never read a book with a palestinian author 🍉

[Deepak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly stories like this hit different, and it’s one I’d recommend with ease.

Layla. A woman plagued by the trauma of childhood memories, abuse, and unfairness all her life.

Trying to find the liberty of her valuable femininity and self worth, I adored this lady in tenfolds.

“she needed the safety of isolation. Of knowing no one could see her fall”

“It's impossible not to feel scared when you care for someone so deeply. You'll be scared of losing them, you'll be scared of losing yourself”.

Jess. A man who has inclinations to take care of people without considering his own needs. Jess is not only delicate, but deeply hesitant in anything and every interaction. He struggles to make linear effort to overcome his own trauma. His character was remarkable.

“He loved her, he realized. It was in the way he no longer felt like his heart belonged to him; it was in the way he wanted to tell her every beautiful thing he laid eyes on reminded him of her. It was in his starvation for her touch”

This is a story of two humans, accepting their fragilities of being scarred and painfully lonely. Both being so driven by anxiety, Jess and Layla slowly commingle in that scary decision of opening up. Of being trusting. Of letting people in.

As a result these two were each other’s soothing balms despite their own mental self intrusive occurrences.

“When her thoughts overwhelmed her, he loved being able to clam her soul and mind. When he sank back into his fears, he had someone to pick him back up. The ordeal of being known wasn’t so horrifying after all”.

Definitely a deep read.

[kaden⋆.&#x1065a; ̊⋆˙⟡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

5⭐. fav read of the year🎈
firstly, we love a book w a good dedication and playlist.
secondly, this book was an emotional rollercoaster, it wrecked me in the most beautiful way possible.🌠
💝jess reyes, the man that you are. protect this man at all costs, he's the standard.
💐layla mubarak, she's deserves the world. the way the author's note had me sobbing✋🏼
• not settling for less because: he learned arabic for her, booked her a ticket to ny to visit a museum, learned everything about her, made it his goal to make her smile/laugh and wrote her letters. me n who??
- "𝘏𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥. 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮; 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘯 ���𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳"

[winnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I believe everyone should read this book at least once and Alexa play "Invisible String" by Taylor Swift because it's Layla and Jess' song.

“You know, wanting to be with someone, wanting something serious with someone you feel so strongly about, is not just reserved for those who are mentally healthy all the time. Perfect people. That’s not how it works. It’s also not fair.”


TROPES AND INFOS :
• famous characters
• breaks the fourth wall
• Palestinian FMC
• sunshine boy x grumpy/reserved girl
• sports romance (NBA player x famous artist)
• mute MMC
• found family
• queer representation
• tragic past
• mutual pining

CW: parental abuse, anxiety/panic attacks mental health issues related to trauma, mentions of a school shooting, and survivors' guilt.

This book follows the meeting of two dramatic and broken individuals, Jess and Layla, as the NBA's golden boy commissions an art by the renowned artist. A day meant for them to talk about art takes an unexpected turn when their mutual friend, Mateo, is injured, leading Jess and Layla to the hospital. With plans to individually nurse their friend, shared stubbornness forces them to live in the same apartment for six weeks. She wants nothing to do with him, but he develops an obsessive habit of watching her and learning her habits. Amidst the tragic pasts and traumas, these two can't seem to stay away from each other, and Jess becomes determined to unravel Layla's secrets, especially as the NBA season approaches.

I want to start by saying this is a beautiful book. In all the ways it explores love and abuse, this was written beautifully and carefully. When you write two broken, traumatized characters falling in love you have to be gentle with their timing, with their actions and Malia did exactly that. You see them loving each other on every page but still going against it (at least for Layla) because she was conditioned to believe that she would never be enough, she was too difficult. Even if she was, this is your reminder that difficult, broken people deserve to be loved too. I think one of my favorite aspects of this book it's how the author portrays abuse accurately, there's a quote (I'll add below) that blew my mind because it was so true, Layla thought it wasn't a big deal because some people have it worse, but there's no metric of who suffered more when it comes to abuse.

“Many people had it worse.”
“That doesn’t take away from how horrible they treated you.”
[...]
“You think you had to end up in a hospital beaten half to death for it to be called abuse?”

Now.. about the characters:

Jess to the audience: I may have a soft spot for big brown eyes.

Me too, Jess. Me too. This character is the cutest I've ever read, I swear I rarely love a MMC more than the FMC but this just happened here. I love him so much. This boy suffered a lot in his teenage years after that shooting but remained kind-hearted and made everyone around him happy. I truly don't know a better character, I mean it.

She’d been told too many times that she was unlovable, that anyone who loved her would have to have rot in their brain in order to feel that way. She never even realized some part of her believed it.

Layla, my strong girl I'm so happy for her ending because she deserves everything she got, the family, the boyfriend, the friends, the success, I don't think I've ever rooted for a character this much.

The side characters appear a LOT, they're a huge part of this book and that's why I love this found family they have. These souls were truly meant to find each other and while reading the book you're just thinking this because every interaction between them screams it. The side characters captivated me a lot, and usually when the main characters captivate me the side ones don't, or the opposite happens, but Malia Rose wrote every character so thoughtfully.

I picked up this book not only because of the pretty cover and interesting blurb, the author and main characters are both Palestinian women, and, for me, there was no better time to start this book than right now. There is beauty in Palestine, those people have warm hearts and dreams and they deserve to live a life of freedom. I almost teared up when Gaza was described in the book because I know, for a fact, that there's more to it than what is happening right now.

Everything in Palestine was worth it. Every corner was a dime that needed to be studied."

I adore this book format, the interactions with the readers, and third person POV, this book seriously was one of my best reads this year and I recommend it to every single person. the writing is beautiful, these characters are complex and the romance is just.. so pure.

⋆🎧✮⋆ Lastly, the Taylor Swift song that fits this book perfectly is 'Invisible String", there's even a quote about it: There was a thought that constantly hovered in her mind, that whatever this is started way before she could intervene, that there was this invisible string pulling the pair of them a bit closer over time, in small steps." . And also YOYOK, because it fits Layla perfectly.

Come chat with me about books and Taylor Swift on my Twitter .

[Mariana ✨ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was soooo excited to read this book, since it seemed super cute and has a lot of diversity! Unfortunately, though, this was the most poorly written book I have ever read in my entire life. I’ve read a lot of self-published books, and I understand that indie authors don’t have access to editors like traditionally published authors do, so I was prepared for some very average writing. But MY GOD. I have NEVER encountered a book as terribly written as this one, and the awful prose distracted me from page 1. I couldn’t go more than 3 paragraphs without being completely pulled out of the story because of the poor writing. I genuinely thought I’d love this (and there were things I actually enjoyed, hence the 2 stars), but unfortunately this was so bad that I couldn’t make it past the 35% mark.

Right from the start, the author mixes present and past tense. And it’s not just a couple of instances that maybe slipped by. No! It happens in every! single! paragraph! I genuinely don’t understand how you can write an entire book and not even THINK about what tense you’re writing in…… 😬 In addition to this, the author also used 1st person, when the book is supposed to be in 3rd person, and there were also several typos. This, however, didn’t happen as often, which, when compared to the constant change between present and past tenses every other sentence, seems hilariously mild. 🥴

The author also broke the 4th wall a lot, which was purposeful (she wrote a note about it at the start of the book), but also unnecessary (it literally did nothing positive for the story). The way it was done felt extremely amateurish: the author would just abruptly stop scenes to awkwardly insert something like “Jess to the audience: *sheepishly* my dating history isn’t the best”, which was not only cringy and irrelevant, but I also feel like it’d work better if it was actually part of the narration or the characters’ inner thoughts.

Additionally, instead of properly weaving in the characters’ backstories, the author just used more 4th wall breaks like “Layla to the audience: now, just a flashback from 14-year-old me” to drop random flashbacks here and there (sometimes randomly stopping present-day scenes), which is not only very amateurish, but it also made the story feel extremely disjointed. Sometimes, this barely read like a story; it felt more like a collection of scenes, at some points of the book.

Another thing I didn’t like about the writing was the fact that the MCs both have their own respective chapters (this book has dual POV), but the author literally jumped from one character’s thoughts to the other, which was just ridiculous… The text in Layla’s POV will literally focus on Jess and his thoughts, and vice-versa. Why make dual POVs when you’re just gonna ignore whose perspective we’re supposed to be in? 🫤😒

There were also a lot of things that felt very unclear in this book. For example, I thought Jess was mute, but at some point he and Layla are in the middle of a conversation and it says she “listened” to him, which like……? Is he NOT mute? Is he suddenly speaking? Was that a mistake on the author’s part or was he actually able to speak and only used sign language regularly for fun? I was so confused… 😭🤚🏻.

Another thing that felt unclear was the passage of time. In addition to the random flashbacks here and there, and the overall fact that this book often felt like a collection of scenes strung together (instead of a full narrative), there were some things that were randomly dropped without explanation and made the timeline EVEN MORE confusing. For example, the fact that, out of nowhere, Layla just starts using sign language (which she never mentioned she was learning, plus it’s something that takes a long time to perfect), but, in the same breath, she mentions that she and Jess are basically strangers (which means that NOT a lot of time has passed)………… Which is it, then??? What’s going on? Can the author make things clearer? I’m begging for a CRUMB of logic and explanations! Please! 😭

Because the passage of time was so unclear, it felt like not a lot of time had passed, but then the author drops that it’d been A MONTH and I was like 🫥🫥🫥… Also: we barely saw the characters interacting, and they CONSTANTLY emphasized that they were basically strangers, so that only made me more convinced that it hadn’t been that long. HOWEVER, SOMEHOW Jess and Layla had caught feelings for each other, and I genuinely don’t know why. We didn’t get many moments of their friendship developing, or their bond growing. Idk why they were so interested in each other (especially Jess. Why was he so intrigued by Layla? Why was he so obsessed with trying to get closer to her? It wasn’t forceful, or anything, don’t worry!!! It’s just that there wasn’t really any explanation for his feelings…). This wasn’t really insta-love, but, in a way, it kind of felt like it, because they were always acknowledging and saying out loud things like “We barely know each other.” and “You’re a stranger.”, and yet somehow had feelings for each other… 😕 Their flirtation sometimes was cute, though, so I’ll give them that.



Something that drove me a bit insane were the circumstances around Layla’s life. Mind you, this girl ran away from her abusive home completely alone to a new city on the other side of the country, where she didn’t know anybody. She didn’t have a college degree or anything. All she had were some art materials, so she started posting her art online. Somehow, in just a couple of months, she became super famous, which is highly unlikely, as a social media artist, but okay. I let that one slide. HOWEVER, the author just kept adding more and more insanely unlikely things to Layla’s life, and it literally became ridiculous. At some point I genuinely wondered if this was a parody! 😭😭😭 You know those wattpad fanfics where Y/N gets away from her boring life and is thrust into a new life, where she suddenly becomes close with a bunch of celebrities (her new BFFs are Taylor Swift, Miranda Kerr and Niall Horan, and Harry Styles is super in love with her, and she becomes mega famous and paparazzi are always following her around)? THAT’s what this book felt like! (I wish I was joking)…

In just 1 year of moving to a new city full of strangers, Layla:
➤ Started posting her art online and became very successful, even working for famous athletes and all.
➤ She became besties with a bunch of celebrities: a famous child star (who she also had a fling with), the most sought out and highest paid supermodel in the WORLD (those are the literal words used in the book), famous basketball players (so popular that they literally get followed by paparazzi), and a mega famous talk show host (watched all over the world, and so famous that “A-list celebrities reached out to her all the time for a chance to be on her show”). I can’t even imagine how some random girl got the possibility to get close to celebrities THAT famous, let alone become friends with them. 🥴
➤ A popular director and an animation supervisor announced that they had plans to work with her (mind you, she’d only come into the spotlight as an artist a couple of months prior, at most…).
➤ She made a short animated film by herself, and her friend SOMEHOW got a *FAMOUS KPOP IDOL* to write 2 songs *JUST FOR THE FILM*!?!?! And then the film got almost A BILLION views ❓❓❓
➤ Got 1 million followers on Instagram, which I thought was a HUGE amount for some random artist, but given the fact that she’s literally besties with some of the most popular people in the world, and her film got almost 1 BILLION views, 1 million followers doesn’t sound high enough.
➤ In the middle of all of this, she also had time to sell her paintings (it’s mentioned that Jess’s parents had bought a bunch of her work to display all over their house)… HOW did she have time to keep up with her social media art, her physical art that she sells, her art and graphic design commissions, animate an entire short film, + meet a bunch of celebrities (despite not being famous herself) IN LESS THAN 1 YEAR????????????

You see what I mean when I say this felt like a joke???? I managed to tolerate the first 2, 3 even 4 highly unrealistic things in her life. But the author just kept adding more and more things, to the point where I felt like I was going a little crazy. This felt like a joke; like a satire of those absurd wattpad fanfics written by a 12-year-old who genuinely believes she’ll suddenly become besties with every celebrity ever. But this author was being 100% sincere…… Yikes 🤡.



So, overall, while this book had nice things (really nice rep, and somewhat sweet romance, despite it being rushed), the writing was terrible to the point of annoyance. This book felt like a 1st draft written by a tween who was watching YouTube on the side instead of paying attention to what she was writing, and then didn’t bother to correct anything. The story was there, but the writing and story structure were insanely poor. This needed to go through SEVERAL rounds of editing. I think I would’ve enjoyed this if it had been written by a competent writer. I’m BEGGING this author to practice her craft and actually pay attention to what she’s writing, and PLEASE hire a beta reader. If she can’t, then please revise before publishing… 😭 If you think you can ignore terrible writing, go ahead and read this book. It seems kinda sweet, and the rep is great and very important, too.

[veelinsan · Rating 4 out of 5]

—you’re too full of life to be half loved by someone.

wrecked me.

[Erica · Rating 5 out of 5]

“He feared that he could understand Icarus more and more every day. I, too, am flying too close to the sun. I, too, know I will burn soon, he thought. It only took one smile from her to get him to consider willingly getting burned.”

Layla is a well known, and successful artist. This is how she meets Jess. Jess is a well known basketball player, and wants to commission a piece from her for his parents. During their meeting, their mutual friend Mateo gets injured. Jess and Layla both insist on staying with Mateo at his apartment during his recovery. Forced proximity in an apartment is how this story starts, however there is so much more depth to it than that. I don’t want to spoil anything though. Even the spice scenes felt like I was intruding on an intimate moment.

“Layla. Layla was the true north of his heart's compass.”

This book is under 200 pages and yet it made me cry three times. How Malia manages to pack that much raw emotion and authentic love into so few pages is REMARKABLE. It kept reminding me of Hannah Bonam-Young’s style of story-telling. So if you enjoy her books, you’ll probably enjoy this one. Phenomenal debut novel, wow. Also, Malia is a Palestinian author, and adds in some heartfelt details about Palestine and Arab culture. Beautiful, beautiful, book.

“You're my favorite walking pile of panic attacks.”


Random notes I took while reading:
- Breaks fourth wall (reminded me of Fleabag haha)
- Palestinian main characters
- Time jumps a bit
- Bisexual FMC
- Queer friend group
- Anxiety rep
- Jess communicates via sign language, he is mute (reason is tragic, don’t want to spoil it, but it’s handled really well)
- The entire friend group are “famous” in some way. Paparazzi show up from time to time, they frequently have posts go viral, etc.
- She’s grumpy & he’s sunshine
- Instalove but done really well imo
- Written in third person POV
- Yes it’s spicy


P. S. Check CW’s

[Maram]

I haven't picked up a book in a month. Hopefully this will get me out of my slump

[mads ꫂৎ · Rating 3 out of 5]

. ۫ ꣑ৎ . 3.75 stars

~

“Layla and Jess had become so intertwined, you couldn’t look at Jess and not see the effect of Layla edged into everything he did and, in turn, you could never look at Layla and not see the effect Jess’s love had on her. She had smile lines now, he’d carved happy lines near her mouth. It was the greatest accomplishment he would ever achieve.”

[hazel (taylor’s version)&#x1f380;&#x1f497; · Rating 5 out of 5]

ok so I LOVED THIS it was so perfect the characters were so real and they just connected to each other so perfectly they just got each other 🥹💗 also the banter!!!! but i have soo many quotes i loved so

-“He felt so content. He never expected to feel peace so deeply in his chest. When he sank back into his fears, he had someone to pull him back up. When her thoughts overwhelmed her, he loved being able to calm her mind and soul. Everything he ever wanted was there in his arms with her head on his chest as she hummed along the song. The ordeal of being known wasn’t so horrifying after all.

-“How did people end their letters before? To which she replied: Like this Yours, Layla. After that, he started writing things like: Are you still mine? Or Do I have you still? Ardently yours, Jess. It’s a beautiful idea, belonging. I’d love to hear your thoughts about it. Alas, I do not belong to anyone. Yours, Layla.

-“How come you always apologize like this? Like you’ve caused an inconvenience.” “I just—” “Because you’re not. You’re the woman I love. The woman I’ll marry someday, if you’ll have me. Reassuring you and loving you will never be an inconvenience.” “Okay.” “You’re my favorite walking pile of panic attacks.”

-She was beautiful. He could picture the exact moment Jess fell in love with her was probably a moment where she had smiled at him. It really made her face glow.

-“How well do you know my granddaughter?” “Well enough to know she’s going to be my wife someday,” Jess wrote down. “Ever since I laid eyes on her, I could not see a future where I didn’t love her, need her. Her trust is the most important thing to me. It’s been a long process gaining it. I won’t risk losing it, I promise you this.”

anyways you should read this book 🥹

[evermorespages · Rating 5 out of 5]

as soon as i saw the playlist i knew i was going to love this book — it ripped me open and now has the most special lil place in my heart.

i don’t even know where to start because i honestly loved everything about it. layla and jess are both so painfully real, complex and beautiful. i found myself so so engaged with their story the whole time — they’re the sweetest, most wholesome and strong characters. both were so respectful of each other and so in tune with one another that they felt like soulmates. I ADORE THEM. they had me kicking my feet and giggling one second and then crying my eyes out the next, aka the perfect combo.

both have tragic backstories that were woven throughout the story and not just glazed over which i appreciated SO much. it didn’t have the icky “love heals all” trope that i hate, instead it truly reflected the reality of what the characters went through — shoutout to malia for writing their stories, both as individuals and together, so beautifully.

it explored many different themes throughout and did so respectfully and incredibly. i honestly highlighted so damn much of this book, each quote was perfection.

the friendship group dynamic and the representation was everything!!! despite there being quite a few different characters, they all felt so distinguishable and unique which i find super rare in books, so i loved being able to connect with each & every character. they were all so loyal, respectful and funny as hell, and i loved reading their interactions!

overall this book has become a new favourite of mine and i don’t think i will ever forget Layla and her Majnun.

“he feared that he could understand icarus more and more every day. i, too, am flying too close to the sun. i, too, know i will burn soon, he thought. it only took one smile from her to get him to consider willingly getting burned.” — i cried so hard over this😭💖

[Sava (Fang Runin’s version)]

Dnf
This is a good debut novel but I am not really a usual romance reader cause I easily get bored by reading this genre.
I liked that the author developed important themes, and characters were complex
tho the book is comparatively short.
Pls support the author i believe this important.

[rey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to author Malia Rose for giving me a chance to read this book, I’ll cherish it forever.

I don’t think I’m even able to comprehend the words to talk about how much I loved this story. It was both wrecking and hilarious, I laughed as much as I teared up. It felt like I was walking through Malia’s mind rather than reading something of fiction. Also seeing in acknowledgments that Layla’s relationship with her mother was inspired by hers made me tear up, seeing how brave she is to be able to share such story.

It was perfectly balanced. The romance, the characters, the found family of it all…I loved every piece of it. We saw Layla as a whole rather than their friend or Jess’ love interest. We saw her childhood, her struggles, a glimpse into her mind, her finding friendships, her falling in love, everything. And boy, was it beautiful.

It was amazing seeing Jess and Layla fall for each other, a friendship at first then denial then a crush then something more. They have their ups and downs like any other, but the way they handle them is so beautiful. They’re so domestic and adorable. They have their own things besides their romance, their own stories that worth hearing and was executed beautifully.

Please give your support to Malia and other Palestinian authors there. They deserve to have their stories heard, it’s the least we could do for them.

[Teresa González · Rating 3 out of 5]

Judge the book by its cover!!!! Because this one is such a pretty one 🤭

If you liked Archer's Voice, think switch up, because for this one we have the MMC as golden retriever and the MFC as the grumpy one. I really enjoyed Layla and Jess' relationship but I found myself a bit confused at times. I can't exactly pinpoint what confused me, it was a mix of writing, dialogue (with the sign language it got confusing as of who was speaking), too many characters... It just took me longer than expected to get through it, when I can usually finish romances in like 1/2 days. Nevertheless it was an entertaining read, 3 solid stars ✨.

Also, I think this is Malia Rose's debut novel? If it is this was an amazing start and I'll be following up the author's work for sure.

* ARC provided by Love Notes PR in exchange for an honest review *

[abby · Rating 5 out of 5]

★★★★.75 rounded up!

“You know, I bet the stars would be very pleased to know that they created someone as bright as you,”

I was very fortunate to receive an ARC copy of The Ordeal Of Being Known by Malia Rose from Love Notes PR, thank you so much!

I also NEED to express my gratitude to Malia Rose for writing such an emotional, beautiful, and raw work of art.

CONTENT WARNINGS: Child abuse, mental health (anxiety attacks), mentions of school shooting

From the prologue alone, I knew this was going to be an extremely deep and moving read. I think I was aggressively pouting my lips 80% of this book just from how touching it was. Even the happy parts. I don’t know how many times I’m going to say beautiful in this review (i’ll leave a count at the end) but there are just no words to describe how beautiful Malia Rose’s writing is! It’s so well-written that the reader can easily empathize with both of the MCs. May I also add that despite the book being written in third person, the characters break the fourth wall SOOO many times and it’s so relatable?

I absolutely fell in love with all the characters. Layla is one of the most strong FMCs I’ve had the pleasure of reading. Thank you Malia Rose for granting us readers the privilege of knowing someone like Layla. Thank you for giving us a piece of yourself from this book. I know that there are many people out in the world just like her who have gone through similar things and I hope they feel just as recognized as we have done for Layla. Thank you thank you thank you! And Jess? I don’t even know where to start. I love him so much! Despite all the unfortunate events that have happened to him, he comes out on top and that doesn’t stop him from sharing all the love in his body with the people that mean most to him. Him and Layla both deserve the world. They are both such strong individuals and there is nothing I wouldn’t do for them.

I personally think everyone should read this book. I zoomed through it and loved every second. There is so much representation and I think readers are gonna be able to see a little bit of themselves in these characters, no matter how big or small.

Beautiful Count (this one included as well): 4

[Merhan · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF

I can ignore the fact that the story is weak and that the characters are really unlikable (especially the FMC). But I can't ignore how the writing style itself is very poor and full of mistakes. I. Am. So. Annoyed.
This needs revision and editing and revision and editing.. A LOT OF REVISION AND EDITING. Or just be gone out of existence.

The POV is weird, it looks like a dual POV but written in a 3rd POV. That's not the problem. The author mixes between the POVs by mistake or whatever, so many times. Also, the fast pacing is ridiculous. Why is everything (not just the romance) rushed? Was the author maybe on deadline?
And the way she goes from point to point abruptly is very confusing.

I will also say to whomever is comparing this to Archer's Voice .. Just Shut It.
Sometimes it feels like the author forgets that her own MMC is MUTE. There are SO many mistakes regarding this point. ( He murmured / He spoke in a soft-spoken manner / The way he says it ...etc). Also, How is he able to interrupt FMC speech by his written replies?!
BUT the author remembers that he is mute at the most unbelievable moments. Mostly, when his hands are busy. (apparently that's a very good time to make him sign or write a note)

P.S: Did she really clean the painting brushes in the kitchen sink?

[zilan · Rating 4 out of 5]

in general i would say that i prefer first person povs but this one was written in third person and it gave me everything i needed. no questions about it. i mean look at the cover and the drawings malia’s posted the definition of stunning.

but let’s start properly with the characters:

layla aka the black cat to her golden retriever aka jesse what to say about them besides that they have my heart 💌 they are both so strong and the way they connected it was so well developed like i don’t have words right now just missing them and their banter.
they will be always special to me and jesse can i’ve a jesse?
the way he was such a golden retriever,so in love,flirty,cute… he’s such a comfort character to me… also he’s annotating books! so if u know right?

layla our strong girl is from 🇵🇸 and malia did an amazing job to describe the culture and her story seriously 🫶🏻

special mention to the rest of the gang because the friendship where also a important and funny part of the whole story ✨

one of my favorite songs by taylor’s sweet nothing and the their little moments connected perfectly to that song for me and for all the gracie fans like me mess it up’s a part of the playlist 😁

oh and no third act breakup

[✨tara✨ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I went into this super excited. A lot of the themes hit close to home. And I wanted to really support an Indy Palestinian writer.

So trust me when I say, I tried SO HARD to like this book. I really did. I wanted to DNF halfway through but I pushed myself to finish it in hopes of a retribution.

The thing is it has soooooo much potential! The themes in it are interesting even the premise is great.
I really had high hopes going into it. The Palestinian aspect in it was something that reeled me in to start the book…. But to me it barely was there…

I personally struggled SO MUCH with the writing. The author kept telling me things instead of showing me. It felt like I was being spoon fed the story.

A lot of the banter that’s supposed to make me feel something fell so flat…. To the point I would roll my eyes whenever they came up.

Most of the characters were borderline unlikable. As a reader I need something to hold on to or to care for these characters.

I’m disappointed and sorry to say that to me it’s a no no :(

[Anelise Besson · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC REVIEW 💖

This was so cute and so beautiful written!

Jess and Layla somehow complete each other and they way the author development their personalities just made them as a couple even better. They are both complex & "real" characters, which makes us truly connect with each of them. The insecurities, the desires and dreams, the "flaws" and the qualities were very well explored in the story and as I mentioned, them as a couple made sense in the end. As if they completed each other, as if one were the lost "part" of the other.

"I dare you to feel me we're just friends again" she told him. "You wouldn't be so hard and whiny for me if we were just friends"

This book has a lot of minority groups representation, such as LGBTQIA+, and our protagonist is a mute man. I really enjoyed following this story precisely because of the diversity of the characters and the importance of certain subjects being addressed, especially from Layla's point of view (we can see a lot of her activism and the actions she took to try to make this world a little better).

Layla had lost the feeling of being alive. The loss of it was so gradual, it was barely noticeable. At first it was the big things like birthdays, gatherings, weddings and accomplishments. She had thought herself simply indifferent; it wasn't rare for people to be different, but it affected small things. The only things she was allowed to enjoy, the smell of rain and a calm cloudy day, the feeling of pure bliss after she finished screaming out the lyrics to her favorite sad songs and the feeling of contempt when she listened to Samira's laugh

The only thing that it made me give 4 stars, was the I am not used to read in third person and it is not really my favorite type of narrative, so it took me a while to get into the story and get used to the writing style. But the story was so good and wholesome that this was a very small detail.


I highly recommend this book! I will definitely read Malia's next books!
Please, check the CONTENT WARNINGS before reading this book.

Thank you @lovenotes.pr for the ARC.
All opinions are purely my own. <3

@ ANNE AND THE BOOKS Bookstagram

[‧₊˚ ellie ♡ (إيلي) · Rating 5 out of 5]

First and foremost, I would like to thank the author Malia Rose for sending me an early review copy of her debut novel in exhange for an honest review.

Please support this author. She is a proud Palestinian and supports the liberation of Palestine 🇵🇸

What’s the book about?
- golden retriever x black cat
- he fell first and he fell harder
- bookworm/athlete guy x artist girl
- bisexual, palestinian fmc
- mute mmc
- diverse and queer cast of characters
- found family

Please check all CWs/TWs before getting into this book as it heavily tackles abuse, school shootings, and trauma.

This book is none other than a story about recovery and acceptance that it was as if all your vulnerabilities were laid bare to someone and you were finally listened to. That’s how Jess and Layla made me feel. This book is for the ones who grew up in suffocating households and for those who were made to feel like they are never enough to be loved like the books. This book is definitely one of the more emotional romance reads I’ve had this year. But even though we’re aware that it’s not easy moving forward, setting boundaries to protect yourself is not necessarily a bad thing, but getting help is the best way to leave it behind. It also made me realize how that humans can feel that desperation to fall in love and that it’s okay to want that. What I loved the most about this book was the emphasis on how love is freely given, especially to those who need it. The Ordeal of Being Known is a story of slowly letting go and just allowing oneself to live. Most importantly, it will teach you to acknowledge yourself and your needs above everything else.

I felt like I actually went to therapy (this book did a better job in two days than my psychiatrist did in four weeks)

[maya ✰ · Rating 4 out of 5]

"you’re too full of life to be half-loved by someone.”

This book wasn't what I expected it to be. I love the diverse set of characters: Layla who is Palestinian, Jess who communicates via sign language, etc.

This book broke my heart to see the trauma Jess carried and to see how the abuse Layla experienced in her household affected her all the way into her adulthood. Jess and Layla are honestly perfect for each other. They understood each other's boundaries and gave each other space whenever necessary. Jess specifically had so much patience with Layla. I love how through each other they were both able to slowly open up to each other and even to their friends.

Kione and Jess's bromance is probably my favorite friendship in the book. I absolutely adore characters like Kione cause they can lighten up a room through their humor. I found myself giggling from time to time because of these two characters.

Two small things I loved in this book is number 1, Jess's parent's relationship. Them slow dancing and still being so in love with each other in marriage after all those years is so beautiful. Another thing was how Amir cooks nigerian food like egusi soup with assorted meat and fufu *chef’s kiss*.

One thing I'm gonna say though is that at first, it was hard to get into the book because it's in the third person point of view, but after I got used to her writing within the first few chapters I ended up enjoying the book. Another thing is that the book towards the end did not have the best flow and it felt like time was moving very fast. These are some of the reasons why this book was not a 5-star read for me, however, I loved this book and the characters and I would highly recommend this book.

[~ riv ~ · Rating 2 out of 5]

⭐️2.6/5⭐️

I really wanted to like this book, but i just … didn’t. The plot was messy, the romance was rushed, the setting was unrealistic, and the dialogue was confusing/cringe. Jess and Layla are cute in theory, but i just couldn’t connect to them or feel their chemistry. However, I did appreciate how they were always there for each other.

[Kyla ⋆⭒˚｡⋆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything is just so right about them, I love Jess & Layla.


“See how poetry is everywhere? Layla got herself a modern Qais, Layla’s got herself a majnun,”

[Lily · Rating 1 out of 5]

I loved the title and cover of the book so I was very excited to start reading, however its potential fell short due to a few different things. I felt like it needed to go through the editor a few more times in terms of plot and flow. I felt like in the beginning it jumped from hardship to being in a. good place all too sudden. There seemed to be too many famous people involved and everything seemed to suddenly be going the MC way. It was also hard to understand who was speaking with the sign language, since it was used in quotations as well. I also feel like it was trying to hard to be progressive, instead of naturally letting it flow through the story as well. Overall, it had so much potential, and I think if it went through more beta readers and editors it could be really good.

[Lamija · Rating 3 out of 5]

i have so much to say hold on
first, its more of a 2.75 kinda book but its okay

this was a v fast read, u dont need more than a few hrs because its super simple and kinda basic writing
there r far too many typos for my liking and i had to forcibly block out what i saw because i wouldve pulled all my hair out from stress

initially i picked it up because of the mother daughter relationship dynamics but it went over my head a little i think or it just moved too fast because i couldnt relate fully
the few lines i felt, well they hurt pretty bad lol although my experience isnt this bad

what i think couldve been done better is the entire palestine/arab/muslim rep. it really sucked lmao i got the feeling the author didnt even try that much and what was present was extremely shallow and it disappointed me that it was only brought up a couple of times

im so sick and tired of the cliche 'arab/muslim oppressed/abused girl runs away from home to become the very opposite of what she is and does everything against her original beliefs because she cant cope or heal any other way' tropes
please give me something else its 2024 already good god

what i did like is jess. (aside from a couple moments that made my eyebrows reach my hairline) hes everything a girl like layla would look for and i liked the way they complement each other w her also helping him overcome his anxiety and learning sign language for him

i feel like there were some plot holes and it was missing things, like we didnt get any descriptions of main characters besides layla so i was imagining headless figures in my head the entire time cause i couldnt make out their faces lmao
things move on too quickly from some scenes where i feel like a chapter could be developed more & not to mention the high school style writing.. it threw me off a bit

overall not that great, its obvious that this is a first work so im not too surprised but i did expect at least a bit more


# golden retriever obsessed boy and reserved unloveable/unworthy of love girl trope
# he falls first, she falls harder

[v. · Rating 2 out of 5]

"You know, I bet the stars would be very pleased to know that they created someone as bright as you."

I was so excited to finally read this book, since the cover and the description really spoke to me. It definitely made me sad when i didn't like it at all.

The concept was great and the characters were interesting to read about, because they had their own backstories and it felt like you got to know them. My fav was definitely Jess. He annotates his books, so how could I not like him. Also, the cover and the art inside the book were stunning.

And now the reason why I gave it 2 stars. The writing bothered me a lot and it felt like I was reading a Wattpad book. I didn't get the timeline at all. It felt like it was all over the place. There were moments where everything happened so fast and I didn't understand when or where they fell in love. they just did. I wish the author took some scenes out and wrote others more detailed, so the characters would have more time to interact and it's great for readers to get to know the characters as well.

AND THERE'S MORE. This book is dual POV, but not?? For example, when it was Layla's POV, there were parts when it focused on Jess' thoughts and vice-verse. Another thing that really bothered me were the 4th wall breaks. Personally, I found them very distracting, annoying and also a bit unnecessary.

Overall, it was pretty bad. The story felt rushed and messy. The concept was great, the characters were interesting to read about and I really liked the playlist at the beginning of the book. I do hope the author will continue publishing their books, since they definitely have the potential to grow as an author.

[mara · Rating 1 out of 5]

i wanted to love this so bad but the writing was just not doing it for me.