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When we were ten we made a pact.
When we were twelve she moved away.
Now she’s sixteen and returned home.


Hunter:
We made the pact when we were ten.
It would be the end of our friendships, we said.
We all agreed. Mila was off limits.
I broke the pact when I was twelve…
I won't break it again.

Jace:
Mila was my best friend, my neighbor and first crush.
But she wasn't just mine.
We made a pact to save our friendships.
Only I broke that pact the day she left.
I won't make that mistake again.

Roman:
Mila was my sunshine, my fighter… my heart.
I broke the pact and she still left.
She destroyed me with that first and last kiss.
Now I fight the monsters alone.
I won’t let her in again.


Mila:
Jace, Hunter and Roman.
The four of us were best of friends growing up.
The last time I saw them all, I kissed them goodbye.
I broke their pact before I left, thinking I would never return.
All three believe they were my first kiss.
But I will never kiss and tell.

They have made one thing very clear.
The pact still stands.

Reverse Harem. Enemies/friends to lovers. Some light bully.
This book contains some violence/ fight scenes. Not towards FMC

292 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 15, 2022

1289 people are currently reading
4514 people want to read

About the author

Belle Harper

57 books1,120 followers
Belle has an addiction to reading, notebooks, coloured pens and mint chocolate. She lives in the beautiful Australian bush, surrounded by wildlife and the smell of eucalyptus trees. She also has a strong love for all 60’s music, believes she was born in the wrong era and should have been at Woodstock.
If you would like to find out more about Belle, please come like and follow her
Facebook Page or join her facebook group "Author Belle Harper Reading Group"

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5 stars
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 290 reviews
Profile Image for Jessica ❥Chatterbooks Book Blog❥.
887 reviews3,439 followers
June 25, 2022
There is just something about a childhood friends to lovers trope that I'm a total sucker for, especially when those friendships are interrupted and broken. It's such an emotional experience to watch people that have a deep love for one another push each other away to the point of cruelty, but it's even better watching them find their way back to one another. There's always bumps along the way. Hiccups are bound to happen, and drama, angst, pain, and passion are 100% fucking guaranteed. The Pact is no different.

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Hunter, Jace, Roman, and Mila are absolutely inseparable twelve years olds on the edge of puberty when Mila is suddenly forced to move to another state with her mom. Her friends are devastated but expect to keep in touch. However, she breaks their hearts when she cuts off all ties without a word, because watching them carry on with their lives without her seems too painful a fate to endure.

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Due to an unexpected turn of events, Mila's mother sends her back to her hometown to live with her dad four years later. She's ecstatic to see her friends again and hopes to pick right back up where they left off. Unfortunately for her, the guys have other ideas.

varsity-blues-tweeder

The Pact is a slowburn, new adult, reverse harem romance that gave me all the feels!  The flashbacks Belle Harper uses to showcase the characters' friendships are some of the best I've ever read. Those scenes are so fucking adorable I couldn't keep the smile off my face. I laughed out loud. I clutched my heart. I teared up, and I fell deeply in love with every single one of the heroes. 

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(... Okay, one of them is on thin ice as of now, but I'm rooting for him!)

I highlighted whole sections of this story, and I promise you I will never forget this book. The writing style, pacing, and characters are perfection, and the relationships between Mila, Jace, Hunter, and Roman are everything!

photofunky

I devoured The Pact! It's captivating, emotional, and full of sexual tension. I can't wait for the next installment in the Rebels of Ridgecrest High series! Now excuse me while I go stalk Belle Harper online and add all her other books to my tbr!

New adult, reverse harem, and childhood friends to lovers fans, this one's for you! 
Profile Image for ❥ KAT ❥ Kitty Kats Crazy About Books.
2,643 reviews11k followers
June 23, 2023
thumbnail-IMG-0079-2-copy-2-2 ღ 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐀𝐂𝐓 ღ Is the first full length romance book in the 'Rebels of ridgecrest High' series by new to me author Belle Harper. Spoken in multiple perspectives. Ends in a cliffy. In this you'll meet the Boys: Jace, Hunter & Roman Heroine: Mila

Full rtc in the morning

After seeing this one doing the rounds on here just recently I #oneclicked and I am so glad I did, now and then it pays to just jump in because I loved the shit out of this..
Once I started I was hooked, I giggled, I swooned, and I fell at Roman's feet like a lovestruck teenager. The one which barely spoke, you could look but not touch, only Mila could cross those boundaries.

Mila was the girl next door, living next to Jace and his oldest brother, she was also the one which left but gave them each a first parting kiss. Neither knew who was first.

Now she's back, all grown up...

And the boys she left behind for four years are pissed...

 

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Profile Image for Merbabe Kara.
301 reviews43 followers
June 20, 2022
I’m not sure I’m ever going to like Jace after what he did. Yes that’s how I’m starting my review. This was a solid five star read but Jace (one of the MCs) did something absolutely vile at the end. There’s no coming back from what he did so that was really disappointing.

Other than Jace I loved this book and will be on pins and needles waiting for the next in the series! (That cliffy killed me!) Sorry about the short review yall. I’m just so hung up on Jace’s betrayal that I can’t think about much else. Definitely recommend the book tho!!!
Profile Image for aPandaBetweenthePages.
63 reviews1 follower
September 1, 2022
I'm really surprised this has such high reviews. There is so much about this book that I did not like. The writing style was intrusive and distracting, I understand it was written more in the style of the characters inner thoughts but when I'm constantly annoyed by the word choice I don't find it a pleasant reading experience.

These characters are supposed to be 16. I'd have a hard time believing they are even 18 let alone 16 and still in high school. It's like the author couldn't decide on one storyline so she mashed 3 together with no real connection of each to the other and very superficial movement of the story along each. The main female character is treated as if she is some sexy unicorn that literally every male character wants and she doesn't want to have to choose and instead have them all.

I read this in one sitting and there is a massive cliffhanger at the end.
Profile Image for Alaina.
7,397 reviews203 followers
August 18, 2024
I need the next book right now. I need to know if she's safe and alive. I need more romance and answers. I ALSO REALLY NEED SOME REVENGE ON THESE SKETCHY ASS DRUG GUYS.
Profile Image for Ezgi.
111 reviews
September 14, 2022
sorry but just no

First of all, that cliffy is just rude. Especially after such a mediocre storyline! I do not understand the main point of this book. I’m angry that I spent all my time trying to figure things out only to have a cliffy that absurd because the author/publisher did not think we would read the next book unless they have a terrible cliffy. And they are right, I wouldn’t have read it. Even with this cliffy, I’ll not read it because there is no concrete plot or likable main character. Even after a whole book, I don’t know what the main girl wants… anyway. Sorry for the rant but I got very angry at that cliffy after the whole thing. I should stop buying into Insta ads..
Profile Image for kim_is_bookish.
607 reviews31 followers
October 29, 2022
ARC REVIEW

This is a slow burn, ennemies to lovers, light bully sports romance, and it’s a reverse harem! It is set in high school, characters are 16, but the writing style is far from juvenile! I really enjoyed this book, I got really invested in the characters and I was pissed at some of the boys’ choices… but it fit with their personalities! The story is so good and the characters really well developed! I loved it! Belle even has us guessing at who’ll end up as part of the harem through some parts of the book! I honestly thought this was a standalone, but this is the first book in a 4 book series, and it ends on a big cliffhanger! I am very excited to read what happens next in Mila’s story!
Profile Image for Vanessa.
388 reviews23 followers
June 30, 2023
I don’t usually go for books with main characters that are in highschool but I actually really enjoyed this one! There definitely was some scenes and dialogue that were a bit immature but that is expected.

I’m already so obsessed with Mila and her three best friends 👀 I think Roman will be my favourite of the trio. We always love the mmc that is quiet with a load of baggage that does illegal fighting 😩🥵🙈😍

Also, I don’t think I’ll be able to forgive Jace for what he has done…he will need to grovel a lot in The Lie. I’m gonna be reading the second one ASAP especially after that ending 😅
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Dik Verhoef.
107 reviews1 follower
February 3, 2026
Book rating overall: 3.75 ⭐️
Story/writing: 3.5 ⭐️
Characters: 3.75 ⭐️
Enjoyment: 3.5 ⭐️
Spice and enjoyment of the spice: 1🌶️/2 🌋
Main characters: Mila, Jace, Hunter, and Roman.

Tropes: NA, childhood friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, second chance, sports, low angst, coming of age, why choose (but in this book not really, maybe later) and light bully.

The Pact is a slow burn, new adult, childhood friends to lovers story!

Mila was best friends with three guys - Jace, Hunter, and Roman.
When they were younger, they were inseparable.
The guys were a total goner for her but they made a pact not to make a move on her so they won't cross each other.

Mila had to leave and so in parting, she kissed all three guys but not one of them know this.
Four years after she left, she came back which now begs the question: who was really her first kiss?

Although the guys were still friends, they were different now, so was Mila. The years that they've been separated has caused a damage in their relationship, estranging Mila to her once best friends.

The whole premiss of this book is fixing their friendship and Mila finding out what to do with her feelings for each of the boys.

My feelings about the book:

I Liked the premise of this book, but the storyline was mediocre at best!

Why?

The whole premiss of this book is about Mila healing her bond with her childhood besties.
And finding out what her feelings are for each of them. This was a real slow burn!
And to be honest at the end, this wasn't really a why choose book.
This will be worked out for sure in the next installment (I hope).

I liked the characters at the end of the story and the side characters were really enjoyable.

So I will end this review with that this book was good enough to continue on to the next book.

Would I recommend? Maybe
Would I reread this book? No
Would I read something else from this author? Yes, because I liked her "New Moon" series.

Hopefully my review will help you decide whether you want to read this book.

Disclaimer:
This review is based on my own reading experience, thoughts, reading style and likes.
So always check en read more reviews, too make a fair decision.
Profile Image for Edie.
246 reviews41 followers
July 1, 2022
The Pact would've made my teenage self scream so hard, dam baby dam. It was full of angst, which was the best part of the book if you ask me. I really liked the writing as it was well done.

Multiple character first person POVs takes us both to the past and the present detailing the relationship of Mila and the guys.

The past scenes were just so wholesome and adorable and they made me cry because of what was lost. The present scenes were where all the cruelty were, all the drama.

The fmc Mila was best friends with three guys - Jace, Hunter, and Roman - when they were younger. They were inseparable and the past scenes made for their blissful fairy tale. The guys were a total goner for her but they made a pact not to make a move on her so they won't cross each other.

Mila had to leave and so in parting, she kissed all three guys but not one of them know this. Four years after she left, she came back which now begs the question: who was really her first kiss?

Although the guys were still friends, they were different now, so was Mila. The years that they've been separated has caused a damage in their relationship, estranging Mila to her once best friends.

I truly loved her character, how she has that je ne sais quoi vibe about her. She's strong and not meek, and very expressive of her feelings. Mila was confident and vivacious, some of the qualities that attracted the guys to her. She feels for them all equally, so I understood her struggles having to decide letting them go.

The guys were all mean to her at the beginning, especially Jace. He was Mila's first friend among the three. They were best friends who live next door to each other. It was like he led the other two and reinforced the pact when she came back. Jace was a vengeful a-hole who intentionally hurt Mila to get back at her. I mean, I understood why he'd be upset and broken hearted but like always, he just assumed the worst and didn't even let her explained. Good thing Mila knows her worth and couldn't be bothered with his tantrum. He was selfish and hormonal but I did enjoy his outbursts anyway lol and that time when he was groveling.

Hunter was like a flirty teddy bear. So adorable and charming and all smiley smiley. When Mila returned he was actually happy and not as bitter as Jace. Still he followed Jace's lead and avoided Mila. I actually wanted more scenes with him because he's good to Mila and their one tease scene was just so hot lmfao

Then there's Roman. Oh my goodness Roman. My poor baby boy. Roman has suffered the worst when Mila left but when she came back, his reasons for avoiding her was not out of spite like Jace's. It was because he truly cared about her. He got himself caught up with the wrong people and he didn't want them to associate Mila with him. Roman was a dark knight who thrives in flower-picking (preferably daisies) and hugs.

The cliffhanger had totally got me screaming and pulling my hair out. And the title of the second book didn't help with my frustration. "The Lie"? I mean, after that scene at the end, do you believe me Mila was telling the truth now? Ugh, I have to have that book and the next one as soon as possible.
Profile Image for Demon ☾ (DemonsDarkFaerietales).
131 reviews12 followers
March 1, 2023
So I had this book originally gifted to me as an ARC last year when it first came out and gave it a wonderful review then as well on Amazon , I think I enjoyed it even more the second time around, the only reason this is a 4 star instead of 5 star rating for me is the ages of the characters. I'm not a huge fan of the MC's being under 18 , but for me personally in my head they were more so in college then high school anyways so that's just kind of how I thought of them, but that's just my personal preference. I really enjoyed the slow burn of this book and the re building of the relationships of the characters in this book .
Profile Image for *-The Pink Dahlia -*.
476 reviews12 followers
May 23, 2024
I enjoyed this whole series so much. The plot and the characters are great.

I loved the dynamic of the FMC’s father and stepmom. Kate stuck out to me.

It’s got childhood friends to lovers, with misunderstandings thrown in to add tension, and it’s just divine.

What I didn’t love?
The age of the FMC is 16 - this in and of itself is neither here nor there for me, it depends on what I’m reading about in her story. In this one, I felt that their age was more or less portrayed accurately given the character.
Many people will not like the fact that she has sex / this is a spicy RH series at this age.
The spice is sort of age appropriate-ish. At a stretch of the imagination. There are no wild gang bangs as an example. No anal. The one MMC is a virgin, as another example. I did feel like some of the boys were described as being these sex gods, when…let’s be honest. Nah, it’s unlikely 😂 I did chuckle at that. A 16 year old guy who knows his way around a Gspot and a clit like a 25 year old guy. Even then sometimes, lol.
Anywaaaaaays.
I’m digressing.

Point is, I did feel on one hand they were true to their ages especially the flashbacks.

But I didn’t love the general age at which this was set for this series. I do feel 16 is too young for a spicy RH series, for my preferences personally.

Profile Image for tattooedbooknerdgirl35 (Amanda Lynn).
552 reviews19 followers
February 11, 2023
This review is for all three out of four books in this series. This is my first time reading Belle Harper books, and I have to say, her books don't disappoint. For a why chose/enimes to lovers/ friends to lovers kind of book.


(This book talks about a lot of everyday things that can happen, trigger warning: child abuse, talks about gangs/mob, profanity, sexual content, mfm scenes.)


Mila is back in town after four years away. Her mom made her move with her when she left her father. Her mother has always kind of ignored her and been mean to her.

Her besties (Jace, Hunter, and Roman) are still mad at her for not keeping in touch. They have dealt with it in their own ways.

These series go in depth the relationships between friends (Mila & the besties) and how they figure out how to all together. How she learns her dad is dating and she meets her future stepbrother Asher.

A lot of drama unfolds with Roman's dad, and then Roman has to deal like he's always had it (dad's a druggie).

It's definitely a series you don't wanna miss out on! Book three does end on a cliffhanger, but book four comes out February 28th!


Overall rating: 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟
Spice: 🌶 🌶 🌶 🌶
March 6, 2023
All the stars in the sky!

Ah, my heart. This is a childhood friends to enemies to lovers book, and this book started the series off strong. I devoured this book! Couldn’t put it down. Had to make myself stop reading at 2am so I could sleep, and I even dreamed about it. Even though the ages for these characters are 16 it isn’t juvenile in the least. It seems more like a college-age book. This one was great so I have high hopes for book 2. Can’t wait to jump in and get lost in this story some more. Marvelous RH so far!
Also, Roman has my whole heart! I just adore him. Definitely my favorite. And Jace has a lot of groveling to do in the next book. I’m pissed at him right now. And I won’t be sad if Britney dies. I even hate the way her name is spelled. #KillBritney
Profile Image for The•Teesh•Collection | Bookstagram.
275 reviews2 followers
August 3, 2023
The Pact was completely enticing; how can three best friends stay friends whilst all in love with the one girl? Make a pact - no one gets her.
But damn... that leads to ALOT of sexual chemistry and flirting.
Why choose? But I'm gonna say, Roman is my fave. A deep, dark, secretive/protective, brooding type always finds a way into my heart.
This was absolute juicy for a high school trope. My only disappointment was that they are still on friend terms.
Profile Image for Angel.
1,190 reviews14 followers
September 12, 2023
So, even though Belle really didn't pay much attention to detail, in her own damn book, the book still got an emotional reaction from me. So, I gave it 3 stars.
If the details and grammar had matched up, it would have been a 4 star...alas, I pay major attention to details, and when the author screws up the character names, I can't reward that.
It's not even as if you can blame autocorrect...
Rossi vs James?
Anyway, on to the next book.
Profile Image for Hikikomori.
215 reviews
July 15, 2024
I’ve never DNF’ed a book… The highlights will tell you everything you need to know.

The characters are 16(!!!!!!!!?!???!?) and the writing is so awful I’m losing brain-cells. Her general way of describing the girls Mila sees as “threatening” is so degrading and uncomfortable to read.

Made it 54% through

I’m so glad I got this for free on Stuff your Kindle day, so I wouldn’t have wasted money on this as I have with my time! It makes sense why it was free.
Profile Image for Kaylen Trejo.
287 reviews7 followers
July 25, 2023
Fast-paced YA novel that held me captivated from the beginning. Even as I type this, I want to move on to the second on the series, The Lie.
Jace is an asshole. Hunter is the All-American boy next door. And Roman is the troubled soul that you yearn to heal. All together, they make an irresistible package and I can't wait to see where their and Mila's story goes!
Profile Image for Shelley.
1,137 reviews10 followers
November 8, 2022
This is a story of childhood friends growing up and becoming more. I really enjoyed this story. I liked the story line and the reuniting of friends and who doesn't love angsty teen age guys. I really love all of these characters, even though I do end up disliking Hunter.
Profile Image for dahlia.
505 reviews23 followers
September 30, 2022
It was okay.

I'm not a fan of drawn-out RH romance.

Esp when the 3 main Hs are conflicted about who is to have her. Like most of the RH heros pretty much decide from the get go that they'll share.

This was a new twist with the guys unsure who she'll end up with and them fighting each other about it. NOT A FAN.

The h & HHH are not even together yet. There's just a lot of pining and that's not it. :-/

Profile Image for Emilie.
185 reviews1 follower
December 30, 2022
Gahhhhhh

Such an amazing book, I had my theory about her true first kiss but the way you had to rip my heart out in order to tell me!? Just pure cruelty, fingers freaking crossed book 2 has a miraculous healling...or else I may throw my phone
Profile Image for Sadie.
71 reviews8 followers
July 11, 2024
These 3 stars are for Roman only
Profile Image for Picky Reader.
177 reviews
April 21, 2023
Is it me? Or is it the book? Considering the 4,25 stars, it's definitely me. I am sorry for giving it only one star. I do respect the author and the amount of work she put in her book, that's for sure. But I'm trying to share my honest opinion. Writing this review, I feel that I do sound rude but I just want to specify that is not my intention. I'm just trying to explain why it did not work for me. I'm not saying it was a bad book, just that it was not for me. I just cannot get into this book and I stopped reading it after 50 pages. There WILL BE spoilers coming up, even if I actually cannot spoil much, and this entire review was hidden because of spoilers so this is your last chance to leave!

The book starts with a lot of background. It's okay, I guess, even if I don't know if that's the right moment to throw all that information. I want to dive in directly and having a long explanation of how horrible it was for Mila to live with her mother was not efficient for me. Also, -her mother is such a terrible person, sure, but it seemed over the top. I won't get into details here but pretending to be sad at the airport when you tell your daughter goodbye and whispering "you're a wh***" in her ear is absolutely ridiculous. First, who would say that?? Then, you have to have reasons to say that and there had been no indications at that point that Mila was maybe sleeping around too much (even if sleeping around too much does not mean you're a whore). Was this just a way to show "ooh her mother is very, very bad, she throws big bad word at her daughter before she leaves for a long period of time"? I am sorry, I don't want to sound rude or anything but I just did not get the point of this sentence.

Later in the book (and I really mean page 8 because, again, I haven't read much) Mila is face to face with one of her old best friends. They look at each other. She waves. He ignores it.
That's it.
That's how it felt to me. I was not into it, I did not feel tension, feelings, nothing.

As for the rest, let me just type a list of things that did not sit right with me:
- All the characters apparently turned pretty hot over the course of 4 years.
- Mila left the boys one day and never, ever wrote them, called them, texted them. But she does not understand why Jace is mad at her and even says something like "he could make an effort and put himself in my shoes"??
- Jace says "f*ck" four times in four pages. Does it annoy you? It annoys me, anyway.
- Jace is dating a Britney (typical name for when you want to write a bitchy character, apparently) but she's really annoying him because she's too jealous. He stays with her because she gives him good blo*j***. He knows it's bad but it's okay to act like that because at least he knows he's "an assh***". So, it's fine.
- We have the cliché of the girl on the side that's petty, annoying, selfish, jealous, shallow, arrogant and bitchy, that is only here to cause drama but that everyone actually does not like (looking at you, Britney). Though, to be fair, Belle Harper is definitely not the only one to use this type of character in a story, that is why it's a cliché.
- Roman, one of the love interests, says exactly 16 words in 50 pages (yes, I counted. Even if I cannot guarantee that I have not missed something) and three of them are "f*ck off" and "no". I get he has a difficult life at home and a terrible past as well and I can empathize with him for sure but, as a reader, how I am supposed to connect with him on a deeper level if he never speaks?
- Jace is the leader type, Hunter apparently the laid-back type and Roman the broody type. Granted, I stopped reading too soon but that does not seem very deep to me.
- Mila has three love interests already since it's a reverse harem but also had a big crush on
Jace's brother and has apparently always been Emerson (a dude)'s crush. Oh, and she tackled people all the time when she was 12 and people seemed to all be in awe of her. I have not read much of the story but I was afraid she would be a Mary-Sue. This is the extract I'm referring to:
""Didn't you play flag football?" one guy asks, and Emerson nods and chuckles [...]
"Yeah, but Mila didn't care. She went for the tackle, and if she hadn't, I don't think I would be as good as I am now. Forced me to learn how to keep my balance." [...] I glance up at him
"Someone needed to kick your ass. I was honored to be the one to do it.""
I mean, it's probably just banter and me being very petty about it (you can call me Britney) but it did give me the impression that everyone thought she was fantastic.
- Mila decides to go to Jace's party without being invited because how-dares-he-not-invite-someone-he-has-not talked-to-in-4-years-to-his-house. There, she sees Emerson (the dude) and he's directly very interested in chatting with her (because she's very hot).
- Mila goes to stand in front of the boys as if it was nothing. Meaning that, again, I felt no build-up, no tension. She just goes and stands. And they're sitting there. And they talk. And I don't feel anything.
- Jace says "Mila, what the f*ck?" because of course he would manage to say "f*ck" in this sentence.
- Hunter's reaction, for some reason, when he sees her for the first time in four years is to say : "Holy shit, Mila. You're really back." (no expression, no feelings here) and then there is this description :
"His eyes roam up my legs and settles on my mouth. His tongue dips out, and he wets his lower lip, nodding slowly to himself". I have actually stopped to try and picture this reaction in my head and I just find it really weird. He checks her out, licks his lip and nods. How is this classy? Or believable? Do people really react this way outside of fiction and I don't know it?
- Mila then replies with "I'm back. I don't know what Jace told you, but I'm here to stay." Why would she say that? What could have Jace said? He did not even talk to her??
- Britney sitting very closely to her boyfriend Jace apparently makes her "a bitch in heat". Remember that for later on.
- To me, Mila acts like she owns the place and the boys and expects everything to be the same after she left them without replying or talking to any of them for four years!

Britney, doing Britney things, is all over Jace and he pretends he's into it and Mila thinks:
"[Britney] beams over at me, like she won a prize and I lost. But I wasn't playing a game (Mila's above that, you know). She does not have to worry about losing her precious Jace. She can have him. If this is his reaction to my return, then they deserve each other."
What?!!
One: "her precious Jace"? A bit rude to talk about him this way when she was reminiscing about the past and how she cared about him roughly three pages ago.
Two: "she can have him" meaning what, exactly ? That she allows it but if she did not then Jace would dump her in a second?
Three: "If this is his reaction to my return..." again, you left him, tossed him behind without a word for four years and he's supposed to do what? Throw you a welcome back party?? Kiss the floor you walk on??
Four: Mila has been away for four years. For all she knows, Britney could be a very decent girlfriend and a nice person because people can change and evolve. But she's just here, judging in two seconds with her own assumptions and not letting Britney the chance to be more than the cliché she actually is.
- Overall, there does not seem to be any impact because of Mila's departure. She seems to think it's okay to come back as if nothing had changed. Jace is somewhat a bit pissed but you don't get to know every thing that is going on in his head, Hunter is just like "oh, she's back, alright" and how could you expect to know how impassive Roman is feeling?
- OKAY, MY FAVORITE PART IS HERE! Yes, I did actually like something! Britney says that she and Jace were meant to be because they were picked as partners on school trips, to which Mila replies: "You were picked because he's a Montero and you're a Montlake. It wasn't some magical matchmaking scheme by the teachers. It was alphabetical order." That did make me smile!
- But it turned in a little "competition" where Britney is all like "Jace's mine" out of nowhere. Like, girl, Mila's been back for two days. Why would you assume that she's all over Jace?? You don't need to make him you property, she literally has never implied she wanted him for herself. She basically just went inside and said "hi".
- There's a little dialogue where both girls are just saying "I know him better than you do uh" and that's where I remembered that they were 16 and maybe I was a little too harsh on them for acting so immature.
- Still feeling no connection here.
- And then! Then! Then, I don't know what suddenly happened but I did not understand what was going on! Emerson (it's the dude from earlier!) wants to leave with Mila (to have sex) and she decides to stay (to piss Jace off) in a place she still was not invited to. She then straddles Emerson, feels his d*ck against her, grinds down on him, arches her back to press her chest against him, mentions her nipples peaking "and the friction sending little flutters lower", and runs her finger up Em's arm. Now, remember the part I told you to keep in mind before? How she called Britney a "bitch in heat" for "practically humping" Jace, her boyfriend? No, 'cause this looks like waaaay more than what Britney was doing to Jace. Not saying this to shame anyone, that's not my point. My point is she's being very hypocritical, judging and insulting someone for one thing and then doing even worse herself.
- Also, at this point she considers having sex with Emerson and thinks "Nothing like a good f*ck to relieve some tension" ??????!!! Where did this sentence come from???
First of all, you've been acting 16 for pages and pages, including with your little chat with Britney, and suddenly you're talking like an adult. Look, I know 16 year olds have sex and all but I did not get this vibe from her at all. It just felt like she was another person suddenly. It was never mentioned that she already had sex and the way she said this sentence made me feel like she was really used to having casual hook-ups. Which, again, is fine. I'm not judging that. It just took me by surprise because it was not really foreshadowed in the first chapters.
- Mila calling Hunter "a good boy" to Jace (in her mind), so respectful.
- Jace saying once again that he wants Mila to leave because, you know, we are still in his house and the quotes that follow are just Emerson's answer that I interrupted with my comments:
"I always had the hots for Mila..."
(Er, 'kay. Weird to say that after seeing her for the first time in a long while.)
"...Now she is all grown up and rocking this hot ass body against mine..."
(A bit rude to talk about her body like that and to say it like she wasn't here, and also weird to be describing what she's doing in front of everyone. It seems that the author wanted to emphasize that this action was happening but yes, we know.)
"...No way is she leaving... unless it's with me."
(Well, great! That's exactly what Jace wants! For her to leave! He did not say you had to stay here, did he? And clearly, Mila wants to relieve some tension so just go ahead!)
- Then we have another dialogue between Jace and Mila:
"Fine, have her. No one else want her"
"Who said I wanted anyone else? I didn't. So, you don't need to worry. I'm not gonna chase after you, Hunter, or Roman."
Why did they both feel the need to specify that?
"No one else wants you. Like there is ABSOLUTELY NO ONE here that is into you except Emerson. No one. No one at all. Nope, I don't see anyone else."
"Well, I really absolutely do not care because I personally don't want you Jace, or you Hunter, or you Roman. I'm really not thinking about any of you Jace, Hunter or Roman. It's like you're not even here Jace, Hunter or Roman".
Why not just ignoring each other, pretending you really don't care about the other? Specifying this actually has the opposite result of what you were trying for!
- And finally, we end this chapter with the boys bickering about who got to be Mila's first kiss. Because when Mila was 12 and learned she was leaving, she decided to go and kiss them all. And apparently, she pretended it was her first kiss ever to every one of them, so she also lied to them all (well, technically only to two of them... unless she already had been kissed before them?).
Why the need to lie??
And there she's all like "I'm the only one who knows the truth on who was my first hehehe but I will neeeeeever tell" ....... So, she's back to being 12, isn't she? And why is it soooo important to know who she kissed first? What does it change??? It would not even mean that she liked that person more because she went and kissed the other two anyway.

Well, I had a lot to say. I guess now you can have a better idea of why I did not want to continue reading this.
To be honest, this was me bitching about a lot of things I would not have bitched about if there were less things I did not appreciate or if I had felt the tension, the angst, the feelings, the connections between the characters.

Please note that I am in no way trying to be rude or hurtful. I was definitely writing this in a light tone, in a humorous way. I hope you can see it.
I do respect the author's work, time and effort put into this book and I sincerely wish her all the best.
And the book has very good reviews so it may just be me. Maybe I did not meet this book at the right moment and we just did not work out.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Lissa Hawley.
1,389 reviews29 followers
April 18, 2023
OMG!!!

Addictive. No time for reviews. Must read next book.
Profile Image for Jade Wilson.
56 reviews
June 24, 2024
I love a book with a good plot. That being said, I rate books I read purely on my enjoyment. I couldn’t put it down. I’ve neglected most of my house work, because I am invested. The book started off with spelling errors, a little amateur writing style, that quickly improved. I am livid with Jace. Absolutely adore Hunter. But…My heart soars for Roman. The ending…What!? Way to leave a girl hanging. I had a feeling that Roman was her first “first” kiss. He is deserving of such. I just wish he could see it too. I had to put my kindle down when it came to the part where Mila said Roman was her first kiss and she wanted him to be her last. I broke down, in my car….While parked in a parking lot. Oh this is good. I needed this. I’m not sure how Jace will make it up to Mila. But for now, he’s on my shit list.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for KLynn.
1,515 reviews27 followers
September 21, 2022
I've read almost this exact story before (too lazy to cite my source) However, I still enjoyed this for what it was, an over dramatized angsty teen rh.

Will I continue with the series? Ooo, that's a hard one with that cliffhanger ending, but probably not, unless I find myself bored and in want of these specific tropes.

I personally like Belle Harper's writing style and can definitely see myself picking up her next series even if I don't find myself coming back to this one.

** Honestly it's going to bug me big time about this books clone ... When I find the name, I'll update **
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