Just like almost everyone, I also enjoyed this book till the betrayal.
There's a lot to unpack, that I don't think I'd get to all of the problems I had with this book in particular but i'll try.
Since my blood started boiling and my eyes started going to the back of my head from rolling it so much during the whole "three idiot boys segment (mostly Noah, but the other two are still as bad for doing nothing)", i'll just focus on whining about my issues during those parts and the aftermath..
First of all, I am a person who's always the devil's advocate for people messing up, because I have had a lot of mess ups as a teenager and in my early twenties, so I can empathize quite a lot.
The first time Noah messed up, aka asking Sophia what was wrong, when she looked so distraught and ill after their father had just assaulted her sexually and physically, but then never actually hearing her out all because she mentioned his father and started making up excuses for him and gaslighting her and himself that she's wrong. I was furious then, but I tried to understand. If I was manipulated into thinking a loved one that I look up to is an angel despite being the devil, maybe I'd be just as hurt to have other people thinking badly about them. Maybe. Although it's already such a big fuck up because they didn't ACTUALLY listen to her while they were prying about what had happened. The moment she mentioned anything about being sexually harassed, they should've shut the fuck up and let her finish. It's already so hard for victims to speak up, especially knowing how powerful their abuser is. But yeah, I just tried to calm myself down thinking they (especially Noah) would realize their grave mistake soon after that. I could have gotten past that if he apologized after that scene and realized he'd just taken away her trust right then and how he majorly fucked up.
But no, I had no idea it was about to get extremely worse to the point of no return. They continued to fuck up in a way that only if one of them dies trying to save the heroine of if they waited for years continually apologizing and wooing her, would be the only way for them to be worthy of forgiveness. Not so much a second chance though. They have to do a lot more than that. So the fact that they didn't have to do any of that, just killed the book for me (and for a lot of the other readers as far as I can see) and the list of things that happened during and after, tsk, there was zero hope.
I hate that they didn't acknowledge how much they just obliterated her fucking trust after finding out that she was in fact telling the truth. They were so fixated on their father, thinking that getting rid of him would fix everything but that's not how real life works. They fixed their father who is a problem on it's own. They didn't fix Sophia's broken trust and self worth. Trust is fucking precious and severely fragile. She has been cheated on before, propositioned and harassed by her boss for five to three years, and then these boys just brutalized her trust, her self worth, AND her source of income knowing she had a kid and a sister depending on her. Her trust issues should've been immeasurable after what these guys did.
Their apology was just a few "sorrys", "I fucked up" and "i'll fix it". They should've been crying their eyes out. They didn't just stand her up on a date without telling her a reason. It's not an "oops babe, I fucked up so bad, it'll never happen again I promise" kind of fuck up.
They fucking treated her like a criminal, humiliated her, stomped on her dignity, taken her source of income from her and DIDN'T EVEN CONSIDER WHAT SHE SAID WHEN SHE FINALLY CONFESSED IN FRONT OF A BUNCH OF PEOPLE THAT THE FATHER SEXUALLY AND PHYSICALLY ASSAULTED HER AFTER SHE KEPT IT A SECRET TO PROTECT THEM FROM THE PAIN OF KNOWING THEIR FATHER IS A MONSTER. ALL BECAUSE SHE WAS FORCED TO PROTECT HERSELF AFTER THEY AMBUSHED HER WITH ALL THESE SEVERELY DAMAGING ACCUSATIONS WITHOUT ANY WARNING AND UNDER FALSE PRETENSES, THEY TRAPPED HER, LIKE SHE DIDN'T EVEN MATTER AT ALL AND SHE DOESN'T DESERVE ANY OF HER HUMAN RIGHTS.
I never heard them talk to her about how wrong what they did was after finding out the truth and how they're as bad as their father for letting all of that happen. I wanted them to verbally put to words what they did, and actually learn and grow. The internalized monologue doesn't even acknowledge any of these things. They didn't acknowledge that they had a chance to do things right the night after the attack happened. Sophia was about to tell them that night, but Noah took her voice from her, and Alex and Ethan let him. They were frustrated with him that he keeps interrupting and forming scenarios from nothing since he wasn't the one that was there, sure, but they never did anything to actually shut him up to let her talk. After Noah showed her how much he doesn't have her back though, they all didn't, it was already too late. She knew they'd pick their father no matter what, and they did.
I was mad. Noah was supposedly the smartest of them all, business wise. A few "documented" emails that could easily be fabricated and a "documented" coming and goings of a person in the boss's office which could also be easily fabricated is enough proof for him (which that log doesn't even prove anything at all, it wouldn't be able to show what happens inside the office)?? The brothers were always with her in her office, training, and a lot of the times at her home hanging out with her family. Noah didn't think even once about how she would be able to find a time to scheme something that big and commit so much crimes without them noticing anything?? He didn't even feel the need to have a conversation with her about the allegations, or hear her out. He was CONVINCED by those "proof" and started doing a 180 and spewing so much hate against her. Which to me shows he didn't respect her in the first place. I know he's in defensive mode about his beloved dad, but he's supposedly "smart". He's not a teenage boy to be acting this stupid over something this gravely serious concerning the woman he "cares" about. They supposedly graduated with degrees and has all these worldly experiences from travelling around the world, but they apparently have the mentality of little boys who knows nothing in life. Not one mention of double checking anything. Getting MORE evidence. Fact checking the provided "evidences". GETTING HER SIDE OF THE STORY AND FACT CHECKING THAT.
They didn't even at the very least ask their dad when the "tryst" with their dad happened, because he implied that it was just one time. He heavily implied she ambushed him to fuck him. 🤢 If they'd AT LEAST ask that they could figure out a time frame and think about where she was during that time, since they're always with her they would've figured out right then that their father was full of shit and is a fucking pig psycho. But on second thought, I just realized they'll probably still find a way to excuse their dad and think that it was all a misunderstanding and not something serious. Not a big deal....
Which leads me to the issue with both Ethan and Noah not seeing the abuse their father is doing to Alex right in front of them. Their father neglects, insults and belittles him in front of them and they don't notice at all. They never stand up for him. Also a reason why they're stupid and not deserving of a second chance. And the fact that they didn't acknowledge the abuse their little brother endured for being their half brother from one of the handful of affairs their dad had done and the favoritism at all even after everything was found out, turned me off so much.
I was cheering Sophia on as she rejected the guys and turned them away after they found out that they were stupid assholes with the IQ of a peanut combined. I was hella annoyed at Ava for pushing her to forgive them after just a few days or weeks of sending gifts that doesn't mean anything at all. Sophia even acknowledged the fact that it seems like they're just BUYING her forgiveness, therefore buying HER. The grovelling is all just so meaningless, surface level and soulless that it seems like it's a joke, but it's not, and there's nothing remotely funny about it.
The things their father did to her, and how THEY treated her, the things Noah said about her behind her back and to her face.....
The way they'd ambushed her and humiliated her by letting her walk in that office so they could all gang up on her without warning. With what they had and assuming they genuinely cared about her, they should've at least let her get a lawyer to be by her side to face all of them, since what they're saying are some serious allegations against her. But no, they let her go through all of that alone. They lied to her to corner her, she thought she was just coming in for a meeting. Even after she showed so much confusion the whole time, adamant on not knowing what they're talking about and ACTUALLY TELLING THEM ABOUT BEING ASSAULTED, Noah still took more of her voice and trust and pulverized it, as well as my empathy and second chance pass. Called her "vile", with so much hate in his eyes. Yeah, no for me. Turned the fuck off to the point of zero return.
Then there was the mom. She knew a lot of things about her husband, but she didn't once ever think that Sophia could be the victim. She knew he'd never confessed every time he cheated, and she knew it was weird that he did so now when it's Sophia, but she was still willing to trust the man who've lied to her their whole marriage. Which on her part, again I don't like it, and I wouldn't do things like she would, but there are actual women like that in the real world, blinded by love for a husband and her children, and I don't want to take part on villainizing them much more than they already are in the real world, instead of their abuser. So even though I hate I try to empathize.
My problem with her though, is that after finding out the truth she keeps on saying that "her boys are not the wrong one" lol. She maintains that her boys are wronged too therefore they are not wrong. Like what?? Are these boys ten year olds, ma'am? They don't have a brain to think for themselves? They are fucking adults, ma'am!
Then, after she's done her part in ruining Sophia's life by egging her son on that they all don't really know her well, that she was probably running from her the first time they met because she's a good judge of character and Sophia must be a bad one to run away from her (even though Sophia was running from the mortification of being caught by the mother of her one night stands the morning after, and being chased by said mother through the building and in the street talking about relationships, babies and sex, yeah sure, she didn't have any other reason at all other than she was a bad person yup 🖕). Also a good judge of character? Have you met your husband? Too deluded.
Then there's the mother's entire demeanor and how she said some things after kicking her husband out of the company. She was all giddy and acting all silly about her sons getting Sophia back. (Also she didn't feel the need to reach out to Sophia to apologize or anything at all, she wasn't remorseful for her part in the whole situation) She was so excited helping her teenage boys plan out ways to ask their girlfriend to the prom or something wholesome like that. Like what they all did was just an oopsie doopsie. "Oh oopsie! Sowwy! Let's forget about me ruining your whole life, accusing you of being a criminal and showing you how much you can't trust us at the end of the day, because we don't believe in fact checking anything ourselves and we don't trust you at all to believe a word you're saying and we don't respect you enough to hear you out for even a second to let you talk, but we're sowwy, 😚fowgive us pwease?" "Nevermind the fact that we never once thought about your daughter even in passing who has become close to us and surely has nothing to do with the things we're accusing you of, we just decided to forget that she existed at all! 😄 But now that we want back in you, we can acknowledge her again, start acting like her friend and buy her affection and vote, yay! 🥳🤡"
Like it was written as part of the comedy and is supposed to make us giggle from the silliness of the comic relief, but I am NOT feeling any relief. My eyebrows are still scrunched so hard it hurt.
Nevermind that they forgot instantly the amount of people that they heard has spoken nothing but great things about Sophia, and would most definitely vouch for her. Yeah forget them, they don't matter. Only papa does and a few doctored documents. 👍
THEN the way Sophia gave in in so little amount of time.
She forgave them after she went mad that they made a show of posting in Alex's (one of the three idiots) social media of a video of the three of them showing off tattooing her name over their hearts. Am I supposed to fucking swoon? What the fuck? It doesn't fucking prove anything! It doesn't prove that they deserve to be trusted again. It doesn't show remorse. It just shows how dumb they are that they can't think of anything else to show their devotion. It's such an empty gesture to me when we think about what they ACTUALLY did. If the conflict was about another woman and their loyalty was the thing that's being questioned, branding and marking themselves and announcing that they belong to her to the whole world online would've worked. But that's not what they did. No amount of tattoos should've fixed their fuck up. The whole time, I was like "And? So they tattooed her name, what does that have to do with anything? Wait? That was it? That was the grandest gesture they could think of? Wait that's it? No no no nononononono..... Oh they're forgiven. Fuck this".
A few more empty sorrys with no self reflection speech or acknowledgement of important details about everything that happened, she gave in. A few flat self pitying "sorry"s and "I missed you"s, "I'VE been miserable", she was putty in their hands again. I just about threw my phone across the room, but it's not my phone's fault, and I'm an adult, so I reined it in.
THEN THEY HAD THE AUDACITY TO "PUNISH" HER AND BLAME HER FOR TAKING HER TIME FORGIVING THEM AND BEING FAR AWAY FROM THEM!!!! They were only half serious, but even if they were FULLY joking, what the fuck??
Tell me you don't actually realize the gravity of what you just did without telling me. It's not fucking sexy! I was so disgusted the whole time, I just read the dialogue parts to watch out for more victim blaming and then victimizing themselves from her making them work for their forgiveness like she was wrong for having some self respect and dignity. By the end of that I just gave up.
Anyway, I like Rebel Bloom's other books.
But I HAVE noticed that writing grovelling is not her strongest suit. Which I personally think is a bit of a problem since all her books have third act break-ups all the time and the guys always mess up. (which some people don't like that, but I'm actually a sucker for that, especially when done right) It always doesn't feel earned enough at the end when they all get back together, but I can still look past that and enjoy the books for what they are. But the difference to me in this one is that the conflict is much much more heavier and way more damaging than in the previous books. AGAIN... The words that was said about her, the crimes that was accused of her without giving her the chance to tell her side, AND most importantly, the way they didn't feel the need to look into HER alleging about being sexually assaulted. They automatically flat out thought she was lying. Even if she COULD be lying, you should always still look into it, no matter what. And the fact that they claimed to care about her but didn't give her enough of a reasonable doubt, which she wholely deserved no matter their relationship prior, to even try to investigate that new information out, sealed the deal for me in this one. You just don't get to come back from that with just a few "I fucked up, I'm sorry" and expect the readers to cheer for the heroine to fall at their feet again. AGAIN... I would've preferred for years to pass with them still wooing her and just trying to be her friend to earn her trust back. But nope, a few days, a few bribes, manupilating her child, then some tattoos, it's all good. 👍 And also she's the one that's wrong for not forgiving them right away. Yup, that's right. That's how we want it. 😬👌
The side characters and the male leads are all adamant in gaslighting her into forgiving them not at her own pace or her own terms, but right away! Again, like what the brothers did was something so simple that it was just no big deal at all. She HAS to forgive them now that they're not looking at her like she's fucking shit on their shoes, or else she's a bitch. It's just so fucking icky and disgusting, I hate it so much.
Sorry for the rant. Usually I just read reviews after reading something bad to thumbs up the ones I agree with who'd already voiced my own opinions in their reviews, but I didn't see anyone pointing these out, and I was still hurt by this so I felt the need to vent. I think this will have a lot of errors and mistakes, since I wrote this in one sitting after staying up till the sun went up. Sorry I kept going off on tangents. I'm done now, thanks for reading if you've read this far. Have a great decade!
Edited to fix mistakes and add a little more...
Sophia is also supposedly a "smart" character. Everyone keeps mentioning how smart she is all the time, including herself. That's why it's a little frustrating to read about her not caring to find ways to stop any of it from happening. (I know this is still victim blaming, but hear me out)
I am not saying it's her fault, I am just finding it hard to believe that a smart person like her has let this harassment go on for three years without even trying to find a way to solve it. She KNOWS a women's rights lawyer! But she never even once tried to reach out to talk to her. She had the means to get solutions to her problem that has been going on for YEARS! She was waiting for more concrete evidence to go to HR (AS IF THEY WOULD FUCKING DO ANYTHING).
People who are graped still don't have concrete evidence unless they go to the police to get the DNA tested right away, it's STILL your word against your grapist if you don't. What kind of concrete evidence was she waiting for? THEN, the fact that the boss mentioned that he put cameras EVERYWHERE didn't even register to her as a way to finally end it all. I get that she couldn't have thought about it right that instant but she NEVER once thought about it again after that.