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Stay Away From The Hollands
Stay away from the Hollands, they said. Especially Mackenzie Holland.
With no manners, no scruples, and no prospects, what else are others to think? That he’s an artist? A young man with a gentle temperament and every bit as much ambition as the next person?
Never.
He’s Mackenzie Holland, after all.
Right?
Everybody wants to be Jaz Davies. Beautiful, talented, smart, social, blah, blah, blah.
Just how does she do it? No one has the first idea, nor do they care about how someone new to the city and even newer to the school is making her mark without a hitch. Because what else is a girl like her going to do? Crumble under pressures unseen by none but one?
No.
What pressures?
She’s Jaz Davies.
Read TW
With no manners, no scruples, and no prospects, what else are others to think? That he’s an artist? A young man with a gentle temperament and every bit as much ambition as the next person?
Never.
He’s Mackenzie Holland, after all.
Right?
Everybody wants to be Jaz Davies. Beautiful, talented, smart, social, blah, blah, blah.
Just how does she do it? No one has the first idea, nor do they care about how someone new to the city and even newer to the school is making her mark without a hitch. Because what else is a girl like her going to do? Crumble under pressures unseen by none but one?
No.
What pressures?
She’s Jaz Davies.
Read TW
460 pages, Paperback
Published July 31, 2024
627 people are currently reading
8204 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 354 reviews
December 24, 2024
4.5⭐️ WHAT I NEED THE SECOND BOOK IMMEDIATELY
Picked this up bc Amina was screaming about it and she was sososo right- now I’m screaming with her bc oh man this is such a special one💗 these characters were so easy to love and so easy to become attached to.
Jaslene is forever one of my absolute favorite characters I adore her💗 Mack is just such a precious and heartbreaking character and I’d protect him with my life.
You’ll absolutely catch me rolling around on the floor screaming until book 2 comes out💋
This is definitely for fans of slowburn and character driven books! (so..me!😌)
Criticism:
I think this book could’ve been shorter- maybe casual readers might feel like there’s a bit of unnecessary filler. (for me I am so attached to these babies that do not have the ability to be casual hehe I enjoyed everything and need moooooorrrreee)
Picked this up bc Amina was screaming about it and she was sososo right- now I’m screaming with her bc oh man this is such a special one💗 these characters were so easy to love and so easy to become attached to.
Jaslene is forever one of my absolute favorite characters I adore her💗 Mack is just such a precious and heartbreaking character and I’d protect him with my life.
You’ll absolutely catch me rolling around on the floor screaming until book 2 comes out💋
This is definitely for fans of slowburn and character driven books! (so..me!😌)
Criticism:
I think this book could’ve been shorter- maybe casual readers might feel like there’s a bit of unnecessary filler. (for me I am so attached to these babies that do not have the ability to be casual hehe I enjoyed everything and need moooooorrrreee)
August 17, 2024
not gonna lie…..the writing in this book was confusing as fuck. It reminded me of the BOT series but that writing was easy to understand. Idk what it was but I straight up struggled to understand what the author was trying to write half the time, like nothing made sense???!! Idk maybe it was just me, but I am excited for the second book bc I understood the gist of the plot
August 6, 2024
My reading comprehension for this book was 0. Idk if it was just me or the writing but it was so hard to understand anything that was going on at any point during this. 2 stars because I think the romance was cute? Honestly I couldn’t even tell you
August 31, 2024
The writing was SO confusing i was lost half of the time but im invested nonetheless 😭
July 13, 2024
4.5⭐
A story between two 18yo students who both have difficult situations at home and learn more about each other because they can't stay away from each other.
Check for TW as it does touch upon some heavier topics especially related to family abuse, so be aware.
I love every book Amizah has written, and this was very different from her other series (Queen of the Dome) but felt somewhat more relatable to me as someone that lives in London and has been through A-Levels as the characters.
The book was enjoyable and well written enough to make me read it in one go. The characters were funny and their interactions felt very realistic and relatable. Around the 50% mark, I was wondering where the story was going, as in what the final outcome is supposed to be, but part of this book is reading their journey dealing with the issues that they have and there isn't really an "outcome" to it.
NO WAY THIS IS BOOK 1 OF A SERIES AND I DIDN'T KNOW!?!?!?!? THAT ENDING!!!!!!
A story between two 18yo students who both have difficult situations at home and learn more about each other because they can't stay away from each other.
Check for TW as it does touch upon some heavier topics especially related to family abuse, so be aware.
I love every book Amizah has written, and this was very different from her other series (Queen of the Dome) but felt somewhat more relatable to me as someone that lives in London and has been through A-Levels as the characters.
The book was enjoyable and well written enough to make me read it in one go. The characters were funny and their interactions felt very realistic and relatable. Around the 50% mark, I was wondering where the story was going, as in what the final outcome is supposed to be, but part of this book is reading their journey dealing with the issues that they have and there isn't really an "outcome" to it.
NO WAY THIS IS BOOK 1 OF A SERIES AND I DIDN'T KNOW!?!?!?!? THAT ENDING!!!!!!
August 5, 2024
It’s giving I want to be binding and keeping 13 (which is a good thing)
The slow burn was slow burning
Callum u suck
Sam u suck
Jaslene u r a funny lady
Mack I love u
U deserve the world
Mand I love u
Kam u r hilarious
Asher and Molly r adorable
The slow burn was slow burning
Callum u suck
Sam u suck
Jaslene u r a funny lady
Mack I love u
U deserve the world
Mand I love u
Kam u r hilarious
Asher and Molly r adorable
August 27, 2024
this was so painful...i don't know if it was the british slang but i didn't understand what was going on half the time or for example who the narator was talking with they would mention the name after 3 paragraphs or something
there's a scene they're playing some kind of sport it never mentioned what they were playing???
its so confusing and ik marking it as read even though i stopped after 70 % and just read the last chapter i couldn't do it anymore
also it dragged on so badddd
just horrible honestly
there's a scene they're playing some kind of sport it never mentioned what they were playing???
its so confusing and ik marking it as read even though i stopped after 70 % and just read the last chapter i couldn't do it anymore
also it dragged on so badddd
just horrible honestly
July 18, 2024
this book was soooo good!! i love mack and jas with my entire heart and the slowburn was everything. the characters were all so fun to read, very relatable, and this is honestly all i'm looking for in a book. they both deserve to be happy because that end? I NEED THE NEXT BOOK NOW
thanks to Amizah for providing the ARC 🩶
thanks to Amizah for providing the ARC 🩶
August 24, 2024
so so so so good, i think the main thing i adored about this is how real everything felt, from the mundane events to the raw emotions each character was feeling. giggled so much during this and i feel soooo freaking proud of both mack and jas… mack has my heart my baby he breaks my heart he’s sweet he became so much more confident in asserting himself and reaching for what he wants and im over the moon, and jaslene is so incredibly witty and funny and bright and i want to know everything about her. it wasn’t just a romance it was a story about the two and their stories and their friends and families and then them and that made it feel like it was really happening
August 23, 2024
NO NO NO NO NO NO WHAT WAS THAT ENDING NO PLEASE GOD PLEASE I NEED A SECOND BOOK. THE EMOTIONS I WENT THROUGH…. GIGGLING AND BLUSHING TO SOBBING AND CRYING… HELPPPPPPPP EVERYONE NEEDS TO READ THIS ASAPPPPP
January 19, 2025
Let me start this by saying thank you for receiving an ARC i can’t express my gratitude enough for giving this opportunity.
Next this book was about jaslene and Mackenzie, I was so excited to meet them and see how they interacted with each other and the side characters. My expectations were definitely exceeded,because everytime I thought I know what they were going to say I was wrong. The experience these two have gone through , the life they live and the changes that came to them are so beautifully interwoven that I couldn’t imagine anyone else writing it so beautiful .I was instantly sucked into the story it was funny,cute and had meaning and lord the anticipation was sooo good .I’m not normally a slow burn reader,don’t have much patience ,when i do I kinda skip bits but not here what kinda surprised me halfway thru .This book also pulled me out of a slump and I found myself genuinely annoyed when I was disturbed while reading because I wanted to know so much more about them I could already tell the side characters are impactful to the mmc and fmc and I can’t wait for the next book and I do mean that I’m really not good with patience. But yeah I would definitely recommend because that lonely tear that fell down my cheek after finishing last week she and I NEED more.
19.08.24 Update:I just took a nap and dreamed I was watching the characters in a movie but i was kinda there anyway still need more
Next this book was about jaslene and Mackenzie, I was so excited to meet them and see how they interacted with each other and the side characters. My expectations were definitely exceeded,because everytime I thought I know what they were going to say I was wrong. The experience these two have gone through , the life they live and the changes that came to them are so beautifully interwoven that I couldn’t imagine anyone else writing it so beautiful .I was instantly sucked into the story it was funny,cute and had meaning and lord the anticipation was sooo good .I’m not normally a slow burn reader,don’t have much patience ,when i do I kinda skip bits but not here what kinda surprised me halfway thru .This book also pulled me out of a slump and I found myself genuinely annoyed when I was disturbed while reading because I wanted to know so much more about them I could already tell the side characters are impactful to the mmc and fmc and I can’t wait for the next book and I do mean that I’m really not good with patience. But yeah I would definitely recommend because that lonely tear that fell down my cheek after finishing last week she and I NEED more.
19.08.24 Update:I just took a nap and dreamed I was watching the characters in a movie but i was kinda there anyway still need more
July 6, 2025
HOW DARE YOU END IT LIKE THAT?!? I NEED BOOK TWO THIS INSTANT ITS NOT EVEN FUNNY
August 13, 2024
hard to follow, started to enjoy it only to read the cliffhanger of hell???? wtaf am i supposed to do now this is ridiculous
August 20, 2024
4.5 🌟 - I usually don’t find myself enjoying books set in high school. However, I absolutely loved this. The characters were perfectly flawed and the events were realistic and written so well. The cliffhanger??? I’m so devastated I can’t pick up book 2 right now and keep reading. I’ll be first in line when it’s released to buy it.
November 3, 2024
AMIZAH. DROP THE SEQUEL RN AND MY LIFE IS YOURS.
September 3, 2025
"" But none of that could’ve happened without self- balance. No matter what it might look like for you or for me, you have to hit rock bottom before you start climbing. There’s no peak without a trough, but there will always be an equilibrium,” ..... “Balance. It’s always about balance.” ...""
""People like that, people so light and bright and beautiful? They can become your light. Make you do things you wouldn’t usually do.”"
"“You just make excuses upon excuses for everyone for the sake of peace, but that only makes it worse in the long run, and when you do get mad, it’s for all the wrong reasons.”"
3.5/10
I first started it bc of Amina.. she was obsessed with it.
I really love the plot, slow burn romance..
The way it's written is kinda different..
Many words are cut.. overall u feel smth is off.. which made reading kinda slow for me..
But I found this book different from the others.. and it contains many quotes about life, relationships..
""People like that, people so light and bright and beautiful? They can become your light. Make you do things you wouldn’t usually do.”"
"“You just make excuses upon excuses for everyone for the sake of peace, but that only makes it worse in the long run, and when you do get mad, it’s for all the wrong reasons.”"
3.5/10
I first started it bc of Amina.. she was obsessed with it.
I really love the plot, slow burn romance..
The way it's written is kinda different..
Many words are cut.. overall u feel smth is off.. which made reading kinda slow for me..
But I found this book different from the others.. and it contains many quotes about life, relationships..
October 26, 2024
ive never been more confused when reading a book 😭 i understood some of the romance? but idk like the ending made me so mad bc i didnt know itd end off on a cliff hanger and i didnt really care for any of the characters im sorry 😭
March 14, 2025
I get what Amina was raving about now because this was entertaining and had me laughing and stressing the whole book which is the ideal standard for me. I genuinely didn’t expect much from the book but it brought up a lot of issues and was a lot darker than I expected. A lot of people complained about the writing being confusing which I kind of get what they mean but after a while I got the flow of things. The writing was actually quite nice.
I must have a thing for the dysfunctional family/found family trope. It got pretty dark at times but there was so many lighthearted and banter filled moments. I was giggling the whole time. Mand is such a fun character and her and Mack’s interactions were so funny. and oh my god Jaslene is such a beautiful soul. I’m obsessed with everything about her.
I just want a happy ending for Mack and someone PLEASE get Jaslene out of that house. I wanted to throw up reading everything she went through. I’m interested to see how Amizah is going to wrap things up in the next book.
I must have a thing for the dysfunctional family/found family trope. It got pretty dark at times but there was so many lighthearted and banter filled moments. I was giggling the whole time. Mand is such a fun character and her and Mack’s interactions were so funny. and oh my god Jaslene is such a beautiful soul. I’m obsessed with everything about her.
I just want a happy ending for Mack and someone PLEASE get Jaslene out of that house. I wanted to throw up reading everything she went through. I’m interested to see how Amizah is going to wrap things up in the next book.
August 15, 2024
It was a drag, there was points were I wanted to give up but I stuck through and I’m glad I did, I pray part 2 is better with more angst, friendship scenes and more chemistry, tension is needed but I liked this it was a cute read and I’m excited because there’s major potential and I js know s2 will be a rollercoaster and I need a finishing end to that cliffhanger
3.5 stars for me but considering as an independent author, amizah really did her big one!
3.5 stars for me but considering as an independent author, amizah really did her big one!
July 31, 2024
3/5⭐️ I was really really excited for this book and thought I would love it, but it was hard to follow and it was hard to continue reading.
August 20, 2024
THIS WAS SO MF GOODDDDD BUT THE ENDING?????? U CANT DO THIS TO MEEE
September 4, 2024
˚୨୧⋆｡4.75 stars ♡｡
↬ 02.09.2024
˚⋆｡○ It’s selfish when I know I don’t have much to offer, but I can’t help myself. He’s the calm I was looking for, the peace I tried to get back, the anchor I didn’t realise was holding me here… the beauty I lost.
He is everything. ☆ ° *
I need the second book immediately! This was just so incredibly good. Mack and Jaslene are the perfect pair, and whatever their trope is called, it's officially my favorite. I need more of it. The dynamic of the bullied yet intimidating boy that everyone fears, paired with the overly sunny girl who hides her past behind a smile, finding solace in each other—it's just everything.
I can't even put into words how much I enjoyed this, and I’m already dying for the second book to be out. Seriously, what was that cliffhanger?!"
⋆ “Listen to me” I snap, eyes wide.
“Maybe, just maybe, I like hanging around you because I like hanging around you and not because you’re the best of the bad. ⋆
I have to admit, there were moments where I felt a bit lost, and I’m not sure if it was the British slang or the way the story was written, but sometimes I was confused about where we ended up in the story, which is why it isn’t five stars. But overall, it had the five-star feeling, and the setting, characters, and build-up were so so good.
Really recommend it, especially if u enjoy The Boys of Tommen series.
⋆ If this is rock bottom, I want to dig lower.
She’s… addictive, and I’m not level-headed enough to deny it to myself. Because if it all goes belly up like everything does, it’s been worth it. ⋆
↬ 02.09.2024
˚⋆｡○ It’s selfish when I know I don’t have much to offer, but I can’t help myself. He’s the calm I was looking for, the peace I tried to get back, the anchor I didn’t realise was holding me here… the beauty I lost.
He is everything. ☆ ° *
I need the second book immediately! This was just so incredibly good. Mack and Jaslene are the perfect pair, and whatever their trope is called, it's officially my favorite. I need more of it. The dynamic of the bullied yet intimidating boy that everyone fears, paired with the overly sunny girl who hides her past behind a smile, finding solace in each other—it's just everything.
I can't even put into words how much I enjoyed this, and I’m already dying for the second book to be out. Seriously, what was that cliffhanger?!"
⋆ “Listen to me” I snap, eyes wide.
“Maybe, just maybe, I like hanging around you because I like hanging around you and not because you’re the best of the bad. ⋆
I have to admit, there were moments where I felt a bit lost, and I’m not sure if it was the British slang or the way the story was written, but sometimes I was confused about where we ended up in the story, which is why it isn’t five stars. But overall, it had the five-star feeling, and the setting, characters, and build-up were so so good.
Really recommend it, especially if u enjoy The Boys of Tommen series.
⋆ If this is rock bottom, I want to dig lower.
She’s… addictive, and I’m not level-headed enough to deny it to myself. Because if it all goes belly up like everything does, it’s been worth it. ⋆
July 17, 2025
DNF @44%
OMG I COULDN’T THIS BOOK IS SOO BORING. I don’t know if this is my slump talking but I can’t continue on anymore 😔. I solely read this because the synopsis reminds me of BOT and that is literally my favourite series OF ALL TIME. I knew that this wasn’t going to be exactly like that so I went in with low expectations and thank God I did because this book was disappointing. The writing made no sense like AT ALL. Like first of all, there are like barely any character descriptions (for the side characters) so I had no clue what anyone looked like. I had to ask ChatGPT and it couldn’t even give me descriptions. Second of all, we jumped around SO MUCH. One second we were having a dodgeball game and he’s giving her a huge smile, and then the chapter ends and it’s the next day. Why couldn’t we just expand on what happened after? Also the dialogue made no sense sometimes. Like I was truly lost on who was talking and what they were even talking about. I also cringed SO MUCH (especially with things Jaslene would do) and was SO BORED most of the time. I even read the last chapter to see if I shouldn’t DNF and I couldn’t even get through that…
Im sorry but I DO NOT recommend. Hope my next read is better 😔
Happy reading bb’s 💗💗💋💋😘😘
OMG I COULDN’T THIS BOOK IS SOO BORING. I don’t know if this is my slump talking but I can’t continue on anymore 😔. I solely read this because the synopsis reminds me of BOT and that is literally my favourite series OF ALL TIME. I knew that this wasn’t going to be exactly like that so I went in with low expectations and thank God I did because this book was disappointing. The writing made no sense like AT ALL. Like first of all, there are like barely any character descriptions (for the side characters) so I had no clue what anyone looked like. I had to ask ChatGPT and it couldn’t even give me descriptions. Second of all, we jumped around SO MUCH. One second we were having a dodgeball game and he’s giving her a huge smile, and then the chapter ends and it’s the next day. Why couldn’t we just expand on what happened after? Also the dialogue made no sense sometimes. Like I was truly lost on who was talking and what they were even talking about. I also cringed SO MUCH (especially with things Jaslene would do) and was SO BORED most of the time. I even read the last chapter to see if I shouldn’t DNF and I couldn’t even get through that…
Im sorry but I DO NOT recommend. Hope my next read is better 😔
Happy reading bb’s 💗💗💋💋😘😘
June 12, 2025
3.75 ⭐
what do you mean this ends on a cliffhanger???? with absolutely no news of a second book????? *deep breath*
i really liked this book. there were many interesting factors to it.
i really liked both of our MCs. Jaslene was absolutely lovely. i really liked her personality. now as for Mack, *sighs dreamingly* he might just be one of my favorites.ever. he is just too good.
the interactions between them was very cute. and i like that there was an actual story going on other than the main relationship.
the other characters though i did not care for or even like actually. especially Mand. there was just something off about her. but that's just me.
now onto what i disliked:
i did find this hard to get into in the beginning.
the writing was very confusing in some parts too. I don't know if it was the style or the syntax or if it was just all over the place.
and i feel like there were a lot of unanswered questions (like what happened to jes and her dad). plot holes even.
what do you mean this ends on a cliffhanger???? with absolutely no news of a second book????? *deep breath*
i really liked this book. there were many interesting factors to it.
i really liked both of our MCs. Jaslene was absolutely lovely. i really liked her personality. now as for Mack, *sighs dreamingly* he might just be one of my favorites.ever. he is just too good.
the interactions between them was very cute. and i like that there was an actual story going on other than the main relationship.
the other characters though i did not care for or even like actually. especially Mand. there was just something off about her. but that's just me.
now onto what i disliked:
i did find this hard to get into in the beginning.
the writing was very confusing in some parts too. I don't know if it was the style or the syntax or if it was just all over the place.
and i feel like there were a lot of unanswered questions (like what happened to jes and her dad). plot holes even.
August 16, 2024
ARE WE JOKINGGGGGGG
June 8, 2025
"i do like you..."
𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙨𝙤 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤𝙭𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞'𝙢 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙪𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 '𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙢𝙚' 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙙. 𝙞 𝙨𝙖𝙬 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙, 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙚𝙙, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚, 𝙞 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙩. 𝙞 𝙙𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙'𝙫𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙚. 𝙞 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙𝙣'𝙩 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙥 𝙢𝙮𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛. ↴
400 pages of slow burn later, mind you
everything in this book just felt so real. like it was really happening. and that's hard to beat.
here's a synopsis in my words:
・⭑・jaslene davies: ever outgoing people pleaser, and the new girl in town. naturally, she attaches herself to a group of friends almost immediately. the warning they drill into her: stay away from the hollands- especially mackenzie holland. easy enough, right? well, sure- until jaslene and mack have a little run in. and then coincidentally, some more run ins. somewhere along the way, they start to grow on eachother, their "run ins" turning into planned meetups, much to the demise of jaslene's asshat boyfriend, callum- who's harbored one sided animosity towards mack since grade school. through growing closer, they both have epiphanies of sorts. for mackenzie- it's realizing that he deserves more, he deserves love, and that he should learn to let it in. for jaslene, it's realizing that she should prioritize her own well being over other's, and that mackenzie holland is nothing like the nasty person his classmates painted him out to be.
but put the "perfect" girl and the "broken" boy together, and you have a pair doomed to struggle.
i will forever love the microtrope: people pleasing girl meets boy that brings out the real personality in her, not just the persona she morphs and shifts depending on who she's with. these two were no exception to that, to the surprise of no one.
jaslene was so relatable with her people pleasing tendencies, but i loved seeing how passionate she got when it came to mack. miss girl always had a clapback. she was just so sweet and cutesy and i love her for it for reals
and god do i love a PATHETIC man. i hate that hard to get bullshit- i want him obsessed, feel me? mackenzie fufilled that in just the right amount, reminded me so heavily of joey lynch with aoife in saving 6 that it almost stung ('wow does this girl stfu about boys of tommen??') oh and don't even get me started with the gentleness. and reassurances. and how he supported his sister, mandy, and jaslene through all of their crazy.
speaking of mandy: i want a mandy book. after the second mack and jaslene book (damn cliff hanger), of course. she was actually hilarious. and i'm so intrigued by her and kam. i need more info rn.
this storyline and dialogue really reminded me of boys of tommen (though what doesn't remind me of boys of tommen at this point?) the BANTER. it was so good and had me giggling and blushing and eughhhhh!!
callum you better be grateful i live in the us (and that he's a fucking fictional character) because i will whoop your ass. actually, amizah, you should write me in and let me do just that ☺️ since no one wants to take action... i will!! GLADLY so too!!! mackenzie, get behind me boo!
i just luvvvved this. i need book #2 yesterday. that cliff hanger was not okay @amizah !! i need to see mack & jas living out the endings they deserve after all they've been through 😀😀 like hello
❕❕spoiler section ❕❕
just when things got great, when mack was cutesy happy and giddy, the author was like "oh hell nah boi you can't be happy" BOOM JUMPED STABBED SLAMMED idk i can't think of more violent things but check all of the above. as if that boy hadn't been through enough like 💔 let him be happy damn
i'll be waiting for book #2 🥹😍☺️😉
𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙨𝙤 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤𝙭𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞'𝙢 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙪𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 '𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙢𝙚' 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙙. 𝙞 𝙨𝙖𝙬 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙, 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙚𝙙, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚, 𝙞 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙩. 𝙞 𝙙𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙'𝙫𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙚. 𝙞 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙𝙣'𝙩 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙥 𝙢𝙮𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛. ↴
400 pages of slow burn later, mind you
everything in this book just felt so real. like it was really happening. and that's hard to beat.
here's a synopsis in my words:
・⭑・jaslene davies: ever outgoing people pleaser, and the new girl in town. naturally, she attaches herself to a group of friends almost immediately. the warning they drill into her: stay away from the hollands- especially mackenzie holland. easy enough, right? well, sure- until jaslene and mack have a little run in. and then coincidentally, some more run ins. somewhere along the way, they start to grow on eachother, their "run ins" turning into planned meetups, much to the demise of jaslene's asshat boyfriend, callum- who's harbored one sided animosity towards mack since grade school. through growing closer, they both have epiphanies of sorts. for mackenzie- it's realizing that he deserves more, he deserves love, and that he should learn to let it in. for jaslene, it's realizing that she should prioritize her own well being over other's, and that mackenzie holland is nothing like the nasty person his classmates painted him out to be.
but put the "perfect" girl and the "broken" boy together, and you have a pair doomed to struggle.
i will forever love the microtrope: people pleasing girl meets boy that brings out the real personality in her, not just the persona she morphs and shifts depending on who she's with. these two were no exception to that, to the surprise of no one.
jaslene was so relatable with her people pleasing tendencies, but i loved seeing how passionate she got when it came to mack. miss girl always had a clapback. she was just so sweet and cutesy and i love her for it for reals
and god do i love a PATHETIC man. i hate that hard to get bullshit- i want him obsessed, feel me? mackenzie fufilled that in just the right amount, reminded me so heavily of joey lynch with aoife in saving 6 that it almost stung ('wow does this girl stfu about boys of tommen??') oh and don't even get me started with the gentleness. and reassurances. and how he supported his sister, mandy, and jaslene through all of their crazy.
speaking of mandy: i want a mandy book. after the second mack and jaslene book (damn cliff hanger), of course. she was actually hilarious. and i'm so intrigued by her and kam. i need more info rn.
this storyline and dialogue really reminded me of boys of tommen (though what doesn't remind me of boys of tommen at this point?) the BANTER. it was so good and had me giggling and blushing and eughhhhh!!
callum you better be grateful i live in the us (and that he's a fucking fictional character) because i will whoop your ass. actually, amizah, you should write me in and let me do just that ☺️ since no one wants to take action... i will!! GLADLY so too!!! mackenzie, get behind me boo!
i just luvvvved this. i need book #2 yesterday. that cliff hanger was not okay @amizah !! i need to see mack & jas living out the endings they deserve after all they've been through 😀😀 like hello
❕❕spoiler section ❕❕
just when things got great, when mack was cutesy happy and giddy, the author was like "oh hell nah boi you can't be happy" BOOM JUMPED STABBED SLAMMED idk i can't think of more violent things but check all of the above. as if that boy hadn't been through enough like 💔 let him be happy damn
i'll be waiting for book #2 🥹😍☺️😉
August 25, 2024
I mostly only read about strong, powerful FMCs in fantasy books so it was SO refreshing reading about Jaz. She didn’t care about anyone else’s opinions and not in a bad obnoxious way but in a I’m confident in myself way. The slow burn trope wasn’t boring and I genuinely felt the feelings of both characters growing as the book progressed. I’m so happy I got to receive the ARC because it’s such an amazing book!!
October 20, 2024
BRO?! THE FUCK WAS THAT ENDING?? WHERE IS THE NEXT BOOK. THAT WAS NOT OKAY! YOU CANNOT JUST END THE BOOK LIKE THAT? i was told this book was supposed to be STANDALONE ROMANCE? this was the most shocked i have been. i am sitting here at my work, JAW DROPPED because i did not expect this book ending. i genuinely thought this was gonna be like a happy little ending? WHERE IS THE NEXT BOOK.
okok so anyways despite that crazy ass ending?! (still in shock?!?) this book would've been rated higher if the writing wasn't so god awfully CONFUSING! like it was a good plot and i enjoyed it but the amount of times i reread so many parts of this book because i was lost was too many to count. so for the next book i BEG OF YOU to please use more descriptive words and like actually SET the tone, backgrounds, explain the arguments?? because i had to try my best to create my own scene and scenarios....thats how lost i was.
overall i understood the plot and it was good, i like the characters and how much development everyone gets!
(probably wouldn't recommend this book to anyone though, at-least not until i read the next book)
okok so anyways despite that crazy ass ending?! (still in shock?!?) this book would've been rated higher if the writing wasn't so god awfully CONFUSING! like it was a good plot and i enjoyed it but the amount of times i reread so many parts of this book because i was lost was too many to count. so for the next book i BEG OF YOU to please use more descriptive words and like actually SET the tone, backgrounds, explain the arguments?? because i had to try my best to create my own scene and scenarios....thats how lost i was.
overall i understood the plot and it was good, i like the characters and how much development everyone gets!
(probably wouldn't recommend this book to anyone though, at-least not until i read the next book)
August 28, 2024
Wow wow wow. First of all thank you to amizah for providing the ARC and creating a new universe for me to obsess over :) I don’t even know where to begin, I loved everything about this, every little thing. Mack and Jaslene their dynamic?? Their banter ?? Their chemistry??? I will never get over it. I couldn’t put the book down I kept giggling and crying the entire time. BUT THE ENDING ? It absolutely ruined me. How can I get the next book asap ???
I will be posting an updated review once the book is released to avoid spoilers xx
I will be posting an updated review once the book is released to avoid spoilers xx
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