Watch Me

Shatter Me: The New Republic #1

by Tahereh Mafi, Laura Mastroddi (Translator)

Nei miei sogni sono al ho una mano forte a cui aggrapparmi, una porta da chiudere contro il buio, un orecchio fidato a cui sussurrare le mie paure. Nei miei sogni sono paziente e gentile...

Sono passati dieci anni dalla caduta della Restaurazione, da quando Juliette e Warner hanno guidato una ribellione mondiale e fondato la Nuova Repubblica dell’Ovest. Ma dopo un periodo di calma apparente, l’antico regime è pronto a rientrare in gioco compiendo una mossa dalle conseguenze devastanti. E, questa volta, ha la persona giusta per concludere la missione.

James Anderson è riuscito in un’impresa impossibile anche per il fratello maggiore, il famoso Aaron Warner infiltrarsi sull’Isola dell’Arca, l’estremo rifugio della Restaurazione. Certo, non tutto è andato come previsto, dato che ora è rinchiuso in una cella, ma è comunque una vittoria.

Rosabelle Wolff, figlia dell’ex comandante in capo e reggente del Settore 52, poi passato ai ribelli della Nuova Repubblica, vive con Clara, la sorella minore gravemente malata, nella cosiddetta un luogo desolato dell’Isola dell’Arca dove viene relegato chiunque si sia macchiato di colpe verso il regime. Per sopravvivere, Rosabelle è diventata una sicaria della Restaurazione, e ogni suo movimento, pensiero ed emozione è monitorato da un’intelligenza sintetica cui nessuno può sottrarsi. Quando le viene ordinato di uccidere, esitare non è un’opzione.

Traboccante di azione e tormenti amorosi, Watch Me è un viaggio esplosivo in un mondo distopico dove la dinamica enemies to lovers non è mai stata così impossibile. Un mondo mozzafiato assillato dalla chi siamo quando nessuno ci guarda?

Genres: Fantasy, Dystopia, Romance, Young Adult, Romantasy, Enemies To Lovers, Audiobook

286 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 15, 2025

About the author

Tahereh Mafi is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Shatter Me series. She was born in a small city somewhere in Connecticut and currently resides in Santa Monica, California with her husband, fellow author Ransom Riggs. She can usually be found over-caffeinated and stuck in a book. Shatter Me is her first series, with television rights optioned by ABC Signature Studios; Furthermore, her first middle grade novel, is on shelves now, and Whichwood, its darker companion, will be on shelves November 14, 2017.

Reviews

[Clace · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.35!

"Adam wanted peace, Warner wanted justice. But I'd realized at a young age that you can't have peace without securing justice, and when you're living under tyranny you can't secure justice without violence. I didn't want to like a passive life."

Spin-offs usually are a hit or a miss—some love them more than the original series, while others think that their association with the original series is a crime. For me, Watch Me was in the former. NOW HOLD ON! This series will probably never outshine the absolute masterpiece that Unravel Me and Ignite Me were, but if you compare Shatter Me as a first book and Watch Me as a first book, you can clearly see that Watch Me excels.

What Shatter Me suffered from is really absent from this one, and obviously, these are the basic things you would expect from the spin-off because the author's writing style would improve a lot if you're comparing her first work with her latest—and that is what I liked!! Seeing the progress that she made, and that made this book overall so enjoyable. And yes, it had its shortcomings and faults, but I cannot lie when I say how much I loved it. Like, it was everything I wanted it to be while also being very different from what I wanted it to be. One thing is for sure: a lot of you would not like it, and the reasons would be valid. But if you have a strong connection with the past characters, you will definitely have the best time of your life with this one.

“In my dreams I am safe; I have a strong hand to hold; a door to lock against the dark; a trusted ear into which I whisper my fears. In my dreams I am patient and kind; I have room in my heart for more pain than my own. I am not afraid to smile at strangers. I have never witnessed death.”

Tahereh's writing in this one was exactly what I wanted—it was humorous but also well-balanced with a few moments of high stakes, and very fast-paced. Like me and Hoda devoured this book in a day or two. It was very fast-paced, coupled with short chapters, which made me feel like I was making a lot of progress lolll. It was also very addicting—like, I could not stop reading it even if I wanted to.

There were a few things from the previous series that I had a problem with here, like the repetitive nature of some sentences and the vague nature of some of the plot points. But I didn't pay much heed to the latter because, according to Mafi, this is going to be a relatively longer series. So I think as we move forward, the plot would fit right in. But I would say that I had high expectations for it, and it did not disappoint me. Considering how many of the new anticipated releases disappointed me this year, it felt good to read one that did not.

"It’s simple logic: if we believe our choices are our own, if we do not know we are being bent into obeisance, we will not be be tempted to revolt"

The characters were easily the part that really overshadowed everything in this book. I feel like all the characters were done right in this one, and I had no problem with any of the characters—which is why I am rating it so high—because they were the ones who had the most page time. They were the saving grace of the book, and they were definitely the ones who made reading this book such an enjoyable experience for me. I love how, with all these years passed, none of them lost their charm and made me feel the same way that they did when I was reading the original series.

“There's a rage that lives inside me ... The rage of a child still too young to fight the monsters when they came calling.”

Rosabelle, I'm starting with her because she's the only new character that I want to talk about. I would say for a main character, she was very different but also not (?) at the same time. I liked the assassin role and her purpose for being where she was—it kind of gave her character much-needed depth. But I feel like there is still much work to be done. Don't get me wrong—some of the things that followed Rosa's character were very intriguing and have a lot of potential, but I just don't really love her that much. And that is understandable because she's new in a sea of characters who we know, love, and want to read about. I feel like with the following books, she would join them. One thing that annoyed me about her was her constant mention of being dead on the inside—like, it got too much. I did enjoy reading her point of view though. I wanted to read James's more, but hers didn't really put me off.

“You live your life as if nothing can hurt you even though your body is covered in scars”

James Kent, he's 80% Warner, 15% Adam, and 5% himself lmao. I loved him!! He was like a younger version of Warner! A head-over-heels lover, but unlike Warner, he was a bit dumb. I feel like he didn't really see the extent of the whole situation when he made his decisions. However, I really liked his loyalty towards his family and how much he loved and cared for them. I also loveeed his banter with everyone and his humor—it was so fun to read his point of view, and he even made Rosabelle's point of view more enjoyable. I laughed so much reading this book, and it was mostly because of him. He's such a cutie patootie, and I really want to see what happens to him in the next book because umm... the way book 1 ended... I am high-key concerned. Also, is anyone else surprised that he's charming and has a way with his words?? Yeah, that’s what I thought.

“Aaron Warner Anderson is a living legend.”

Aaron Warner, I think I accidentally and unknowingly screamed whenever he appeared in this book. His scenes and the aura that they radiated >>>>. He was so mad in this book—like literally, he was mad the whole book because of James's actions and would only be a cutie in front of Juliette. Like that woman has him wrapped around her finger. But yeah, I loved how he had everything figured out—like that one scene where James is dumbstruck, but Aaron knew what Rosabelle was going to do and said it—chills. I also obviously loved the few scenes we got of him with Kenji—they literally make my day. The ending—ahahaha yeah, I fully support him and whatever he did. Also not Aaron wanting to kill James for making Juliette cry.

“I'm living Kenji's dream right now," I whisper, still petting the bird's head. "Except for all the blood, I'm basically a fairy-tale prince. All I need is a musical number and a fairy godmother.”

Juliette, Kenji, Nazeera and Adam, Juliette was so sweet—like she deserved a hug. The way she cried sm because James was missing was so sweet. She wasn't really in this book a lot, so I don't have a lot of thoughts, but I love her. Kenji, I loveeeeee him so much—my man was desperate, so heartbroken and so damn funny. That whole scene of him and Winston moping had me creasing. When he said he couldn't be compared to Arabs I LOST IT. But yeah, it's no surprise that I loved him and I loved his banter with James. Nazeera, I wish she was in this book more, and I want her to be in the next books because I miss her the most and Tahereh you better fix the shit you pulled. Adam—guys idk I think his wife really made this man likeable because why was I smiling at them and feeling smthign for them? They were cute.

“When there's something you want but can't have, you can be patient or creative. Choose a path.”

The romance, it was good because, I mean, we are getting an MMC who's a mixture of Kenji and Warner. I liked the chemistry that they have and the things that James said were swoon-worthy. I love how both him and Warner fell so deep in love with women who tried to kill them lmaoo. I feel like while Rosa was in love, she still was able to keep her emotions in check and try to do what she intended, but James was more obsessed and that would jeopardize their missions. But the chemistry and tension was there, and the slow burn was there too. I just didn't feel the spark that I was expecting. Maybe it'll be prominent in the next books, but I was expecting a bit more. It wasn't disappointing though—like, it was enough to keep me invested and enough to make it an enjoyable experience for me.

“Hate that Warner is probably right, that profanity is probably a failure of the mind, that only idiots need to rely on foul language to express themselves properly-or whatever stupid shit he said to Adam that one time.”

The plot, this was the only disappointing part. It didn't really hinder the experience for me—I'll explain. The plot took a back seat in this book. It was missing. And although we had a plotline, it wasn't enough because it wasn't progressing in the way a plot should in a fantasy/dystopian. But it didn't really ruin my experience to that extent, because that gap that it made was mostly filled by the characters. And I imagined this book like a prologue to this series, a way for us to get familiar with the changes to the world and to the characters. I liked the plot points set up and would like to see it be explored as the series progresses. But I feel like I set my expectations in that way when I was reading this book, because the way this book was set—with a light plot and heavy character development—was a very nice way for me to familiarize with the changes made and the things that may happen next.

Overall, a really great start to this spin-off!
____
Watch me go feral over AaronJuliette and KenjiNazeera (I refuse to believe the rumours) ALSO THIS BETTER EAT!

-Buddy reading with Hoda.
____
Watch me.....YEAH WATCH ME DEVOUR ALL THE BOOKS THIS QUEEN HAS TO OFFER THROUGH THESE SPIN OFFS 🧎🏻
_______

Soooo I just read the sneak peek that was at the end of shatter me's deluxe edition and I'm in awe like what do you mean 😭😭

All of that happened in just three chapters??? And how dare you end chapter three on a cliffhanger like now I want the book even more 😭😭

I'll try and quote it in a bit but I just know that James is gonna be SM like Warner 🙂‍↕️ it's going to be absolutely amazing!!

Also got to know about AARON HAVING A DAUGHTER LIKE?????

(The KenjiNazeera and AaronJuliette crumbs will have me begging me on my knees for more 😭)

the waiting days are toooo much 😭
____
I JUST READ THE SECOND SNIPPET 🤭🤭

it was sooo good like I honestly canNOT wait for this book because I NEEEEEEEEED Aaron and James relationship here 🙏🏻

I need more do them. The chapter literally starting with Aaron calling him idiot had me 🤣 but I love their duo and I want moreee

Keep blessing us with this snippets 🙏🏻 or better yet give me the book 🫴🏻

[areeba ✿ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars ★

'watch me' is actually about Rosabelle and James staring at each other half the time. that’s why it’s called 'watch me' … because of the constant staring at each other …

kenji and aaron literally carried the book—my strong kings, ugh 😌💅🏻🎀

this is gonna be long so buckle up.

this book can be easily divided into two parts. my rating for the first half would be 3.5 stars. that part is funny (thanks to james), with some high stakes, new discoveries on every page, and, of course—escape.

the second half though? a solid 1.5 stars. it’s slow, it’s repetitive, and it drags on with nothing new happening. by that point, we already know what's coming, and it's just like, okay, cool, i guess we’re just waiting for the inevitable? where’s the fun in that?



this isn't a bad book per se, but i also feel like it doesn't have that particular 'shatter me' feel that made reading the original series so much fun. i only felt excitement about what james might do in the first half. other than that, my only interest was in the original characters, or when they were mentioned or their interactions.

which brings me to my point: if the whole point of this book is to cash in on the love for the original characters, then why the heck are we being introduced to a whole new cast? we’re supposed to care about them, love them, feel things for them, right?

but i didn’t (or at least not as much as i hoped to)


˗ˏˋ ꒰ the main characters ꒱ ˎˊ˗

➸ James Anderson:

listen - i liked james in the first half. he was funny and acted like kenji but also possessed some qualities specific to aaron. it was fun to read his pov but god did he annoy me in the second half. people around him kept calling him naive and that's what it felt like - he was being so freaking naive.

and the ending? bruh, he pissed me off. when he tells aaron that there have been 'recent developments' STOP THIS MADNESS 😭🤡 WE had access to rosabella's inner thoughts. WE knew what she was thinking. HE didn't. for all he knew, she could snap his neck in that second. it was IRRITATING ME sm. bff be real, the both of them did NOT have any type of soulmate connection with each other or sth like that for james to trust her ughhhh 😭

"rosabella do you trust me?" JAMES SHUT UP WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT, let me ask you a better question WHY DO YOU TRUST HER? 🤡☝🏻 he was willing to trust her EVEN AFTER SHE TRIED TO ATTACK EVERYONE babe tf? 😭 he had been trained his entire life against such stuff but STILL somehow he kept falling for the same facade 😭😭😭


➸ Rosabelle Wolff:

i sympathized with her, but i swear i could not care less about this girl. she is okay, but her pov is so boringggg 😭🤡 maybe that's the entire point since she needs to appear as "dead" and "devoid of feelings" to everyone around her, but rosabelle babe, we are inside your mind, give us some crumbs to your personality atleast. 🤡😭 i did like her thoughts about synthetic intelligence and government though.

also, homegirl said james looks better than aaron 🤡🤡🤡😭😭😭☝🏻☝🏻☝🏻 girlie i'll pay for the eye surgery.


➸ James + Rosabelle

i didn't feel any chemistry between them. it was too insta-attraction, too 'she's/he's the prettiest thing i've ever seen, so brain functions are gone and imma start to forgo everything i've learnt in my life.' give me SOMETHING 😭🤸🏻‍♀️, some actual tension beyond just googly eyes at each other's faces.

maybe this is my major critique of the second half. had i felt more for the characters and their romance, i wouldn't have found it so dull.

half the time they're just staring at each other, jesus 🤡 "Today I watched her braid her hair. Braid and unbraid it. Braid and unbraid it" JAMES I WILL KICK YOU SHUT YO' TRAP 😭🙏🏻 bro thinks he's aaron warner 😒 criminal offensive side eye

and aaron being able to read all of james's emotions HELP i cringed sm and got so much second hand embarassement from that part 😭 imagine thinking about that type of stuff and someone like AARON WARNER can read your mind about that. i would kms.


˗ˏˋ ꒰ the plot/world building/writing ꒱ ˎˊ˗

the plot is nice at the starting, ngl. the world-building is interesting, and we get to see the original world expand. it was nice seeing it through someone else’s lens + klaus is such an interesting character, damn. probably one of my favorite things from this book. the writing is also quite nice—simple and easy to read 😌 no critiques there.


˗ˏˋ ꒰ the og gang ꒱ ˎˊ˗

the main reason we all read this, let's be real. i was screaming when they came up - my beloved family 😭💕💞


➸ Aaron Warner

aaron warner being a loving husband and the SHEER AURA of my man. damn, preach.

the way everyone started quaking every time he entered the room—i'm over here having a spiritual experience—akjdshsajfdsjbshgjds—but HE'S STILL AS SOFT FOR JULIETTE AS HE WAS 10 YEARS AGO 😭😭😭 the only couple ever.

the crumbs we got of kenji and aaron being besties—brb crying 😭 AND KENJI TELLING AARON THAT that kid is not going to grow up without a father. i was about to cry—they are best friends, i'm crying, i'm tears.

aaron outmaneuvering rosabelle at the end was SO HOT OF HIM, my intelligent maaaaan.

also, people saying that aaron was being cruel at the end—babe, what? no, he wasn't. everyone protects things they love, and we've seen time and again that aaron would do anything for people he cares about. y'all acting like he isn’t responsible for an entire fucking REPUBLIC—did y'all want him to braid rosabelle’s hair? if anyone knows how the reestablishment acts, it's HIM. his actions were 100% justified and REAL. he does not know rosabelle and has no reason to sympathize with her. for all he knows, she came here for intel (which she fucking did, my man mapped out all her moves to the T)—so like, what’s the issue? 🤡 should he stop doing his freaking job? smh, nonsense, y’all trippin’.


➸ Kenjiiiiiii

MY MAN, PLS. he's as perfect as ever. HE STILL HAS THE SAME HEART OF GOLD, PLS, and not him saying "jello," "daddy anderson"—HELP, THE HUMOR I'VE MISSED 😭💕



and wtf was that about naz and him breaking up? PLEASE, MY MAN HAS SUFFERED ENOUGH!!!! HE DESERVES BETTER (i volunteer as tribute). he better have the entire world at his feet in book 2, idc.


➸ Adam:

i was kinda surprised seeing adam as a passive member, but good for him, i guess. ngl, we've clowned that man enough. i may never care about him, but i'm still happy he got a good family and his character wasn't completely screwed up because of his mistakes (cough tamlin from acotar cough).


➸ Juliette:

my girlllll 😭 i wish we got to see her in action, but she's pregnant, so i guess that was out of the question. but i SOOOOO wanted to see her be a girlboss and take charge as THE SUPREME COMMANDER in this book. i was robbed, idk.

and her friendship with kenji 😭💕💕 they're watching movies—dsbbhjkjlsadj, brb crying. my favorite friendship, now and forever.


➸ Warnette

still the greatest couple ever. the crumbs we got were good ngl 😌 do i wish we got to see more? ofc. but i understand that this book wasn't about them.


˗ˏˋ ꒰ fav quotes/parts ꒱ ˎˊ˗

↠ “Hey, don’t make fun of my husband,” Juliette says playfully, and pinches him. “He works hard.”
Kenji yelps. Popcorn forgotten, he turns to look at her with wide eyes. “Did you just, like, zap me with your killing power?”
She laughs. “Only a little bit.”
“Only a little bit?” His eyes go wider. “J, you can literally murder people with only a little bit—”
“She can murder whoever she wants,” Warner says flatly. “Don’t stifle her.”

everything, EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS PART—their dynamic, Aaron saying she can murder anyone she wants—BYEEEE, Kenji & Juliette, my girl finally feeling comfortable enough in her skin to PLAY with her power, ohhh 😭💗




↠ "My own half-brother is basically running the world with his wife"

yessir. yessir. yessir.


↠ “For what it’s worth, Jeff, I fucking love lasagna.”

that was so funny 😭


↠ His eyes seem to shimmer, as if laughter comes to him freely—and yet he single-handedly slaughtered a dozen soldiers. He was unarmed.

HE LEARNT THAT FROM AARON—BYE. THROWBACK TO THE MACHETE SCENE.


↠ "Minds and organs sacrificed at the altar of artificial learning."

what a line.


↠ If we believe our choices are our own—if we do not know we are being bent into obeisance—we will not be tempted to revolt. The ultimate goal of synthetic intelligence, then, is the obliteration of organic intelligence. The eradication of resistance.

oh, I loved the critique of AI here.


↠ “The thing is, I’d tell you what we’re going to do, except— You’re recording me right now, aren’t you, you little trash panda? And I’m not going to tell you shitheads exactly what I have planned.”

SO KENJI CODED.


↠ “They’re for my wife,” Warner says sharply.
“What? You have a wife?” Kenji throws his arm around Warner and squeezes. “You’re married? Congrats, man. I had no idea. You literally never mention it.”

STOP, THEY'RE STILL THE SAME—MY BELOVEDS 😭😭😭.


↠ “I think it’s a great idea,” says Juliette, smiling at Warner the way she always does. Like he can do nothing wrong.

sobbing, that's my husband and his wife.


↠ “—and she nearly killed all of us just because Daddy Anderson asked her to.”
“Jesus.” I drag my hands down my face. “Don’t call him Daddy.”

THIS WAS HILARIOUS—DADDY ANDERSON 🤸🏻‍♀️😭.


↠ “Don’t exaggerate because you’re jealous,” says Kenji. “If you want popcorn, all you have to do is ask.”
“I shouldn’t have to ask,” Warner counters icily. “You’re supposed to offer.”

best duo, idc, idc, idc.


↠ “I just gasped,” says Kenji, not gasping.
“Me too,” says Juliette, also not gasping.

BIRDS OF A FEATHER 😭😭😭


↠ “Sweetheart,” Juliette says softly, and Warner immediately stills, his body tensing.

hsdbajdfbdjbgkudshkjkehshdsbfhsbjdfb the greatest love of our time

(there aren't any James or Rosabelle quotes because I couldn't care enough, I'm sorry 😭)


˗ˏˋ ꒰ bottom line ꒱ ˎˊ˗

this is an extremely subjective take on this book because if i liked james/rosa more that i did, i would have given it a higher rating. i always say that tahereh's strength is her characters; the more you like her characters, the more you love her books.

so, if you're all about james and rosa, and their simping for each other, you’ll probably love this one.

how i feel after yapping so much:



˗ˏˋ ꒰ pre-read ꒱ ˎˊ˗

dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron. dilf aaron.

i'm excited only for the sake of warnette because even though james would be older, i would still feel like i'm reading about a 10 y/0 kid whom i cannot simp over 😭✋

[Maddy ✨ ~The Verse Vixen {AFK brb} · Rating 3 out of 5]

⚡︎"Welcome back to Shatter Me universe, where chaos reigns supreme,
Trauma’s the tether, and hope is a dream.
Redemption is violent, yet we’re caught in the blaze,
Fighting through the ashes, igniting the haze"⚡︎‏

"I’ve been here before—different shoes, same ground ,There’s something about this world... it felt like home” And just like that,We’re back in the Shatter Me world, where the stakes have never been higher. Takes place in the new-republic Waffle leading Rosabelle Our new FMC fights for freedom intensifies as she navigates betrayal, survival, and unexpected alliances. When James enters her world, everything shifts. Secrets are uncovered, lives are shattered, and the battle for a future begins. Hold tight, the storm’s only just started.

⁀➴ Let’s Break Down the Cast, Shall We?~

♂ "Introducing James, the golden retriever buddy you never knew you needed – all heart, no filter." (✿◠‿◠) Enters James Anderson (yes, that James—Adam’s little brother), who pulls up like he’s starring in Survivor: Revolution Edition I was here for him. His charm, his resilience, and his overall sense of, like, not being a total jerk? Sigh. He’s the boy we didn’t know we needed, but once we got him, we were hooked. trust me when I say, he's like a ticking time bomb of pure potential. He’s always doing the most, but somehow it always ends in hilarious, yet heartwarming, disaster. Like, he’s the kind of guy who would steal your last cookie, crack a joke, and somehow make you forgive him because he’s just so damn likable. has a thing for gummy bears🧸ིྀHE is all aaron's looks and kenji'personality as I predicted. the infiltrator with a secret agenda, because obviously no one else is after the truth about Ark Island. He clashes with Rosabelle, but somehow they connect. His “resilience” and “kindness” are the shining lights in a world of darkness. So original, right? Honestly, James is basically Kenji’s clone, but with more emotional depth and darker twists. Every chapter that was from James' POV had me like "Keep talking, buddy."I sure he sures a lot lol!

♀ Rosabelle Wolf- Part-time assassin, full-time identity crisis 🥷⚔️ Emotionally repressed, morally gray, violently maternal. Kills people by breakfast, cries once a year. Knife before life, runs on guilt and unresolved trauma,Trained to Kill, Forgot to Feel. If Juliette was the sad poetry girl, Rosabelle is her angry nihilistic cousin who has trust issues and a sharp object collection. The “I’m dead inside” girl. Trained killer meets tired elder sister trope. She’s got the emotional walls of a 14th-century castle and enough unresolved trauma to power a Netflix limited series. the tragically complex heroine with a mysterious past. She spends the whole book grappling with her inner violence and oh, the redemption arc we’ve all been waiting for. And of course, her relationship with James makes her question everything—her beliefs, loyalties, you name it. It’s all about that “power of choice” and “courage to change,” because who doesn’t love a good self-discovery journey? Honestly? Ugh. Honestly. I couldn’t click with her. I get it, her life is tough, and she’s had a hard go of it. But there’s just not enough spark to her character. She has so much potential, but it’s like she’s holding all her emotions in a box, and I’m just left waiting for her to open it.Anyway sigh- Maybe things will unravel in book 2 hopefully.

˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗ Shadows of the spotlight

ღ♛ 𓆩 Aaron Warner𓆪 -Dilf Era Prequel –The Daddy era Loading: 🧎🏻‍♀️
🎤 “HELLOOOO HELLO FRIENDS, ENEMIES, AND UNDECIDED VILLAINS—welcome to the most shocking event of the century—Aaron ‘I Sleep With A Gun Under My Pillow’ Warner… is HAVING A BABY.”
I felt like a military wife reunited with her man after deployment😭
“30-Year-Old Warner” isn't a man—he's a religious experience.God created men, then said oops and sent Aaron Warner as an apology!
Like he walks into the room and the air gets thicker. Oxygen? I don’t know her. My knees? Gone. My will to live? Suddenly replaced by the will to SERVE this man his black coffee and unprocessed trauma. He opens his mouth and command me to bark- I will f*cking get on my knees and bark for this man“Yes, Daddy, whatever you say.” That’s the grip he has on me. He’s detergent. He’s that one perfection! The flag I’d hang like a tapestry in my room and point to every time I make decisions like, “yeah, that’s my Roman Empire.”Every time he looks at Juliette, I want to combust, scream into a pillow, stand in traffic. He doesn’t say love, he breathes it. 🫀I LOVE HIM IN WAYS THAT ARE MEDICALLY CONCERNING.HE RUINED ME FOR EVERY OTHER MEN!🥹
Warner in this book
Unhinged. Raw.In MY WIFE phase.The way I screamed!!!

“I know you meant that as an
insult, so consider yourself lucky I like you enough not to murder you for
disrespecting my wife.”🔥

-Warner is in his my wife era and I am NOT handling it.😭 You’d think I’d be used to this man’s perfection by now, but nope—he’s out here being the perfect husband, soon-to-be dad, and I’m just over here like take me too, pls. Juliette, you lucky bitch! WARNER STILL GETS PANIC ATTACKS OVER JULIETTE🫠🫶 When you know, you know— ▶•၊၊||၊|။||||။‌‌‌‌‌၊|• 1:00
He’s my man. My trauma-core villain to comfort character pipeline. My Roman Empire.
I do not care. I will write this man’s name in my diary with blood and glitter-STRESSED-DEPRESSED-AARON WARNER OBSESSED!∞
And if he ever gets hurt again, I swear I will crawl into the pages and make it everyone’s problem. manifesting warner as a girl dad like: tiny boots stomping over his reports, pink bows in his perfectly styled hair, he’d burn the world if she scraped her knee ASJHSBHJSHSJSHI!! "Okay, that’s all for now. If I keep talking about Warner, I’ll never stop".
-
⟢Kenji (HE 👏 IS 👏 SO 👏 BACK.)
Ahhhh, Kenji. The legend. The king. You want comic relief? You got it. You want someone who’s genuinely loyal, hilarious, and just a blast to be around? Yeah, that’s Kenji. Kenji is the guy who always brings the vibes, and without him, this entire story would just be one big emotional breakdown. He’s got that charming side that’s impossible to resist, and honestly, if I could steal him from the book and put him in real life? I would. He’s like that friend who can roast you to the core but also throw in a “but I love you” right after. Iconic But here’s the best part: Kenji raised James—I mean, it’s clear. They have this insane, charming energy that makes you smile every single time they interact. Like, their banter? Top-tier. They’re both quick-witted, sarcastic, and have a sick sense of humor. I love their dynamic because it’s like they’re cut from the same cloth!!
-KENJI X NAZEERA ENDGAME OR WE RIOT.
The chemistry?? The banter?? The tension that was absolutely there in Defy Me and Restore Me???I SAW IT. YOU SAW IT. WE ALL SAW IT. 👀🔥 🕯️ dearest Tahereh Mafi 🕯️
please…
from the bottom of my broken, book-loving, Kenji-adoring heart—
give my SHAYLA a happy ending.
🧷 More side chracters -Clara Wolff,Lieutenant Soledad,Sebastian Rivers,Adam Kent,Elias,Jing,Winston,kip, castle...

✪-The Pulse of the Narrative Rosabelle and her sister Clara struggle to survive on Ark Island, a harsh and controlled place. Rosabelle, hardened by loss, is forced to confront the violence within herself to protect her sister. When she crosses paths with James, an infiltrator from The New Republic, their fateful encounter sparks an uneasy alliance. As they uncover dark secrets about The Reestablishment’s plans, they must navigate betrayal, trust, and their own demons. In The New Republic, Rosabelle faces her past and struggles with the possibility of redemption. With stakes rising, she must make a final sacrifice that will shape her future and the fate of the world.
🪶 Plot Devices
Klaus, the Phantom Mastermind, controls everything from the shadows, manipulating minds with chilling precision. In the New Republic, his influence is everywhere, leaving Rosabelle and James caught in a web of control and paranoia. Meanwhile, the surveillance, Nexus, and Vial shape their journey toward escape and redemption, each representing a force of manipulation, hope, and the struggle to rebuild in a fractured world.
⋆༺𓆩☠︎︎𓆪༻⋆
𓆩❤︎𓆪Things I admire
🖇️-Warner and James Dynamic-
Warner, all cold and calculated, The other snacks on gummy bears mid-apocalypse—and somehow, they click.Their banter slices sharp but hides a soft, unexpected brotherhood.

“You think I’m more handsome
than you? Smarter than you? Taller than you?”
Warner sits up in his chair, his eyes flashing.-lmao!

"Juliette spoiled you."
"You spoiled me."
"Shut up."🤭

"The man practically raised me. I asked him to take me in. Adam sought peace. Warner craved justice. And I? I wanted to be him."-He loves warner sm!

🖇️Kenji & James: Partners in Chaos 𐙚
Sarcastic charm meets reckless energy in a duo made for disaster.
Trouble finds them, but laughter and loyalty keep them close.

🖇️ The Banter-
Every jab is laced with care, every insult a hidden hug.
They fight, tease, and bond in the most chaotic, heartfelt way.

“One last thing, James.”
“What?”
“Don’t touch her. Unless it’s to kill her.”
“Excuse me?”
Kenji: “Oh shit, twist! this is better than the movie night interesting🍿

╰┈➤ Things That Left Me Hanging-
~A lot felt incomplete, especially when it came to Adam and his relationship dynamics. It left me wanting more backstory and closure.listen, we’ve got to mention Adam once just to get it out of the way. I am happy how far he had come, wanted to see more of him—his journey with Alia and his family also lacking of james and adam's bonding. So many unanswered questions!
~Some pacing issues. Like, are we running or are we dragging our feet in trauma mud?
~The Chemistry: It’s developing, but right now it’s very much “will they, won’t they” and I'm just like can we get to the good part already? it’s playing the slow burn card, and I’m not mad... but I’m impatient.
~Repetitive inner monologue (we get it, she’s sad and full of knives).

✏ Final Verdict!?Felt like déjà vu wrapped in chaos. I missed this world—its broken glass beauty, its heavy hearts and quiet wars. James? A wildfire I didn’t know I needed. Rosabelle carried knives and numbness, but never quite reached me. The plot had moments, but not enough soul. It was all noise, no melody. Still, something about the ache felt familiar. 3 stars—for the nostalgia, for Kenji’s warmth, and for the hope that book two might finally crack Rosabelle’s shell open.
🩷 For: Shatter Me stans,complex girlies , Warner simps, and Kenji truthers!
💥 Rating: 3.5 knives-to-the-heart out of 5 -Brainrot in 4K. Dolby Digital. Maybe even IMAX.
📖 Dystopia Diaries ----------------- ────୨ৎ────---------------
ೃ ⁀➷pre-view:🎯
"Screaming, crying, lost in the thrill—I'm just a girl standing infront of my fav series, clutching the new book like a treasure"
"The chief commander of Sector 45 is here, and so is my obsession, pulling me into its world once again. Here I go, ready to dive into the madness once more!"🏃‍♀️💨
~🗣️Alexa, play "Daddy’s Home"- by Usher...

So ur telling me James is all aaron's looks+Kenji's personality 🔥that's gonna be the deadliest combo
ever 🫠 Aghhhh Only DILF Aaron can fix me now 😮‍💨✨
Watch Me? Oh, honey, this book will definitely gonna be an absolute banger🥹 I’m here for the ride💅

[annie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Aaron Warner is the definition of beautiful perfection—ruthless, raw & achingly tender. A FINE SPECIMEN. His name alone sends a symphony through my heart, each syllable a melody that leaves me breathless 🥰

sjsjshjs my love for this man grows day by day. nvm, starting off, this book is literally boring, flavorless, dull, very ugh-worthy. seriously, if you had expectations of it being like the Shatter Me series (ik you didn’t), then you definitely were deluding yourself. because obv nothing will & can replace the allure of Warner's mere presence.

this book is seriously not worth it. Kenji & Aaron carried this book just like they carried the whole Shatter Me series. understandable.

now keeping my biases aside, this started with Rosabelle's pov, where she babbled about how the Reestablishment is mistreating people no surprise there, but this time, they're wayyy too intelligent with the help of yours truly, AI.

she's then assigned to kill some spy, and turns out James is one of them. so she murders him, but he healed himself and took her + her gang by surprise and escaped. nvm turns out there's someone called

Klaus




hahaha lol or rather something... not human, simply like water or like Emmaline Sommers 2.0? 😭 ugh idk, something non-existent which is quite not non-existent typa KLAUS, who's controlling minds and has every action + reaction planned out. whatever, Rosabelle went to the NEW REPUBLIC aka The Waffle with James.

⌞James Anderson⌝

things went downhill from there, tbvh. like, i've really, really liked James' character, he's unintentionally funny and is a lot like Kenji. i just love nonchalant, funny characters and all. but let's be real, in a book + setting like the Reestablishment, it's near impossible for him to survive without guidance 😂 i don't even trust Kenji to survive either. both of them have 0 survival instincts. so yes, James was very naive. Aaron Warner's level of intelligence and leadership can never be achieved, i said what i said.

"If I could do the one thing even the famous Aaron Warner Anderson couldn’t do, maybe they’d finally respect me.”

James' chapters were a legit blessing after Rosabelle's. like a sip of cold water 😫 because man, i was BORED. wtf were her chapters? they started and ended with her saying "i’m dead inside" and how "i have to save Clara" and shit. she literally had no personality; i mean, she’s NOT interesting at all.

"This beautiful weirdo isn’t a real person. She’s artificial intelligence.”
— lol also she's extremely pale and has white hair. resembles a robot 😂

James & Rosa's whole relationship was just asking questions and not getting answers, and Rosabelle just staring 👁👁 with her blue-gray orbs all the damn time!!! like where's the progress? the development? enemies-to-lovers tension-filled romance? WHAT HAPPENED!!!

"I’m a moron. Hate that Warner is probably right, that profanity is probably a failure of the mind, that only idiots need to rely on foul language to express themselves properly—or whatever stupid shit he said to Adam that one time.”

HAHAHAHA THE OG SCENE FFFS!!! 😭


⌞ AARON & THE GANG ⌝

loved, loved, loved their scenes. the banter? the bromance? the fun??? I LOVED IT!! I'm genuinely so happy to read about them again. it was nostalgic and heartwarming reading their bickering.

- Adam living a happy life with his kids & Alia 🥺 and finally in peace, being a good father. i’m so happy for him.
- Aaron & Juliette about to be parents (though there are a lottt of complications with J's pregnancy, i still am happy for them). Aaron's just so tender with her. 💗

as for Kenji 🙂

- i was extremely shocked and heartbroken to read that Kenji & Nazeera aren’t even the endgame. i literally felt my heart break. like, wtf? this book ruined my favorite couple. 💔

- this fandom spent years begging for their book (being satisfied knowing that at least they got their hea), and now it turns out that Nazeera went to West Asia to look out for her people, and long distance is hard for them? fucking wtf? the fact that hurts the most is knowing Kenji—he's still laughing & making jokes because he would never ever let anyone know how badly he’s hurt. man is so fucking selfless, i'm crying for him. he deserved so much more 😭 this book did him dirty, idc. my babies 💔

“Oh my God,” he says, appearing and disappearing, his invisibility glitching. “I think I’m dying. Did she get more beautiful? How did she get more beautiful?”
– my heart hurts 😭 why why whyyyy

- and same goes for Winston & Brandon. 🙂 they both broke up too because brandon wanted to explore and live his life for some time. 💔

i’ll just bear the hurt. Tahereh better fix this.


⌞AARON & HIS WIFE⌝

i lived and breathed their crumbs. like how can they both be soo soooo adorable 🤭

— “Humanity?” I say with a smile. “You sound like Juliette right now." He stops to look through the window. “I know you meant that as an insult, so consider yourself lucky I like you enough not to murder you for disrespecting my wife."

MY WIFE. MY WIFE. MY WIFE. 🤭💗😩


— “Do I get to meet her?”
“No,” everyone shouts at the same time. Juliette shrinks back, surprised.
“I’m sorry,” Warner says instantly. He blanches. “Forgive me, love. I didn’t mean to shout at you.”

my man would crush anyone's ego and confidence and make them cry, yet feel remorseful for even raising his voice at her... my heart 😭. like, this scene was so freaking adorable. Ugh.


— “This man lives to worry about you. It’s his favorite thing to do. Between worrying about you and talking about you and frolicking through fields aggressively shouting your name at wildlife, I’m surprised the man has any time left to fuck with the world.”

jajahsjsja my babies 💗😭


— “Warner crosses the room to Juliette, gathering her into his arms with a tenderness he exhibits with no one else. I watch, my anger deflating, as he helps settle her into bed, adjusting her head, drawing her hair away from her eyes. He positions extra pillows around her body, closes up her book, places it on the nightstand, and then draws the blanket up around her shoulders. She murmurs a thank-you to him, and he kisses her forehead”

may this type of love finds me. ☺️


⌞other cute stuff⌝

– aaron wanting to cook pasta for Adam's kid.
– kenji shoving Aaron out when rosabelle was pointing gun, just because 'he can't see the unborn kid without a father'.
– Kenji & Juliette having slumber party and eating a lot of junk food.
– Winston and Kenji's bickering was literally so fun. i missed it sm 😭
– James getting roasted by Adam & Kenji.


i’m literally so happy for Warnette. now, KenjiNazeera better fix their shit up since Nazeera’s back for Juliette’s delivery. and pls, the next book better bring some plot, or else it’s a major flop. the plot was nothing, hence, the reason for two stars. Rosabelle and James lacked chemistry and because of the 0 spark, it was a very dull book.

*AARON WARNER APPEARING*, "umm, love?"
me:

[Ayman · Rating 4 out of 5]

ngl i only read this for the Warner scenes who continues to be the love of my life, light of my world, husband, and father to our beloved children 🩷

we are so back! lmaooo only Kenji can actually have me laughing out loud while reading words on a page. this man continues to humble Warner and be the funniest person in the whole room.

Reading about 30 year old Warner was so healing because i’ve been reading this series since I was 13 and now being 24, every year i grew older than him, prior to the existence of this book, i felt weird. but thank god this ho never stops writing this series. even when she says she’s done, she pops out with another trilogy. long live tahereh mafi🎀

anyways, to the actual craft of the story. so many things happened yet nothing at all. Rosa is an interesting character to read about. women should honestly greet every man they see by slitting their throats because the way James instantly fell in love. like this man didn’t know how to function if Rosa wasn’t consistently trying to end his life. he is so down bad, it’s pathetic and beautiful at the same time.

and oh god James. A man who yearns is the one that earns! love the way he’s so conflicted and tortured over his growing feelings towards rosa. love that he’s suffering. love that he can’t help keeping his hands to himself. i hope in the next book we get the passion this book has been brewing slapped to my face ✨

[SK · Rating 3 out of 5]

I guess it was okay-ish? It definitely doesn't have the same magic the Shatter Me series does. But it does have a few improvements.

Firstly, I read it simply because of Aaron and Kenji cameos. I ate those scenes up and I'm still annoyed with Jello (Juliette) whenever she shows up. It triggers me and perhaps she's not insane anymore but she sure made me by how the series had ended.

Rosabelle is far more likable than Jello ever was. There's more depth to her character and she's a bit of a badass. I did however like James more than her. He's full of charm, wit and sarcasm.

This one was slightly more fleshed out and had depth to the story and character developments but the character interactions fell flat for me. It made the book sort of boring. Like, I really didn't and wouldn't have cared if any of them died. I really didn't care about how it ended tbh 😅

Can we talk about Aaron's BDE though? Someone fangirl with me 👀🥺

~•~•~

I'm just here for daddy Aaron... Yes, I totally said that. No, I don't have any shame.

[Supreme Commander of South America · Rating 4 out of 5]

¡spoilers!

4.5⭐️

𝙰𝚍𝚊𝚖 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚙𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚎. 𝚆𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚎. 𝙱𝚞𝚝 𝙸'𝚍 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚣𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚝 𝚊 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚐𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚌𝚊𝚗'𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚙𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚜𝚎𝚌𝚞𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚎; 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚛𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚢𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚗𝚢 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚌𝚊𝚗'𝚝 𝚜𝚎𝚌𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚟𝚒𝚘𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎. 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚊 𝚙𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎.

"𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚖𝚊𝚗 𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚢 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞. 𝙸𝚝'𝚜 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚏𝚊𝚟𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚍𝚘. 𝙱𝚎𝚝𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚕𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚏𝚒𝚎𝚕𝚍𝚜 𝚊𝚐𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚗𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚍𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎, 𝙸'𝚖 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚗 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚕𝚎𝚏𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚏𝚞𝚌𝚔 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍."

"𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚜 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚔 𝙸'𝚖 𝚐𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚘𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚑𝚎𝚛?" "𝙸 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚔 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚜 𝚝𝚘," 𝚆𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚊𝚢𝚜. "𝙸'𝚖 𝚘𝚗𝚕𝚢 𝚊𝚍𝚟𝚒𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚍𝚘 𝚒𝚝 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗, 𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚝𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚢, 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚝𝚘."
"𝙸 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚐𝚊𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚍," 𝚜𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝙺𝚎𝚗𝚓𝚒, 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚐𝚊𝚜𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚐.
"𝙼𝚎 𝚝𝚘𝚘," 𝚜𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝙹𝚞𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚎, 𝚊𝚕𝚜𝚘 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚐𝚊𝚜𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚐.

"𝙸'𝚖 𝚜𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚢," 𝚆𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚕𝚢. 𝙷𝚎 𝚋𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚜. "𝙵𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚖𝚎, 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎. 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚖𝚎𝚊𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚊𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞."
𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚘𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚜, 𝚋𝚎𝚊𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚑𝚎'𝚜 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝚋𝚊𝚋𝚢 𝚊𝚗𝚒𝚖𝚊𝚕. 𝚂𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝙸 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚔 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚜 𝚆𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚛 𝚒𝚗 𝚊 𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚗𝚘 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚎𝚕𝚜𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚎𝚜. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚖𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚔 𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚗𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚛𝚗𝚜 𝚊𝚝 𝚊𝚕𝚕.

"𝚈𝚘𝚞'𝚛𝚎 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚖𝚢𝚜-𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚜. 𝚈𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚍𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚘𝚋𝚟𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚜. 𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚘𝚗 𝚟𝚎𝚒𝚕𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗, 𝚞𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚞𝚖𝚘𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚖 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚊𝚜𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏 𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜, 𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚊𝚙𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚘𝚙𝚙𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚗𝚝, 𝚘𝚗𝚕𝚢 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚜𝚕𝚊𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚜 𝚒𝚏 𝚒𝚝 𝚌𝚘𝚜𝚝𝚜 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐. 𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚔𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚛𝚎 𝚗𝚘𝚝. 𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚠𝚎𝚊𝚔 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚛𝚎 𝚗𝚘𝚝. 𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚙𝚒𝚍 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚛𝚎 𝚗𝚘𝚝. 𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚋𝚢 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚊𝚕 𝚌𝚘𝚍𝚎, 𝚍𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚑 𝚍𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚘𝚛, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚊𝚌𝚝 𝚊𝚜 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚜𝚊𝚌𝚛𝚒𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚖𝚎𝚊𝚗𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐. 𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚏𝚎𝚒𝚐𝚗 𝚋𝚘𝚛𝚎𝚍𝚘𝚖 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚛𝚎 𝚙𝚊𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗. 𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚜𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚎 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚛𝚢—𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚛𝚢." 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚗𝚜 𝚒𝚗. "𝚈𝚘𝚞'𝚛𝚎 𝚊 𝚕𝚒𝚊𝚛. 𝙳𝚎𝚎𝚙 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗, 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚔 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍 𝚒𝚜 𝚏𝚞𝚗𝚗𝚢. 𝙳𝚎𝚎𝚙 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗, 𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚛𝚎 𝚜𝚒𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚛𝚊𝚐𝚎. 𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚔 𝙸 𝚌𝚊𝚗'𝚝 𝚜𝚎𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚢𝚘𝚞? 𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎 𝚊𝚜 𝚒𝚏 𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚑𝚞𝚛𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚋𝚘𝚍𝚢 𝚒𝚜 𝚌𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚜𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚜."

𝚆𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚛 𝚌𝚛𝚘𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚘𝚘𝚖 𝚝𝚘 𝙹𝚞𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚎, 𝚐𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚖𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚡𝚑𝚒𝚋𝚒𝚝𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚗𝚘 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚎𝚕𝚜𝚎. 𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚝𝚌𝚑, 𝚖𝚢 𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚛 𝚍𝚎𝚏𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚊𝚜 𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚙𝚜 𝚜𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎𝚍, 𝚊𝚍𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚍, 𝚍𝚛𝚊𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚊𝚒𝚛 𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚎𝚢𝚎𝚜. 𝙷𝚎 𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚎𝚡𝚝𝚛𝚊 𝚙𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚘𝚍𝚢, 𝚌𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚎𝚜 𝚞𝚙 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔, 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎𝚜 𝚒𝚝 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚍, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚍𝚛𝚊𝚠𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚔𝚎𝚝 𝚞𝚙 𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜.


No because why are they all so relatable.

It was like reading Kenji fall in love with a version of Aaron and Juliette 🥲

WHY ARE KENJI AND NAZEERA NOT TOGETHER ANYMORE. They should’ve had three kids by now (they are for sure not ready to have kids any time soon.)

[itsjessamess · Rating 5 out of 5]

I‘ve NEVER been so happy and thankful for a Spin Off Series… my whole heart belongs to Shatter Me.
Every fiber of my being feels at home with those Characters.
Thank you Tahereh for bringing my comfort characters and my fictional home back. I‘ll love you forever

[ଘRory · Rating 1 out of 5]

★

J̶a̶m̶e̶s̶,̶ ̶R̶o̶s̶a̶b̶e̶l̶l̶e̶,̶J̶a̶m̶e̶s̶,̶ ̶R̶o̶s̶a̶b̶e̶l̶l̶e̶
J̶a̶m̶e̶s̶,̶ ̶R̶o̶s̶a̶b̶e̶l̶l̶e̶,̶J̶a̶m̶e̶s̶,̶ ̶R̶o̶s̶a̶b̶e̶l̶l̶e̶
J̶a̶m̶e̶s̶,̶ ̶R̶o̶s̶a̶b̶e̶l̶l̶e̶,̶J̶a̶m̶e̶s̶,̶ ̶R̶o̶s��a̶b̶e̶l̶l̶e̶
J̶a̶m̶e̶s̶,̶ ̶R̶o̶s̶a̶b̶e̶l̶l̶e̶,̶J̶a̶m̶e̶s̶,̶ ̶R̶o̶s̶a̶b̶e̶l̶l̶e̶


With a heart heavier than a leaden tome, I must confess: 'Watch Me' didn't just disappoint; it plunged me into a literary abyss. A single star feels like an act of charity, a mere whisper of the frustration this book induced. I lost count of the moments I teetered on the brink of a DNF, a desperate escape from the suffocating boredom. Even a younger, more forgiving version of myself would have recoiled. The writing, oh, the writing! It possesses an immaturity that left me not just unimpressed, but actively yearning to launch the book across the room. And let's not even begin to dissect the relentless, repetitive sentences, as if the English language were a barren wasteland devoid of nuance. This book felt less like a story and more like a cruel exercise in linguistic monotony. Avoid this book at all costs.
And the plot? A phantom, a wisp of a thing, barely discernible beneath a deluge of overwrought quotes, clearly designed to elicit hormonal flutters from an audience I can only assume is comprised of emotionally stunted teenagers. Instead of crafting a coherent narrative, Mafi seems content to hopscotch between vaguely dramatic scenes, prioritizing fleeting moments of manufactured 'intensity' over genuine character development. James, the supposed 'sunshine boy,' and Rosebelle, the obligatory 'dark girl,' are nothing more than hollow archetypes, devoid of substance or depth. Ironically, the few glimpses we get of Aaron and Juliette, mere supporting players in this theatrical disaster, cast the protagonists into stark relief, exposing them for the pathetic shadows they truly are.

"𝗦𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗲𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆..... 𝗢𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗰𝘆. 𝗢𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 ���𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗰𝘆"
ten years after the fall of The Reestablishment, Ark Island remains a bastion of oppressive surveillance. Within this tense, isolated world, a dangerous game unfolds. James Anderson, determined to succeed where his brother failed, infiltrates the regime, aiming to penetrate their formidable defenses. Amidst the constant scrutiny, an unlikely and volatile connection sparks between James and Rosabelle Wolff.

"𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗶𝘁 𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗻. 𝗜𝗳 𝘄𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱, 𝘄𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗵𝗶𝗺 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝗯𝗲𝘆."
James Anderson, Aaron Warner's baby brother,a man with healing power, a fleeting vision of blue eyes and brown hair, the kind of ephemeral cuteness you glimpse on a bus or in a library, only to vanish into the ether of 'what could have been.' But let's be honest, his charm is quickly overshadowed by a staggering lack of... well, anything resembling intelligence. The man's emotional range is that of a damp sponge, and his cognitive abilities seem to have taken an extended vacation. Case in point: his instant, inexplicable infatuation with Rosebelle, a woman who, in their first encounter, attempted to redecorate his throat with a sharp object. And his initial, utterly baffling assumption that she was an AI? Seriously? He looked at a human being and thought, 'Yep, that's a robot.' It's a level of brain-melting stupidity that defies all logic, leaving one to wonder if he accidentally swapped brain cells with a goldfish. He is so stupid that you cant help but feel annoyed.
Rosebelle Wolff: a serial killer with high-tech skills masquerading as a 'dark, cold-hearted woman,' only to reveal herself as a fragile, wilting flower as the narrative progresses. The initial promise of a ruthless, enigmatic character quickly dissolves into a portrait of weakness, a stark contrast to the image she so desperately tries to project. Orphaned and burdened with the responsibility of protecting her sister, Clara, her engagement to Sebastien, feels less like a romantic entanglement and more like a desperate attempt to secure a lifeline in a world that seems determined to crush her.

“𝘚𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵. 𝘕𝘦𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘰.”

“𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘳?” “𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘴.”


P.S.Perhaps, in the grand scheme of literary tastes, 'Watch Me' simply isn't for me. I acknowledge that its blend of dystopian intrigue and tumultuous romance will undoubtedly resonate with many readers. Maybe I've simply outgrown the tropes and stylistic choices that seem to captivate a younger audience. Or maybe, just maybe, this book's flaws transcend generational divides. Regardless, while I may stand alone in my vehement dislike, I can't deny that Mafi possesses a talent for crafting worlds that ignite fervent passions. Just, unfortunately, not mine.

𝗧𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀🚫
*“The dead don’t suffer.”_rosabelle (mic drop 🎤)
* Guess who's going to be up all night reading? 🤫
I GOT THE ARC 😭😭😭😭😭😭

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[T.S · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.00 ☆

the OG shatter me characters truly carried this book . if it weren’t for them, i would’ve rated this lower. this was nothing mind-blowing, to say the least, but it was entertaining enough for me to mindlessly read it. did i want more tho? absolutely. did i get it? not really but it wasn’t a total flop either.

being back in this world finally scratched that itch that was inside my brain. i didn’t realize how much i missed it until i was thrown right back into the chaos and got to see the characters again. the plot was captivating, and i know it’s going to get even better as the series goes on because there’s so much happening. seeing how everything has shifted after ten years—the world, the people, the way they’ve adapted, and how the new reestablishment works—it was feeding my brain.

i liked rosbella… and she’s an assassin?! love that! she kinda reminds me of how juliette was in the first book—closed off, so numb, stuck in these repetitive thought cycles. i can’t wait to learn more about her and her powers.

i couldn’t take james seriously. 😐 i still see him as 10 years old.... because that’s how he acted in this book. he was kinda funny (i say kinda because it was too corny at times) and dumb with no survival instinct. he is literally a mini kenji but idk, i kinda expected him to have at least some common sense. the way he just runs into situations with zero thought?? like sir, do you even think before you act?? i don’t even know what to expect for him in the next book. hopefully, some growth. some brain cells maybe. something. because if he keeps up this clueless energy, i will rip every page of his pov😁


now, the romance… 🥴🥱



tell me why i’ve seen oil and water have better interactions than this?!🤡. they stared at each other for the majority of the book—just like the title said. it was too insta-lust. like, i mean TOOOOO insta LUSSSST. we’re only 90 pages in, and they’re already head over heels in love—especially james. like, where is the development? where is the angst? where is the tension? where is the chemistry? where is the enemies-to-lovers that was promised in the synopsis?! she held a dagger to his throat one time and growled at him—THAT’S the enemies part?! 🧐😂 lmao, okay, i guess. i’m actually curious to see how their romance plays out in the next book because right now it’s giving "middle school relationship."

Kenji, gawdd i love this man. he had me laughing at 3 am, closed fist and red in the face. i was giggling, cackling, and straight up throwing my neck. his sense of humor is unmatched; (unlike james) glad to see my man has not changed. and his bromance with Aaron is everything, lmao 😂. the way he still annoys him and teases him, and Aaron would be so grumpy, like it physically pains him to exist in the same space as Kenji—but we all know, ofc, deep down, that’s their love language 😌 💋. but PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, i was so fucking upset when i read that Kenji and Nazeera are no longer together. i almost teared up (i did 😢). out of all people, Kenji deserves happiness. he is always the one to cheer people up, BUT WHAT ABOUT HIM?! i need them to have their own book. and same for Winston & Brandon too; they broke up😣


the moment Aaron Warner's name popped up on the page … people died. i was breathing heavily, and the air was vacuumed out of my lungs— i had to light a cigarette next to a gas station to calm down. that’s the effect he has on me 😪. can we take a moment to register that he is 30?! a father of 2?! aAHHHHHHH!!



i wish there were more scenes of him and Juliette.

- the way he's so soft to her
- their dynamic
- the way he still calls her "love"
- the way, when she is around, nothing else seems to exist
- the way he is protective
-the way he is sunshine for her but grumpy to everyone else

I WANT THEIR LOVE TO HUNT ME DOWN!!!



and adam was chill. i'm so happy for him and now he has a family🥹. it’s been ten years and one whole series ago—IF YALL STILL HATE HIM EVEN AT THIS POINT! that’s your personal problem 😐.


overall, even though it didn’t quite reach the heights i was expecting it to be, it was still entertaining and fun to read. i have really high hopes for the second one.

[anh · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

I’m still not entirely sure if this book just wasn’t good—or if I’m stuck so deep in a reading slump that nothing’s hitting quite right. Either way, it didn’t land the way I hoped it would. Even though I only read the Shatter Me series a few months ago, I got attached to the characters fast. So of course, I was excited to see Kenji, Aaron, and Juliette all grown up and living their post-rebellion lives. And truthfully? That was the best part of this book.

Watching them interact again—Kenji being his chaotic, lovable self, Juliette grounding everyone with her strength, and Warner being… well, Warner—was easily the highlight. There’s something really satisfying about seeing these characters build something real: a family, a home, actual peace. And Warner as a husband and dad? Peak character development. Attentive, gentle, fiercely protective—total dilf energy, and yes, I was 100% here for it!

Except the heart of the book, the new storyline centred on James and Rosabelle left me mostly underwhelmed.

James, who once felt like the wide-eyed kid in the background, now has a full pov. At first, I was into it. He had Kenji’s humour and flashes of Warner’s introspective nature, and it was fun seeing the world through his eyes for a while. But somewhere in the second half, it all fell apart. He became frustratingly naive, making choices that didn’t fit with the person he was raised to be. I mean, he grew up under Warner’s roof—one of the most intelligent and calculating minds in this world and this is how he acts?

Rosabelle- Her character had potential, and I genuinely sympathised with her tragic backstory. But instead of giving us time to connect with her emotionally, the book throws all her trauma at us at once. I just didn't find her compelling at all.

The romance between James and Rosabelle was completely unconvincing. It was all vague glances and unanswered questions with zero buildup and zero tension. We’re supposed to believe they’re drawn to each other, but the story doesn’t do anything to make us feel it.

What kept me reading was the original characters. Seeing them living normal lives, cracking jokes and simply existing together? That’s the emotional payoff longtime fans have been waiting for.

Also the whole thing with Kenji and Nazeera and Brendan and Winston. I’m just going to cry about it quietly, thanks.

_________
update: I did end up reading Shatter Me in time to meet dilf Aaron 🤭
_________
this might be a sign for me to start reading the Shatter Me series

[Herica Lopez · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️ i’m so happy to be back in this world. it’s been so long and it honestly felt like coming home 🥹 i already loved james, but rosabelle? i adore her. her story shattered me. the reestablishment is somehow even more twisted now like they’re just darker, crueler, and creepier than ever i was on edge the whole time.

and warner, juliette, and kenji? they’re still everything to me. every scene with them felt like a gift. i loved every second!! 😭😭

i love and missed tahereh mafi’s writing so much. it’s poetic, emotional, and still manages to make me laugh at the most unexpected moments. her ability to balance heartbreak and humor is unreal this was eerie, heartfelt, and so beautifully done. i didn’t want it to end.

[Fairuz ᥫ᭡. · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars. Yes. You read that right. TWO.
Yeah, I know—I can’t believe I gave it a two either...

MY BIGGEST COMPLAINT??
WHAT DO YOU MEAN KENJI AND NAZEERA BROKE UP.
HUH???
Not only are they NOT married with babies, they’re not even TOGETHER??? I’m legit sobbing. You just… ripped out my heart and laughed while doing it??
WHY.

Like please. Tahereh better be plotting their reunion because Kenji deserves the damn world, and right now he’s just out here cracking jokes to hide his heartbreak, and I'm too soft for this. DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I LOVED THEM??? My babies. My beautiful disaster babies.

That said… I was LIVING for the crumbs of Aaron, Juliette, and Kenji. My lil dysfunctional trio. They carried. Aaron simply breathes, and the book becomes tolerable.

And Adam??? Listen. I was a certified Adam hater™ back in the day, but… now???
I GET IT.
He was hurting, traumatized, just trying to protect James. And now he has his own lil family, and I’m just over here like yes king, live your peace era. His bond with his kids?? So sweet. Also—Aaron??? Helping take care of Adam’s kids??? Excuse me while I sob into my pillow.
Character growth is REAL.

BUT. Let’s talk about James.

WHY is James so distant from Adam??? I get it—everyone loves Aaron. But c’mon, Adam literally spent half his life protecting James , and now it’s like he’s been shoved to the side. NO. RESPECT THAT MAN.

Now… Rosabelle. Look, I'm tryna be fair here. She’s a bit like Juliette in the OG books—you’re either vibing with her or you’re slowly losing brain cells. I was this close to skipping her POVs. I swear every chapter was her staring at something like:
"I feel nothing. I am broken. I must save Clara. Repeat."

Girl, get a grip.

James tho??
I actually liked him. He’s funny, chaotic, and kind of dumb in an endearing way. Reminded me of Kenji with a little extra ✨baby energy✨. But let’s be real: he’s not cut out for survival, lmao. Neither is Kenji. If they weren’t protected by plot armor and our love, they’d be dead in three business days.

Also. Can we talk about the fact that James and Rosabelle’s chemistry was giving wet cardboard?
Zero spice. No tension. Nothing.
Just two confused teens staring at each other like:
“Do I trust you?” “Idk, do I trust you?”
I was begging for a plot twist, a kiss, a spark—ANYTHING. But nah. All we got was endless eye contact.

AND THEN KLAUS??
Bro is literally AI gone rogue. Emmaline 2.0 vibes but somehow less interesting??? Just... existing in the background like a ghost in the Wi-Fi. Klaus was supposed to be scary, and I was just like... okayyy sips tea.

BUT ENOUGH OF THAT.
Let’s talk about the real stars.

AARON WARNER.
That man continues to own my soul.
The way he treats Juliette???
UNMATCHED.
The soft kisses. The worry. The MY WIFE lines. I swear my heart exploded.
Every crumb of him being a husband? A soon-to-be dad? Give me more. Inject it into my veins.

“Do I get to meet her?”
“No,” everyone shouts at the same time.
Juliette shrinks back, surprised.
“I’m sorry,” Warner says instantly. He blanches. “Forgive me, love. I didn’t mean to shout at you.”

LIKE. STOP IT. I'M GONNA CRY.

Also:
✧ Aaron cooking pasta for Adam’s kid = 10/10 dad material
✧ Kenji pushing Aaron out of the way 'cause of the unborn baby = I can't
✧ Juliette & Kenji having junk food slumber parties = core memory unlocked
✧ James getting roasted by Kenji and Adam = sibling energy YES

But yeah. To summarize:

First half? Not bad. Fast-paced, some good laughs, new worldbuilding.
Second half? Snoozefest. Dragged. Empty. I was praying for it to end.

And Rosabelle x James? I’m sorry, but no spark = no stars from me.

The heartbreak over Kenji x Nazeera not being endgame genuinely overshadowed everything else. Tahereh better fix this because right now??? I’m in pain.

Final rating: 2 sad little stars.
Because Warnette, Kenji, and Aaron's fragile sanity were the only things holding this book together.

Tahereh... please don’t break what’s already shattered.
We’re tired. Give Kenji his happy ending. Let James learn some survival skills. And please… plot next time, thank you.

[shania · Rating 3 out of 5]

only finished this for the OG characters my babies

[Ri ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

For me, Shatter Me is canon. Watch Me is just fanfiction Tahereh wrote for James Anderson’s fans 🤡 Because what was this? Like, I have no idea where to even begin. Is Tahereh playing with our feelings? Because this was so unserious. The plot is fine, I can see it getting better, but naming an artificial intelligence villain KLAUS? If Klaus Mikaelson were real, he’d be rolling in his coffin and getting his daggers and his siblings’ army ready to burn this thing himself. The name was so weird and out of nowhere. The fascists and the Reestablishment thing is boring so far—it gets interesting here and there, but not enough to keep my attention. And honestly, the parts that I enjoyed the most were of the Shatter Me gang! Those chapters and the OG Shatter Me gang literally breathed life into this book, carried the interesting parts on their shoulders, and I wouldn’t even be giving it 3 stars if there were no scenes or involvement from them.

Rosabelle is even more insane and depressed than Juliette. At least with Juliette, her backstory and trauma were revealed slowly as Shatter Me progressed, but here Tahereh was giving me whiplash with this girl. I feel so bad for her, her sister, and I want her sister to live, because those scenes where they talked about food like it was some out-of-this-world thing, because they were always hungry, kept starved by Klaus and his army, were heartbreaking. She is dead inside, and the only thing that’s keeping her alive is her need to save her sister and James because he’s handsome? We don’t know what her powers are yet, but I have some theories cooking in my brain.

“I’ve been fooling people all my life. You’re the only one paying attention.”


James was just a child in Shatter Me, so I was excited to see how he grew up, who he took after in terms of personality and all. And consider me shocked when I realised he’s the stupid and reckless version of Kenji with no survival instincts. This man was naïve enough to go to an island where all the fascists were building an army led by the most dangerous AI, and had the nerve to think he could take it all down by himself. I can see depth in his character, but so far it’s only about how he feels suffocated because he’s the baby of their family. I understand that, but he was also raised by Aaron Warner—the most meticulous and intelligent person in their world, the legend himself—and he still behaves like this? He’s so unserious and funny.

“The girl is every inch the backstabbing, cold-blooded mercenary everyone told me she was. I should probably get my head checked.”


Rosa and James have forced chemistry so far. It feels like Tahereh locked them inside a room and told them that either they fall in love or die. I was waiting for maybe Warnette vibes, because my standards are in another universe because of those two—but it’s not even close to that. James fell for her way too fast. Even when she looked like an AI doll to him, he was on his knees for her, even though he knows she’s going to kill him. He’s blindly and stupidly in love, and Warner knows this—and it was funny how he and Kenji taunted him for it. Rosa feels something for James, but it’s all a mess right now. She’s in the New Republic, playing staring contests with James. It was something, maybe to add some tension and heat, but it did nothing for me. I don’t know which direction their romance will take in the next books, but I have faith in Mafi.


⚠️ THERE WILL BE POTENTIAL SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW FROM NOW ON!!


Shatter Me babies!

Oh, the feeling of coming home to these characters years later and seeing them all as grown-up adults. It was the best nostalgic homecoming, the most wholesome feeling ever. I love these characters with all my heart. Tahereh, though, destroyed some parts for me. The Watch Me in this title was for watch me make your favourite characters suffer for another book. But seeing them laugh and joke and live together was the best thing in this book. Kenji making fun of Warner, Warner being Warner, and all of them in one room as this one big happy family who now make dinner plans and everything? It healed me.

Kenji ignores this, adding, “Warner loves me, too,” around a bite of popcorn. “Sometimes it’s a little too much, you know? It’s always Oh my God, Kenji, you’re amazing, you’re my best friend, don’t tell Juliette but I love you the most—”
“How is it that every time you speak,” Warner cuts him off, “you have food in your mouth?”

I can never get enough of their hilarious dynamics 😭😭

Warner being a good big brother to James, raising him and loving him so much that he became an inspiration for James—it was everything.

“Warner rarely let me out of his sight. He tucked me under his wing, teaching me and training me. Rebuilding me. And by virtue of living in his home I’ve seen glimpses of him most people wouldn’t believe possible. Softer versions of him; laughing versions of him. Loving versions of him.”

Warnette, Warnette, Warnette! I just always wanted to see them as adults and I’m so happy to see how they’re doing. Aaron Warner as a daddy? Someone put me on a ventilator because even the thought of it is making me breathless—but it’s happening in reality now. We all know he is daddy material, so kids are necessary, and don’t you dare say you never imagined Warner with a little girl, braiding her hair, playing peekaboo with her, making weird smily faces at her to make her laugh. Warnette is having a baby!!

“I’m sorry,” Warner says instantly. He blanches. “Forgive me, love. I didn’t mean to shout at you.”
She softens, beaming at him like he’s some kind of baby animal. Sometimes I think she sees Warner in a way literally no one else does. She seems to think he has no thorns at all.

Warner as a husband? I am in my room doing witch-level manifestations to make a man like him find me in this real life. He’s so fine as a husband: so attentive, loving, caring, and patient, always looking out for Juliette and the baby. Someone please give him the best domestic husband award 🥺💘

“This man lives to worry about you. It’s his favorite thing to do. Between worrying about you and talking about you and frolicking through fields aggressively shouting your name at wildlife, I’m surprised the man has any time left to fuck with the world.”

Kenji and Nazeera not being a couple in Watch Me is the biggest betrayal by Mafi. She never gave us their exclusive book, but she also snatched their happy life away from their hands. Seeing Kenji still trying to be the jokester of their group even though he’s hurting inside and missing Nazeera? It was not needed. Absolutely unnecessary and destroyed parts of this book for me. He is one of the most precious characters in this series and she chose him to hurt? I want to go back to my Shatter Me world now.

“Oh my God,” he says, appearing and disappearing, his invisibility glitching. “I think I’m dying. Did she get more beautiful? How did she get more beautiful?”

Brendan and Winston? My heart can’t take it, because what do you mean Brendan broke Winston’s heart? I refuse to believe this nonsense. It never happened. Only Adam and Alia are living the almost-perfect white picket fence fantasy in this world, and I’m happy for them—but others also deserve that same happiness.

Ever since I finished Shatter Me, I was living in this delulu perfect world of happiness, where all my favourite couples had the perfect happy life, where they were rebuilding their world, but no Klaus existed. Where Warnette had lots of kids, Kenji and Nazeera were happy, got married and Kenji almost fainted seeing Nazeera walk down the aisle. They have a son, and that son has his eyes on Warnette’s daughter, and Warner is almost on the verge of killing Kenji. Where Winston and Brendan adopted dogs.

Six books of torture and heartbreak weren’t enough, so Mafi invented another series to put them through hell? I still have faith in Mafi, so she’d better do justice to Kenji and Winston in the next books or else I’m going to riot. As a first book in a new series, Watch Me was not so bad. It’s interesting and has potential. But I want more!

~~~~~~~~~

alexa please play hey daddy (daddy’s home) by usher at full volume bcs DILF AARON WARNER IS FINALLY HERE 🤸🏽‍♀️

A SHATTER ME SPIN-OFF SERIES COMING APRIL 2025!?!?!?! means original DILF AARON WARNER content 🤰🏽

James Anderson? enemies to lovers?? angst??? I'LL READ ANYTHING THIS WOMAN WRITES!

[brianna ♱]

apparently rent is due

[clara bow (hiatus) · Rating 5 out of 5]

is it bad that i started crying when kenji said something funny bc i missed him sm? 😭 (rtc)



ೃ⁀➷ 𝐩𝐫𝐞-𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝: THIS EDITION IS G O R G E O U S? UM HELLO? IM CRASHING OUT I LOVE IT

ೃ⁀➷ 𝐩𝐫𝐞-𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞: SCREAMING, CRYING, THROWING UP, IM HAVING A WARNER ATTACK

[Hoda · Rating 4 out of 5]

THIS WAS SOOOO GOOD LIKE LITERALLY SOO FUN!!! The way I couldn't stop laughing omggg i'vent had this much fun in a while. I was so scared to read this after all the negative reviews I saw but I'm Soo happy I ended up loving it. Honsetly the banter was perfect perfect perfect ugh i ateee every word up and I was starving for more plsss sooo good 😭😭🤍🤍
Aaron my loveeeee I was so happy to see u again and u ignited you love inside of me again and jamessss my other loveee ( but the dorky version 🤭🫦). Kenji babyyy I would take u over everything🫂🫂🫂

The only reason this is not a five is that the plot was lacking tbh I wanted more and that I wasn't a big fan of Rosabella ✋🏻 I don't hate here but I don't love her either I'm just indifferent toward her. I hope I change my mind in the upcoming books🙏🏻 but overall this was sooo fun and lusting and laughing over James and Aaron with Clace Ade it more funnnn. Always always a pleasure😌😌😌😌

[kayy⸆⸉ ☆ (aelin’s version) · Rating 5 out of 5]

── .✦“𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝘼𝙖𝙧𝙤𝙣 𝙒𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙧 𝘼𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙙𝙤? 𝘽𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩’𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙄’𝙢 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙬𝙚𝙧. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙖𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙢𝙚 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙄 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬.”ᯓ★ˎˊ˗

ᝰ 𝟓 GOLD STARSSS ☆ ꒰🧸꒱
﹌﹌

SPOILERS AHEAD‼️‼️
ೃ⁀➷ 𝙼𝚢 𝙾𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜 ｡💭 ꒰💜꒱𖦹 °┊͙
This was amazingggg 💓 so glad tahereh decided to write this book cuz it was beautiful but so short 😭😭 I need more rn. The plot was really good and reading about all the shatter me characters again and them all being in their 30’s was the best 😗🛐 also I loved rosabelle and how her and James are so “different” when talking about James having healing power and rosabelle basically being a serial kil***🙃 Overall, I loved this book and can’t wait to read the next one 😌💗

ִ ࣪𖤐.ᐟ“𝙂𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙪𝙥 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙬𝙤 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙧𝙪𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙜𝙪𝙡𝙖𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥𝙨. 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚.”₊˚⊹ ᰔ So do I, James 😭

╰┈➤ 𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜 ₊˚⊹ ꒰🪁꒱ 🕯️𖦹

⋆˙⟡“—𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙮𝙚𝙩 𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙡𝙚-𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙙𝙡𝙮 𝙨𝙡𝙖𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙖 𝙙𝙤𝙯𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙙𝙞𝙚𝙧𝙨.
𝙃𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙪𝙣𝙖𝙧𝙢𝙚𝙙”⋆˚꩜｡
🧎🏻‍♀️‍➡️🧎🏻‍♀️‍➡️🧎🏻‍♀️‍➡️

𝐉𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐒- kingggg 😍👌 I loved his character sm. James is basically Aaron but with Kenji’s personality, I mean he was funny af 😙 I loved seeing how James got so close to Aaron but it was kinda sad how he’s not as close as he used to be with Adam 🙂 however I love that he’s been learning from Aaron and Kenji 😝

˙⋆✮“𝘼𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙨𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚, 𝙅𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙨 𝙢𝙚 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚”𝜗𝜚⋆₊˚

𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐀𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐄- queennn 🌹👌 she and Juliette are literally sides of the same coin 😭😭 and then Clara and emmaline also the same 😭 it was so sad reading about Rosa and her past and her sister :/ she’s literally just a girl trying to survive 😞 still she’s so badass and I can’t wait for her and James to get together 👌 they would be unstoppable together 😙 I already love her character sm that I can’t wait for her redemption arc + I need to know what power she has

⋆ 𐙚 ̊.“𝘼𝙖𝙧𝙤𝙣 𝙒𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙧 𝘼𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙡𝙚𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙙”｡𖦹°‧

𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐄- my loves 😍😍 I swear 30 year old Aaron Warner did something to my heart 👌😗 omg reading about Juliette and Warner again was so heartwarming 💓 omg and Juliette being pregnant was the cherry on top 🥺💗 they’re so cuteeee omg, Warner was on protective husband mode the whole book and I love it 😍

ᝰ.ᐟ“𝙅𝙪𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚, 𝙨𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙩 𝙒𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨. 𝙇𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙙𝙤 𝙣𝙤 𝙬𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜”⋆.˚
_______

⋮ ⌗ ┆“𝙄 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙄’𝙢 𝙙𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜. 𝘿𝙞𝙙 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙪𝙡? 𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙙𝙞𝙙 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙪𝙡?”❀

𝐊𝐄𝐍𝐉𝐈+𝐍𝐀𝐙𝐄𝐄𝐑𝐀- first off, kenji is a diva lol second of all wdym they’re not together anymore 😭😭 I can’t :( I need my babies back together 😞I literally had to pause when I read about them being separated 😭😭 now I advocate for them together again in the next book 🥲

.𖥔 ݁ ˖“𝘼𝙙𝙖𝙢 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙚. 𝙒𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙚”₊˚⊹ ᰔ

𝐀𝐃𝐀𝐌- I never really liked his character but I’m glad he settled down and he’s happy now 👍

╰┈➤ 𝙴𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 ⊹ ꒰🥀꒱｡𐙚
that cliffhanger!!!!! I mean…. what was that?!! I didn’t see that coming at all :/ and ngl I didnt expect Aaron to do what he did but I get he’s just trying to protect everyone, especially Juliette 😗

─── ── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ── ───


‧₊˚ ┊꒰🐻‍❄️꒱𝐩𝐫𝐞-𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝: finally have some time to start this! so excited to read about my babies again 😭😭 (shatter me was my first fantasy/ dystopian series)


─── ── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ── ───



CRYING, SCREAMING, THROWING UP RN
OMG ARE WE GETTING MORE OF AARON MF WARNER?! 😝

[beril ❦]

AAAAAA OMG ARE WE GETTING ANOTHER BOOK FOR SHATTER ME?! this was not on my 2025 bingo card but i’m definitely not complaining 🤭

update: OMFG WE ALSO HAVE A COVER ‼️ TAHEREH MAFI DROP THE BOOK ALREADY 🗣️

[ivy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars
↳ i actually enjoyed watch me more than i thought i would!! tahereh mafi’s writing is so addicting to read, i just wanted to keep flipping to the next page to see what’s happening (i binged this book in 3 hours 🙈). this book follows rosabelle wolff, a loyal member of the re-establishment and james warner, a strong believer and follower of the new republic.

🍬 james warner ᝰ.ᐟ james is so funny, i can’t even deny it ✋, his inner thoughts made me laugh out loud multiple times. however, aaron and kenji weren’t wrong when they called him a child, because that’s how he was acting throughout the entire book. his relationship to kenji, aaron, and adam though 🥺 overall, i feel like he’s just a watered-down version of kenji 🤷‍♀️

🤖 rosabelle wolff ᝰ.ᐟ she was so boring 😭 i don’t think she said more than a page of words in the new republic. here are the things that i know about her: 1. she has perfect porcelain white skin (😐) 2. she has the most mesmerising blue eyes ever (istg this was mentioned at least 50 times in the book) 3. her sister is getting tortured by the re-establishment 4. she’s dead inside - the amount of times this was mentioned: “i’m dead inside,” “i’ve been dead inside for 4 years,” and constantly telling her own mind to die 😐 we get it.

🪆 james and rosabelle ᝰ.ᐟ why are they the main couple?? i would actually love books on kenji and nazeera 🫴. james and rosabelle are the most bland couple in the shatter me universe. half the time james was trying to fix rosabelle to try to get her to not murder people or he was just staring at her and admiring her “doll-like” looks. also the way that he had his full trust in her 5 pages into the book just because she’s beautiful?? pretty privilege is real!! him saying, “if you mess with my family, i’ll kill you slowly” or something like that, and then proceeds to take her side in every single argument… 🤡 and THEN proceeds to get upset when aaron and kenji want to take proper security measures with her because he just FLEW HER IN FROM THE HEART OF THE RE-ESTABLISHMENT?? 😭.

🧡 kenji and nazeera ᝰ.ᐟ NOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THE WHOLE REASON I PICKED THIS BOOK UP. why why why!!! they were so perfect together ugh. honestly i think tahereh is going to have them get back together in the next book or next next book in the series (please please please 🙏). but UGH the way kenji talked about nazeera even when they were broken up… and was jealous 🤭🦋

👑 aaron and juliette ᝰ.ᐟ tbh i’m not the biggest fan of them but i’ll always appreciate the way aaron always puts juliette first no matter what, and him protecting her with his life 🥹 juliette was pregnant in this book, girl seriously deserves a BREAK 😭 OH MY GOSH next book we’ll see daddy warner?? 😋😋

overall, this book was definitely extremely addicting to read, and i feel like tahereh could seriously do something with the way the plot is going. especially with all the traitors in the new republic and the new technology that the re-establishment has. i also would love some more chemistry from james and rosabelle as well.

`✦ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹ quotes :
୨ৎ 💌 “in my dreams i am safe; i have a strong hand to hold; a door to lock against the dark; a trusted ear into which i whisper my fears. in my dreams i am patient and kind; i have room in my heart for more pain than my own. i am not afraid to smile at strangers. i have never witnessed death.”
୨ৎ 💌 “that’s like telling water not to be wet,” kenji mutters, crunching popcorn again. “this man [warner] lives to worry about you [juliette]. it’s his favorite thing to do. between worrying about you and talking about you and frolicking through fields aggressively shouting your name at wildlife, i’m surprised the man has any time left to fuck with the world.”

[liz ౨ৎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book felt like coming home after being away for a long time 🥹

[lexie]

shatter me becoming my new personality trait after its 2025 revival???? who would’ve thought!

[Avery · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Aaron Warner Anderson is a living legend.”

hell yes he is 😫

I'm such a hypocrite, I don't deserve to be saying such things after saying bad things about him in the last three Shatter Me books but I SWEAR Shatter Me, Unravel Me, and Ignite Me Warner are PEAK, and I just really need a reread.

but anywhoooo, this book was one of my most anticipated of the year, and of course I was a little nervous after how I hated the ending of the Shatter Me series, but this book had SUCH a different vibe than any of those.

(there might be some 'hints' as to what happen in this book in this review so proceed with caution)

Also, the cover on this thing is gorgeous. I got the exclusive one from Amazon with the iridescent edges and she's STUNNING.

The Plot

Since it's been so long since I read the og series, it took me a while to remember what things were, like the Reestablishment (now that one was embarrassing once I figured it out I felt so dumb), the New Republic, and even some characters. That did end up in me flipping back and forth a lot, but I mean, that was on me, so it didn't really hinder any of my enjoyment towards the book.

The beginning was fast, and I did enjoy that since I was not in the mood for something slow, so we were just shot right into the world. The first half was definitely my more preferred half, just following James and Rosabelle as they got off of the island and all that, but the second half just became more tedious and confusing, which is disappointing, because I thought it was set up nicely to be a good double cross or something like that and it just....fell flat (for reasons that will be said later in this review)

ALSO I don't know if my book had a misprint or something, but the ending felt SO abrupt. I don't even remember how the book ends (that's my fault guys 😄) but I do remember being almost done with the book and there still being so much plot left, so I don't even know.

“It’s simple logic: if we believe our choices are our own—if we do not know we are being bent into obeisance—we will not be tempted to revolt.”

The Characters

here's where I can finally....talk 🫠 and it's very unfortunate

I've actually seen a lot of people saying Rosabelle was annoying or boring, and I for once have my own opinion and think that she wasn't that bad 😭 I enjoyed her chapters and character, and learning more about her backstory. I love ruthless characters that are forged to be that way (not that I like that they were forged to be that way, but they're just interesting to read about I swear 😭) like I genuinely was entertained and interested in reading her inner thoughts as she struggled to remember and maintain her own sense of self and being.

Now James.....I did like him in the beginning, but oh my goodness he was immature. I'm guessing that's got something to do with his trauma (I lowkey remember NOTHING about his backstory) but I swear he was just being stupid at times. He's legally not even a child anymore in this, but he very much acted like one. His jokes were so repetitive and unnecessary at times. I enjoyed it in the beginning and I was like 'oh, so he's like Kenji!' but it became SO MUCH. He's a knock off Kenji. He's a combo of Warner and Kenji, but if you dumbed those two down and he had like no Warner in him except by relation.

and he pissed me off SO BAD during the ending, because WHY was he so trusting to the girl he literally kept calling a serial killer? he was choosing her over his family which makes no freaking SENSE. He was just so naive, and I do feel bad, but buddy's brother is literally Warner and I KNOW Warner raised him better than that. AND WHEN HE TALKED BACK TO WARNER? I wanted to hit him because he knows NOTHINGGG.

DILF WARNER DILF WARNER. I don't know why but I didn't even think about him being older in this book and UGGGHHH I love him so much bro. He's just so smart, amazing, incredible, attractive, and UGH. HE'S LITERALLY THE BLUEPRINT BOOK GUY. AND THE WAY HE CARES FOR JULIETTE IN THIS I CANNOOOOOOT

We didn't really see Juliette as much in this, and I admit, I was a Juliette hater, probably still would be, but she was sweet in this. Look guys, the last three Shatter Me books ruined everything for me, I swear I still liked them all.

Kenji my sweet was also better, his jokes are better than James's anyways, and at least he's actually got some rational thoughts, unlike that guy. Poor Kenji though, I felt so bad 😭

“Growing up with these two has ruined me for regular relationships. I want what they have”

don't we all, James

The Romance

this is where it gets bad

I literally have an update during this book where I was like 'oh, I'm liking the progression of this romance, it's not too fast' blah blah blah, but that was before James and Rosabelle described each other's physical features 15 MILLION TIMES.

I was fine with it at first because I can accept attraction at first sight but I don't need MULTIPLE paragraphs describing James's perfect brown hair, freckles, chiseled body, or her GHOSTLY blond hair and just as GHOSTLY pale skin with her unblinking ORBS. Like please. I was actually getting so annoyed because it continues throughout the entire book. Their hearts were always racing when they saw each other, skin tingling, blah blah blah. And I KNOW Rosabelle was trained better than to lust over a handsome guy, like I can understand her, but she's literally a serial killer 😭

Not only that, but there was hardly any chemistry. When they were together in the beginning, they wanted to kill each other of course, and then when they make it back to the New Republic, James is suddenly more interested in her and wants to spend all his time with her? It made no sense. They do more looking at each other than talking anyways.

And then we get back to the ending again, which continued to make NO. SENSE. as I said, they do more staring than talking, so hooooow did we get to the point where we're going against our family to save a serial killer? It was just so stupid.

“Doll Hands is a serial killer. My pants were getting tight over a serial killer. Kenji is going to love this.”

Like okay, I get the line is trying to be funny, but please

“I know that she's right-handed? She recently discovered she doesn't like tomatoes? Direct sunlight sometimes makes her sneeze?”

he literally knows NOTHING ABOUT HER

then of course Warnette was just their perfect Warnette selves with a little twist hehehe. I'd suspected it, but I didn't actually think it would happen, it's so odd reading about my babies like that.

anyways, it may seem as if I hated this book, but I did rate it 3 stars so I didn't necessarily haaaate it, more like have many criticisms. I don't agree with the overall rating of this book, but to each their own I guess. I'll obviously read the next one because duhhhh

3 stars

“I know you meant that as an insult, so consider yourself lucky I like you enough not to murder you for disrespecting my wife.”

AARON MF WARNER

<><><><><><><><><>
it's late so i'm not gonna write a full review yet but i'm just gonna jot down some thoughts:

-the beginning had me hooked
-those two istg described each other as beautiful or breathtaking or whatever every single chapter
-i could get past the attraction at first sight in the beginning but it was being SHOVED DOWN MY THROAT
-james is literally kenji 2.0 but more annoying (though there may be reasoning behind that, so this may not be a con)
-why did james put rosabelle above his family
-how could they have properly developed a relationship when even james admitted that they sat in silence most of the time, don't delude yourself james, you literally called her a serial killer and now you think she's in love with you?
-30 year old warnerrrrrrrr
-i need to reread shatter me because i didn't hate warnette in this book like i did in the last few books in the series

rtc

<><><><><><>
this gorgeous queen just came into the mail today, I got the exclusive from amazon and ITS STUNNING

<><><><><><>
ok so i just read a little snippet of what's gonna happen in this book and how the HELL did sweet little james end up in jail? flashbacks to shatter me book one fr

omg the cover is GORGEOUS. i heard that this is about james and i think i remember who that kid is but i was honestly hoping this would be a kenji book 😭 but still so excited!!

[Uswah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ahhhhh!!! Surprisingly, I enjoyed this book! 👀💖

Maybe my expectations were low, which is why I enjoyed it so much—but whatever the reason, I had a great time reading it! 🤭🤭

It took me half the book to convince myself that James is actually twenty-one years old 😂 because my mind is still stuck in the Shatter Me era when he was only ten! 🤭 Now, I'm really interested in Rosa and James. 👀

I want to know more about Clara!!! 👀 Gimme some information plsss…Is she alright? Poor child— 😭

And omggg, the ending was so unexpected! 👀 I'm genuinely impressed. 💖💖 Now, I need a book 2 right now! 😭

Seeing my favorites, Aaron, Juliette, and Kenji again 🥹🥹 makes me so happy. I was hoping for more of Nazeera, though. 😔 But maybe we'll see her later… And my poor Juliette! 😭

3.75 ⭐️

_____________________
Pre-Read

Tbh, my expectations aren’t high… 😶

[kella {new bio!} · Rating 3 out of 5]

˖ ⁺ ౿ 🪷┆3.5 stars ⛧
⤿ oh how i missed the shatter me universe

⊹ “I don't want to live in fear of my hands, my head, the collapsed star that is my soul. I don't want to live every day only for the promise of death.”

🎧┆who’s afraid of little old me? + my strange addiction

⤷ my thoughts
overall i did enjoy this! and it was so nice being back in one of my fav universes. i thought this was a fun and quick read! short chapters>>> the plot was entertaining, though the whole nexus thing and how the reestablishment had complete access to peoples’ minds was creepy af. the government’s literally watching your every move 🫢 interested to see how tahereh mafi goes with all that.

⤷ characters
🧸 james
i loved him so much in this book and seeing him all grown up, you can detect the influence from aaron and kenji on him 🫶 i swear he was unintentionally funny and i loved his inner dialogue. i almost lost it when he started monologuing to the raccoon 💀 also why does he lowkey remind me of oak from tfota? probably just bc they’re both the fmc’s younger brother (figure) lol.

🪞rosabelle
yeah so i can see why people were calling her bland now… she wasn’t a terrible character, and i did find her backstory—growing up in the reestablishment and everything—interesting. it’s just that she didn’t show much personality. after a while tho, all her reminders to herself to “be dead inside” and “you’re dead” got a little annoying. but then she meant it literally? it was sad to see how the reestablishment messed her up but girl are you alright🧍🏻‍♀️ ngl tho i feel like she started growing on me a little bit at the end.

🪽james and rosa
erm enemies to lovers, you say? 🙈 from the start james was already infatuated and flustered by her beauty and her strikingly pale complexion and hair, blue eyes, blah blah and vice versa. gah i just hated the insta-attraction. the way they were trying to kill each other one second then feeling each other up the next lmao. but i’m rooting for them nonetheless!

🕊️ og characters
oh. my. gosh. how i missed these characters 🥹 seeing the og trio—juliette, aaron, and kenji—made my heart so happy! and juliette being pregnant omg? i’m so happy for them 🫶 warnette are gonna be parentsss aww.
i forgot how much i loved kenji!! he’s my fav character, tied with aaron i think. but him and nazeera better get back together or i swear…

⤷ concluding thoughts
i had a great time being back in this universe and you know i’ll eat up any spinoffs of this series even tho they’re not necessarily necessary 🤭 i’m excited to see where tahereh takes this plot!

thank you to my fav girl jasmine for reading this with me! yapping about it with you made it an even better experience 🫶 i think it’s safe to say that this buddy read made up for our other one that ended up disappointing haha! i love you endlessly 🥹

⤷ quotes
"in my dreams i am safe; i have a strong hand to hold; a door to lock against the dark; a trusted ear into which i whisper my fears. in my dreams i am patient and kind; i have room in my heart for more pain than my own. i am not afraid to smile at strangers. i have never witnessed death."

"And Kenji," I point out. "Kenji inspires me on the daily."

“No matter what he says, I know he'd never hurt me. He's my big brother, and I genuinely love the guy.”

“We like to give each other shit around here, but at the end of the day we'd all die for each other, no questions asked.”

—

˖ ⁺ ౿ 🪷┆pre-read
eek i can't wait to be back in the shatter me universe! i'm looking forward to seeing james all grown up and ofc cameos of our og characters aaa 🫶🏻 and isn't this cover stunning?

buddy reading this with my fav jasmine 💫 who is also a huge shatter me fan 🤭 i'm so excited to read this with you my love! let's hope this book is much better than our last br 🤞🏻 thank you for reading this with me, i love you always!! 🫂

[Belle₊˚⊹♡ (for keeps ∞♡) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 stars! 🌟🌟🌟

(Spoiler-free🐵🩵🩵🩵) 💘

I definitely enjoyed this book, a little repetitive…
though I’m very intrigued with what Taherah does with the rest of the series! 🙊

And I 100% enjoyed seeing everyone back again 😭💝💝 I LOOVED the Kenji scenes we were getting and it just felt so nostalgic being back in this world overall 🥰💝💖

I was SQUEALING with the crumbs of WarnerxJuliette
Scenes with gotttt 🤭

WARNER THE MAN THAT YOU ARE. 🙇‍♀️🫠
THE LITTLE CRUMBS WE’D GET OF AARON WAS PERFECTTT. {I NEED MOREEE🙏}

LOWKY IM MORE DOWN BAD FOR WARNER BEING OLDER? SAY LESS CAUSE IM SAT.

Like bye why was I giggling so hard when simply his NAME was only mentioned- 💔

~other than that-
I really liked everything else in the book, especially James!!
I loved how his personality is literally a mix of Kenji’s humor and Warner’s protective attitude, 😭♥️♥️
And I fear this series will leave me being down BADD for
James Kent Anderson cause why was he kinda…😍

~but the only thing is I wasn’t super connected with Rosabelle, I am pretty curious on what they’re going to be doing with her character, especially with that ending? Which I’m still a little like ‘huh”.😭

- I wasn’t in love with the ending, but I’m still very interested with this series and can’t wait too see what else Taherah does with this series 😍💖

And to the people saying she’s milking this series, I litterally don’t mind cause
Whatever Taherah Mafi serves IM EATING IT UP. 🙂‍↕️🗣️
_______________

⭐️Rating: 3.75/5
🔥Spice: 0/5
📚~Age Rating: 14+


🎧Songs:

~Team~Lorde

~Everybody Wants To Rule The World~Lorde

~Buzzcut Season~Lorde

~Glory And Gore~Lorde

~The Perfect Girl~Mareux

~Fresh Out The Slammer~Taylor Swift

~Midnight Rain~Taylor Swift

~The Great War~ Taylor Swift

~The Albatross~Taylor Swift

~Haunted~Taylor Swift

~Eyes Open~Taylor Swift

~Bad Girls~ M.I.A.

~She~Harry Styles

~Dark Red~Steve Lacy

~About You~The 1975

~Wicked Game~Chris Isaak

———💌———


🩵💙Preread:

THE TIME HAS COMEEEEE 🗣️🗣️🔥🔥🔥
I’m so excited to see how my loves are doing!! 😻😻
WATCH ME EAT THIS BOOK UPPPPPPP
CAUSE I AM
S A T

———🏹💌———

🩷🤍🩵Prerelease:

CANNOT WAIT TO GET MY HANDS ON THIS NOW THAT ITS 6 DAYS AWAYY 😭💖
I’m so excited I’m going to be getting an update how my precious loves are doing 😍💖

[eli ★ · Rating 1 out of 5]

i am NOT insane and NOT reading this book i am NOT insane and NOT reading this book i am NOT insane and NOT reading this book i am NOT insane and NOT reading this book i am NOT insane and NOT reading this book i am NOT insane and NOT reading this book i am NOT insane and NOT reading this book i am NOT insane and NOT reading this book i am NOT insane and NOT reading this book i am NOT insane and NOT reading this book i am NOT insane and NOT reading this book i am NOT insane and NOT reading this book i am NOT insane and NOT reading this book i am NOT insane and NOT reading this book i am NOT insane and NOT reading this book i am NOT insane and NOT reading this book i am NOT insane and NOT reading this book i am NOT insane and NOT reading this book i am NOT insane and NOT reading this book i am NOT insane and NOT reading this book i am NOT insane and NOT reading this book i am NOT insane and NOT reading this book i am NOT insane and NOT reading this book i am NOT insane and NOT reading this book i am NOT insane and NOT reading this book i am NOT insane and NOT reading this book i am NOT insane and NOT reading this book i am NOT insane and NOT reading this book i am NOT insane and NOT reading this book i am NOT insane and NOT reading this book i am NOT insane and NOT reading this book i am NOT insane and NOT reading this book i am NOT insane and NOT reading this book i am NOT insane and NOT reading this book i am NOT insane and NOT reading this book i am NOT insane and NOT reading this book i am NOT insane and NOT reading this book i am NOT insane and NOT reading this book i am NOT insane and NOT reading this book i am NOT insane and NOT reading this book

[patrycja ୨୧ ‧₊˚ · Rating 2 out of 5]

— 2.5 ★

"it’s simple logic: if we believe our choices are our own—if we do not know we are being bent into obeisance—we will not be tempted to revolt." ᡣ𐭩.ᐟ

⭑𓂃 ⌗ my thoughts

being back in the shatter me world was quite comforting — especially since it was really fun to read about the og trio (particularly Kenji!! idgaf ab Warner) again and I genuinely think it was the best part of the entire book. i'm never forgiving Tahereh for what she did to Kenji & Nazeera though. as for 'watch me' itself, I think it was a pretty easy read to get through especially since Tahereh's writing style is quite addictive. but while I enjoyed james's pov, I found rosa's one to be painfully boring. also I felt like the world wasn't fully developed, and there are still many unanswered questions...like, world building who?!

⭑𓂃 ⌗ characters

ᝰ.ᐟ Rosabelle Wolff

she kinda reminded me of Juliette, but other than that, I feel like we don't know anything about her except the fact that she's been dead inside for YEARS, because she brought it up like every five seconds. but NO, girl, YOU'RE NOT. it doesn't even hold up — Rosa was basically infatuated with James the very first time she laid her eyes on him, and got flustered every single time he looked at her, and as far as I'm concerned neither of those things is being numb nor emotionally shut off. moreover, she basically melted when he so much as breathed and what was this 'he makes me feel alive' speech?! girl, you've known him for like 2 days 😃 her chapters were also longer & there were more of them so was that a misery! she was so completely and utterly bland like girl GET SOME PERSONALITY!!

ᝰ.ᐟ James Anderson

James, babe, if you say that you'll destroy Rosa when she messes with your family then own up to your words!! and don't go blindly trusting her & taking her side whenever you get a chance, be for real. he's basically naivety incarnate!! like what even was that 'trust me' speech 😭 anywho, James is a mix of Kenji & Aaron — like yk with the looks of Warner but the personality of Kenji? yeah, that's James. he was so unintentionally funny which made his pov hilarious at times, especially when Kenji or Warner made an appearance!! unlike Rosa, he had always something to say, and it was really fun to read about him until he turned into brainless bubble of naivety.

ᝰ.ᐟ Rosabelle and James

aren't they just the most ethereal looking people walking on this earth!! ugh, how surprising. anyways, I feel scammed. they were marketed as enemies to lovers, and there was nothing of this sort here, but I could've seen that coming especially since authors nowadays try to sell anything as this trope. their relationship from the beginning to the end of this book felt like a total fever dream — they met like twice but acted like they were already planning their future together and couldn't stop rambling about how the other one was gorgeous!!! the insta attraction wasn't really it. what's more, there even wasn't any relationship development on their part. like why do they even like each other besides their looks? they gave me absolutely NOTHING. there was no tension, angst or chemistry between them — I mean, even my cats have more chemistry with each other.

[manas (NEW YEAR) · Rating 3 out of 5]

➳ kenji—walmart's version ☆

well... i am happy to be back in this world with tahereh's writing. i find her books easy, fun, and fast-paced. being in the worst slump is not helping, as i am unable to fully enjoy anything. however, this was refreshing.

⌞rosabelle “i don't remember her last name”⌝

she reminds me so much of juliette. i found her character to be a typical mary sue, self-insert. a lot of this book is her worrying about her sister and talking about the re-establishment. the insane number of scenes with her talking about “not eating” and “starving” went nowhere. i feel like there was potential, but nothing was explored. (i know this is book 1, so i hope she has better development in the later books).

⌞james “motherfucker” anderson⌝

take a damn shot every time this hoe says “motherfucker”. surprisingly, i think james had it worse than rosabelle in terms of archetype, development, and deportment. i understand what mafi was trying to portray, especially with the insane popularity from the OG series. however, i felt like i could not connect to anyone here, especially since a lot of these characters feel like the temu version of the OG's. unlike kenji, james' character was chaotic, messy, and his dry humor did not hit for me. (again, this is just book 1, so i am sure things will get better).

⌞OG characters⌝

i love them. no one will ever make me not love them. (this includes adam). i don't wanna hear it.

now... ms. mafi will pay for what she did to my babies kenji and naz. give them their own book, now!!!

✄┈┈┈┈┈┈

ꕤ pre-read ꕤ

queen, please don’t disappoint.