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To All The Thugs I Loved That Didn't Love Me Back 1
The first book in Jahquel J.’s dramatic and juicy urban romance series To All the Thugs I Loved that Didn’t Love Me Back, this story weaves a tale of love, redemption, and ambition perfect for fans of Empire.
Bless has always held his younger brothers down, even when one catches a drug charge and is sentenced to five years in prison. Bless continued to put his feet to the ground and build their empire in his brother’s absence. Bless had love once upon a time ago, and it was snatched away from him. He didn’t think he would find another like Shai...that is until Ace Saffrino comes waltzing into his life.
When a video goes viral of Polite rapping in prison, every record label and manager in New York is beating down his door to sign him. At the visiting table with Bless, he makes his older brother promise to get out the game and use their money for good.
Five years later, Polite is out of prison and ready for change. The same streets he used to run; he doesn’t feel the same excitement for. He’s also the co-owner of Raw Records, one of the hottest record labels in New York.
Ace Saffrino is a blogger from Brooklyn. She started her celebrity blog, Aced, while pregnant with her daughter. With her daughter and a celebrity tattoo baby father that she’s madly in love with, she has her hands full. Now a few years later, she has millions of followers and is making strides in the blogging community. When Ace gets an invite to attend a listening party for one of Raw Record’s artist, she never expects to run into slick-mouthed Bless Callaghan.
Sinclair is a wedding planner, who had plans on becoming a singer. When singing didn’t pay the bills, she followed her parents advice, went to college and fell into her career—literally. When she goes with her best friend, Ace to a listening party, she runs into no other than Polite. When their worlds collide, nothing will ever be the same for Sin. Will Polite help her rediscover that love for music? Or will Sinclair continue to play it safe, like she has all her life?
Bless has always held his younger brothers down, even when one catches a drug charge and is sentenced to five years in prison. Bless continued to put his feet to the ground and build their empire in his brother’s absence. Bless had love once upon a time ago, and it was snatched away from him. He didn’t think he would find another like Shai...that is until Ace Saffrino comes waltzing into his life.
When a video goes viral of Polite rapping in prison, every record label and manager in New York is beating down his door to sign him. At the visiting table with Bless, he makes his older brother promise to get out the game and use their money for good.
Five years later, Polite is out of prison and ready for change. The same streets he used to run; he doesn’t feel the same excitement for. He’s also the co-owner of Raw Records, one of the hottest record labels in New York.
Ace Saffrino is a blogger from Brooklyn. She started her celebrity blog, Aced, while pregnant with her daughter. With her daughter and a celebrity tattoo baby father that she’s madly in love with, she has her hands full. Now a few years later, she has millions of followers and is making strides in the blogging community. When Ace gets an invite to attend a listening party for one of Raw Record’s artist, she never expects to run into slick-mouthed Bless Callaghan.
Sinclair is a wedding planner, who had plans on becoming a singer. When singing didn’t pay the bills, she followed her parents advice, went to college and fell into her career—literally. When she goes with her best friend, Ace to a listening party, she runs into no other than Polite. When their worlds collide, nothing will ever be the same for Sin. Will Polite help her rediscover that love for music? Or will Sinclair continue to play it safe, like she has all her life?
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Published September 2, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
September 13, 2025
This was my very first read by author Jahquel J and I really enjoyed it!
This book is about betrayal, loss, love, renewal, and second chances.
I want to first highlight the world-building in the story because I think the author did a really good job with it. Being the first book in a series, I think Jahquel did a great job not just introducing us to the characters but really immersing us in their world. I not only learned about the characters, but I really became invested in their stories.
As for the characters themselves, I loved that they were complex and nuanced, making them relatable. Ace was hands down my favorite character. She worked hard to give her daughter Neveah the best life possible, and she had such a loving and honest spirit that I could relate to. I loved her bond with her grandmother and her friendships with Valarie and Sinclair was so good to see. Everyone needs this type of friendship in their lives. Coming from different walks of life did not keep these young women from having a raw, honest, and aspirational friendship. They were fun and full of love for one another. My favorite part about their friendship was that they always pushed each other to grow to their fullest potential.
Bless was another character that I really liked. He was an absolute mess, and I mean that in the best way possible! He had me cracking up throughout the book. I looked forward to his scenes because I knew that each and every time he showed up on the page, I was in for a good time. Though amazingly funny, Bless was still a very complex character. After the loss of his wife and first child, I expected that his heart would be hardened and he would have his walls up. But, watching him slowly open up to Ace, really made me root for them.
Polite was interesting. There’s definitely more to him beneath the surface, and some of the revelations towards the end of the book had me side-eyeing him, but I liked him overall. He too was a complex character. After spending years in prison, he leaned on the one person who was there for him during his lowest time. But, as his feelings grow for Sin, he has to choose between loyalty to that person or his growing feelings for Sin. I understand how difficult of a choice that must be for him, and I hope Sin gives him a chance to explain himself. Nevertheless, I will say one thing, he better not hurt my girl!!!
As for Prayer, the third brother, I loved getting glimpses into his relationship with Valarie. He seems to be a very interesting character, and I am really excited to see where their story goes from here.
Finally, let’s talk the ending. That ending took me for a loop because I was not expecting that twist. I absolutely loved it, however, and am ecstatic for book 2 in the series.
Overall, this book was a perfectly written slow burn. It gave us time to really meet the characters and see their world before the drama kicks in and I appreciate that. For my romance girlies who love the spice, there’s a bit of open-door spice, but it’s not overly spicy. I think this was a perfect blend of plot and romance. If you’re looking for a character-driven story with drama, romance, family ties, and a sprinkle of spice, this book is for you!
𝐀𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤: I was gifted the audiobook by LibroFM, and the narrators were phenomenal. With four main characters and multiple side characters, they managed to bring everyone to life without any confusion. They kept me engaged and I was able to listen to the entire book in just one day.
This book is about betrayal, loss, love, renewal, and second chances.
I want to first highlight the world-building in the story because I think the author did a really good job with it. Being the first book in a series, I think Jahquel did a great job not just introducing us to the characters but really immersing us in their world. I not only learned about the characters, but I really became invested in their stories.
As for the characters themselves, I loved that they were complex and nuanced, making them relatable. Ace was hands down my favorite character. She worked hard to give her daughter Neveah the best life possible, and she had such a loving and honest spirit that I could relate to. I loved her bond with her grandmother and her friendships with Valarie and Sinclair was so good to see. Everyone needs this type of friendship in their lives. Coming from different walks of life did not keep these young women from having a raw, honest, and aspirational friendship. They were fun and full of love for one another. My favorite part about their friendship was that they always pushed each other to grow to their fullest potential.
Bless was another character that I really liked. He was an absolute mess, and I mean that in the best way possible! He had me cracking up throughout the book. I looked forward to his scenes because I knew that each and every time he showed up on the page, I was in for a good time. Though amazingly funny, Bless was still a very complex character. After the loss of his wife and first child, I expected that his heart would be hardened and he would have his walls up. But, watching him slowly open up to Ace, really made me root for them.
Polite was interesting. There’s definitely more to him beneath the surface, and some of the revelations towards the end of the book had me side-eyeing him, but I liked him overall. He too was a complex character. After spending years in prison, he leaned on the one person who was there for him during his lowest time. But, as his feelings grow for Sin, he has to choose between loyalty to that person or his growing feelings for Sin. I understand how difficult of a choice that must be for him, and I hope Sin gives him a chance to explain himself. Nevertheless, I will say one thing, he better not hurt my girl!!!
As for Prayer, the third brother, I loved getting glimpses into his relationship with Valarie. He seems to be a very interesting character, and I am really excited to see where their story goes from here.
Finally, let’s talk the ending. That ending took me for a loop because I was not expecting that twist. I absolutely loved it, however, and am ecstatic for book 2 in the series.
Overall, this book was a perfectly written slow burn. It gave us time to really meet the characters and see their world before the drama kicks in and I appreciate that. For my romance girlies who love the spice, there’s a bit of open-door spice, but it’s not overly spicy. I think this was a perfect blend of plot and romance. If you’re looking for a character-driven story with drama, romance, family ties, and a sprinkle of spice, this book is for you!
𝐀𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤: I was gifted the audiobook by LibroFM, and the narrators were phenomenal. With four main characters and multiple side characters, they managed to bring everyone to life without any confusion. They kept me engaged and I was able to listen to the entire book in just one day.
April 13, 2026
Let me just start by saying this wasn’t my favorite series by Jaquel J. It was not a lot going on and some of the added things didn’t feel needed. Like Ace breaking up with Bless for him to heal, girl you could been with that man while he worked through his stuff. Also, she needed healing too, she stayed trying to leave when things didn’t go her way. Or give ultimatums.
Ashley being pregnant was another added thing that could have been left out. The books were also way too short and could have been combined into 2 books instead of 4. Got us out her wasting credits or buying books for this BS. I found myself skipping through these books to get to the point. It took forever to get to the stuff I wanted answers to. I felt played with the entire book and then everything got dumped at the end to get us to read the next book. What a scam.
Okay book 3 started off jumping a little bit. Also, in book 3 I was confused because Kamaya said she called Sin to put a pause on the wedding and in book 3 she was still sending requests to Sin’s staff while she’s in the hospital. I was a little excited to hear more about their Prayer and Val’s story. Giving Kni a chapter in book was a waste of paper and it felt like fluff. Man don’t nobody want to know about him and his ex, get to the point. Also, in this book Ace says Niko has never put his hands on her but in book 2 Niko admitted to slapping Ace once. The discrepancies bothered me it’s like sloppy work. Also, the author spells Ashley’s name differently in book 3, it was Ashlee but now it’s Ashley.
I didn’t like Ace’s attitude with Emani in book 3, she didn’t do anything to you, that was all Niko. She could have been more supportive of her when she came to her, she came off as a jealous ex and that’s not a good look. If you have moved on and are happy, don’t be bitter. She is still getting on my nerves in Book 3, I agree with Sin’s thoughts on her feelings about the Bless situation. Be and that he lied, she’s too quick to throw away a good man but spend years on a no good one. Girl, make it make sense. She irritated me and was getting on my nerves.
Ashley being pregnant was another added thing that could have been left out. The books were also way too short and could have been combined into 2 books instead of 4. Got us out her wasting credits or buying books for this BS. I found myself skipping through these books to get to the point. It took forever to get to the stuff I wanted answers to. I felt played with the entire book and then everything got dumped at the end to get us to read the next book. What a scam.
Okay book 3 started off jumping a little bit. Also, in book 3 I was confused because Kamaya said she called Sin to put a pause on the wedding and in book 3 she was still sending requests to Sin’s staff while she’s in the hospital. I was a little excited to hear more about their Prayer and Val’s story. Giving Kni a chapter in book was a waste of paper and it felt like fluff. Man don’t nobody want to know about him and his ex, get to the point. Also, in this book Ace says Niko has never put his hands on her but in book 2 Niko admitted to slapping Ace once. The discrepancies bothered me it’s like sloppy work. Also, the author spells Ashley’s name differently in book 3, it was Ashlee but now it’s Ashley.
I didn’t like Ace’s attitude with Emani in book 3, she didn’t do anything to you, that was all Niko. She could have been more supportive of her when she came to her, she came off as a jealous ex and that’s not a good look. If you have moved on and are happy, don’t be bitter. She is still getting on my nerves in Book 3, I agree with Sin’s thoughts on her feelings about the Bless situation. Be and that he lied, she’s too quick to throw away a good man but spend years on a no good one. Girl, make it make sense. She irritated me and was getting on my nerves.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 24, 2025
The drama, the deceit, the untold truth. The only thing I didn’t like is Blessed’s disrespectful mouth. So two friends battle through heartbreak and lies. They both having promising careers and aren’t looking for anyone but these brothers come into their lives and get things shaking. Then the cliffhanger gone have you mad so go ahead and continue reading. Now onto book 2.
October 22, 2025
Jahquel...some people are put on this earth for one thing. I don't know about any other gifts you have, but baby your pen is blessed! This book just took me out and I am not sure how I am going to recover...
Polite and Sin...
Ace and Bless
Nico...
I have no words!
Polite and Sin...
Ace and Bless
Nico...
I have no words!
April 10, 2026
Talk about left you on a cliffhanger!!! At times I was getting confused on who was who, and there were a few random conversation switches that didn’t flow in my opinion. Will definitely be finishing the series.
April 29, 2026
coming back to read this after going through alot of Jahquel's series has this starting off a little slow....but the cliff hanger that it just left me on...I know I'm in for a wild surprise.
So far its very chill...
So far its very chill...
October 5, 2025
Oh hell no!
A lot to keep up with! The drama and deceit! And Yes! A damn cliffhanger! 🫣😩!
A lot to keep up with! The drama and deceit! And Yes! A damn cliffhanger! 🫣😩!
November 19, 2025
These brothers I don’t know if I love or hate them the way they move.
December 9, 2025
This audiobook is really good. I don’t like cliffhanger, but after reading a lot of of her books already through audio I should’ve known. I guess it’s expected 😱 on to Book two
December 13, 2025
🔥🔥🔥🔥 Narration is 🔥🔥🔥🔥
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January 13, 2026I DNF'ed this book. It just didn't do anything for me like I thought it would.
March 7, 2026
⭐⭐⭐⭐
May 5, 2026
4.25 ⭐
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews