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Sorrowsong University #1
Nightshade
Ophelia krijgt onverwacht toegang tot Sorrowsong University, een elitaire school diep in de Schotse Hooglanden, om de mysterieuze dood van haar ouders te onderzoeken. Haar onopgemerkt blijven, de waarheid achterhalen en wraak nemen. Maar wanneer ze botst met Alex Corbeau-Green, de zoon van haar hoofdverdachte, verandert alles. Terwijl een onbekende haar begint te stalken en Alex haar onverwachte bondgenoot én haar alibi voor moord wordt, begint haar zorgvuldig geplande wraak te wankelen… net als haar hart.
De dark academia must-read ‘Nightshade’ van Autumn Woods is deel 1 van de Sorrowsong University-serie. Een aanrader voor fans van Maxton Hall.
De dark academia must-read ‘Nightshade’ van Autumn Woods is deel 1 van de Sorrowsong University-serie. Een aanrader voor fans van Maxton Hall.
400 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 28, 2025
5327 people are currently reading
132118 people want to read
About the author
Autumn Woods
4 books2,274 followersAutumn Woods is an aerospace engineer by day, romance author by evening and weekend. She currently lives in the south west of the UK with Mr. Woods and their dog.
She loves to write strong FMCs and dark & twisty MMCs, wrapping them up in cottagecore and dark academia worlds.
When not writing or reading, she’s usually painting, baking, or spending time outdoors.
She loves to write strong FMCs and dark & twisty MMCs, wrapping them up in cottagecore and dark academia worlds.
When not writing or reading, she’s usually painting, baking, or spending time outdoors.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 7,528 reviews
October 14, 2025
“You make me finally understand what people mean when they say life isn’t long enough.”
No words just Alex Corbeau Green. Aka my new husband. Aka the most pathetic, sad boy, obsessed, tortured yearner on the planet. I am so done. I have a problem. I can’t remember the last time a fictional man had me this down bad. I actually can’t handle it.
This book was EVERYTHINGGGGGGG THEY ARE EVERYTHING!!! I need book two more than I need air to breathe the ending actually made me cry WHAT?! The banter, the spooky gothic university setting, the murder mystery/stalker plot, the suspense, the romance, the pain, the mental health rep, Ophelia made me feel so seen and heard. They literally flirt via email and through crosswords. Bye. This man tattooed, glasses wearing, intellectual, witty, flirty, man who draws her and washes his hair and is like a father to his 6 sisters?! No his backstory is actually making my chest ache. PROTECT HIM AT ALL COSTS I well as they drag me away to the padded room.
I cannot.
“I’ve built my walls too high.” “They’re worth the climb.” “They aren’t.” We stop on the mansion steps, his tone soft. “They are. For me, they are.”
“If you end up being the death of me, Winters, I couldn’t ask for a better end.”
“Then I’ll love you with the same intensity that you hate me. I’ll hold on to you just as hard as you push me away. I’ll fix you like you’re fixing me. I’ll always be here, Ophelia, I’ll sit at the bottom of valleys and stand on the top of mountains with you.”
“Forget dying for her. I’d live for her. I feel like I could overcome all the darkness inside if only it meant I’d get a life in her company in return.”
“Ophelia is my deadly nightshade. She’s bad for me. I know what she’ll do to me, but she’s too beautiful. Too enticing. She’s too deep in my bloodstream already, painful and ecstatic all at once.”
“Ophelia feels like finding another human after months in the desert. A light permeating the thick black cloud. When my wayward mind wanders, it staggers back home to her.”
No words just Alex Corbeau Green. Aka my new husband. Aka the most pathetic, sad boy, obsessed, tortured yearner on the planet. I am so done. I have a problem. I can’t remember the last time a fictional man had me this down bad. I actually can’t handle it.
This book was EVERYTHINGGGGGGG THEY ARE EVERYTHING!!! I need book two more than I need air to breathe the ending actually made me cry WHAT?! The banter, the spooky gothic university setting, the murder mystery/stalker plot, the suspense, the romance, the pain, the mental health rep, Ophelia made me feel so seen and heard. They literally flirt via email and through crosswords. Bye. This man tattooed, glasses wearing, intellectual, witty, flirty, man who draws her and washes his hair and is like a father to his 6 sisters?! No his backstory is actually making my chest ache. PROTECT HIM AT ALL COSTS I well as they drag me away to the padded room.
I cannot.
“I’ve built my walls too high.” “They’re worth the climb.” “They aren’t.” We stop on the mansion steps, his tone soft. “They are. For me, they are.”
“If you end up being the death of me, Winters, I couldn’t ask for a better end.”
“Then I’ll love you with the same intensity that you hate me. I’ll hold on to you just as hard as you push me away. I’ll fix you like you’re fixing me. I’ll always be here, Ophelia, I’ll sit at the bottom of valleys and stand on the top of mountains with you.”
“Forget dying for her. I’d live for her. I feel like I could overcome all the darkness inside if only it meant I’d get a life in her company in return.”
“Ophelia is my deadly nightshade. She’s bad for me. I know what she’ll do to me, but she’s too beautiful. Too enticing. She’s too deep in my bloodstream already, painful and ecstatic all at once.”
“Ophelia feels like finding another human after months in the desert. A light permeating the thick black cloud. When my wayward mind wanders, it staggers back home to her.”
October 13, 2025
As much as I had fun with it, it was far from perfect imo. I definitely see the appeal but it's probably one of those cases where my high expectations let me down. With the way everyone hyped it up, I was expecting a lot more than what I got.
The dark academia vibes were really good and immersive. The writing was okayish I suppose. I loved the way it started but it lost its rhythm in the middle. There was always something missing, not sure what but it just didn't feel like it was clicking. Parts of it felt a bit juvenile in the way it was written.
The characters were alright. Imo Alex carried the book, he really is a charming guy. I loved his sarcastic quips and wit. But also how appreciated how upfront he can be. He is the kind of mmc who immediately captures your attention. Ophelia on the other hand was a mess. She was fierce one moment, then completely weak the next moment. I just think there was more potential to her than what we saw.
The chemistry between the two though is pretty good. I enjoyed the romance and slow build. The push and pull on Ophelia's end got me annoyed at one point though. The banter between her and Alex was chef's kiss. The spice could have been a bit more steamy imo but I guess the author was going for a tasteful approach, which is probably just me nitpicking atp. Sorry 🫣 At least I'm self aware 😭.
The ending was really fun to get into. I won't deny that. The way it ended had me shook and baffled at the audacity to not immediately give us the next book 👁👄👁 But I'm looking forward to reading the next one and hope that it's a bit mature in it's writing.
Thanks to sweet Meg for reading it with me. BR are always fun with you 🥰
~•~•~
All I know about this one is that everyone is swooning over Alex and I intend to find out WHYYY 🤭
The dark academia vibes were really good and immersive. The writing was okayish I suppose. I loved the way it started but it lost its rhythm in the middle. There was always something missing, not sure what but it just didn't feel like it was clicking. Parts of it felt a bit juvenile in the way it was written.
The characters were alright. Imo Alex carried the book, he really is a charming guy. I loved his sarcastic quips and wit. But also how appreciated how upfront he can be. He is the kind of mmc who immediately captures your attention. Ophelia on the other hand was a mess. She was fierce one moment, then completely weak the next moment. I just think there was more potential to her than what we saw.
The chemistry between the two though is pretty good. I enjoyed the romance and slow build. The push and pull on Ophelia's end got me annoyed at one point though. The banter between her and Alex was chef's kiss. The spice could have been a bit more steamy imo but I guess the author was going for a tasteful approach, which is probably just me nitpicking atp. Sorry 🫣 At least I'm self aware 😭.
The ending was really fun to get into. I won't deny that. The way it ended had me shook and baffled at the audacity to not immediately give us the next book 👁👄👁 But I'm looking forward to reading the next one and hope that it's a bit mature in it's writing.
Thanks to sweet Meg for reading it with me. BR are always fun with you 🥰
~•~•~
All I know about this one is that everyone is swooning over Alex and I intend to find out WHYYY 🤭
August 7, 2025
I had so much fun with this!!! Alex was a PERFECT MMC. One of the more memorable ones, that’s for sure! Such a good gothic romance. And that cliffhanger!!! Need book 2 NOW!!!
December 19, 2025
Alex should start using his eyes more; those are the only balls he has
So boring and cliche 🥴🥱
So boring and cliche 🥴🥱
November 25, 2025
Alex could slap me in the face with his rugby thighs and I’d say thank you xx
Reading this was the best time I’ve had in a long fking while.
The meet cute had me giggling biting the tip of my finger kicking my feet twirling my hair. I’ve not felt this way about a couple since so long 😭 I missed this feeling. They’re so swoon worthy.
Their banter was ACTUALLY funny. Brit’s always write the best banter I swear. Like I was cackling out loud slapping my knee covering my face with the paperback so fucking giddy after their every interaction. And the tension, quips and jabs didn’t stop even after they got together but it got even better. Can you even ask for anything more really? (More Alex povs — if want to be really picky 😝💋)
What am I GNA do now it’s over 😭😭 the wait for the next book is aboutta be so painful 🤚 I’m feeling it already
Alex Alex alexxxxxx the man of my dreamsTAKE YOUR PANTS OFF who said that!
Pls the way he’s actually the most loveable fucker ever??? The respect and admiration he holds for Ophelia has my heart sinking and soaring at the same time. (Ik that won’t make sense if you’ve not read the book but trust me after you read it, you’ll be nodding ur head in agreement) And it’s not just for Ophelia but his sisters and mother ugh he makes me wanna pinch his cheeks give him the cuddliest bear hug and then rail him till kingdom come. Like it can’t get any better than Alex I’m telling u.
Ophelia my beloved. She’s the sweetest crossword loving hermit. The way she has the most gentle soul it makes me wanna cry. I haven’t taken to an fmc in this way before and it was a new experience for me. I litch just wanna reach into the book and STAB everyone who wishes her harm (with a fork… laced with acid)
The stalker storyline was so yummy I was buzzing with every page. Even tho I did guess the stalker I was STILL reeling after that ending because wdymmmmm this is how ur ending it!!! Miss author did us so dirty 😔 on a serious note THIS is how you end the first book of a duet. The right amount of intrigue and mystery with a nice hint of pain to give that kick (right at the back of the knees to rlly be specific)
As the judges from The Great British Bake-off would say, this was an unctuous eat 🙂↕️🙂↕️
𝗦𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲:
I have theories. Many theories.
─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
The way I’ve been WAITING for this moment since months omg I just know imma eat this book up
Reading this was the best time I’ve had in a long fking while.
The meet cute had me giggling biting the tip of my finger kicking my feet twirling my hair. I’ve not felt this way about a couple since so long 😭 I missed this feeling. They’re so swoon worthy.
Their banter was ACTUALLY funny. Brit’s always write the best banter I swear. Like I was cackling out loud slapping my knee covering my face with the paperback so fucking giddy after their every interaction. And the tension, quips and jabs didn’t stop even after they got together but it got even better. Can you even ask for anything more really? (More Alex povs — if want to be really picky 😝💋)
What am I GNA do now it’s over 😭😭 the wait for the next book is aboutta be so painful 🤚 I’m feeling it already
Alex Alex alexxxxxx the man of my dreams
Pls the way he’s actually the most loveable fucker ever??? The respect and admiration he holds for Ophelia has my heart sinking and soaring at the same time. (Ik that won’t make sense if you’ve not read the book but trust me after you read it, you’ll be nodding ur head in agreement) And it’s not just for Ophelia but his sisters and mother ugh he makes me wanna pinch his cheeks give him the cuddliest bear hug and then rail him till kingdom come. Like it can’t get any better than Alex I’m telling u.
Ophelia my beloved. She’s the sweetest crossword loving hermit. The way she has the most gentle soul it makes me wanna cry. I haven’t taken to an fmc in this way before and it was a new experience for me. I litch just wanna reach into the book and STAB everyone who wishes her harm (with a fork… laced with acid)
The stalker storyline was so yummy I was buzzing with every page. Even tho I did guess the stalker I was STILL reeling after that ending because wdymmmmm this is how ur ending it!!! Miss author did us so dirty 😔 on a serious note THIS is how you end the first book of a duet. The right amount of intrigue and mystery with a nice hint of pain to give that kick (right at the back of the knees to rlly be specific)
As the judges from The Great British Bake-off would say, this was an unctuous eat 🙂↕️🙂↕️
𝗦𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲:
I have theories. Many theories.
─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
The way I’ve been WAITING for this moment since months omg I just know imma eat this book up
September 22, 2025
I have this side of me that hopes the book ends with a cliffhanger 😃😃 But after reading THE CLIFFHANGER, I started crying and desperately wanting to read the next book, and ofc, it’s not out yet 😃 It’s like my two sides are punishing each other: one hopes for the cliffhanger, and the other one suffers because of it 😭
IDC, I NEED BOOK TWO!!! When is it releasing?!? 😭😭
Ophelia Winters, a strong and brave FMC, has completely caught my heart 🤭🤭 In the beginning, she was just okay, just okay 😭 but now, I really like her 👀🤭 She’s sooo brave, omggg. I loved how she fought at the end.
Alex Green, omg omg omg, 👀 he’s sooo fine ahhhh 🤭🖤🩷 I loved him from the very start, caught my attention within the first 2%! 🤭 Too early? Yes. But 👀 AHHHH!!!! Dare I say, this guy is literally the best 🙂↕️ And how he treats his sister and mom 🥹🥹 Stawwwwpppp!!! A brother like him is a blessing, fr 🥹🫶 And the man he is? 👀😩
Tbh, the plot twist isn’t that jaw-dropping. You might be able to figure it out. The beginning intrigued me and kept intriguing me until the end 🙂↕️ But yes, you might not be able to figure out the cliffhanger because that one’s really good 🤭👀
Even the side characters are sooo good 🥹 Am I sensing something between Colette and Eike?? I definitely am 🙂↕️🫶 Omgggg 👀 I need their book. I also need Vincenzo’s book 🙂↕️ I looove him sooo much, he’s sooo good 👀 Need to know who he’s gonna end up with? 🤭👀
I really loved the whole dark academia set-up 🙂↕️🖤 Everything was portrayed so well. And it was way more fun buddy reading with Nerlie 🤭🌷 ilysmmm. I just can’t wait for book two 😭
That’s it, guys. Love y’all 🫶🩷
————————————————
°❀.ೃ࿔* pre-read °❀.ೃ࿔*
Soooo excited for this 🤭🖤🩷 Doing a buddy read with my beautiful Nerlie 🫶🌷
IDC, I NEED BOOK TWO!!! When is it releasing?!? 😭😭
Ophelia Winters, a strong and brave FMC, has completely caught my heart 🤭🤭 In the beginning, she was just okay, just okay 😭 but now, I really like her 👀🤭 She’s sooo brave, omggg. I loved how she fought at the end.
Alex Green, omg omg omg, 👀 he’s sooo fine ahhhh 🤭🖤🩷 I loved him from the very start, caught my attention within the first 2%! 🤭 Too early? Yes. But 👀 AHHHH!!!! Dare I say, this guy is literally the best 🙂↕️ And how he treats his sister and mom 🥹🥹 Stawwwwpppp!!! A brother like him is a blessing, fr 🥹🫶 And the man he is? 👀😩
Tbh, the plot twist isn’t that jaw-dropping. You might be able to figure it out. The beginning intrigued me and kept intriguing me until the end 🙂↕️ But yes, you might not be able to figure out the cliffhanger because that one’s really good 🤭👀
Even the side characters are sooo good 🥹 Am I sensing something between Colette and Eike?? I definitely am 🙂↕️🫶 Omgggg 👀 I need their book. I also need Vincenzo’s book 🙂↕️ I looove him sooo much, he’s sooo good 👀 Need to know who he’s gonna end up with? 🤭👀
I really loved the whole dark academia set-up 🙂↕️🖤 Everything was portrayed so well. And it was way more fun buddy reading with Nerlie 🤭🌷 ilysmmm. I just can’t wait for book two 😭
That’s it, guys. Love y’all 🫶🩷
————————————————
°❀.ೃ࿔* pre-read °❀.ೃ࿔*
Soooo excited for this 🤭🖤🩷 Doing a buddy read with my beautiful Nerlie 🫶🌷
September 26, 2025
3.5 stars ⭐
⤷ mini spoiler-free review!! ⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ my thoughts
i’m starting to think i’m actually the problem because somehow i always end up being the odd one out when it comes to fantasy books—i didn’t love this one and honestly, i haven’t loved any i’ve read so far this year 😭
don’t get me wrong, this book wasn’t all that bad. i loved the dark academia setting and vibes, and the mystery paired with the fast pacing kept me engaged throughout.
what fell flat for me was the romance. it feels like the enemies to lovers trope has been reduced to characters who “hate” each other while secretly lusting after one another nowadays, and this book leaned heavily into that. ophelia and alex’s dynamic often felt more like childish bickering than actual tension. they barely knew each other, yet for some reason they were completely obsessed with one another, with their relationship revolving almost entirely around physical attraction and sexual tension rather than emotional connection. on top of that, ophelia kept straying from her plan because of her growing feelings for alex, and the constant mention of how she shouldn’t like him but she does became tiring.
there were also times when i had to reread sentences just to understand what was going on, which occasionally pulled me out of the story.
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ overall
while i didn’t love this book as much as most did, i still enjoyed it and would recommend it if you’re in the mood for a dark, atmospheric read this fall.
────────── ⋆⋅end⋅⋆ ──────────
pre-read
officially tackling my fall tbr ~ i’ve heard nothing but amazing things about this book so i have high hopes!
⤷ mini spoiler-free review!! ⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ my thoughts
i’m starting to think i’m actually the problem because somehow i always end up being the odd one out when it comes to fantasy books—i didn’t love this one and honestly, i haven’t loved any i’ve read so far this year 😭
don’t get me wrong, this book wasn’t all that bad. i loved the dark academia setting and vibes, and the mystery paired with the fast pacing kept me engaged throughout.
what fell flat for me was the romance. it feels like the enemies to lovers trope has been reduced to characters who “hate” each other while secretly lusting after one another nowadays, and this book leaned heavily into that. ophelia and alex’s dynamic often felt more like childish bickering than actual tension. they barely knew each other, yet for some reason they were completely obsessed with one another, with their relationship revolving almost entirely around physical attraction and sexual tension rather than emotional connection. on top of that, ophelia kept straying from her plan because of her growing feelings for alex, and the constant mention of how she shouldn’t like him but she does became tiring.
there were also times when i had to reread sentences just to understand what was going on, which occasionally pulled me out of the story.
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ overall
while i didn’t love this book as much as most did, i still enjoyed it and would recommend it if you’re in the mood for a dark, atmospheric read this fall.
────────── ⋆⋅end⋅⋆ ──────────
pre-read
officially tackling my fall tbr ~ i’ve heard nothing but amazing things about this book so i have high hopes!
December 24, 2025
3.5 stars!
Alex carried this book ON HIS HOT MUSCULAR BACK AND THUNDER RUGBY THIGHSSSSSSSS
This was fun! I liked the murder mystery, but alas it was very predictable for me, the stalker was obvious and I fear I saw that final twist coming a mile away😭 Still a fun time though!
However👀👀👀 The romance kinda ruined it for me😭😭 At first, they hated each other and the banter was TOP TIER!!!! The shift from hate to love was so rushed to me that it made it not believable and kinda gave me the ick I'M SORRY😭😭😭 It should have been a slower burn, I needed them to kiss at like 80%😅 However, I loved how Alex was so protective and sweet with Ophelia🫶🫶
The spice was.. a choice😅 Imo, if you're gonna make a book spicy, commit to it yk and give us all the dirty details😅😅 It was kinda ...tepid? Like there was all this build up and then it just fizzled😞
The ending was so angsty though, so ofc I loved it 😅
______________________________________
Buddy reading with my bestieeee Cha 💖
Heard nothing but great things about this I'm so excited!
Alex carried this book ON HIS HOT MUSCULAR BACK AND THUNDER RUGBY THIGHSSSSSSSS
This was fun! I liked the murder mystery, but alas it was very predictable for me, the stalker was obvious and I fear I saw that final twist coming a mile away😭 Still a fun time though!
However👀👀👀 The romance kinda ruined it for me😭😭 At first, they hated each other and the banter was TOP TIER!!!! The shift from hate to love was so rushed to me that it made it not believable and kinda gave me the ick I'M SORRY😭😭😭 It should have been a slower burn, I needed them to kiss at like 80%😅 However, I loved how Alex was so protective and sweet with Ophelia🫶🫶
The spice was.. a choice😅 Imo, if you're gonna make a book spicy, commit to it yk and give us all the dirty details😅😅 It was kinda ...tepid? Like there was all this build up and then it just fizzled😞
The ending was so angsty though, so ofc I loved it 😅
______________________________________
Buddy reading with my bestieeee Cha 💖
Heard nothing but great things about this I'm so excited!
December 19, 2025
𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶཐི༏ཋྀ 5 stars
★★★★★
What am I supposed to do now?
(˚ ˃̣̣̥⌓˂̣̣̥ )づ♡
I finished Nightshade and now I’m just a haunted shell of a person wandering the halls of my own life whispering “Alex Corbeau-Green” like a spell that might bring him back. This book didn’t just give me butterflies—it gave me a whole damn aviary.
Alex Corbeau Green... the man you are🤌🤌🤌✨✨💕💕💖💖❤️
🏛️ Sorrowsong Uni Houses
(¯´•._.• S̶̨̅o̷̢̪̠̻̩͕̾̃̋r̴̢̜̯̮̳̖̈́̇̐̏̊r̴͖̀̀͘o̶̘͔̹͇̰͔͙̭̍ͅw̵̡̯̣̘͚̜̲̭̥̮̓̈͛̓̈̈́̑͋͆ş̴̛̤̦̣̪̓̀̇̓o̸̦͐̆̆͆̽̽́̕ņ̶̢̮̗͇͈͖̜̤͉͗͒͝ǵ̵̢͙̪̟̭̘͉̐̆́ ̸̫̃̈́̿̚Ǔ̶̧̜̖̫̙̺̯̊͆̏n̶̪̹͕͎̲̍̍͗̽ͅį̸̢̛̹̞̮̭̉̒̆̀̃͒̊̆̎ͅ ̷̩͚͇͓̑̃̂ͅH̸͈͖̺͓̦̱͖̍̓́͜ơ̶̢̦̩̫̙̠͖̪̎͑̆̕ụ̷̔͆̒̂̇̒͗͐̒̈s̸̢̬̭͎̱̱͉̟͔̜͆̃̎e̵̖̟͓͖̩͌s̷͕̙̘̳̄̏̎͂̈́̊̃̊̕ •._.•´¯)
»»---(¯`S⑊o⑊r⑊t⑊i⑊n⑊g⑊ ⑊H⑊a⑊t⑊ ⑊e⑊d⑊i⑊t⑊i⑊o⑊n´¯)---»»
Cortinar House- Ravenclaw💙
Snakeroot House- Hufflepuff💛
Hemlock House- Gryffindor❤️
Nightshade- Slytherin💚
Alex Corbeau-Green. The man. The myth. The walking heartbreak in a black shirt. He’s got the emotional depth of a Russian novel and the charm of a villain who’s secretly the hero.
This book is gothic in the way your soul feels after rereading a love letter from someone who left. It’s trauma, healing and romance wrapped in velvet prose and rainy windows.
⋆༺𓆩⚔𓆪༻⋆⋆༺𓆩⚔𓆪༻⋆⋆༺𓆩⚔𓆪༻⋆⋆༺𓆩⚔𓆪༻⋆⋆༺𓆩⚔𓆪༻⋆
Oh yeah... 'Alex Volkov'
😭😭😭❤️❤️❤️❤️💕
“Salad makes me sad,”- same girl:(
I AM LOVING IT SO MUCKING MUCH!
However, the names should have been a bit original... Ophelia (also there in Phantasma) and Alex (from Twisted love) :(
Hilarious.
Stop😭😭😭
Woah
There it is; the disappointment, the expectation that trauma has to turn into an inspirational story. That a life changing injury should end in a Paralympic gold and an awful childhood should fuel your meteoric rise to success.
WHY IS THIS SO RELATABLE? LIKE... STH LIKE THIS HAPPENED TO ME A YEAR AGO
Ok this one is really hilarious 😂
Oh my god. I am in LOVE with this book
THESE QUOTES!!😭😭
Ah!! My heart!!!
THE ENDING??!!!
I DEFINITELY CAN'T SURVIVE LIKE THIS!!!!!!😭😭😭😭😭
I NEED THE 2nd BOOK RIGHT NOWWWW!!!!!
★★★★★
What am I supposed to do now?
(˚ ˃̣̣̥⌓˂̣̣̥ )づ♡
I finished Nightshade and now I’m just a haunted shell of a person wandering the halls of my own life whispering “Alex Corbeau-Green” like a spell that might bring him back. This book didn’t just give me butterflies—it gave me a whole damn aviary.
Alex Corbeau Green... the man you are🤌🤌🤌✨✨💕💕💖💖❤️
🏛️ Sorrowsong Uni Houses
(¯´•._.• S̶̨̅o̷̢̪̠̻̩͕̾̃̋r̴̢̜̯̮̳̖̈́̇̐̏̊r̴͖̀̀͘o̶̘͔̹͇̰͔͙̭̍ͅw̵̡̯̣̘͚̜̲̭̥̮̓̈͛̓̈̈́̑͋͆ş̴̛̤̦̣̪̓̀̇̓o̸̦͐̆̆͆̽̽́̕ņ̶̢̮̗͇͈͖̜̤͉͗͒͝ǵ̵̢͙̪̟̭̘͉̐̆́ ̸̫̃̈́̿̚Ǔ̶̧̜̖̫̙̺̯̊͆̏n̶̪̹͕͎̲̍̍͗̽ͅį̸̢̛̹̞̮̭̉̒̆̀̃͒̊̆̎ͅ ̷̩͚͇͓̑̃̂ͅH̸͈͖̺͓̦̱͖̍̓́͜ơ̶̢̦̩̫̙̠͖̪̎͑̆̕ụ̷̔͆̒̂̇̒͗͐̒̈s̸̢̬̭͎̱̱͉̟͔̜͆̃̎e̵̖̟͓͖̩͌s̷͕̙̘̳̄̏̎͂̈́̊̃̊̕ •._.•´¯)
»»---(¯`S⑊o⑊r⑊t⑊i⑊n⑊g⑊ ⑊H⑊a⑊t⑊ ⑊e⑊d⑊i⑊t⑊i⑊o⑊n´¯)---»»
Cortinar House- Ravenclaw💙
Snakeroot House- Hufflepuff💛
Hemlock House- Gryffindor❤️
Nightshade- Slytherin💚
Alex Corbeau-Green. The man. The myth. The walking heartbreak in a black shirt. He’s got the emotional depth of a Russian novel and the charm of a villain who’s secretly the hero.
This book is gothic in the way your soul feels after rereading a love letter from someone who left. It’s trauma, healing and romance wrapped in velvet prose and rainy windows.
⋆༺𓆩⚔𓆪༻⋆⋆༺𓆩⚔𓆪༻⋆⋆༺𓆩⚔𓆪༻⋆⋆༺𓆩⚔𓆪༻⋆⋆༺𓆩⚔𓆪༻⋆
“Alex. My name is Alex.”
Alex. Something about him seems familiar.
Oh yeah... 'Alex Volkov'
...But I have this feeling about Ophelia. Like she’s all my future Christmases and everything in between.
“Then I’ll love you with the same intensity that you hate me. I’ll hold on to you just as hard as you push me away. I’ll fix you like you’re fixing me. I’ll always be here, Ophelia, I’ll sit at the bottom of valleys and stand on the top of mountains with you."
😭😭😭❤️❤️❤️❤️💕
“Salad makes me sad,”- same girl:(
I AM LOVING IT SO MUCKING MUCH!
However, the names should have been a bit original... Ophelia (also there in Phantasma) and Alex (from Twisted love) :(
From: Alex Corbeau-Green
Subject: Punctuality (noun) the fact or quality
of being on time.
Date: Tuesday 1st October 20:04 BST
To: Ophelia Winters
I’m in the library. Look for the charming
gentleman in the black shirt.
-ACG
From: Ophelia Winters
Subject: Patience (noun) the ability to wait, or
to suffer without complaining or becoming annoyed.
Date: Tuesday 1st October 20:05 BST
To: Alex Corbeau-Green
I’m on my way down now. Are you sitting to the
left or the right of the charming gentleman?
Signing your emails with your initials is
obnoxious,
Ophelia
Hilarious.
But then I remember my dad cried when I broke my ankle at seven. Cried when I felt lonely at school at ten.... That man would cry if he saw me now, and I know in my heart he’d tell me that no victory is worth it if you lose yourself on the way.
Stop😭😭😭
From: Alex Corbeau-Green
Subject: User Error (noun) technical problems caused by the human user
Date: Saturday 11th October 10:03 BST
To: Ophelia Winters
No problem.
It always helps to lift the lid and turn the laptop on.
—ACG
Woah
There it is; the disappointment, the expectation that trauma has to turn into an inspirational story. That a life changing injury should end in a Paralympic gold and an awful childhood should fuel your meteoric rise to success.
WHY IS THIS SO RELATABLE? LIKE... STH LIKE THIS HAPPENED TO ME A YEAR AGO
Ok this one is really hilarious 😂
“Sugar. You want to be called sugar.”
“No, not sugar. Something else, like…” I scratch my head. I have no idea. He presses his lips together. “Sugar.”
I shove him out of the way, feeling my cheeks flame. “Not sugar. Honey? No. Not honey. Muffin? No.”
He looks exasperated with me. “Jesus Christ. What’s next? Eggs? Preheat oven to two fifty? Baking soda, I’m home!”
Oh my god. I am in LOVE with this book
THESE QUOTES!!😭😭
"Can you fix the fact that I don't like you?"
He doesn't call me out on my lie, instead tapping my phone screen beside us to see the time. 4:32 p.m. "Like me until five. Then we can go back to before."
"It's almost six o'clock now. Give me until midnight. For my own sanity, let yourself be loved until midnight."
There's only so much willpower a woman can have. I surrender myself to his stupid plan. "Midnight."
"Midnight, a hundred years from now."
I laugh and shove him off me. "That wasn't in the deal"
"You should always read the fine print, Ophelia."
“Let’s go home,” he whispers.
“Home?”
“Wherever you want, love. It’s home if we’re there.”
Ah!! My heart!!!
THE ENDING??!!!
I DEFINITELY CAN'T SURVIVE LIKE THIS!!!!!!😭😭😭😭😭
I NEED THE 2nd BOOK RIGHT NOWWWW!!!!!
July 18, 2025
✩ 5 stars ✩
What to Expect:
➼ Hate to Love
➼ Forced Proximity
➼ Grumpy x Grumpy
➼ Murder Mystery
➼ Slow Burn
➼ He Falls First
➼ Romantic Suspense
➼ Cliffhanger
➼ Dark Academia/University Setting
➼ Duet Narration
➼ Dual First Person POV
That ending!! 💔 I need book 2 immediately!
Over 12,000 majority positive ratings before it was even traditionally published? When a book has this much hype, nine times out of ten I’m left disappointed, but I ate this one up! The overall tone of the book felt very romantic to me. The academic setting, the rainy weather, the star crossed feel of their relationship, etc. I kind of think of romance books like a recipe, a little of this trope, sprinkle in this genre or that, add in a little atmosphere, etc., and all I can say is that this author got the recipe exactly right. 🙌🏻
Hate to love is always a good place to start, but the reason for that hate needs to be justified but still forgivable for it to work and Autumn wrote those details perfectly. The book has a bit of a Mafia undertone that the MMC is distant from but still connected to. I loved that this was included but that the author still managed to write him as a very good and caring man with his own complex motivations for staying connected to the family business. The FMC has her own secrets and reasons to keep the MMC at arm’s length that added to the romantic suspense between them, and the tension was so good! She fought her growing feelings for him, but the plot continually threw them together in ways that were unavoidable and made the forced proximity make sense. The MMC was also just so gone for her in the best way. The more I think about it, He Falls First really might be the best trope out there and the author incorporated it so well here! His grumpy personality made his fixation with her that much sweeter, especially once we get to see his softer side when he goes above and beyond to care for her and his family. He’s actually perfect. 🥰
As far as the setting goes, I think anyone who’s been to college romanticizes an academic setting. Heck, just watching Gilmore Girls might be enough to romanticize it. That feeling of walking across the quad on an autumn day is already such a tangible feeling, but bringing that feeling to a Scottish Castle?! 👨🏻🍳💋 The atmosphere in this one can’t be beat!
I think this would make an excellent screen adaptation! I really hope we get one someday!! I genuinely won’t be happy until book two is in my hands! I need an HEA for Alex & Ophelia!
✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼
Pre-read: I was trying to hold off on this one since I have so many other books in my Libby account with a clock on them right now, but this is all I can think about, so here goes! ✨✨
I found a UK friend to send me the sprayed edge copy from TheWorks! 🥹 So excited for this to arrive!
≪ ◦ ❖ ◦ ≫
Connect with me on Instagram
✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼
This looks like a promising new release! Looks like the release date listed on GR is inaccurate. According to the author’s Instagram, it comes out in print on June 24th and is already available on KU!
What to Expect:
➼ Hate to Love
➼ Forced Proximity
➼ Grumpy x Grumpy
➼ Murder Mystery
➼ Slow Burn
➼ He Falls First
➼ Romantic Suspense
➼ Cliffhanger
➼ Dark Academia/University Setting
➼ Duet Narration
➼ Dual First Person POV
That ending!! 💔 I need book 2 immediately!
Over 12,000 majority positive ratings before it was even traditionally published? When a book has this much hype, nine times out of ten I’m left disappointed, but I ate this one up! The overall tone of the book felt very romantic to me. The academic setting, the rainy weather, the star crossed feel of their relationship, etc. I kind of think of romance books like a recipe, a little of this trope, sprinkle in this genre or that, add in a little atmosphere, etc., and all I can say is that this author got the recipe exactly right. 🙌🏻
Hate to love is always a good place to start, but the reason for that hate needs to be justified but still forgivable for it to work and Autumn wrote those details perfectly. The book has a bit of a Mafia undertone that the MMC is distant from but still connected to. I loved that this was included but that the author still managed to write him as a very good and caring man with his own complex motivations for staying connected to the family business. The FMC has her own secrets and reasons to keep the MMC at arm’s length that added to the romantic suspense between them, and the tension was so good! She fought her growing feelings for him, but the plot continually threw them together in ways that were unavoidable and made the forced proximity make sense. The MMC was also just so gone for her in the best way. The more I think about it, He Falls First really might be the best trope out there and the author incorporated it so well here! His grumpy personality made his fixation with her that much sweeter, especially once we get to see his softer side when he goes above and beyond to care for her and his family. He’s actually perfect. 🥰
As far as the setting goes, I think anyone who’s been to college romanticizes an academic setting. Heck, just watching Gilmore Girls might be enough to romanticize it. That feeling of walking across the quad on an autumn day is already such a tangible feeling, but bringing that feeling to a Scottish Castle?! 👨🏻🍳💋 The atmosphere in this one can’t be beat!
I think this would make an excellent screen adaptation! I really hope we get one someday!! I genuinely won’t be happy until book two is in my hands! I need an HEA for Alex & Ophelia!
✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼
Pre-read: I was trying to hold off on this one since I have so many other books in my Libby account with a clock on them right now, but this is all I can think about, so here goes! ✨✨
I found a UK friend to send me the sprayed edge copy from TheWorks! 🥹 So excited for this to arrive!
≪ ◦ ❖ ◦ ≫
Connect with me on Instagram
✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼
This looks like a promising new release! Looks like the release date listed on GR is inaccurate. According to the author’s Instagram, it comes out in print on June 24th and is already available on KU!
March 30, 2025
I fear I ate this up 💅
🚨WARNING🚨 There’s a high chance you might find this predictable and cliché. Honestly, for most of it, I did too! And yet, somehow, Woods managed to keep me hooked. I couldn’t put this down. I think it’s one of those guilty pleasure reads where you know exactly where it’s going, but you’re still having the best time along the way. That said, there were definitely a few twists I didn’t see coming, and I really enjoyed myself!
“Oh… am I actually enjoying this?” That was my exact thought as I got deeper into the book. It starts off very been-there-done-that. Ophelia is the mysterious, gloomy girl, and of course, she meets Alex, the hot, rich, too-cool-for-you guy. Oh, and of course the elite school filled with insanely wealthy kids and their over-the-top connections. Yeah, yeah, I thought I knew where this was going. But then, a certain part of the plot grabbed my attention. Suddenly, there was mystery. And wait… was that angst I was feeling?! Oh, okay, well, now I have to know what happens. Some things did end up feeling a little too convenient, but I’m so glad I stuck with it because things got crazy by the end with some of those reveals.
I genuinely enjoyed all the characters. They were exactly the type you’d expect in a book like this, but that didn’t make them any less fun. Of course, I loved my main characters, and the more I got to know them, the more I liked them. They’re complicated in their own beautifully messy ways, thrown into situations they never saw coming. The romance? Yeah, I was into it. But I’ll admit I might have enjoyed their chemistry before they got together just a little more… but only because I’m a tiny bit toxic. Just a smidge.
The pacing was great, and the book even left me with a pretty cool cliffhanger—the kind that has me itching for the next one!
🚨WARNING🚨 There’s a high chance you might find this predictable and cliché. Honestly, for most of it, I did too! And yet, somehow, Woods managed to keep me hooked. I couldn’t put this down. I think it’s one of those guilty pleasure reads where you know exactly where it’s going, but you’re still having the best time along the way. That said, there were definitely a few twists I didn’t see coming, and I really enjoyed myself!
“Oh… am I actually enjoying this?” That was my exact thought as I got deeper into the book. It starts off very been-there-done-that. Ophelia is the mysterious, gloomy girl, and of course, she meets Alex, the hot, rich, too-cool-for-you guy. Oh, and of course the elite school filled with insanely wealthy kids and their over-the-top connections. Yeah, yeah, I thought I knew where this was going. But then, a certain part of the plot grabbed my attention. Suddenly, there was mystery. And wait… was that angst I was feeling?! Oh, okay, well, now I have to know what happens. Some things did end up feeling a little too convenient, but I’m so glad I stuck with it because things got crazy by the end with some of those reveals.
I genuinely enjoyed all the characters. They were exactly the type you’d expect in a book like this, but that didn’t make them any less fun. Of course, I loved my main characters, and the more I got to know them, the more I liked them. They’re complicated in their own beautifully messy ways, thrown into situations they never saw coming. The romance? Yeah, I was into it. But I’ll admit I might have enjoyed their chemistry before they got together just a little more… but only because I’m a tiny bit toxic. Just a smidge.
The pacing was great, and the book even left me with a pretty cool cliffhanger—the kind that has me itching for the next one!
November 8, 2025
4.5 rounded up. DEVOURED. This felt like the gothic ambiance of a Kerri Lake book but with the ABSOLUTE BEST BANTER. Love love love loveddddddddddd. Foaming for book 2.
August 16, 2025
November 6, 2025
4.75 stars!!!!! ALEX CORBEAU GREEN!!!!! THE MAN YOU ARE!!!
I fear many book reviews start off this way, but I want to hammer home just truly how immaculate this man is. carved by the gods themselves. if i made a man perfectly in laboratory conditions, it would be him. f**k.
not only was he perfect, this plot and setting kept me flipping pages with a ferocity that 100% messed up my sleep schedule for the rest of the week. I could NOT put this down. yearning???? check. from the second he sees her, actually. banter???? DUH. the protective tenderness of their relationship and the whole “who did this to you” is just the cherry on top ;)) and the mental health struggles they both experienced were represented incredibly well IMO. I am well & truly obsessed.
gnawing at my enclosure’s iron bars for the second one now… fml
I fear many book reviews start off this way, but I want to hammer home just truly how immaculate this man is. carved by the gods themselves. if i made a man perfectly in laboratory conditions, it would be him. f**k.
not only was he perfect, this plot and setting kept me flipping pages with a ferocity that 100% messed up my sleep schedule for the rest of the week. I could NOT put this down. yearning???? check. from the second he sees her, actually. banter???? DUH. the protective tenderness of their relationship and the whole “who did this to you” is just the cherry on top ;)) and the mental health struggles they both experienced were represented incredibly well IMO. I am well & truly obsessed.
gnawing at my enclosure’s iron bars for the second one now… fml
November 8, 2025
➸ 5 stars
tropes / what to expect:
- hate to love
- rugby player x swimmer
- lonely girl x broken boy
- grumpy x grumpy
- murder, mystery, and revenge
- university setting in scotland
this book took me by surprise. i knew this would be something i would like but i never expected it to touch my heart so deeply. i completely fell in love from the first page; starting off strong with the addicting banter, i was grinning from ear to ear and excited for the journey and oh the journey was oh so great. i love these characters so much and feel so deeply for them. i am not exaggerating when i say there’s a hole in my heart that won’t be filled until i get book two in my hands because that ending hurt and i NEED more. i’m so excited for the sequel and my mind will take a pause until then because i cannot let go of these characters.
favorite quotes:
“You’re too good a woman for a man like him.”
“And you’d be better?”
“Ophelia, love, I’d be significantly worse. But I can’t watch you with him.”
“Then look away.”
“Can’t.”
“I don’t even bother trying to look away. I drink in every minute detail like I’m dying and she’s the cure.”
“You occupy my mind.
Those stupid crosswords. You’re those for me. You’re the cage for my thoughts.”
“A small smile graces her pinkening lips, and oh my god, it’s a smile that’s going to ruin my life. It’s a smile I’ll replay in my head each night as I lie in that blissful space between awake and asleep.”
“Ophelia feels like finding another human after months in the desert. A light penetrating the think black cloud. When my wayward mind wanders, it staggers back home to her.
She’s everything I’ve been asking the universe for, and she fucking hates me.”
“I’ve built my walls to high.”
“They’re worth the climb.”
“They aren’t.”
“They are. For me, they are.”
“You make me finally understand what people mean when they say life isn’t long enough.”
“You are my worst enemy.”
“Then I’ll love you with the same intensity that you hate me. I’ll hold on to you just as hard as you push me away. I’ll fix you like you’re fixing me. I’ll always be here, Ophelia, I’ll sit at the bottom of valleys and stand on the top of mountains with you. We’re too good not to work.”
“I love every piece of you, especially the parts that you’ve convinced yourself aren’t worthy of my love.”
“Let’s go home.”
“Home?”
“Wherever you want, love. It’s home if we’re there.”
“Until midnight.”
“Until midnight, a hundreds years from now.”
tropes / what to expect:
- hate to love
- rugby player x swimmer
- lonely girl x broken boy
- grumpy x grumpy
- murder, mystery, and revenge
- university setting in scotland
this book took me by surprise. i knew this would be something i would like but i never expected it to touch my heart so deeply. i completely fell in love from the first page; starting off strong with the addicting banter, i was grinning from ear to ear and excited for the journey and oh the journey was oh so great. i love these characters so much and feel so deeply for them. i am not exaggerating when i say there’s a hole in my heart that won’t be filled until i get book two in my hands because that ending hurt and i NEED more. i’m so excited for the sequel and my mind will take a pause until then because i cannot let go of these characters.
favorite quotes:
“You’re too good a woman for a man like him.”
“And you’d be better?”
“Ophelia, love, I’d be significantly worse. But I can’t watch you with him.”
“Then look away.”
“Can’t.”
“I don’t even bother trying to look away. I drink in every minute detail like I’m dying and she’s the cure.”
“You occupy my mind.
Those stupid crosswords. You’re those for me. You’re the cage for my thoughts.”
“A small smile graces her pinkening lips, and oh my god, it’s a smile that’s going to ruin my life. It’s a smile I’ll replay in my head each night as I lie in that blissful space between awake and asleep.”
“Ophelia feels like finding another human after months in the desert. A light penetrating the think black cloud. When my wayward mind wanders, it staggers back home to her.
She’s everything I’ve been asking the universe for, and she fucking hates me.”
“I’ve built my walls to high.”
“They’re worth the climb.”
“They aren’t.”
“They are. For me, they are.”
“You make me finally understand what people mean when they say life isn’t long enough.”
“You are my worst enemy.”
“Then I’ll love you with the same intensity that you hate me. I’ll hold on to you just as hard as you push me away. I’ll fix you like you’re fixing me. I’ll always be here, Ophelia, I’ll sit at the bottom of valleys and stand on the top of mountains with you. We’re too good not to work.”
“I love every piece of you, especially the parts that you’ve convinced yourself aren’t worthy of my love.”
“Let’s go home.”
“Home?”
“Wherever you want, love. It’s home if we’re there.”
February 5, 2025
I wish I had been on that helicopter crash
July 18, 2025
alex corbeau-green's abs: great for looking at, terrible for falling on. my knees can confirm.
November 12, 2025
3.5⭐️ this was SO FUN!! Was it predictable? Yes. Do I care? No. This has a little bit of everything and I can absolutely see why so many people love this! Dark academia ✅ murder mystery ✅ mafia families ✅ forbidden romance ✅ secrets ✅ creepy stalkers ✅ he falls first (and hard) ✅ flirting via crossword?? ✅. A bingeable and entertaining autumn read 🍂
August 18, 2025
I’m actually obsessed with this book?? Like, this was so good!! The vibes were immaculate and the setting gave me the autumn vibes I was craving!! If you’re looking for a dark academia romance for the fall, this one is literally perfect!
Ophelia was such a relatable fmc and Alex might be one of my new favorite mmc’s (it’s the dark hair/tattoo combo that I will fall for every single time). That ending was CRIMINAL though and I need the next book right now!!!
some fave quotes! <3
"I feel so deeply. I always have. Every emotion that runs through me goes through an amplifier on the way in. The tiny inconveniences feel like mountains, the annoyances become insurmountable wrath."
“Ophelia feels like finding another human after months in the desert. A light permeating the thick black cloud. When my wayward mind wanders, it staggers back home to her.”
"There it is; the disappointment, the expectation that trauma has to turn into an inspirational story. That a life changing injury should end in a Paralympic gold and an awful childhood should fuel your meteoric rise to success. Just surviving is achievement enough."
Ophelia was such a relatable fmc and Alex might be one of my new favorite mmc’s (it’s the dark hair/tattoo combo that I will fall for every single time). That ending was CRIMINAL though and I need the next book right now!!!
some fave quotes! <3
"I feel so deeply. I always have. Every emotion that runs through me goes through an amplifier on the way in. The tiny inconveniences feel like mountains, the annoyances become insurmountable wrath."
“Ophelia feels like finding another human after months in the desert. A light permeating the thick black cloud. When my wayward mind wanders, it staggers back home to her.”
"There it is; the disappointment, the expectation that trauma has to turn into an inspirational story. That a life changing injury should end in a Paralympic gold and an awful childhood should fuel your meteoric rise to success. Just surviving is achievement enough."
February 12, 2025
WOW. Just wow. This book exceed all my expectations. It was a complete package one could want in a romantic suspense. The kind of book which bleeds raw emotions, authentic insecurities, suppressed desires and smoking-hot angst, which one can’t help but feel those elements like a gut-punch to their heart, in a deliciously hurtful way ofc.
Ophelia Winters, one of the most relatable characters i have read in a while.
abandonment issues? check. trust issues? check. sad-girl & a loner? check. dresses like a 19th century character?(well i don’t obviously but the 99% homeless-looking side of me was thrilled) check. and beneath this persona a girl who craves academic validation and have a strong intelligent personality? check check check
Alex Corbeau-Green, new book boyfriend unlocked!! Ladies, we love men who yearn.
Dry humor? check. Daddy issues? check. Brooding grump yet with a sensitive heart? check. Expert in words of affirmation? check. Act of service? check. Protective & Caring? Check. Can go to any lengths to get the girl he’s pining on? check. Add please when asking for a kiss?(yeah, you read that right) check check check
Character Development? One thing that amazed me the most was how raw and beautiful the transition of emotions was crafted, the author elegantly took her time in building the layers of their characters and progressing their stages of development, and it showed in the pages. The writing was hard to connect in the beginning since it’s my first book by this author but gradually i made peace with it, full-on page scenes of the main characters together definitely helped.
Email and crossword foreplay? If you know me then you are definitely aware that letter are my kryptonite, here obviously they are in a same dorm so we won’t be getting any letters exchange duh, but but but make them emails and i am sat already
p.s. i solved every crossword hehe
Their banters? 10/10 Lemme show you all a few glimpses.
“Just out of interest, where would you stab me?”
“In the voice box, probably. Seems it’ll be the only way to get you to shut up.”
“We can be friends?”
“Friends who fuck each other’s brains out?” he offers, like it’s a business negotiation.
“Friends who say hi in the hallway.”
“Friends who fuck in the hallway?”
“You’re… big.” Understatement. “What happened to the best two inches of my life?”
He laughs. “Finally replied to those penis extension emails in my spam inbox.”
The ending? Heartbreaking. Okay i’ve read enough thrillers so i already guessed who the stalker was in the first-half in itself but despite its predictable nature, the last part came out as a genuine surprise to me. I felt the last two chapters were quite rushed when i read but thinking about it now, i understand it was written to make readers confused and all over the place and in way to not give them a moment to think what the fuck did just happened. And it sure did succeed lmao.
Tropes:
☞ Dark Academia
☞ Enemies to Lovers
☞ Mystery & Murder
☞ Low Spice, High tension
☞ Scottish Castle setting
☞ Grumpy x Grumpy
☞ Rugby Player x Swimmer
☞ He falls first
☞ Found Family
If you like dark gothic academia with Hogwarts houses vibes and love reading about two broken characters falling for each other, this book is a perfect pick for you. I can’t recommend this book enough.
SPOILER AHEAD!!
impatiently waiting for book 2. I want some more explanation about the hallucinations Ophelia was experiencing and how she got drugged in the first place and better insights on her roommate’s way too convenient murder in the second book. I feel like some events were overlooked or skimmed in this book, hope the next book gives some clearance to those.
Big Thanks to Love Note PR and author, Autumn Woods for the ARC.
────────────────────────────
I GOT THE ARC??? 😭 on my way to read this leaving every thing in my life rn👩🦯
“It’s you who’s the sun, Ophelia. I am the moon. You keep me in this tortuous cycle, lighting me up for the shortest time before you disappear again and make me invisible.
Ophelia Winters, one of the most relatable characters i have read in a while.
abandonment issues? check. trust issues? check. sad-girl & a loner? check. dresses like a 19th century character?(well i don’t obviously but the 99% homeless-looking side of me was thrilled) check. and beneath this persona a girl who craves academic validation and have a strong intelligent personality? check check check
“You think I’m arrogant?”
I think he’s one of the most incredible people I’ve ever met. “Yeah.”
Alex Corbeau-Green, new book boyfriend unlocked!! Ladies, we love men who yearn.
Dry humor? check. Daddy issues? check. Brooding grump yet with a sensitive heart? check. Expert in words of affirmation? check. Act of service? check. Protective & Caring? Check. Can go to any lengths to get the girl he’s pining on? check. Add please when asking for a kiss?(yeah, you read that right) check check check
“My shrink says I have to do something for me. Something completely selfish. Something that revolves around what I want. You’re what I want, my ultimate selfish act, my darkest desire. So let me work for you. It’s therapeutic for me.”
Character Development? One thing that amazed me the most was how raw and beautiful the transition of emotions was crafted, the author elegantly took her time in building the layers of their characters and progressing their stages of development, and it showed in the pages. The writing was hard to connect in the beginning since it’s my first book by this author but gradually i made peace with it, full-on page scenes of the main characters together definitely helped.
“Stop looking at me like that, Alex.”
“Like what?”
“Like I’m the only woman on the planet.”
His eyebrows shoot up in very convincing surprise. “There are other women on this planet?”
Email and crossword foreplay? If you know me then you are definitely aware that letter are my kryptonite, here obviously they are in a same dorm so we won’t be getting any letters exchange duh, but but but make them emails and i am sat already
p.s. i solved every crossword hehe
“One down. Seven letters. First letter O. I’ve had a long day, and I want her for dinner.”
Their banters? 10/10 Lemme show you all a few glimpses.
“Just out of interest, where would you stab me?”
“In the voice box, probably. Seems it’ll be the only way to get you to shut up.”
“We can be friends?”
“Friends who fuck each other’s brains out?” he offers, like it’s a business negotiation.
“Friends who say hi in the hallway.”
“Friends who fuck in the hallway?”
“You’re… big.” Understatement. “What happened to the best two inches of my life?”
He laughs. “Finally replied to those penis extension emails in my spam inbox.”
“You like my thighs?”
“Nope. You misheard me.”
“I’d pay good money to watch you grind on one of them.”
The ending? Heartbreaking. Okay i’ve read enough thrillers so i already guessed who the stalker was in the first-half in itself but despite its predictable nature, the last part came out as a genuine surprise to me. I felt the last two chapters were quite rushed when i read but thinking about it now, i understand it was written to make readers confused and all over the place and in way to not give them a moment to think what the fuck did just happened. And it sure did succeed lmao.
Tropes:
☞ Dark Academia
☞ Enemies to Lovers
☞ Mystery & Murder
☞ Low Spice, High tension
☞ Scottish Castle setting
☞ Grumpy x Grumpy
☞ Rugby Player x Swimmer
☞ He falls first
☞ Found Family
If you like dark gothic academia with Hogwarts houses vibes and love reading about two broken characters falling for each other, this book is a perfect pick for you. I can’t recommend this book enough.
SPOILER AHEAD!!
Big Thanks to Love Note PR and author, Autumn Woods for the ARC.
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I GOT THE ARC??? 😭 on my way to read this leaving every thing in my life rn👩🦯
December 15, 2025
★★★★☆
ᯓ ꒰ Tropes/Themes ꒱ ᯓ
🌹Hate to love
🌹Swimmer X rugby player
🌹Grumpy x grumpy
🌹Dark academia
🌹Gothic, Scottish university
🌹Mafia families
🌹He falls first (and he falls HARD)
🌹Slow burn
ᯓ ꒰ Trigger Warnings ꒱ ᯓ
⚠️ Stalker
⚠️ Violence and physical injury
⚠️ Bereavement (death of parents)
⚠️ Murder
⚠️ Mental health struggles
ᯓ ꒰ My Thoughts ꒱ ᯓ
I'm sorry but a CLIFFHANGER!?! I am unwell — I need the second book immediately!
This was such a fun read! Alex and Ophelia's flirting via crosswords was the cutest thing! Their banter was so enjoyable to read, and although the humour used occasionally felt a bit cringeworthy, I'm not ashamed to admit that their exchanges had me giggling and kicking my feet.
Yes, it was kinda predictable, Yes, I did have a feeling that certain events at the end of the book were coming. Yes, parts felt a bit more YA than what I was expecting (although that could just be me). But I still ATE IT UP! 🙌🏻
I'd be lying if I said that I didn't occasionally find myself frustrated with Ophelia and her self-destructive tendencies. But I really liked getting to watch her slowly open up to people and establish her own friend group.
Now, can we just take a moment to appreciate the man that is Alexget in my bed Corbeau-Green! The yearning that this man yearned had me swooning like nobody's business. The tension, the slow burn, the "who did this to you" vibes were all *chef's kiss*.
Overall, I thought this was a great book and I can't wait for the second one! You can bet that I'll be jumping on it the minute it's released.
ᯓ ꒰ Quotes ꒱ ᯓ
────────────────────────────────
˚₊‧꒰ა Pre-Read ໒꒱ ‧₊˚
Did somebody say enemies to lovers? SIGN. ME. TF. UP! 👀 I've seen so many people reading this and I have major fomo, so will be starting this very soon. I don't tend to read dark academia much, so I hope this is worth it and lives up to the hype! 🤞🏻
ᯓ ꒰ Tropes/Themes ꒱ ᯓ
🌹Hate to love
🌹Swimmer X rugby player
🌹Grumpy x grumpy
🌹Dark academia
🌹Gothic, Scottish university
🌹Mafia families
🌹He falls first (and he falls HARD)
🌹Slow burn
ᯓ ꒰ Trigger Warnings ꒱ ᯓ
⚠️ Stalker
⚠️ Violence and physical injury
⚠️ Bereavement (death of parents)
⚠️ Murder
⚠️ Mental health struggles
ᯓ ꒰ My Thoughts ꒱ ᯓ
I'm sorry but a CLIFFHANGER!?! I am unwell — I need the second book immediately!
This was such a fun read! Alex and Ophelia's flirting via crosswords was the cutest thing! Their banter was so enjoyable to read, and although the humour used occasionally felt a bit cringeworthy, I'm not ashamed to admit that their exchanges had me giggling and kicking my feet.
Yes, it was kinda predictable, Yes, I did have a feeling that certain events at the end of the book were coming. Yes, parts felt a bit more YA than what I was expecting (although that could just be me). But I still ATE IT UP! 🙌🏻
I'd be lying if I said that I didn't occasionally find myself frustrated with Ophelia and her self-destructive tendencies. But I really liked getting to watch her slowly open up to people and establish her own friend group.
Now, can we just take a moment to appreciate the man that is Alex
Overall, I thought this was a great book and I can't wait for the second one! You can bet that I'll be jumping on it the minute it's released.
ᯓ ꒰ Quotes ꒱ ᯓ
✧ "You're too good of a woman for a man like him"
"And you'd be better?"
"Ophelia, love, I'd be significantly worse"
✧ "Anything in excess is a poison - Theodore Levitt"
✧ "You’re like the sun. I turn away, I look down, but I can still see you reflected in everything at my feet. If I draw the curtains, you slip through the cracks."
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˚₊‧꒰ა Pre-Read ໒꒱ ‧₊˚
Did somebody say enemies to lovers? SIGN. ME. TF. UP! 👀 I've seen so many people reading this and I have major fomo, so will be starting this very soon. I don't tend to read dark academia much, so I hope this is worth it and lives up to the hype! 🤞🏻
Read
November 12, 2025۫ ꣑ৎ 🗝 4.25 stars – spoilers ࣪˖ ִ
this book was a quick read with a mystery and dark academia plot. it was enjoyable with an amazing writing style, reading like a fantasy book but in the mystery/romance genre.
the cliffhanger was crazy though. i was left with so many questions: who sent that email on behalf of ophelia? what happened to alex's mom and dad at the end? how will cain's empire come crashing down?
this book was a quick read with a mystery and dark academia plot. it was enjoyable with an amazing writing style, reading like a fantasy book but in the mystery/romance genre.
the cliffhanger was crazy though. i was left with so many questions: who sent that email on behalf of ophelia? what happened to alex's mom and dad at the end? how will cain's empire come crashing down?
September 27, 2025
─── ⋆⋅3.5☆⋅⋆ ──
𐔌“I’ll love you with the same intensity that you hate me. I’ll hold on to you just as hard as you push me away. I’ll fix you like you’re fixing me.” ୭ ˚. ᵎᵎ
spoiler free review!! But if i accidentally spoil something then please crucify me. Or just tell me, whatever works for you.
synopsis in the words of moi
Ophelia made one promise to her dead parents: that she’d never step foot in Sorrowsong University. But like her parents, that promise died! After life left her with nothing to lose, Ophelia has only one mission. One goal. One thing left to accomplish, she needed to bring down the people responsible for the murders of her mother and father. But, what can you do when the son of your parents killer happens to be a really good person, kindhearted, unfortunately attractive, and deadset on coming to your rescue and being in your life? Against all odds, love is in the air. It isn’t easy, it surely isn’t expected, and it’s simultaneously hard to fight yet impossible to let that love win.
⋮ ⌗ ┆ᢉ𐭩 I’m going to be completely honest. From the get go, I loved the main characters attitude about life—that it sucked. Her humor is the reason I got far enough into the book to actually start enjoying it, and I can genuinely say that I’m glad I didn’t give up, because this book got really good. I mean, the first several chapters left me in a state of “really? is this it? This is what everyone’s freaking out about?” and I found myself fighting literal demons to not skip pages in order to find some entertainment. But, somewhere along the way, this book grabbed me by the collar of my shirt and tugged me so deep into the characters and story that I was truly invested. The romance? Pretty good! The mystery? Well…I predicted who the stalker was the second they were introduced, so pretty mediocre but still a good plot-line. The characters? Enjoyable. So while it took some time for me to be engulfed by this book and all it had to offer, I inevitably was.
⋮ ⌗ ┆Ophelia ⋆˚꩜｡
╰ Peak. Humor. Ophelia was all kinds of messy, the kind that many could easily deem as painfully annoying, but wow was she hilarious. This poor girl had her life ripped apart and all that she had in this book was inner conflict, outer conflict, probably some third kind of conflict because that’s just her luck, a whole lot of angst, and a whole stalker. But you know what else she had? Humor, and for that reason, my girl Ophelia kept this book going. Every time I wanted to give up, she said or thought something that made me throw my head back laughing. I enjoyed Ophelia a lot because she was an incredibly flawed person, what else can you be when you lose your parents and are left with quite literally nothing? Ophelia had nothing but revenge in her life, and that made her almost a shell of a person. This book felt like watching someone become more than what they’ve lost, and that was probably my favorite part.
⋮ ⌗ ┆Alex ⋆˚꩜｡
╰ If you’re looking for a man whose middle name is “yearning” and second middle name is “still yearning” then this guy is for YOU. From day one this man wanted her so bad and he was just utterly frustrated at the fact that Ophelia put on this mask of hatred every time she saw him. He craved to be around her, he came to her rescue every time she needed rescuing, even when she didn’t want it from him. I mean come on, these quotes…
“She’s everything I’ve been asking the universe for, and she fucking hates me.“
“She’s too deep in my bloodstream already, painful and ecstatic all at once.”
“Ophelia feels like finding another human after months in the desert. A light permeating the thick black cloud. When my wayward mind wanders, it staggers back home to her.”
Oh PLEASE, wrap it up. He was absolutely trapped in his own love for her from day one, and I adored reading about it. The few chapters from his perspective was like a little treat. Like the author wanted to hand us a piece of candy every once in a while, “you’re doing great, here’s a skittle!”
⋮ ⌗ ┆Alex & Ophelia ⋆˚꩜｡
╰ You know, it’s a very messed up idea. A girl whose parents were killed and a boy whose parents killed hers. I feel like most of us can say that we wouldn’t ever be able to manage that. How do you not look at him and see the monster that created him? And that is why their love story is both complicated and beautiful. She overcame who his father was all on her own, without needing to be convinced or swayed by Alex because he straight up… didn’t know. She managed something that most would view as impossible, she saw past the man who raised Alex. She saw past her own despair, grief, and misery—and she found love. It’s somewhat twisted that the person who made her feel alive and less alone was the person whose family she swore to destroy. So, you can imagine the angst that’s sewed into almost every crevice of their relationship. Every seam that looks flawless can be turned inside out and revealed as messy and difficult. But through that mess, love is still intertwined in every single thread of their relationship.
⋮ ⌗ ┆wrap up⋆˚꩜｡
╰ This was pretty good. I think that for a lot of people, this could easily be a five star read. While I did thoroughly enjoy this, it wasn’t quite perfect for me. The ending also annoyed me, but that’s because my fragile heart can’t handle unhappiness in any way, shape, or form.
p.s. i think i was overreacting when i said I’d never read a book again. it wasn’t that serious (yes it was, I’m still not over it.)
⋮ ⌗ ┆pre-review⋆˚꩜｡
╰ I’m done. I predicted the ending and now I’m never reading a book ever again, this just ruined my life. I’m not even gonna give this the four stars I was planning on giving it because I’m genuinely TOO PETTY to say anything good right now. I’m DONE. absolutely not. I’m never reading a book again.
⋮ ⌗ ┆pre-read⋆˚꩜｡
╰ what can I say.. im a trend hopper. I’ve seen this book quite literally everywhere for the past month or so, meaning I have to read it. but also, after reading a fantasy I have to genre swap to something a little less heavy even if it still has fantasy elements before I can go back. I need time to cope with the ending of heartless hunter so I’m hoping that this will help take my mind off it 🥹 or else I’ll obsess for months
𐔌“I’ll love you with the same intensity that you hate me. I’ll hold on to you just as hard as you push me away. I’ll fix you like you’re fixing me.” ୭ ˚. ᵎᵎ
spoiler free review!! But if i accidentally spoil something then please crucify me. Or just tell me, whatever works for you.
synopsis in the words of moi
Ophelia made one promise to her dead parents: that she’d never step foot in Sorrowsong University. But like her parents, that promise died! After life left her with nothing to lose, Ophelia has only one mission. One goal. One thing left to accomplish, she needed to bring down the people responsible for the murders of her mother and father. But, what can you do when the son of your parents killer happens to be a really good person, kindhearted, unfortunately attractive, and deadset on coming to your rescue and being in your life? Against all odds, love is in the air. It isn’t easy, it surely isn’t expected, and it’s simultaneously hard to fight yet impossible to let that love win.
⋮ ⌗ ┆ᢉ𐭩 I’m going to be completely honest. From the get go, I loved the main characters attitude about life—that it sucked. Her humor is the reason I got far enough into the book to actually start enjoying it, and I can genuinely say that I’m glad I didn’t give up, because this book got really good. I mean, the first several chapters left me in a state of “really? is this it? This is what everyone’s freaking out about?” and I found myself fighting literal demons to not skip pages in order to find some entertainment. But, somewhere along the way, this book grabbed me by the collar of my shirt and tugged me so deep into the characters and story that I was truly invested. The romance? Pretty good! The mystery? Well…I predicted who the stalker was the second they were introduced, so pretty mediocre but still a good plot-line. The characters? Enjoyable. So while it took some time for me to be engulfed by this book and all it had to offer, I inevitably was.
⊹ ࣪ ˖ “I'd rather shit in my hands and clap than set foot inside your bedroom.”
⋮ ⌗ ┆Ophelia ⋆˚꩜｡
╰ Peak. Humor. Ophelia was all kinds of messy, the kind that many could easily deem as painfully annoying, but wow was she hilarious. This poor girl had her life ripped apart and all that she had in this book was inner conflict, outer conflict, probably some third kind of conflict because that’s just her luck, a whole lot of angst, and a whole stalker. But you know what else she had? Humor, and for that reason, my girl Ophelia kept this book going. Every time I wanted to give up, she said or thought something that made me throw my head back laughing. I enjoyed Ophelia a lot because she was an incredibly flawed person, what else can you be when you lose your parents and are left with quite literally nothing? Ophelia had nothing but revenge in her life, and that made her almost a shell of a person. This book felt like watching someone become more than what they’ve lost, and that was probably my favorite part.
⊹ ࣪ ˖ “I can’t stay away from you, Ophelia. I’ve never pretended I can.”
⋮ ⌗ ┆Alex ⋆˚꩜｡
╰ If you’re looking for a man whose middle name is “yearning” and second middle name is “still yearning” then this guy is for YOU. From day one this man wanted her so bad and he was just utterly frustrated at the fact that Ophelia put on this mask of hatred every time she saw him. He craved to be around her, he came to her rescue every time she needed rescuing, even when she didn’t want it from him. I mean come on, these quotes…
“She’s everything I’ve been asking the universe for, and she fucking hates me.“
“She’s too deep in my bloodstream already, painful and ecstatic all at once.”
“Ophelia feels like finding another human after months in the desert. A light permeating the thick black cloud. When my wayward mind wanders, it staggers back home to her.”
Oh PLEASE, wrap it up. He was absolutely trapped in his own love for her from day one, and I adored reading about it. The few chapters from his perspective was like a little treat. Like the author wanted to hand us a piece of candy every once in a while, “you’re doing great, here’s a skittle!”
⊹ ࣪ ˖ “I’ve built my walls too high.”
“They’re worth the climb.”
⋮ ⌗ ┆Alex & Ophelia ⋆˚꩜｡
╰ You know, it’s a very messed up idea. A girl whose parents were killed and a boy whose parents killed hers. I feel like most of us can say that we wouldn’t ever be able to manage that. How do you not look at him and see the monster that created him? And that is why their love story is both complicated and beautiful. She overcame who his father was all on her own, without needing to be convinced or swayed by Alex because he straight up… didn’t know. She managed something that most would view as impossible, she saw past the man who raised Alex. She saw past her own despair, grief, and misery—and she found love. It’s somewhat twisted that the person who made her feel alive and less alone was the person whose family she swore to destroy. So, you can imagine the angst that’s sewed into almost every crevice of their relationship. Every seam that looks flawless can be turned inside out and revealed as messy and difficult. But through that mess, love is still intertwined in every single thread of their relationship.
⋮ ⌗ ┆wrap up⋆˚꩜｡
╰ This was pretty good. I think that for a lot of people, this could easily be a five star read. While I did thoroughly enjoy this, it wasn’t quite perfect for me. The ending also annoyed me, but that’s because my fragile heart can’t handle unhappiness in any way, shape, or form.
⊹ ࣪ ˖ “I’m obsessed with her. Desperate for her. But I could never be good for her, and for reasons she doesn’t make clear, she doesn’t want me to love her.”
p.s. i think i was overreacting when i said I’d never read a book again. it wasn’t that serious (yes it was, I’m still not over it.)
⋮ ⌗ ┆pre-review⋆˚꩜｡
╰ I’m done. I predicted the ending and now I’m never reading a book ever again, this just ruined my life. I’m not even gonna give this the four stars I was planning on giving it because I’m genuinely TOO PETTY to say anything good right now. I’m DONE. absolutely not. I’m never reading a book again.
⋮ ⌗ ┆pre-read⋆˚꩜｡
╰ what can I say.. im a trend hopper. I’ve seen this book quite literally everywhere for the past month or so, meaning I have to read it. but also, after reading a fantasy I have to genre swap to something a little less heavy even if it still has fantasy elements before I can go back. I need time to cope with the ending of heartless hunter so I’m hoping that this will help take my mind off it 🥹 or else I’ll obsess for months
March 1, 2025
this had the potential to be so so so good but it just kept falling flat. every time I got invested and immersed in the overall mystery of the crash and the stalker I was jolted out of it by Ophelia’s self loathing and indecision over whether or not she wants to bone Alex
then it felt like I blinked and it went from them disliking each other to pining to obsessed?? where was the development other than it just happening.
also this was marketed as dark romance and mafia but it felt like mafia was just shoved in there to check off the trope. and these characters were far too childish for university let alone me to take it being “dark” seriously.
and just because there are dark themes like murder does! not! make! it! dark! romance! Alex was a cinnamon roll like?? hello
I will give it points for the end though because if most of the book had been that exciting I wouldn’t have almost dnf’d six times
then it felt like I blinked and it went from them disliking each other to pining to obsessed?? where was the development other than it just happening.
also this was marketed as dark romance and mafia but it felt like mafia was just shoved in there to check off the trope. and these characters were far too childish for university let alone me to take it being “dark” seriously.
and just because there are dark themes like murder does! not! make! it! dark! romance! Alex was a cinnamon roll like?? hello
I will give it points for the end though because if most of the book had been that exciting I wouldn’t have almost dnf’d six times
February 9, 2025
This book deserves more than 5 stars!!😭
I feel like I need to go outside and touch some grass even though it's one in the morning.
Ophelia's parents were murdered and she wants revenge. Just her luck she gets invited to the same university as the murderer's son Alex.
From the moment they met fireworks but she can't like the guy so it's just burning tension.
Alex is a rugby player who has severe depression because of having to take care of six sisters and a sick mom. In comes Ophelia and she's like light at the end of a dark tunnel 😭😭
This man knows how to yearn!!! We all love men who yearn!!
"Then I’ll love you with the same intensity that you hate me. I’ll hold on to you just as hard as you push me away. I’ll fix you like you’re fixing me. I’ll always be here, Ophelia, I’ll sit at the bottom of valleys and stand on the top of mountains with you. We’re too good not to work.”
The ending of this book makes me want to break into Autumn's house and read the draft😮💨
I feel like I need to go outside and touch some grass even though it's one in the morning.
Ophelia's parents were murdered and she wants revenge. Just her luck she gets invited to the same university as the murderer's son Alex.
From the moment they met fireworks but she can't like the guy so it's just burning tension.
Alex is a rugby player who has severe depression because of having to take care of six sisters and a sick mom. In comes Ophelia and she's like light at the end of a dark tunnel 😭😭
This man knows how to yearn!!! We all love men who yearn!!
"Then I’ll love you with the same intensity that you hate me. I’ll hold on to you just as hard as you push me away. I’ll fix you like you’re fixing me. I’ll always be here, Ophelia, I’ll sit at the bottom of valleys and stand on the top of mountains with you. We’re too good not to work.”
The ending of this book makes me want to break into Autumn's house and read the draft😮💨
Read
January 27, 2025Hiii! It’s good to be back.
Just swinging by on here (once and once only) to leave the tropes and trigger warnings for Nightshade 🖤 if you choose to read it, I hope you like it!
*This is part of a duet and so Alex and Ophelia’s story will finish in a second book.*
Tropes/themes: academic romance, enemies to lovers, grumpy X grumpy, university romance, academic rivals, set in a Scottish castle.
TWs: murder, sexual content, bereavement, declining health/mental health of a parent, anxiety, Alex has daddy issues, drowning
Just swinging by on here (once and once only) to leave the tropes and trigger warnings for Nightshade 🖤 if you choose to read it, I hope you like it!
*This is part of a duet and so Alex and Ophelia’s story will finish in a second book.*
Tropes/themes: academic romance, enemies to lovers, grumpy X grumpy, university romance, academic rivals, set in a Scottish castle.
TWs: murder, sexual content, bereavement, declining health/mental health of a parent, anxiety, Alex has daddy issues, drowning
September 1, 2025
3.5 stars . ⊹ ･ﾟ𖥔 ₊ ˑ
⤷ Murder mystery, gothic atmosphere, duet audio, he had a French accent, he also fell first. This was a vibe
⤷ Murder mystery, gothic atmosphere, duet audio, he had a French accent, he also fell first. This was a vibe
November 13, 2025
~•*⁀➷⊹♾️ ⋆.ೃ࿔✰ ˎˊ˗
╰┈➤ "𝑼𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒍 𝒎𝒊𝒅𝒏𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕."
"𝑼𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒍 𝒎𝒊𝒅𝒏𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕, 𝒂 𝒉𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒏𝒐𝒘."
Let's ignore the fact that i totally forgot to post this review — it's been sitting in my drafts all this time— byeeee I'm gna crashout
🎫 𝜗ৎ Heart Attack: DEMI LAVATO
0:24 ─●──────── -2:56
↺ |◁ II ▷| ♡
꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋🌷 ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋🌷 ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦
𝘚𝘰 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥, 𝘐 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘰𝘧𝘧,
𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘳𝘶𝘯 𝘐'𝘮 𝘧𝘭𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘯
𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘭𝘢-𝘧𝘭𝘢-𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘴
𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘸
𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘶𝘱, 𝘸𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸
𝘚𝘰 𝘐'𝘮 𝘱𝘶𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘶𝘱
'𝘊𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦
𝘐𝘧 𝘐 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵, 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘐'𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘬
꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋🌷 ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋🌷 ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦
---˖⁺. ༶ ⋆˙⊹❀♡❀˖⁺. ༶ ⋆˙⊹---
🩰Dark academia
🦢 Murder mystery
🩰Slow burn
🦢Hate to love
🩰Swimmer X Rugby player
🦢 Revenge mission
🩰 Scottish gothic-y castle setting
🦢grump x grumpy
🩰He falls first
🦢Who did this to you?
🩰One bed
🦢 cliffhanger
---˖⁺. ༶ ⋆˙⊹❀♡❀˖⁺. ༶ ⋆˙⊹---
⋮ ⌗ ┆𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 ✎ᝰ.
(🌸) No STAWPP!!! this was actually SOOOO good cuz wdym I already feel like re-reading it, like It's been so long since I've felt about a book this way like I'm quite litr obbssesd — from the start to the very end. I binged this in a day cuz I was so immersed in this book. the dark academia vibes were just chefs freaking kiss and I'm not even kidding this book have me the creepy crawlies.
(🌸) the plot honesty was quite slow at the beginning but dayumm was I invested like the mystery mixed with that fast pacing had me completely locked in. The plot twist wasn’t anything jaw-dropping, but I still loved every second of it. Honestly beating myself up for putting it on hold before — WHY DID I NOT READ THIS SOONER?!?!?
(🌸) This book gave me EVERYTHING: tension, banter, obsession, pain, sweetness, and twists that had me clutching my chest like a Victorian widow. It was unhinged in the most glorious way possible. I will not be accepting criticism on my babies. They’re mine. This book has me by the throat istg
⋮ ⌗ ┆ 𝘼𝙡𝙚𝙭 ✎ᝰ.
🧶It’s been almost forever since I’ve been this obsessed with an MMC—this man single-handedly secured a spot in my top 3 book boyfriends with just one book. He lives in my head rent-free and could literally run me over with his car—and I’d thank him and ask for a round two!!! Like, excuse me??? He’s pathetically down bad for his girl, a caretaker for his mom, and basically a father figure to his little sisters *dramatic hand clutching heart*. I needed a man like Alex, because the way he handles Ophelia’s insecurities has me screaming, crying, throwing up—WHY ISN’T THIS MAN REAL?!—I relate to Ophelia so much, and I’ve always carried this heavy insecurity that I’m too difficult to love, that no man could ever actually handle me and my flaws. But Alex freaking Corebu has set the bar and proved to me that my expectations aren’t too high—and that I should never settle for the bare minimum.
𓍯𓂃"𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘖𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘢. 𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯.'
𓍯𓂃"𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵, 𝘈𝘭𝘦𝘹.”
“𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵?”
“𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘐’𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯 ��𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘵.”
𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘵 𝘶𝘱 𝘪𝘯 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦. “𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳
𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘵?”
⋮ ⌗ ┆𝙊𝙥𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙖 ✎ᝰ.
🧶Omll the way I deeply relate to this girl is actually kinda scary!! i understood her soooo freakin deeply— her character quiet litr spoke to me omg. Her coping mechanisms aren't healthy but I relate to it and all her insicurties sm—cuz i don't know if I'll ever be healthy enough to believe that someone genuinely loves me. And yes I fear I will personally attack you if you hate hate her.
𓍯𓂃𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘤𝘩, 𝘢 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱𝘴.
𓍯𓂃𝘏𝘦’𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘯. 𝘐’𝘮 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯. 𝘐’𝘮 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦.
𐙚⋆.┆ 𝐀𝐥𝐞𝐱 + 𝐎𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐚
꒰🌺꒱I love them to the point that my stomach is knots . A couple that actually made me feel butter-flippin-fliez. The BANTER and SLOW BURN were just TOP TEIR AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.
𓍯𓂃“𝘐’𝘮 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘥.” 𝘐 𝘵𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘱 𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘵���� 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 𝘐 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘷𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘵. “𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸. 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘺. 𝘐’𝘮 𝘴𝘰 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺.
𓍯𓂃"𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘮𝘦. 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘱𝘶𝘴𝘩 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺. 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘪𝘹 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘹𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦. 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘖𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘢, 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘰𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘞𝘦’𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬."
ˋ°•*⁀➷ .Some of my favourite scenes
.
ᡣ𐭩Them becoming eachothers alibi . . .
. . ᡣ𐭩Alex's sisters calling Ophelia his girlfriend .
ᡣ𐭩 Alex being jealous and swooning over her dress .
. . ᡣ𐭩 The sofa e-mail scene . .
. . ᡣ𐭩Under the tree banter. .
. ᡣ𐭩 Alex saving Ophelia . .
. , ᡣ𐭩 Him taking care of her
ᡣ𐭩Them just laying in bed together . . .
. . ᡣ𐭩The "did you miss me" scene
. ᡣ𐭩Them walking together . . .
ᡣ𐭩Complicated feelings+ the ''use me''
. . ᡣ𐭩The jelly baby fight .
. . ᡣ𐭩Alex flying to Ophelia .
ᡣ𐭩 Them spending Christmas together . .
⋮ ⌗ ┆ 𝙀𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 ✎ᝰ.
(🌸) The ending has left me a bawlling mess ･ั﹏･ั and has me curled up in a ball while I stare at the wall. I have so many questions—my mind is flippin reelingggg!!!! You don't understand I neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeed the next book rn!!!!!— atp I need it more than I need o2 in my lungs arhh, Like atumun woods atleast give me the release date dang itt!!
────୨ ⋆.end ⋆.ৎ────
Ok so I just finished. legit binged this in a day .You can't see me but I'm crying like a banshee!!! WTH heck was that ending—jail-jail-jail... Autumn Woods when I catch youuuu—this book destroyed me in the best of ways. GIVE ME BOOK 2 NOWWW. I am genuinely asking myself rn that why did I not pick this up sooner —Personally thought I was going to find it overhyped —But this has consumed me a whole and I am left hollow—didn't expect to love this book as much as I did || Rtc!!
────୨ৎ────
💕𝙋𝙧𝙚~𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 #2
I got this book when it came out but ended up soft dnf'ing it, just because I wasn't in the mood at the time—from the few pages I've read the setting and vibes are amazing🤭 N̶o̶w̶ ̶I̶'̶m̶ ̶g̶e̶t̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶f̶o̶m̶o̶ so I had to pick it!!!
🩰🦢𝙋𝙧𝙚~𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 #1
This sounds soooo down my ally!!! Dark academia+murder mystery+ CASTLE SETTING?!?!? + grumpy x grumpy!!!! Sign me up rn😽
plz get me out this slumpppp 😫
╰┈➤ "𝑼𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒍 𝒎𝒊𝒅𝒏𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕."
"𝑼𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒍 𝒎𝒊𝒅𝒏𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕, 𝒂 𝒉𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒏𝒐𝒘."
Let's ignore the fact that i totally forgot to post this review — it's been sitting in my drafts all this time— byeeee I'm gna crashout
🎫 𝜗ৎ Heart Attack: DEMI LAVATO
0:24 ─●──────── -2:56
↺ |◁ II ▷| ♡
꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋🌷 ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋🌷 ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦
𝘚𝘰 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥, 𝘐 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘰𝘧𝘧,
𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘳𝘶𝘯 𝘐'𝘮 𝘧𝘭𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘯
𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘭𝘢-𝘧𝘭𝘢-𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘴
𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘸
𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘶𝘱, 𝘸𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸
𝘚𝘰 𝘐'𝘮 𝘱𝘶𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘶𝘱
'𝘊𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦
𝘐𝘧 𝘐 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵, 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘐'𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘬
꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋🌷 ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋🌷 ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦
---˖⁺. ༶ ⋆˙⊹❀♡❀˖⁺. ༶ ⋆˙⊹---
🩰Dark academia
🦢 Murder mystery
🩰Slow burn
🦢Hate to love
🩰Swimmer X Rugby player
🦢 Revenge mission
🩰 Scottish gothic-y castle setting
🦢grump x grumpy
🩰He falls first
🦢Who did this to you?
🩰One bed
🦢 cliffhanger
---˖⁺. ༶ ⋆˙⊹❀♡❀˖⁺. ༶ ⋆˙⊹---
⋮ ⌗ ┆𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 ✎ᝰ.
(🌸) No STAWPP!!! this was actually SOOOO good cuz wdym I already feel like re-reading it, like It's been so long since I've felt about a book this way like I'm quite litr obbssesd — from the start to the very end. I binged this in a day cuz I was so immersed in this book. the dark academia vibes were just chefs freaking kiss and I'm not even kidding this book have me the creepy crawlies.
(🌸) the plot honesty was quite slow at the beginning but dayumm was I invested like the mystery mixed with that fast pacing had me completely locked in. The plot twist wasn’t anything jaw-dropping, but I still loved every second of it. Honestly beating myself up for putting it on hold before — WHY DID I NOT READ THIS SOONER?!?!?
(🌸) This book gave me EVERYTHING: tension, banter, obsession, pain, sweetness, and twists that had me clutching my chest like a Victorian widow. It was unhinged in the most glorious way possible. I will not be accepting criticism on my babies. They’re mine. This book has me by the throat istg
⋮ ⌗ ┆ 𝘼𝙡𝙚𝙭 ✎ᝰ.
🧶It’s been almost forever since I’ve been this obsessed with an MMC—this man single-handedly secured a spot in my top 3 book boyfriends with just one book. He lives in my head rent-free and could literally run me over with his car—and I’d thank him and ask for a round two!!! Like, excuse me??? He’s pathetically down bad for his girl, a caretaker for his mom, and basically a father figure to his little sisters *dramatic hand clutching heart*. I needed a man like Alex, because the way he handles Ophelia’s insecurities has me screaming, crying, throwing up—WHY ISN’T THIS MAN REAL?!—I relate to Ophelia so much, and I’ve always carried this heavy insecurity that I’m too difficult to love, that no man could ever actually handle me and my flaws. But Alex freaking Corebu has set the bar and proved to me that my expectations aren’t too high—and that I should never settle for the bare minimum.
𓍯𓂃"𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘖𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘢. 𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯.'
𓍯𓂃"𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵, 𝘈𝘭𝘦𝘹.”
“𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵?”
“𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘐’𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯 ��𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘵.”
𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘵 𝘶𝘱 𝘪𝘯 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦. “𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳
𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘵?”
⋮ ⌗ ┆𝙊𝙥𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙖 ✎ᝰ.
🧶Omll the way I deeply relate to this girl is actually kinda scary!! i understood her soooo freakin deeply— her character quiet litr spoke to me omg. Her coping mechanisms aren't healthy but I relate to it and all her insicurties sm—
𓍯𓂃𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘤𝘩, 𝘢 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱𝘴.
𓍯𓂃𝘏𝘦’𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘯. 𝘐’𝘮 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯. 𝘐’𝘮 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦.
𐙚⋆.┆ 𝐀𝐥𝐞𝐱 + 𝐎𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐚
꒰🌺꒱I love them to the point that my stomach is knots . A couple that actually made me feel butter-flippin-fliez. The BANTER and SLOW BURN were just TOP TEIR AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.
𓍯𓂃“𝘐’𝘮 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘥.” 𝘐 𝘵𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘱 𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘵���� 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 𝘐 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘷𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘵. “𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸. 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘺. 𝘐’𝘮 𝘴𝘰 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺.
𓍯𓂃"𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘮𝘦. 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘱𝘶𝘴𝘩 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺. 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘪𝘹 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘹𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦. 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘖𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘢, 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘰𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘞𝘦’𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬."
ˋ°•*⁀➷ .Some of my favourite scenes
.
ᡣ𐭩Them becoming eachothers alibi . . .
. . ᡣ𐭩Alex's sisters calling Ophelia his girlfriend .
ᡣ𐭩 Alex being jealous and swooning over her dress .
. . ᡣ𐭩 The sofa e-mail scene . .
. . ᡣ𐭩Under the tree banter. .
. ᡣ𐭩 Alex saving Ophelia . .
. , ᡣ𐭩 Him taking care of her
ᡣ𐭩Them just laying in bed together . . .
. . ᡣ𐭩The "did you miss me" scene
. ᡣ𐭩Them walking together . . .
ᡣ𐭩Complicated feelings+ the ''use me''
. . ᡣ𐭩The jelly baby fight .
. . ᡣ𐭩Alex flying to Ophelia .
ᡣ𐭩 Them spending Christmas together . .
⋮ ⌗ ┆ 𝙀𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 ✎ᝰ.
(🌸) The ending has left me a bawlling mess ･ั﹏･ั and has me curled up in a ball while I stare at the wall. I have so many questions—my mind is flippin reelingggg!!!! You don't understand I neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeed the next book rn!!!!!— atp I need it more than I need o2 in my lungs arhh, Like atumun woods atleast give me the release date dang itt!!
────୨ ⋆.end ⋆.ৎ────
Ok so I just finished. legit binged this in a day .You can't see me but I'm crying like a banshee!!! WTH heck was that ending—jail-jail-jail... Autumn Woods when I catch youuuu—this book destroyed me in the best of ways. GIVE ME BOOK 2 NOWWW. I am genuinely asking myself rn that why did I not pick this up sooner —Personally thought I was going to find it overhyped —But this has consumed me a whole and I am left hollow—didn't expect to love this book as much as I did || Rtc!!
────୨ৎ────
💕𝙋𝙧𝙚~𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 #2
I got this book when it came out but ended up soft dnf'ing it, just because I wasn't in the mood at the time—from the few pages I've read the setting and vibes are amazing🤭 N̶o̶w̶ ̶I̶'̶m̶ ̶g̶e̶t̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶f̶o̶m̶o̶ so I had to pick it!!!
🩰🦢𝙋𝙧𝙚~𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 #1
This sounds soooo down my ally!!! Dark academia+murder mystery+ CASTLE SETTING?!?!? + grumpy x grumpy!!!! Sign me up rn😽
plz get me out this slumpppp 😫
November 6, 2025
┆ ⤿ 💭 ⌗ started: october 11, finished: november 5
4.5 stars 𓂃˖ ࣪⊹
⤿ review with minor spoilers
thank you to my bffie & fave girl yoanna for convincing me to read this book! 💋💐💗
tropes:
.ᐟ enemies to lovers
.ᐟ murder myster
.ᐟ grumpy x grumpy
.ᐟ academia
‧₊˚ ┊summary and thoughts 💋
nightshade is set in sorrowsong university, a castle carved into the mist-drenched cliffs of the scottish highlands. ophelia winters arrives with nothing but grief, trying to find answers to her parent's sudden and unexpected death that occurred in these same walls. she knew her parent's death was more than just an accident, and that's what she came to prove. however, when she meets her biggest enemy's son, alex corbeau-green, her carefully built walls begin to crack.
so! i really enjoyed this book even if it took me a while to get into it. there wasn't a single chapter where i felt bored. each chapter had its own plot and it kept building up. i would definitely say the last 4 chapters had me gripping on to my kindle mainly because we were finding out who it was behind her parent's death but also how ophelia and alex were finally letting their guards down. i loved everything about this book! the dark romance, the academia, the murder mystery. anything you want is in this book. i really can't wait for the second one to be released!!
‧₊˚ ┊ophelia winters 🧣
from the very beginning, you could tell ophelia winters was going to be a complex character, sharp, broken, and beautifully human. i loved how autumn woods didn’t romanticize or exaggerate that complexity; she just let her be. we were able to truly feel her grief, her loneliness, and the quiet ache that followed her through every page. i also loved how she was slowly opening herself to alex and allowed to feel loved by someone even after such a tragic incident happened. i'm so so excited to see how her story ends in book 2!!
‧₊˚ ┊alex green 💭
oh my favourite yearner. the way he yearned for ophelia, quietly, desperately, hopelessly, is something i’ll keep talking about. he is so devoted to taking care of his sisters, making sure they have everything they need and even more. flying out to them whenever they needed, and being the steady presence they could always count on. he's forever the standard in my eyes now. again! i'm so excited to see how his story continues and ends as well cause that cliffhanger was SO GOOD!
4.5 stars 𓂃˖ ࣪⊹
⤿ review with minor spoilers
thank you to my bffie & fave girl yoanna for convincing me to read this book! 💋💐💗
it's you who's the sun, ophelia. i am the moon. you keep me in this tortuous cycle, lighting me up for the shortest time before you disappear again and make me invisible.
tropes:
.ᐟ enemies to lovers
.ᐟ murder myster
.ᐟ grumpy x grumpy
.ᐟ academia
‧₊˚ ┊summary and thoughts 💋
nightshade is set in sorrowsong university, a castle carved into the mist-drenched cliffs of the scottish highlands. ophelia winters arrives with nothing but grief, trying to find answers to her parent's sudden and unexpected death that occurred in these same walls. she knew her parent's death was more than just an accident, and that's what she came to prove. however, when she meets her biggest enemy's son, alex corbeau-green, her carefully built walls begin to crack.
so! i really enjoyed this book even if it took me a while to get into it. there wasn't a single chapter where i felt bored. each chapter had its own plot and it kept building up. i would definitely say the last 4 chapters had me gripping on to my kindle mainly because we were finding out who it was behind her parent's death but also how ophelia and alex were finally letting their guards down. i loved everything about this book! the dark romance, the academia, the murder mystery. anything you want is in this book. i really can't wait for the second one to be released!!
‧₊˚ ┊ophelia winters 🧣
can't catch me now - olivia rodrigo
from the very beginning, you could tell ophelia winters was going to be a complex character, sharp, broken, and beautifully human. i loved how autumn woods didn’t romanticize or exaggerate that complexity; she just let her be. we were able to truly feel her grief, her loneliness, and the quiet ache that followed her through every page. i also loved how she was slowly opening herself to alex and allowed to feel loved by someone even after such a tragic incident happened. i'm so so excited to see how her story ends in book 2!!
‧₊˚ ┊alex green 💭
father figure- taylor swift
oh my favourite yearner. the way he yearned for ophelia, quietly, desperately, hopelessly, is something i’ll keep talking about. he is so devoted to taking care of his sisters, making sure they have everything they need and even more. flying out to them whenever they needed, and being the steady presence they could always count on. he's forever the standard in my eyes now. again! i'm so excited to see how his story continues and ends as well cause that cliffhanger was SO GOOD!
August 24, 2025
“He didn’t deserve that.” My shoulders tense. “The date?”
“That dress.”
ALEX CORBEAU THE MAN THAT YOU ARE 🤏 🤏
And then there’s him calling her fish food. At first I was like, excuse me?? The audacity. But the worst part is…it kinda grew on me. Like why am I smiling at this??
This book had me hooked from the start dark academia vibes, mafia ties, and a slow burn that actually burned. The tension, the mystery, the stalker element it all blended together so well. My only reason for knocking off a star is because I feel like they dropped the enemies to lovers act a little too quickly toward the end.
But that cliffhanger? I’m unwell. I’m nauseous. I’m pacing the floor like a Victorian widow. The way this ended has me staring at the wall, questioning my life choices. Autumn Woods, why would you do this to me?? I need book two in my hands immediately before I combust.
Buddy read with my bestie boo Elita +*. -
“That dress.”
ALEX CORBEAU THE MAN THAT YOU ARE 🤏 🤏
And then there’s him calling her fish food. At first I was like, excuse me?? The audacity. But the worst part is…it kinda grew on me. Like why am I smiling at this??
This book had me hooked from the start dark academia vibes, mafia ties, and a slow burn that actually burned. The tension, the mystery, the stalker element it all blended together so well. My only reason for knocking off a star is because I feel like they dropped the enemies to lovers act a little too quickly toward the end.
But that cliffhanger? I’m unwell. I’m nauseous. I’m pacing the floor like a Victorian widow. The way this ended has me staring at the wall, questioning my life choices. Autumn Woods, why would you do this to me?? I need book two in my hands immediately before I combust.
Buddy read with my bestie boo Elita +*. -
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