“I’m not lost anymore, I’ve begun to find myself. Because she found me first.”
Aarohi knew heartbreak. She just didn't know it could bruise this deep.
One year ago, she walked into the wrong apartment, the wrong bed, and the wrong man's rage. Lucian tore her down with words that still echo in her bones. Peeling the layers to expose her buried insecurities.
Now? He wants to play nice. Apologize. Smile. Seduce?
She doesn't know that Lucian's charm is a lie—a carefully crafted revenge served slow and sweet. Until the day he shatters her for real.
But here's the thing about glass They take the hits. They break. And they cut back.
A raw, sharp, and angsty standalone about revenge, betrayal, and the kind of grovel that leaves blood on the floor.
✨ Betrayal & Grovel ✨ Cheating ✨ Second Chance ✨ OW/OM Drama ✨ Complete Standalone ✨ Dual POV
This revised version contains TWO never-before-seen bonus epilogues.
An intense gut-punch/grovel story. Canadian grad student Aarohi gets picked up by a guy in a bar for some ONS fun. But not only is the sex terrible, it turns out he's not single, and his boyfriend catches them in the act. Lucian is the (bi) boyfriend, and he lashes out at both his BF and Aarohi, hitting some of her deepest, most vulnerable spots relating to her body image.
Fast forward a year, and Lucian is guest lecturing in Aarohi's grad school program. He hasn't processed or really even acknowledged his response to being cheated on, and he starts pursuing Aarohi with some half-baked idea of getting revenge.
The intense, harsh gut-punch moment comes around the 30% mark, and the grovel lasts for most of the novel. Both MMC and FMC need (and get) therapy. Along with the angst and tears, there's some nearly farcical humor when they end up at the same Indian wedding ceremony, lasting two weeks in the countryside.
Likable MCs and the gut-punch is delicious. The lengthy grovel got a bit wattpaddy, but that's not always a bad thing. A fun read!
(Also, in boxing, someone with a 'glass jaw' is someone who can't take a punch to the chin. I almost didn't check this out because I thought it was going to be about DV for a minute.)
I enjoyed this book. The writer’s prose flowed well. This book realllllly delivered on the grovel. I admittedly skipped some of the super saccharine-sweet moments. I enjoyed the betrayal plot. The Indian cultural aspects of the h were fascinating to read about. Their weddings sound exhausting though!
Lost interest once it became about rape by deception. I didn’t understand how the book still had so many pages left and I wasn’t interested enough to stick it through.
I would recommend this to readers who like psychological romance - (or therapy romance? I don't know if that's a term, but it was my reaction to this story), which delves deeply into underlying issues of identity, self-esteem, personal trauma and learning to identify harmful patterns of thought. Despite the tropes and some cliches the characters were drawn with depth and had growth that felt earned. The cultural differences and privileged immigrant experience was interesting, and I loved the detailed description of the Hindi wedding process. I had to look up some YouTube videos of Sanjeet - a tradition of a 'dance-off' at the wedding between the husband and brides wedding parties.
I kept seeing this book mentioned so I finally gave into my fear of missing out and I am so glad I did.
Rohi was an amazing FMC. I loved her so much. She was strong even while she was broken. Lucian, I hated in the beginning. I kept thinking there was absolutely no way he could be redeemed. I know that hurt people hurt people, but that's a reason NOT an excuse. This story wrecked me in all the best, most painful ways, then put me back together.
What I loved even beyond the romance was the view into Rohi's culture. I've seen bits and pieces in other books and online, but i felt fully enveloped in the wedding festivities and I was in love with all of it. I had to look up a bunch of the clothing names so I could fully picture it. So gorgeous. Now I really want to learn more about Indian weddings and music. And I need more stories from this family.
This was so, so good until they got to the wedding. After all the painful, serious stuff, it was just incredibly jarring to suddenly get dropped into a romantic comedy that kept going on and on and on. Lost so much emotional momentum, the finish wasn't great, and I reaaaalllly didn't care for the (main, because there are several) glimpse into their future.
3.5 stars I'd rate this 4++ stars for the first 60%, the rest is kind of a mess. I would have enjoyed an Indian wedding rom com setting in an entirely different book, but not as it's tacked onto this one. Idk how to recalibrate from devastating emotional and physical betrayal to zany shenanigans one plane ride later.
This was so good! Rohi and Lucian met for the first time when he found her in bed with his long-term boyfriend. Angry at the boyfriend and the world, Lucian said some awful things to Rohi, things that stuck with her a year later when they meet again. Lucian remembers her too, and begins a plan of seduction (he is bisexual and no, it isn't fetishized, at least it didn't seem to be to me, which was a nice little representation) initially rooted in revenge, but turns into something more. Unfortunately, he's got baggage, so self-sabotage is his thing and even though he's developed feelings for Rohi, he pulls the trigger on his revenge. (A revenge that he should have realized was misplaced.)
And oooh boy does this grovel ensue.
I became aware of this author through a Facebook "Grovel" group we are both in and she has delivered some seriously good recommendations. So when she announced she'd started to write, of course I was going to pay attention. But honestly, even though the grovel and angst are usually the highlights of a book for me, it was rough seeing what Rohi went through (and eventually what Lucian was doing to himself, and despite being very much the bad guy, he realized he wasn't who he wanted to be, so watching his pain as he worked through it to be a better man was also hard at times, even though he absolutely deserved it), and I had to put this down a few times to give myself a breather.
But my favorite part was the last half of the book, not because of the grovel per se, but because of all the Indian culture. I'm a white girl from Oklahoma. Even though my city does have some districts that are heavy with other cultures, it's mostly food, which I adore, but other than that and glimpses here and there from other books, I haven't gotten the opportunity to see much Indian (or is the correct term "Desi" or "Hindi"? Correct me in the comments if I am using something wrong!) culture first-hand. (I haven't checked out much Bollywood, but given my obsession with musicals, I probably should.) But the way the author wrote Rohi's perfectly imperfect family made me want to learn more about Desi culture. Rohi's cousin's wedding was honestly my favorite part of the book, not just in the way they clearly loved each other through all of the chaos, but also in the way they were so sweet accepting of a now very penitent Lucian.
Also, I totally had a girl-crush on Rohi and her best friend Kashvi -- can't wait until the author finishes Kash's book because girlfriend is brutal and I adored her. It made me really miss having a BFF like that, but in the best way.
One quick warning for anyone who cares (I thought it was a good thing, but a lot of people don't):
Either way my girl crush on AJ Bishop remains and I can't wait to read more from her.
This was different. The fmc is unknowingly the OW in a cheating episode. The original couple is MM. The H walks In On the fmc having sex with his live in lover. He goes ballistic and body shames the thin fmc. She has a lot of anxiety related to her body and feeling unattractive cause she is bony has small boobs and no curves. So she basically is still a basket case after maybe a year when the H shows up at her college as a guest lecturer. The H upon seeing her concocts a revenge plan and the sets about it. He basically does the same thing that was done to him. Only thing he was falling in love with the fmc. Much of the book is the H groveling and a lot of stuff around a friends wedding In India. Hea for the win. I needed more romance/grovel and less of all the other details.
This is soooooo gooooood!!! The angst, the heartbreak, the remorse, the grovel, the love! Everything is sooooo deliciously good!!! It’s highly recommended!
If you’re in the mood for some solid grovel between two beautifully flawed people who seriously mess things up before getting it right, this one’s for you.
Aarohi and Lucian felt so real, I half expected them to pop into my DMs with life updates (oh god I wish).
They had me yelling, swooning, laughing, and side-eyeing my Kindle like, “No way you actually just said that.” Grab some tissues, maybe a snack, and settle in. You’re about to feel all the things.
I’m not sure that this is a descriptive title but regardless, this was a highly entertaining story. Lucian is bi but has a boyfriend that he’s in love with. Tim, the boyfriend, goes to a bar and picks up a girl. He says he’s confused and he wants to see if he’s not gay but bi also. But, Lucian walks in on Tim, and it destroys him. He says some pretty nasty things to the girl, and it turns out that Rohi, the girl in question, has had some bad experiences regarding her body.
A year later, Lucian decides he’s going to get revenge on Rohi, but he has completely misdirected his anger…
KU read, and definitely a fantastic read. Highly recommended…
This was redemption for the long haul. There wasn't a quick "sorry" slapped over a mistake. The betrayal was deep and harsh, and we felt it down to our bones. And the forgiveness and second chance didn't come easy. It came with genuine remorse and active change. It came with acceptance that he might not ever get her back, but he was going to make sure she was okay, one way or another. I loved Rohi's family. I loved the Indian culture woven throughout. And I was glad Lucian and Rohi could overcome everything to be together.
This book had me in my feels from the first few pages and never let up. One of the best angst,grovel and love books I've read in a long time. I got mad, I ugly cried, I silent cried and I laughed. Please don't miss this book!
4.5 ⭐ first of all - brilliant title , it seems like there's a crisis in the title market and I am always looking for books that appeal to me with their title first . second bravo on picking on the topic of dubious consent. it was a well written book , all characters were sensitive , men were men enough to cry. only thing I didnt like was too much of wedding - I am indian and weddings are not my thing so that's a personal no. it went too long in the book for my taste , gave the yjhd vibes which I despised. other than that , job well done
Tropes: 💙Bi MMC X Indian FMC ✨Second Chance 💙Cheating And Betrayal ✨Other Man Drama
Bishop is a new author to me and I can say that I devoured this read! It is well written, full of angst, betrayal and redemption and had many laugh out loud moments.
I absolutely loved Rohi, she’s such a strong and loving FMC. I enjoyed her standing up for herself and how she didn’t just take Lucian back straight away and made him work for it!! The redemption arc for Lucian was long and slow, he was an extreme arsehole for the first part of the book. He knew how badly he betrayed Rohi and I enjoyed seeing his character development; the growth, healing and redemption to win her back.
I also loved being able to learn more about Indian culture and the wedding festivities. Seeing Rohi, her family and Lucian all together were some of my favourite parts of the book! I highly recommend this read if you are looking for a book to take you through a rollercoaster of a ride 💙
⚠️Please check for triggers before proceeding to read⚠️
I went into Glass Jawed expecting an emotionally complex romance, and while parts of it absolutely delivered, the overall experience was frustrating and uneven for me.
One of the biggest issues I struggled with was the way the hero and heroine’s connection was handled at the beginning. The hero initially enters the relationship with manipulative intent, and while that could have been explored in a meaningful, emotionally complex way, it instead became messy and unclear. He genuinely starts to fall for her, yet a later encounter with his ex, one he didn’t even seek out seems to reignite his original motivations. While his actions deserved serious consequences and emotional reckoning, the story wavers between having him let go of his planned revenge and continuing down that path. Because this shift happens in such a murky, uneven way, the emotional throughline never feels fully earned. It could have been handled with much more clarity and cohesion.
The book also deals with a very serious and sensitive topic: deception-based sexual assault. I understand how real and damaging that can be, but the way it was portrayed here felt murky and underdeveloped. Rather than being handled with clarity and emotional depth, it often felt confusing and unresolved, which weakened the impact of what should have been one of the most important parts of the story.
Similarly, the heroine’s struggles with body image were meant to be a major emotional arc, but instead of being explored with nuance, they were repeated so often that they started to feel exaggerated rather than deepened. I wanted to see growth, understanding, and progression, yet the issue kept circling without ever truly evolving.
That said, there were things I genuinely appreciated. The author did an excellent job portraying family relationships. The way both the hero’s and heroine’s families were woven into the story felt authentic, warm, and respectful. Those moments added grounding and emotional realism that I wish had been reflected more strongly in the central romance.
Overall, Glass Jawed had ambition and emotional weight, but it didn’t quite come together for me. I’m glad I read it, but it’s not one I would return to, and that’s why it lands at a solid but reserved three stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Up to the betrayal part of the story everything was fine. The story was kinda unbelievable but fine. After the betrayal and initial groveling the story falls off and become super boring.
I thought I was going to read this book in one sitting but the second half dragged on. I started skimming to finish around the 85% mark.
Pros: the introduction of the MCs is different. I’m not a huge fan of LGBTQ reads but the element is t overpowering or the point of the story. The MMC just happens to be bi. It was an important element because it plays into how they meet but it’s not an overarching plot point or theme. The FMC is stronger than she thought and was able to stand up for herself. The story isn’t instalove. The author does paint that despite how they met the MCs grew on each other. Story gives insight into Indian culture.
Cons: even though the story isn’t instalove I would have like to see more interaction between the MCs pre betrayal and less groveling. The was entirely too much groveling. I think half of the book is the downfall and groveling of the MMC. There was wayyyyy too much crying in the book overall. After the betrayal, the characters cry in almost every chapter… both of them. If they werent crying, trying to see thru tears, blinking back tear, hyperventilating into tears, panic attack that end in tears. I started skipping those parts. I liked the MMC more pre betrayal. She turned into a wuss. I think he cried and broke down more than the FMC. He was putting himself down so much it was off putting.
The two biggest things that bothered me is the MMC being more mad at the FMC than at his bf that cheated on him. He cut his BF off but pursued and plotted to humiliate the FMC that he didn’t know. I didn’t get that. Then the gRape by deception. That’s not a thing and it was offensive to me, have a history, I was insulting to label manipulation or mischaracterization as gRape. Most men lie or deceive with the hopes of having sex. The FMC unfortunately fell for his deception but she was not coerced to have sex with him. To have regular sex with someone and find out later they are a shitty person does not make the past sex grape. It just makes the shitty person shittier.
Wow this really delivered the gut punch of a revenge. It is refreshing to read a storyline wherein the fmc, Aarohi got tangled with Tim, her one night stand and his boyfriend, Lucian. Kasi talagang it was really awful to get cheated on. But then cue in the harsh words from Lucian which shattered the already fragile self-esteem of Aarohi.
“If you wanted to fuck a woman, you could’ve found one who actually looked like one.”
This was so painful to read then here came Lucian cooking up a revenge plan to make her fall in love with him. I really fell into his charms kasi he was believable eh. He really climbed the walls she built around her heart then smash them 😢
Ayun, binalik niya iyong ginawa sa kanya. He kissed other girl and take her home tapos she witnessed it. Then he watched her fell apart and broke down too. Initially, I really do not care for cheating romance pero wow, it really served the gutpunch. Tapos iyong ganitong making her fall just to cause harm was a common trope for me. Ngayon lang siya napangalanang rape by deception. So the mmc was really either a rapist by deception or a cheater
Kaya iyong sa eventual grovel, it was delicious and angsty on his part. Tinaboy siya right from flight niya kasi sumunod siya sa India eh. Nakita niyang touchy and happy si Rohi with other guy. Nilagnat pa nga siya sa pain. So it made me reflect on how many lengths a guy would go through just to prove himself deserving of her. Hindi siya nag give up kahit she slept with other man eh 😢
Tapos he signed up for therapies, encouraged her share her stories to be a voice for those who experienced it. It was refreshing din to read a Hindi wedding traditions. It made me curious on the festivities kasi it was a delight to read.
Pati rin iyong kina Kash and Liam, I was hooked. But often times, I just rethink if these are made with ai or iyon lang talaga ang writing style ng author.
first things first: this book is not for everyone (and that's okay). if you're looking for a fun, light-hearted romcom, this isn't it. however, if you're looking for a story that will rip out your heart and (somewhat) stitch it back together, well, this book does just that. i definitely maybe totally cried a few times reading it.
aarohi is a wonderfully relatable character, and she's not perfect, nor is she completely put-together. her emotions, her pain, and her actions are real and raw. my heart hurt for her and i wanted to give her all the happiness in the world. one of my favorite things about the book is her friendship with her best friend, kashvi. they both made me laugh and smile despite some of the heaviness in the book.
lucian is an asshole and there's not denying that some of his actions are cruel. there's a reason behind it, but that doesn't excuse him from what he does. i think the author does a good job of showing his development and . will everyone consider him redeemed? maybe not. everyone has a different threshold of forgiveness. but imo, he did win me over at the end!
just word of warning, this book deals with some heavy topics, including, but not limited to: infidelity, mental health, body image, self-sabotage, and manipulation. if you're sensitive to any of these topics, please be aware. i personally appreciated that the author did not shy away from these, and the intensity of these topics contrasted beautifully with the
anyway, i highly recommend but if you get heavily invested in plots/characters, please make sure you're prepared for the rollercoaster of emotions you'll be going through.
This is honestly so hard to rate. First, I LOVED Rohi and the families and the time the story spends in India. That was fantastic. Huge thumbs up for that part.
What I’m not sure I can get over is the Lucian of it all. Idk that I ever understood why he ended up bringing that other woman back. I don’t feel like we ever got a real deconstruction of that decision once he’d started untangling it all, and that made it very, very hard to root for them.
I also can’t ignore the fact that they only got back together because the MMC repeatedly crossed her boundaries. He forced his presence in her over and over in multiple ways. I hate that he showed up to her graduation, that he sent his friend to bully her into accepting help, that he showed up at the wedding and approached her parents, and especially that he STAYED at the wedding. I get we’re supposed to love how much he fought for her, and that she just couldn’t make him leave bc she loved him deep down, but it felt… violating and manipulative.
Tbh I wanted her to end up with the OM. And I never want that in grovel stories!
The writing is also very wattpad. Lots of “it wasn’t x. Not x. It was y.” And “she was just a. Not b. Not c. Just D.” Lots of spelling out of emotions. I’m like 80% sure the FMC took her slippers during the big betrayal but then he also gave them back to her at the wedding?
Idk, I would have loved to hear more about the FMC and her inner struggles esp w food than to see the MMC throw up AGAIN bc he’s so disgusted with himself.
So idk. I didn’t love the story but I did like the FMC and her extended world so I wouldn’t rule out this author, even if her writing style isn’t really my cup of tea.
What i like: 🩷i give 10⭐️ for FMC alone. She’s wise, calm, not acting like a horny horse even when she’s attracted to Mmc, and she seeks therapy by herself. It’s rare. And i love that she has black hair, it’s refreshing. I don’t know why i almost never find Fmc with black hair. 🩷I love the betrayal. It’s gut wrenching. 🩷Grovel! Of course i’m here for the grovel. Fmc didn’t forgive him right away, he needs to work for it. He came to India just to pursue her forgiveness. Hahahaha i love when he caught Fmc and OM after they had sex. And YES they had sex! No ‘i can’t let someone else touch me bcz i still love him’ bullshit. 🩷 And i learn something new. I just know that rape by deception is exist. You’ll understand it when you read it. 🩷i love that their progress take soooooo long. So no insta forgiveness. Even after she forgive him, she can’t forget his betrayal. It takes time and he’s there to help her.
Don’t like/not my thing: 💢 the angst end around 300-ish chapters. Main focus changed to their life and family in Fmc’s home. 💢 so i love their friendship, BUT the bffs linger around them too long. And mostly comedy. It’s me thing. I don’t like comedy in cheating story.
boring, flat, and absolutely zero proper characterization. well of course i wasn't expecting a wattpad novel to be rich in plot and tone, but the premise hooked me and i felt let down by how ... dull the prose was. granted it was better than other insipid trash to have been published from that website. lucian and aarohi and other characters just seemed to move from one chapter to another rather robotically. it was a dual pov book but neither mc's perspective and voice was particularly captivating. they were too much of what the author wanted them to be, if that makes sense. lucian in particular was so odd. i couldn't understand what his true feelings were. the way he kept gushing about aarohi so much, it didn't make sense for him to go through with the revenge plot. he came off wayyy too creepy in the beginning. and regarding his feelings for aarohi - it was just way too much tell and no show. the whole plot really. other minor characters like liam and kaashvi were super forgettable too. this book is too boring to even be a one time read.
Glass Jawed was a phenomenal read. The writing, the emotional depth, the character Arc of both Rohi and Lucian??? So so well done.
I admit, I love a grovel romance. But rarelyyyyy have I ever enjoyed one with infidelity. I have no idea how you did it, but this book navigated that journey so beautifully. I sobbed, I smiled, I felt pain for both characters, I felt their fear and their grief. It was so utterly human and real.
Lucian’s self improvement journey hits all the marks of what a true grovel should be. Not empty apologies, but cutting down to the core of the problem and building yourself up to be the person who deserves to be forgiven. It was tough and raw. It was wonderful.
Major props to AJ Bishop. This is my first 5 Star Read of the year, and I hope everyone gives it a chance!
I'm really in between a 3 and a 4 because the beginning angst was yummy in tummy. And then when it seems like Aarohi is starting to forgive him, it got a little boring 😂
I thought it was interesting to see a H who was bisexual being cheated on and the h being the other woman. His revenge plot to get back at her was kinda there, but it wasn't well written out if that makes sense. It was mostly in his mind and then just slowly changed without explanation.
As soon as it got to her cousins wedding and he comes to try to grovel, it just got a little boring because it was mostly about getting ready for the wedding and him getting her back. The cousin trying to get with the H was just superfluous and annoying and didn't really add anything.
I did love that there was so much asian representation in this and I loved learning about indian wedding culture.
Aarohi aka Rohi aka the baddest b in fiction 💅🏾 She is written as a heart of gold, loving, funny heroine and I fell in love with her spirit. This story is so well written and the author basically takes your feeling, puts them in a washing machine on max speed then magically heals the battered rollercoaster of emotions she put you though. I loved it. I could have bet Lucian, aka Lucifer, lamebrain #1 would never be redeemed but boy was I wrong. I loved seeing him break 🤭 then find his redemption.
I also LOVED LOVED LOVED learning more about Indian culture, wedding culture there and learnt a few words too 😏 been using them to some very deserving peeps.