Thank you to Madison Juno for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Sweet Carnage was an entertaining read with a lot of potential, but ultimately it didn’t hit quite as hard for me as I hoped. I was really drawn in at the start — the setup was strong, the characters had compelling backstories, and I loved how down BAD Art was for Nina from page one.
Despite the promising foundation, I lost my sense of connection to the characters and their relationship a little before halfway through. The pacing sped up too quickly, and I found myself wanting a slower, more emotionally grounded build, even with their history. The intimacy also escalated much faster than I personally prefer, and in some moments, I found myself pulled out of the story and rolling my eyes on a few occasions.
The miscommunication trope is another big sticking point for me, and here it was so obvious that it became frustrating. It was one of those situations where you just want to grab the characters by the shoulders and tell them to use their words.
The characters’ backstories were genuinely sad and full of potential, and I found myself wishing we had even more of that emotional depth, especially regarding the Art’s mother. There was so much room for a heavier, more impactful storyline there (honestly, part of me was ready to believe his mother and uncle murdered his father, and I would’ve been here for that level of intensity).
Art’s motives and behavior sometimes felt inconsistent from beginning to end.
I also wanted more clarity on the “contract” at the start. It felt random and oddly abrupt — why exactly was he so obsessed with her, aside from watching her kick out his cousin from a bar? And then apparently “watching” (stalking) her. Sure there was a mutual sort of kinship regarding their family traumas, but I just found myself wanting more. What did he see that had him so completely GONE for this girl? More context around this would have helped build a stronger emotional connection early on.
One thing I absolutely appreciated, though, was the book’s stance on purity. When Art thinks, “Purity is vastly overvalued,” I felt that. Truly. The whole purity ideal is an ick for me, so this perspective was refreshing and honestly one of my favorite thematic moments.
Overall, Sweet Carnage had a lot of intriguing elements and was certainly entertaining, but the execution of the relationship and the pacing in the second half left me wanting more depth, mystery, and development. Still, it was a solid read, and I’m glad I had the opportunity to check it out early!