Saving Jessie's Girl

by Lauren Biel

She may be my brother’s girl... but she’s mine

Benji

My voice was stolen from me years ago. Silence is all I’ve known ever since.

Until her.

She understands sign language, and for the first time, someone actually hears me.

There’s just one problem.

She’s my brother’s girlfriend.

No matter how badly he hurts her, she won’t leave him. Even when she’s falling apart in my arms, we break together.

We both know this has to end.

But I’m not ready to walk away.

Which means there’s only one thing left to do... I have to save Jessie’s girl.



Saving Jessie’s Girl is a dark romance loosely inspired by a hit song. It’s part of the Dark Hits series—an ongoing collection of standalone stories.

Genres: Dark Romance, Dark, Audiobook, Romance, Mental Health, Abuse, Spicy

222 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 29, 2026

About the author

Lauren’s stories are often emotionally raw, with lots of twists and turns. She describes her writing as “where light meets dark”, which represents how her witty humor compliments the darkness in every story. Instead of trying to mold her writing to fit in a box, she chooses to be unapologetically herself. While her focus is on Romance with dark elements, subgenre is no constraint for her. The common theme in every book is finding love when you least expect it. She enjoys putting her characters through tribulations, allowing their triumphs to be that much more poignant. Make sure you have your seatbelts secured. It’s always a bumpy ride.

When she’s not working, she’s writing. When she’s not writing, she’s spending time with her husband, her friends, or her pets. You might also find her on a horseback trail ride or sitting beside a waterfall in Upstate New York. She has a pretty normal life, yet her stories are anything but.

Reviews

[Stacy]

ARC REVIEW

This book had my heart racing and my eyes leaking.

This book is about domestic violence and can be triggering to not only those who have survived it, but also for the loved ones of the victim.

Twin brothers Jesse and Benji are gorgeous; Jesse has anger issues and is full of violence, while Benji suffers from trauma and is a kind soul. Emmy is a sweet lady but has a criminal record.

Emmy falls for Jesse, and Benji falls for Emmy. Jesse is scum and doesn’t deserve Emmy or her kindness; he mentally, verbally, and physically abuses her over and over again. Benji witnesses some of the abuse and tries to get Emmy to leave. Will she leave Jesse, or will he be her death sentence?

This was another difficult read for me. It’s crazy to think that characters like Jesse exist in real life. Some people only feel better about themselves when they take power away from others. From one survivor to the next, please get out! I’m so glad I chose this book. I loved the ending! 

Thanks to Book Sirens for sending me an advanced copy to read and review!

[Smutty Little Books]

This has been one of my favorite darker books from Lauren so far. I read it in one sitting because it had my attention the entire time. Definitely worth a read if you want a quicker read that is dark and enjoyable.

[C * Not Another Reader * C]

4.5 ✨

I was lucky and caught the ARC on booksirens. Yay me.

I couldn't put it down, I was so rooting for these two 😭.

Read the triggers, since the story is full of trauma. ( besides the heavier TW, there's cheating as well; I don't usually read cheating, but in this case I was all aboard; you have to read the book to understand the situation )

I would have liked a second extended epilogue, with them down the road of life, but this is just me getting greedy.

what to expect
- complete standalone
- not sure what their ages are, but I think they are close in age
- trauma, trauma, trauma, in both their lives
- no trigger related to food, so thank you Lauren for that 😂
- HEA

[Sonia]

3.5 rough stars

Those triggers are triggering ☹️, and they are rouuuuugh… Thankfully, some of them are off page, but most of them are not.

I had to round up because audiobook is duet narration, and I am a sucker for those 🫣.

Emmy meets Jessie and Benji (twin brothers) one night and finds them both attractive, but only Jessie talks (Benji is mute ☹️, but he’s able to communicate through sign language, which Emmy knows). She and Jessie begin a relationship while Benji continues suffering in silence.

Things take a turn when Jessie becomes a more aggressive person and becomes physical with Emmy… because he’s a drug addict, his moods go up and down (Emmy’s never noticed the drugs, but Benji obviously has).

Benji needs to save his girl 👀… Jessie’s girl… and he’ll do whatever he needs to do so she’s okay.

What I liked:
— the audiobook 😮‍💨. The male narrator really brought out the emotions, especially the ROUGH and gut-wrenching ones 😭. I love duet narration!

— how protective Benji is 🫶. This man is out here, breaking laws and committing crimes for Emmy ❤️

— the 🔥. While some of them I found out-of-place (I’ll comment down below), the other ones were 🥵. Benji is all about pleasing Emmy 👏🏻 and I can’t be mad at that 💁🏻‍♀️. I hate selfish people, and Benji is NOT selfish at all 😮‍💨

— the comeuppance 💁🏻‍♀️. Look. When there are bad guys, things need to get done 🤷🏻‍♀️ and they deserve bad outcomes 🫣😅😬 especially when they’re manipulative and abusive 😈

— the pedo gets what he deserved

— the OMD 😅. I’m usually not a fan of sibling-swapping, but in this case, it was much needed

— no OWD 👏🏻. Phew. Not all books need it

— that the cat survived 😭. I was gonna riot if it didn’t

— their well-deserved HEA ❤️. These two have gone through soooooo much 😭🫠

What i didn’t like:
— protection! Come on 🫠. I kept thinking that these men might not even be clean! 🥴🥴🥴🥴 especially when Emmy was not consenting for things to happen… ugh…

— Benji not stepping up sooner 😒. Jessie needed to suffer earlier 💁🏻‍♀️

— Emmy suffering as much as she did 😐. Like. It was baaaaad

Overall, I enjoyed it but definitely cringed here and there

⚠️safety squad⚠️
-no sharing/owd
-murder
-cheating*- the h is still w OM1 (H’s twin)when she and the H sleep together. Her boss, OM2, basically rapes her
-rape/domestic abuse
-blackmail/coercion
-mental health/cutting/trauma
-attempted suicide mentioned/suicide ideation
-child sexual abuse (CSA) recounted
-animal harm (the cat survives though)
-no condoms/no virgins/no mention of birth control
-HEA/epilogue

[Amee]

Saving Jessie’s Girl had some dark themes throughout. Jessie himself was a walking, talking red flag, but his twin Benji has a painful past history, and reason he became mute, something traumatic happened to him but it turned him into more of an empath with Emmy than to Jessie’s viciousness. Jessie was just the bad seed of the twins and Emmy sure paid the price. I wish the friendship that blossomed between Benji and Emmy was explored more. Went from attraction to empathy to sex in a whirlwind. This is a me thing, I enjoy the buildup to something more than the actual something happening. I took authors advice and sang Rick Springfields Jessie’s Girl as I was reading and it took the sting out of some of the violent scenes. Check your own triggers responsibly, he beats and his savagery is hard to read. I’ve enjoyed this authors past books enough that her name pops up relatively easy in my old lady memory so I’ll definitely keep her stories on my watch list. Thank to BookSirens for the ARC, as always these thoughts and opinions are my own. Take them with a grain of salt.

[Naz.reads]

2.5/5 stars 2.5/5 spice

I struggled with this, it just wasn’t for me unfortunately. There was a lot of domestic violence and not enough justice. Emmy was trapped and Benji had a blood loyalty to his brother.

Emmy found herself in difficult situations throughout most of the story. She ignored so many red flags with everyone. I definitely felt bad for her and was eagerly awaiting for her to get her revenge. Benji did what he could to warn and protect her.

Benji had his own demons that had taken away his voice. His backstory was just tragic. The trauma that he and Emmy carried bonded them closer together. Their friendship turned to love too quickly for me, I enjoy it more when there’s depth. I just didn’t connect with either MC in the end.

- Dark romance
- Brother’s girlfriend
- Trauma mute MMC
- Pet kitten
- Trauma
- Secret hookups

[Stephanie Compton]

I had really high hopes for this one, but for me it fell flat. Maybe it was the violence, which has not bothered me before but maybe I wasn’t in the frame of mind for it. I did enjoy that one of the MC’s had a disability and it didn’t hinder him in any way.

[Faye]

that ending though 😝

[Neermboop]

Dark dark romance.

If you're new here, you are going to want to check those trigger warnings. ⚠️

Otherwise, Lauren is living up to her dark romance writing again in this book. Twins but one is good and one is awful. She gets the, you guessed it, awful one who appears great at first.

Overall I liked it, in real life- girl. Get the f*ck out of here. Run away. Don't look back. Go.

[Sophie]

I manged to grab this from an Arc post.

And oh my god this book emotional destroyed me, for reading somone who is mute.. Broke me.

i dont know how lauren does this but this book will be on my roman empire list, I can't wait for more books like this🥺♠️

[Laura]

Ahhh 😭🥰 Lauren does it again

Reread on audio and incredible 🥰😭😭🙌10/10 highly recommend

[Heather Joyce]

First of all, if you’re reading a Lauren Biel book, you probably know this already but pleaseeeee check your triggers before you read this. It’s dark, heavy and does NOT hold back on the topic of domestic abuse. With that being said, this book was heartbreakingly beautiful.

Benji, oh that beautiful broken and tortured soul, I loved him from the moment he was introduced on the page. He held the weight of SO much on his shoulders, trying to keep people safe from his monster of a brother, holding onto his demons from his abuse in his past, that stole his voice.

Emmy, another beautiful but tortured soul, still so full of life and trying to make the best of the shit life she’d been dealt.

Emmy was Jessie’s girl, at the cost of so much. Benji wanted her, loved her and needed to save her from his horrible brother.

I have not been in an abusive relationship, but from people I know, stories I’ve heard, documentaries I’ve watched, this felt like a very real portrayal of domestic abuse. The love bombing, the elaborate gifts, the “resting” period between hitting and belittling, taking control before you realize it and when you do it’s too late. Jessie stripped everything from Emmy, but Benji protected and saved her.

There was one thing about them being twins that I caught onto a bit before it was settled at the end and I’m so so glad Lauren went that way with it, I would have been upset if she had created that angle for herself and didn’t take it! It was brilliant.

The audio for this, both parts were played beautifully but Joe Arden delivered on another fucking level.

[Mya Mousseau]

I received a surprise arc of this book, and having read a few of her books before I was excited to see what this one was about.

Nothing I love more than a bad boy down bad, and an epic revenge arc. It was a good, smutty read and heart pounding in a “can’t put this down and read in one sitting”

[Tori]

4.5 ⭐️
This book was heavy... especially as someone who has experienced so much of what Emmy went through with Jessie, but it was also extremely healing for me to read. I just want to thank Lauren for not only writing this book and writing the experiences so we'll, but for giving us a safe space to heal from what we've gone through. What Emmy experienced was so well written, it almost felt like I was in the book living it with her. Lauren just has a way of making you feel so many emotions at once with her books. This is by far one of my favorite dark romance books I have read this year.
It was also extremely healing to know that Emmy and Benji both made it out alive, and lived a happy life afterwards. I would have maybe liked to hear more about how they moved forward and healed from all of the things Jessie put them through, but the book was absolutely incredible as it is.

[LollyDolly]

3.5 ⭐️Outstanding audio performance, full of emotion from both Joe Arden and Andi Eloise. It’s definitely one I’d recommend listening to on audio rather than reading. As with many of Lauren Biel’s books, it’s very much what she calls a traumance, with seriously dark topics and heavy trauma woven throughout, so please check TWs if needed.

So yep, it’s dark, it’s spicy, and there’s light at the end. I do love a story where the piece‑of‑shit characters finally get what’s coming to them. That’s it ❤️🙌🏻

[Penny]

This was hard to read as I was once the person covered in bruises and looking for a way out.
People always ask why did you stay and never ask him why he thinks its OK for him to do it!
Time heals and scars fade but the mental and emotional abuse stays forever. Like a runner on the starting blocks waiting. Its always there at the edges of all new relationships wondering how long it will be until until you hear the sound of that starting pistol.

[Maria Merced]

🎧 This audio🤌🏻 Joe Arden and Andi Eloise were🔥
Check TW

[Rae Richard]

Fvck Jesse girl, Benji Girl to the end

5.5⭐️ 3🌶️ 6🎧

Two broken souls that meet and they both had my heart and soul. What a dark and twisted world they both lived it . The emotional oil this book had on me , Ms. Lauren Biel, Miss ma’am what did you wrote will forever be in my memory for the most part of my life.

Benji had my car I was doing my best not to cry or what he had experienced as a child in any means I wanted to give her the sweetest hug and hold on. Tell her she’s a strong one you have to do what she had to do these two together were so broken, but they found each other in the best way possible even through the circumstances going through this book this book was wild. This book was dark and I loved it and I am just in awe.

Now, Please give me five minutes. With the brother in this book , would put me in a confinement because I want to go in this book and bam bam bam , to give me. You will not be able to find nothing because I was so livid with that character and I wanted to dispose the first time and he opened his mouth other than that that’s how my anger issues could never lol

Benji and Emmy both have our survivors and reading this book tells you what the emotions the trauma put you through and how it can make you stronger in so much ways. I’m glad they thought I’m glad they survived. Wroth the read.

This book was written so good and the audio both was so good. Andi Eloise and Joe Arden , both did amazing work their performance together was epic. I definitely need more of them together in an audio because they broke out the emotion in this audio and reading with the book made it more real in my eyes. I loved it.

Overall, this book was deserving of my attention and so was the audio. I’m glad I found this book an audio the time that I needed because it was just needed and I’m so glad I got to listen and read it. I definitely recommend.
FYI, please check your trigger warnings. This book is heavy and just check your mental health if you plan on reading this book.

[Kyra Stacy]

The Sweetest Kind of Broken

⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌶️🌶️🌶️

I picked this up because a friend recommended it (and because Joe Arden narrated it), and I’m so glad I did. This was such an enjoyable read!

I’m not going to lie—Emmy was driving me absolutely crazy at the beginning. Benji was practically waving red flags in front of her face, and she just refused to see them. 😂 As frustrating as it was, I understand why it was written that way because it allowed the story to build naturally. She just tested my patience.

Now let’s talk about Benji… poor, sweet Benji. Why am I such a sucker for damaged men? Better yet, why do I love the damaged men who can’t talk? He was absolutely perfect for this story. Protective, determined, and completely devoted once he knew what he wanted. He never crossed the line—he just quietly showed up for her over and over again. There’s something incredibly attractive about that.

The pacing was solid from beginning to end. I never felt like the story dragged, and I stayed invested the entire time. Overall, this was a really enjoyable dark romance, and I’m so glad I finally picked it up.

[Leona T]

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Saving Jessie’s Girl absolutely wrecked my heart and put it back together again.

Benji and Emmy are two incredibly broken people carrying more trauma than anyone should ever have to endure. Benji especially stole my heart. His silence somehow spoke louder than words ever could, and every interaction between him and Emmy felt raw, tender, and meaningful. Their connection was beautiful, heartbreaking, and impossible not to root for.

This book is dark, heavy, and packed with difficult topics, so please check the trigger warnings before diving in. There were moments that made me angry, moments that made my chest ache, and moments that had me cheering. Jessie was truly vile, and I spent most of the book wanting to scream at him.

I also loved the forbidden element of the story. The tension between Benji and Emmy was intense, emotional, and had me completely invested. The spice was definitely there, but for me, it was their emotional connection and the way they understood each other’s pain that really made this story shine.

The only reason this wasn’t a full five stars for me was that I wanted a little more backstory on Emmy and her family relationships. I felt like there was more to uncover there.

Overall, Saving Jessie’s Girl is a dark, emotional read filled with pain, healing, survival, and love. It’s heartbreaking, hopeful, and left me with a very satisfied smile by the end.

[Neapolitan670 📚🖤]

I’m sure you could finish this in one sitting if work and life didn’t interrupt 🤣

Jesse’s life seems to just be a run of bad luck with a nice dolloping of more bad luck on top. She thinks she’s met the one, for him to turn out not to be but his brother is another story…

"𝙸𝚜 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚐?" 𝙸 𝚊𝚜𝚔. "𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚔 𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚍 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎."

I really wouldn’t have stopped reading this in one go but life 🤷🏻‍♀️The story pulls you in from the start and I had no idea where it was going to take me. Sitting biting the skin around my nails (as you do), to growling, to ahhhing, and that’s just some of the emotions this book prompted from me. Lauren’s writing dark romance with a sprinkling of angst, feeling like you're in their right alongside the characters just made this book flyby. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next 🫶🏻

[K (dedicationdiaries)]

The queen of dark traumances strikes again with Saving Jessie’s Girl (yes, like the song). WOW this book hit hard. It wasn’t a read, it was an emotional crime scene.

Benji, the most beautiful, broken soul. His story, his trauma and his dependence on his brother broke my heart multiple times. I loved him!
Emmy, the FMC is absolutely beautiful and such a fighter. I would’ve loved to hear more of her backstory though, more about her brother and their relationship. I felt so invested in her and her journey to find peace and happiness and really wanted to know more about her.

Friendly warning: maybe don’t raw dog this one like I did. Read the trigger warnings. It didn’t affect my rating because I know Lauren’s books. But, we don’t want anyone to be surprised!!

[Lyndi (mibookobsession)]

It's unheard if for it to take me 3 days to finish a book under 200 pages! Working a 3 day stretch doesn't leave me much free time, but every chance I got I was lured in and the characters stayed in the back of my mind. Wondering how Benji would step up, wondering if he'd get his voice back, wondering how they'd get through this impossible situation! This author has become one of my favorites for her deeply flawed and sometimes unhinged characters, redeemed by love in whatever crazy form. And with this book, I had the song "Jessie's girl" running through my head every time I saw the beautiful cover 😆.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. The views and opinions expressed in this review are completely my own

[Carolyn Twyman]

Not what I would normally expect from Lauren Biel after reading captured (which put me off mayo for months), this was very different. Not in a bad way, the story was good but was a little predictable.

There was no OMG moments which I would normally expect from this author.

Tropes - boyfriend’s brother, touch her and die and female revenge. This is a dark romance so please check your trigger warnings.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️

[Shes _Crafty_reader]

Saving Jessie's Girl by Lauren Biel is a gritty, highly emotional, and completely addictive dark romance. Benji, the mute, protective hero, will completely steal your heart with how deeply he loves and protects Amy, who desperately needs an escape from his abusive brother.
💜
* Emotional depth: A heavy, raw, and high-angst storyline.
* Incredible dynamic: Beautiful communication via sign language and intense chemistry.
* Forbidden romance: High-stakes drama that keeps you turning pages.
* 💜
It is dark, traumatic, and deeply moving. ‼️Check the trigger warnings‼️ first, but Benji and Amy's healing journey is absolutely worth the heartbreak.
💜
Andi Eloise and Joe Arden crushed this! I absolutely loved their performance!

[Aiste Tauras]

Tikriausiai trumpiausia istorija, kurią klausiau ir.. perklausiau vienu kartu😆 Pradžia labai užkabino ir trumpai tariant ir buvo fun ir nejauku ir skaudu ir total obbsesion lygis tikrai max pasiektas veikėjų ir dar baigėsi visai gerai tai 😏⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Nikola]

Another amazing, emotional book
❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

[Crystal Overend]

Check your triggers!! I’m telling you now. Don’t go blind into this book if you have any abuse triggers. I ate this book up. Short and fast read but still hit hard.

[Kaitlyn Bradford]

It was a very compelling short novel. Sucked in from the beginning. I admittedly got bored part way though, but I am so glad I pushed through to the end.

[Chane Le Roux]

I devoured this book. The emotions run high, and I truly felt what the characters were going through. It’s very well written, I loved Benji the most, and I’d happily read it again