What do you think?
Rate this book
Heart Of A Goon II
Goon has always known loving Zoya comes with a price, but it’s one he’s willing to pay for the woman he’s loved since the first time he laid eyes on her. With a baby on the way, he finally has something worth losing everything for.
When old secrets surface and enemies close in, Goon finds himself fighting for more than his freedom. This time, his new family is on the line.
When old secrets surface and enemies close in, Goon finds himself fighting for more than his freedom. This time, his new family is on the line.
434 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 8, 2026
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 943 reviews
September 9, 2026
All over the place!!
I am confused as to why this book was titled Goon 2! There was so little Goon and Zoya and a lot of everyone else! There was some funny parts in that had my side hurting from laughing but the couldn’t stay focused because the plot was everywhere.
I am confused as to why this book was titled Goon 2! There was so little Goon and Zoya and a lot of everyone else! There was some funny parts in that had my side hurting from laughing but the couldn’t stay focused because the plot was everywhere.
September 8, 2026
not for the weak !
HOAG 2 is not for the faint of heart!! I really enjoyed getting more of Menace and understanding him on a personal level, while still keeping the story focused on Goya Bean (yes, I said Goya! lol) and Goon. The endless jokes and unity 🥹🥹 were my favorite parts .. Multiple POVs can get tricky if you aren’t paying attention or aren't used to the webs Jahquel weaves. Nothing is ever as it seems, and even though I got some answers in Book 2, I’m so ready for the wrap-up in HOAG III and all the spin-offs!! My fave character is LUCI… flamethrower LUCI… 😍😍
HOAG 2 is not for the faint of heart!! I really enjoyed getting more of Menace and understanding him on a personal level, while still keeping the story focused on Goya Bean (yes, I said Goya! lol) and Goon. The endless jokes and unity 🥹🥹 were my favorite parts .. Multiple POVs can get tricky if you aren’t paying attention or aren't used to the webs Jahquel weaves. Nothing is ever as it seems, and even though I got some answers in Book 2, I’m so ready for the wrap-up in HOAG III and all the spin-offs!! My fave character is LUCI… flamethrower LUCI… 😍😍
September 10, 2026
⋆˙⟡ ── ʀᴀᴛɪɴɢ 5⭐️
Jahquel has done it again. Emotional. Gut-wrenching. Hilarious. This was an action-packed ride. The skeletons are RUNNING OUT OF THE CLOSET. Coming off of Goon I, I had an idea how this would start, and my prediction was thankfully right 😅. My girl Zoya is still..a work in progress, but I love her down. Cappadonna got some more jobs, Blair is thankfully not as pathetic, Menace had me HOWLING laughing the whole time, and Kora had me..terrified. I’m really anxious to see more from her. Aside from our obvious cast of beloved characters, this storyline was so suspenseful. It got a little confusing with the added chaos, but I didn’t mind untangling The Who’s Who. So many added webs of mess; it was truly mind blowing. I can’t wait to see how this series wraps up.
Jahquel has done it again. Emotional. Gut-wrenching. Hilarious. This was an action-packed ride. The skeletons are RUNNING OUT OF THE CLOSET. Coming off of Goon I, I had an idea how this would start, and my prediction was thankfully right 😅. My girl Zoya is still..a work in progress, but I love her down. Cappadonna got some more jobs, Blair is thankfully not as pathetic, Menace had me HOWLING laughing the whole time, and Kora had me..terrified. I’m really anxious to see more from her. Aside from our obvious cast of beloved characters, this storyline was so suspenseful. It got a little confusing with the added chaos, but I didn’t mind untangling The Who’s Who. So many added webs of mess; it was truly mind blowing. I can’t wait to see how this series wraps up.
September 12, 2026
I ain’t gone lie. This was a hard read for me. It was everywhere and no where at the same time. I’m still gone read the next one tho. I just wasn’t feeling book 2.
September 21, 2026
Jah really outdid herself with this one! 🔥😮💨 I need that part 3 tomorrow. FUCK YOU MEAN?!? 😤
SN: You called my mama a bald bitch? 🤔😕
SN: You called my mama a bald bitch? 🤔😕
September 11, 2026
I’m a fan and I’m invested but the writing style seemed off. The excessive verbiage, punctuation and sentence structure made this book a difficult read but still entertaining. It’s so much going on, so keep up.
September 15, 2026
This whole universe is one of my favorites. Ever. However, this installment is my lowest rated. I feel like it missed the mark on a few things. I think maybe I also got my hopes up too high.
The positive. There were a lot of funny moments that had me cracking all the way up. I love these characters so much and when they’re in a group settings, the jokes be having me in stitches. 😂
The not so great:
I feel like a lot happened but nothing really happened at the same time. Most of the book, Goon & Zoya (and the other couples were separated and it felt disjointed). There was also a lot of telling and not showing. Zoya all of a sudden being “soft” just felt off…it didn’t feel true to her character, at least not yet anyway. Also, maybe it’s just me (and I’ve actually enjoyed every other nickname with the other characters) but I absolutely HATE the nicknames Zoya and Goon give each other. 😩 Boobie and Pumpkin just make me cringe.
The whole Muslim thing is another point that’s tricky and didn’t sit right with me. Goon kept saying he doesn’t want to change Zoya but says his children WILL BE RAISED Muslim and that’s that. Does Zoya get a say? I feel like this issue was not expounded on when it should have been. This should have been a deep discussion they had and came to a common ground. Goon just says what will be and expects Zoya to follow when she’s never done that in her life. I don’t care if the children are raised Muslim but it needs to be agreed upon by both parties.
Goon proposing while they were having sex didn’t sit right with me either me. I expected a more romantic proposal from him. Not while he’s in the pum pum. Major turnoff.
Call me bougie, call me prissy, call me high maintenance and whatever else, but I’m with Zoya. Goon expected her to stay in a damn shack and shower outside??? Chile. I get it was his grandparent’s house and it was only for one day but PLEASE.
Inez. Smh. Reading Ramelle’s chapter broke me. He never stood a chance with the awful parents he had. A drug addict and a bum ass deadbeat. Inez should be ashamed of herself. Putting a man before your own son is lowdown. His no good ass daddy deserves equal blame too. They both are to blame for him getting killed. And the way Goon constantly coddled her and absolved her of accountability was honestly pissing me off. I was with Khaos. He put up with her mess for years and he’s tired. You cannot help a person who doesn’t wanna be helped. Then had the nerve to get an attitude with Zoya. Crackhead had all the audacity.
There were times when I couldn’t tell what character was speaking, especially during group scenes. Hopefully this is corrected in the next book. Not to mention, there were a lot of grammatical errors in this installment where it took me out of the story a bit. I am usually able to just ignore minor errors here and there. But it felt like a lot in this book.
Lastly, enough with the reassurances. I get Zoya needs them due to her past with men and trauma from her parents dying, but we didn’t know a whole book of Goon constantly reassuring her every 5 seconds. It got annoying fast after the 50th time.
I still love this universe and still excited about HOAG3, just hope that some things are corrected and we move on from some as well.
The positive. There were a lot of funny moments that had me cracking all the way up. I love these characters so much and when they’re in a group settings, the jokes be having me in stitches. 😂
The not so great:
I feel like a lot happened but nothing really happened at the same time. Most of the book, Goon & Zoya (and the other couples were separated and it felt disjointed). There was also a lot of telling and not showing. Zoya all of a sudden being “soft” just felt off…it didn’t feel true to her character, at least not yet anyway. Also, maybe it’s just me (and I’ve actually enjoyed every other nickname with the other characters) but I absolutely HATE the nicknames Zoya and Goon give each other. 😩 Boobie and Pumpkin just make me cringe.
The whole Muslim thing is another point that’s tricky and didn’t sit right with me. Goon kept saying he doesn’t want to change Zoya but says his children WILL BE RAISED Muslim and that’s that. Does Zoya get a say? I feel like this issue was not expounded on when it should have been. This should have been a deep discussion they had and came to a common ground. Goon just says what will be and expects Zoya to follow when she’s never done that in her life. I don’t care if the children are raised Muslim but it needs to be agreed upon by both parties.
Goon proposing while they were having sex didn’t sit right with me either me. I expected a more romantic proposal from him. Not while he’s in the pum pum. Major turnoff.
Call me bougie, call me prissy, call me high maintenance and whatever else, but I’m with Zoya. Goon expected her to stay in a damn shack and shower outside??? Chile. I get it was his grandparent’s house and it was only for one day but PLEASE.
Inez. Smh. Reading Ramelle’s chapter broke me. He never stood a chance with the awful parents he had. A drug addict and a bum ass deadbeat. Inez should be ashamed of herself. Putting a man before your own son is lowdown. His no good ass daddy deserves equal blame too. They both are to blame for him getting killed. And the way Goon constantly coddled her and absolved her of accountability was honestly pissing me off. I was with Khaos. He put up with her mess for years and he’s tired. You cannot help a person who doesn’t wanna be helped. Then had the nerve to get an attitude with Zoya. Crackhead had all the audacity.
There were times when I couldn’t tell what character was speaking, especially during group scenes. Hopefully this is corrected in the next book. Not to mention, there were a lot of grammatical errors in this installment where it took me out of the story a bit. I am usually able to just ignore minor errors here and there. But it felt like a lot in this book.
Lastly, enough with the reassurances. I get Zoya needs them due to her past with men and trauma from her parents dying, but we didn’t know a whole book of Goon constantly reassuring her every 5 seconds. It got annoying fast after the 50th time.
I still love this universe and still excited about HOAG3, just hope that some things are corrected and we move on from some as well.
September 9, 2026
I forget how much is always going on with these Delgatos/Infernos/Casellis😭 I knew our girl Stevie wasn't gone, but Menace was leaving no stone unturned behind what happened and I don't blame him!! I will not lie, I really read this book for Menace updates lmao. I'm still not a fan of Zoya, but I will say it was nice to see some character development from her. She was honestly a huge dickhead, but i was happy when she realized how much of an asshole she was to Menace, and apologized and called him Maverick. I also love that Navy asked her about being angry, and talked her into trying something new to be real with herself. S/o to her for trying too. And Goon, he loves that girl down. Salute to him for loving her the way he did and reaffirming her how she needed, no notes on him fr in the department. Now on the topic of Inez, he need to let her ass go and be more like Khaos. You can't help people who don't want to help themselves, and shorty is too far gone. I hate that Forty is being framed, but I'm interested to see how that will play out! There were some cringey moments for me, but one thing this book made me do for sure was laugh. Overall, 3 stars for me!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 10, 2026
Terrible
I really struggled with the writing style in this book. The grammar, punctuation, editing, and sentence structure all felt noticeably underdeveloped, which made the overall reading experience unnecessarily difficult.
The book is also far more verbose than it needs to be. There is a lot of repetition, excessive explanation, and even entire paragraphs that seem to contribute very little to the plot or character development. Instead of trusting the reader to understand what is happening, the writing frequently spells out information that feels self-evident.
At times, the narration comes across as though the author assumes the reader needs everything explicitly explained. For example, rather than simply describing that the sky is blue, the prose will explain that the sky is blue because skies are blue. That kind of unnecessary exposition became increasingly distracting.
I genuinely don't understand the hype surrounding this book. There are certainly readers who will enjoy the author's style, but for me, the excessive exposition, repetition, and lack of editing significantly overshadowed the story itself.
Can’t call this a work of art. It’s a jumbled up mess.
I really struggled with the writing style in this book. The grammar, punctuation, editing, and sentence structure all felt noticeably underdeveloped, which made the overall reading experience unnecessarily difficult.
The book is also far more verbose than it needs to be. There is a lot of repetition, excessive explanation, and even entire paragraphs that seem to contribute very little to the plot or character development. Instead of trusting the reader to understand what is happening, the writing frequently spells out information that feels self-evident.
At times, the narration comes across as though the author assumes the reader needs everything explicitly explained. For example, rather than simply describing that the sky is blue, the prose will explain that the sky is blue because skies are blue. That kind of unnecessary exposition became increasingly distracting.
I genuinely don't understand the hype surrounding this book. There are certainly readers who will enjoy the author's style, but for me, the excessive exposition, repetition, and lack of editing significantly overshadowed the story itself.
Can’t call this a work of art. It’s a jumbled up mess.
September 10, 2026
⭐️⭐️⭐️½
Okay, I was ready to say this book didn't end on a cliffhanger but it absolutely did. I just didn’t catch the significance of the woman at first. Once I realized who she was, I was like OH SH*T. 😳
I can definitely see how this is going to shake up some members of the family going forward. It probably would have hit me harder if I hadn’t completely forgotten who she was, because the missed connection would've made the ending much more significant.
As for the rest of the book, not a whole lot happened externally to push the main plot forward, but a LOT happened internally with the characters, and that made the book feel more grounded. It felt like we were laying the emotional foundation for something much bigger.
One of my favorite things about this author is how much access we get to the characters' actual feelings. We don't have to constantly guess what they're thinking or why they behave the way they do. We're told. We get their inner thoughts, their emotions, and sometimes even their childhood experiences that explain why they became who they are. It's a very different writing style—almost like you're having a genuine conversation with the characters.
It can definitely be repetitive and over-explained at times, but I actually appreciate the emotional transparency.
I especially loved watching Menace and Zoya's relationship slowly start to heal. After everything in the first book, seeing Zoya's anger begin to calm as we understand more of the hurt underneath it was really satisfying. Navy asking her, “Why you always so angry?” was such a good moment because it forced Zoya to look at how she presents herself to other people.
And seeing Menace become more open about his own pain was just as important. I loved their relationship in the first book, especially when he unexpectedly showed up for her father-daughter dance, so seeing these two finally start working through everything they had been carrying was one of my favorite parts.
Honestly, this whole book felt cathartic. Like everyone finally needed to air some shit out.
And as usual, the gang being together is ALWAYS the best part of these books. 😂
I did have a few questions about the external plot, though. The police situation with Goon after he got Inez out of the trap house really confused me. He turns around and gets cuffed, and then the situation is basically never brought up again. I kept waiting for some explanation of what happened with the police, and it just… disappeared. 🤷🏾♀️
So while I enjoyed the emotional journey much more than the actual plot progression, I definitely feel like this book was setting the characters up for something bigger.
Also sidenote- I loved the forword/dedication. My heart goes out to Jahquel even more. ❤️
Okay, I was ready to say this book didn't end on a cliffhanger but it absolutely did. I just didn’t catch the significance of the woman at first. Once I realized who she was, I was like OH SH*T. 😳
I can definitely see how this is going to shake up some members of the family going forward. It probably would have hit me harder if I hadn’t completely forgotten who she was, because the missed connection would've made the ending much more significant.
As for the rest of the book, not a whole lot happened externally to push the main plot forward, but a LOT happened internally with the characters, and that made the book feel more grounded. It felt like we were laying the emotional foundation for something much bigger.
One of my favorite things about this author is how much access we get to the characters' actual feelings. We don't have to constantly guess what they're thinking or why they behave the way they do. We're told. We get their inner thoughts, their emotions, and sometimes even their childhood experiences that explain why they became who they are. It's a very different writing style—almost like you're having a genuine conversation with the characters.
It can definitely be repetitive and over-explained at times, but I actually appreciate the emotional transparency.
I especially loved watching Menace and Zoya's relationship slowly start to heal. After everything in the first book, seeing Zoya's anger begin to calm as we understand more of the hurt underneath it was really satisfying. Navy asking her, “Why you always so angry?” was such a good moment because it forced Zoya to look at how she presents herself to other people.
And seeing Menace become more open about his own pain was just as important. I loved their relationship in the first book, especially when he unexpectedly showed up for her father-daughter dance, so seeing these two finally start working through everything they had been carrying was one of my favorite parts.
Honestly, this whole book felt cathartic. Like everyone finally needed to air some shit out.
And as usual, the gang being together is ALWAYS the best part of these books. 😂
I did have a few questions about the external plot, though. The police situation with Goon after he got Inez out of the trap house really confused me. He turns around and gets cuffed, and then the situation is basically never brought up again. I kept waiting for some explanation of what happened with the police, and it just… disappeared. 🤷🏾♀️
So while I enjoyed the emotional journey much more than the actual plot progression, I definitely feel like this book was setting the characters up for something bigger.
Also sidenote- I loved the forword/dedication. My heart goes out to Jahquel even more. ❤️
September 9, 2026
Sooo much to say. Every twist kept those pages turning. All of the connected pieces and revelations in one book were crazy. Menace had me cackling the entire book lol. I thoroughly enjoyed it and cannot wait for book 3. Goon and Zoya’s love is unmatched.
September 10, 2026
Just okay
While this book had some good parts, the majority of the book I spent confused because I thought we’d be getting more of Zoya and Goon. While I laughed a lot, there were times where I was confused because there was so much going on at one time. There were a lot of topics that were over the explained and it wasn’t always needed. There were a lot of different POVs we didn’t need in this book. This book had a lot of fluff and there were some things that could have been fleshed out more.
While this book had some good parts, the majority of the book I spent confused because I thought we’d be getting more of Zoya and Goon. While I laughed a lot, there were times where I was confused because there was so much going on at one time. There were a lot of topics that were over the explained and it wasn’t always needed. There were a lot of different POVs we didn’t need in this book. This book had a lot of fluff and there were some things that could have been fleshed out more.
September 10, 2026
This book was funny, probably the funniest one out of the series so far. I loved seeing Zoya’s growth and the conversations around mental health. I’m glad Goon’s “Fuck you mean!” was back this book because it was missing in book 1. There were a few plot twists and ties to storylines from previous books all the way to book 1 of the Capone series so remembering who was who was hard at times but the story was worth it. I like that she included little reminders.
SN: I hope the author’s note is a reminder that yes we love these books but authors are human and are going through real life struggles. Let them release books when they’re ready without badgering them.
SN: I hope the author’s note is a reminder that yes we love these books but authors are human and are going through real life struggles. Let them release books when they’re ready without badgering them.
September 11, 2026
Ms. Author Lady for the people who are 30 books in, 50-11 characters please make us a character chart, a family tree, something, because bring back characters from season 1 is crazy! I’m over here reading through old reviews to jog my memory.
Reactions:
-You tried to pull a fast one on us with Stevie, but we knew better!
-What kind of tech wizardry power does Core have, he conducting blackout on demand!
-The Caselli’s, Delgado’s and Inferno’s are so unserious! But I love this multi-layered family they have created.
-Meer is a complete fool! Little pyromaniac
-Love to see Zora in her girl era
-Wait a minute Kora married??
-This flashback with Inez is just horrible!
-Goon not getting on this plane is crazy, like have you lost your mind!
-Jahquel if you send this man back to jail, I’m not reading nothing else!
-Praise the lord he made it and brought the dog…love him
-So Fourty is being framed? (Whew) I really didn’t want him to the RHK
-I’m all for being one with the people but baby this Jamaican shack on 100 acres…I’m with Zora, like huh?
-This dinner! Baby the whole cemetery done came out the closet forget a skeleton!
-When did Aimee become FBI??
-I just know they not talking about Erin’s Aunt Jo??
-Somebody needs to chart these characters with me!! Come on book tok!
Reactions:
-You tried to pull a fast one on us with Stevie, but we knew better!
-What kind of tech wizardry power does Core have, he conducting blackout on demand!
-The Caselli’s, Delgado’s and Inferno’s are so unserious! But I love this multi-layered family they have created.
-Meer is a complete fool! Little pyromaniac
-Love to see Zora in her girl era
-Wait a minute Kora married??
-This flashback with Inez is just horrible!
-Goon not getting on this plane is crazy, like have you lost your mind!
-Jahquel if you send this man back to jail, I’m not reading nothing else!
-Praise the lord he made it and brought the dog…love him
-So Fourty is being framed? (Whew) I really didn’t want him to the RHK
-I’m all for being one with the people but baby this Jamaican shack on 100 acres…I’m with Zora, like huh?
-This dinner! Baby the whole cemetery done came out the closet forget a skeleton!
-When did Aimee become FBI??
-I just know they not talking about Erin’s Aunt Jo??
-Somebody needs to chart these characters with me!! Come on book tok!
September 10, 2026
I’m still a fan, but this book wasn’t my favorite. Goon & Zoya’s story doesn’t pick up til about 63% in the book and even then it’s not solely about them, but a bunch of other characters as well. I was expecting more of their relationship development, guess we’ll see that in book 3. 🤷🏾♀️
September 10, 2026
All over the place!
This was not Goon’s book or story. Very disjointed trying to bring too many characters. Now we have to wait for Goon 3 maybe it will be his book this time
This was not Goon’s book or story. Very disjointed trying to bring too many characters. Now we have to wait for Goon 3 maybe it will be his book this time
September 11, 2026
To be honest with the first book and also this book I only read it so I wouldn’t miss anything for the next person story I loved goon as a person. He was funny. I even like the cat and mouse thing they did in the other books I loved her being a boss, but in this book and in the first, she was a complete ass. he was loving her down and giving her all the reassurances and she wasn’t giving him shit in return. It really was making me want somebody else for him. That’s bad. I know people say that it’s a lot to love a strong, independent black woman, but she was very unreliable nothing about her gave like he won a prize after all the bullshit. It just seemed like she just was always gonna be a mess. Nothing gave purity. This was horrible. I don’t know how they got to where they got to. It seemed real Janky. Everything was unfolding, and it wasn’t even a surprise it wasn’t even good. It just was oh OK. Oh OK.This really wasn’t for me and thats OK. Loved all the other series down, but I was very disappointed in Goon books
September 14, 2026
I am STRESSED OUT!!
My goodness. Menace Jr. and Gerald are interesting. I'm glad they are growing into their relationship, especially Zoya. Because I was about to axe her and hope for a less toxic love to come in for Goon. She was wylin.
There was soooo many secrets that Got laid on the table, and I AM still sick to my stomach about. All of this is just about to get worsaaaa. Its about to be a lot of flower bringing and slow singing & Capp might just decide to make his choir director debut.
I did not think things could get worse, but it did. I know the city bouta be lit up like the fourth of July.
My goodness. Menace Jr. and Gerald are interesting. I'm glad they are growing into their relationship, especially Zoya. Because I was about to axe her and hope for a less toxic love to come in for Goon. She was wylin.
There was soooo many secrets that Got laid on the table, and I AM still sick to my stomach about. All of this is just about to get worsaaaa. Its about to be a lot of flower bringing and slow singing & Capp might just decide to make his choir director debut.
I did not think things could get worse, but it did. I know the city bouta be lit up like the fourth of July.
September 11, 2026
The Casellis are healing ❤️🩹
So many secrets kept coming out left & right and the RHK reveal had me wanting to smoke my first cigarette🫣
Also Menace & Meer had me laughing so hard 😂😂😂
So many secrets kept coming out left & right and the RHK reveal had me wanting to smoke my first cigarette🫣
Also Menace & Meer had me laughing so hard 😂😂😂
September 10, 2026
This book had a lot going on and while I enjoyed it, I wish we would have gotten more of just Goon and Zoya and not so much of everyone else.
September 12, 2026
Unpopular opinion: This book was so disjointed and all over the place. Will I read Part 3, probably, but I'm invested. Let's not title the books after ANY main character if we're not going to get their story. I learned more about Menace than Goon. Too many side characters had chapters, way too many flash backs but we don't get a flashback as to why we should know the people in the cliffhanger. Additionally, I need my main characters likable. Zoya still has room to go, and I feel like 2 books in we should have that from her, but it was wasted on sideline characters. As I stated I'll read book 3 but I hope it's better and character development occurs. Also, show us why Zoya deserves Goon!
September 13, 2026
3.5⭐️ I love Jah. Absolutely do. She’s a masterful storyteller, and the way she was able to craft a storyline that ties all the way back to Book 1 when we’re now 20 books deep is beyond skillful.
I really enjoyed the healing we’ve been able to see in some of these relationships, namely Menace and Zoya, as well as Goon continuing to work to help heal Zoya’s heart and break down her walls. There was also plenty of levity thanks to the friend groups all being a little unhinged. 😂 And there were some secrets revealed that had me absolutely shook.
This, however, was almost a DNF for me. The first half of the book took me so long to get through because, despite the necessary world-building, the pacing felt unusually slow. There was so much exposition and information being introduced that the story felt very dense at times. It also felt like we lived inside the characters’ heads for way too long, while the actual plot didn’t feel like it was moving forward.
I do think a lot of that information and character processing was necessary, though, because this book added so much context to the larger world. I trusted that the things being revealed would ultimately be important and make sense by the end. The problem was that, as a reading experience, all of that internal processing and repetition could feel draining at times.
Even with the slow start, I’m still invested in this world and these characters, and I need to see how everything comes together in the final installment.
I really enjoyed the healing we’ve been able to see in some of these relationships, namely Menace and Zoya, as well as Goon continuing to work to help heal Zoya’s heart and break down her walls. There was also plenty of levity thanks to the friend groups all being a little unhinged. 😂 And there were some secrets revealed that had me absolutely shook.
This, however, was almost a DNF for me. The first half of the book took me so long to get through because, despite the necessary world-building, the pacing felt unusually slow. There was so much exposition and information being introduced that the story felt very dense at times. It also felt like we lived inside the characters’ heads for way too long, while the actual plot didn’t feel like it was moving forward.
I do think a lot of that information and character processing was necessary, though, because this book added so much context to the larger world. I trusted that the things being revealed would ultimately be important and make sense by the end. The problem was that, as a reading experience, all of that internal processing and repetition could feel draining at times.
Even with the slow start, I’m still invested in this world and these characters, and I need to see how everything comes together in the final installment.
September 9, 2026
Ooooh this one took me through it. Jah opened us up to a heartfelt Author's note. That alone statted the waterworks. As I kept reading and say way Gerald speaks life into Zoya had me 🥹. Secrets definitely have a large impact and this book had a lot of them. We were able to see firsthand how holding on to those secrets and guilt led each of the characters to unhealthy coping mechanisms. There were so many themes including grief, mental health, family dysfunction, addiction, loss and more. Once the ball started rolling it didn't let up and the ending really sealed the deal. Each new discovery helped us better connect the info on our Jah Universe Whiteboard. I just know Kora's book will be just as enlightening. Our girl is so much more than the image most see in the courtroom.
September 14, 2026
I really enjoyed the first book, this one was ehhh.
There was character development with Zoya but she still annoyed me. I don’t really care for her as a FMC. It’s reassurance and then it’s whatever it is she needs, it’s far beyond reassurance. Goon was cool but he need to let his cousin go through whatever it is she need to go through. I wish the book would have been more about them and their relationship. This book felt like an intermission book until the last few chapters. They were barely together for most of the book. I still don’t know the purpose of the highway shootout 😂😂
Now what irked me 😮💨
REPETITIVE…why am I getting a back story of everybody again!?!?
We know the main characters…it was all the other ppl thrown in there that I needed a recap on 😭😭
Why is every character in every chapter? It’s always 6 people every conversation 😩
Blair still trying to prove herself was cringe🥴
Was tired of Zoya in the first book and tired here too 😩
How can Zoya say Inez need to do better with her attitude and she barely doing better with her attitude and emotions 😒
There was character development with Zoya but she still annoyed me. I don’t really care for her as a FMC. It’s reassurance and then it’s whatever it is she needs, it’s far beyond reassurance. Goon was cool but he need to let his cousin go through whatever it is she need to go through. I wish the book would have been more about them and their relationship. This book felt like an intermission book until the last few chapters. They were barely together for most of the book. I still don’t know the purpose of the highway shootout 😂😂
Now what irked me 😮💨
REPETITIVE…why am I getting a back story of everybody again!?!?
We know the main characters…it was all the other ppl thrown in there that I needed a recap on 😭😭
Why is every character in every chapter? It’s always 6 people every conversation 😩
Blair still trying to prove herself was cringe🥴
Was tired of Zoya in the first book and tired here too 😩
How can Zoya say Inez need to do better with her attitude and she barely doing better with her attitude and emotions 😒
September 9, 2026
Honestly, I wasn't sure what to rate this, but I'm going off of just vibes and I loved this book. Jah did what she normally does. There are so many twists and turns, and of course there were a lot of emotions throughout this whole book, but I was laughing out loud so much. Jah is for real a comedian. I definitely can't wait until the third book to see how most of this plays out.
September 9, 2026
Jahquel Renee J needs to step to the front immediately. Goon is up there with Don for me in *that* department lol. I loved how we got to know more about Menace and his home life and the reason he is who he is. I can't wait until the next book as always.
September 9, 2026
Emotional Rollercoaster
Whatever emotion you felt while reading this book, whether it’s good bad or indifferent , Ms. Author Lady accomplished her mission. Her pen game is sick! Thank you. You’ve got a forever fan in me.
Whatever emotion you felt while reading this book, whether it’s good bad or indifferent , Ms. Author Lady accomplished her mission. Her pen game is sick! Thank you. You’ve got a forever fan in me.
September 25, 2026
3.75⭐️ Whew chileeee. I feel like it took me 5EVER to finish this book!! 😂 But I really enjoyed seeing everyone from all the books come together. It honestly made me feel like I could reread this entire universe from the beginning and it would STILL hit! I really do love Jahquel’s writing style, but gah damn… I NEED A MF FAMILY TREE! 😭 Too many people, too many connections to where the ending just had me lost in the sauce because I was fighting for my life trying to remember who belonged to who! Zoya really reminded me of myself with the depression AND the slick mouth 😂 I understood my girl bad! And omg, GOOOOONNNN! 😍😭 It’s just something about “Boobie” that is going to do it for me EVERY. SINGLE. TIMEEEEEE.
September 16, 2026
I don’t even know what to say! That’s ending I can’t…..
also Menace, Capp and meer are hilarious still. Definitely enjoy getting to know more about Kora and can’t wait to read her book!
also Menace, Capp and meer are hilarious still. Definitely enjoy getting to know more about Kora and can’t wait to read her book!
September 9, 2026
Wow!
I cried, I laughed (hard) and at this point I’m left in shock because what do you mean that’s how it ended… Also, the recommended listening is TOP TIER
I cried, I laughed (hard) and at this point I’m left in shock because what do you mean that’s how it ended… Also, the recommended listening is TOP TIER
Displaying 1 - 30 of 943 reviews