Just finished reading both books back to back and I'm SO disappointed and surprised by all of the rave reviews. I absolutely ADORED the original series, and so many other books by S.E. Hall (Pretty Instinct is one of my favorite books), but this "Next Generation" series is *really* failing to capture the magic for me. I really wish she'd just left the memory of the Evolved crew alone and started a brand new series with new characters, because these books are starting to impact my feelings on the originals.
I think because Sawyer is so beloved by fans, my expectations for Presely's story were perhaps set way too high. Her story really let me down for many reasons, but some of the main ones are:
- Presley's story can absolutely NOT be read as a standalone! I've seen so many reviews confused and disappointed by the big "reveal" because they don't truly understand the back story. What happened to Emmett is *completely* glossed over, assuming the reader has read Entice and knows the terrible thing that happened to her. I was shocked by how lightly it was referenced. It is SO key to helping readers understand Presley's panic attacks and feelings of guilt. But this was barely mentioned at all, making the reasons for her behavior seem SO pathetic and anticlimactic. I'd definitely recommend telling readers they have to read Entice.
- Presley came across as really spoilt and unlikable a lot of the time - with Sawyer and Emmett as parents, I'm disappointed in how she turned out.
- Sutton was a bit "meh" for me. Sometimes he was all macho, other times he was a total wimp and pushover like with the Hailey situation. I also know he felt he had to prove his 'alpha' status in Presley's life, but I don't think he gave Sawyer the respect he deserved, especially for all he's done for her.
- A bit too much squad, not enough Sawyer. I thought Sawyer and Presley would have this really cute bond that I was so looking forward to seeing, but apart from in the last two chapters they barely interact at all - only when Presley wants something shallow or manipulative from him and goes all "daaaaaaadddddy". This book seemed to undo the strength of the amazing bond that has been shown in all Sawyer's previous books. I find it unrealistic that Sawyer or anyone else in the crew/squad wouldn't notice what it took Sutton minutes to work out. Made him seem like a bad dad, and that they weren't close, which is so sad.
- Likewise, she had zero interaction with her mom in either book. Especially considering that what happened to Emmett is at the root of her anxiety and issues, it's so crazy to me. Even when Sawyer rightly says her mom should be there for the conversation, she's like "no, this is about me and you." And then we're told Sawyer didn't even tell Emmett about his conversation with Presley. It's SO ridiculous!! If anyone needed to speak, it was Presley and Emmett!
- I would have liked Presley and/or Emmett to also come clean with the squad about the truth of her issues. They're all supposed to be soooo close, yet no one knows the truth or really tries hard to get it out of her. Presley should have spoken to her aunts and cousins, and everyone could have put all the cards on the table. They're supposed to be this amazing, supportive family, but there's still so many secrets and lies between them. Again, very disappointing and erases everything we've been shown in previous books.
- The writing itself was far from her strongest. The biggest issue for me was the sheer amount of absolutely unneccessary italicized words in every paragraph. It completely ruins the rhythm of the reading experience and takes you out of the story. A good editor would have caught this
quickly.
As someone else mentioned, she also over used commas for stuttering.
- The ending was so unbelivably rushed, I had to keep checking to see if I'd missed anything or I had the correct copy. I thought she might have published a draft. There's this big "emotional" scene and then it just ends so abruptly and skips straight to the epilogue. We don't even get to see her talk to Sutton. It's almost laughably disappointing, but I guess consistent with how I felt the whole way through.
Overall, I'm done with this series. I actually disliked JT's book so much that I didn't want to continue, but I thought because it was Presley it would be much better, but it was actually way more disappointing for that reason.
Brynn's story promises to be another let down - clearly building up to an annoying love triangle that mirrors her mom's and contradicts the "nice girl" we've been told she is. Really not looking forward to her hurting the nice guy in favor of the "alpha."
Another reviewer nailed it - I will read future books by S.E. Hall, because I know when she's at the top of her game she's really talented, but she is no longer a "one-click" author for me, which makes me really sad.
I wish I could forget everything I've read in these "next generation" books because it's making me question the characters in the original.