I tried to protect myself, using my natural coldness to resist his compelling warmth. But he wore me down with his beautiful face and self-deprecating charm. He made me feel like the center of his universe.
Until one day, I wasn’t.
The anxiety and the pills turned me into a different person. But did I deserve to be abandoned in the darkest moment of my life?
He shattered my heart into a million pieces, and now it’s time to give him a taste of his own medicine. Revenge never tasted so sweet.
Logan
I was done with love until the night I saw her.
She opened that sassy, heart-shaped mouth and called me weak. And just like that, I was a goner. I knew she was the only woman for me.
And in a moment of weakness, I may have lost her forever.
I was tired of being ignored. I didn’t know what to do with her addiction to anxiety pills. But did I have to let it cost me my soulmate?
I won’t let my mistake ruin us. And if she thinks I’ll just stand by while she moves on, she’s got another thing coming.
Warning: This book explores the topics of panic disorder, addiction, and cheating.
Skyler is a romance novel reader first and foremost. Her books feature strong heroines who sometimes make their heroes cry, but only because they deserve it. After all, if romance isn’t angsty, is it even worth it?
I adore cheating stories, but I have to at least like the characters in them. The hero wasn't too terrible, but he wasn't that great either. The heroine was truly awful though. I hated her. The trick for me with cheating stories is I want the couple to eventually get back together, hopefully with a nice grovel and an HEA. With this story though...
I was kind of enjoying this book for the first 75%. It had drama and I was entertained. I did find things really problematic but I didn't completely hate it. However, I hated one of the plot points delivered after that. I knew it was coming in some shape or form but I was hoping to be wrong. It's about cheating. I'm warning you that if you don't want to read books with cheating in it, you should stay clear of this one because even though I can handle it usually, I don't really like it and here there was one scene/chapter that almost made me feel sick.
There is also emotional cheating as the MMC started checking out and replacing her with someone else "as a friend"... But then again, it's what he usually does as he's known as a guy who is always in a relationship. And all of this happened in a period where our FMC was at her lowest. She was taking drugs and ended up making a mess of things. I'm not saying she was perfect because she wasn't. She had her faults. However, she has serious anxiety/panic attacks and he didn't understand them at all. His reaction was so bad and it annoyed me. I was hoping that he would grow and learn and fix his mistake about it but even by the end of the book, it didn't happen. He did however apologize for some of his faults in an immature/childish way by pointing out he wasn't the only one in the wrong.........
Overall, I didn't find their relationship healthy. It was downright toxic. I'm sorry I couldn't love this book (even though I tried) as I loved the cover and revenge plots are usually pretty fun to read about.
(Thank you for letting me read and review an ARC via Netgalley)
Anyone who knows me knows I may love a good cheating book, but I'm not a fan of anything NA. This book may be the exception.
At times this book is subtle and clever.
This is the story of a toxic and immature couple. It opens with the hero putting their relationship on a break, she needs to get her act together, he's wants things on hold for a month so she can focus on fixing herself. She has an anxiety disorder and is addicted to Ativan. She is a hot mess.
Now, she's a pissed off hot mess.
The story unfolds in alternating past and present chapters, which usually annoys me, but here it gradually makes sense, then you hit a past chapter called The Betrayal and another called The Phone Call and you realize why the author has done this, it's subtle and cleverly done.
When the story starts you think he's not a bad guy, may have commitment issues and as the story progresses, may have mommy issues. She's has a panic disorder that pushes her to her limit while trying to get into grad school, to the point she's prescribed Ativan to help her and she quickly becomes addicted. He's not the supportive boyfriend he appears to be and she's may be a hot mess, but she's smart hot mess.
And then BAM, the revenge plot makes sense.
So, why only 3 stars?
These are difficult characters to like, they are toxic, they use the people around them, they need to grow up. In the end, it's a HFN, and I may have been happier if this wasn't a romance and these two moved on, but then they would be spreading their issues to other unsuspecting people.
Just too young and silly for me! SPOILERS maybe in the review
They were college aged but it felt too much like high school. Kind of immature really. I suffered from a panic disorder also around the same age and it's awful. I didn't take Ativan because it makes me totally manic so I did understand what she was going through, and I felt for both of them. Something like this happened to me so I had some very bad reactions to this story including sobbing, panic and hate so I am not really able to rate this impersonally. But the author did a great job of making you understand how Lani felt. She had read the texts, she saw the signs and then she got the pocket dial phone call confirming her fears. It was heartbreaking for sure and I totally understood her revenge list. And honestly he did actually cheat. Emotionally and physically. Maybe he didn't go all the way but it was still cheating. Then he went back to the OW again after the revenge cake/breakup scene to seal the deal but he stopped himself. he was just selfish. It had a good ending but I honestly didn't feel good about their future at the end. Not at all. But it was an okay read, and free on KU. Angst lovers will like it.
Revenge Cake is confusing for me. The back and forth is difficult to navigate esoecially with audiobook. The issue of oanic attack is the highlight of the story.
This is my first read by Miss Mason and so far, I am sorely disappointed. Not the highlight of my weekend read.
🎁Free 2 August 2023 A cheating hero ➕ A revenge focused heroine ➖ A solid grovel ❌Does NOT EQUAL: A fulfilling Romance (which, as far as I'm concerned, Amazon incorrectly classifies it as) NOR A HEA couple
Unless you sign up to the author's newsletter for their epilogue which spans over a year later.
💘The Romance genre, t0 me, is a solid HEA IN THE BOOK ITSELF. While I love catching up with my most adored Hxhs after their book, the book itself MUST have a HEA if it is classified as Romance.
🚩Her website says: "Logan and Leilani build a new life in Indiana and grow even more deeply in love" ❤️I prefer: Their love to be the deepest, highest, mostest, everest by the end of the book, ESPECIALLY as the bad outweighs the good throughout.
🚩And the bad is BAD: “You replaced me. You built a relationship with her while ours was crumbling. You told her everything about my panic attacks and my drug problem.”
💀The grovel: - none existent
💀The cheating (which is clear in the blurb): - my worst kind: emotional, physical and unless the ow is dead, he's gonna do it again
💀The betrayal: - abandonment during a low low LOW point in her life
💀The ow: - foul
💀The zero (no hero here): - he's a child and has no business playing the adult who becomes infatuated at the drop of a hat with willing female after willing female - a playa of the first degree - he cant have her so he MUST have her and he eventually does - not long and his need to be the center of her universe is greater than his devotion to her - instead of walking the road with her, he walks away - at the end he LITERALLY says she caused him to cheat. Like literally. - I HATE how he talks to her: the contempt in his tone, his shrill hateful voice, his cruel shaming words, like she is "less than". She disgusts him. Fuck you. - I HATE how emotionally close he and ow are even BEFORE the Hxh break up; the time he spent communicating with her and the things they communicated about. -I HATE how for every positive sentence he speaks, he immediately follows it up with an insult or unfounded accusation or cheap excuses. - I HATE how TWICE he doesn't fight for his heroine and BOTH times goes to the ow. TWICE. - I HATE how he talks shit about the h to ow even towards the end
🏳The heroine: - she's a mere shell of herself after months of mental health struggles - an Ativan-dependent panic and anxiety sufferer whose bf just told her that she has a month to get her "shit together"; after which time they will "reassess" - oh, and she's not allowed to be with anyone else during the 30 days despite him already being intimate with his ow BEFORE this break - she has to listen, on speaker phone no less, to him and the ow getting intensely intimate. Groans and all. BEFORE he asks for a break. - I wish she stood firm and didn't get back with him, especially as it was on his terms: her demons or him. Fuck you.
🏴☠️The kicker: It's EXCATLY that scene in 50 Shades of Grey where Christian leaves Ana after he finds out about her pregnancy: He leaves. He ends up at the ow's place; unknowingly having driven there; all disoriented and out of it. (WE know why you ended up there, Mr Grey) Except this fucker here goes one step further than Mr Grey when the h rejects him towards the end. His crocodile tears aren't even imaginary dry yet and he's wanting the ow. One minute he's afflicted by devastation and impaired consciousness and the next he's registering how the ow's rooms smells like her; how the "tiny notch in her throat rise{s} and fall{s}; the "sway of her body to his"; how heavy-lidded her eyes are; how he can tell she "wants this just as much as I do" Fuck you
🏴☠️The other kicker: The cheating is glossed over Fuck that
This was so good! So freaking good! I wish there was a blog discussion regarding the future of this couple. I did sign up for the author's newsletter and crossing my fingers we get an epilogue with a long term HEA.
Thanks to my gr friends Tmstprc and Nikki for bringing this book to my attention.
Logan is a seemingly flighty hero, a serial monogamist, always chasing the next high in his fleeting relationships until he meets Lani and falls hard. Lani falls for Logan just as fast but because of her mental illness she is very guarded until Logan breaks down her walls. You see the unfolding of their new love and the unraveling of their year long relationship that alternates between past and present in each chapter. I think flipping the two timelines back and forth usually drive most readers nutty but it worked here for the big picture and in the end, you believe the worst couple on paper has a chance at a future together. Both MCs are flawed(almost too much for comfort) and even unlikable. But these two characters are so fleshed out that I became sympathetic to their weaknesses and ended up rooting for them.
Gawd, I REALLY need an epilogue. Please write an epilogue. Better yet, a sequel with them 10 years down the road.
Also, as an Asian reader, I really appreciated that we got to know Logan's bff Armaan through his personality without listing the eye rolling description of his physical traits. Well done.
S Mason is a refreshing new voice to this genre. I hope she(imo, she's the next CoHo) continues to write complex character driven stories because I LOVED this one.
I'm not sure how Revenge Cake got on my radar, but my expectations were low. (I had slotted it to my "hate reads" Amazon wish list.) This book has nearly everything I don't want in a novel:
• drug addiction/recovery • new adult characters (ridiculous term. why did we ever cede "young adult" to teenagers?) • dual first person POV • alternating past/present chapters
Paired with a couple of things I do: • betrayal • revenge
Drug addiction alone is usually a hard stop for me, and the one star I deducted is because I felt the heroine's insta-recovery was unrealistic. Her motivation for recovery also sends the wrong message, but their whole relationship is toxic, so if I were evaluating on "message," I would give this book only one star.
Argh...I'm dawdling because I don't know how to describe the story without giving away its greatest pleasure, which is discovery. Even though everything is open from the start (her addiction and panic attacks, his dating history and the infamous butt-dial), there's dramatic tension in how the details unfold.
The Ativan-abusing heroine resolves to avenge herself on her boyfriend, who has just put their relationship on a month-long break to "give her time to clean herself up so they can reassess" (paraphrase). She's going to use that time to claw her way back from the "shitshow" she has become and end the relationship on her terms. She's smart and self-aware; he's not.
There. If you need more, please read Tmstprc's review which describes the progression of the story without spoiling the experience.
***ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review***
I was pleasantly surprised by this debut novel. It is a heartbreaking and thought provoking second chance romance, dealing with mental health issues and pills addiction. Told from dual POV, it is very character driven, raw and honest and a breath of fresh air for me, after reading a lot of dark romance. Leilani and Logan are seniors in college and have been together for over 1 year. From the start, you can see this is an imperfect, sometimes toxic relationship. Logan is used to jumping from one relationship to another when things get hard and Leilani is battling with anxiety and panic disorders. The book opens with Logan asking Leilani for a break as she has developed Ativan addiction and it has taken a big toll on their relationship. As the story unfolds, jumping back and forth between the start of their relationship and the present, you get to piece together how they got to this point and how they get to their happy ending. I found the pace a bit slow at times and the jumping back and forth made it a bit difficult for me to stay focused all the time but, looking back, what I am left with is an eye opening, painfully raw story that I will be thinking about for quite some time.
Really liked this one! I noticed the author hasn’t published anything else yet...I hope she does, this was really well written and angsty (but with a sweet ending)
Yes and no. This is my opinion about this book. It is an author i sometimes don’t like. This time I liked her somehow. I thoroughly disliked all the characters. The heroine suffers from panic attacks and social anxiety. The hero is weak , a man child who is always leaning to some gf. The heroine is strong despite her fragility but she can’t always cope with her attacks, she’s smart, charming, daring, a creature that is both fascinating and dangerous because of the burden of issues she carries. She takes ativan that is a benzodiazepine for emergency attacks. The hero isn’t ready for a girl like her, of course he’s attracted and of course he wants to be her everything but he doesn’t realize that he’s taken more than he can have. He’s an emotional addict, a people pleaser, he’s the insecure narcissist who always needs a woman at his side to be safe and sure. I like when at a certain point one of his friends tell him hes the typical guy everyone thinks he’s wonderful, while he’s awful and selfish. With the heroine and her issues he’s just unable to cope. She takes her benzo because she can’t do without and even with alcohol, which is dangerous. Very. I think she also has a streak of borderline since she’s so bent on self destruction. When the hero realizes he can’t help her, he asks her for a one month break, but he already did it. He cheated on her. With his supposed friend. Oh, it’s only kissing and some make out and he is sorry afterwards but it’s cheating. And the heroine makes him pay. It’s the most entertaining part of the book, she twists him on her lil finger because she’s the stronger and he falls again. Then she tells him she knows about his cheating and dump him. Badly. He’s pitiful. Really. He has no character no strength he’s painful to see. She’s out of his league. So much more. But in the end she goes back to him because it would seem he started therapy, so now they’re both dealing with their issues. My best wishes, poor darlings. I don’t see a future for them, I think they are both so not made for each other. But the book was cute because it was different. Anyway I hated everyone. The hero who is a monkey, he doesn’t leave one branch if he hasn’t already one in the other hand. The heroine who’s a mess. The ow, that lusted after the hero. And the therapist who didn’t tell her to let go of everyone toxic, included the hero. Anyway they are not in a toxic relationship, they are simply very disturbed people.
I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Wow. Just wow. This book. Wow. I honestly don't even know what to say about Revenge Cake right now. I finished it a while ago and all I can is that this is one toxic ass relationship.
In it, you mill meet Logan and Lani. Both are manipulative in some way but hot damn - they should NOT be together. Yet, for some weird ass reason.. fate brought them together. I don't see why they like each other.. unless it's the sex. Maybe she has a magical vagina or something.
Lani deal with pretty bad anxiety and goes through some panic attacks every now and then. So it doesn't help that her relationship with Logan takes a huge dive into crazyville. She starts taking this medicine that she ends up abusing and ruining her relationship with him. But don't think he's completely innocent here because he is completely and painfully needy AF. Plus, he basically cheated on her with this girl named Kiera. And by basically.. he completely did.
He's a douche. Through and through.
In the end, I really liked that they weren't together and Lani was doing better. Yet, this ending came and ugh - just utter disappointment. I did not like this book one bit.
2 - ⭐ ⭐ ======= The hero is a piece of shit and spoiled the story Our heroine is full of issues, but she's an interesting character, but our hero built a relationship with OW and abandoned her when she was at her worst. All very toxic in the end.
ARC provided by NetGalley for Honest Review 3.5 Stars First off I have to say this book would drive anyone with knowledge of psychology insane. The MC’s are the epitome of a toxic relationship and even after reading and enjoying the story I really doubt these two have a lasting HEA. Both Lani and Logan have not advanced from their highschool years. It was hard to take them seriously when both require so much coddling and attention. The whole book consists of two timelines, then and now. We see how their relationship evolved and devolved just as quickly. Again they were both so immature and destructive it was hard to like either one of them or care what happened between them. It was like they both wanted to hurt the other to the point of no return and then realizing they’re so alike they decide to give it a go again. I mean really, these two are both a mess and I don’t think either is up for a relationship until they grow up. As for the story as a whole I didn’t hate it but I didn’t love it either, especially the plot as a whole (the reasons for their breakup and Lanis revenge plans). I think the back and forth timelines worked for the story and made for a more explosive end that still posses me off. wWhile I don’t have faith in the ending I didn’t mind witnessing their relationship go off track, it’s like reality tv in a book, they’re both a mess and need help. While this was way more drama laden than I’d normally go for I’m glad I gave it a go. That cover alone called to me and I do like how both the title and cake played a part in the book as well. The author makes some political statements that don’t bother me in the least but I think it’s a little risky going so hardcore at times and can potentially get some panties in a twist.
Debut book from this author and I really enjoyed it. Logan and Leilani had an up and down relationship that will tug at your heart. You will be rooting for them in one breathe and then yelling at them in the next. A well written story with wonderful characters that will still with you long after you are done. There is only one issue that I had with the story, there was a bit of cheating in the story. I am not a big fan of that but that didn’t take away from the story from me.
****I was provided an ARC for my honest opinion and like I always say honesty is what you’re going to get.****
Revenge cake is a debut novel and it was written really well and it was able to keep my attention. In my opinion it wasn’t overly angsty and I found it to be a fast read. The sex scenes were ok and I liked both H and h. The story was told in dual point of views and every other chapter alternated between past and present which was fine but I felt took away from the story. I wanted more of the present and the lack of epilogue really bothered me. I don’t even know if I would call this a HFN or a HEA as the book ended with her agreeing to give him another chance. I wanted to see this future after college that they had previously talked about. How did they grow as couple? How did they navigate her anxiety and the way they communicated? Was love enough in the end? In the present they spent more time apart than together and well I just wanted to see them together and healthy and living their best lives. Did it end like this because they are going to have another book? Although to be honest I don’t know if I would read it and only because I don’t want to see them apart again or having any conflict. Would I read something about them if it consisted of only happy times? Yup in a heartbeat! So the past/present and lack of epilogue was my only thing I didn’t like. This Author can write her ass off and she writes a really good story. I have read authors where I’ve started off with their most recent work and have gone back to read all their books starting with the first and you can definitely tell the difference and how they progressed in their writing and the stories just getting better and better and I really feel this how it will be with this Author. I think she’s only going to advance as she continue to put out her work
Now a little bit about the book without giving to much away: The beginning started off intense with Leilani and Logan breaking up and as the story progressed we get to see how they fell in love, and what happened to cause their fallout. As someone who struggles with extreme anxiety I can resonate with Leilani on a personal level. It’s why I don’t get into relationships because you know eventually your anxiety is going to become to much for the other person to handle and that’s exactly what Leilani was feeling and she handled it in terrible way by pushing him away. I don’t think she felt like she was good enough for him. Logan was a man who loved idea of love and went from relationship to relationship and well it was understandable that she felt that eventually he would find her anxiety as a burden. So when he asked for a break from her for a month to sort out her problems and get better she didn’t handle it well. So she seeked revenge on him for breaking her heart. Their were times where Leilani felt like she was slowly being replaced and Logan sought comfort in others while trying to deal with all of her problems and it did take a toll on him and they both shut down and stopped working on their relationship. They both made mistakes and I’m glad they in the end they were both able to admit to their faults and what they both did wrong.
This did not play out like I thought it would. From the title, I thought the story would be about a girl getting revenge on her jerk of an ex, instead it was half about the development of their relationship and half about Logan and Lani hurting each other and then deciding if they're getting back together.
Leilani has pretty bad anxiety and panic disorder. When she and Logan first meet, she's managing things okay but not great. As her and Logan's relationship progresses, he shows that he doesn't understand her panic attacks and her mental health declines. She then becomes addicted to pills and everything spirals. Yes, Lani doesn't handle things well and said some terrible things, but Logan is far and above the bad guy. He pushes Lani past her comfort, he doesn't try to understand her mental health, and he does something pretty terrible. Lani did get a bit of revenge on him and I was happy that it had positive side effects for her.
I thought Logan and Lani made a poor couple and I didn't want them together. I was hoping she'd get her revenge, tell him to get out of her life, and be happy. That's not quite how it played out and the ending felt really abrupt. Oh well, can't love them all.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Skyler Mason was gracious enough to give me the opportunity to read her book Revenge Cake. I somewhat knew what I was getting into when she sent me a copy and included a few warnings but nothing prepared me for this emotional, heart rending, extremely well written and exceptionally researched book. Don't let the cover fool you. This book is far from the sweet romance books we are used to reading. What we get is an angsty, gut wrenching book that will leave you emotionally exhausted, but in a good way.
The book opens with Leilani and Logan discussing the status of their relationship. Logan tells her that he is giving Lani a month to figure things out regarding her health and well being. Lani has panic disorder and has grown an addiction to her medication leaving her a strung out shell far from the person Logan first fell in love with. He says that they are not breaking up but need time apart to think and re-evaluate their relationship. In Lani's mind it's a given it's over. He's just biding his time before he moves on so she vows to make him regret ever breaking up with her by getting herself together and kicking her dependence to Ativan.
What I enjoyed about this book were both Logan and Lani. They felt so real and people we actually know in our lives. Lani lacks social skills. She's very blunt and honest and Logan finds that appealing. The thing about Lani though, is that due to her anxiety, she does dwell on the negatives. She feels like things can never be good forever. She feels that Logan will get fed up with her and her mental illness so she unconsciously tries to always push him away. Logan is so charming and likeable. He is what I call a serial monogamist. He's always jumping from one relationship to the next so I can understand Lani's hesitance to jump all in. She definitely makes him work for that girlfriend/boyfriend title. I think things really take a turn for the worst when she feels Logan slipping away due to her mental illness so she decides to go on medication but it makes things worse. I felt so heartbroken for their situation. I was never upset with either one of them or blamed anyone for the collapse of their relationship. I feel that Logan giving Lani the ultimatum of getting better or leaving was a blessing in disguise even though she felt like he was abandoning her already to be with his next girlfriend.
I loved that the story was told in dual POV's and also in past and present timelines. You see how the relationship came to fruition. How even from the beginning Logan knew it was right and he loved Lani. Lani I feel loved him from the very beginning but due to her anxiety and fear, she kept herself distant until she couldn't anymore. You read all about their plans after college and how Lani is taking a huge step by planning a future with him. Then you read all the heartbreaking details of how their relationship started to dwindle. We learn of how deep Lani gets into her addiction. How Logan starts to fall into old patterns. The angst was real and I lived for it.
The ending of the book had me in tears. I appreciated that both characters self reflected and came to conclusions on what they needed to fix both individually and in their relationship. I like how there are no "bad" or "good" guys. They are both flawed individuals and I appreciated them more for it. The only thing I wish we had to make this book perfect was an epilogue. I think the book could've of benefitted from it so we can take a glimpse into Lani and Logan's headspace in regards to their relationship with themselves and each other.
Thank you again Skyler for giving me the opportunity to read your wonderful book.
1.5☆ Este es el primer libro de una serie que se llama “Toxic Love” y vaya que si fue toxico🌚
Leilani tiene ataques de pánico y serios problemas de ansiedad, después de unos meses en los que se ha sentido presionada por sus entrevistas universitarias ella se vuelve adicta a algunas pastillas que según Logan la hacen actuar como una persona diferente… Así que Logan rompe con Leilani, pero le da un ultimátum de un mes para “arreglar su mierda” porque según el mismo Logan ella lo ha avergonzado con sus recientes actuaciones.
La historia como tal fue decepcionante pero los personajes fueron lo peor de lo peor.
Logan es un sumiso empalagoso e insoportablemente necesitado de afecto y atención, él le tiene fobia a la soltería, va de novia en novia y cada vez que termina una él se convierte en la victima de la relación y la chicas quedan como si fueran unas perras locas, jajaja aunque en efecto Leilani si estaba bien loca, ella hizo una lista de venganza en la que incluía un cambio de imagen y que ella dejara las pastillas a las que ha sido adicta durante meses solo para después poner celoso a Logan mientras ella ligaba con el hermano de su mejor amiga, y después volver a seducirlo para después terminarlo mientras tienen sexo y hacerlo llorar 🤡 Tal vez algunos pensaran que Logan es una víctima de la manipulación, pero no… Logan le fue infiel a Leilani, cuando ella estaba en su peor momento, él ya estaba buscándole un reemplazo.
Honestamente creo que esta la primera vez en mi vida en la que estaba deseando que los protagonistas no terminaran juntos. Logan y Leilani estan en el Top de los personajes más tóxicos e inmaduros que he leído alguna vez. Esa relación estaba llena de 🚩🚩 Lo único que me gusto del libro fue la portada y la verdad creo que sólo lo terminé porque era parte de un reto, desde los primeros capítulos quería tirar la toalla con estos dos, además el libro tiene un final un poco abierto y sé que la autora público un epilogo extendido pero la verdad es que no me importa jajaja no tengo ni las ganas, ni la energía mental para seguir leyendo de esta gente 🧘🏻♀️
This was honestly the most realistic and relatable romance novel I’ve ever read. It follows Logan and Lani in their last year of college as they navigate their sometimes rocky relationship. The duel perspectives of this book offers a look into both characters thoughts and feelings throughout the story, giving the reader a well rounded view of the story. I felt like I was able to actually relate to their feelings and relationship struggles, it highlighted very real life issues. (Which made the book super relatable for me) I think it was the perfect mix of angst, romance, and spice. I thoroughly enjoyed this read from start to finish and will definitely be adding this to my top favs list!
Lani the heroine called herself as a “feminist” but by the end she took back Logan, the cheating pig ex of hers that left her at her lowest points.
Logan plays himself the victim and actually says that it’s Lani’s fault he cheated. UHMMMM FCK YOU very much.
I really enjoyed the revenge scheme. I really loved when she was so determined to move on. I really thought that the ending was Logan going to a therapist and Lani meeting some she deserves.
Jesus Christ. Do the author have a kink for cheating stories and irredeemable male characters?
What a journey into mental health and self-awareness, this was! It's rare to find a romance that deals with the issues Revenge Cake does and often when you do, it isn't executed well. I don't know how many books throw in disorders or addiction and then just easily wash it away - as if love is the cure-all.
Mason was not so irresponsible with her tale and I'm here for it.
This book was not what I expected, I went into this book with the impression it was a cheating romance. However this is about mental disorders. Not my cup of tea.
Admittedly I'm biased, but I think Revenge Cake is an angsty good time. If you love character driven romance, second chances, and lots and lots and LOTS of angst, this book is for you!
This is underrated for a romance, triggers are all here and it was beautifully written for me. I think this deserves more recognition. Too bad this isn’t a cup of tea for everyone.
OMG, I'm baffled by this utter nonsense, toxic, childish love. No, I don't even want to call it as love and disrespect it.
Oh boy, it was like I'm glued on to watching a train wreck and I'd know very well in advance what a disaster it was going to be, but still I immersed myself in it. And yes, the MCs Leilani and Logan were one heck of a disastrous, toxic, unhinged couple if I ever saw one, who would be better off and would be of sound mind if they're without each other. But holy crap, even separated they were lunatics obsessing over the other, so I don't even know what to feel here.
🔹Leilani was a cold, straight in-your-face, weirdo feminist girl with constant panic/anxiety attacks. I have to admit she was kinda interesting with her dry humor and bitch mode, but it's clear her decision making and her thinking were poor.
🔹Logan, oh man I never came across such a goddamned pathetic excuse of a needy man ever before. He's the definition of a moronic selfish person who constantly jumps from one relationship to another without any remorse and conveniently forgets about his past pattern when he meets a new girl. 𝘏𝘦'𝘴 𝘢 𝘨𝘶𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦. There were times he was slightly adoring with his unflinching self-deprecating charm, or his shameless declaration of love without prenotion.
🔹I don't go into books needing a perfect book boyfriend but I expect to fall in love with him just like the heroine of that story does. It doesn't matter whether he's a alpha or a beta guy, a antihero or a suave gentleman or he's screwed up, at the end of the story I want to believe and trust him aside all his issues. However I couldn't feel that way here about Logan, even if I could put aside his betrayal, constant whining and needy tantrums I just couldn't trust his love for Lani. He constantly made me wince.
Majority of this book was written in alternating timelines of present and past which was frustrating and ridiculous to read if you ask me. So I completed all the past chapters before coming to the present. As I mentioned before, this couple bewildered me with their toxicity. The plot deals with panic attacks and pill abuse, so I thought the author would cover that problem since it was one of the major issue with their separation, but the way it was handled was nothing sort of ridiculous. Heroine wants to get revenge on the hero for him abandoning and betraying her when she was in a dark place and just like that she stops her addiction, within days she was healthy again. 🙄😐
Logan checked out of their relationship (just like he does in every other relationships) when he learned of her mental illness and replaced her with OW as she was abusing anxiety pills but when they came back together it was not at all sorted out. He was just pissed off when she gave detailed explanation of her state of mind and was embarrassed of her substance abuse, hence he abandoned her in the name of one month break while ordering her to get her shit together. I'm like what... If you can't support her or get help for her issues or even understand her problem what kind of a boyfriend you are claiming you love her when all along you repeated your same pattern of filling her place with OW?
Lani was not better either cuz once you firsthand caught your boyfriend cheating on you and abandoning you, she should have just broke up with him completely and washed her hands off him saying good riddance, since she knew from the beginning what he was like. Instead she plot's a revenge scheme of seducing him back, breaking up with him & to make him cry. 🤨 She was completely obsessed with him like a lunatic. Also I couldn't feel her love for him either and I clearly couldn't understand why she took him back, Just because he kept on badgering her like a immature kid? 🤐
Another highlight was it's not just the MCs had got this unhealthy relationship going on, their best friends Brenna and Armaan too had such a obnoxious relationship, I was bemused by what's going on with this story. 𝙒𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙚 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠'𝙨 𝙖 𝙢𝙖𝙟𝙤𝙧 𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙛𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙖𝙙𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚(as all the bad things are always addictive in some form) 🤐 𝘋𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘳 : If you decide to read this oh so delicious book, then do so at your own risk!
Well this didn't do much for me. I like the concept but I just couldn't connect with the characters in any way. They were both immature and where was the communication? He needs help with his womanizing and she just needs help. I like the fact that she wanted revenge but even that fell flat. it seems like all they seemed to do was sleep together and fight. I can't see how he didn't see what was wrong with what he did, but at the same she was a nightmare and needs to take responsibility for her actions too.