Gaslight

by Rachael Rose

Everyone has a limit.

It’s a six-hour flight from New York City to Los Angeles.

For Maddie Goodwright and her mom, it’s six hours that will change their lives as they leave behind broken relationships and shattered dreams. But a new school, a new home, and a new group of friends can’t heal the wounds of the past. To move forward, Maddie will have to reinvent herself.

When Madde’s step-cousins take her to the local underground fight club, it’s only a matter of time before boxer Hayden Walker catches her eye. Strong, powerful, and confident—he’s everything Maddie isn’t, but definitely wants to be. Convincing Hayden to train her is hard, not falling for him will be even harder.

As Maddie transforms both inside and out of the ring, her past returns with a vengeance determined to ruin everything. Except this time he’s not ready for her to face him head on.

Genres: Romance, Young Adult, Contemporary, Sports Romance, Sports, Young Adult Romance, Enemies To Lovers

352 pages, Paperback

Published March 29, 2022

Reviews

[Helen Power · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the opening of this book, Maddie and her mother leave her father and move across the country to stay with her aunt and her family. Her father was manipulative, cruel, and controlling in some subtle and some not-so-subtle ways, known as “gaslighting”. When Maddie is reluctantly dragged by her cousins to a boxing match, she sees the boxers on the stage gaining a control over their lives that she covets. She decides to train at the local gym for a charity boxing match. The cute bad boy Hayden from her school becomes her trainer, and Maddie finally starts to learn how to live her life.

The author has done a fabulous job of showing, not telling, what it’s like to suffer from gaslighting. Throughout the entire novel, Maddie questions herself. We’re given dozens of little anecdotes throughout the narrative, stories and memories that she has of her father and her mother. Some are good. Some are… not so good. In every instance, she questions herself, questions her memories, and questions her father’s intentions. Her perpetual confusion and distrust of herself is woven so intricately into the narrative, and as a reader, I genuinely felt these emotions alongside her.

Maddie’s interactions with her mother are heartbreaking. As shown through the flashbacks, her mother has borne the brunt of her father’s manipulations. Her mother is merely a shell of who she was before she met him. While the book is told in first person solely from Maddie’s point of view, it’s interesting to see a similar character arc going on peripherally, in the background of Maddie’s story. Her mother is gradually regaining her strength and her happiness.

Maddie’s interactions with those she meets in California are all coloured by her experiences. She has a subtle distrust of those she meets, including her new family members and classmates. When she meets Hayden, she’s warned that he’s a “bad boy” type and that she should stay away from him. Even once she gets to know the real him, she doubts both her judgment and her feelings. Her mother was so easily fooled by her father, so who’s to say that she’s any different? I loved how gradual her personal growth is; there’s no flip switched upon which she’s “cured” of the abuse she endured. It’s hard work and takes time, with some regressions along the way. This book has content that can be hard to read at times, but it has important themes of strength and hope threaded throughout the storyline.

And of course, just because Maddie and her mother moved across the country to escape her father, doesn’t mean that the rest of the story will be sunshine and rainbows. They have a lot to overcome, and, as you can imagine, her father won’t give them up so easily…

What happens next? Read the book to find out!

I recommend this story to those who love an angsty, yet heartwarming young adult read.

*Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ebook to review*

This review appeared first on https://powerlibrarian.wordpress.com/
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[Janabookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

5⭐
unique and mind-blowing plot❤️

I never read a book like this before. This book just Represent the concept " Gaslight" so well With the YA romance as a usual plot.
This read is one my best read of 2020. It was 2 years ago i read this Book, and still this is one of the best book I ever read.

Maddie is a 17 year old girl, who is running away from her abusive father, comes all the way to LA with Her mother to live with her Aunt for a fresh start meets Hayden Walker who is walking rumoured to be wrong guy with red flags but still it doesn't stop there physical attraction for eachother..👀

This story goes in One POV plot which is of FMC, and this is the best experience because due to it you can literally relate and feel our FMC's confusion and trouble to keep up with whats to believe or whats to not, who she can trust or who not..do she listen to her heart or the people around her?

This book is so beautifully protryed the psychological factors, and shows some real life issues like Gaslight victims symptoms, physical assault and what affect it causes to a person mentally.

In some point in the story you can literally relate to urself and some lines just hit straight home. This story was realistic and a good moral ones too.

Talk about Romance, Maddie and Hayden chemistry is off the chart! They have many on and off though the story and struggle within themselves and each other , to open up again and trust someone due to there past, but when they did, they become eachother biggest supporter and protector! It was so heart swooning and beautiful the way they stand up for eachother and have each other back, there couple moments are everything❤️😍.

This characters are indeed has flaws which made them more realistic and they do evolve throughout the story too. I love the way Maddie change the most, she finally stop running away and actually face her father and fight for herself and her mother...the Epic " climax" of the story literally put me on edge with battered breath and i freaking love every part of it! It literally makes my heart speed up!

Family moments, the finally been free from been a viticm of manipulation and The ending is everything! As i say before the story indeed protryed the "Gaslight" concept every well as the title suggests that every step you will question every character like our FMC if they're telling the truth or not..

The boxing part of this story is everything! I love a boxer trope Romance, and this story serves it greatly! And do I mention Hayden and Maddie fighting moments are 🔥.

This book was a great experience for me! The Main and Side characters, the plot, the storyline and the purpose the story serves is deliberate perfectly. I'm highly recommending this book to everyone, this story is like a mixture of every flavour in one book. This will make you frustrated, play with ur mind and makes you cry too, and swoon over our MCs and lovely side characters. 🙌

I seriously can't wait to read the 2nd part of there story! I'm missing #Mayden a lot! Want to meet this couple again🙈

Happy reading 🥰

[rin ⋆˚✿˖°]

this is a cute book, but it made me feel so bad for maddie. she was gaslit by so many people and it was hard for her to see truth from deception. watching her character growth was really cool though.
however,i feel like the pacing was a bit strange, but i feel like that comes from a wattpad book. but overall i really enjoyed reading this!!

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Wattpad Books for sending me this book!

At the beginning of this book I was hooked! I really liked the flow and the plot. It reminded me a lot of why I love wattpad!

The only problem I had with this was the pacing about 100 pages in became a bit rushed in my opinion. I don't remember the book on wattpad so I'm not sure if it was the same. It didn't make the story unreadable or "bad", just felt a bit rushed.

Other than that it was a fun quick YA read with some serious elements tackled throughout.

Triggers: Domestic Abuse/Violance

[Leah Paris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read this book on Wattpad, back in November 2020 when I created my account. It was the first book I ever read on it, so it holds a very dear place in my heart that I don't feel words can do justice.
This year, one of my friends gifted this book to me for my birthday, back in January. I started it a few days ago, and I'll have to admit, I was a little disappointed. The beginning isn't the same as the original, and many things vary throughout the book.
And yet, I have no trouble rating it 5 ⭐'s, simply because of the quality of it. I find it deserves the 5 stars. The only reason I was disappointed was because it wasn't the work I remembered, but at the same time, I don't mind it.
It deserves to have been published.

Even though I don't know the author, I am so proud of her and how far she has gone.
Seeing this book had gotten published brought tears of joy to my eyes because, I'm going to be honest here, this book has made me grow in so many ways, and has become a part of my story. That might sound cheesy, but it's the truth, and deep down, I know I wouldn't be the same person if I hadn't read it. And hey, I started boxing thanks to this book, and I've completely fallen in love with the sport.

So thank you, Rachel Rose, for this wonderful book, that I'm sure I'll read time and time again (and I don't usually reread books, let alone 3 or 4 times).

[Chhavi Singh · Rating 4 out of 5]

i couldn't stop reading this book. it's SO, SO GOOD!

[Moon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book probably 4 years back when it was released on Wattpad and reread this on the platform more than a few times. When I found out that it was to be published as a book, I was so eager to buy it.

And now after many years I finally had the chance to buy it but was a little unsure if I would enjoy it as much as I did back then...but let me tell you I am not disappointed. This gave me the same rush as when I first read it and many more times on Wattpad. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

This is such an unique plot in Wattpad standards and that says a lot. I love! I love the female character development and the courageous facing-the-fears-by-herself attitude she had. Hayden is also the main lead but no one can steal the spotlight from Maddie and she owns it with pride. I love every aspect of Maddie's characterization.

This just proves that I probably will not get tired of rereading the book (possibly forever). This is the kinda book I love coming back to every now and then.

[mariee ® · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the character development, but I felt like it all moved and happened a little fast. Therefore, a solid 3.5 stars rating.

[Fay Smit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Its was so cutee

[Leo · Rating 3 out of 5]

When you pick up a book labelled sports fiction you expect it to be a sports fiction and not a girl with romance and daddy issues. The amount of love scenes of the book were really piling on at the end and to be honest I skipped through all of them. The plot is fine, but you’re shouting at Maddie the entire time to do something instead of just hiding in a shell.

[Maria Clara · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

[E.J. Powell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gaslight is definitely a story revolving around being gaslit by others. From Maddie's dad, to Jamie, the twins, her mom and even Hayden. The story shows that Maddison was able to stand up not only for herself but for her mom and to her toxic abuser.

While it was a quick read and plot flowed exceptionally well, I gave it three stars overall.

The MCs relationship felt forced and I was surprised at how quickly Maddie let Hayden do what he wished with her. I felt like we didn't really need to read the legit sex scenes-- this is supposed to be a YA novel, not a NA novel. We could've been left with a black screen and been fine.

The so-called fight that Maddison was being prepared for, fell flat and all the hype was for naught. Shortest fight I've ever read and left disappointed by. For all the training she went through...it lacked the potential it could've been given.

All the while, loose ends of subplots were tied up just fine, there was one subplot that didn't get solved that should have. Maddie's mom was never told about her dad cheating, and why bring that into the story if it wasn't going to be used as evidence or as a keypoint to helping her mom choose?

Overall, the story was okay and while I might read another book by Rose again, more than likely, I won't keep Gaslight on my shelves.

[Adriana Racu · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a sucker for a good sport romance book and this one was fantastic. I am so happy that I got to read it because it was pretty great. I enjoyed it so much that I finished the book in one day.
Gaslight is a book that has a little bit of everything. It’s sweet, emotional, heartwarming, deep and romantic. I loved the boxing aspect of it but my favourite thing was the chemistry between Maddie and Hayden. It was on point.😍🔥 I really enjoyed this story. I highly recommend it and more if you enjoy sport romance books.
.
Thanks to Wattpadbooks for sending me a finish copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

[Vera · Rating 2 out of 5]

I highly recommend the Wattpad version which is a 5 out of 5 stars. I’m really sad that I didn’t like the published version, ESPECIALLY because I loved the Wattpad version so much. I just found this version to be so choppy and the characters to have lost their spark now that all of the edits were made.

[Bumbling.Biblio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maddie Goodwright is starting over after fleeing from her emotionally and physically abusive father. Along with her mother, she takes refuge with her aunt, uncle, and step-cousins who live across the country in California. With the constant fear of her father showing up on their doorstep, Maddie decides it is time to take matters into her own hands. She signs up at a local boxing gym and gets the surprise of her life when her trainer ends up being the notorious bad boy, Hayden Walker. Determined to be able to defend herself, Maddie sticks with the grueling workouts and grows stronger physically and mentally. But will it be enough when her past comes knocking on her door? And will she be able to lean on Hayden when she needs him most?

I read this book originally on Wattpad about a year ago, so I was excited to see it being published and receiving the recognition it deserves. I do miss some of the edited outtakes because I thought they added additional depth to the plot, but it’s still a solid read. I appreciate the emotional depth this story brings to readers and how it touches not only on physically abuse, but mental and emotional abuse, and what that can look like in relationships. Rachael Rose created such a strong heroine with Maddie and showed how people can overcome obstacles and evolve into their best selves. I would recommend this book to any YA romance fans.

Thank you to Netgalley, Wattpad, and Rachael Rose for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Gaslight will be released March 29th

This review will be posted on my Instagram blog (@bumbling.bibliophile), GoodReads (@bumbling.biblio), and Amazon upon release!

[Taylor Wilson-West · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is labelled as a YA, however, due to some of the content I would say it's upper YA teetering on new adult. Since our FMC Maddison is 18, and things get steamy.

I loved the growth in this book, especially Maddison. But her mother also did a lot of painful growing as well. While the story mostly focuses on how Maddison feels, she also thinks about her mothers feelings often. Selflessly. That was probably one of my favorite things in this book. The fact that this teenager had to uproot her life, not only for her mothers safety but also her own, and still thought about her mothers feelings above her own, was heart warming.

Hayden and Maddison's relationship is another strong point in the book that I loved, the natural progression of their flirting was believable, and evenly paced. I loved that they both had healing to do and helped each other through it. I also really appreciated that the author gave them their own space, and while they had a few hiccups, they were normal things that most teenagers go through.

This author does a spectacular job building characters and relationships. It was well written, and easy to follow. I had a few issues with some scene changes, and abrupt endings. But over all it was a good read! I'm curious if the author plans to revisit this couple, and Maddison's parents, since some things weren't entirely wrapped up.

Thank you WattPad Books and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of Gaslight. This review is being left voluntarily, all opinions are my own.

[celaena feely · Rating 5 out of 5]

The way I would read it and question everything they said. Like the Dad always said controlling stuff, made them feel as if they were insane by denying their memories. Her boyfriend Jamie had been controlling with what she did and who she was with which went by without her noticing (she never actually noticed in the end) and it made her paranoid about his own actions and what he’s doing and with who. I’m glad he ended it cause I think she would’ve felt too unstable to, not cause she loves him but because he provides that calm chill relationship and has been with her for two years.
Then, there was David, and he really disturbed me sometimes. He tried to make her questions Hayden’s intentions and question between what Hayden says and what David says is reality. This puts strain on their friendship as well as her relationship with Hayden.
Hayden? I loved him with my whole heart; I love him. He always validated her feelings and concerns, tried to help her put her toxic relationship into perspective, always wanted her to make the first move as a way of consent rather than kissing her and her backing away. Then there was when he confessed his feelings; he always waited for her response nervously. THAT is the cutest bit, then he got all excited when she said it back. Then he allowed her into his world with the candle making and meeting his mum. I’m sad that she only had one fight in the book, I did expect more but I guess one is better than none.
Without a doubt,
5 STARS

[BettaTheBookWorm · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was an incredible read. It vividly describes what it is like to suffer at the hands of someone with Narcissistic Personality Disorder. True narcissism is something that is not very well understood by the world today, but this book shed some light onto the issue. It was an incredible way to show the transformation of a victim into a survivor and then into a champion. As someone who has lived through narcissistic abuse, I can confirm that the silent treatment and gaslighting detailed in this book are very real tactics used. The narcissist that I lived with even would hide my stuff in order to frustrate me and convince me that I am the one with a problem. In addition, the “smirk” often mentioned in this book is something that I witnessed myself many times before or after I realized that my abuser had been up to no good. Anyone and everyone should read this book because while you may not realize it, you could be living with a narcissist too.
Lol sorry about the rant!
Anyway! This was a great book! I would definitely recommend!! For anyone currently dealing with a narcissist: Get out, Stay out, and read this book! 😁

[Kas ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am absolutely in love with this book. The book represents the concept of gaslighting so thoroughly while also adding great romance to the mix. I've always loved slow-burn boxer romances, but this one blew the ball out of the park. The storyline takes place in a single POV, which is the female lead, Maddie. She comes all the way to LA to live with her aunt as she escapes her abusive father. Her whole life is basically uprooted, and she wants to learn to defend herself, so she goes to Hayden, asking him to teach her boxing,

The chemistry between Maddie and Hayden is off-charts, Both of them having their own problems to face with their families. The tension and the slow burn with how much they care about each other just make this book that much better. Maddie is such a strong female character because not only does she go through with the abuse and comes out stronger, but she also helps her mother realize how her father is gaslighting them.

The story was just heart-warming, happy and hot at the same time. It's definitely going to be my best read this year.

[Ivy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, how good is this book!

This story follows Maddie as she navigates life and learns how to deal with broken relationships and shattered dreams. Her character growth throughout the story as she learns how to be there for herself is inspiring. She is also incredibly selfless, always having her mum at the front of her mind.

I’m sure if anyone were unsure about what the term gaslighting meant after reading this story, it would be clear. It was heartbreaking to read how the effects of gaslighting changed Maddie’s mum and slowly broke her and how it affected Maddie. It is not something you would ever want anyone to experience, genuinely devastating.

Highly Recommend.

Thank you, Wattpad and Net Galley, for providing me with this eArc.

TW‼️Gaslighting, abuse, intimate partner violence, child abuse.

Check out my Instagram for more reviews!

[Robin Pharris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a strong book for young females and I will definitely recommend it to my middle-grade female students. I feel like most people that leave a toxic relationship need some activity to pour their energy into and help distract them from the bad scene they just vacated. This book shows readers that there are strong females out there that they can relate to and look up to. Some young adults have such a toxic home life and they feel like there is nothing out there to help them feel better and this book shows them that there are available activities to help make them feel strong again. I love that this book has such a strong family vibe to it. It shows us all how family can be there to lean on during times of crisis. Great message for our female readers!!!

[Camille (bookish.cami) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a book recommendation I went in solely on reading someone else’s review it had me intrigued for sure.

Maddie and her mother move out to get away from her father and along the way the redemption and realizing sometimes you have to just find the strength within yourself to step up and stop letting others bring you down.

I absolutely enjoyed Maddie and Hayden’s story. Their chemistry is good, they each have struggles they over come together and how they stand up for one another just touches your heart. This book was a great read and I’m so glad I read it.

Some content may seem triggering for some.

[LLberlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read the book in two days because I couldn't put it down! I'll be honest, I didn't know much about gaslighting before so this book did a great job of showing me what that looked like. When I first picked it up, I was a little worried there wouldn't be enough romance because of the focus on boxing and emotional abuse, but boy was I wrong. Her relationship with Hayden is amazing. You could clearly see why they fell for each other and the tension was *Chef's kiss*. Kind of sad there isn't a book two.

[Kayli · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.0/5

This book followed Maddie as she moved to California to get away from her abusive father. The basic plot included some of my favorite tropes: found family, girl doing the opposite of what's expected, male love interest who hates the world but has a soft spot for her. However, everything was kept superficial. Neither the characters nor the plot were fully fleshed out. Everything happened with little explanation. Things just "worked out that way". The book was quick and easy to read, and still managed to hold my attention.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely phenomenal book that deals with some heavy topics, so check TW before reading. The pacing was absolutely perfect and I adored the MC Maddie, she's boring but in a funny and relatable way. Hayden is purely swoon worthy and I loved how he looked after Maddoe. The fighting scenes and training were so well written, and the topic of gaslighting was dealt with so well. Gaslight was an emotional story of strength and fighting battles that aren't always physical.

[Bekah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad quick read. Pretty predictable in some areas and the ending wasn't too much of a surprise.

There seemed to be some build up in certian areas that fizzled out weirdly and didn't live up to where it seemed the author was going (ie Maddie's former BF and the illusion that he was controlling etc only for him to end things abruptly in the next chapter, just was odd).

Other than that an enjoyably afternoon fead when you have nothing else going on.

[Diana Jacobs · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was SO sad when this book became a paid story on Wattpad, but it is so good I’m not surprised it’s been published.
I absolutely love the story line, and when you read this, you can feel all of the emotions of each character as they go through the hardships and struggles, but you can also feel the emotion during the happy times. I was always on the edge of my seat, and I could not stop reading this book. It is easily one of my favorite romance books!

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this story on wattpad, but wanted to share here how much I loved this story. I started reading it 2 days ago and could not put it down! The love that you see between Hayden and Maddie is so raw and real. The vulnerable moments they share, along with all of their ups and downs, make the story so thrilling and worth the read.

[Natasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely brilliant book! the author has covered all the themes present, gaslighting, domestic, verbal abuse, underground fighting rings, in an amazing way. I've read it countless times on wattpad and now that it is published, i hope to have its paperback in my collection as well. I would recommend other books by Ms Rose as well on wattpad, such as Right Hook and others<3

[JeeVEE Uzamaki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t normally read books, but this book was something else. The write really has encapsulated her imagination and articulated it to precision. The story telling made it seem like I was in the book living the life of that characters myself, the attention to detail and precision in the delivery is second to none. I would 100% recommend this book. Bravo 👏🏽