What do you think?
Rate this book
Touch.
It's what most of us crave. A source of comfort, companionship, and desire.
For Eli, it's a source of terror.
Branded by the trauma of his past, Eli is struggling in his freshman year of college. He might be afraid of just about everything, but in his heart of hearts, he's nobody's bitch.
Yet it's at his lowest point, that he first hears it. Him
The voice.
Wet feet, a frozen ass - this guy likes to complain, but why would Eli care about any of that, when he's got his own problems? The bigger question is what, or rather who, the voice is.
Afraid it's a sign of his fragile psyche's demise, Eli is torn between hunting down the source to prove it's real, and ignoring it in case it isn't.
His eventual quest will see him grappling with geese, battling burritos, and dodging deities - all in the search for his sanity.
And maybe, just maybe, finding love.
Psync is a steamy, 18+ 94,000 word MM romance with the following tropes: Fated mates, touch aversion turned to bliss when touching your mate, hurt/comfort, yandere main character, and meddling gods.
Content warning: Trauma-related mental illness, mentions of past childhood trauma.
It's what most of us crave. A source of comfort, companionship, and desire.
For Eli, it's a source of terror.
Branded by the trauma of his past, Eli is struggling in his freshman year of college. He might be afraid of just about everything, but in his heart of hearts, he's nobody's bitch.
Yet it's at his lowest point, that he first hears it. Him
The voice.
Wet feet, a frozen ass - this guy likes to complain, but why would Eli care about any of that, when he's got his own problems? The bigger question is what, or rather who, the voice is.
Afraid it's a sign of his fragile psyche's demise, Eli is torn between hunting down the source to prove it's real, and ignoring it in case it isn't.
His eventual quest will see him grappling with geese, battling burritos, and dodging deities - all in the search for his sanity.
And maybe, just maybe, finding love.
Psync is a steamy, 18+ 94,000 word MM romance with the following tropes: Fated mates, touch aversion turned to bliss when touching your mate, hurt/comfort, yandere main character, and meddling gods.
Content warning: Trauma-related mental illness, mentions of past childhood trauma.
246 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 25, 2021
281 people are currently reading
1173 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 238 reviews
September 17, 2021
1.5 stars round up cuz the writing wasn't bad technically speaking.
I was so excited to come across this book. A modern twist on Fated Mates? Hell yeah! Sadly, the plot quickly turned to hell no. There are tons of problematic things here. So many.
The one mc is this tiny little thing that everyone loves and lusts after because he's so tiny. He has this draw that makes people obsessed with him. It made no sense and was never explained. I kept expecting some paranormal reason to jump out but nope, nothing. The other mc is a big, burly protective guy who makes it his mission to protect tiny guy. He repeatedly crosses the line from alpha to alphahole. He's more stalker than anything and then he because this super protective dude.....to the point that it's scary not sweet. Not cute or charming. Just another book trying to make an abusive relationship seem normal and like something that people should strive for.
There are a ton of plot points that make zero sense. There's a bunch of cultural appropriation going on (not cool when little white guy bows to everyone he meets). Ugg....just so much not working in this book for me. The sex was weird to me. One mc goes immediately from frightened virgin to bondage bdsm scene. *insert Scooby Doo "ruh??" and head tilt*
The end was super interesting. But the author waited way too long to introduce that part of the plot. I spend way too long being confused as to why they were fated mates. I spent way too long wondering why it was called Enchanged University (although I still don't know the answer to that). I saw another review that said this follows typical anime plot lines. I don't watch that so I have no idea myself but if you like that then you may enjoy this book more than I did.
I was so excited to come across this book. A modern twist on Fated Mates? Hell yeah! Sadly, the plot quickly turned to hell no. There are tons of problematic things here. So many.
The one mc is this tiny little thing that everyone loves and lusts after because he's so tiny. He has this draw that makes people obsessed with him. It made no sense and was never explained. I kept expecting some paranormal reason to jump out but nope, nothing. The other mc is a big, burly protective guy who makes it his mission to protect tiny guy. He repeatedly crosses the line from alpha to alphahole. He's more stalker than anything and then he because this super protective dude.....to the point that it's scary not sweet. Not cute or charming. Just another book trying to make an abusive relationship seem normal and like something that people should strive for.
There are a ton of plot points that make zero sense. There's a bunch of cultural appropriation going on (not cool when little white guy bows to everyone he meets). Ugg....just so much not working in this book for me. The sex was weird to me. One mc goes immediately from frightened virgin to bondage bdsm scene. *insert Scooby Doo "ruh??" and head tilt*
The end was super interesting. But the author waited way too long to introduce that part of the plot. I spend way too long being confused as to why they were fated mates. I spent way too long wondering why it was called Enchanged University (although I still don't know the answer to that). I saw another review that said this follows typical anime plot lines. I don't watch that so I have no idea myself but if you like that then you may enjoy this book more than I did.
January 25, 2025
Reread December 2024
Still one of my all-time favorite couples!
Reread June 2022
I love these two so much. I can't wait for Psync 2!
Originally read July 2021
**4.5 Stars**
Normally, I don't read an author I've never read before until I've checked multiple reviews. I'm too chicken. The chances there's something I hate in the book can be extremely high (Yes, I'm a picky reader), but something about this one called to me. Maybe it was the blurb. Maybe it was the cover. Maybe I saw a snippet and wanted more. I don't know...I'm just glad I did. I loved it!
Eli can't be touched. He gets the wrongwrongwrong feeling when he is except when Haruka touches him. Then it's bliss. He also draws trouble, everyone wanting to be with him.
Haruka is the type of hero I love. The messed up, OTT possessive alpha who wants his man with him at all times.
I love the myth and legend references. I just started watching BL dramas, and I squealed when I read about the red thread reference because I actually knew what it was, lol.
The ending was a little rushed, and there were a few things I wished were fleshed out a little more, but all in all, it was an easy read for me and gripped me from page one. I'm glad I took the chance.
Definitely a winner for me!
Still one of my all-time favorite couples!
Reread June 2022
I love these two so much. I can't wait for Psync 2!
Originally read July 2021
**4.5 Stars**
Normally, I don't read an author I've never read before until I've checked multiple reviews. I'm too chicken. The chances there's something I hate in the book can be extremely high (Yes, I'm a picky reader), but something about this one called to me. Maybe it was the blurb. Maybe it was the cover. Maybe I saw a snippet and wanted more. I don't know...I'm just glad I did. I loved it!
Eli can't be touched. He gets the wrongwrongwrong feeling when he is except when Haruka touches him. Then it's bliss. He also draws trouble, everyone wanting to be with him.
Haruka is the type of hero I love. The messed up, OTT possessive alpha who wants his man with him at all times.
I love the myth and legend references. I just started watching BL dramas, and I squealed when I read about the red thread reference because I actually knew what it was, lol.
The ending was a little rushed, and there were a few things I wished were fleshed out a little more, but all in all, it was an easy read for me and gripped me from page one. I'm glad I took the chance.
Definitely a winner for me!
January 14, 2022
2.5
Well this was confusing. Weird.
Many things happening and few explanations.
This is all I can say without spoilers. Hope you enjoy it if you give a try 😘
❌SPOILERS COMING❌
I can overlook things like the convenience of the appearance and disappearance of characters, the fact that Eli was in the wrong class and decided to stay in that class without the teacher or anyone telling him anything, also that neither his sister nor mom told him anything and the person who hurt him as a child had escaped from prison, even though Haraku took him to the other side of the world, at least a hello, did you get there okay?, i mean. They gave a lot of importance to what happened but later they ignore it. Well, among other things that don't make sense, but what I can't ignore is that there is no exact explanation about why there is a connection between Eli and Haruka. I mean, yeah, they said 'Fated mates' just once and that's it. Sorry but no. TELL ME MORE. Why they can read each other's minds? And how did Haruka learn to block Eli? Where did that superpower come from? Because i want to learn. 🦸♀️
THEN the gods appear. I thought I had fallen asleep and was dreaming that I was reading this.
Anyway, crazy, confusing stuff, but the smut was hot.
Btw: Rebecca the only way you liked this is because of the smut. 👀
Well this was confusing. Weird.
Many things happening and few explanations.
This is all I can say without spoilers. Hope you enjoy it if you give a try 😘
❌SPOILERS COMING❌
I can overlook things like the convenience of the appearance and disappearance of characters, the fact that Eli was in the wrong class and decided to stay in that class without the teacher or anyone telling him anything, also that neither his sister nor mom told him anything and the person who hurt him as a child had escaped from prison, even though Haraku took him to the other side of the world, at least a hello, did you get there okay?, i mean. They gave a lot of importance to what happened but later they ignore it. Well, among other things that don't make sense, but what I can't ignore is that there is no exact explanation about why there is a connection between Eli and Haruka. I mean, yeah, they said 'Fated mates' just once and that's it. Sorry but no. TELL ME MORE. Why they can read each other's minds? And how did Haruka learn to block Eli? Where did that superpower come from? Because i want to learn. 🦸♀️
THEN the gods appear. I thought I had fallen asleep and was dreaming that I was reading this.
Anyway, crazy, confusing stuff, but the smut was hot.
Btw: Rebecca the only way you liked this is because of the smut. 👀
November 30, 2023
Book safety, content warnings and tropes & tags down below.
God, I love possessiveness, protectiveness and an unhealthy amount of co-dependency. Throw in some trauma and mental illness as well, and you’ve got me hook, line and sinker. MC with touch aversion, and only the other MC can touch? Sign me up. I loved Eli and Haruka. Haruka probably isn’t what we would refer to as a stable and healthy partner in real life, but thankfully this is all pretend, lol. He was perfect for Eli. Eli is just so freaking adorable. He’s bipolar and suffers from anxiety and panic attacks on top of that, as well as being ridiculously smart. Definitely my kind of MC.
«Currently, he was face to face with the idiot in question, and the kid was clearly not stupid. He may have watched the boy tie his own shoe to his backpack strap, but Eli had managed to stumble into an advanced math class he’d been expecting to be a 101 course and then not only followed along, but was actually able to keep up with Haruka, who was always at the top of every class he was in.»
«He was trying to maintain some semblance of personal space between the two of them, but any time he stopped paying attention he found himself acting like Haruka’s own personal human scarf.»
I didn’t know there was a second book for these guys tho, so now I’m hella worried. If I find out it’s an angsty one with lots of stuff happening between MCs I’ll probably just skip it and pretend they got their HEA in this one, lol.
«Eli hadn’t worried much about the looks he’d been getting until someone came up and asked him out while Haruka was walking him to class this morning. It hadn’t gone well for anyone. The guy was upset because his shoes were ruined. Eli was mad at Haruka for throwing the guy in the pond, and it seemed like Haruka was mad at Eli for daring to exist in front of other people.»
I read the second book in the series, Quiet, a while back, and I really enjoy the mystical/paranormal aspect of these books. It just gives it something extra that you don’t really find anywhere else (well, I haven’t found anywhere else), with lore, fairytales, gods and cultural history. It’s really neat. I need to reread Quiet.
Book safety
Cheating: No
OM/OW drama: No. People hit on the MCs, but they only have eyes for each other.
Third-act breakup: No
POV: 3rd person, dual
Genre: Contemporary romance with paranormal elements, M/M
Strict top/bottom or vers: Strict roles
MC age: college freshman and junior (18/20)
TW/CW
Mentions of kidnapping and abuse, mental health issues, panic attacks, medicated bipolar disorder, attempted sexual assault, physical assault, injuries, vomiting, explicit sexual content, rough sex
Tropes & tags
College, japanese MC, language majors, archery, paranormal, bipolar disorder, mental health, mind reading, fated mates, mild bondage, touch aversion, mind link
God, I love possessiveness, protectiveness and an unhealthy amount of co-dependency. Throw in some trauma and mental illness as well, and you’ve got me hook, line and sinker. MC with touch aversion, and only the other MC can touch? Sign me up. I loved Eli and Haruka. Haruka probably isn’t what we would refer to as a stable and healthy partner in real life, but thankfully this is all pretend, lol. He was perfect for Eli. Eli is just so freaking adorable. He’s bipolar and suffers from anxiety and panic attacks on top of that, as well as being ridiculously smart. Definitely my kind of MC.
«Currently, he was face to face with the idiot in question, and the kid was clearly not stupid. He may have watched the boy tie his own shoe to his backpack strap, but Eli had managed to stumble into an advanced math class he’d been expecting to be a 101 course and then not only followed along, but was actually able to keep up with Haruka, who was always at the top of every class he was in.»
«He was trying to maintain some semblance of personal space between the two of them, but any time he stopped paying attention he found himself acting like Haruka’s own personal human scarf.»
I didn’t know there was a second book for these guys tho, so now I’m hella worried. If I find out it’s an angsty one with lots of stuff happening between MCs I’ll probably just skip it and pretend they got their HEA in this one, lol.
«Eli hadn’t worried much about the looks he’d been getting until someone came up and asked him out while Haruka was walking him to class this morning. It hadn’t gone well for anyone. The guy was upset because his shoes were ruined. Eli was mad at Haruka for throwing the guy in the pond, and it seemed like Haruka was mad at Eli for daring to exist in front of other people.»
I read the second book in the series, Quiet, a while back, and I really enjoy the mystical/paranormal aspect of these books. It just gives it something extra that you don’t really find anywhere else (well, I haven’t found anywhere else), with lore, fairytales, gods and cultural history. It’s really neat. I need to reread Quiet.
Book safety
Cheating: No
OM/OW drama: No. People hit on the MCs, but they only have eyes for each other.
Third-act breakup: No
POV: 3rd person, dual
Genre: Contemporary romance with paranormal elements, M/M
Strict top/bottom or vers: Strict roles
MC age: college freshman and junior (18/20)
TW/CW
Mentions of kidnapping and abuse, mental health issues, panic attacks, medicated bipolar disorder, attempted sexual assault, physical assault, injuries, vomiting, explicit sexual content, rough sex
Tropes & tags
College, japanese MC, language majors, archery, paranormal, bipolar disorder, mental health, mind reading, fated mates, mild bondage, touch aversion, mind link
Read
January 7, 2022DNF @ 40%
I spent a tad more time getting used to the writing style, and the story seemed promising at first. But most things in the book didn't make sense at all. (if I finished the book, I think it might make sense) The story was too slow and boring, and I was thinking about when a twist was happening. I didn't like Eli and Haruka very much. They didn't sit well with me. And the side characters were too enthusiastic and supportive to be normal?
I think this book is not for me. That's the problem.
I spent a tad more time getting used to the writing style, and the story seemed promising at first. But most things in the book didn't make sense at all. (if I finished the book, I think it might make sense) The story was too slow and boring, and I was thinking about when a twist was happening. I didn't like Eli and Haruka very much. They didn't sit well with me. And the side characters were too enthusiastic and supportive to be normal?
I think this book is not for me. That's the problem.
July 31, 2021
At first I thought that this would be a DNF for me but the ending made me go WHAT
So I’m so freaking intrigued. Also I loved the possessiveness in this story and will be continuing when the next one comes out. 😅
So I’m so freaking intrigued. Also I loved the possessiveness in this story and will be continuing when the next one comes out. 😅
October 16, 2021
2.5 stars
This book was a little strange.
The first 50% was really promising and I was sure it would become this great story. But then things started to make a little less sense, like Haruka becoming too controlling to be romantic (at first Eli didn’t put up with that, until he did).
And then the whole why-can-we-read-each-others-minds thing was suddenly solved at 90% by
The rest of the book was pretty slow, with Eli figuring out that Haruka is the only person who can touch him without it feeling wrong, and with them figuring out their relationship.
There is mention of ‘the thing’ a couple of times, which meant the weird attraction Eli had on people, but suddenly Haruka had it as well. That was never explained really well, not even to each other. And the way everyone just accepted that they now had an entire fan club following them around, that was just weird.
I know that these things will probably be explained in the next books, but the way it was handled in this book felt a bit off. Like, Eli thought about it but never once mentioned it to Haruka. He also just accepted the fact that Haruka had a fan club, without ever questioning why that was.
The writing was pretty solid, and the first 50% had a nice (although slow) flow.
Then things kind of stagnated, and then suddenly there was too much going on, with nothing getting the attention it needed.
And also, WTH was with the weird BDSM-y scene with their first time?? It felt completely out of place, since it was all sweet and romantic before that.
When I was done this book left a bad taste in my mouth. Mostly because it started out so promising and I was so disappointed in the end.
I’m giving it 2.5 stars, but I’m rounding it down because it should have been better.
This book was a little strange.
The first 50% was really promising and I was sure it would become this great story. But then things started to make a little less sense, like Haruka becoming too controlling to be romantic (at first Eli didn’t put up with that, until he did).
And then the whole why-can-we-read-each-others-minds thing was suddenly solved at 90% by
The rest of the book was pretty slow, with Eli figuring out that Haruka is the only person who can touch him without it feeling wrong, and with them figuring out their relationship.
There is mention of ‘the thing’ a couple of times, which meant the weird attraction Eli had on people, but suddenly Haruka had it as well. That was never explained really well, not even to each other. And the way everyone just accepted that they now had an entire fan club following them around, that was just weird.
I know that these things will probably be explained in the next books, but the way it was handled in this book felt a bit off. Like, Eli thought about it but never once mentioned it to Haruka. He also just accepted the fact that Haruka had a fan club, without ever questioning why that was.
The writing was pretty solid, and the first 50% had a nice (although slow) flow.
Then things kind of stagnated, and then suddenly there was too much going on, with nothing getting the attention it needed.
And also, WTH was with the weird BDSM-y scene with their first time?? It felt completely out of place, since it was all sweet and romantic before that.
When I was done this book left a bad taste in my mouth. Mostly because it started out so promising and I was so disappointed in the end.
I’m giving it 2.5 stars, but I’m rounding it down because it should have been better.
February 7, 2023
So confusing! I think this is one of those books where the author knows their story inside out, but forgets the reader doesn't because nothing gets explained!
It's in the last few pages before any explanation is attempted and even then I was still left confused.
- Are the 'Thing' and 'The Incident' referring to the same event?
- What happened with Ash?
- Did Eli always have anxiety/touch issues or did they stem from the kidnapping?
- Where was the world building?
- If I'm supposed to believe the god Helios and his curse is responsible for their mental bond, why wasn't mythology or information about gods mentioned before the 90% + mark of the story??
- What was the point of Jace?
So. Many. Unanswered. Questions. 😤 Now I feel like I need to keep reading to try and make sense! This seems to happen for me with books heavily based in Japanese culture - I had even more confusion reading The Foxhole Court - feel like I need a 'for dummies' guide!
It's in the last few pages before any explanation is attempted and even then I was still left confused.
- Are the 'Thing' and 'The Incident' referring to the same event?
- What happened with Ash?
- Did Eli always have anxiety/touch issues or did they stem from the kidnapping?
- Where was the world building?
- If I'm supposed to believe the god Helios and his curse is responsible for their mental bond, why wasn't mythology or information about gods mentioned before the 90% + mark of the story??
- What was the point of Jace?
So. Many. Unanswered. Questions. 😤 Now I feel like I need to keep reading to try and make sense! This seems to happen for me with books heavily based in Japanese culture - I had even more confusion reading The Foxhole Court - feel like I need a 'for dummies' guide!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 14, 2021
Eli is a tiny, helpless, irresistible bundle of mental issues who just started his first year at university; Haruka is a wildly attractive, rich, arrogant upperclassman. They can hear each other's thoughts. Shenanigans occur.
Okay, so, let me get it out of the way: this is not even remotely my type of book. Like, at all. I love new adult stories, although rarely do I find one that isn't awful, and I had high hopes for this one: magic, an interracial couple - what could go wrong?
Well, this book is basically a BL manga/anime in book form. That's where it goes wrong for me. I hate virtually every trope in BL stories: size imbalances that are inherently tied to sexual preference, the wildly protective character, the inexplicably irresistible character, manic attitudes and random about-faces in expectations and personality traits to fit the plot, etc. These tropes work for a lot of people (look at fanfiction - clearly someone loves that stuff), but frankly, I find them rather homophobic and just not very good writing.
In Psync (for which I can't help but pronounce the P), Eli is somehow irresistible and fights off the advances of literally everyone because he's sooooo smoll and kyute and UGH whatEVER. Haruka is just a creepy stalker who brainwashes Eli into liking him for some reason. But you know what REALLY grates on me? What REALLY annoys the crap out of me? What I find even more unrealistic than the rest of the nonsense in this book COMBINED??? Eli is soooo smart that he is taking five language classes PLUS other classes during his first year of college. FIVE LANGUAGES. And they are NOT related languages. WHAT THE HELL. NO. STOP. I am a former (and present, actually, since I'm doing my PhD) language major and even the people who I consider to be absolute language geniuses could not and WOULD NOT do that. That's dumb. It's also very nearly impossible: no advisor at any university would allow a first-semester freshman to take 15+ credits of classes in five different languages in a semester. Yeah, sorry. That's just not going to happen.
Okay, now that my rant is over, read this if you like BL or think vaguely homophobic tropes are cute I guess. Based on the high rating on Goodreads, I'm clearly not the audience for this book. But I very strongly recommend reading something else.
Okay, so, let me get it out of the way: this is not even remotely my type of book. Like, at all. I love new adult stories, although rarely do I find one that isn't awful, and I had high hopes for this one: magic, an interracial couple - what could go wrong?
Well, this book is basically a BL manga/anime in book form. That's where it goes wrong for me. I hate virtually every trope in BL stories: size imbalances that are inherently tied to sexual preference, the wildly protective character, the inexplicably irresistible character, manic attitudes and random about-faces in expectations and personality traits to fit the plot, etc. These tropes work for a lot of people (look at fanfiction - clearly someone loves that stuff), but frankly, I find them rather homophobic and just not very good writing.
In Psync (for which I can't help but pronounce the P), Eli is somehow irresistible and fights off the advances of literally everyone because he's sooooo smoll and kyute and UGH whatEVER. Haruka is just a creepy stalker who brainwashes Eli into liking him for some reason. But you know what REALLY grates on me? What REALLY annoys the crap out of me? What I find even more unrealistic than the rest of the nonsense in this book COMBINED??? Eli is soooo smart that he is taking five language classes PLUS other classes during his first year of college. FIVE LANGUAGES. And they are NOT related languages. WHAT THE HELL. NO. STOP. I am a former (and present, actually, since I'm doing my PhD) language major and even the people who I consider to be absolute language geniuses could not and WOULD NOT do that. That's dumb. It's also very nearly impossible: no advisor at any university would allow a first-semester freshman to take 15+ credits of classes in five different languages in a semester. Yeah, sorry. That's just not going to happen.
Okay, now that my rant is over, read this if you like BL or think vaguely homophobic tropes are cute I guess. Based on the high rating on Goodreads, I'm clearly not the audience for this book. But I very strongly recommend reading something else.
August 9, 2021
This is the book if you are into cinnamon roll hero who is a damsel, a total hot mess and trouble magnet who meet his very own prince charming in the form of a Japanese hunk. This premise reminds me of those cliche BL comic, but I've never actually read about it in MM romance before, so it was an experience.
This plot is rather weird. I don't know is suppose to be contemporary or fantasy. Eli and Hakura had a soulmate-like bond, they can hear each others thought, but it was never explained until the end. So I spent the whole book wondering what sorcery is this.
As for Eli and Hakura's relationship, it was super sweet with a big dose of possessiveness. I usually like possessive hero, so I like Hakura just fine eventhough I wish I actually know more about his background, but I think Eli is too much of a damsel even for me. I also don't get why is everyone is attracted to him, when all he did is hide himself under a hoodie.
By the end of the book, I still have many unanswered questions despite the HEA. Thus, I will be keeping a look out for possible future books in this series.
This plot is rather weird. I don't know is suppose to be contemporary or fantasy. Eli and Hakura had a soulmate-like bond, they can hear each others thought, but it was never explained until the end. So I spent the whole book wondering what sorcery is this.
As for Eli and Hakura's relationship, it was super sweet with a big dose of possessiveness. I usually like possessive hero, so I like Hakura just fine eventhough I wish I actually know more about his background, but I think Eli is too much of a damsel even for me. I also don't get why is everyone is attracted to him, when all he did is hide himself under a hoodie.
By the end of the book, I still have many unanswered questions despite the HEA. Thus, I will be keeping a look out for possible future books in this series.
December 8, 2022
Reread/Relisten- December 2022
same as before, thought it would change the second time around but unfortunately it was still confusing as fuck lol.
i think if it was fleshed out a bit more towards the beginning/middle of the story it wouldn't feel like we were bombarded with information at the end.
i reread this because i saw that there was a third book for this series and it was about Haruka and Eli.. so thought i should refresh.. but it was an alright refresh, not sure if this made me want to read the new book or not haha.
2-2.5 stars-April 2022
well this was confusing as fuck.. there were a lot of plot holes that were barely addressed, and if they were it was in the rushed last 10% of the book.
but i will say there was something about this book that i couldn't tear my eyes away from, whether that be because i thought of it as a car crash and i wanted to see more or the writing was grabbing me. Either way i read it all the way through.
not sure if i will read the next book seeing as that one is a standalone.. when this one ended on a HFN situation... i guess time will tell if i read book two
same as before, thought it would change the second time around but unfortunately it was still confusing as fuck lol.
i think if it was fleshed out a bit more towards the beginning/middle of the story it wouldn't feel like we were bombarded with information at the end.
i reread this because i saw that there was a third book for this series and it was about Haruka and Eli.. so thought i should refresh.. but it was an alright refresh, not sure if this made me want to read the new book or not haha.
2-2.5 stars-April 2022
well this was confusing as fuck.. there were a lot of plot holes that were barely addressed, and if they were it was in the rushed last 10% of the book.
but i will say there was something about this book that i couldn't tear my eyes away from, whether that be because i thought of it as a car crash and i wanted to see more or the writing was grabbing me. Either way i read it all the way through.
not sure if i will read the next book seeing as that one is a standalone.. when this one ended on a HFN situation... i guess time will tell if i read book two
December 28, 2021
4.7 stars, I had some minor issues with it but I enjoyed it so much and I loved the MCs and also the OTT JP was delicious to me, so I’m rounding this to 5 stars.
September 4, 2022
This book was all types of frustrating from the plot, the whole story, to the characters.
It kept circling around the same problem over and over again leaving no room for the other plot which we only reach until 90% of the book.
It kept circling around the same problem over and over again leaving no room for the other plot which we only reach until 90% of the book.
October 22, 2022
A bit..childish?
The premises were good
The premises were good
October 21, 2021
Hello friends, you may recall me complaining a lot about this book as I read and thought "Ash will never give this a good rating", well let me tell you I was thinking the same. But here we are at a solid 4 stars and let me tell you how we got here.
My first impressions of this book were that it was gonna be like an early 00's fanfic, written by someone who was very obviously into anime and made their main characters reflect that. Eli (white appearance with Cherokee heritage) is a big fan of all things Asian, so much so that he occasionally bows to people. Part of this is because of his aversion to touching people, he gets such a sense of wrongwrongwrong, and so he bows sometimes instead of handshakes. This wouldn't be so bad if he didn't state that he did this partially because of watching too much anime, and as someone who is a massive anime fan this just reminds me too much of the cringe side of the fandom.
“Ack! I’m so sorry!” Eli bowed repeatedly, having picked up the gesture from his touch aversion and too much anime. “Are you okay? You came from out of nowhere!”
But thankfully that was the worst of it, I think there were only two moments were Eli mentioned his bowing as a habit of anime watching so I was able to push past it. I jumped the gun thinking it was gonna be worse but I think it was just from past experiences with story’s written by authors a bit too into anime and Japanese culture, but luckily I was wrong.
I think overall you need to not take this story too seriously, there were some other bits that I feel took inspiration from anime, like Eli and Haruka having fan clubs, and Eli having a Thing that brought him a lot of unwanted sexual attention from men who did not know how to take no for an answer. Although I could see this Thing end up becoming some sort of curse since there is a fantasy element to the book.
So the good bits? Eli and Haruka. I really enjoyed them together. They had an element of co-dependency which I am such a sucker for. It was also a bit of a slowburn which I enjoyed, there wasn't any forced feelings from the whole soulmate thing before they touched which I appreciated. I'm not a fan of insta-love soulmate tropes when they know the minute they see their other half and that's it. Eli and Haruka developed a bit of a bond before ever touching, but as soon as they touched and Eli realised that there was no wrong feeling but only pure bliss, they were in separable.
Haruka could be a bit of an overprotective ass sometimes, and I felt like there was a power imbalance between the two with Haruka telling Eli what to do a lot (not bad things, just being stubborn about making sure he eats and keeping in contact with him for reasons that are understandable but I won't mention for spoilers sake), but when Haruka was too much Eli would but his foot down in the most stubborn way and I loved him for it. There was a dom/bratty sub element to their sex scenes which was also really good. I would love to see Eli taking charge in more situations in and out of bed, hopefully that might be something that'll happen in their next book.
The book ends with a HFN and the author has a book two cover reveal coming up and I can't wait to see it.
*Update* I found out book two is actually about a different couple, but there is a another book planned for Eli and Haruka so I’m happy.
My first impressions of this book were that it was gonna be like an early 00's fanfic, written by someone who was very obviously into anime and made their main characters reflect that. Eli (white appearance with Cherokee heritage) is a big fan of all things Asian, so much so that he occasionally bows to people. Part of this is because of his aversion to touching people, he gets such a sense of wrongwrongwrong, and so he bows sometimes instead of handshakes. This wouldn't be so bad if he didn't state that he did this partially because of watching too much anime, and as someone who is a massive anime fan this just reminds me too much of the cringe side of the fandom.
“Ack! I’m so sorry!” Eli bowed repeatedly, having picked up the gesture from his touch aversion and too much anime. “Are you okay? You came from out of nowhere!”
But thankfully that was the worst of it, I think there were only two moments were Eli mentioned his bowing as a habit of anime watching so I was able to push past it. I jumped the gun thinking it was gonna be worse but I think it was just from past experiences with story’s written by authors a bit too into anime and Japanese culture, but luckily I was wrong.
I think overall you need to not take this story too seriously, there were some other bits that I feel took inspiration from anime, like Eli and Haruka having fan clubs, and Eli having a Thing that brought him a lot of unwanted sexual attention from men who did not know how to take no for an answer. Although I could see this Thing end up becoming some sort of curse since there is a fantasy element to the book.
So the good bits? Eli and Haruka. I really enjoyed them together. They had an element of co-dependency which I am such a sucker for. It was also a bit of a slowburn which I enjoyed, there wasn't any forced feelings from the whole soulmate thing before they touched which I appreciated. I'm not a fan of insta-love soulmate tropes when they know the minute they see their other half and that's it. Eli and Haruka developed a bit of a bond before ever touching, but as soon as they touched and Eli realised that there was no wrong feeling but only pure bliss, they were in separable.
Haruka could be a bit of an overprotective ass sometimes, and I felt like there was a power imbalance between the two with Haruka telling Eli what to do a lot (not bad things, just being stubborn about making sure he eats and keeping in contact with him for reasons that are understandable but I won't mention for spoilers sake), but when Haruka was too much Eli would but his foot down in the most stubborn way and I loved him for it. There was a dom/bratty sub element to their sex scenes which was also really good. I would love to see Eli taking charge in more situations in and out of bed, hopefully that might be something that'll happen in their next book.
The book ends with a HFN and the author has a book two cover reveal coming up and I can't wait to see it.
*Update* I found out book two is actually about a different couple, but there is a another book planned for Eli and Haruka so I’m happy.
August 26, 2022
:I’m going to fucking wreck him if I’m not careful.:
“Yesssss . . .” Eli didn’t care what happened to him anymore, all he wanted was to be closer to Haruka, to be possessed and claimed, to be owned so fully, he’d never doubt how much Haruka wanted him.
This book triggered all of my happy buttons. I loved Eli from the first sentences. He is a wonderfully interesting and vulnerable but strong character. His relationship with Hakura was very cute with a generous dollop of possessiveness.
The mystery behind them being able to hear their thoughts is unfortunately only explained at the end, and that only somewhat briefly ... Not quite satisfying for me, but well, for that you probably have to read on, that's what sequels are made for. However, the characters are so beautifully crafted and the writing style is wonderful that it won't be hard to read more of this series.
“Yesssss . . .” Eli didn’t care what happened to him anymore, all he wanted was to be closer to Haruka, to be possessed and claimed, to be owned so fully, he’d never doubt how much Haruka wanted him.
This book triggered all of my happy buttons. I loved Eli from the first sentences. He is a wonderfully interesting and vulnerable but strong character. His relationship with Hakura was very cute with a generous dollop of possessiveness.
The mystery behind them being able to hear their thoughts is unfortunately only explained at the end, and that only somewhat briefly ... Not quite satisfying for me, but well, for that you probably have to read on, that's what sequels are made for. However, the characters are so beautifully crafted and the writing style is wonderful that it won't be hard to read more of this series.
January 11, 2022
Tags: College / Mental health / touch aversion / Japanese / overprotective / language studies / kinky / paranormal / fated mates
Ok this one is really hard to pin down. 50% of the way in, I thought it would be one type of book. Then it changed direction. Then at about 80% we had another complete change. That said the story was extremely creative - I’ve never read anything similar. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend, but recognize it probably wouldn’t appeal to everyone.
Ok this one is really hard to pin down. 50% of the way in, I thought it would be one type of book. Then it changed direction. Then at about 80% we had another complete change. That said the story was extremely creative - I’ve never read anything similar. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend, but recognize it probably wouldn’t appeal to everyone.
March 18, 2023
** 3.5 stars **
The codependent relationship between Haruka and Eli worked for me here. I was in a certain head space to really ship and like it. The chemistry between them was good and the banter was entertaining. That said, the paranormal angle was weak and undeveloped. The lack of information about Haruka's family and his background irritated me. I needed more about him. I enjoyed most of the story.
The codependent relationship between Haruka and Eli worked for me here. I was in a certain head space to really ship and like it. The chemistry between them was good and the banter was entertaining. That said, the paranormal angle was weak and undeveloped. The lack of information about Haruka's family and his background irritated me. I needed more about him. I enjoyed most of the story.
did-not-finish
August 12, 2022DNF @ 4%
I feel like the audience for this book is young teen and that’s not me.
I feel like the audience for this book is young teen and that’s not me.
August 4, 2021
I liked it. It was a good entertainment, but I left to feel a bit disappointed about the mystery around Eli. I wanted to know about the Thing and the end felt rushed while in the middle of the book I got a bit bored. And I absolute missed Haruka’s story. I still don’t know nothing about him?!? Will be there a book2 with them with all the answers?
For me this book has a similar vibes as Twilight😄 I don’t know is it a good thing or not😂
Edit: I can’t decide between 3 or 4 stars so it’s 3,5
For me this book has a similar vibes as Twilight😄 I don’t know is it a good thing or not😂
Edit: I can’t decide between 3 or 4 stars so it’s 3,5
July 31, 2021
Eli has a strong aversion to being touched and now that he is starting fresh in college, that issue is harder to avoid. But he finds his group of people, and one other person he wasn't expecting. Haruka is slightly older and noticed Eli on day one. Neither one of them can shake the feeling that something is there, and they're going to figure out what it is.
4.5 stars!
This was such a unique take on soul mates! The plot line was intriguing and you automatically get attached to Eli from the start. He's sweet and you understand his issues with being touched once you hear about his past. Haruka is complex and while he doesn't have the same issues Eli does, he has his own tendencies and problems.
The love story that happens between Eli and Haruka is sweet and Steamy. You hope they get together and are excited when they finally do. They go from sweet to spicy quickly and can flip back and forth seamlessly.
My only issue with this story is Eli said he has a thing that attracts people to him where they want to use or abuse him. But we never hear about it any other time other than the one brief mentioning of it. I would've liked to have that explained a little more so that we could understand why he was attracting so much trouble.
4.5 stars!
This was such a unique take on soul mates! The plot line was intriguing and you automatically get attached to Eli from the start. He's sweet and you understand his issues with being touched once you hear about his past. Haruka is complex and while he doesn't have the same issues Eli does, he has his own tendencies and problems.
The love story that happens between Eli and Haruka is sweet and Steamy. You hope they get together and are excited when they finally do. They go from sweet to spicy quickly and can flip back and forth seamlessly.
My only issue with this story is Eli said he has a thing that attracts people to him where they want to use or abuse him. But we never hear about it any other time other than the one brief mentioning of it. I would've liked to have that explained a little more so that we could understand why he was attracting so much trouble.
May 19, 2022
I actually had such a good time reading this. Not much is explained and the ending is absurd but it was just a fun, fun read.
These two are so obsessed with each other, it’s crazy hot. I’m excited for the second book to see just how much more obsessed they can be.
Honestly, I very much disagree with the bad reviews because this was a blast.
Edit: just found out the second book isn’t about Eli and Haruka and I am absolutely devastated.
These two are so obsessed with each other, it’s crazy hot. I’m excited for the second book to see just how much more obsessed they can be.
Honestly, I very much disagree with the bad reviews because this was a blast.
Edit: just found out the second book isn’t about Eli and Haruka and I am absolutely devastated.
September 24, 2024
Aaaa ojgfvdhhggghfsghb omgomgomg this was so good
Read
November 1, 2021I was loving it😭. Emphasis on was. I swear to god- what was that stuff about gods, sheesh totally spoiled the whole book.
February 24, 2024
It was a 3* until it just got so boring at around 70%. I had to stop reading for a while because I couldn't keep reading.
Interesting concept, poor pacing and story planning.
Interesting concept, poor pacing and story planning.
Read
August 18, 2021Very interesting premise but not polished.
January 6, 2023
I’m enchanted!
Review to come but boy did I love this toxic, obsessive codependency!
Also I'm a sucker for mental connections <3
This book had me so engaged. I fell in love with Eli immediately and Haruka quickly had a soft-spot in my heart as well.
What I loved:
- Eli is bipolar, has anxiety and is on the neurodivergent spectrum BUT he is not reduced to stereotypes.
- The intensity of their feels "On the outside, maybe they looked co-dependent, but from the inside, they just made sense" (p. 265)
- The humour
- It was also very hot
I wasn't expecting the ending and I'm not sure how I feel about it but there is a second book so :)
I think my biggest dislike was the sudden and seemingly unnecessary mini Edward-Bella-Jacob situation :'D but it was resolved quickly so twas all good :)
Some quotes:
Everyone's got quirks. Our job is to find friends to help us deal with them" (p. 32)
"I promise you hell will freeze over before I go into your roo-Oh my god, you have a guqin." He was across the room and hovering over the instrument without even registering how he got there..." (p. 127)
...and burrowed into Haruka's arms. Here was safety, here was where all the good things lived." (p. 172)
"Mine." Haruka growled into Eli's ear. "When I saw you, I thought he's mine. I wanted to hurt everyone in the room, for seeing you like that." (p. 217)
"If it's a part of you, then it's just more Haruka and I love Haruka-even the annoying bits. Why wouldn't I want to know everything about my favorite person?" (p. 333)
NSFW infos:
One out gay man (tall, japanese, dominant, tops)
One guy who thought he might be asexual (turns out he's "Haruka-sexual" (p.200)) (smol, pale as milk, submissive, bottoms)
primal play
d/s dynamic
virgin-ish MC (TW: mentions of child abuse, on-page assault)
intracrural
clothes ripping
Review to come but boy did I love this toxic, obsessive codependency!
Also I'm a sucker for mental connections <3
This book had me so engaged. I fell in love with Eli immediately and Haruka quickly had a soft-spot in my heart as well.
What I loved:
- Eli is bipolar, has anxiety and is on the neurodivergent spectrum BUT he is not reduced to stereotypes.
- The intensity of their feels "On the outside, maybe they looked co-dependent, but from the inside, they just made sense" (p. 265)
- The humour
- It was also very hot
I wasn't expecting the ending and I'm not sure how I feel about it but there is a second book so :)
I think my biggest dislike was the sudden and seemingly unnecessary mini Edward-Bella-Jacob situation :'D but it was resolved quickly so twas all good :)
Some quotes:
Everyone's got quirks. Our job is to find friends to help us deal with them" (p. 32)
"I promise you hell will freeze over before I go into your roo-Oh my god, you have a guqin." He was across the room and hovering over the instrument without even registering how he got there..." (p. 127)
...and burrowed into Haruka's arms. Here was safety, here was where all the good things lived." (p. 172)
"Mine." Haruka growled into Eli's ear. "When I saw you, I thought he's mine. I wanted to hurt everyone in the room, for seeing you like that." (p. 217)
"If it's a part of you, then it's just more Haruka and I love Haruka-even the annoying bits. Why wouldn't I want to know everything about my favorite person?" (p. 333)
NSFW infos:
One out gay man (tall, japanese, dominant, tops)
One guy who thought he might be asexual (turns out he's "Haruka-sexual" (p.200)) (smol, pale as milk, submissive, bottoms)
primal play
d/s dynamic
virgin-ish MC (TW: mentions of child abuse, on-page assault)
intracrural
clothes ripping
September 2, 2021
This book was so beautiful, I loved it.
Eli cannot be touched when he is, he goes into a state of terror and has panic attacks. He goes to Uni and tries to survive, luckily he makes some friends who seem to understand and he is happy and then he starts to hear a voice in his head, as he grapples with the voice and what it could mean he meets Haruka and he becomes someone Eli has always wanted but he can't be touched.
It was very sweet, really enjoyed it. Adding it to my favorites.
Eli cannot be touched when he is, he goes into a state of terror and has panic attacks. He goes to Uni and tries to survive, luckily he makes some friends who seem to understand and he is happy and then he starts to hear a voice in his head, as he grapples with the voice and what it could mean he meets Haruka and he becomes someone Eli has always wanted but he can't be touched.
It was very sweet, really enjoyed it. Adding it to my favorites.
June 14, 2022
It was an easy read but sometimes the story didn’t work for me. Eli was way too weird and I couldn’t get how anyone will fall for such a timid guy. Haruka was way into him way fast and yes, the end kind of explains why but it felt like the author just shoved the explanation down our throats so she can have a closer. it felt way too hushed for me.
July 28, 2024
I read this so long ago but for some reason never marked it as read. I remember absolutely loving it though!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 238 reviews