3.5 stars. I’m surprised by just how much I enjoyed this high school romance! I really do my best to stay away from books with MCs as young as these are- but I saw a few reviews that convinced me to give this a shot, and I’m glad I did.
Before I get into my review, let me just say that this book is probably best read without too many spoilers, especially if you want maximum angst. Don’t read my review if you’re planning to read this book because I can’t promise to not spoil something that ruins the angst.
First, for a debut author, this book was VERY well written. It hooked me right from the start and the pace was perfect and kept me from wanting to put it down. I also really liked the storyline - this is a cheating-centered romance where the heroine doesn’t end up with the cheater. I liked that we got the exploration of cheating, the fall out, the angst, etc. But it’s nice that this heroine had a nice strong backbone and didn’t even once consider giving her cheating ex a second chance.
As I said, I really did enjoy the storyline. However, there were a few instances when the drama got too dramatic for me. Simply put, it became immature and stupid. It makes some sense for a high school romance, but since I am not personally a fan of high school drama, I didn’t enjoy those parts.
The hero and heroine are both very likable MCs. They both have flaws, but there are instances when the way they are written is a little questionable. For example… the hero is a nerd and no one really notices him. He supposedly just wore baggy clothes and didn’t talk much. But all of the sudden the heroine noticed him and he’s revealed to be so handsome, and so built, and he’s even a Krav Maga expert and cage fighter. I have a hard time believing that he could hide all that hotness and good physique behind some baggy clothes and glasses.
Overall though, I really liked this story. I especially liked the ending and HEA epilogue. I’m going to be watching for more books by this author in the future, I have high hopes for the next book.
Safety info; I’m only calling this SWE for two reasons… 1)pretty high angst 2) how often cheating is explored in this book. The MCs do not cheat on one another, but it seemed like all of the side characters were cheating left, right & center. The hero was a virgin, heroine has been with one boyfriend for years and had bad sex with him, she is cheated on by that boyfriend, on page. There’s a good amount of OM and OW drama.
TW: cheating, unwilling drug use, alcoholism, violence, abuse