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Barron's Second Chance
Her best friend. Her high school sweetheart. Her soulmate.
Until he wasn't.
When an unthinkable betrayal rips them apart, Eden is left devastated. With nothing left for her in New Haven, she escapes to the bright lights of New York.
After years of regret, Barron finally gets his second chance with the girl he's always loved. Will redemption be in the cards? Or are some betrayals unforgivable?
Trigger Warnings: Cheating, talk of depression.
Until he wasn't.
When an unthinkable betrayal rips them apart, Eden is left devastated. With nothing left for her in New Haven, she escapes to the bright lights of New York.
After years of regret, Barron finally gets his second chance with the girl he's always loved. Will redemption be in the cards? Or are some betrayals unforgivable?
Trigger Warnings: Cheating, talk of depression.
400 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 11, 2022
801 people are currently reading
961 people want to read
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August 23, 2024
💯💃FREE on Amazon 23 August 2024💃💯
BEST premise for a “cheating redemption” in the Romance genre
BEST unforgiving/implacable h
BEST grovel
BEST “revenge”
BEST Epilogue
BEST HEA BEST MARRIAGE
Hopefully other authors who’ve jumped on the “groveling hero” bus will read this book, because for god’s sake, don’t mention the word “grovel” in your blurb or social media and then proceed to sell a book without a real grovel.
For me, THIS book is an example of what I consider the perfect redemption arc:
This H must, and does experience wretchedness and unpleasantness equal to the amount of pain the h had to endure. There’s no satisfactory redemption if he didn’t endure a high level of distress. After all, he isn’t just your normal run of the mill flawed hero. He fucked up big time so he has to do more work than the Average Joe baddie. His redemption must come from a deeper or worse place. He must grovel from the depths of his soul. He must shut up and take the blows. This H does that, in spades.
He must make sacrifices - he does
He must make a meaningful personal transformation - he does, although he was always a genuinely good guy at heart - sometimes too good for his own well-being.
My hard limit in the cheating trope is the H loving the ow. Caring for her, defending her,
There's none of that shit here.
His cheated because he was young, had more hair than brains and the ow was there.
She was convenient.
She was not extra special to him.
Any other willing, pretty girl in that crowd of friends would have worked for him
She doesn't hold his heart, only his penis
He doesn't hang on her every word, just her tits
I’ve always wanted to a read a cheater scenario where the devastated h leaves town and has a fantastic life, where the H can see what he gave up for a cheap piece of ass.
This is that book.
Almost the second our smalltown heartbroken h’s foot hit that tarmac in New York, she’s scouted as a model. Within months she has her first well-known brand's ad spread.
WITH A DROPDEAD GORGEOUS MALE MODEL
Think denim, skin, youth, and beauty. Spectacular.
The H hated it. LOL. His reaction is priceless. I read that scene at least 10 times.
Her career was a thing of dreams after that.
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
7 years ago the H cheated because he wanted to – my worse kind of cheating hero – so well executed
The ultimate betrayal = plain and simple; no drugs, no alcohol, no rape is involved
Just hormones and peer pressure
Popular and good looking, the 17-year-old high schooler ghosts and then cheats on his hs sweetheart of 3 years, while she’s away on holiday.
For weeks.
He’s all about his newfound freedom, his friends and a pushy ow.
It’s all lies, declined calls, and the intention of breaking up with the h when she returns, so that they would be “free for a while, date other people, and have new experiences.”
The h catches the H and the mean girl cheerleader ow in all their half-naked glory, sucking face.
Sad awful humiliating on-page scene.
My heart broke right along with the h’s.
He immediately knew he’d fucked up big time, but when the h refuses to answer his calls for days he starts seeing the ow casually.
The h has to watch the ow cozy up to him until the end of the school year. That was an awful time for her.
Through all this, his tentative ass still held onto the hope that they would make up, but she made it clear there would be no talk of reconciliation, no explanations, and he was forced to let her go.
Then he sort of gravitates into a relationship with the ow, with her doing the chasing and him not resisting.
The heroine, Eden, radiates goodness “and beauty, not just outwardly but within as well”:
That makes her my fav type of heroine as she’s also vulnerable, sweet and giving, yet strong, with just the right kind of stubborn; hardworking, determined, loved by her family and friends; respected by her peers; adored by her fans.
To say she was devastated is a gross understatement.
She was emotionally damaged beyond the point of depression; for a short period after she left town, her life was all about substance abuse, the “overindulgence in vices” so she’s had her fair share of bed partners.
She overcame her brokenness with counselling, love and support and sheer hard work.
A sort after top model, she hit the big life and made the most of it.
He witnessed from afar her rise to fame, her personal growth, and her steadfast loyalty to and love for her family and friends.
She’s the pride of her hometown.
Unlike heroines in other small town second chance stories, this h visits home over the years and NOT with her tail tucked between her legs
That trope is so damn old and offensive.
What do authors have against successful heroines?
Now THIS heroine has moved on and it’s rubbed in the H’s face for 7 solid years.
She’s also still sweet, blushingly shy even, and insecure as we women are wont to be, what with society and its judgement.
The hurt and humiliation of 7 years ago has left some scars but didn’t break her in the long run. I did wish that she had found closure and didn’t carry around so much hate for him all the years, but I understand why she did.
While she’s never fallen in love again, she certainly fell in lust.
She cares deeply for and moves on with a wonderful gorgeous successful trustworthy om who adores her. A full-on rock star, no less. They make a beautiful couple. I hope the author writes his book - he has that hero vibe. So much to unpack there. When they break up, they remain friends for life. She makes it crystal clear that she will NOT be giving their friendship up for the H.
I was THRILLED at the om’s gorgeous rock star presence on-page as the H struggles to re-insert himself in her life and good books. The jealousy and possessiveness is OTT. Love it, although I must say I felt bad for the poor H here.
The other om is only an om in the hero’s mind. It’s the model with whom she posed for in that first major ad
The H:
Over the past 7 years he’s made a nice life for himself; has a good support structure, a business he’s proud of. Caring friends.
However:
“Underneath Barron's charming facade was a darkness that hung around his neck. A tightness in his sternum. A specific hunger that had started at seventeen and stayed with him.
He felt like he was missing a limb. Like he was never alone but always lonely. Like he was running a marathon but staying in one place. If he wallowed in his thoughts for too long, he would start twitching, and then the need would overtake him. (To stalk her on social media, etc.) It had taken a long time for him to push that compulsion away.”
H is an emo tearful mess throughout most of the book.
Via his POV we see his deeply intense emotions regarding anything to do with the h. He’s doesn’t know his ass from his elbow when it comes to her. I felt sorry for him, I must say. On top of all that suffering under Pontius Pilate, he deals with jealousy and possessiveness. Mostly only in his thoughts (which are a jumbled mess, causing him to flounder around, looking and feeling ridiculously awkward - but endearing to me). He doesn’t have the right to say anything, so he keeps his mouth shut and suffers in silent misery.
He explains that he didn’t have sex with the ow when he cheated on the h. (He might as well have, because when the h left town, he and the ow dated exclusively on-and-off for a year.) Then he emotionally cheats on the ow with the h throughout their relationship.
Now the h will be staying in town longer than usual (she’s helping with a community project because that’s one of many her selfless way of giving back to hometown). The Hxh will have to be in each other’s company whereas before they would just pass by each other.
He sees this as an opportunity to get close to her to at least explain what happened 7 years ago.
Unfortunately he’s not the brightest of men and continuously messes up; his idiocy holds no bounds. His own father refers to him as a “doofus” LOL. It’s one disaster after another; like a damn comedy of errors as he tries to get back in her favor.
I was alternately clenching my teeth in irritation and laughing it up, seeing him flounder around like a dolt.
As the book progresses, we learn how close the Hxh used to be for years, and it’s this that makes their mutual hurt more impactful than the usual “boy betrays girl”.
“They'd known each other since they were barely out of diapers; they started dating at fourteen and had known each other intimately since they were fifteen.”
It was for that reason above that I finished the book despite it being, for me:
Too long
Too detailed in some places
Too slow in others
Too much emphasis on small town happenings
Too chick-lity in the latter half
Too little angst for me as a reader but the H has angst to the point of anxiety
It was also perfect:
Family and friends' interaction to warm my heart
Snippets of the past (in italics) instead of drawn-out flashbacks
‘New York living, New York Fashion Week, Paris, London, Milan, runways, major beauty contracts, The New Face of the season, ads, interviews, high-profile fashion channels mentions are fantastically done
The writing was top notch apart from an unfortunate malapropism (wearily/warily) early on in the book. This immediately put me on high alert for more editing issues, which usually takes me out of the story a bit. In this case all was good after that and I can’t wait to try the author’s other books.
If he was an alpha with a more commanding presence, I would’ve been more… titillated… by their story, I think. I don't read cheating for escapism. I read it for the "tabooness".
So for me it misses the WOW factor.
The VA VA VOOM.
Not to say that I didn’t enjoy his endearing eagerness to be close to her again. He’s smitten, adoring, needy, contrite, and just puppy-dog silly for her.
He grovels and grows beautifully.
He puts her first every. single. time.
He is 100 % invested.
I sighed in relief when he finally figured out how to do the right thing in the right way at the right time.
She’s eventually willing to listen.
Then later, to give them a second chance, but at her pace.
Which was sssssllllloooowwww. Soooo slowww.
Atta girl.
I loved her more for this.
She doesn’t make any false promises; gives him no guarantees.
So he makes more concessions than her.
He rearranges his whole life to fit in with hers.
He fights harder for them.
He tells her he loves her even though she can’t say the words back yet.
He supports all her endeavours.
He never lets her down again.
The ow now:
The H is a decent guy and rejects their advances as gentlemanly as possible.
Idiot.
The ow no 1:
Her nemesis
She set her sights on him from teenage days
Pushy, always hovering, always in your face available with an obvious crush on him
The moron he cheated with
Even after their break up years ago and his consistent rejection of her advances, she still suffers from an acute case of Forwardgitis
Causes all sorts of trouble
Batshit crazy
He eventually bans her from his workplace where she frequently used to stir up shit
The ow no 2:
“The busty blonde had been working for him for over a year and had been his casual bed partner at the start, but he would never have gone there if he knew she would be staying in town this long”
Also has Forwardgitis
6 weeks before the h comes to town and he’s especially angsty, he approaches Miss Willing for some quick relief but backs out after speaking to the h for the first time in years.
The ow’s barely there knickers are in an awful knot
Cue the antics
He fires her and she leaves town
Their HEA is beautiful.
Their JOURNEY to their HEA is wonderful.
Fantastic epilogues 10 years later, they’re married, have a gorgeous son and a girl on the way
Everything I could hope for in the Romance genre.
NTS:
Fine-tune review, especially tenses, grammar etc.
BEST premise for a “cheating redemption” in the Romance genre
BEST unforgiving/implacable h
BEST grovel
BEST “revenge”
BEST Epilogue
BEST HEA BEST MARRIAGE
Hopefully other authors who’ve jumped on the “groveling hero” bus will read this book, because for god’s sake, don’t mention the word “grovel” in your blurb or social media and then proceed to sell a book without a real grovel.
For me, THIS book is an example of what I consider the perfect redemption arc:
This H must, and does experience wretchedness and unpleasantness equal to the amount of pain the h had to endure. There’s no satisfactory redemption if he didn’t endure a high level of distress. After all, he isn’t just your normal run of the mill flawed hero. He fucked up big time so he has to do more work than the Average Joe baddie. His redemption must come from a deeper or worse place. He must grovel from the depths of his soul. He must shut up and take the blows. This H does that, in spades.
He must make sacrifices - he does
He must make a meaningful personal transformation - he does, although he was always a genuinely good guy at heart - sometimes too good for his own well-being.
My hard limit in the cheating trope is the H loving the ow. Caring for her, defending her,
There's none of that shit here.
His cheated because he was young, had more hair than brains and the ow was there.
She was convenient.
She was not extra special to him.
Any other willing, pretty girl in that crowd of friends would have worked for him
She doesn't hold his heart, only his penis
He doesn't hang on her every word, just her tits
I’ve always wanted to a read a cheater scenario where the devastated h leaves town and has a fantastic life, where the H can see what he gave up for a cheap piece of ass.
This is that book.
Almost the second our smalltown heartbroken h’s foot hit that tarmac in New York, she’s scouted as a model. Within months she has her first well-known brand's ad spread.
WITH A DROPDEAD GORGEOUS MALE MODEL
Think denim, skin, youth, and beauty. Spectacular.
The H hated it. LOL. His reaction is priceless. I read that scene at least 10 times.
Her career was a thing of dreams after that.
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
7 years ago the H cheated because he wanted to – my worse kind of cheating hero – so well executed
The ultimate betrayal = plain and simple; no drugs, no alcohol, no rape is involved
Just hormones and peer pressure
Popular and good looking, the 17-year-old high schooler ghosts and then cheats on his hs sweetheart of 3 years, while she’s away on holiday.
For weeks.
He’s all about his newfound freedom, his friends and a pushy ow.
It’s all lies, declined calls, and the intention of breaking up with the h when she returns, so that they would be “free for a while, date other people, and have new experiences.”
The h catches the H and the mean girl cheerleader ow in all their half-naked glory, sucking face.
Sad awful humiliating on-page scene.
My heart broke right along with the h’s.
He immediately knew he’d fucked up big time, but when the h refuses to answer his calls for days he starts seeing the ow casually.
The h has to watch the ow cozy up to him until the end of the school year. That was an awful time for her.
Through all this, his tentative ass still held onto the hope that they would make up, but she made it clear there would be no talk of reconciliation, no explanations, and he was forced to let her go.
Then he sort of gravitates into a relationship with the ow, with her doing the chasing and him not resisting.
The heroine, Eden, radiates goodness “and beauty, not just outwardly but within as well”:
That makes her my fav type of heroine as she’s also vulnerable, sweet and giving, yet strong, with just the right kind of stubborn; hardworking, determined, loved by her family and friends; respected by her peers; adored by her fans.
To say she was devastated is a gross understatement.
She was emotionally damaged beyond the point of depression; for a short period after she left town, her life was all about substance abuse, the “overindulgence in vices” so she’s had her fair share of bed partners.
She overcame her brokenness with counselling, love and support and sheer hard work.
A sort after top model, she hit the big life and made the most of it.
He witnessed from afar her rise to fame, her personal growth, and her steadfast loyalty to and love for her family and friends.
She’s the pride of her hometown.
Unlike heroines in other small town second chance stories, this h visits home over the years and NOT with her tail tucked between her legs
That trope is so damn old and offensive.
What do authors have against successful heroines?
Now THIS heroine has moved on and it’s rubbed in the H’s face for 7 solid years.
She’s also still sweet, blushingly shy even, and insecure as we women are wont to be, what with society and its judgement.
The hurt and humiliation of 7 years ago has left some scars but didn’t break her in the long run. I did wish that she had found closure and didn’t carry around so much hate for him all the years, but I understand why she did.
While she’s never fallen in love again, she certainly fell in lust.
She cares deeply for and moves on with a wonderful gorgeous successful trustworthy om who adores her. A full-on rock star, no less. They make a beautiful couple. I hope the author writes his book - he has that hero vibe. So much to unpack there. When they break up, they remain friends for life. She makes it crystal clear that she will NOT be giving their friendship up for the H.
I was THRILLED at the om’s gorgeous rock star presence on-page as the H struggles to re-insert himself in her life and good books. The jealousy and possessiveness is OTT. Love it, although I must say I felt bad for the poor H here.
The other om is only an om in the hero’s mind. It’s the model with whom she posed for in that first major ad
The H:
Over the past 7 years he’s made a nice life for himself; has a good support structure, a business he’s proud of. Caring friends.
However:
“Underneath Barron's charming facade was a darkness that hung around his neck. A tightness in his sternum. A specific hunger that had started at seventeen and stayed with him.
He felt like he was missing a limb. Like he was never alone but always lonely. Like he was running a marathon but staying in one place. If he wallowed in his thoughts for too long, he would start twitching, and then the need would overtake him. (To stalk her on social media, etc.) It had taken a long time for him to push that compulsion away.”
H is an emo tearful mess throughout most of the book.
Via his POV we see his deeply intense emotions regarding anything to do with the h. He’s doesn’t know his ass from his elbow when it comes to her. I felt sorry for him, I must say. On top of all that suffering under Pontius Pilate, he deals with jealousy and possessiveness. Mostly only in his thoughts (which are a jumbled mess, causing him to flounder around, looking and feeling ridiculously awkward - but endearing to me). He doesn’t have the right to say anything, so he keeps his mouth shut and suffers in silent misery.
He explains that he didn’t have sex with the ow when he cheated on the h. (He might as well have, because when the h left town, he and the ow dated exclusively on-and-off for a year.) Then he emotionally cheats on the ow with the h throughout their relationship.
Now the h will be staying in town longer than usual (she’s helping with a community project because that’s one of many her selfless way of giving back to hometown). The Hxh will have to be in each other’s company whereas before they would just pass by each other.
He sees this as an opportunity to get close to her to at least explain what happened 7 years ago.
Unfortunately he’s not the brightest of men and continuously messes up; his idiocy holds no bounds. His own father refers to him as a “doofus” LOL. It’s one disaster after another; like a damn comedy of errors as he tries to get back in her favor.
I was alternately clenching my teeth in irritation and laughing it up, seeing him flounder around like a dolt.
As the book progresses, we learn how close the Hxh used to be for years, and it’s this that makes their mutual hurt more impactful than the usual “boy betrays girl”.
“They'd known each other since they were barely out of diapers; they started dating at fourteen and had known each other intimately since they were fifteen.”
It was for that reason above that I finished the book despite it being, for me:
Too long
Too detailed in some places
Too slow in others
Too much emphasis on small town happenings
Too chick-lity in the latter half
Too little angst for me as a reader but the H has angst to the point of anxiety
It was also perfect:
Family and friends' interaction to warm my heart
Snippets of the past (in italics) instead of drawn-out flashbacks
‘New York living, New York Fashion Week, Paris, London, Milan, runways, major beauty contracts, The New Face of the season, ads, interviews, high-profile fashion channels mentions are fantastically done
The writing was top notch apart from an unfortunate malapropism (wearily/warily) early on in the book. This immediately put me on high alert for more editing issues, which usually takes me out of the story a bit. In this case all was good after that and I can’t wait to try the author’s other books.
If he was an alpha with a more commanding presence, I would’ve been more… titillated… by their story, I think. I don't read cheating for escapism. I read it for the "tabooness".
So for me it misses the WOW factor.
The VA VA VOOM.
Not to say that I didn’t enjoy his endearing eagerness to be close to her again. He’s smitten, adoring, needy, contrite, and just puppy-dog silly for her.
He grovels and grows beautifully.
He puts her first every. single. time.
He is 100 % invested.
I sighed in relief when he finally figured out how to do the right thing in the right way at the right time.
She’s eventually willing to listen.
Then later, to give them a second chance, but at her pace.
Which was sssssllllloooowwww. Soooo slowww.
Atta girl.
I loved her more for this.
She doesn’t make any false promises; gives him no guarantees.
So he makes more concessions than her.
He rearranges his whole life to fit in with hers.
He fights harder for them.
He tells her he loves her even though she can’t say the words back yet.
He supports all her endeavours.
He never lets her down again.
The ow now:
The H is a decent guy and rejects their advances as gentlemanly as possible.
Idiot.
The ow no 1:
Her nemesis
She set her sights on him from teenage days
Pushy, always hovering, always in your face available with an obvious crush on him
The moron he cheated with
Even after their break up years ago and his consistent rejection of her advances, she still suffers from an acute case of Forwardgitis
Causes all sorts of trouble
Batshit crazy
He eventually bans her from his workplace where she frequently used to stir up shit
The ow no 2:
“The busty blonde had been working for him for over a year and had been his casual bed partner at the start, but he would never have gone there if he knew she would be staying in town this long”
Also has Forwardgitis
6 weeks before the h comes to town and he’s especially angsty, he approaches Miss Willing for some quick relief but backs out after speaking to the h for the first time in years.
The ow’s barely there knickers are in an awful knot
Cue the antics
He fires her and she leaves town
Their HEA is beautiful.
Their JOURNEY to their HEA is wonderful.
Fantastic epilogues 10 years later, they’re married, have a gorgeous son and a girl on the way
Everything I could hope for in the Romance genre.
NTS:
Fine-tune review, especially tenses, grammar etc.
December 18, 2022
Interesting and fresh with some slight angst in the beginning but I must admit that I wasn’t too much disturbed since when the cheating happens the characters are sort of 16, annnnnnd I must confess that for me teenage drama of this kind is more funny than angsty.
Heartless bitch I am.
So, hero and heroine meet and fall in love when they are very very young, they are each other first in almost everything and they are very much in love until they are separated for summer holidays and the hero cheats on her with the school slut who has been after him for some time.
The heroine catch them making out and is shattered. His explanation was well, the usual one, we’ve been together too long, I only was with you and I think we should explore others yada yada, and at this point I was already finished with him because man, I understand you’re 16 but what a coward you are, not even the guts to tell her he wanted out before being caught red handed with the town slut.
The heroine doesn’t want to have anything to do with him thank god for that and the coward keeps on having fun with the slut even if he’s still in love with the heroine.
But, since she won’t have anything to do with him, he thinks that if he can’t have the milk he will have the cow instead.
The heroine becomes a supermodel and this was fun because the slut and the cheating asshole are sooooo envious and jealous of her popularity and the idiot hero is now eating his hands because she works and dates the most gorgeous man models and is snubbing him and his slut.
Entertaining.
Years go by and the heroine is a Victoria secret model with rockstar boyfriends and is partying and traveling and having the time of her life while the hero is stuck in his small town with only a bunch of pictures and video of her catwalks in sexy lingerie that are his only solace while jerking off in the shower or having sex with some random woman because he never could get past her. Even old slut dumped him because he told her he never loved her and he always loved the heroine.
Sad beta male.
So the heroine comes back for a while to help the hero’s mother and meets the hero again.
He’s still very much in love with her while she hates his guts but sadly she still Carries a torch for him and suffers from severe TBS.
He tries to win her back and after some time she accepts to have a some kind of friends with benefits relationship with him, without anything serious.
I didn’t see why they should be back together and why she couldn’t get over him.
After all he was only her high school’s sweetheart and he behaved like a coward and a weak boy cheating on her at the first chance. He never even apologized and never said he was sorry. She had an amazing career and met hundreds of people, her rocker boyfriend was a nice guy, why couldn’t she fall for someone else? This hero has nothing special about him and he doesn’t seem to be very changed during the years.
Besides this, at each one their due, so if she wants the idiot back well, good luck to her, she will need it.
What I liked the most:
- she wasn’t celibate during their separation, she had many men trying to forget the hero, and a serious relationship with the rockstar.
- she didn’t take him back at once. She accepted to have sex with him without a serious commitment and even treated him as her dirty little secret, that was veeeery good.
- they don’t get married in the end, she has her career and her commitment and yes, they are together as a couple but I still hope she will find a better man.
- he pined for her and never got over her, he watched her being famous from afar with jealousy and regret.
- I also enjoyed that the rockstar went to see her in her little town and the hero was madly jealous about it and couldn’t do anything because hey, the man was a celebrity!
- and when they had sex the hero had to realize with much regret that she seems to have acquired much experience of course with other men, ha! Take this, hero!
In the end, even if this is a cheating story it was not so angsty and the heroine was not a doormat at all and she was the one who had the better life, career, money and friends. And sex partners. So eventually I enjoyed it and I still hope they won’t get married. Lol!
Heartless bitch I am.
So, hero and heroine meet and fall in love when they are very very young, they are each other first in almost everything and they are very much in love until they are separated for summer holidays and the hero cheats on her with the school slut who has been after him for some time.
The heroine catch them making out and is shattered. His explanation was well, the usual one, we’ve been together too long, I only was with you and I think we should explore others yada yada, and at this point I was already finished with him because man, I understand you’re 16 but what a coward you are, not even the guts to tell her he wanted out before being caught red handed with the town slut.
The heroine doesn’t want to have anything to do with him thank god for that and the coward keeps on having fun with the slut even if he’s still in love with the heroine.
But, since she won’t have anything to do with him, he thinks that if he can’t have the milk he will have the cow instead.
The heroine becomes a supermodel and this was fun because the slut and the cheating asshole are sooooo envious and jealous of her popularity and the idiot hero is now eating his hands because she works and dates the most gorgeous man models and is snubbing him and his slut.
Entertaining.
Years go by and the heroine is a Victoria secret model with rockstar boyfriends and is partying and traveling and having the time of her life while the hero is stuck in his small town with only a bunch of pictures and video of her catwalks in sexy lingerie that are his only solace while jerking off in the shower or having sex with some random woman because he never could get past her. Even old slut dumped him because he told her he never loved her and he always loved the heroine.
Sad beta male.
So the heroine comes back for a while to help the hero’s mother and meets the hero again.
He’s still very much in love with her while she hates his guts but sadly she still Carries a torch for him and suffers from severe TBS.
He tries to win her back and after some time she accepts to have a some kind of friends with benefits relationship with him, without anything serious.
I didn’t see why they should be back together and why she couldn’t get over him.
After all he was only her high school’s sweetheart and he behaved like a coward and a weak boy cheating on her at the first chance. He never even apologized and never said he was sorry. She had an amazing career and met hundreds of people, her rocker boyfriend was a nice guy, why couldn’t she fall for someone else? This hero has nothing special about him and he doesn’t seem to be very changed during the years.
Besides this, at each one their due, so if she wants the idiot back well, good luck to her, she will need it.
What I liked the most:
- she wasn’t celibate during their separation, she had many men trying to forget the hero, and a serious relationship with the rockstar.
- she didn’t take him back at once. She accepted to have sex with him without a serious commitment and even treated him as her dirty little secret, that was veeeery good.
- they don’t get married in the end, she has her career and her commitment and yes, they are together as a couple but I still hope she will find a better man.
- he pined for her and never got over her, he watched her being famous from afar with jealousy and regret.
- I also enjoyed that the rockstar went to see her in her little town and the hero was madly jealous about it and couldn’t do anything because hey, the man was a celebrity!
- and when they had sex the hero had to realize with much regret that she seems to have acquired much experience of course with other men, ha! Take this, hero!
In the end, even if this is a cheating story it was not so angsty and the heroine was not a doormat at all and she was the one who had the better life, career, money and friends. And sex partners. So eventually I enjoyed it and I still hope they won’t get married. Lol!
Read
December 25, 2022DNF 50%
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Zero has nothing lovable about him. Zeroine should have forgotten about the loser and moved on. It was as if she had regressed instead of evolved by taking the immature cheater back.
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Zero has nothing lovable about him. Zeroine should have forgotten about the loser and moved on. It was as if she had regressed instead of evolved by taking the immature cheater back.
July 21, 2025
I really wanted to like this book because it was one of the few betrayal/cheating books where I felt the H truly understood and regretted how badly he had behaved. But, I just couldn't. As much as I believed that Barron regretted cheating on Eden, I just couldn't believe anything he said.
Barron kept insisting that he'd "made a mistake" when he cheated on Eden. I might be able to believe that if it had been a one time thing; but it wasn't. It went on for MONTHS; he started cheating on her as soon as she left on vacation. He lied to her. He avoided her. He declined her phone calls. He cheated on her publicly, in front of her friends and family. He hurt her and humiliated her; everyone knew what was going on behind her back. That wasn't a mistake. That was a conscious choice. And yes, he may have been only 18 but he was more than old enough to understand right from wrong and to have a moral center. Barron didn't. He was just too weak and gutless to do the right thing and break off his relationship with Eden because he wanted to screw around.
Barron cheated on Eden with the "mean girl" that had been trying to break them up for three years, the one that he said was "shallow and vapid" and wasn't a threat to her. He said that he felt crushing guilt over cheating on Eden, so what did he do to show her how sorry he was? He stayed in a relationship with the girl he cheated with for over a year and allowed the girl to rub it in Eden's face every day at school.
After Eden came back to town, Barron kept promising that he would give her space; instead, he ambushed her every time he saw her and tried to force her to talk to him. He constantly called her and texted her. Was this supposed to show her how she could trust him now?
Barron told Eden that he hadn't had any relationships after he broke up with the girl he cheated with. That was a lie; he had a relationship with Tracey. He told Eden that he hadn't slept with anyone that lived in town; that was also a lie. Tracey not only lived in town, she worked for him. He told Eden that he hadn't been interested in having sex with anyone after he heard that she was coming back to town. That was another lie. He propositioned Tracey the day that Eden came home and that was months after he'd heard she was coming back; the only reason that he didn't sleep with Tracey that day was because Eden called.
When Eden finally decided to give him a chance, she agreed to have a casual relationship and see where things went. At first, Barron acted so grateful that she was giving him a chance at all but when things didn't progress as quickly as he wanted them to, he had a tantrum, stormed off and wouldn't answer her calls or texts and she eventually had to go after him.
So, as far as I'm concerned, Barron might regret what he did, but he was still a liar and no more trustworthy than he was when he was 18.
Barron kept insisting that he'd "made a mistake" when he cheated on Eden. I might be able to believe that if it had been a one time thing; but it wasn't. It went on for MONTHS; he started cheating on her as soon as she left on vacation. He lied to her. He avoided her. He declined her phone calls. He cheated on her publicly, in front of her friends and family. He hurt her and humiliated her; everyone knew what was going on behind her back. That wasn't a mistake. That was a conscious choice. And yes, he may have been only 18 but he was more than old enough to understand right from wrong and to have a moral center. Barron didn't. He was just too weak and gutless to do the right thing and break off his relationship with Eden because he wanted to screw around.
Barron cheated on Eden with the "mean girl" that had been trying to break them up for three years, the one that he said was "shallow and vapid" and wasn't a threat to her. He said that he felt crushing guilt over cheating on Eden, so what did he do to show her how sorry he was? He stayed in a relationship with the girl he cheated with for over a year and allowed the girl to rub it in Eden's face every day at school.
After Eden came back to town, Barron kept promising that he would give her space; instead, he ambushed her every time he saw her and tried to force her to talk to him. He constantly called her and texted her. Was this supposed to show her how she could trust him now?
Barron told Eden that he hadn't had any relationships after he broke up with the girl he cheated with. That was a lie; he had a relationship with Tracey. He told Eden that he hadn't slept with anyone that lived in town; that was also a lie. Tracey not only lived in town, she worked for him. He told Eden that he hadn't been interested in having sex with anyone after he heard that she was coming back to town. That was another lie. He propositioned Tracey the day that Eden came home and that was months after he'd heard she was coming back; the only reason that he didn't sleep with Tracey that day was because Eden called.
When Eden finally decided to give him a chance, she agreed to have a casual relationship and see where things went. At first, Barron acted so grateful that she was giving him a chance at all but when things didn't progress as quickly as he wanted them to, he had a tantrum, stormed off and wouldn't answer her calls or texts and she eventually had to go after him.
So, as far as I'm concerned, Barron might regret what he did, but he was still a liar and no more trustworthy than he was when he was 18.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 3, 2024
Good cheater-redemption story for most sane readers but since I am an insane, bloodthirsty grovel-chaser, unless the hero whips himself into almost death like in This Other Eden or spits in OW's face and banishes her to a leper colony like in The Silver Devil, I don't consider it an adequate grovel :~}
August 16, 2023
I’m torn. I agree with many reviewers that this is an amazing debut from a new author. I also LOVED (mostly) how the breakup/separation/make-up was handled with the h sticking to her guns and moving on with her life… and finding success. And the H taking responsibility and struggling during the separation because there’s nothing more frustrating (for me at least) when the h doesn’t date or has lousy sex while the H is living it up then insta-forgiveness. So… 👏👏👏👏👏 for that.
So, I was bummed (and confused) that I struggled to get invested in the plot… because this had so much good stuff going on.
✅ The h went on to become a famous supermodel and was better than the OW in every way.
✅ No surprise or oopsie babies to manipulate the plot or justify actions.
✅ The H is miserable and knows he made a huge mistake.
✅ H takes 100% accountability.
✅ Cheating happened when young (17) and stupid.
✅ H does all the heavy lifting/ accommodating/ begging to get his girl back.
✅ He never cared for the OW and hasn’t been with her for years.
✅ h has loyal friends that stick by her.
I think my biggest issue was failing to connect to the main characters emotionally. In the beginning, I was so happy Eden stayed firm and lived her life, but her initial I HATE you, rude, confrontational, won’t even smile when we pass on the street felt a smidge immature and didn’t scream, I’m whole. You can have a slow/make him work for it/groveling reconnection and still be coming from a grownup attitude without all the hostility…. Because fanning the I HATE BARRON flames for 7 years takes a lot of energy that only hurt her… and he wasn’t worth it at that point. 🤷♀️It didn’t help that they were separated longer than they were together.
So, it felt a bit young and immature, and I don’t have a ton of patience for young love drama… so it lost me a bit. Good news, is by 50% or so I felt like Eden matured. Bad news was then the plot lost its momentum and there just wasn’t enough conflict/wannabe OW drama to keep me riveted.
Bottom Line- I liked it, even really liked certain parts, but the middle DRAGGED for me, and I skimmed… and I only have one concrete reviewing rule, and that’s if I have to skim… it can only be a 3⭐. But I’m an impatient reader, so keep that in mind. There are some great/thorough reviews out there that loved it. And it’s on KU.
Safety-
So, I was bummed (and confused) that I struggled to get invested in the plot… because this had so much good stuff going on.
✅ The h went on to become a famous supermodel and was better than the OW in every way.
✅ No surprise or oopsie babies to manipulate the plot or justify actions.
✅ The H is miserable and knows he made a huge mistake.
✅ H takes 100% accountability.
✅ Cheating happened when young (17) and stupid.
✅ H does all the heavy lifting/ accommodating/ begging to get his girl back.
✅ He never cared for the OW and hasn’t been with her for years.
✅ h has loyal friends that stick by her.
I think my biggest issue was failing to connect to the main characters emotionally. In the beginning, I was so happy Eden stayed firm and lived her life, but her initial I HATE you, rude, confrontational, won’t even smile when we pass on the street felt a smidge immature and didn’t scream, I’m whole. You can have a slow/make him work for it/groveling reconnection and still be coming from a grownup attitude without all the hostility…. Because fanning the I HATE BARRON flames for 7 years takes a lot of energy that only hurt her… and he wasn’t worth it at that point. 🤷♀️It didn’t help that they were separated longer than they were together.
So, it felt a bit young and immature, and I don’t have a ton of patience for young love drama… so it lost me a bit. Good news, is by 50% or so I felt like Eden matured. Bad news was then the plot lost its momentum and there just wasn’t enough conflict/wannabe OW drama to keep me riveted.
Bottom Line- I liked it, even really liked certain parts, but the middle DRAGGED for me, and I skimmed… and I only have one concrete reviewing rule, and that’s if I have to skim… it can only be a 3⭐. But I’m an impatient reader, so keep that in mind. There are some great/thorough reviews out there that loved it. And it’s on KU.
Safety-
May 8, 2023
Well, this was different. High school sweethearts where she catches the very dumb and young hero in a clinch with the evil teen OW. H and OW haven't had sex yet (not that the heroine knows that) but the h leaves, passes go and does not stop for her $200. She is a take no prisoners chick.
Pretty much the rest of the book is the hero falling apart, riddled with regret and shame over the loss of the love of his life. She, on the other hand, trips off to New York, is found by a modeling agency as so often happens, and becomes a world famous model with a hunky and quirky rock star boyfriend that doesn't cheat on her. She comes back to town about ten years later to do a class for teen girls on modeling, and as a side note the author did a good job dealing with the social issues of social media and inner image vs outer self confidence. Did not make the plot better, but I like to applaud effort when I see it. Anyhoo, the H actually meets the rockstar-now ex at one point and can't decide between punching him or asking him for his autograph because he's a big fan. H is a little beta.
Obviously they get back together, but not before she heaps a mountain of scorn on him and he...takes it.
Pretty much the rest of the book is the hero falling apart, riddled with regret and shame over the loss of the love of his life. She, on the other hand, trips off to New York, is found by a modeling agency as so often happens, and becomes a world famous model with a hunky and quirky rock star boyfriend that doesn't cheat on her. She comes back to town about ten years later to do a class for teen girls on modeling, and as a side note the author did a good job dealing with the social issues of social media and inner image vs outer self confidence. Did not make the plot better, but I like to applaud effort when I see it. Anyhoo, the H actually meets the rockstar-now ex at one point and can't decide between punching him or asking him for his autograph because he's a big fan. H is a little beta.
Obviously they get back together, but not before she heaps a mountain of scorn on him and he...takes it.
Read
January 27, 2024Will not rate as I knew it was a cheating book going into it and I hate cheating but heard it had a good grovel and i need one so bad!!
alas it wasn't even the cheating that bothered me it was the fact that he proceeded to have a yearlong relationship with the OW immediately after their break up. and THAT is unforgivable. he regretted it immediately and so much that he continued on with her?
🤮🤮🤮 ill be honest nothing could have redeemed him to me after that.
alas it wasn't even the cheating that bothered me it was the fact that he proceeded to have a yearlong relationship with the OW immediately after their break up. and THAT is unforgivable. he regretted it immediately and so much that he continued on with her?
🤮🤮🤮 ill be honest nothing could have redeemed him to me after that.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 14, 2022
4.5 Stars to Barron's Second Chance - Now LIVE on Kindle Unlimited!
Eden and Barron were highschool sweethearts until an unthinkable betrayal tore them apart. When these two meet again, will forgiveness be on the cards? Or will Eden always be the one who got away?
I read this back in September on Wattpad, before it was added to KindleUnlimited and Goodreads.
My Thoughts:
Awesome second chance romance ❤️ I enjoyed it very much. I was pretty impressed with the writing and wondered why it was only available on Wattpad. It's better written than some popular romance books. This book deserves more attention, so I'm glad it's now on KU.
✔️ Engaging and endearing H/h with great chemistry.
✔️ Entertaining (hateful) OW drama.
✔️ Strong heroine
✔️ Convincing redemption by the hero.
✔️ Highly satisfying grovel.
✔️ Lovely HEA & Epilogue--two epilogues, one 18 months later; the other, 10 yrs. later.
The angst was balanced well...it never overwhelmed 😅 In fact, I'd say it was low-key, at least compared to other stories I've read. I LOVED how the heroine got her revenge (unintentionally) on the hero by becoming a supermodel after he broke her heart. He had to see her become famous, loved and admired by all. To see her gorgeous face on tv and magazines with some hot male models. I mean, if that's not the perfect revenge on a cheating ex, I don't know what is. As a reader, it was tremendously fun to see him suffer with regret. I'm evil like that.
Other Details:
7 yr. separation
Both not celibate during separation (multiple partners)
Eden and Barron were highschool sweethearts until an unthinkable betrayal tore them apart. When these two meet again, will forgiveness be on the cards? Or will Eden always be the one who got away?
I read this back in September on Wattpad, before it was added to KindleUnlimited and Goodreads.
My Thoughts:
Awesome second chance romance ❤️ I enjoyed it very much. I was pretty impressed with the writing and wondered why it was only available on Wattpad. It's better written than some popular romance books. This book deserves more attention, so I'm glad it's now on KU.
✔️ Engaging and endearing H/h with great chemistry.
✔️ Entertaining (hateful) OW drama.
✔️ Strong heroine
✔️ Convincing redemption by the hero.
✔️ Highly satisfying grovel.
✔️ Lovely HEA & Epilogue--two epilogues, one 18 months later; the other, 10 yrs. later.
The angst was balanced well...it never overwhelmed 😅 In fact, I'd say it was low-key, at least compared to other stories I've read. I LOVED how the heroine got her revenge (unintentionally) on the hero by becoming a supermodel after he broke her heart. He had to see her become famous, loved and admired by all. To see her gorgeous face on tv and magazines with some hot male models. I mean, if that's not the perfect revenge on a cheating ex, I don't know what is. As a reader, it was tremendously fun to see him suffer with regret. I'm evil like that.
Other Details:
7 yr. separation
Both not celibate during separation (multiple partners)
January 2, 2023
I almost put this in my DNF shelf when the h's pussy creamed at H's words and when H called h a slut while they were fucking. It just didn't fit the storyline. It was weird.
characters-who-cheated-ugh
February 14, 2023Psychologytoday.com-
Someone with a long history of infidelity, across multiple relationships, is more likely to repeat that past behavior. On the other hand, someone who cheated once is less likely to cheat again, especially if it was long ago and a lot has happened since then.
See?
LESS LIKELY
Someone with a long history of infidelity, across multiple relationships, is more likely to repeat that past behavior. On the other hand, someone who cheated once is less likely to cheat again, especially if it was long ago and a lot has happened since then.
See?
LESS LIKELY
December 18, 2022
I’m not the target audience, book opens while they’re in high school. Definitely not my thing. It’s a decent story, but way too long.
April 11, 2023
My reading has been so hectic these past weeks I've reached to books blindly attempting a muuuch needed diversion from life.
I must have been truly out of it because at some point I've found myself reading a "cheating book". ME. A cheating book?!
I had no idea I was reading a cheating book until the idiot male indeed... cheated. I paused, looking back at the cover, and indeed there it was, displayed in all its gloriousness "... a cheating redemption story". Well, okay then, now it's done, let's see about the grovelling part.
Nevermind that I was indeed reading a cheating romance (not usually my thing) I started getting addicted to that angsty little piece. The cheating part was juvenile and in the past; I didn't care for it and it didn't bother me.
The present romance arc however was all about attempts at grovel. I'm a sucker for a good grovel so I kept on reading. The book had this small town vibe, all very sweet, honestly it wasn't a cheating book anymore. The male lead was such a simp, I even started liking him because of it although he was so freaking awkward.
Then the author effectively shattered my small town vibe: the sex was atrocious.
Cheap sex talk and youporn sex moves. Degrading and not in a sexy way. I couldn't reconcile the tentative gestures and talks from the hero with his hardcore porn persona in the bedroom. It was comical even.
I love a steamy romance, I fucking do, but the sex was so absurd and misplaced. 🫣🥲
I'm now thinking since his cheating didn't bother me much... would I read another?
Maybe.
I must have been truly out of it because at some point I've found myself reading a "cheating book". ME. A cheating book?!
I had no idea I was reading a cheating book until the idiot male indeed... cheated. I paused, looking back at the cover, and indeed there it was, displayed in all its gloriousness "... a cheating redemption story". Well, okay then, now it's done, let's see about the grovelling part.
Nevermind that I was indeed reading a cheating romance (not usually my thing) I started getting addicted to that angsty little piece. The cheating part was juvenile and in the past; I didn't care for it and it didn't bother me.
The present romance arc however was all about attempts at grovel. I'm a sucker for a good grovel so I kept on reading. The book had this small town vibe, all very sweet, honestly it wasn't a cheating book anymore. The male lead was such a simp, I even started liking him because of it although he was so freaking awkward.
Then the author effectively shattered my small town vibe: the sex was atrocious.
Cheap sex talk and youporn sex moves. Degrading and not in a sexy way. I couldn't reconcile the tentative gestures and talks from the hero with his hardcore porn persona in the bedroom. It was comical even.
I love a steamy romance, I fucking do, but the sex was so absurd and misplaced. 🫣🥲
I'm now thinking since his cheating didn't bother me much... would I read another?
Maybe.
December 26, 2022
A solid angsty read where the H made out with an OW while the h was away on holidays at the prompting of his cousin. The problem is that they were 16 at the time. Yes one can still feel pain at 16 but for them to be each other’s end game at that age … one could see where the cousin was coming from about but it still makes the H a loser for not breaking up with the h first.
Anyway, it was a refreshing twist in that the h became a successful model and was definitely not waiting for the H.
Years later, when the h came back to town, the H spent the rest of the book trying to get back into her good graces. Lots of grovelling.
Anyway, it was a refreshing twist in that the h became a successful model and was definitely not waiting for the H.
Years later, when the h came back to town, the H spent the rest of the book trying to get back into her good graces. Lots of grovelling.
June 17, 2025
For a progressed from Wattpad, Na-Ya school-sweethearts-break-up book, I was liking it.
The book starts from the initial years when they’re 14, how they become more than friends. Then how he does the Dumb and gets influenced to join the cool gang and betrays her with her bete noire. He leaves not just her but other friends too. He regrets hurting her but is unable to leave this path.
That’s all heartbreaking, real and relatable.
I like how supportive and cool her single mom is (her own story is not too different). Even his parents take her side and berate him etc. But she faces a humiliating, hurtful few months in her last year of school thanks to all this.
Then, there’s a serendipitous trip to NYC, she gets scouted, becomes a supermodel, lives the Big Life and then we shift to mid-20s adult-hood and the present.
She comes home one summer and they meet again.
The book starts from the initial years when they’re 14, how they become more than friends. Then how he does the Dumb and gets influenced to join the cool gang and betrays her with her bete noire. He leaves not just her but other friends too. He regrets hurting her but is unable to leave this path.
That’s all heartbreaking, real and relatable.
I like how supportive and cool her single mom is (her own story is not too different). Even his parents take her side and berate him etc. But she faces a humiliating, hurtful few months in her last year of school thanks to all this.
Then, there’s a serendipitous trip to NYC, she gets scouted, becomes a supermodel, lives the Big Life and then we shift to mid-20s adult-hood and the present.
She comes home one summer and they meet again.
August 1, 2023
I typically enjoy this kind of novel and the angst and the pain, but Barron was just as bad as an adult as a teenager because he kept lying to Eden, even as an adult about other women he'd been with. Like, what the actual hell, dude? You already publicly betrayed her and humiliated her with a girl who treated her like crap, but now lying to her about the fact that you weren't in fact a celibate monk after she left? What was the point of that lie?
Read
December 25, 2022I got bored and quit DNF
April 21, 2023
He was a cheater and yes he regretted his actions but he's also a liar.
January 4, 2023
Take my advice, and save yourself the time you can never get back by reading this book. Run, don't walk to find another book to read.
December 26, 2024
I first read Maria’s book in this series and really loved it except for the epilogue. I do like this author’s writing, but I feel like the plot dragged. There was so much filler, rehashing the past over and over, that it felt a little like beating a dead horse. Because the conflict occurred when the characters were so young, it was confusing why E was SO hung up on it, to the point that it impacted her daily life. Barron did all the heavy lifting to get E back and she didn’t make it easy on him at all, so I would rate the grovel high on this one. I did enjoy the extended epilogue. Overall I enjoy the character development this author writes.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 14, 2023
I liked seeing the H wallow in his feelings and regret, but I just don't think I would ever forgive him for what he did. I get why the h forgave him and took him back because he gave good grovel to be honest, but i just don't know because cheating has always been a big NO for me and have always made me feel icky in books, so I'm very conflicted right now.😅
December 30, 2022
He definitely suffered after betraying her, which is always nice.
January 6, 2023
Beginning was good but fizzled out fast. H cheated during Junior year of Highschool with fmcs arch nemesis. 7 years later she a top model and he wants her back.
September 25, 2024
DNF at 50%
It had one thing going for it, that FMC didn't insta forgive the MMC. But the rest was annoying. There was no redemption on MMCs part he just pushed and pushed ignoring the FMCs boundaries and wishes. This was all about him, how he feels, what he wants and the audacity to express jealousy after everything he's done. By the time he forced a kiss on her I was just done.
This would have so much better if there was external circumstances that kept them in touch/in proximity during her visit so MMC could organically reintroduce himself and EARN forgiveness.
It had one thing going for it, that FMC didn't insta forgive the MMC. But the rest was annoying. There was no redemption on MMCs part he just pushed and pushed ignoring the FMCs boundaries and wishes. This was all about him, how he feels, what he wants and the audacity to express jealousy after everything he's done. By the time he forced a kiss on her I was just done.
This would have so much better if there was external circumstances that kept them in touch/in proximity during her visit so MMC could organically reintroduce himself and EARN forgiveness.
December 15, 2022
Read this originally on Wattpad
I enjoyed the story overall. I found parts to be unnecessary though. Especially when when read Eden' POV and then Barron has the same exact stuff in his POV. So you feel like you constantly rereading it.
For being almost 400 pages of it just was crazy.
I enjoyed the story overall. I found parts to be unnecessary though. Especially when when read Eden' POV and then Barron has the same exact stuff in his POV. So you feel like you constantly rereading it.
For being almost 400 pages of it just was crazy.
March 21, 2023
2 stars. In my opinion, the hero’s motivation for cheating wasn’t clear nor good enough and was very much a red flag. It wasn’t just cheating — it was also a betrayal of his long term best friendship. While the heroine was traveling with her mom for a few weeks to visit her grandparents, the hero was ignoring her calls and texts and slutting it up with the bitchy OW. The heroine returns home, finds out the hero lied to his mother that he split up with the heroine, then discovers him making out with the OW in his pool (just one of the times he was with OW).
The reason given for the hero’s cheating and absolutely horrid treatment of his girlfriend and best friend was just the general “I was young” and “my friend scared me about committing too early”. Like…nothing major happens to trigger it and the heroine and hero’s relationship was perfect beforehand. Not to mention they had been friends since they were born. 17 is old enough to not cheat and ruin a relationship with your closest friend for dumb reasons. Like even if he hadn’t cheated…just ignoring your besties calls and texts and brushing them off like they're nothing is grounds for ending a friendship. Anyways…if this were the real world and not a romance novel, unmotivated cheating and betrayal like that would not be a one-time thing. And then he continues to date and have sex with the OW after the heroine breaks up with him? The hero showed who he was early…
The reason given for the hero’s cheating and absolutely horrid treatment of his girlfriend and best friend was just the general “I was young” and “my friend scared me about committing too early”. Like…nothing major happens to trigger it and the heroine and hero’s relationship was perfect beforehand. Not to mention they had been friends since they were born. 17 is old enough to not cheat and ruin a relationship with your closest friend for dumb reasons. Like even if he hadn’t cheated…just ignoring your besties calls and texts and brushing them off like they're nothing is grounds for ending a friendship. Anyways…if this were the real world and not a romance novel, unmotivated cheating and betrayal like that would not be a one-time thing. And then he continues to date and have sex with the OW after the heroine breaks up with him? The hero showed who he was early…
March 30, 2025
I really liked this book and it hit all of my reading spots.. Angst, second chance, drama and redemption!!
However it felt too long sometimes and Way too many details about the modeling industry. Still, I enjoyed it.
However it felt too long sometimes and Way too many details about the modeling industry. Still, I enjoyed it.
December 3, 2023
I read a book about a man cheating and loved it. 🙈
WAIT HEAR ME OUT OKAY! Now I personally would never take back a cheater, but there’s something different about being in high school & making the dumbest decision of your life vs a man who has been married and is actively cheating on his wife. There’s just a difference for me. Did Barron fuck up when he was 17? Absolutely. Did he live in pain and misery for almost 7 years because of that choice? Sure did. Barron was all about action and that’s what I need in a redemption story. Talk all the talk you want but I need you to show me to know you mean it. And he did.
I liveddddd for all of the drama and angst. Ate. It. Up. 🤌🏼
It was just what I needed at the time.
🚩 Obviously there’s cheating, and it is on page. It happens within the first few chapters before it fast forwards 7 years.
WAIT HEAR ME OUT OKAY! Now I personally would never take back a cheater, but there’s something different about being in high school & making the dumbest decision of your life vs a man who has been married and is actively cheating on his wife. There’s just a difference for me. Did Barron fuck up when he was 17? Absolutely. Did he live in pain and misery for almost 7 years because of that choice? Sure did. Barron was all about action and that’s what I need in a redemption story. Talk all the talk you want but I need you to show me to know you mean it. And he did.
I liveddddd for all of the drama and angst. Ate. It. Up. 🤌🏼
It was just what I needed at the time.
🚩 Obviously there’s cheating, and it is on page. It happens within the first few chapters before it fast forwards 7 years.
December 11, 2024
I like this book. I really do. But, the MMC has no moral fiber. All his choices and decisions are based on in the moment feelings and not on loyalty or respect or love. I’m at the 48% mark and every major thing in his life has poor decisions around it. Let me break it down.
The love for his childhood friend turned sweetheart turned the love of his life. I’m stressing on the “childhood” part of that dynamic because he grew up with her. She was his best friend all through their formative years BEFORE it turned romantic and sexual. She was his first everything too. He states more than once that he was always going to be with her, or that he planned to love her unconditionally for the rest of his life, or (this is my favorite lol) as long as he didn’t have s e x with the OW, that if he never let’s it go that far, then the FMC would forgive him and he would get her back. I get that he was young and immature, honestly it’s to be expected, but(!) he was playing games and not truthful to himself when he was doing this. That brings me to the MMC decimating the trust of others in his life.
- He lied to the FMC that nothing was going on when he was in fact cheating in every way but the last one, intercourse.
- He lied to ALL of his childhood friends when he chose the OW and other shallow people to hang with over the people he actually liked.
- He lied to his mother by telling her he had already ended things with the FMC when he started bringing the OW to his parents house when he in fact hadn’t done that.
- He contributed to the loss of the FMC from his parents lives since the FMC is the daughter of his mother’s best friend and his parents thought of her like their own daughter.
- He didn’t stand up to his sleazy cousin who knew he had a girlfriend and who still chose to denigrate that relationship and the MMC’s life choices by putting doubt in his head and encouraging an affair/cheating like it was no big deal. So the MMC disrespected himself in this regard.
Let’s move forward a little bit to the MMC still having a lack of moral fiber with his business.
- He instigates sexual relationships with out of towners that frequent his restaurant or are temporary employees there. But when one, ONE, again 1(!), of those casual relationships sticks around he turns around after a while and decides to give it another go. The only reason he didn’t follow through on that was because the FMC has romance book timing and called him right before he was to leave with this other-OW. Lol.
Again he has ZERO fortitude on his own standards! It took ONE shitty cousin, ONE childhood shank OW, ONE ex-temporary employee-OW, to turn his head at any given time. Smdh
So I do like this book. The story has a strong FMC. I like the pacing of the book. I’m looking forward to the next half. I hope it plays out realistically but I won’t hold my breath. There is too much unresolved history and the MMC has to prove he can be left alone without supervision since he has the attention span of an alley cat with ADHD that is easily influenced by just about anyone! Lmbo.
74% UPDATE
I just have to say authors who don’t live in New York or are not Latino should NOT talk about what they don’t actually know. This author wrote that the FMC has a corner bodega not far from a Central Park entrance that she likes to run into. So, as a native New Yorker and a proud Latina of Puerto Rican descent, a “bodega” is a Spanish neighborhood grocery store or a Spanish owned grocery store. Having said that, there are NO bodega’s on any street surrounding Central Park in Manhattan New York and hasn’t been in a lot of years. Any deli or grocery store that could possibly be near that park would also be owned be an Arab or Indian nationality person. As most grocery stores are being bought out from Spanish ownership in all the boroughs in general or out right closing. Since the Central Park area is considered “upscale” in nearly all corners you won’t see a bodega there. This is a peeve of mine, so I would love if the author corrected this and stopped trying to sound like her FMC is living in a culturally rich neighborhood when she absolutely is not. She’s living with the other wealthy out of towner’s who migrate to NYC, making it too expensive for the locals to live in the city anymore, but who want to claim some kind of cultural emergence from living here. Just like any other cultural appropriation situation.
FINAL UPDATE
I REALLY ENJOYED THIS BOOK. I liked the characters. I love the REGRET’s that the MMC felt for so long. How he basically begged his way back into the FMC’s life. If the author hadn’t shown the MMC’s POV’s from the beginning after his betrayals then this would have been more of a stalker story. Because he was honestly unhealthy with his obsession with the FMC. If only he had remembered that before he f’ked up. Lol.
Still, I enjoyed every part of this story except for the bodega thing I mentioned above, the MMC’s lack morals or any fortitude, which he found in spades after he began to chase the FMC to get back with him. But hey, better late than never, right. Smh and lastly, the steam was lacking. It was boring to me and I basically skipped over them. Well, you can’t have it all. I really wanted to give this book four stars but I wasn’t sure if I would reread this story again. I do however want more from this author but so far I only see this one book. I want to see what else they can come up with. I will keep checking in on them for up dates. Good luck.
The love for his childhood friend turned sweetheart turned the love of his life. I’m stressing on the “childhood” part of that dynamic because he grew up with her. She was his best friend all through their formative years BEFORE it turned romantic and sexual. She was his first everything too. He states more than once that he was always going to be with her, or that he planned to love her unconditionally for the rest of his life, or (this is my favorite lol) as long as he didn’t have s e x with the OW, that if he never let’s it go that far, then the FMC would forgive him and he would get her back. I get that he was young and immature, honestly it’s to be expected, but(!) he was playing games and not truthful to himself when he was doing this. That brings me to the MMC decimating the trust of others in his life.
- He lied to the FMC that nothing was going on when he was in fact cheating in every way but the last one, intercourse.
- He lied to ALL of his childhood friends when he chose the OW and other shallow people to hang with over the people he actually liked.
- He lied to his mother by telling her he had already ended things with the FMC when he started bringing the OW to his parents house when he in fact hadn’t done that.
- He contributed to the loss of the FMC from his parents lives since the FMC is the daughter of his mother’s best friend and his parents thought of her like their own daughter.
- He didn’t stand up to his sleazy cousin who knew he had a girlfriend and who still chose to denigrate that relationship and the MMC’s life choices by putting doubt in his head and encouraging an affair/cheating like it was no big deal. So the MMC disrespected himself in this regard.
Let’s move forward a little bit to the MMC still having a lack of moral fiber with his business.
- He instigates sexual relationships with out of towners that frequent his restaurant or are temporary employees there. But when one, ONE, again 1(!), of those casual relationships sticks around he turns around after a while and decides to give it another go. The only reason he didn’t follow through on that was because the FMC has romance book timing and called him right before he was to leave with this other-OW. Lol.
Again he has ZERO fortitude on his own standards! It took ONE shitty cousin, ONE childhood shank OW, ONE ex-temporary employee-OW, to turn his head at any given time. Smdh
So I do like this book. The story has a strong FMC. I like the pacing of the book. I’m looking forward to the next half. I hope it plays out realistically but I won’t hold my breath. There is too much unresolved history and the MMC has to prove he can be left alone without supervision since he has the attention span of an alley cat with ADHD that is easily influenced by just about anyone! Lmbo.
74% UPDATE
I just have to say authors who don’t live in New York or are not Latino should NOT talk about what they don’t actually know. This author wrote that the FMC has a corner bodega not far from a Central Park entrance that she likes to run into. So, as a native New Yorker and a proud Latina of Puerto Rican descent, a “bodega” is a Spanish neighborhood grocery store or a Spanish owned grocery store. Having said that, there are NO bodega’s on any street surrounding Central Park in Manhattan New York and hasn’t been in a lot of years. Any deli or grocery store that could possibly be near that park would also be owned be an Arab or Indian nationality person. As most grocery stores are being bought out from Spanish ownership in all the boroughs in general or out right closing. Since the Central Park area is considered “upscale” in nearly all corners you won’t see a bodega there. This is a peeve of mine, so I would love if the author corrected this and stopped trying to sound like her FMC is living in a culturally rich neighborhood when she absolutely is not. She’s living with the other wealthy out of towner’s who migrate to NYC, making it too expensive for the locals to live in the city anymore, but who want to claim some kind of cultural emergence from living here. Just like any other cultural appropriation situation.
FINAL UPDATE
I REALLY ENJOYED THIS BOOK. I liked the characters. I love the REGRET’s that the MMC felt for so long. How he basically begged his way back into the FMC’s life. If the author hadn’t shown the MMC’s POV’s from the beginning after his betrayals then this would have been more of a stalker story. Because he was honestly unhealthy with his obsession with the FMC. If only he had remembered that before he f’ked up. Lol.
Still, I enjoyed every part of this story except for the bodega thing I mentioned above, the MMC’s lack morals or any fortitude, which he found in spades after he began to chase the FMC to get back with him. But hey, better late than never, right. Smh and lastly, the steam was lacking. It was boring to me and I basically skipped over them. Well, you can’t have it all. I really wanted to give this book four stars but I wasn’t sure if I would reread this story again. I do however want more from this author but so far I only see this one book. I want to see what else they can come up with. I will keep checking in on them for up dates. Good luck.
December 14, 2022
I loved the h ,she was very confident and didn’t let the betrayal destroy her ,she let the H grovel and didn‘t forgive him easily .The H was young and stupid,I didn’t like the fact That he still carried on with OW After he was found out and later was in a relationship with her :großer
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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