I usually enjoy this author's work, for the most part, but this book isn't one that I liked much at all. Which is obviously disappointing, but even more so since I'm in desperate need of a good book that isn't something I have to commit to a series for, or learn a fantasy world for.
What bothered me the most:
- Quite a few spelling/grammar/punctuation mark issues; missing words from sentences that you have to fill in the blank for because you know they are supposed to be there and they just aren't; instances where a sentence would say something like "wouldn't" when it's clearly supposed to be "would"; breaks in sentences like the author accidentally hit enter after a random word and the sentence continues on a whole different line; first letters in a sentence not being capitalized; etc--all things that could've been easily avoided if someone spent the time to proof read and fix it. I usually look past a few mistakes because no one is perfect, and a few mistakes here and there are a given, but this book is filled to the brim with them.
- A 16 year old (Mattias) was able to pay for an apartment and living for him and a 13 year old (Gennedy)? From mowing lawns? I know he got into running drugs years down the line, but even still, I find it hard to believe it was possible he kept a roof over their heads.
- Mattias being so possessive over Gen, them always claiming they are it for each other, only for him to tell her to find another man to fuck while he's in prison. Then pushing her to be in a relationship. It felt so out of character.
- Silas's character felt like it was planted into the story in a way that never took root and thrived like it should have. Like, he just randomly pops up at a park where Gen is, then she goes off with him to his shop, he gives her his number. . .then there's yet another time jump, and now it's a year later and she's in love with Silas? We didn't get to see any of it. At least with Matt and Gen we saw a bit of history, but we get fuck all with Silas. We learn the bare minimum about his past (like a solid two facts). Made it really hard to believe the love between them. And how it segways into them becoming a throuple was just odd. Gen is adamant that Matt won't go for it, that he isn't sexually interested in men-or anyone but her for that matter, but Silas somehow knows he is? And then Silas has that private meeting with Matt which came off weird as fuck to me. Like, why is he telling Silas he's getting out next week but didn't tell Gen? Made no sense why it was so secretive when it seems like something Matt would be all too excited to share with Gen personally. And the relationship between Silas and Matt seemed especially unnatural; there's not a single POV between the two mmc's, so we see none of them getting to the point where they want to be together. It just happens. And it seems like Silas is much more eager to be with Matt than Gen--the fact that there's a scene where Gen and Silas are being intimate and Silas is kinda slow to getting hard until she starts asking him about Matt didn't help my view with that--even though it says in the book that Silas wanting Matt stems from the fact that Gen wants Matt. Maybe that's how it starts, but it sure as hell felt like his connection ran much deeper with Matt than the girl he supposedly was in love with.
- Them-Silas and Matt-getting together is the perfect segway into my next issue: the limited communication surrounding the three-way relationship. It felt like they didn't have enough conversations about the logistics of becoming a throuple, or really any at all. I know that Silas and Gen talked about it a little, but other than that, they just jump into it. Resulting in Gen's random outburst about them kissing for the first time, because she feels like it came out of nowhere and they were doing it behind her back due to none of them discussing how it's all going to work between them, so she gets upset that they are kissing without having asked her permission. Which, I can understand in a way, but also not. She's in a relationship with both of these men, and she's been behind them all getting together, plus Silas has not made his feelings for Matt secret, nor has Matt with his feelings about Silas, but the second the two men kiss she is demanding to know why they aren't apologizing to her like it's not something that she should have been expecting? It makes no sense. And the way it's handled with the patronizing explanations from the mmc's irritated me. Instead of sitting down and having a logical discussion about everything like they already should've done, they tell her that they shouldn't limit themselves and it's just to be expected. Idk, rubbed me the wrong way how it was dealt with.
- Which brings me to: the first time Mattias and Silas sleep together is because Gen tells them she wants them to. I kind of expected it because I knew we weren't getting any POV's from the mmc's, but it disappointed me a lot. Almost every time I read a mmf it seems like the mmc's relationship to each other is based around the mfc controlling when and how the men are intimate. It doesn't come off as natural, and it's just really annoying to me when it happens this way instead of letting the mmc's evolve in their relationship with each other at the pace they want to. Instead, the rate of how intimate they are together seems to be based around the mfc thinking it would be "so hot" to see the mmc's together and wants it to happen. Nothing wrong with the mfc being attracted to it, obviously, but I just don't like when it's gone about this way.
- And, finally: the relationship between Mattias and Gen. At first, it started off strongish. For almost five years, they were all each other had, just them trying to survive the shitty life they'd been dealt. . .and then Mattias went to prison. During the first 30%, we got to see how close they became; how they knew they would end up together and it would always be them against the world and that sort of thing. But then, Matt gets arrested, pushes her to find another guy, and when he gets out of prison it's like all that build up from the first 30% was just gone. I hardly felt a connection between them anymore. I was expecting Matt and Gen to, I dunno, have some moment between them or something to reiterate that love between them, but Matt seemed more interested in Silas than Gen. Again, I know a lot of the off feelings I have about the relationship between Matt and Silas is because we virtually see none of it bloom except for what little inner dialogue Gen has to say about it, but the fact that it seemed like Gen took a backseat (which she literally did when they picked him up lmao) to Silas felt so weird considering the history dynamic. They-meaning Matt and Gen-have all this history, and Matt just got out of prison after three years, but their reunion and what followed was so lackluster that I felt no chemistry or much love between them at that point. Sure, they said the words, but none of it felt real.
Idk, just all around bad vibes with the book. Disappointing since I have liked the author's work in the past, but it's unrealistic to assume I'd like everything I guess. Oh well. Still plan to read more of her work, so, hopefully I enjoy my next read by her.