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Gaslight
It’s a six-hour flight from New York City to Los Angeles. For Maddie Goodwright and her mom, it’s six hours that will change their lives as they leave behind broken relationships and shattered dreams. But a new school, a new home, and a new group of friends can’t heal the wounds of the past. To move forward, Maddie will have to reinvent herself.
When Maddie’s step-cousins take her to the local underground fight club, it’s only a matter of time before boxer Hayden Walker catches her eye. Strong, powerful, and confident- he’s everything Maddie isn’t but definitely wants to be. Convincing Hayden to train her is hard. Not falling for him will be even harder.
As Maddie transforms both inside and out of the ring, her past returns with a vengeance. Except this time he’s not ready for her to face him head on.
When Maddie’s step-cousins take her to the local underground fight club, it’s only a matter of time before boxer Hayden Walker catches her eye. Strong, powerful, and confident- he’s everything Maddie isn’t but definitely wants to be. Convincing Hayden to train her is hard. Not falling for him will be even harder.
As Maddie transforms both inside and out of the ring, her past returns with a vengeance. Except this time he’s not ready for her to face him head on.
300 pages, Unknown Binding
Published January 1, 2022
45 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 20, 2023
2.5/5 stars
This book had potential. It was promising in the beginning. Great backstory. And then even more backstory...and then, every other page was even MORE backstory. And then the entire story was backstory. And, well, you get my point.
The writing itself was intriguing. The skill was there. I think where I struggled was the plot/relationship development...
Let's start with the characters:
Pros:
-Multidimensional.
-Stayed true to their characters the entire time
-Was not hard to keep track of each character, and this book had a fair amount
Cons:
-Often had the same, repeating thoughts over and over again.
-Had 1 or 2 characteristics each that defined them and nothing else (the movie thing or the crime documentaries, for example).
-While each character was easy to keep track of, I don't think each really had a place in the plot. Some just seemed tossed in there for extra dialogue every now and then.
The Relationship Building:
-Hayden and Maddison... I didn't feel any build up. It was like Rose was trying to convey their relationship building into something more solely through the looks in Hayden's eyes. As an author who has done the same, that never really works. He went from "glaring at her" to suddenly "staring at her for a second too long" and that was supposed to match his words changing from basically "f*** off" to "you are one of a kind."
-Olly and June: where did that even come from? It was mentioned randomly in one chapter and then poof! they were together!
-The cousins parents (Lilly and Tom I think?) I skipped most of their scenes.
However, the reason I had to go above a 1 star rating... the way the dad was described was incredible. I feel like Rose has gone through something similar or knows of someone who went through this situation. It was easy to follow her thoughts and sympathize and, most importantly, understand her. That made this book worth the read.
Overall, not going to be one of my favorites, but I did enjoy this quick, light read.
This book had potential. It was promising in the beginning. Great backstory. And then even more backstory...and then, every other page was even MORE backstory. And then the entire story was backstory. And, well, you get my point.
The writing itself was intriguing. The skill was there. I think where I struggled was the plot/relationship development...
Let's start with the characters:
Pros:
-Multidimensional.
-Stayed true to their characters the entire time
-Was not hard to keep track of each character, and this book had a fair amount
Cons:
-Often had the same, repeating thoughts over and over again.
-Had 1 or 2 characteristics each that defined them and nothing else (the movie thing or the crime documentaries, for example).
-While each character was easy to keep track of, I don't think each really had a place in the plot. Some just seemed tossed in there for extra dialogue every now and then.
The Relationship Building:
-Hayden and Maddison... I didn't feel any build up. It was like Rose was trying to convey their relationship building into something more solely through the looks in Hayden's eyes. As an author who has done the same, that never really works. He went from "glaring at her" to suddenly "staring at her for a second too long" and that was supposed to match his words changing from basically "f*** off" to "you are one of a kind."
-Olly and June: where did that even come from? It was mentioned randomly in one chapter and then poof! they were together!
-The cousins parents (Lilly and Tom I think?) I skipped most of their scenes.
However, the reason I had to go above a 1 star rating... the way the dad was described was incredible. I feel like Rose has gone through something similar or knows of someone who went through this situation. It was easy to follow her thoughts and sympathize and, most importantly, understand her. That made this book worth the read.
Overall, not going to be one of my favorites, but I did enjoy this quick, light read.
May 31, 2023
Ya había leído este libro cuando era gratis en Wattpad, y dejenme decirles que pensé que era mejor. Me lo acordaba como muy bueno. Jaja, no lo es.
La verdad que no solo tiene algunos errores de continuidad y comprensión, sino que está muy poorly written. Las descripciones son muy sosas, todo se queda corto.
Me parece que la relación de Maddie y Hayden avanzo muy rápido. Me faltó mucha data en el medio, más descripción de sus interacciones, como para poder entender el punto de su relación. Esto claramente no pasa, así que todo se quedó medio por la mitad.
No sé la verdad, se me hizo muy corto el libro, pero no me gustó.
Así que nada, una decepción, 1 estrellula, colta. Salu2
La verdad que no solo tiene algunos errores de continuidad y comprensión, sino que está muy poorly written. Las descripciones son muy sosas, todo se queda corto.
Me parece que la relación de Maddie y Hayden avanzo muy rápido. Me faltó mucha data en el medio, más descripción de sus interacciones, como para poder entender el punto de su relación. Esto claramente no pasa, así que todo se quedó medio por la mitad.
No sé la verdad, se me hizo muy corto el libro, pero no me gustó.
Así que nada, una decepción, 1 estrellula, colta. Salu2
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 24, 2025
I remember sitting in my room in high school reading this book for the first time on Wattpad and loving Maddie's character and her journey. And now reading it after it's been a few years and the book has been polished off I love it even more. It is amazing to not just see Maddie's journey, but also her mother's and how they work together to combat their past. Maddie is such a strong character that provides a younger female audience with a strong female lead that breaks from the pattern of toxic relationships and rises above. The moment the title is mentioned in the plot storyline is an amazing turn point and the book is wonderfully written. I really hope to get my hands on a physical copy of this book someday and will definitely be adding it to my reread list.
Thank you, Wattpad Books and NetGalley, for providing me with this ARC!
Thank you, Wattpad Books and NetGalley, for providing me with this ARC!
May 28, 2023
UGH ABSOLUTLEY LOVED THIS BOOK
i have been in a rly bad reading slump and this book got me right out of it. it moved at a perfect pace and i loveddd the characters. maddie made me want to kill and hug her and hayden…. lord have mercy i love him. absolute great book a must read!
i have been in a rly bad reading slump and this book got me right out of it. it moved at a perfect pace and i loveddd the characters. maddie made me want to kill and hug her and hayden…. lord have mercy i love him. absolute great book a must read!
November 30, 2024
This is a captivating read for young adult romance enthusiasts who enjoy stories of self-discovery, transformation, and second chances, with a strong focus on overcoming past heartaches and finding empowerment through newfound passions and relationships.
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April 14, 2025Why is a wattpad story on Goodreads LOL
October 12, 2023
3.75
This book was one I had read before. I originally read it on wattpad which was the inspiration for the YouTube video I was filming. I had very high expectations for this book going into it and sadly, it didn’t live up to my expectations. I still had a very good time reading it! I had gone into this reread saying that it was a romance book but that doesn’t really do the book justice for what it is. I would call it more of a literary fiction with a romance subplot. The relationship between the FMC and her love interest truly is a side story in this book. And that made the flow of the book a little strange. The first half of the book flew by and felt like it was missing pieces but the second half of the book felt like it was adequately paced for the plot points it was covering. One thing that did inhibit this book a little was that there were a few continuity errors that weren’t caught before it was published. Near the end of the book, the characters are going to prom but while they are there they crown homecoming queen, which is something different. Overall, I did enjoy this book but it definitely needed some more editorial attention before it was published.
This book was one I had read before. I originally read it on wattpad which was the inspiration for the YouTube video I was filming. I had very high expectations for this book going into it and sadly, it didn’t live up to my expectations. I still had a very good time reading it! I had gone into this reread saying that it was a romance book but that doesn’t really do the book justice for what it is. I would call it more of a literary fiction with a romance subplot. The relationship between the FMC and her love interest truly is a side story in this book. And that made the flow of the book a little strange. The first half of the book flew by and felt like it was missing pieces but the second half of the book felt like it was adequately paced for the plot points it was covering. One thing that did inhibit this book a little was that there were a few continuity errors that weren’t caught before it was published. Near the end of the book, the characters are going to prom but while they are there they crown homecoming queen, which is something different. Overall, I did enjoy this book but it definitely needed some more editorial attention before it was published.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews