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Karina

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Karina is Currently Reading

Karina is currently reading

Flawless (Chestnut Springs, #1)

by Elsie Silver (Goodreads Author)

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23 hours, 3 min ago

Karina is currently reading

Would You Rather (Campus Games, #3)

by Stephanie Alves (Goodreads Author)

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Reading for the 2nd time

read in April 2024

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Karina said: " My rating for Would You Rather is on par with other Stephanie Alves books that I have read. I enjoyed the story but wasn't head-over-heels in love with the book to say that I would re-read it over again.

We are now into the third book of the Campus G My rating for Would You Rather is on par with other Stephanie Alves books that I have read. I enjoyed the story but wasn't head-over-heels in love with the book to say that I would re-read it over again.

We are now into the third book of the Campus Games series. We met Rosie in Never Have I Ever and were introduced to her group of besties. Leila got to share her story in Spin the Bottle and now it is Madi's turn. I assume Gabi will be the last installment in the series. Although we had the opportunity to meet Madi and Gabi in the first two books, we had fewer details about them. I went into this book expecting little from these characters as we didn't have much to go off of. I knew that Madi was an inspiring actress and Gabi a dancer. Again, more will come from Gabi in the next book so let's focus no on Madi.

I'm confused. As I mentioned, we were led to believe from previous comments in the first two books that Madi is an actress, or studying to be one, but that's not really the case. Yes, she wants to be an actress and yes, she does go to auditions. However, she is not studying for that career. As a matter of fact, she is pursuing this career behind her parent's backs, and she is studying something else to appease her parents (adoptive), whom she feels distanced from ever since the death of her sister (the biological daughter of her adoptive parents). Madi is a people pleaser, and she doesn't like to rock the boat by voicing her requests if they go against others' wants (i.e., she doesn't really tell her parents what career she wants to pursue and follows in the footsteps of what would have been her sister's degree).
Madi also doesn't do relationships. She had a boyfriend back in high school, shortly after her sister's death, and he took advantage of her vulnerability and her fragile home dynamic with grief. It's safe to say that the relationship left Madi traumatized and reluctant to start anything new.

We first met Lucas in Spin the Bottle, a friend and fellow model with Leila. We could tell in this story that he was an all-around great guy, a loving brother, a loyal friend, and maybe even harbored a small crush on Leila. I got the feeling that he was in the modeling world as a job, not a passion, but that he was very, very successful. Here in Would You Rather we see that is the case. He is in the modeling business to pay the bills and help out his family, but he would rather pursue other career paths. We also learn that he is not only a model. Despite what he wants, he is a celebrity, and the media and public are just as interested in the magazine covers that he models for and the fashion shows he walks in as they do about his personal life and who he is dating. How unfortunate for any woman who would want to date the actual Lucas and not the public figure, LUCAS SILVA.

Madi and Lucas meet by chance and they are in a compromising situation. Paparazzi are around to capture the moment and run with the theory that they are dating, which is not the case as they had just met a few minutes before the pictures were taken. To maintain the public image (and damage Lucas's reputation as well as boost Madi's career as an actress), they decide to fake a date. However, as they spend time together and get to know each other, they start to develop feelings for each other. It doesn't help that Lucas already knows some of Madi's friends (Laila and Aiden) so he is able to integrate into the friend dynamic quickly. Feelings become real, their secret fake-dating status is leaked and they need to decide if they want to date for real or let the secret ruin their careers. Well, spoiler alert, they get their HEA together as a couple.

Here are my thoughts on the story:
1. Madi didn't want a relationship with anyone because she was left traumatized by a past boyfriend who was possessive, jealous, and manipulative. While Luca is not manipulative, he does demonstrate traits of a jealous person (when he wasn't actually dating Madi) and does some possessive things. I think they should have been red flags for Madi. Well, maybe not red, how about hot pink? They should have been an issue that Madi talked about with Lucas. I understand that he didn't know about her past relationship, but once he found out the truth, he should have apologized, and she should have voiced that she didn't like his behavior.
2. Madi's relationship with her parents started to become strained and distant since the death of her sister. She finally opens up to her parents and confesses her feelings about how she is no longer loved or wanted in the family. Her parents offer her a simple apology for the misunderstanding and all is forgiven. I don't think they should grovel at her feet for forgiveness but the response should be more than a simple apology. It's almost as if it was a mere formality to sweep Madi's feelings under the rug.
3. Lucas's best friend, James, was in a car accident that left him with spinal cord injuries and killed his mother (James, not Lucas). Then we have Madi's sister, who dies in a car accident. Then we have both Lucas father and his best friends father who died, I think both also of car accidents. I don't know. It got confusing. There were a lot of deaths discussed in this book of family members and it was hard to keep track. Why does everyone have to have some family member that dies? And James first couldn't walk from the car accident, which sounded like it had happened quite sometime before, and he was wheelchair-bound but would be able to walk again with PT, something he wasn't really in the mood to do. However, he then decides to do his PT and starts walking again within a matter of weeks. How did his recovery go so quickly?

I did enjoy that we got to see the expanding friends dynamic again. I love the family that Rosie, Laila, Madi, and Gabi created and that their respective boyfriends, Grayson and Aiden, accepted Lucas from the very start. It's beautiful to see the group grow. I also enjoyed James' dynamic in the book. I don't think he will end up with Gabi as James is gay, but maybe a spin-off novella for him, or a fifth book in the series wouldn't hurt. ...more "

Apr 24, 2024 03:48AM · see review

Karina is currently reading

A Promised Land

by Barack Obama (Goodreads Author)

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— Nov 02, 2023 09:48AM

Jun 17, 2024 02:28PM

Karina’s Notes & Highlights

Book cover for SIN-BIN (Sinners on the Ice #1)

SIN-BIN (Sinners on the Ice #1) by Anastasija White

1 highlight

I shoot and watch as it goes into the uppermost part of the net. I lift my fist in the air, content. “And that’s where mama keeps the peanut butter, man.” I burst out laughing, skating over to Clay.

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Karina’s Quotes

“You know, I don’t think we’re dealing with a Bella’s-magical-blood situation here.”
“No?”
“No. I think you’ve imprinted on this girl’s pussy.”
… “What do you mean?”
“I mean you’re facing a Jacob quandary. You imprinted on her pussy, and now it’s the only pussy you can think about. You exist solely for this pussy. Like Jacob and that weird mutant baby.”
― Elle Kennedy, The Score

154 likes

“Wait—do angels even get laid? And if so, are heaven orgasms a million times better than earth orgasms? I bet yes.”
“Uh-doy. Where do you think rainbows come from? Whenever you see a rainbow, that means an angel just came.”
― Elle Kennedy, The Score

102 likes

“You're lucky I love you, babe.
If any other girl had done this to me --"
"You love me? You just said it."
"I ... Well, damn. I guess I did."
"Did you mean it? I want to hear it again."
"Aw shit, babe. Don't make me say it again.
It's bad enough I said it first.”
― Elle Kennedy, The Score

123 likes

“I do what I want, when I want. And I don’t give a shit what people think about me.”
― Elle Kennedy, The Score

152 likes

“I’m adorable, first off. My sense of humor is stellar—obvs.”
“Obvs,” she echoes dryly.
“I’m extraordinarily skilled in the art of conversation.”
She nods. “When it’s about yourself, of course.”
“Of course.” I pretend to think it over some more. “Oh, and I’m a mind reader. No lie. I always know what the other person is thinking.”
“Yeah? What am I thinking right now?” Allie challenges.
“That you want me to shut up and fuck you again.”
She shakes her head in dismay. “Goddamn it. That’s actually what I was thinking.”
I smirk at her and tap my forehead. “Told ya. Mind reader.”
― Elle Kennedy, The Score

tags: allie, dean

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