Cheryl Archer > Recent Status Updates

I’m having a really hard time finishing this book. Clearly it should have been one book but either the author or publisher wanted to stretch it out and make 2 (double the income?). There’s enough plot that I want to know how it ends but I’m having to suffer through excessively complicated combat scenes and gratuitous smut. I mean, I like smut as much as the next reader, but it’s getting repetitive now

Wow, so normally I don’t do updates while reading ARCs however I am just 😱. So far this book is sooo good!!! I am NOT a fan of love triangles and I hate cheating even more, and a small part of me is a little sad for all players in this game, but I am rapt! I stayed up until 3am reading after a long work shift, and even then I still had to force myself to put it down.

Well damn, spoke literally 5 minutes too soon. No triangle, cheating, or MMF if k have to guess now. Just trauma.

So I got caught up in it right away but now that I’m 11% in I’m getting a little nervous about whatever romantic angle this is supposed to take. I don’t do love triangles, cheating, or MMF that I don’t go in knowing it’s the storyline so… hoping I don’t end up feeling betrayed by a lack of inclusive theme tags here

I’m nervous, The last book I dnf’d was because of the unrequited love triangle involving best friends. The concept makes me Uncomfortable. The writing is great, it always is, but is she sleeping with Mike? I’m sort of ick’d by the idea she can do that while pining for the best friend. The boyfriend is a grabby, frat bro meathead—doesn’t seem like the type to keep it PG so the bestie can sweep in

I took a break from listening to the audiobook. It’s fucking terrible. The narrators are full on voice acting and they are pushing the characters to extremes. Ferris is a bad baller b*tch if the female narrator is to be believed and Hendrix is the worst alpha in the history of romance ever when you listen. I opened the book to switch to reading and it’s night and day difference. Not that it’s good, but better.

Jesus Christ this is terrible! The narration is absolutely making it worse but even without that these characters are so childish! I am still reading since I bought the book for a book club event but wow. It’s not batter, it’s disgusting childish spats. Punctuated by lust. It’s really gross. I’m wondering if it’s because there’s 2 authors and maybe they’d do better as an author/editor relationship?

I’m beginning to wonder if these ladies are playing a game of booktok bingo romantasy edition. Just trying to hit every possible stereotype and micro genre that has ever been done. It’s painful. I’m also wondering if the narrators are making the experience worse? Perhaps physical read may feel less gross? The female narrator is so desperate and breathy and the male one punctuates every other word angrily.

Let’s be clear, it’s my 3rd time reading this and it’s still one of my all time favorites. It’s flawless and I don’t even comprehend how anyone else thinks it’s not? Cozy perfection.

Unless someone at book club tonight tells me this book is amazing, it’s going to become a DNF. So chick just moved for a job or something and she just has 1 perfect night with Whiskey and boom: met the next boyfriend. Seriously?! No loyalties?! Not my vibe.

Okay I’ve sped up the audiobook… and it’s still torture. Now we are engrossed in the cheating trope. Great.

This book is a long haul read. 3 hours in and only 16%. While I appreciate the friends to lovers trope, this is painful. If not for book club I would have abandoned ship, but alas I am going to finish it and pray I don’t have to go through too many “wrong person/time” moments. MMC lost me when he fell in instalove with her best friend 10 minutes in and I hate the pining for your best friends boyfriend things

I am 76% of the way through. I started it YESTERDAY! I stayed up and forfeit sleep last night for 6 consecutive “just one more chapter(s)”. I have adult things to do and I am annoyed that I am not reading it right now. I’ve already told every reader friend I have seen today about how good this is and I haven’t even finished it. I should be reading my book club book but all I want to do is read THIS book!

Am I really reading the same book as everyone else? It’s like a fae and vampire telenovela. It’s both bad and good but also kinda terrible too. I mean I’m not totally shut down but I’m beginning to wonder what compensation these booktok reviewers are getting

(Long exhale) it’s like the crazy events thrown into this book were determined mad lib style. Just spin a spinner and whatever combination you get goes into the next chapter. I would love if the notes and first draft had gone to any other skilled writer and they had the opportunity to clean it ip and make it less of a chaos salad. I don’t even remember what’s happened it’s been so disjointed.

I’m really confused why I am not loving this as much as everyone else. Maybe it’ll pick up for me? Right now I’m dumbstruck at how she is a former human, fae, vampire, queen, and only 24 but suddenly more able to handle her nerves in a beaurocratic court than she could do anything last book. When did her growth happen? And the smut feels a bit Harlequin bodice ripper to me. So far I’m not buying into it

What the hell, the breakup in this book is brutal.

Whoa this book is causing me anxiety. Everything terrible about dating in your 20’s is on the page right here. It’s basically a slow long drawn out breakup with open “cheating” that’s not cheating because they agreed to do it. It’s written in a way I wanted to keep reading and the authors writing style is good, but the storyline was tying my stomach up in knots and not romantic at all (so far).

Glad I gave book 2 a try after book 1. This gives way less icks. Still a fluffy stalker smut book (bad in real life, fun in books) but way less 20/20 episode.

Part 3 thrusts you right back to where part 1 ended. Knowing the backstory really changes how I see part 1. Devastating. Beautiful and also so ugly. I didn’t see the major twist coming which I really commend. But now these painfully scarred and tortured souls have found their way back to each other and their love and trauma bond is so strong, but right now it’s completely hopeless.

Wow, this story is unapologetically tragic and dark and I can’t read stuff like this often—it’s so intensely lamentable but still an amazing read. Both main characters are being held as ransom against one another (figuratively) and it’s as if their individual survival within themselves depends on the other’s survival. They are so deeply manipulated that they turn to each other to find any sense of worth.

Ok wow, there was a dream/memory sequence, extremely fragmented and confusing as part 1 came to an end. Now as the chapters in part 2 begin to build you can see where these fragments come from and it hints to a fraught but intense relationship budding in the years before the story starts. I could feel my dna changing as my mind knit it all together 🤯

Chapters 18 and 19. What the actual f*#%!?

The world building is still happening. It took a break for a moment and gave way to story development and interaction between characters, but as Helena slowly remembers the world keeps getting more complex. It’s not an easy read but it’s very interesting. So painfully clearly mischaracterized as more of a romance by the Dramione fanfic enthusiasts and booktok (or at least from what I’ve seen).

According to Libby, I have spent 7 hrs and 7 mins listening to the first 2 hours of this audiobook. I have fallen asleep and woken up hours in multiple times. Even the times I have been able to stay awake I have felt lost a lot. I know it’s supposed to be unique enough to stand alone and not require previous series, but the world building is extremely dense and not new-user friendly. I’m pushing though though

The biggest problem I have with this book is that it is so good and I’m going to have a major book hangover waiting for the next in the series to come out. The tension is so 💯😍🫣🤭😰😮‍💨🙌

So far I like it. I don’t love it but it’s cute. I am listening to the audiobook and I’ve got my copy here to reread if needed. I’ve noticed sometimes it’s so witty that it gets lost in the narration. You can pick up the subtlety more easily in the actual reading vs listening. A few of the locations and scenarios are a bit immature but I think it’s all tongue in cheek anyways.

So it’s safe to say I suffered through this verbose monstrosity for the first 80%. That’s a long time with such a thick book… but now I’m at 88% and it got good. Damn it, looks like I’ll be reading the sequel.

Not going to lie, this book is not what I was hoping for. It’s dark in a disturbing way. So many sexual icks and inequitable power imbalanced scenarios, including a corpse. And lots of men with girls boobs in their mouth. Not, um, just gross. I’m trying to see where the high rating is coming from.

So far I’m loving it. I know it’s a retelling of Romeo and Juliette so I’m not offended by any correlation that seems like rewording a scene I’ve read or watched before. It’s not super unique but I’m still really enjoying it. The only thing I really felt prickly about was the one-handed hang ripped straight from The Notebook (Noah and Allie). It was too iconic to reuse within this generation.