Sara B > Recent Status Updates

If you ever wondered if Fifty Shades of Grey had been expertly written, possibly spicier, and paced properly, you should read this series. It’s important to look at this as one big book instead of five shorter ones, as the cliffhangers do the work they are intended to do. I’m looking forward to starting the spinoff series with Ireland. Revisiting this after more than a decade has been fun.

Yearning is excellent. I love yearning.

Her guilt about her nonexistent role in her husband’s death? Exhausting.

Love the meddling mother-in-law.

I’m charmed. Finally. It took a minute.

Get out of your own way.

If she doesn’t make the turn soon, I’m gonna stop reading. I cannot with this.

Smiling. So much smiling.

This is precious. They’re being dragged to the wedding now. His inner alpha is hilarious. The audio is fantastic.

Delightful. A much better offering than the first book.

Hate reading at this point.

There is no joy in this book. As soon as something nice happens the characters ruin it with rumination.

Ok, I love you, Abby, and this book is making me feel awful. The instalove to inertia is killing me. If Samantha rambles about how they just won’t work one more time…

It’s time for adult daycare or a memory care center. They’re all imprisoned in Mom’s failing memory and I’m tired of reading about how hard it is.

The next gut punch is coming. I suspect it’s Dad’s secret.

Delightful so far. The gut punch is coming.

It took her this long to contact a lawyer? So much of this book could’ve been about her redemption and her regaining her power, but all she did was wallow. All he does is wallow. The only one who doesn’t wallow is the big bad manager, and even when she realizes that he’s abusing her, she doesn’t leave him.

She’s going back on the road, not to the moon.

Switch managers. Go no contact with your dad.

I’m bored. All of the plot points are lining up. Let’s go.

Well, the plot is finally plotting. Set up pacing is slow. Most this could have been delivered 20% in even if the inevitable desperation hookup waited until now.

Is this just trauma porn? Nobody seems to have a life or relationship outside of their own heads. Hoping things get moving. Typical first in the series plodding.

Or is he Captain Von Trapp? Um, yes please.

I wonder if she sells Shades of the Orient cosmetics? Is there more than this provincial life? I’m happier than I should be with the tropes so far.

“I’ve failed her!!!!!!” Go. To. Therapy.

The vocal fry is her internal monologue and she’s different in conversation. I understand the artistic choice but my goodness, it’s grating. If you deliver every line with the inflection of Rayanne’s Our Town monologue in My So-Called Life, it loses its impact. Is she crying? Is she yearning? Is she hurt? It all sounds the same.

Audiobook note. The vocal fry of the FMC narrator is exhausting. Hoping she relaxes a bit. C Crais is his usual perfect self.

Oh Lord. Is he Jamie Tartt?

The big bad is righted in half a chapter. Now we are back to neurosis. Please save me from a third act breakup.

Go to therapy. I realize we are right at the part where it finally gets going, but this is torture. Not good torture. Some of these lines of internal dialogue are copy/paste. It’s giving Feyre before the wedding in the worst way. “It’s my fault!” “I won’t hurt anyone again,” (as they hurt themselves and each other again).

Where is HR at this company?

Pacing is rough. Less banter. More moving the story along.

Also, now I need Nerds Clusters. Was this sponsored?

Love Jasper and Eloise.

For the love, get them out of their heads. Nobody who is this “carefree” would be so worried about what people think about them. Now a nonsense timeline with “one time”? Flipping pages until there’s something worth reading.

Nappies? Sigh.

She has been talking about cooking, which she swears she doesn’t like to do, for at least a minute now. He won’t stop obsessing about his predicament with his wife. Show don’t tell. They could be having a conversation right now. They could be doing something right now. Oh, she finally burned herself so he can come rescue her. Yay.

She read Credence, clearly.