Sam > Recent Status Updates

This book is breaking my heart 😩

I like Auren and Slade. Which is why I shouldn’t be 5 books deep saying to myself that Slade deserves better. The emotional depth is desperately lacking in Auren’s chapters. To the point where it seems like she genuinely does not care about reuniting. Meanwhile Slade is LITERALLY DYING from the separation.

Up until now I was impressed with Kennedy’s trauma informed writing, but it seems she’s thrown all of that out the window. Trauma isn’t tidy optimism. I’m supposed to believe Auren panics for all of 2 seconds before she remembers Slade’s words and that bolsters her? She would be devastated, panicking over what she lost (and might genuinely never get back).

Chapter 10: Alice! 😭 You dolt! 😂

I vowed to never return to this series cause the first book was trash. Well, here we are. I needed fluff, and tbh I think this is written significantly better than the first book 🤷🏻‍♀️

The writing is pretty juvenile, but it’s been a fun read so far if I overlook that. Not crazy about the FMC, she fits the emotionally closed-off archetype, but the author leans too hard into the “idgaf so I’m a bitch” vibe. As someone who’s emotionally guarded, I’m tired of this shallow take on what it means to be closed off. I feel like all we get are wet blanket FMCs or bitches 🤷🏻‍♀️

Why do so many modern-day fantasies fixate on featuring an FMC dumber than rocks to perpetuate the plot?

80% in and I still can’t figure out why we’ve decided this is good?

My only qualm so far is the assumption that all of New England are Red Sox fans. The author couldn’t be more wrong. The divide between Yankees vs Red Sox fans is a key component of the New Englander identity.

I get that characters in thrillers have to be stupid for there to be a story, but my god Sydney is laidback for a woman whose best friend was murdered by a serial killer. She just completely forgets that Bonnie was also dating a “hot doctor”, who she is now dating..?

Also, Sydney is so painfully immature I forgot she was 34. The way she consistently insults Tom’s job is so irritating.

LOL this author just called everything after MCR garbage and terrible. Are you sure your part of the scene, Tedder? This author is just gatekeeping moron. The antithesis to the scene.

So bands like MCR and Cobra Starship can be theatrical and have garish lyrics are are Scene gods, but bands like BVB and Attack Attack! come on the scene and are "ridiculous" and "disingenuous" for being theatrical and garish?