sraxe’s Reviews > Hanging by a Thread > Status Update

“Gemma [8 y/o daughter] had her first kiss today ... [w/ the boy who] called her a smarty pants, chased her across the playground, pulled her hair, and then kissed her.” She waggled her dark eyebrows. “On the lips.”

I know it's just fiction, but...am I the only one who doesn't find this cute? Like...at all? imo, it starts setting the foundation for acceptance of the harmful boys-will-be-boys mentality.

Wait...why does Cal have nicknames in Hindi for their daughters...? He doesn't even speak it! (It'd be different if Bebe called them that, but she uses their real names, not nicknames.) And besides, the names aren't very good and sound really awkward (feels very pulled from the dictionary, tbh). And they're used literally once before Cal starts referring to them by their names again. What was even the point?

omg you guys...this legit gets worse and worse.

“You’re gay,” she stated with absolute certainty [to her fiance]. ... Empathy welled within her. ... “I’m sorry they cannot accept the person you are.”

So...not only is the evil character a POC, he's also gay. (Also...if by the logic that he's gay for not being interested in her, wouldn't that mean she's a lesbian for not being interested in him...?)

Genuine question, Jenna Sutton: Why is it that, of all your books, you decided that this is the one you're going to include a bomb going off in? You know...the book with the brown character. Just wondering how this came across as a super swell idea to you.

“Wasted four years of your life? ... What do you mean?”
“If you hadn’t been so damn stupid, we could have been together.”
“Did you just call me stupid?”
“Yes, I did. ... I suffered through four fucking years without you, and you’re going to make up for every fucking day I suffered. Starting right fucking now.”

HOW IS IT POSSIBLE FOR A BOOK TO KEEP GETTING WORSE AND WORSE??

Confusion filled her face, and tenderness flooded him. She still was innocent in so many ways.

Fetishization of innocence is so damn creepy. (And this is after they've been together for months and have sex pretty much every single day.) And I can't help but feel she'll lose her appeal/shine once she no longer blushes at every provocative thing he says/does. Once she's no longer "innocent."

“You’re a good dancer,” she murmured. “I’m not surprised, though. Research shows that men who are good lovers usually are good dancers.”

I'm pretty sure it's that good dancers = good lovers, but that doesn't mean that you can flip the data and correlate it the other way.

“Erica,” Teagan muttered, her voice shaded with disgust. “She’s been ridden more times than the carousel at PIER 39.”

Fuck you, you sexist, hypocritical fucker. Let's not forget that your brothers, Cal and Quinn, and your now-husband, Nick, have been ridden so much that they've probably already gone through multiple rounds of servicing and maintenance.

Affection filled [Akash's] voice, and surprisingly, it sounded genuine. Apparently, he was quite an actor. Good enough to work in Bollywood.

Wait, what...acting skill? "Good enough to work in Bollywood"...? Have you seen a Bollywood movie in your life? You don't need acting skill lol.

[Bebe] scowled. “I cannot make an informed decision with so little knowledge. There are too many variables.”

Who legit talks like this? It sounds stilted and awkward as fuck. Indian immigrants don't, nor do those who are supposed to be super smart. Trust me, because I've known someone who was both, having immigrated from India at 15 and skipped a couple grades. Just like Bebe. And HE DIDN'T TALK LIKE THIS