── 2 stars.

i feel betrayed.

booktok and goodreads really liked this one so my expectations were high. what do i get? no fucking chemistry. our leads hook up within the first 30 pages and are somehow in love by page 150. jesus. christ. if you're going to put enemies to lovers in your tagline, at least write them as actual enemies.

but no. the author was too scared to go too far with either main lead because that would make them almost irredeemable. this is a dark! romance! you can make your characters as unhinged as you want. you have the excuse right there. dark. romance. instead, nell and bradshaw had zero personality beyond their one dimensional tropes.

i was bored of the constant porn without plot scenes and they weren't even good. and that ending? christ. scene after scene reaching for shock value but all i got was a cringe mess.

If I could describe the way I felt after reading this novel, I would use orange juice. All I could think about was the urge to drink something cold, something to quench this thirst and here is the glass of orange juice in all of its pulpy glory, not at all leaving refreshment at its wake. A sip of bitterness. A taste of fruit. It does well enough to quench one's thirst, but it could have been better.

One of its faults lies in its narration. To an extent, it reminds me of the musings that belong to the Percy Jackson Series—an attempt to be funny and relatable, which Percy certainly manages to do— but The Fall of Butterflies forgets about how the characters also need a blend of world building, too.

Now I swerve to one of my pet peeves. The author tends to use short sentences. A lot. Instead of merging those little islets of words into one sentence, she uses seven SHORT sentences—varying from one word to three words a piece—just to showcase a small situation. A situation that need not. To be. Written. Like this. At all.

Well, that’s what I thought. So, I sat there. And I sat there. And I listened. And I sat there. But then it wasn’t stopping. Like for an hour. An hour-long bath.

Yet, it does get better. Surprisingly, it happens after Willa and Remy become acquaintances. Is that supposed to represent how Remy has given Willa a reason to live—that instead of wishing her life and sentences shorter, she could do more than three words before a period? An end? (Maybe show more I'm overthinking things here.)

But I do like how it’s easy to read. How you instantly get all of Willa's thoughts and meanings without wandering through the woods and creaks, wondering what they meant. And sometimes, Willa can be poetic. Not in the sense of beautiful metaphors about the sun and all, but how both relatable and simple her feelings are expressed.

I know what it’s like to see someone and practically melt the minute you see them because everybody told you there would be someone like that. It’s in every book. In every movie. It’s in every poem since the beginning of time and maybe even written on walls somewhere in caves. Everyone tells you for so long and in so many ways that finally you don’t believe them.

Willa and Milo seemed forced. Maybe they were forced. I honestly thought that Zeb and Willa had more chemistry than the first pair (a bit of rooting for the other, and the prickle of inevitable disappointment along with that thought) and somehow I wished there could have been a chance for Zeb to be more than the 'character who points out and moves the plot'.

But the star of the novel goes out to Remy. Never once did I lose the interest to figure out who she is and what secrets lie between her three day disappearances. What and who are you beyond your mismatching outfits that would look entirely disgusting if not worn by you?

Remy is an enigma. Remy is just... Remy. And chapter sixty-six had me going through wracks of emotions, basically revolving around the idea of 'reach out to her. your fingertips can reach out to her' but all those reveries are simply just you watching a car crash slowly unfold before you.

Yeah. So... a sequel based on Remy Taft? I would love to read that. But another one of Willa? I think the author should just leave it at that. show less

The suspense was great for a young adult book—something that anchors you into the book, and a saving grace of sorts from the lackluster beginning. Kara is relatable. Her romance with the main love interest is quite. . . lackluster, too. You can feel it at times. It tries to reel you in, but it ends up being too forced. Sometimes you wonder: do I really like them together or is it because he's the main character?

It's not a bad book. I might even re-read a few chapters in the far future. But it's not really one of my favorites.

I am upset. Very. I got quite attached to Hastings, so the ending and the thought of the narrator changing for the next books discouraged me from starting #4. But wasn't Hastings and Dulcie just the cutest thing? Papa Poirot ships them. Very much indeed.

I haven't been this addicted to a book since, well—2016? But even the nights I spent binging Shatter Me and Unravel Me after a ten-hour exhausting book event cannot compare to the sheer thrill that coursed through my bones with every flip of a page.

What do I like the most about the Inheritance Games? I believe it must be easier to list down the things I disliked about it, which falls onto one reason alone: I need more.

The plot was gripping. Especially since I've grown into the 'eat the rich' phase. Aside from the storyline and hooks and short chapters-which I've come to love, since I've noticed my attention span cannot handle long ass chapters anymore-I absolutely adored how the conversations flowed between each character. They weren't forced. It didn't feel like the conversations were only there to move the plot, but rather, they danced gracefully with the descriptions and world building.

The characters I loved the most are probably Avery, Grayson, and Xander. Avery is such a bad-ass and I love how both kind and ambitious she is. Not to mention intelligent. Sometimes I find myself in awe at how skillfully she deals with obstacles, puzzles, and riddles. She had excellent chemistry with Grayson (of course my favorite brother turns out to be the ambitious, rude-at-start-but-grows-fond-of-you brother) and Jamie.

But now that I really think about it, I guess the best thing about the book was the cliffhangers and the progression. I crafted so many theories through the hidden show more meanings of conversations and foreshadowing, but I found myself being wrong, wrong again, and wrong thrice. I loved how I could guess but couldn't guess at the same time.

I think I'll be in a reading slump for a while.

I hate reading. show less

There is always something timeless that flows along with the rivers of classics, but Anne is simply not just timeless. She's much more—and for that, I envy her. She has an eloquence of beauty with her spoken word. Descriptive, enthralling ramble that goes on for pages, yet it seems so natural and ingrained that I believe it must be normal for an eleven-year-old girl to prattle on about how enchanting the mundane sights of a countryside is to her.

Anne is SO dramatic. I live for it. Who wouldn't want to be buried alive when one loses the right to continue a friendship their 'bosom friend'?

Perhaps when she sees me lying cold and dead before her, Mrs. Barry may feel remorse for what she had done and will let Diana come to my funeral.

And one mustn't forget the whole dare charade. Especially when one's classmate dares you to climb the roof of one's school which almost lands you six feet below the ground.

I must do it. My honor is at stake. I shall walk that ridgepole, Diana, or perish in the attempt. If I am killed you are to have my pearl bead ring. / If Anne had tumbled off the roof on the side up which she had ascended, Diana would probably have fallen heir to the pearl bead ring then and there.

Anne and Gilbert? Adorable. Anne smashed that slate onto his head and he INSTANTLY fell for her. I take no opinions that say otherwise. And most especially—

But, you see, we have five years' lost conversations to catch up with, Marilla.

She seriously can hold a grudge. show more (Relatable.)

Shout out to Matthew Cuthbert for being the BEST. The ending broke my heart. show less

Fuck. I’m crying. If I could give this a million stars, I would. Crying. Sobbing. Amazing. My heart. Please give me a hundred business days to get over this.

“His walls are the blue of my eyes. I’ve been a bit slow.”

My second favorite book in the series, but favorite female lead. I love how Miss Kleypas always ends her books with a bang. I didn’t think much of Westcliff when he first appeared in #1, but boy did he punch me in the gut. A nice punch in the gut. A wonderful punch. 11/10

I have been on a Bridgerton series spree as of late. Well—maybe a historical romance spree might be more accurate.

My first thoughts: book Anthony is quite different from Netflix Anthony. Much more attractive (solely based personality wise) and thoroughly developed. Kate is headstrong and powerful and I love everything about her and if there was a representative for the type of female main character I love the most, it would be Kate.

Julia Quinn is a goddess when it comes to crafting attraction between her love interests. I love Anthony and Kate even more than I loved Simon and Daphne. Colin appeared every now and then (which soothed my longing for my favorite Bridgerton boy) and Newton, the corgi, ended up making me laugh more than I should.

If there was something I didn't like, it was the bee scene. I had to take a few seconds to breathe for my cringe meter was ringing like a nuclear bomb announcement. There must have been better ways for them to finally realize their feelings instead of being forced to marry. They could have talked. But if there's one thing Miss Quinn loves to write, it's the miscommunication trope.

The Viscount Who Loved Me is probably going to be my favorite book in the series after Colin's. ★★★★☆ 4 stars for Newton the corgi.

My love for Pride and Prejudice (2005) has led me to the shores of Austen's original work. I have to admit that the intelligence of the words sprawled over the pages had caught me off guard. It has been a while since I have read musings that challenged my brain. What words were merely world building, and what were Lizzy's inner thoughts?

Shout out to the annotated version, for I would have barely made it alive without the descriptions of courtesies at that time.

Also, shout out to Elizabeth Bennet for burning a man's pride so hard that he even fell more for her and changed for her. On this topic, the thing I loved the most about the novel were Lizzy's and Mr. Darcy's interesting debates. Their faults and glories do well to merge into the perfect couple. (Aside from Mr. Bingley and Jane, who I thought of as ADORABLE. Seriously. Golden Retriever vibes.)

Most might think classics lack the comedic aspect. That can't be more false. I loved Mr. Benett's sarcasm and how Mr. Collins ends up embarrassing himself at times. All the characters have their good sides and faults—Mrs. Benett in particular, whom I found the most aggravating—and I barely found anything stereotypical by the way most of their behaviors develop.

Another thing. I love, LOVE, how Mr. Darcy turns into an awkward mess around Elizabeth. And his proposal? Swoon. (But that really isn't a good way to propose to someone, though? Good thing he learnt his lesson with the second one.)

But your family owe me nothing.

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Much as I respect them, I believe, I thought of only you.

God. You don't know how hard I slammed my fist into our wooden table. Mr. Darcy and Gilbert Blythe. . . how I love you both so.

I might be reading a few other works of Jane Austen next, but for now, I don't think anything can top Pride and Prejudice. show less

I could write an essay explaining how the mistreatment of Amy by fellow readers is completely bonkers and ignorant. Amy as the best March sibling, period. (Well, a close second by lovely Beth, of course.)

Funny how the most ambitious sibling is the one most hated. Amy spoke facts, and worked her butt off. Since the March girls were based on Miss Alcott's own siblings, I wonder whether she held slight jealousy over her sibling, May.

And yes, I love Laurie and Amy. Their chapters were literary gold. They fit like puzzle pieces. We stan the philanthropist couple who strives to make the lives of others better with their fortune.

Talent isn't genius and no amount of energy can make it so. I want to be great, or nothing.

How well we pull together, don't we? / So well, that I wish we might always pull in the same boat.

And most especially, the famous I despise you. scene. Chef's kiss.

It's funny. You believe you won't feel a thing for a book but you start bawling so much you end up needing 50 business days to get over it.

What else can I say? I cried. Oh, the beginning was wonderfully nostalgic and comedic. I love Greek mythology and Greek gods and all that—Hephaestus, especially so—but this rendition of those gods made me fall in love.

I loved Hazel and James and Colette and Aubrey and GOD. By the near end I was bawling at every chapter, I couldn't even count how many times I had to stop just because I couldn't see a thing. And the quotes? The narration? That's another godly thing on its own.

Hephaestus is the only one who can't pray to the goddess of love for help with his marriage troubles.

Hazel kept on playing, but she had seen straight through those brown eyes and into the depths behind them, and felt something of the thrill of being seen, truly seen.

If music stops, and art ceases, and beauty fades, what have we then?

When I look back, I see a girl on a doorstep, watching a uniformed soldier's back as he hurries away, lest he give in to the unendurable temptation to turn around. I see a friend on the stairs, waiting to catch a brokenhearted girl in her arms after the girl has waited outside, long past reason, in the slim chance that he might.

Pick any name, and watch it long enough, and send up a silent prayer of thanks when you don't find it on a death list, and pretty soon, if what you feel isn't love, what is it?

Grief is not a contest.

Yes, show more there are more. But I recommend that you read to find out and fawn about it yourselves! Sigh. I wish I could have bought a physical copy. One of my favorites this year. show less

One of Miss Kleypas’ earliest works! Lily makes Lilian look tame. I didn’t love it as much as I did her other works, but I didn’t hate it, either. There were some cute scenes and scenes I didn’t agree with. But I loved how unique Lily was written in comparison to her other protagonists.

Maybe 3.5?

Okay. Okay.

I was one of those who, after finishing Bridgerton on Netflix and finding out it was based on a book series, was led to this. I am also aware of its inaccurate portrayal of the regency period which is especially shown in the dialogue and subtle actions of the characters. Yet, I have always thought of that as a way for Julia Quinn to paint a more modern version of the lives of ladies and the genteel. And yes, because of that, it was quite easy to read. I doubt anyone (even those who are unaccustomed to reading about the courtesies of English nobles in the past) would find themselves confused.

Now, on to what I loved:

The chemistry was off the roof. I instantaneously felt the connection between Simon and Daphne the moment they met. Their subsequent interactions through the chapters furthered the palpable fireworks between them. Can I just say. . . their banter. I love their banter.

Good god, Miss Bridgerton. How hard did you hit him? / Hard enough to knock him down, but no worse than that, I swear! Maybe he is drunk!

Hyacinth pondered that for a moment. If you decide to marry my sister— Daphne choked on a biscuit. —then you have my approval. Simon choked on air.

To move on to what I almost loved as much as the romance, the three idiot Bridgerton brothers.

Right. Anthony replied, smacking Colin on the back of the head. I believe our work here is done, boys.

I can say with all certainty that all the comedic rights and awards belong to those three. There are a show more lot of honorable mention dialogues that I find myself falling into fits of laughter, but I'd spend three days to write them all down.

Now. I bet you're wondering, if you liked it so much, why only 4 stars?

Well, my friend, that's because of the conflict. I do find guilty pleasures in the miscommunication trope, but it was handled terribly in the Duke and I. Sometimes you find yourself wanting to lock the pair up into a room and scream at them, for god's sake, to talk.

So, yeah! 4 stars for the chemistry, the Bridgerton buffoons', and the refreshing modern twist.

And no, I don't need therapy. Leave my guilty pleasures at peace. show less

The sisterly bond between Emily and April tugged on my heartstrings. There was also that tinge of the fake dating trope our characters are fake dating and that was adorable! Simon and Emily, the two intellectuals. I caught myself fawning over cute scenes like a young teenager reading romance for the first time. I also liked that there was a plot beyond the main pairing.

Captain Blackthorne? Fists shirt. So cute.

Now that's spice with plot.

Who knew a romance with an adult entertainment professional could be so wholesome at times? Certainly not me. Josh. The sweetheart. His brewing relationship with Clara tugged at my heartstrings—and that means a lot, considering my ongoing ennui on all things sugary and contemporary romance.

And the spice? Oh boy. Miss Danan, you got me good. Jaw-dropping, astounded, good. Enough spice to flavor the plate, but not too much to leave you coughing for water.

Everyone in Avonlea: gilbert is in love with you. . . like. really. in love with you. abandoned puppy in love with you. please release that poor boy from his misery and marry him.

Anne: ???

I doubt any other book in the series can beat the first, but #2 has crawled into the spacings of my heart through sprinkled comedy, lovely sighs, and brimming tears.

Everyone knows how Gilbert is infatuated with Anne, except Anne herself. Everyone spends 3/4's of the book trying to tell her this, but Anne remains to be a romance novice until the last two pages of the book.

"Yes, it's beautiful. But wouldn't it have be more beautiful still, Anne, of there had been no separation or misunderstanding. . . if they had come hand in hand all the way through life, with no memories behind them but those which belonged to each other?"

Dear. God. Gilbert, you flirt. Miss Lavender and Mr. Irving as GilbertAnne foil.

The twins were a hurricane. I disliked how spoilt and rude Davy was at times, and how he remained to be the favorite twin because Dora was too quiet and behaved. (Forgettable, in their eyes.)

Other things that took my notice:

✓ I wish we could have dwelled more with the FredDiana arc.
✓ I saw that Little Women reference!
✓ Mr. Harrison grew on me quite easily.
✓ Paul Irving is such a sweetheart! I hope for more of him in the next book.

There's nothing I love more than a page-turner.

With a mystery spanning more than 1,000+ pages, Under the Dome might be my favorite S.K. book (if I fully disregard my affection towards the characters of It) and all time favorite thriller.

If there's something that unnerved me—in a good way, of course—it would be the characterization and portrayal of the antagonists. There's just something about novels that incorporate life meets art into its pages. That specific moment you realize how the selfish politicians in the book are much more of a threat than of the unknown.

You don't understand how close I was to ripping something out. Consumed with rage and irritation. Insert a million other phrases that would describe my hatred towards Big Jim and Junior and his squad of Hitler Youth and that wouldn't be enough to pacify me.

I loved Barbie! He's the type of protagonist I absolutely adore. The 'No hero complex here, but I need to help out, because I can'. If that makes sense. I also loved the teens and their smart-butts, Julia's dedication to spread the truth, and Piper's temper is something I relate to.

If a novel can make me blank out for a few seconds after describing someone's hand being cut off by an invisible dome, then it definitely deserves 5 stars.

What a ride. —insert wiping off sweat meme here 4.5 !!

Warcross grabbed me at the beginning, tore through its pages and grabbed my eyesight, whispering: this is where you want to be, rn.

The sci-fi and the dawn of advanced technology was written so well that it left me turning each page intrigued rather than bored, which I usually am at science fiction. In my head, every word flew through my brain as a full picture movie rather than a book. I could hear my heart beating, bursting with tension at mach-25 as Emi narrates through the Warcross games.

Speaking of characters. . . I immediately fell in love with Emi and her traumas, her skills at hacking and how she uses them for her chaotic good. I think most know that I am a big-W for the rich businessmen types. So, yes, Hideo. Hearts flying. Ash, Hammie, Roshan. Ugh. My heart also loves the found family trope.

If there's something I felt off about, it would be the romance between Emi and Hideo. Something inside me whispers about a lack of chemistry. Maybe not a lack, but rather, something that should have had more time to develop more in the first book, and a subsequent romance in the second.

There's also that truth-bomb at the end (which I kind of expected) but that didn't stop me from gasping and slapping the sister beside me because my eyes just happened to flit towards that bold text before reading anything above it. This is why we read slow.

—banging dinner table with fists. need next book. —wails.

One of the most well written contemporary romance books I've read this year! The slow-burn. The enemies slash rivals to lovers. The comedy. The chemistry.

Slow-burn isn't one of my favorite romance progressions. But when it's done well, it's done well. I was on the edge of my seat, screaming. The crescents digging in to my palms just. kiss. already. screaming. And when they finally did—oh, boy. That was some good slow-burn.

Because it was all you were willing to give me. And I'd rather have you hating me than not have you at all.

Chef's kiss to infinity.

Out of all the books from the Trilogy, (yes, I know you're there, Rebel) Prodigy is at the top. How high at the top, you ask? I'd sell my left tit, my left kidney, my liver—everything—just to forget what happened and read it all over again.

The plot? Chef's kiss. The twists and turns? Double Chef's kiss. The JuneDay? The Chef has died from all the kisses. I loved every single second I spent devouring all of its pages.

The officer and his escort scene left me grasping for air. And the bathroom scene? I would have probably died. Day is so protective of June and it shot an arrow through my romance doesn't exist, lol heart. He took care of her when she was sick even though he was mad at her. Ugh.

I didn't like Tess, here. I mean, what she did was quite understandable once you dig deep into her character, but that doesn't pardon her actions. She was on the verge of pick-me territory and that was a difficult scene to chew.

I was quite hesitant to trust Anden. Yet, here I am, another simp for the Elector. I would have loved a sequel about Anden (maybe a romance, because he deserves that) and how the Republic progressed under his rule.

The last scene? Very unnecessary for my feelings. Marie Lu better be paying for my therapy because the moment I realized what was happening, I kept whispering, no way, no— and I will have a hard time forgetting how destroyed I felt right there and then.

He is beauty, inside and out. He is the silver lining in a world of darkness. He is my light.

I need therapy.Period. Marie Lu better be paying for my therapy because I have no idea what I'm supposed to do with this massive blunt trauma bleeding through my chest.

There will never be another like you. You realize that, don't you? Billions of people will come and go in this world, but there will never be another like you.

I would have swooned if that line didn't just break my heart into a billion pieces.

Champion is filled with character redemption. Welcome back the Tess I loved from the first book. We need more Pascao. And Anden. Give Anden a sequel of his own because I'd like to hear more about this fiancée and how the Republic has been running since the end of the novel.

Hi, he says. I'm Daniel.
Hi, I reply. I'm June.

And I don't need to talk about JuneDay, cause prodding the wound with another blunt object will certainly send me off to an instant death. The ending was bittersweet, like sour cherries, and I wouldn't change anything. Nothing.

Except for the fact no one has updated Legend's ao3 tag in a while and I need some sort of escapism for the desolation I currently feel.

We see the events of the last chapter of Champion in Day's point of view. Breathe in, breathe out. Day's POV has slapped me with showers of comfort and satisfaction.

JuneDay soulmates4eva. Even Tess and Eden were cute. I would have given it a full whopping 5-stars, but I had one problem with it.

One.

It was too freaking SHORT.

I'm fairly convinced that Marie Lu lives for torture and pain because this is. . . 5 pages? Five. But I consume the scraps nevertheless.

I really wanted to love this. I really did.

The plot was good. I loved Alosa and her bad-assery. I loved Riden's charm and sensitivity. Where did it all go wrong?

The chemistry. Somewhere along the way, RidenAlosa felt as if the author threw a rock at my window, yelling: ship them! while I stumbled across the broken glass. So, you pause for a moment. You wonder, is my heart beating because they kissed or is it because of the glass underneath my feet?

At most, it definitely is the shards of glass.

From that point on, you start to notice how off everything feels.

SPOILER ALERT, my friends.

Alosa's half-siren powers felt like an ass-pull. Like a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat, but the rabbit isn't a rabbit but instead it's the bingo, bulls-eye! here's a mary sue-ish power i hinted a few chapters ago that you won't care for because the only characterization i gave alosa is the strong, beat you up trope!

I'm supposed to care for the main character. I'm supposed to worry about her well-being and her conflicts with her dark side—in this case, siren side—but I didn't give a shit.

Is this arising from my reading ennui? Nope. I don't think so. Is this because Alosa isn't a well-written character? Yes. When a character's only trait is due to her physical strength that distinguishes her from all the other characters of the same sex, then. . . what do you expect me to do?

Strongly written female characters does not equal female characters with impressive physical show more strength.

You can make them vulnerable and strong. Weaknesses make them human, ergo relatable. If I can't connect to the main character, then I can't connect with the book.

Riden, on the other hand, I loved. This whole thing would be different if Riden was the main character. Visible depth and weaknesses. Personality. Goals that revolve around him and a flickering moral compass. Now, that, I would have enjoyed.

So, like the fool I was, I finished the book because it would have been a shame not to. I really wanted to enjoy this. Booktok. I trusted you. show less

I'm a bit disappointed. Scratch that. Very disappointed.

I loved The Deal, so picking up the next book in the series was a no brainer. I even loved the prologue of this one more than the first.

So, what do you do when the first of the series drags you in like stale sprite and ants, and the second reels you in like a massive blue marlin?

You expect.

My expectations were so high, I could have broken someone's neck from a fall of that height. Oh, I adored Grace and went along with her cringeworthy babble because she was just. . . relatable? And I felt Logan's pining for a relationship like HannahGarrett to the tip of my toes.

Then what happened? Chapter 15 happened. Only god knows how much I hate the miscommunication and the oh, dear! let me run away to insert-place-here where i apparently have a sudden character development that isn't explained at all, turning my understandably quirky personality into something jana can't stomach! trope.

You are college students. Adults. Talk. To. Each. Other. For a girl who prides on being sensible, I didn't see any of that sensibility in Grace. When a guy shares his insecurities concerning his alcoholic father, you don't get mad at him and leave him in the shadows.

It's not about you, sweetie.

Hell, do you know what the saving grace—heh, pun!—of this book was? HannahGarrett. Tucker. Logan!byhimselfed. Fucking Dean. I laughed so hard my sister peeked into my room and wondered whether I was being possessed by a ghost.

(Dean's freshmen

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stalker problem.) Sometimes when I'm falling asleep, I can still hear her wailing Deeeeeeeean outside my window.

Oh, he's joining the team, Dean declares. I don't care if I have to suck his dick to get him to agree to it.

Lorris? As in Logan and Morris? They fucking Brangelina'd themselves?

(Dean and Beau's friendship.) He wound up at one of Beau's parties, the two of them recognized the man-slut in each other, and they've been friends ever since.

Well, I do have to give GraceLogan some credit. They can be cute when they press pause on the idiocy. But HannahGarrett stole the show, even when the book isn't about them! Even more so with Dean!

Now, I'm scared of starting the next book because if Dean's character gets big-F'd up, I will drop it faster than NASA's Parker Solar Probe. And if it's much more devastating than I thought, I will pretend #3 doesn't exist. show less

┊3 ★┊ Da Vinci Code was much more interesting than this one. Some parts of the novel piqued my interest in a fluctuating pattern and most of the time I just wanted to get it over with. The plot-twist was something I figured out, but it felt rewarding nonetheless.

┊3.5 - 4 ★┊ There's a large grin on my face. If I could roll out a red carpet and name all the honorable mentions of TMG, I would.

On second thought, let me go do that.

I laughed my ass off at some scenes. The chemistry was on fire. Literal fire. SamLayla blew the entire laboratory into flames—textbooks and roof included—and as a metaphor for spicy romances, I would like to thank a higher being for my tendencies and enjoyment for artistic arson. And if someone asked me for SWP (as most ao3 fans would do), this would be one of my first recommendations.

I loved reading the snippets of Indian culture. Sam's protectiveness was adorable—wink—and I loved how Layla's preference for independence didn't go to pick-me-girl territory.

Their banter. Bickering. Sigh. Nothing can launch me faster to the deathbed than the sexual tension of being at each other's throats.

Can I get a hell yeah? Bicker nation, I would like to apply as your secretary.

It wasn't perfect, though. I cringed at those embarrassing moments that encompass most contemporary romance novels. But it wasn't off-putting. Daisy irked me at times; she could be a real bitch when she wanted to. Sam was an asshole for a few pages. But Layla? She was perfectly imperfect and I loved that.

—cracks knuckles,second book, here i come.

He is half of my soul, as the poets say.

The title fits like a glove; legend, tale of Achilles—but even more so from its exceptional writing style. The Song of Achilles flows exactly how a song does. Lyrical, heart-wrenching, miles for miles of remarkable phrases. It speaks to me as if Pa-tro-clus merely sits beside me, words stiff from archaic formality, singing of a boy who, to him, was like the sun. Is the sun.

Was there something I wasn't obsessed with? I don't think so.

I felt an array of emotions. Pity for Patroclus' upsetting beginnings. Awe of the golden boy, Achilles, and his god-like strength. Laughter bubbling from Odysseus (cough, simping for 'I love my wife' Ody) and Diomedes' shenanigans.

As someone well-versed in Greek/Roman myths, I knew what was coming. But that didn't stop me from shooting through the windshield, wailing and lamenting, as if I didn't have a clue of the ending in the first place.

SPOILERS.

Pride is a consuming thing. Grief, much so. It was distressing to watch that one character being consumed by his grief, become mad in it. But that is what love is, what love turns you to.

You become selfish.

You care only of your misery, to the point of depriving your significant other of rest after mortal death. You need to keep their cold body beside you as you weep. Funerals be damned. And even as you wait for your other half in the underworld, you are destined to wait long, for no one cares of your relationship. (Insert crying noises here.)

Fortunately, show more they do get reunited at the end. Otherwise, I would have cried myself blind for three days and three nights. Anyway, thank you tiktok for providing me with emotional trauma. xoxo :))) i certainly ain't still crying on the inside.

There is no law that gods must be fair, Achilles.

Achilles' eyes were bright in the firelight, his face drawn sharply by the flickering shadows. I would know it in dark, or disguise, I told myself. I would know it even in madness.

Had she really thought I would not know him? I could recognize him by touch alone, by smell, I would know him blind, by the way his breaths came and his feet struck the earth. I would know him blind, by the way his breaths came and his feet struck the earth. I would know him in death, at the end of the world.

Who was he if not miraculous, and radiant? Who was he if not destined for fame?

He was spring, golden and bright. Envious Death would drink his blood, and grow young again.

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A bittersweet childhood friends to lovers to enemies (does that count?) to lovers again romance.

Rune and Poppy's development was so sugary sweet that it placed a distance between itself and a romance skeptic like me. It was a utopia. Don't get me wrong. I liked how they were total sweethearts to each other. The I'd die for you type. The it was always you kind. But sometimes (and again, this could be the skeptic in me) I felt as if we didn't get enough progression in their relationship to fully empathize with Rune's first heartbreak from the introductory chapters.

After I spent more time with Rune and Poppy, I did get attached to their relationship.

Focusing on the bitter taste, I am glad to say that I cried. A lot. I thought I wouldn't feel anything for the book if my first impressions were something I went along with. But as I finished up the epilogue, my face was blotched with tears.

Poppy was cute (sometimes unrealistically full of love for life and quirky) and the style of writing left a few moments of oh, no, cliché sighs, but I liked it in a way!

I'd recommend this to younger readers and those who aren't as cynical of seemingly perfectly written relationships. But even if you relate to me in some way, I do think you'd enjoy reading this nevertheless!