#Because mc is forced to be attracted to Mandy

[masked-alien-lesbian]

I noticed it, too! UT is definitely more for mlm, and UB seems to be more for wlw and mlw. I feel like goc LIs also played a part in me preferring UB over UT. Kit seemed like an empty shell of a person and while I'll never find Ryder attractive on a romantic or sexual aspect, I can appreciate that even he has more character and personality than Kit.

(Plus I had a HUGE crush on Mandy back in UT, so getting to romance her is a dream come true lol)

My observations suggest most people who are liking Unbridled now didn't really care about Untameable, and people who enjoyed Untameable can't get into Unbridled. Like, I don't know what it is, but somehow these books appeal to two very different groups of people despite being two parts part of the same series.

[cadybear420]

Cadybear's Reviews- Untameable

Welcome to the thirty-fifth official Cadybear's Reviews! Today I'll be talking about Untameable, which I have ranked on the "PooPoo Tier" at 1 star out of a possible 10. My last and only playthrough of this was around March-September 2022.

Holy fuck this one is so bad. It’s so bland it’s so bland it’s so bland. 

I think this is the first story in Choices to actively anger me. Well, actually, that would actually be OG HSS 2 because of the basketball game drama, but at least that had an excuse for happening and it didn’t taint the whole book. 

Admittedly, this is a weird one to put in the Poopoo Tier along with shit like Surrender and FCL. When you get down to it, it isn’t really offensive or problematic like those two are. There isn’t any glorified toxicity or half-baked resolutions of toxic behaviors or anything like that. But it still had me shouting and ranting at my phone screen with little to no redeeming qualities… so I put it on the tier. 

To start, the story isn’t even that charged with smut outside of those CGs, despite it being a “sexy” book. I mean, at least excessive smut would have made it interestingly bad or fun bad. But no, it’s just boring and frustrating bad. 

Kit is easily the blandest LI I’ve ever seen. Like, textbook definition of a soulless customizable LI. The story tries to push them as a “player” but all we ever see of that is two scenes where people flock over to Kit and swoon over them. But Kit was completely unresponsive to it, so how am I supposed to buy them as a player and not just a local ranch heartthrob? 

The conflict as a whole is super artificial and contrived. I’ll give the affair stories this– as contrived and melodramatic as they are, their “forbidden” attractions actually felt forbidden, by virtue of the LI (or MC in TDA’s case) already being in a relationship with someone else. 

With Untameable, they try to push Kit and MC as a forbidden romance, but literally nothing about it is forbidden besides the fact that Austin will throw a baby Caillou temper tantrum once he catches Kit and MC. Like, he straight up claims their relationship affects the ranch but HOW DOES IT DO THAT. HOW. WHAT MENTAL GYMNASTICS DID YOU DO TO GET TO THAT. IN WHAT WORLD DOES THAT MAKE ANY LOGICAL SENSE. 

It’s not even one of those “it’s more interesting and refreshing as non-wlm” routes like something like SW, TCH (1), ID (1), DLS, and (presumably) Alpha are, despite the “older brother wants to protect younger sibling MC from player friend LI” trope that was meant more for wlm routes. Because, again, it’s trying to force high stakes and forbidden romance where there is none. 

I have no idea why this absolute doodoofart of a book got a sequel. But hey, at least it’s gonna be about a different cast of characters, with Mandy as a LI. Honestly, Mandy was probably the only major recurring character in this book that didn’t bore or annoy me despite leaning very dangerously into the “best friend who talks exclusively about diamond outfits and how you totally deserve to bone the LI” trope.

[inspired-by-the-music]

Any Other Name Part 43

Jimin’s eyes scoured for any sign of MC. He’d only caught a glimpse at her on the red carpet, though she had been carefully shielded by Yoongi, and she had since disappeared. Even after asking her mother where MC could be, Jimin was no closer to spotting her, and he was feeling anxious. Could he even remember the last time he was at an event like this without her? Or the last time they fought for this long?

After running a hand through his hair as he sighed tiredly, Jimin noticed an all-too-familiar head of curly blonde hair storming toward him. “Oh no,” he groaned. Slightly trembling with fear, he forced a smile as she stopped next to him. “Hi, Aimee.”

“What are you hiding, Park Jimin?” Aimee’s eyes narrowed at her cousin’s best friend as she took a glass of champagne from a server.

“Since when are you old enough to drink?”He half expected that she was still underage when she broke into a playful smile.

“Since I turned 21,” she laughed. “Anyway, what are you moping about?”

“How could you possibly know that something happened?” Jimin threw his hands up in defeat. “I think you talked to MC, and that’s why—”

“So something happened between you and MC, and that’s why you’re holed up in this corner looking guilty as hell.” When Jimin grimaced, Aimee dropped her teasing tone and softened her voice. Facing him, she asked, “What happened?”

Slowly, in an attempt to shield himself from Aimee’s anger, he began, “I admit that I could have been gentler, but I got upset because she wanted to skp the premiere because of everything that happened with that boy.” The phrase fell from Jimin’s tongue venomously.

Aimee sternly reminded, “Be fair, Jimin. It’s obvious to me that she’s in love with Jungkook, and I was just observing everything through social media. You can’t expect—”

“I get that she liked him,” Jimin said shortly, still unwilling to hear about how unreasonable his expectations were. His whisper adopted a harsher tone as he continued, “But they just met. So how could she have all these feelings for him? What about him makes her this way?”

“Stop being jealous for five minutes ant think about how she feels,” Aimee struggled to control her volume. More calmly, she added, “You know how reserved MC has always been. Before she went to Korea with you, she never branched out beyond me, you, her mom, and her demon sister. Imagine how scared she must have been in a foreign country. And imagine how it must feel to fall in love with one of that country’s most infamous celebrities.”

Jimin squirmed uncomfortably at the exercise of considering life from MC’s perspective; this only worsened as Aimee kept talking. “And think about how she must have felt when she thought she lost you to her sister. You know how lonely MC is, since you were the first person to love her—”

This is the statement that made Jimin lose his control. Pounding a fist against the wall, he seethed, “I know. I know I’m being a selfish, shitty friend. I just—” his voice cracked as he tried to calm his temper, noticing how Aimee flinched. “I knew she and Jungkook wouldn’t last. And I just thought she and I—”

“What the hell, Jimin?” Aimee interrupted, her cheeks burning scarlet under a full face of makeup. “I get that you’re into MC, but that’s screwed up. Don’t you care at all that the only reason she’s heartbroken over Jungkook is because of that psycho, lying Mandi—”

“They never should have been together!” Jimin cried incredulously, attracting the eyes and ears of others. Biting his tongue, he tried to prevent himself from following the negative train of thought. But it was too late. With his entire face throbbing from pent up emotion, he said, “He’s just some guy she met. If anything, he’s supposed to be a fling. He isn’t supposed to be the one!”

Aimee’s passion matched his as she asked, “And you’re supposed to be the one? I don’t think so. MC deserves better than your selfish—”

“Instead she deserves Jungkook when he’s obsessed with his ex?”

“It doesn’t have to be some ultimatum,” Aimee acknowledged, shaking her head at Jimin’s distorted perspective. “Besides, all we know about that is what Mandi publicized, and I don’t trust her.”

Jimin’s lip was beginning to tremble. “Why is it so wrong for me to be in love with MC? I’ve loved her longer—”

“What does that have to do anything?”

Jimin was almost thankful for her interruption. He was humiliated by the words coming out of his mouth— those words that came from the mind of someone truly immature, self-centered, and undeserving of MC.

Aimee said everything Jimin understood despite his troubled behavior. “You’re not entitled to her because you’ve known her longer. Look, it’s one thing for you to express your feelings for her, but it’s wrong to hold them against her. If you need space to work through your feelings, take your space. But quit holding her back with your unspoken expectations, or your friendship will fall apart.”

Before Jimin could argue further, embarrass himself further, a pretty red-headed girl latched onto Aimee’s arm and whispered in a bright voice: “I just met MC, and she gave me her number! She said I could interview her any time!”

Aimee smiled at her sweetly and matched her enthusiasm. “That’s amazing, Aeri! So you’re having a good night?”

“The best night,” the girl, Aeri, corrected with a broad smile. “The only way it could get better if I see Jungkook with my own eyes.”

Still on edge from the conversation with Aimee, Jimin rolled his eyes. Leaning toward the girl, he said, “Aeri, is it?”

Her eyes widened as she turned from Aimee to face him. “I— yes.”

Oblivious to Aimee’s intense glare, Jimin opened his mouth to say something snarky. However, as he fully appreciated her youthful doe-eyed expression, he forgot what he planned to say. A smile crawled across his face as he said, “If you don’t mind, I could give you my number too.”

Aimee rolled her eyes as Jimin continued to flirt with Aeri, who clearly remained oblivious to his advances. “Honestly, Jimin,” Aimee teased as Jimin watched Aeri skip off to introduce herself to another guest. “I think you just have a thing for girls crushing on Jungkook.”

Jimin glared at Aimee shortly before breaking into giggles. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. And I guess I owe MC an apology.”

When Jimin pulled out his phone as Aimee likened talking to him with an emotional roller coaster, he saw a string of messages from MC.