#insta: mmc

[yeyinde]

Seen your layla frost mention - any good dark romance books you would recommend? 👀

oh, absolutely!!! though, fair warning - my ideal dr is a horror/thriller moonlighting as a romance so! def read the warnings.

Little Dove by Layla Frost. Maximo, honestly, is my ideal mmc. cold, collected, cunning, unflappable, with a cruel and sadistic side (but never directed toward the the fmc), and wholly devoted to Juliet on a level that would probably land him in jail irl

Then, Earth Swallowed Ocean (book 1) by Shiloh Sloane

"Southern Gothic Werewolves Fight the Devil" that's it. this is the book for me. Shiloh Sloane is my favourite author. genuinely, truly. i love her writing, i love her characters. i love her for her tiktok bio alone: I write love stories whose trailers would have Ethel Cain music in ‘em. obsessed with her. i stalk her daily on insta and tiktok. but the book: it's more horror erotica than DR, but to be totally honest, this is so far up my alley, it was practically written for me. werewolves, the devil, smut, an INSANE mmc (obsessed, mean, possessive), a strong fmc, and it's set in post WW2 Appalachia. instant fave. when i die, bury me with this book.

Cracked Blue Sky (book 2) by Shiloh Sloane

features a native fmc and i know Shiloh Sloane is white, but how she shapes Howie Black Elk was pretty realistic. i loved how much she reminded me of a few cousins, aunties. love this book!!

Snuff by Bonny Capps

dark horror erotica that you absolutely should heed the warnings to. i loved it. 5*. but it does end up on several dnf lists for being brutal and disgusting. fmc goes to Russia to discover her roots, is taken by the Bratva to feature in their "passion projects" (snuff films!), but the mmc decides he wants her all to himself. if you're queasy about totally irredeemable mmcs (sadistic, vile, possessive, obsessed, cruel), then this probably is not for you, but lucky for me, i'm into that. def on my "i couldn't look my therapist in the eye for a while" collection, though.

Lemonade by Nina Pennacchi. mmc is irredeemable (cruel, vile, obsessed). historical romance (Victorian). also on the collection. Little Mouse by Emily Rose. mafia. age gap. A Stone's Throw by Stevie Sparks. age gap (dad's best friend. Scottish hero. auction. weird rich people doing weird rich people shit. God Of Vengeance by Michelle Heard. age gap. mafia. found family. i re-read the bound series this week and my favourites are Bound by Vengeance (Growl and Cora), Bound by Duty (Dante and Valentina), and Twisted Pride (Remo and Serafina). anything by Lilith Vincent. Brutal Husband is dropping in October and i cannot wait. The Devil's Vice by Mindy Paige. trauma bonding. motorcycle gang. age gap. Little Stranger by Leigh Rivers. revenge (fmc sends mmc to prison and he gets out and comes for her). insane mmc. Spectre by Shiloh Walker. kidnapping. violence. neuro-atypical fmc. Slashed by Thalia Sanchez. fmc wants to become a Final Girl. Slasher!mmc gives her just that.

also, not a romance but if you're into dark books with compelling characters, Break Her by BG Harlen was sooo good!!!! the premise is that a professional rapist is sent to break the fmc and it's such a good psychological thriller. def not for everyone though. A Beautiful Evil by Eris Belmont has no HEA but a very brutal and malicious mml. God's Eye by Ansa Reads is brutal. loved it, dgmw. but it's def not for the faint of heart.

[lanterns-and-daydreams]

Honestly, i find it so funny when in the LoG books, the mmc is like "my beast is hungry 👹👹👹"

Killian: "Damnit, Glyndon! My devil side is about to come out!"

Jeremy: "My beast awakens because of her 👹👹"

Like, i find these so funny. Idk why, but they remind me of those 10 year old "sigma" kids on yt and insta and i always laugh. Im sorry if anyone disagrees, but i will always make fun of these boys for this.

[atalienart]

Year of the Reaper by Makiia Lucier is light fantasy but has that good medieval vibe, and the MMC and FMC have a great dynamic, and no insta love. (Standalone)

Little Thieves by Margaret Owen has some of the best character work I've read in years. The FMC isn't scared of using violence but rarely does as she's a thief, not a warrior, and she's more interested in running/blending in/manipulating than wielding a sword. The MMC is the total opposite of growling macho stereotypes and I love him so much. No insta love. (First of a trilogy)

A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid is exactly that, woman who is not a warrior and man is not at all a growling macho, and no insta love. (Standalone)

And then maybe Dark Water Daughter by H.M. Long might work? The MMC is very gentlemanly and chill, but the FMC is more of a strong woman type who stands up for herself. She's not a warrior at first, but she starts learning how to fight and eventually feels more comfortable with a gun and sword on her hip. There's insta attraction, but no insta love/romance because bigger things are happening. (First in a series that's probably a trilogy? Second one just came out)

(Also Year of the Reaper, Little Thieves, and A Study in Drowning are shelved as YA but really do not read like YA. They're much more New Adult/Adult. I think they're shelved YA because of weird publishing choices, but they read more mature than what typically comes to mind with YA.)

Thank you so much! I have "A Study in Drowning" in my tbr, so maybe I'll go with it for now :) I'll check the other books too!

[romanticatheartt]

I'm getting tired of the "If Azriel only cares about the mating bond, why is he after elain who already has a mate" argument, when Azriel himself literally gave us the reason why in his pov:

3 brothers + 3 sisters.

That's the damn reason.

The bonus chapter literally starts with him obsessing over mating bonds and envying his brothers.

These are the right question to ask: if he's so in love with Elain, wtf is that "He hadn't gotten that far with his planning, certainly not beyond the fantasies he pleasured himself to" line? Why tf couldn't he think beyond sex in the elriel part the whole time? Why didn't he tell Rhys that he loves and cares for her instead of telling him the whole "Why was the third sister given to another??" bs? Why was it so easy for him to move on afterwards? Mind you, he had the chance to know her for over 2 years.. For someone who's apperantly in love, he sure isn't acting and thinking like it.

I still haven't gotten a valid explaination. It's just "Gwyn manipulated him" and "Azriel isn't allowing himself to further think about it" or "It's natural for him to think like that"- but Lucien would've gotten flamed for it.

Sorry, I had to rant. I usually don't and have long since given up on thinking about this ship war, but some elriel post on my fyp on Insta brought up this dumb argument back and it's just..🤦‍♀️

At least I didn't look at the comments.

Hi anon<3 I'm not really sure if wanted to come here and rant to me but if you did I'm happy you're comfortable enough to be here and drop your rant.

I agree with everything that you said and I remember the first time I read the line "he hadn't gotten that far with his planning, certainly not beyond the fantasies he pleasured himself to." and it was over for me. it was never started but yeah

If that line doesn't convince you then idk what will!! I want to compare it to Feyre only managing to have a connection and only form of communication with Tam/in through sex. The phrase "skin to skin" was used at least 3 times in acomaf.

And look at what other MMCs have said about their mates:

"I would have waited five hundred more years for you. A thousand years. And if this was all the time we were allowed to have … The wait was worth it."

“I will find you again in the next world—the next life. And we will have that time. I promise.”

“I want to see her. Just once. Just—to know.” “To know what?” “If she is worth fighting for.”

Do you see the difference?

I know people drag Lucien for this line but what they don't want to see is he's fighting for her. He's coming back every time he's invited to one of their ceremonies, he always brings gifts for her, he respects her and never forces himself on her, he just sits there and watches from afar, waits for her signals. He's waiting for her and doesn't care how long. Just like Rhys, just like Cassian. Rhys never forced himself on Feyre and was fine with her being in love with another person and he knew Feyre was his mate long before she even met Tam/in. Cassian would've waited for Nesta in another life for her to join him.

Like as I'm writing these, I have tears in my eyes, literally. Because look how romantic is that!! Look how sure they're in their love for their mates even if they didn't know they're already in love. Look at Lucien who keeps coming back with no expectation. This is how love looks on a guy!! They respect them long before the feeling reciprocate.

And we have Azriel... who jerks off by the thought of Elain and it's his only thoughts of her. I'm not saying it's wrong but just compare him to others...

It's not how sjm writes his MMCs as much as everyone else wants to find this romantic. I mean sure, if this doesn't deter you from loving them then by all means, it's your preference and it's totally fine. If you think this is peak romance then I think you should higher you standards but then again it's not my business at all. But other people finding this weird and not romantic is valid.

He calls her the third ffs (she's the second sister but ok Az it doesn't seems math is your strong suit anyway) He acts like she's some kind of object when he says "was given to another" like I'm sorry?

And more importantly Az never answer Rhys question about Mor... He is still in love with her (I'm sure he has no idea what love is) and he's giving the same treatment he gave her to Elain. I call this obsession and desperation for a mate. And the moment he gets a mate he will leave both of them for his mate. Everyone always say Elain will break the bond and leave Lucien, which now we know she will never not feel him in her soul, but never how Azriel will react the moment he finds his mate. Which their answer is Azriel and Elain are the real mates. And we know they're not...

Anyways I just wanted to add a little to what you said and compare it to other characters and why we don't think Azriel and Elain will ever end up together. Sjm write romance and love stories first and not smut. Yes sure she approach Nessian this way and only because it would suit their story but Nesta literally say she was always in love with Cassian since the moment they met. And I don't think whatever Azriel is feeling for Elain is love or even lust. He feels this way because he thinks Elain should be his mate. He jerks off to the thought of Elain being his mate and not Elain herself.

Edit: I forgot to say. Please filter their tags on every plat form. I did it on both instagram and twitter and I barely see anything from that side of the fandom. It will make your experience better I promise you lol

[paperbaacks]

review:

“She fit here. She fit with him. His heart thumped the words over and over.”

it's been so long since i've read a proper little silly romance. and trust this one delivered on the silly front (i don't even mean that in a bad way). it definitely was a mix of good and bad, but overall? a fun, autumnal time.

things i liked —

the atmosphere and the vibe. very autumnal, very cute! this feels like i'm inside stars hollow somehow with the town meetings and a gossipy book club.

casper the cat -baby boyyy!!! loml i wish there was more of him, i really do.

mmc liked his farm animals so much and that was so endearing. genuinely just a nerd for his animals, very cute.

it was funny and silly and at no point did it take itself too seriously which worked out great for me. i liked the characters pretty well, they weren't annoying or anything.

the mystery was nice and cosy and light.

a quick book you can read in one sitting for sure.

things i didn't like —

this was so insta-love-y?? like literally love at first sight pretty much. it took out all the tension in the story and after a point that just got a little boring. i also wish it wasn't dual pov... that just removed any and all chances of any tension in the story.

while the mystery was good, the resolution was so anticlimactic, it made me groan. ugh i wish there was some meat to it, i wish it wasn't so convenient!

the last couple chapters?? there was a natural end to this story and the author kept writing past it which resulted in the last couple chapters being bland and boring.

overall though, i had a good time, it was nice and fun!

[biteofcherry]

just wanted to say here that you do a great job in your fics (especially Ruby garden) with what you just posted about

like when I think of Ari and Cherie my first thought about what is most attractive about her is the brattiness. and same for Steve and darling, the most attractive thing to Steve is her personality and strength. And I'm never in doubt about the physical attraction either, but it's so clear in the way you write that physical attraction isn't the first or "most important" thing that draws them together

and I love that

idk like I said in my tags I'm demisexual so I'm not sexually attracted to people until I get to know them, and I don't think I really processed why I loved Ruby garden so much until now

idk. You're a great writer and I especially love how much care and attention you put into Ruby garden and how you portray healthy bdsm dynamics

also I agree romance/smut books are not for me. Mostly cause I'm too gay to read about a omc/mmc but also because it's just never written in the way I want to read it 💀

Omg, thank you so much for this Croki! 🥺❤️❤️❤️ I'm so happy that you are able to connect with my writing on such level, because it's very important to me.

I find connection to person more important than looks, because I feel like so many of us (me for sure) don't command attention with our looks. Yes, I want the person who I'm with to find me attractive and desirable, but I don't want that to be the reason they want me in the first place.

Just as I know that I'm not a type of beauty to be picked and flirted with just because someone saw me and was attracted to me. It's just unrealistic. Can't identify with that "insta attraction".

As for romance/smut books, I can only imagine how very frustrating it is for gay people to find any connection with what's out there, if even straights have trouble identify with most of what is published and labeled romance 😬

[sufferthesea]

Exciting news! Since it's the new year, I have TWO announcements.

First: I am opening my commissions again! Finally! :D I am excited to see what ideas and characters all of you have for me to write about!

Second: I published my first original novel on Kindle! It's a steamy student x teacher (college-age) romance and it's AVAILABLE NOW! I'm writing under the pseudonym KANDI WILDE. (If you know me irl, no you don't.) It's called TEACHER'S PET and it features: biracial/Asian FMC, midsize/plus size FMC and MMC, pet names, a taboo relationship, body insecurity & positivity, 10+ year age gap, explicit foreplay, and fade-to-black sex scenes. Even if you're not interested in reading it, check out my Insta (kandiwildeauthor) and TikTok (kandiwildeauthor) and share the book with people you think might be interested!

[flowingwords2]

identity by alexia mantzouranis part one of the times 3 series

this book based on the genre of contemporary romance, young adult fiction and the main theme Rockstar romance. the book starts of with the sad past of the FMC and her introduction to the MMC. their chemistry was phenomenal and the book was also very heartbreaking. it had a very interesting and totally unexpected plot which is amazing. wonderfully executed book is definitely worth the read. I would give this book ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5 stars it was simply amazing. I am really excited for the second book of the series.

i will be leaving the links of the author and insta pages down😊.

(and pls know the pictures used donot belong to me i used the following pics for reviewing purposes thank you everyone.😆)

@flowingwords2 @alexiamantzouranisauthor

[tojiscumdumpster]

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐓 𝙗𝙮 𝙇𝙖𝙪𝙧𝙚𝙣 𝘼𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙧

𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 1/100 𝗈𝖿 2024

𝗖𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘅𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁𝘆. 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗥𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 - 𝗕𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝘅 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗲.

𝗚𝗿𝘂𝗺𝗽𝘆 𝘅 𝗦𝘂𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲. 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. 𝗔𝗴𝗲 𝗚𝗮𝗽.

I have a tendency on starting series backwards. Don’t judge me lol. Terms and Conditions caught my attention first, but I decided to give The Fine Print a go because I enjoy Lauren’s writing, and I’m glad I did. Just another billionaire romance to add to my roster.

I really enjoyed reading Zahra’s and Rowan’s love unravel. This story wasn’t hard for me to get into at all. It very fluffy, domestic, a bit angsty, and a touch of spice.

One thing I can say I love about Lauren is the representation for black and brown women in her books. All the FMCs in the Dreamland Billionaire series are WOC/Black, and I absolutely love that. I’m starting Final Offer next.

Zahra, I love her. She’s fun, spunky, full of energy, and stands on business. She’s unapologetically her and is truly kind. Zahra is a true Sunshine character because as the story progress, you can see she’s Rowan’s light to his darkness, and even her own darkness she had to overcome. The relationship with her family, especially her sister, Ani—very touching.

Her bitch ass ex, Lance, was mentioned throughout the story, but I’m so glad Lauren didn’t make that her plot or give him too much book time. Again, the author has a way of writing the FMCs and MMCs lives outside of each other, and she did that with The Fine Print.

Now, for Rowan…

The way I have an up and down relationship about this man baffles me. He started off as a complete and utter asshole, and not the ones I’m attracted to in books. Like not even Declan acted the way he did. Rowan was unnecessarily rude, condescending, and he was one of them billionaires that looked down on his employees since he benefits off of capitalism. If I ever decided to DNF this book, it would’ve be SOLELY because of Rowan. He was mean to Zahra and she literally killed with kindness until she couldn’t.

Eventually, he started growing me the more the story progressed. His rude and nasty attitude is truly an act and disguise of a broken little boy that wanted to be accepted and love by his father. Because every time Rowan opened up, my heart warmed for him. Just how Zahra described, he speaks beautifully.

I honestly wish we gotten to see more of his rekindled love with drawing outside of Zahra.

He may or may not be apart of my book boyfriends list now. LOL. Just another asshole brother that softens up for his girl.

Despite this somewhat being insta lust, I think the relationship between Zahra and Rowan was developed well. As I stated above, very domestic like and warming. It’s hard to make me laugh in books, but their relationship had me giggling. Zahra has no filter and Rowan is such a grump, it makes me sick. “I don’t like you, but I want to date you.” Like Rowan shut the hell up omge.

Seems like they were bound to happen as well, so I guess you can say fate mates?

The love and vulnerability portrayed in their relationship was beautiful. I didn’t care for the spice as much because I just love seeing them open up, especially Rowan. The sex just deepened their love. Very raw and emotion filled. I love spice scenes like that for books.

Overall, I really love this book and I’m glad I read it. The only thing I would’ve like more of is like I said Rowan’s drawing more and also the epilogue could’ve been longer. People were saying that this book is unrealistic, but HELLO?! That’s the purpose of romance books.

It’s FICTION and we’re suppose to fantasize about a romance that seems too good to be true in real life. It’s called escapism. Like since when y’all want to think about real life while reading fiction?

[samuel-de-champagne-problems]

i will 100% eat up insta lovey trope books because as someone who’s never had any sort of romantic attention or validation ever i don’t need my romance books to be realistic i want to read about a mmc being completely obsessed with the fmc and giggle and kick my feet in the air and stop reading momentarily because i can’t take it

[hellacioushag]

I need to add more content to my watchlist especially with the writers strike. Can you rec some dizis for newbies?

i'm not in any way a seasoned expert since i've only seen a handful within the last 2 months or so, but i can tell you ones i've enjoyed. i'll only list ones that have a least 1 season completed.

erkenci kus / early bird is available on youtube with ok english subs. it's a typical summer dizi romcom with the rich boss falling for his working class employee. the twist is they accidentally kiss in the dark when he mistakes her for his gf before they officially meet. it's definitely a "he fell first, she fell harder" situation. this was the one i started with and it set the bar high, the chemistry alone was so intense. the mmc can (pronounced like jon) is gorgeous and the fmc sanem is so funny and talented. it was actually a friend of mine who got me into this cause she saw it blowing up on like tiktok or insta and she started watching and loved it. by the time she got me into it it literally became my whole personality and i passed her in episodes and finished the series way before she did lol. it's a commitment like most dizis. we're talking 2+ hr episodes, 51 episodes in total. thankfully youtube cut them into like 45min increments.

sen cal kapimi i used a super sus website to watch called turkish123 idk if there's a better site out there, but i would try to look for one. anyway this was probably my fave dizi cause the story was well structured (same writer as erkenci kus) and great chemistry with the leads as well. it's another typical summer romcom, but with enemies to lovers. starts with a fake engagement to make the mmc's ex jealous and eventually leads to both mmc and fmc falling hard for each other. this has 2 seasons, 52 episodes.

gunesi beklerken is more of a teen drama that was giving me BH90210 / the oc vibes with how ridiculous some of the plots and drama was. overall very fun watch. i absolutely hated the mmc, but also he was the most interesting character so i was rooting for him at the same time wishing for his downfall lol. if you are into fun nonsense then i would rec this one. it starts with the fmc moving to istanbul with her mother and attending a private school where she immediately gets swept up into dumb politics with the school bully (the mmc). definitely enemies to lovers. i'm not really into bully romances and i did not ship the main couple (tho the chem was there), but they both gave as good as they got and it was just a legitimate fun and insane watch. i watched this one on another sus site called serial4u.net it's 54 episodes.

adim farah is the last one i will mention. this show has been remade a few times, including in the US. it's enemies to lovers. the fmc is an immigrant working as a cleaning lady to pay for her son's medical expenses. she accidentally witnesses a mob murder and when caught she manages to convince them to let her live and she will work for them. there's a lot of intrigue and not one episode is filler like a lot of dizis. the chem is good with the leads and they have some surprisingly sweet moments between them. this one is on dailymotion. season 1 is 14 episodes (the finale had me shaken), season 2 will be coming out this fall.

one i haven't tried, but it's on every list of the best dizis is kara sevda/endless love. i don't think i will bother since i know it has a pretty sad ending, but if you are into pain maybe check that one out lol. i ended up paying for a sub to kinemania which has decent translations and a lot of shows in their catalog so now i don't need to navigate thru sus websites or deal with a million ads.

[charlotte-of-wales]

https://www.tumblr.com/charlotte-of-wales/725032377452281856/also-i-feel-their-choice-for-the-book-was-so?source=share

i read the book and it's insta-love silliness with unnecessary miscommunication, not really with cheating involved (one of them is in a relationship when they meet and spend their day together but i'm not even sure they kiss at that point?). they then meet again 10 years later after the mmc failed to show up at their meeting spot a year later (or did he?) and they work their stuff out by idolizing their past versions and attractions to each other and communicating badly (or not at all honestly) for a while until it all works out.

the fmc's mum dies in a car crash a few months before the present timeline starts when the fmc shows up at the lake resort (fmc is in her late 20's at that point, so idk where the childhood trauma comes from?), but the cause of death is honestly mentioned so little, it's basically just a plot point to get the main characters to the lake resort again. the fmc's mum is also the one who deals with post-natal depression, but that's mentioned in like one off-hand diary entry read by the fmc.

and with mental health: the mmc has anxiety, but that's about it with regards to mental health rep.

(if you can't tell, i read the book and almost dnf'd it bc it was so boring and predictable and used way too many cliche's. Spoiler: the mmc did show up at the resort a year after meeting like they had promised each other, but he didn't feel kenough to show himself because of anxiety, and his sister got pregnant as a teen and he stepped up to help support them both, getting a corporate career for financial stability instead of pursuing his creative drawing passion thingy, achieving none of the things they had written down in a bucket list type thing on that one day they spend together. and that's basically the reason for the entire plot of the book)

that sounds........like something

[whatareyousearchingfordean]

So I just finished “On These Black Sands” by Vanessa Rasanen and omg run don’t walk to buy this. I first heard of it on my FYP on insta because the author said she based the MMC on Dean Winchester and though I’m not much of a fantasy book person (don’t look at me like that) it is soooo freaking good. She puts some nice little Dean Easter eggs in there for the fans that were super fun but also Declan is a hardened pirate with a secret soft side who just wants to protect the ones he loves. Did I mention it’s also a slow burn romance? And a trilogy! Anyway the next one is already on its way and boom three has been preordered. I will bring living in this world for a while now

[atalienart]

Opinion: Enemy -> Lovers is not interesting or usually realistic. To simply "give up hate" and go to the extreme of "love" is a hard ask. Give us to people so in love with each other it hurts to glance their way because they are so shy or worried about what the other one thinks. The pinning across the room, with the slight hope there is something, but crushing one's own. Only for them to both come to the realization neither of them had to fear, and they get to bask in the joy and relief they find once they come to learn their love for one another.

I'll tell you why it happens. It's because every writer commits insta-lust at the meet cute and runs with it as if other feelings don't matter. They skip the important part where they should build trust and connection between characters, which is hard with the initial hate. Often there's also the hot man syndrom, where the hotness of the MMC is directly proportional to the FMC's readiness to forgive the MMC's every sin. Boring, predictable, unimaginative. But if it's done well it's very interesting.

The pining tho... Can we get more romance in romance?

[heloisedaphnebrightmore]

Tis the Season for Revenge by Morgan Elizabeth

‘Heloise the book addict’ masterlist | Heloise’s map 

★★☆☆☆ — 2/5 stars

If you enjoyed this book, I’m happy for you, but for me, it was disappointing. I was heavily debating a 3-star rating, because 2 stars felt wrong, but I can’t give it 3 stars if I look at how much of the book I didn’t enjoy. You can also check my reading updates where I commented on specific parts of the book mid-reading.

What I expected: Revenge (see the title), pettiness, creativity, spiteful behaviour, cosy little romance, Christmas vibes, Legally Blonde type of story and an FMC similar to Elle Woods. 

What I got: Loads of “telling” not showing, mediocre romance, unnatural conversations, unnecessary and bland spicy scenes, cringy dirty talk, unmoving plot, not so intelligent FMC (Don’t you dare compare her to Elle Woods), whining, non-existent character “development”, a “mind-reader” MMC, insta-lust and insta-love.

What I liked: — The idea behind the revenge plot. — Kat, one of the side characters/best friends. — The ex (Richard), I hated him, but he was consistent and well-written as a terrible person. — The constant reassurance of equality between partners. — The (very few) sweet and romantic moments between characters.

What I didn’t like: — The execution of the revenge plot, in which the characters literally discussed their petty actions, aka what they have done to FMC (Abigail)’s ex, as they were remembering back to the day, basically in the form of telling, not showing. 

— The friendship. Both Kat and FMC knew Cami had issues but ignored it for years which even they admitted, so I guess kudos for that. 

— The mediocre romance and spice. At some point I wondered if I was reading Erotica because of the frequency of the spicy scenes which, of course, didn’t drive the already bland plot, rather felt like filling. And the romance was very mild, I expected more romance, less shagging, to actually see them grow closer, but that didn't happen. They did the deed and then fell in love somewhere.

— The plot was supposed to be revenge turned romance, but it was just constant exchange of bodily fluids. As I said above, where did they fall in love? When did the feelings grow? 

— The dirty talk was cringy, it didn’t sound like the MMC was a 42 year old adult, rather a horny teenager. This, specifically, bothered me to the point I skimmed through the spicy scenes. It wasn’t attractive.

— The mind-reader aspect of the MMC and useless FMC. No communication, literally MMC had to pull each and every little bits out of FMC. Which I would have understood if it was only at the beginning, but it was a constant issue throughout the story. This would have been a good way to show FMC opening up and initiating real communication, but no, MMC had the weight of the whole plot on his shoulder, and he didn’t even know about it.

— The constant reassurance the FMC needed. It’s not healthy to move on so quickly after a 4 year long relationship, nor is it okay to not see the forest from the tree for 4 years. I get it, there are people like that, it is a real thing, but it was incredibly... frustrating.

— The conversation between characters felt incredibly unnatural most of the time. 

— The writing style literally brought me out of the zone and confused me. As characters were in mid-conversation, it literally cut off so the FMC could have a one and a half page long thought process about something that happened the day before. By the time she went back to continue the conversation, I forgot what the conversation was about and with who. 

— Lastly, the name-mentions drove me crazy from the MMC. Naranja, I understood, because it was significant, but “baby” and “babe” were mentioned a total of 66 and 13 times. At one point, 7 times on one single page. Rubia was mentioned a total of 43 times whilst Naranja was mentioned a total of 23 times. To add to that, her name, Abigail, was mentioned a total of 65 times and that is after I have removed every part where he was thinking about her or talked to someone about her. So, to sum it up, the MMC used nicknames a total of 145 times and her name a total of 65 times, repeating these words a total of 210 times... too repetitive for my taste. You can ask a question or reply to something without calling someone on a nickname or their name. It's not that hard. 

Overall, this book just wasn't for me.  (Ignore my grammar mistakes, I'm exhausted...)

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

[ Insta ]

🦇 When the World Tips Over Book Review 🦇

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

❓ #QOTD What's your favorite book about siblings (if you don't have one, you NEED to pick up a book by Jandy Nelson)? 🦇 Years ago, the Fall kids’ father mysteriously disappeared, cracking the family into pieces. Dizzy sees spirits, Miles hides the truth of himself behind the guise of perfectionism, and Wynton is on the brink of fame or self-destruction. When an enigmatic rainbow-haired girl shows up, she tips the Falls’ world over. She might be an angel. Or a saint. Or an ordinary girl. Somehow, she is vital to each of them. But before anyone can figure out who she is, catastrophe strikes, leaving the Falls more broken than ever. And more desperate to be whole. With road trips, rivalries, family curses, love stories within love stories within love stories, and sorrows and joys passed from generation to generation, this is the intricate, luminous tale of a family’s complicated past and present. And only in telling their stories can they hope to rewrite their futures.

💜 Jandy Nelson has done it again, weaving magic into every word while creating an intricate, profound, heart-claiming story of family and love. Each of the Falls siblings is so well-developed, so vivid that the heart-aching loss for their father cries off the page, their passions bleeding color into every chapter. And yet, you can't fully know Dizzy, Miles, or Wynton without seeing them from their siblings' point of view--proving that sometimes, those we love know us better than we know ourselves. This story is told in a seamless blend of present and past, family histories & different perspectives overlapping. I fell in love with each character perhaps in the way they loved one another--Cassidy most of all, whose storytelling is captivating, enthralling, dizzying all at once. The word choice is flawlessly executed, giving each character a heartbeat, every heartbreak leaving fissures in their wake. It was beyond worth waiting a decade for another Jandy Nelson book; a story that has bled so much color into my world as a reminder of what well-written prose and character development can be when a passionate writer is at the helm. Despite this story's generational trauma, the love and joy found between the characters, the LOVE built between moments of pain, transcends all else. It tips over.

💙 There are a few trigger warnings you should be aware of before diving into this tender tale: abandonment, addiction/alcoholism, car accident, death, grief, homophobia, infidelity, mental illness, physical abuse, rape/sexual assault.

🦇 If you read one book I've recommended this year, let it be this one. Let Dizzy, Miles, Wynton, and their angel into your heart. This is not a YA book; it's a would-be classic that transcends time and genre. Recommended for fans of Rainbow Rowell, Casey McQuiston, and Becky Albertalli.

✨ The Vibes ✨ 🎻 Siblings/Family Secrets 🌈 Multiple POVs / Timelines 🍇 Rivalries 🥧 Magical Realism ��� Family Curse 🍇 Queer MMC 🌈 Poetic Prose 🎻 Mental Health Rep

🦇 Major thanks to the author @jandy.nelson and publisher @randomhouse @penguinteen for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. #WhentheWorldTipsOver

💬 Quotes ❝ Their eternity was only each other. ❞ ❝ Her mother...once told Dizzy that it used to be believed a white truffle was made when lightning hit and entered an ordinary mushroom. That’s how Dizzy thought of Wynton— unlike the rest of the ordinary mushrooms like her, he had lightning inside him. ❞ ❝ Deep garnet color, hints of cherries, roses, has you talking to the moon and the moon talking right back, pairs well with heartbreak, makes you feel so in love you might ask strangers to marry. ❞ ❝ He decided this would have to be the one slow dance in the history of humankind that never ended. No matter if asteroids careened down, wars broke out, earthquakes toppled cities, the two of them would still, in a thousand years, be here by this river, in starlight, under the redwood trees, swaying together, more one than two, because he suddenly somehow knew deep in his heart that this girl was the kingdom, and for once in his stupid screwed-up life, he was the one who had the keys. ❞ ❝ And now she’s saying someone named Felix, who drove with her down to Paradise Springs, had called her Scheherazade, the Persian queen in A Thousand and One Nights who saved her own life by telling stories. She says she plans on keeping you alive in the same way— by telling you her story. You hope that means her story is a long one and she’ll stay by your side forever. ❞ ❝ She also writes in a journal. When I ask her what she’s writing, she says she’s trying to crash into infinity with words. ❞ ❝ I never want her to know that a life is an abandoned unfinished story. ❞ ❝ There’s an invisible artery joining the hearts of mothers and daughters through which pain is transferred from one generation to the next. ❞ ❝ She didn’t know what people were supposed to do with the leftover love that no one wanted anymore. ❞ ❝ A real love story is not falling in love once, but again and again through all sorts of incarnations. Theirs was a real love story. ❞ ❝ He was the guy full of voltage and fury, who blew the lids off jars, who walked into a room and electrocuted all present. ❞ ❝ Who knew one kiss could turn someone into a brand-new person? ❞ ❝ I do believe now that when the world tips over, joy spills out with all the sorrow. But you have to look for it. ❞