#no i really liked this book don't overthink it diya

[childofsquidward]

Books I Read In 2022 (and by read I mean actually liked)

Damaged Like Us (Like Us #1) by Krista Ritchie, Becca Ritchie

“We’re like lightning and thunder, inherently different but alike enough to share the same sky.”

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Me reading the first Addicted World book and then jumping right into the first book from its spin-off series? More likely than you’d think.

Reading the books out of order was definitely not a good idea because the Core 6 are all well-established and the Addicted series probably covered how they set up their businesses and charities, so to get all this info from Moffy when I haven’t seen how they got there is super weird, I absolutely regret reading out of order now. And I swear the writing in this book compared to Addicted To You gave me whiplash because there’s like a four-year gap between when the two books were released, so Krista and Becca Ritchie have had time to improve as writers and it shows. I honestly found myself liking the writing style of Damaged Like Us a lot more than Addicted To You. I think some people didn’t really like how in Moffy’s POV he would kind of address the readers in a way, like almost breaking the fourth wall, but I personally thought it was kind of cute (mostly because I tend to talk to myself and talk out loud a lot, and that’s kind of the vibe Moffy also gives off). I also think the little sporadic paragraphs Moffy had, kind of introducing his siblings and cousins was a really cute touch, it was almost like he was asked to say one thing about a family member every time and he would have the most random fact but it made sense and honestly just added to the rest of the story.

I loved this book so much!!! Maximoff Hale is hands-down one of my favourite characters ever and I would die for him. There are certain aspects of his personality that I really related to, like how he’s just constantly overthinking everything and a lot of that comes from being the eldest child. This man is the blueprint of eldest sibling trauma energy and I do tend to have a bit of a soft spot for eldest siblings, especially ones in his position (not only is he the eldest sibling, he’s the oldest out of all 13 cousins!). I feel like it was just expected of him to constantly think about his family and look out for his younger siblings/cousins to the point where he’s lowkey a parental figure… and here’s the thing - Moffy adores his family and doesn’t have a resentful bone in his body, but eldest children internalize a lot of those expectations and it affects their lives in ways that they might never realize (the fact that he’s in 12 different group chats with his family - truly my worst nightmare). I just really connected to Moffy in a way that I didn’t expect and all you really need to know is that I would go to war for Maximoff Hale.

Something else I adore about Moffy is how he feels like such a good mix of the Core 6. You can see a lot of Lily’s personality in him and he absolutely comes off as someone who grew up in a super nerdy household like Lily and Lo’s with all his references. He’s obviously a lot like Ryke, but he has similar traits to Connor and his aunts as well, and this is highlighted throughout the book. For example, how Jane said Moffy will get explicitly creative with his death threats the same way Rose does. I’m actually curious to see if this is something that remains exclusive to Moffy or if in Jane’s book you’ll kind of get to see that she shares traits with the Core 6 as well and it makes sense since they’re the two oldest.

Speaking of Jane, I loved her and Moffy’s dynamic, so that fucking ending with the parents pissed me off so much! I don’t even need to read the entire series to know that their reaction was such bullshit, out-of-character behaviour. Realistically, if your kids are in a position where they can’t make friends outside of their own family, then of course Moffy’s best-friend is gonna be his cousin and they’ll completely lack boundaries (this entire family has never met a boundary in their lives), like, everything about that plot point makes me want to tear my hair out, that was so unnecessary! I was shaking because of how angry I was reading that part!

I genuinely believe that this was the only way the writers could think of to have everyone find out about Moffy and Farrow, and I call bullshit! (I took one star off just for this part.)

Anyway, on to things that make me less mad - Moffy and Farrow! I adore Moffy and Farrow - I mean, I have to, the book is about them. But genuinely, I loved their banter because it felt like two best-friends taking every opportunity they could to tease each other and there’s something so wholesome about their dynamic before getting together that I think is just so underappreciated. And while the childhood friends to lovers trope doesn’t completely apply to them, I really liked how elements of the trope could be seen in their relationship with Moffy and Farrow knowing each other’s families so well and surprising each other with things that they remembered from when they were younger. Also, the way Moffy was instantly antagonistic towards Thatcher because he could tell what an asshole he was to Farrow, and then Farrow doing the same with Charlie - if you can’t be irrationally defensive of me, then you’re just not the one.

Little things that were written in here for me specifically:

There are a lot of things here for me to like as a Marvel fan, but Luna writing Stucky fanfiction for Moffy took me tf out. (but also, writing fanfiction for your sibling was the most unrealistic part of the entire book, and this family is supposed to be the Kardashians of the Philadelphian suburbs) 

Moffy’s dog being named Gotham because true nerds love both DC and Marvel, fight me.

Moffy himself being named after Pietro Maximoff, but in my head he was named after Wanda, and that is the canon I choose to believe.

“Moffy! You’re a Hufflepuff. Be nice.” - respectfully Lily, your son is textbook Gryffindor, maybe re-read Harry Potter again babe

Some of my personal favourite quotes:

“There are five Cobalt boys, and my little sister had to befriend the two that lit Jane’s dollhouse on fire and laughed while it burned.”

“They say I go three-fourths Loren Hale. Sometimes I think they test their wrongdoings out on me just to build the courage to confront him.”

“Maximoff collects responsibilities like it’s his favourite toy.”

“Did that convince anyone? Wallpaper, lamp, table, man on the moon - you all fucking convinced? Me netiher.” 

“You’re a prince who wants to be a knight.”

“I trust myself to rein in the casual flirting. I’m sure he trusts himself, too. He just likes to add five padlocked chains onto a dead-bolted door.”

“You fuck with Kinney, I’ll slit your throat and then she’ll shove you to the bottom of a volcano.”