#our ride to forever

[critical-quoter]

Your capacity for holding grudges doesn't even remotely match your capacity to love.

Our Ride to Forever - Julie Olivia

[bitty-books]

Our Ride to Forever

By Julie Olivia

Finished: 7.19.2023

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Julie Olivia you’re insane

Going into this book, I’m going to be honest, Theo and Orson were the couple that interested me the least. By the end? I think they’re close to being my favorite ( I’m so sorry Lorelei and Emory). The chemistry that Julie was able to give them is crazy. I don’t think I’ve read a book where the main couple meshes so we’ll together. You can tell they both care so deeply for one another even if they don’t want to admit it to themselves.

I see a lot of myself in Theo and her experience with living up to the high expectations that she puts on herself due to her family. Also I heavily relate to Orson’s tendency to give too much of himself away. Julie Olivia is so great at making characters that feel real. I think that’s what is so charming about this series.

PHEWWW the spice in this one is immaculate. Definitely the book with the most in this series so far.

I’m also learning through this series is that I’m a big fat sucker for the “he falls first trope”, so thanks for that lol.

God I don’t want this series to be over :(( I’ve only got the last one to go. But oh my god Ruby and Bennett’s story is about to go crazy I think. So still excited even if I’m sad about the end.

[teenageread]

Review: Out Ride to Forever

Initial Thoughts:

The novel opens with Julie Olivia confidently describing it as an “Open Door romance” (thanks, BookTok), which essentially means explicit sex scenes. And there were a lot of them—almost to the point where they rivaled the romance itself. The story kicks off with Theo wanting something casual with Orson, followed by her impulsive decision to marry him for convenience. Fast forward seven months (where the plot currently stands), and due to a blizzard, the married couple is forced to live together. Overall, this novel feels pretty average—mediocre characters, predictable plot points, lackluster twists, and a romance that’s just okay. Even the graphic sex scenes, which were plentiful, didn’t really impress me. The dual perspectives of Theo and Orson were nice for seeing both characters’ feelings as they fall for each other, but that’s a common feature in most romance novels. For me, this book relied too heavily on tropes, with little imagination, and felt more like a BookTok product than something written for genuine readers.

Characters:

Olivia does a good job capturing the characters’ self-perceptions, especially with Theo, who describes herself as the "vacation friend"—the kind of person you take on vacation for a good time, but who you eventually grow tired of. While Olivia tries to show through Orson’s perspective that Theo is more than just a vacation friend, she doesn’t quite succeed. To me, Theo stays the same throughout the book—she loves Orson by the end and settles down, but doesn’t show much personal growth. Sure, she has a yoga business, but since it’s barely taking off in the story, I don’t buy that it’s the “root” that keeps her in town. I liked Theo’s friend group, but not so much Theo within it. Perhaps I��d get a different impression from the other books in the series, but Olivia claims this one can be read as a standalone. Still, I felt the “ride-or-die” friends were overemphasized for how little Theo interacted with them. Aside from one or two scenes where she’s nice to them, the friends don’t really add much to the story. And while Olivia hints at more friend drama in future books, I wish Theo had done something to earn their loyalty!

As for Orson, I have fewer complaints. He’s your typical workaholic, straightforward “f*** boy” who decides to change his ways because he actually likes Theo. His character centers around his anxiety and panic attacks related to his business, but Olivia doesn’t delve deeply into this. The friends and medical professionals advise him to take a break from work, but he refuses. These moments didn’t have much impact, and in the end, I felt the characters didn’t quite feel whole. Despite Olivia’s attempt to explore their pasts and their differences, they still felt like pretty average characters with an average romance.

Plot / Writing:

Olivia is clearly a fan of tropes and doesn’t stray far from them. The story revolves around the “friends with benefits to lovers” and “marriage of convenience” tropes, which are executed predictably. The beginning focuses on their casual hookup, leading to a marriage for convenience (for insurance and housing), followed by the couple unexpectedly falling in love, complete with a sweet epilogue. The drama in the book is fine—Orson and Theo are there for each other during significant moments, and they always seem to have each other’s backs. One of the better parts of the plot is that Olivia avoids the typical “third-act breakup” that many romance novels fall into for dramatic effect. That said, I wouldn’t have been surprised if it had happened, as it seemed like the story was headed in that direction for a while.

Olivia’s writing is solid, though it leans heavily into the smut, which felt unnecessary. There were several plot holes, mostly due to things being explained in the other books of the series—but I was told this could be read as a standalone! One example is the park, which seemed to be an important backdrop but didn’t have much relevance to the story. Theo’s yoga business could have been explored more fully, and the friend group, as I mentioned earlier, felt underdeveloped. Theo and Orson didn’t have much in common beyond their physical attraction to each other, and while there’s some tension around Orson’s name—“Orson” just doesn’t sound like a sexy name. Every time Theo moaned his name, it pulled me out of the story. Seriously, can anyone explain how to moan “Orson” sexually? I’m still trying to figure it out!

Conclusion:

While there’s nothing fundamentally wrong with this novel, there’s also not a lot to love. It’s a trope-heavy story that feels more tailored for BookTok than for serious readers, with too much spice and not enough substance. It didn’t leave me with much to remember, and frankly, I’m still stuck on how one can moan “Orson” in a way that sounds sexy. If anyone has suggestions, let me know!

[cadetral]

I'm going to eat cement.

[arsenicflame]

It's a time-honoured tradition- every time Sam comes across Izzy (and Ed) in their travels, he asks Izzy to marry him. And every time, Izzy turns him down.

At this point, Sam is asking more for the sake of it than any belief Izzy will ever say yes, a remnant of childhood dedication touched with 30 years of heartbreak and regret- though even now, a small part of him still holds out hope. Sam's promises have only got more extravagant over the years, from a job as his first mate, to a captaincy, a fleet at his command, a whole fucking island if that's what Izzy wants- but he knows it isn't though, not really. If Izzy was ever going to agree to marry him, to leave his life and go with Sam, it wouldn't be for anything Sam could offer him. Izzy never did care for flashy shows of wealth, for a ship or to be captain. The only thing that ever mattered to him was loyalty given, and loyalty shown in return. 

It all comes to a head after Stede left and came back, after Izzy lost a toe, lost his leg. Sam hasn't seen him since before things with Ed started to really slide off the rails, before stress permanently set into the lines of Izzy’s face. So, when he sees a dishevelled man with a hoof for a leg in a no-name port, he doesn't even consider the idea that he might know him. It's only when he turns towards him, and Sam catches a glance at those oh too familiar tattoos, he realises this is Izzy, his Izzy, that stands before him.

Knowing Izzy's discomfort with pity, he doesn't treat him any differently than he would in years gone by, positioning himself in Izzy's line of sight before approaching and sweeping him up into a bone crushing hug. 

“Israel-goddamn-Hands!” he exclaims, as Izzy grumbles back a begrudging “Samuel-fucking-Bellamy”, a tradition almost as old as their friendship itself. Izzy might not hug him back, but he can’t keep the corner of his mouth from twitching, just for a second.

(If Sam holds Izzy a little tighter and a little longer than usual, well. That's his business)

By the time Sam lets go, most of the crew has appeared in the town square, drawn in by the commotion. They may have given Izzy his leg and welcomed him as one of them, but still there’s an underlying tension, with nobody quite ready to set aside everything that happened before the Kraken. Seeing him cosying up to an unknown man sets everyone on edge, unsure whether to come to their first mate’s aid, or to assume that they've been betrayed once again.

When Ed sees that the yelling was Sam, his hand goes tense where it's held in Stede's. He knows the routine, has seen it more times than he can count, but as he watches them part he realises that this is the first time in a long time he's unsure of what Izzy's response will be.

Knowing that something’s different, knowing that Izzy's feeling vulnerable already, Sam doesn't go for the same flashy proposal he’s been giving for years. He doesn't promise Izzy the world, he doesn't cause a scene (or, any more of a scene than he already has, anyway). He looks at the fractured man in front of him, takes his face in his hands, and says the exact same thing to him he said when they were little more than boys. “Israel, I have to ask you. I know what you'll say, but I have to try. Come with me. Marry me and sail away with me. I'll keep you safe”

And Izzy… hesitates. He glances over at Ed, at Stede, and says to Sam “...We’re staying in port for a week. Ask me again then”

That's the moment Sam knows there is something deeply, horribly, wrong. He's not just looking at an Izzy who got seriously injured in a fight and is struggling to cope, this is something so much bigger than that- and that Ed has something to do with it. Izzy wouldn't even be considering leaving if he didn't. Whether it was negligence or something more sinister, Sam doesn't yet know, but he intends to find out.

[egophiliac]

they revealed the villains for ride kamens, and one of them is a woman who radiates the same energy as lady dimitrescu from resident evil 8 village and i am all for seeing a bunch of idiots of varying types fighting a woman with strong mommy energy

I'm already a little. 😳. over Truth? I had to drop everything and draw her immediately, because those SHAPES. her shapes!!!!

I don't know if I'm going to finish this I just HAD to draw her hair

[wildsaltair]

when will my husband (my favorite fictional character) rescue me from this prison (my workplace) and carry me back to our beloved home (my bed where I read fanfiction about him)

[justalittlelilac]

It's so fun to write fan fic for something that isn't even out yet. Like would this character go to college? They are for the time being. Does this character like pie? Until further notice, they definitely have a ravenous sweet tooth.

[seithr]

powerful sorcerer with magical storm blood who can still magic and rend minds and transform people btw

[knifekris]

every day i struggle to make choices

[critical-quoter]

Why cage a bird that needs to fly?

Our Ride to Forever - Julie Olivia

[d4ydream-girl]

seeing ppl be actually upset over the main channel layout change is lk annoying me... you know smosh isn't just ian and anthony right? there are other cast members for a reason and it's unfair to expect them to center main around ianthony forever. the rest of the cast deserve to not be confined to pit games and the pod!!

[schoenht]

sorry if I wasn’t clear, but we did have stage directors and such, but we didn’t have that many people in crew as a whole because the new director is a bitch (literally the only word I could possible use to describe her.) Anyways, the guy Im talking about is basically just the opposite of what I read. His first reaction after the show was to run off the stage and up to the light booth just to hug me, pick me up and spin me around a bunch. LIKE????? I THINK ABOUT THAT DAILY Also he’s helping me a bunch because there’s this one creepy guy who keeps flirting with me and being all touchy, but school won’t do anything about him. But he agreed to walk me to all my classes, even though he doesn’t have most of his classes even near mine and he’s defending me from the creep. But also idk in general.

-🌺

wtf the duality of tech lives: yours vs mine GOOD FOR YOU IM VERY HAPPY FOR YOU

But technical directors that dont know what they're doing SUCKKKKK

[johndonneswife]

lq iphone pics, hq time

[bongsavior]

HOWEVER !!!!!!!!!!

[wildsaltair]

when the day comes that I stop posting on this blog, it will be because I have finally been swept away in marriage to Maximus Decimus Meridius and all my dreams have come true