Both are told in alternating, first-person, pov.
This novella started off super strong but went downhill pretty sharply once it moved from the past and into the present.
It starts off in the past and shows you the friendship between Vi and Max and how Dash came to be part of their friendship. It shows how the relationship between Vi and Dash started and how the loss of Max both sealed them together forever and simultaneously tore them apart.
Considering this novella is around 100 pages, it was very well done.
And then it moved into the present and I had such hopes for the reunion of Vi and Dash as adults and was bitterly disappointed.
For a start, Dash had a girlfriend who he immediately dumped upon the return of Viola. Nice and classy. Real prince there. I think it was supposed to highlight his devotion to Vi but it was an epic dick move that devalued him in my eyes.
Then, as if there hasn't been enough drama, Fernando manages to pack in some more with over the top reactions and misunderstandings.
It was like the first half of the book was meant to be part of something so much bigger but then the author thought, fuck it, I'm gonna cut this short and battered out a reunion and ending that took place in the blink of an eye, was riddled with unresolved issues and painful to read.
So, yeah. If you're new to the author, I don't think I'd start here. Her novellas - the two I've read - have been very weak compared to her full-length novels so I'd suggest going for one of those.
This book was brain fluff when I needed it most. It was easy to just sit and read it, cover to cover, without interruptions.
It wasn't an angsty story, it wasn't overly dramatic (although there was some drama), and it wasn't even that interesting. It was just a nice steady story about a superstar athlete who has wanted the one girl since he first laid eyes on her in their first year of college and the girl who has studiously avoided him, rejected him, and judged him without knowing him all because of her past bad experiences with football players.
In short, Talon was likeable but could be a bit of a dick to anyone who wasn't Irie, and Irie was a judgemental bitch who didn't entirely deserve him (and wasn't overly likeable) but somehow the story worked.
There were a few moments when I sat there genuinely wondering what the hell the author was thinking - like the reason Irie hated jocks - but beyond that, I liked it well enough and would read more of the author if something caught my eye but not enough to actively seek out more of the author's work.
"Brain fluff" Love that and I do enjoy brain fluff reading!
ReplyDeleteKaren @ For What It's worth
It soothes the soul.
DeleteI am all about the brain fluff, and contemporary romances are my goto when I need that. It's sort of disappointing to see a book take a bad turn and never come back. I guess it's good it was only a novella, so you didn't invest too much time reading it.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad it was a novella! A full length novel would have been given a DNF. :(
DeleteDash ditching a woman that he was apparently committed to at the drop of a hat would be a real turn-off. Like you said, it was probably supposed to show how much he missed Vi and would do anything to be with her, but it also showed a real lack of character.
ReplyDeleteIt showed a complete lack of respect... So disappointing.
DeleteMy idea of brain fluff is a good scary apocalypse or zombie read! Weird how that works for me! It's a pity you haven't found the novellas as good as the novels.
ReplyDeleteLol, Zombies would give me nightmares!
DeleteNovellas are so hard to do well, sorry that one did not work for you!
ReplyDelete