A review by marissaisbooked
Losers: Part II by Harley Laroux

challenging dark emotional hopeful tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I’m truly blown away by how amazing this duet is. I only ever see BookTok/bookstagram posts about how spicy these books are. Which they are. If there’s a šhmïñk out there, it’s probably in these books. 

However, the Losers duet is so much more than that. There’s so much emotional depth to each of these characters. Each of the main characters has a distinct arc and you get to see each of them grow mentally and emotionally. 

Not only is there so much depth to each character, the relationships are so well written. Harley Laroux did an extraordinary job at writing and developing each individual romantic relationship as well as the group relationship as a whole. Jess’s relationship with each of the guys was different and moved at their own paces. Jason and Vincent’s relationship as well as Manson and Lucas’s were explored and progressed while respecting and developing each other’s relationships with Jess and the others. 

There’s so much character growth here that I wasn’t expecting. I expected some from Jess given how everything started in The Dare, but I never would’ve imagined how far her growth would stretch. There was something so relatable with Jess because who hasn’t felt the pressure to fit in at least some time in their life? I also related to each of the guys in one way or another. Each character is so complex and layered and well-developed. 

This duet had so many incredible messages such as loving who you want to love and not caring about the neat little boxes society tries to place us in. As long as you’re not harming anyone else, love how you want to love and live how you want to live. Let go of prejudices you once held because society told you that you had to behave a certain way and like certain things so you couldn’t possibly like anyone who didn’t fit that. And one that hits hard for me, family doesn’t necessarily mean blood relations. Family means the people around you who love and support you and that you want around you. 

Tropes/Highlights:
  • Why Choose/Poly
  • MM//MMFMM//MF
  • LGBTQ+ Rep
  • Found family
  • D/S dynamics
  • R3śtr@iñt$
  • Dëgrädät!0n
  • Pr@iśe
  • CNC
  • $p!tt!ñg
  • O control
  • Impact play/spanking
  • If a šhmïñk exists, there’s a good chance it’s in here tbh

This duet is going to stay with me for a long time and has absolutely earned a spot on my “favorites” list. I will absolutely be re-reading these books, likely more than once. 

Some of my favorite quotes from Part 2:

“The right person will change you for the better,” he said. “Sometimes, it’s a temporary change — someone comes into your life for a time and tweaks things a bit before they move on. But sometimes, it’s permanent. Things in your life shift around just right and they fit in like the spot’s been waiting for ‘em.”

“Because you were my glimpse of heaven from hell”

“We’ve spent all our lives reaching for the light, and you burned through us like fire.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5