3.5 Flovely Stars ⭐️
Spicy Level:🌶️🌶️/5

This is a multi-POV story following Hunter and her ever-growing collection of boys, but in this book, that collection is just Greedy and Levi.

𝙎𝙮𝙣𝙤𝙥𝙨𝙞𝙨:
This synopsis is hard because this story is told in two timelines, and a lot of the present timeline deals with the events from the past.

Hunter is back in North Carolina, living with her stepfather and stepbrother after living in Europe for a few years. However... her history with her stepbrother (Greedy) is far from ordinary. Before their parents got married, Hunter and Greedy were in a relationship (doing things "siblings" shouldn't be doing...), but they never told their parents. Something significant happened between them, and the book gradually explores this backstory - SO I AM NOT GOING TO SPOIL THIS but it is a major trigger so there is an Author Note about this at the start. On the day Hunter found out Greedy would be her stepbrother, she ran away to Europe. Now that she’s back, Greedy’s best friend, Levi, who is also a mutual friend of hers needs somewhere to convalesce from a football injury. Levi can’t return home because his mother is a pious "pray away the gay" type, and being bi causes issues. To help, Hunter tells Levi’s mom they are in a relationship, and Levi moves in with her and Greedy. This sets the stage for tensions to boil over as the three of them navigate their complex dynamic.

𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨:
Let’s talk about Hunter. I really dislike past Hunter. It’s a recurring theme throughout the book: she’s selfish, impulsive, and often outright annoying. She makes reckless, thoughtless decisions that are hard to sympathise with. The only saving grace is that these were choices made in the past, and she is not the same person, so the carrot dangling in front of your face, keeping you reading, is SHE GETS BETTER AND YOU WANNA SEE WHO SHE IS NOW. Present-day Hunter shows some growth, which makes her more tolerable, but the shadow of her past actions lingers.

Greedy, on the other hand, in my opinion, is too good for Hunter. He is sweet, thoughtful, and continues to pine and miss the girl right in front of him who won’t give him a second of her time. It’s sad to watch how he aches for her and how sweet and kindhearted he is.

I can’t help but feel like Hunter’s appeal defies logic, making her very much a Mary Sue. There’s this bizarre trope at play where it seems like every man who touches her is immediately obsessed. Honestly, it’s hard to understand why... she’s not that great as a person, especially when considering her past interactions. The only plausible explanation? She must have some kind of magical, spellbinding vagina that hooks men because the fact that so many men lust after her defies reason.

The narrative does a decent job of blending the past and present, and there are moments of genuine emotional depth, especially with the moments of Levi and his struggles with his family and his identity. It was this weird push and pull where the boys were definitely the ones keeping me hooked because I couldn’t really feel a connection to Hunter, given her actions.

A large part of this book did annoy me because the drama and angst are brought about by the fact that these CHARACTERS CHOOSE NOT TO TALK AND COMMUNICATE. There is no miscommunication, just a refusal to open up about the actual struggles.

𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
▶ High School & Collage Romance
▶ Forced Proximity
▶ Second Chance kinda
▶ Step Siblings
▶ Ex's (and Step Brother)'s Best Friend
▶ Forbidden Romance
▶ Fake Dating
▶ Dual Timeline
▶ Reverse Harem

and 𝙈𝙞𝙘𝙧𝙤 𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
▷ Look at Me
▷ Mine
▷ Dirty Talk
▷ Chin Lift
▷ Rolled Sleeves/Forearms
▷ Forehead Kisses

Overall, this has good and annoying qualities. The writing is captivating, and I do applaud Abby Millsap for making me dislike and like a character AT THE SAME time... I am intrigued to see where Hunter and her ever growing collection of boys goes...