cath_reads_books's reviews
25 reviews

I absolutely loved this book! I’m a sucker for the enemies to lovers trope to begin with, but this book added a whole new layer to it. I really enjoyed the example of how a couple miscommunications can shape the entirety of a relationship, and that maybe we shouldn’t be so quick to judge. Olive and Ethan hated each other because they both made assumptions about one specific thing rather than talking about it. Then they continued to hate each other for years based off their incorrect assumptions. 

Once it got going, the relationship between Olive and Ethan was so relatable; their quirkiness and strange individual habits humanized them both and brought their characters to life. Olive is more than a little neurotic. Ethan is more than a little guarded and fearful of risk. This combo could have been explosive, but it worked well for them. Once they started talking and understood WHY the other was the way they were, sparks started flying! They both brought each other out of thejr shells, called each other on their bullshit, and pushed each other in ways that made them better people, even though it was highly uncomfortable at times. And by the end, they both really did become better people. 

In addition to having solid characters that grow and change throughout the book, this was a very easy read that I didn’t ever feel like I had to push through. It was hilarious at some parts, sad at others, but overall so hopeful and human. I enjoyed every bit of this book! 

I really think Colleen Hoover books might not be for me. I found this whole thing to be incredibly twisted and predictable, more so than just what was required by the plot. 

It was obvious from the first meeting of Sky and Holden that he knew her from her childhood, from before she was “adopted.” It was obvious that Sky was Hope and that her father was abusive. As the story developed, it became obvious well before it was said that Karen was Sky’s/Hope’s aunt, who had also been abused by her father. The third abuse victim? Obviously Lesslie, who was so tortured by abuse she never disclosed that she took her own life. 

What I greatly disliked throughout the whole thing is how romanticized and swept under the rug Holden’s manipulation of Sky/Hope was. Having violent outbursts and then not explaining them? Ghosting her for weeks only to show up and say “everything’s fine but I can’t tell you why I was gone”? Withholding information about Sky’s past and person from her even when she asks? The part where they both use each other for sex later in the book, so they can escape a traumatic experience for a moment? That’s not love; none of it is love. It’s a trauma bond, and what Holden was doing is manipulative and dishonest, even if he “had Sky’s/Hope’s best interest at heart”. 

I understand that this book is trying to make some pretty heavy points about abuse, right versus wrong not being so black-and-white, and breaking harmful/toxic cycles. But in my opinion, having the main characters in a trauma-bonded relationship was not the way to illustrate that.

I do know this book is part of a series that I’ve committed to reading and it’s entirety this year, so I may come back and change my review later if some of this is addressed in further series installments. 

I waited a long time to read this book, and it was everything I hoped for. I will say that I’m glad I didn’t read a whole lot of reviews beforehand, so I honestly didn’t know what to expect when reading. This is labeled as a memoir, but it reads as more of a stream-of-consciousness in my opinion. 

What Britney went through was absolutely horrific. The book does feature a lot of her story and her history but I don’t think that was the purpose of Britney publishing it. I got the impression that this book was more about using a voice that her conservatorship had suppressed for so long. It was about being able to have feelings in the public eye again, whether or not those feelings were going to be lauded or ridiculed. For somebody that was said to be “crazy” for so long, Britney sure makes some astute comments about her life and situation. She seems very aware that trauma and healing from it is a process that shouldn’t be rushed. She’s also aware that she is still very much discovering pieces of herself for the first time; I love her commitment to seeing that through. 

I hope that writing this helped Britney on her journey to healing, and I absolutely adored the bits at the end where she said she was focusing on peace and gratitude. She deserves both of those things in abundance. I suspect just having her side of the story out there has brought unimaginable peace to her life.