noa_ashley_'s reviews
486 reviews

Review book 1 ⭐ 4 stars::

⚠ Small Spoilers ⚠ 

"Have you ever felt like a stranger in your own life? People talk to you, call your name … but none of it feels real. You’re just trapped behind glass watching your life simply pass by, one disaster at a time."

This book was a good start of the serie and I think the next book(s) can be five stars for me. I felt the deep conversations and caring for each other was missing a bit in this book. For example El wasn't feeling good and I wanted more of what the guys would do in that situation. Brooklyn is so sweet to Eli and I really feel like they understand each other. It makes me so sad to read that Eli even feels lonely and left out around the guys. He deserves all the love in the world. I also feel like we needed more chapters of him because he doesn't talk. I hope there is more of a background of characters in the next books.

I very very dislike Hudson (that is to but it lightly). His chapters were hard to get through, I hope he gets a lot of character development, What he did to Brooklyn is horrible and I don't like the way the guys just ignored that. With the whole "You're in or you're out. It's that simple." - Kade. I hate that Hudson doesn't respect her or treats her like a person. WHY THE F*CK DOES HE THING HE HAS THE RIGHT TO SAY SOMETHING ABOUT HER IN THE FIRST PLACE. I mean how disgusting is it to give her that nickname! 

About Kade, I don't hate, don't love him either, he does annoy me A LOT. I hope he will grown on me Just because you can unlock a door doesn't mean you can disturb someones privacy and walk in. How scary is if If you can't even walk because you are drugged up and a couple men just walk in your room without knowing if they are safe in the first place. HERO COMPLEX, you can't save the world, begin with yourself. 

Eli, I LOVE HIM SO MUCH, I really feel like he feels safe with Brooklyn and Phoenix, I mean those three AMAZING. At the moment I would have loved it if it would have been just those three. They have so many important scenes together. 

Phoenix he downloaded music for Eli LOVE THAT! I'm really feel like they have a special connection. I really want to know more about Phoenix, I mean those last chapters were hard to read and they are probably also hard for him to get through. 

My heart is ripped out about Brooklyn, shes been through so much and there is probably more about her what I don't know right now. So many people let her down, It's so sad that she went trough alone. Nobody to talk to and if she did, they betrayed her. 

The Characters from 1-5 (Book 1)

 1. Eli
2. Phoenix
3. Brooklyn
4. Kade 
5. Hudson

The writing is so so beautiful, poetic and real.

Review Book 2 ⭐ 5 stars::

" We're all falling apart and it's her fault. Losing our damn minds but sticking around regardless, that's the power Brooklyn has over us. Whether she knows it or not, that bitch brought us to our knees." - Phoenix 

There is more of a mystery plot in this book than in the first book. It is clear that there are strange things going on in Blackwood Institute. I love the relationship the characters have with each other. It feels more like a family. I can't wait to read the third book and more in this universe.


About Eli
Eli is still my favorite, he has so much personality and personal growth. I love the way Phoenix and Brooklyn are with him. They see him for what he is (someone who wants to communicate and wants to be loved but doesn't know how to ask for that) and help him with this he has difficulties with. I love chapter 22. I really felt like what they did with the Bible made a big difference in Eli that really helpt him working through his past and trauma's. He has so much patience and is really focused on what the boys and Brooklyn need. I feel like he knows what to do by especially Phoenix and Brooklyn. 


About Phoenix:
I love Phoenix and I expected him to struggle a lot in this second book because of what happened in the end of the first book. I would have loved to read more about that and how they help him with that. He is so sweet and doesn't want to step over someone's boundaries, that is something Eli and Phoenix both think is important and I love the talkes they have about that. It's all in the small things that mean so much. 

About Brooklyn:
Brooklyn been through a lot and she doesn't get a break in this book. Her nightmares are getting worse and the boys try everything to help her with that. But there are things she isn't telling them. There are a lot of secrets and things from her past that she pushed away. 

About Hudson:
Hudson is growing on me to be honest, I didn't think what was passible. I still think he crosses some boundaries and had to talk about the things he did or let happen to Brooklyn. They finally kind of talked about it. He has a lot of working to do but I think he's getting there in the end. I don't love the fact that Brooklyn and him just continued without talking but like they said. They are very toxic together. 

About Kade:
Kade did something big and bad what had impact on him but especially Hudson. I wanted a chapter about how he is feeling after that but because there was so much going on with the mystery plot there wasn't enough time for moments like that. Kade thinks family is important and I get where that comes from but I feel like he is pushing the idea of the boys and Brooklyn to much. I feel like he is stepping over their feelings. He asked if Brooklyn wanted to do something for Hudson because they are a family but didn't even say sorry for what Hudson did or acknowledged her feelings about that situation or Hudson. He does that a lot. I think I like Hudson more than Kade because I don't see a chance in Kade but I do see a little chance in Hudson. 

The Characters from 1-5 (book 2) 

1. Eli
2. Phoenix
3. Brooklyn 
4. Hudson 
5. Kade

Review Book 3 ⭐ 5 stars:

Death doesn't scare me, but losing him does." - Brooklyn

What I love the most about this book and the characters is that a lot of them (maybe all of them) feel like they are not worth it and when they say that out loud the other person tell them they are worth loving even though they might think that same way about themselves too, and slowly they learn to look at life and themselves that way too. The writing and deeper meaning behind this story is so beautiful. I love this serie so much and I will definitely read more by this author. However I thought there was a lot of focus on the plot and I get that but sometimes I wanted to have specific chapters just to have a good time, (Eli dyeing Phoenix's hair) just a small moment a short chapter. I personally felt like there were to much pov's from Brooklyn some situations could also have been interesting in through the eyes of the other characters.

I think I will forever think about the characters, they have a special place in my heart. The plot was very interesting.

Eli grew so much in this book, it was a hard journey for him but he made it with the people he loves helping him. I definitely cried a lot about him because his story is so heartbreaking but he made the best of it. I love him so much that it hurts. I really fell in love with his beautiful personality. Phoenix and Brooklyn know their boy so good, they can feel his anxiety and they take care of Eli in the most beautiful way, while still giving Eli the space to do things on this own. They make a safe place for each other and I love the scenes the three of them have together! I could have a while book with them. I feel like their type of relationship is something everyone can learn from 

Phoenix is such a beautiful person. He has his struggles and that is totally okay. He is there for everyone. I'm so glad that I got to read more about his past, I missed that in the last books. I love him so much and I love that he can be vulnerable if he needs to be and how the other help him with that, it teaches you that you don't have to be strong all the time.

Brooklyn had a lot of down and it was hard for her be she found more ups even when it didn't look like there was any good out there anymore. She has such a good importance and meaningful conversation with the people she cares about. She's really strong.


....... (I don't want to say the name of this character because that might be a spoiler, if you know, you know) I love him so much and I have so much respect for him, for what he did for Brooklyn and his body is a daily reminder of that. I get that the boys weren't sure if they could trust him but I felt like there wasn't much respect for him, that took a while. He deserves to have a happy long life with the family he created. They can never make me hate ....... He has so much love in him even though he might not always how that feels like, he is trying his best and that is enough.

Hudson is slowly changing, he's growing on me even though he said and did things that should have never happened. He is a better person then he was in the first book. He's slowly getting there. I love the way he stands up for Brooklyn and ....... I like him more then Kade.

Kade I still felt like he was walking over other's feelings. I can see that his Intentions are good, he just doesn't aways know how to show or say that. For example I get that he wanted to take Brooklyn out of her head and he house but he could have known that step was to big, he could've just walked with her in nature. And I feel like that was a big thing, he also did something like that in the second book. And even Hudson asked him if he really thought if that was a smart thing to do in both situations.

The Characters from 1-6 (book 3) 

1. Eli
2. Phoenix
3. Brooklyn 
4.  .......
5. Hudson 
6. Kade

"Leo never failed to amaze me with how hard he tried. I wished he could see himself the way I saw him." - Finn

"I didn't want to be me. I couldn't be me." - Leo

I really love this book and the characters. It all started with a video game and a dare. Finn is so good in understanding how Leo's anxiety works. They just work together, they are each other's safe space. Leo really found a family in his friends and Finn his family. I also loved that they took their time exploring new things and feelings. The timing of this book was just perfection. This book felt realistic and I could definitely relate to Leo.

This book was written with a lot of care and I really appreciate that. Showing all kinds of feelings and having conversations about them. I think a lot of people can relate to Leo and it can help the reader understand more about themselves and others. I just love books with sweet characters and mental health topics so much!

This is the first book that I've read by Becca Steele and I'm definitely reading more. I received an ARC copy of this book. Thank you so much.

"This feels like rejection, and I don’t get rejected. It’s a rule of mine, a rule I’ve never broken." - Adam

"After I’d been such an ass to him, he came back here and took care of my dog." - Markus

Markus has been trough it all in this book. He just couldn't get a break from all the horrible situations he was in. The dogs were so cute, they totally coupled them up. They did a lot for each other but I missed a connection. Their "relationship" jumped all over the place and I  didn't feel a connection to this book, it felt jumpy and I missed something.

I received an ARC copy of this book. 

"I feel like he has a piece of me that I’ll never get back. His face is broken and full of some sort of loss I feel with him." - Penelope

"Why does the hate have to be layered and complicated? All I want is to straight-up despise this woman and be done with her." - Lincoln 

This book is about two grieving people who've spent a big part of their lives together, they were both misunderstood and just different from Lincoln's perfect family (they tried to be a "perfect" family, but that doesn't exists, nobody is perfect). Everyone deals with grief differently and that was showed in this book.

Penelope grew up in foster care and Lincoln in a "perfect" rich family. So of course they don't always understand each other and they are also grieving. That results in unhealthy coping mechanisms, they both "used" each other for a big part of the book. This book was messy but it was their story and they have a connection that is unique. I really enjoyed the switching between time-lines, that adds a mystery part to the book. 

"We died with him that day. "

This book has 2 time-lines , the past (about their childhood, their complicated "friendship" and about who died and how, in both POV's and when they different ages) and the present, (where you follow Lincoln and Penelope dealing with their grief while living together & having very complicated feelings for each other). This serie is about the Sterling Family trying to navigate life while grieving. 

This book is republished under the name N. Brown (Nicole Dykes her pen name). I received an ARC copy of this book.

Ik heb geluisterd naar de luisterboek versie van dit boek. Er zijn best wel veel POV's, daardoor raakte ik vaak de rode draad van het verhaal kwijt. Het was ook niet echt spannend en het duurde erg lang totdat er dingen samen begonnen te komen. Ik vond de indeling van dit boek erg onoverzichtelijk en warrig. 

I read the first book in the serie and gave that book 4 stars. This book wasn't that interesting to me. It felt boring and it missed something, there wasn't enough mystery in this book. To be honest at the end of the first book, it felt good to me, finished. 

"He’s too good for someone like me, and yet I don’t let go." - Mikhail

I don't really understand the point of this marriage or why Anthony (Angel's dad) thought Mikhail was a good choice for is son, because I don't see it, it took Mikhail a long time to have character development and when he did, he was sweet but Anthony didn't know that at that point. I understand that Mikhail is hurt by his past but he doesn't treat anyone with respect in a big part of the book. When he almost loses it all, he is hurt that people want to leave him. It's almost like actions has consequences. It took him a long time but eventually he became softer and enjoyed the people around him and his husband. Mikhail is a complected character. Mikhail needed a reality check. 

I love Angel and all the bodyguards. Angel really found his way through everyone's heart because he is just really kind, caring and understanding. He was always in love with the idea that someone can love him and treat him right. He wanted that and he deserves that! I love Bane and Teddy so much! 

I received an ARC copy of this book.

Our family saved me, just like my hockey family has saved me before. - Jules

This was a fun novella full with family and friends moments. Jules, Jamie and Sterling made a beautiful (not so little anymore) family! Those children are so lucky with them as parents and to have a big loving family.

 "It’s all different with Torin. I am interested in him as a person, as a partner, as a lover, as a future." - Hugo

"I love the way he smiles when he sees me." - Torin

This book was every interesting and educational with lots of different terms and explanations about the ace spectrum. I learned some new things in this book and I really appreciate that! I really loved their personalities and the way they understood each other. They could fully be themselves with each other.

Hugo loves hugs and cuddles and Tatum gives him that without questioning him about why he wants that. Torin has anxiety and he changed his life in ways that help him with his anxiety, he also becomes friends with Hugo and is at his house a lot and meets his friends.

I received an ARC copy of this book. This is the first book that I've read by this author and I'm definitely going to read more. 

"No one else will touch him. No one but me." - Anthony

"It seems I have a thing for dangerous men." - Tatum

I liked the dark side of this book and the friendship between Tatum and Angel. I also loved the side characters. BUT I didn't feel the romance in this dark ROMANCE book. There was a lot of spice (so much that I felt like spicy time was the solution to every 'problem') not a lot of personality in the characters. I just didn't feel this. Anthony wanted Tatum in his house and Tatum was just accepting it, this whole time and all because he's hot and saved him.