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The Words
From USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Ashley Jade comes an edgy, enemies-to-lovers standalone romance about mistakes, forgiveness, and second chances.
He was the talented bad boy everyone wanted.
I was the irrelevant geek everyone hated.
He was the sun...drawing all of us in.
I was a black hole...taking up space.
He was destined to be a star.
I was destined to remain an insignificant no one.
Until he made me believe I was special...
And then he destroyed me.
I never thought I'd see Phoenix Walker again after he broke my heart, but fate had other plans.
One tour. Eight weeks. Forty shows.
Countless opportunities to make him pay.
The world thought he was a God...
But I knew the truth.
He was the talented bad boy everyone wanted.
I was the irrelevant geek everyone hated.
He was the sun...drawing all of us in.
I was a black hole...taking up space.
He was destined to be a star.
I was destined to remain an insignificant no one.
Until he made me believe I was special...
And then he destroyed me.
I never thought I'd see Phoenix Walker again after he broke my heart, but fate had other plans.
One tour. Eight weeks. Forty shows.
Countless opportunities to make him pay.
The world thought he was a God...
But I knew the truth.
676 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 18, 2022
About the author
Ashley Jade
48 books8,958 followersLink to my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Ashley-Jade-...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 6,754 reviews
January 25, 2022
What a sh*tshow.
January 25, 2022
– 3.5 stars
SONG:
Alive – Audrey Mika
Ashley Jade really put some high quality drugs into this writing, cause I couldn’t stop reading The Words. 3.5 ⭐s for the book, but rounding up for the experience. I’ll elaborate on that a bit later.
Tropes:
➸ PLOT
The Words is divided into Part 1 and Part 2.
ℙ𝕒𝕣𝕥 𝟙:
Lennon and Phoenix are in their last year of high school. Phoenix is struggling in school and his teacher is asking Lennon to tutor him and help him graduate. Phoenix is also in a band with his best friend Storm called ‘Sharp Objects’. So the first part of this book is Lennon and Phoenix developing this friends-to-lovers dynamic, while Lennon is helping him study and being very supportive of his music career. Graduation comes and goes, while Sharp Objects is on the verge of being discovered by some music scout/producer whatever, but it’s at a big cost and Phoenix does something extremely shitty to Lennon and they break up.
ℙ𝕒𝕣𝕥 𝟚:
Fast forward 4 years later where the majority of the book will take part. Phoenix and his band made it big and they are famous rockstars, but with the rocknroll life they are living, Phoenix is spiralling out of control and a lot of terrible things happen. One thing leads to another and the band manager hires Lennon as Phoenix’s newest baby sitter a.k.a sober companion when they go on tour. These two lovebirds meet again and the hate is palpable and it’s valid, at least, from Lennon’s side, cause Phoenix really did her SO dirty.
🎤 PHOENIX WALKER (H) 🎤
Don’t you love it when the Hero says at the beginning that there is no way he’ll ever fuck that girl and then that girl ends up being his lifeline, saving him not once, but twice? Yes, Phoenix eat your words baby. 💋
I have a love-hate relationship with Phoenix. While high school Phoenix still was an asshole, he and Lennon were cute together, but then he did that thing where he screwed Lennon over for his career and I WAS LIVID. I was ready to hunt down this fictional character and sue him for all of his -39$ that he has, because HOW FUCKING DARE HE. Then when we see Phoenix, the rockstar, it didn’t make me like him more, because being a manwhore on top of it all, doesn’t make it better. The way he screwed so many people over in the literal and metaphorical sense, I wanted Phoenix to suffer. I wanted to take a big pile of misery and shove it down his throat so he would choke on it. Despite feeling a little sorry (not.. or maybe) for his shitty upbringing and every traumatic event he has been through, I just wanted Phoenix to be miserable for what he did to Lennon and (REDACTED).
You feel guilty? Yes baby, I hope it eats you alive. 🥰
You feel like you made the wrong choice? That’s because you did, love. 🖤
You feel hollow and lonely? Well honey, after how you fucked up, you should. 💋
And all of this time I was only waiting for Phoenix to right what he did wrong and when he did? I never said a bad word about Phoenix Walker in my whole life. He deserves the world. Guilt? I don’t claim that negative energy, he went through so much already. He is my baby. ♥️ Also I’m the biggest hoe for love letters and after reading Phoenix letters to Lennon I was ready to beat up prior me who was shittalking about Phoenix. 🤣
🎶 LENNON MICHAEL (h) 🎶
Lennon is such a sweetheart. She got bullied a lot in higschool, because she is more on the heavier side, but was still kind and considerate to the people around her. What I love most about Lennon is her strenght, empathy and resilience.
I love how she initially came to work for the band, because she needed that money, but also because she saw an opportunity to get on revenge on Phoenix. And while her revenge didn’t rlly go anywhere, because she saw how much self-loathing Phoenix already has for himself, that only highlighted her compassionate side.
See how I can write a whole ass rant about things that pissed me off about Phoenix, but when it comes to writing something about a characters I had no issues with, my mind is like Words? What’s that? Is that eatable? 🥴 I’m so sorry Lennon that I’m not doing your character justice, but I love you a lot. Please keep shining. 🙏
💙 ROMANCE 💙
Lennon Phoenix high school romance was pretty cute, sometimes really awkward, but cute nonetheless. I think it was beautiful how Lennon was the first person to really help Phoenix with his learning disability and show that you can be smart in other areas of your life, even if you don’t have A’s all the time.
Their romance years later is a lot more messier and their relationship was so volatile and could be toxic at times, but I never doubted for one second that these two characters share a connection and belong together. Even at their worst, I couldn’t help but root for them to be together, cause Phoenix and Lennon fit so well together.
Lennon & Phoenix first kiss was so 🥺🥺🥺🥺 their first time was hella awkward 🥴🥴🥴 but when they brought the heat in their hate sex?? That was 🔥🔥🔥
🎢 WHAT AN EXPERIENCE 🎢
I have to admit this book or rather Ashley Jade’s books are my guilty pleasure.. it has everything that shouldn’t work for me and if this book was written by someone else I’d hate with all the OW/OM drama, cause it was A LOT, but the crack AJ uses to write her books makes it work. I read this nearly 700 pages book in one sitting and ate this ship up even when I was annoyed with the OW/OM drama, but my face was glued to the screen like this 👁👄👁
Let me tell you those last 20% of the book hit HARD, I’m not sure I’m over it yet and it’s been days. It's been a rollercoaster of emotions.
👨👧 LENNON + HER DAD 👨👧
Reading this quote is making me cry again, because I know the context and i’m not okay. 😭
Lennon had such a great relationship with her father. I’m a sucker for supportive parents and Lennon’s dad was the best. Her dad giving her a curfew and staying awake until she is safe at home, her dad being her best friend and giving her guy advise. Lennon and her dad bonding over music? Her dad being just an overall supportive father. No I will never get over their relationship. I was way way way TOO invested in the side plot with her father. 😭
🎉 SIDE-CHARACTERS 🎉
I can’t talk about this book without mentioning the side characters, because they were as much a part of this as the main characters, cause there were so many of them. I talked about Lennon’s father already, but the people on Phoenix side were as important. All his band members, especially Storm and Memphis were great secondary characters. Skylar was another amazing character and I absolutely adore her friendship with Lennon! I’m excited and scared for Skylar and Memphis’ story, because after reading The Words I know it’s going to be equally as messy if not more, but I love Skylar so much and can’t wait to read the happy end she deserves.
– WHY NOT MORE STARS? –
This is something that’s PERSONALLY bothering me a lot in romance and why I deducted a whole star: OW/OM drama. I like my romances as un-messy as possible and that means that neither the heroine nor the Hero fuck around once they meet their love interest. It would’ve been less annoying if it wasn’t described on page .. ugh I just don’t want to read some random groupie giving the Hero heads even if the couple is not together. Even if it’s just whack, bam, done and there is nothing hot about it, but I don’t need to read that okay thank you. 🤚
The next point is still connected to the OW/OM drama, during the beginning of the tour when Lennon and Phoenix can’t stand each other, there was a lot of push and pull between them. They did so things just to spite each other and while I could understand it from Lennon point, I was just annoyed at Phoenix, cause he was already at the top of my hit-list. But that’s just a personal pet peeve of mine.
It was not only OW/OM drama, but this book came with all kinds of drama. Family drama? Check. band member drama? Check check. Ex-girlfriend/boyfriend drama? Check check check. Groupie drama? Check double check check. This book was like The Favor, but on steroids.
Conclusion
Lennon and Phoenix messed me up and it took me a very long time to decide if I should round up or down, but their story was a wild ride and it doesn’t feel right to shelve The Words into the same ‘forgettable’ 3 stars category, where most of the rest of the 3 star reads belong. It’s a rollercoaster of emotions with lots of ups and downs, but these this story will stay with me for a while. Kudos to Ashely Jade for pouring a part of her soul into this story, cause I felt how much these characters mean to her.
SONG:
Alive – Audrey Mika
Ashley Jade really put some high quality drugs into this writing, cause I couldn’t stop reading The Words. 3.5 ⭐s for the book, but rounding up for the experience. I’ll elaborate on that a bit later.
“Does it hurt to hear me everywhere you go?”
Tropes:
🌙 rockstar romance
🌙 second chance
🌙 friends to lovers to enemies to lovers
🌙 ‘friends’ with benefits
🌙 bad boy - good girl
🌙 plus size heroine (is this a trope?)
➸ PLOT
The Words is divided into Part 1 and Part 2.
ℙ𝕒𝕣𝕥 𝟙:
Lennon and Phoenix are in their last year of high school. Phoenix is struggling in school and his teacher is asking Lennon to tutor him and help him graduate. Phoenix is also in a band with his best friend Storm called ‘Sharp Objects’. So the first part of this book is Lennon and Phoenix developing this friends-to-lovers dynamic, while Lennon is helping him study and being very supportive of his music career. Graduation comes and goes, while Sharp Objects is on the verge of being discovered by some music scout/producer whatever, but it’s at a big cost and Phoenix does something extremely shitty to Lennon and they break up.
ℙ𝕒𝕣𝕥 𝟚:
Fast forward 4 years later where the majority of the book will take part. Phoenix and his band made it big and they are famous rockstars, but with the rocknroll life they are living, Phoenix is spiralling out of control and a lot of terrible things happen. One thing leads to another and the band manager hires Lennon as Phoenix’s newest baby sitter a.k.a sober companion when they go on tour. These two lovebirds meet again and the hate is palpable and it’s valid, at least, from Lennon’s side, cause Phoenix really did her SO dirty.
🎤 PHOENIX WALKER (H) 🎤
Phoenix’s are supposed to rise from the ashes… But this one wants to burn.
Don’t you love it when the Hero says at the beginning that there is no way he’ll ever fuck that girl and then that girl ends up being his lifeline, saving him not once, but twice? Yes, Phoenix eat your words baby. 💋
I have a love-hate relationship with Phoenix. While high school Phoenix still was an asshole, he and Lennon were cute together, but then he did that thing where he screwed Lennon over for his career and I WAS LIVID. I was ready to hunt down this fictional character and sue him for all of his -39$ that he has, because HOW FUCKING DARE HE. Then when we see Phoenix, the rockstar, it didn’t make me like him more, because being a manwhore on top of it all, doesn’t make it better. The way he screwed so many people over in the literal and metaphorical sense, I wanted Phoenix to suffer. I wanted to take a big pile of misery and shove it down his throat so he would choke on it. Despite feeling a little sorry (not.. or maybe) for his shitty upbringing and every traumatic event he has been through, I just wanted Phoenix to be miserable for what he did to Lennon and (REDACTED).
You feel guilty? Yes baby, I hope it eats you alive. 🥰
You feel like you made the wrong choice? That’s because you did, love. 🖤
You feel hollow and lonely? Well honey, after how you fucked up, you should. 💋
And all of this time I was only waiting for Phoenix to right what he did wrong and when he did? I never said a bad word about Phoenix Walker in my whole life. He deserves the world. Guilt? I don’t claim that negative energy, he went through so much already. He is my baby. ♥️ Also I’m the biggest hoe for love letters and after reading Phoenix letters to Lennon I was ready to beat up prior me who was shittalking about Phoenix. 🤣
🎶 LENNON MICHAEL (h) 🎶
Because I didn’t conquer my demons for some stupid guy or because I wanted acceptance. I did it for me.
Lennon is such a sweetheart. She got bullied a lot in higschool, because she is more on the heavier side, but was still kind and considerate to the people around her. What I love most about Lennon is her strenght, empathy and resilience.
I love how she initially came to work for the band, because she needed that money, but also because she saw an opportunity to get on revenge on Phoenix. And while her revenge didn’t rlly go anywhere, because she saw how much self-loathing Phoenix already has for himself, that only highlighted her compassionate side.
See how I can write a whole ass rant about things that pissed me off about Phoenix, but when it comes to writing something about a characters I had no issues with, my mind is like Words? What’s that? Is that eatable? 🥴 I’m so sorry Lennon that I’m not doing your character justice, but I love you a lot. Please keep shining. 🙏
💙 ROMANCE 💙
Earlier, Lennon told me I was the sun, and I never needed anyone else to shine… but she was wrong. The sun can’t shine when it gets too dark. I drop a kiss to her shoulder blade. But the moon can. Which is what Lennon is for me. My only source of light when everything turns black.
Lennon Phoenix high school romance was pretty cute, sometimes really awkward, but cute nonetheless. I think it was beautiful how Lennon was the first person to really help Phoenix with his learning disability and show that you can be smart in other areas of your life, even if you don’t have A’s all the time.
“Officially, I’m your new sober companion.” I’m trying to process this when she leans down. The close proximity, her sweet scent, and her lips touching the shell of my ear have my cock thickening. Until she speaks. “But unofficially? I’m here to ruin you when you least expect it… and I want you stone-cold sober when I do it.”
Their romance years later is a lot more messier and their relationship was so volatile and could be toxic at times, but I never doubted for one second that these two characters share a connection and belong together. Even at their worst, I couldn’t help but root for them to be together, cause Phoenix and Lennon fit so well together.
My hands go to the zipper on my jeans, and I slide them down my hips. I stop undressing when I catch him watching.
“It’s rude to stare.”
“It’s rude that you’re not already naked.”
Lennon & Phoenix first kiss was so 🥺🥺🥺🥺 their first time was hella awkward 🥴🥴🥴 but when they brought the heat in their hate sex?? That was 🔥🔥🔥
🎢 WHAT AN EXPERIENCE 🎢
I have to admit this book or rather Ashley Jade’s books are my guilty pleasure.. it has everything that shouldn’t work for me and if this book was written by someone else I’d hate with all the OW/OM drama, cause it was A LOT, but the crack AJ uses to write her books makes it work. I read this nearly 700 pages book in one sitting and ate this ship up even when I was annoyed with the OW/OM drama, but my face was glued to the screen like this 👁👄👁
Let me tell you those last 20% of the book hit HARD, I’m not sure I’m over it yet and it’s been days. It's been a rollercoaster of emotions.
👨👧 LENNON + HER DAD 👨👧
He once told me that my wedding day would be the best and worst day of his life. When I asked him why, he said it was because he’d be giving me away to someone who loved me just as much as he did...but it also meant he’d be losing me.
Reading this quote is making me cry again, because I know the context and i’m not okay. 😭
Lennon had such a great relationship with her father. I’m a sucker for supportive parents and Lennon’s dad was the best. Her dad giving her a curfew and staying awake until she is safe at home, her dad being her best friend and giving her guy advise. Lennon and her dad bonding over music? Her dad being just an overall supportive father. No I will never get over their relationship. I was way way way TOO invested in the side plot with her father. 😭
🎉 SIDE-CHARACTERS 🎉
I can’t talk about this book without mentioning the side characters, because they were as much a part of this as the main characters, cause there were so many of them. I talked about Lennon’s father already, but the people on Phoenix side were as important. All his band members, especially Storm and Memphis were great secondary characters. Skylar was another amazing character and I absolutely adore her friendship with Lennon! I’m excited and scared for Skylar and Memphis’ story, because after reading The Words I know it’s going to be equally as messy if not more, but I love Skylar so much and can’t wait to read the happy end she deserves.
– WHY NOT MORE STARS? –
This is something that’s PERSONALLY bothering me a lot in romance and why I deducted a whole star: OW/OM drama. I like my romances as un-messy as possible and that means that neither the heroine nor the Hero fuck around once they meet their love interest. It would’ve been less annoying if it wasn’t described on page .. ugh I just don’t want to read some random groupie giving the Hero heads even if the couple is not together. Even if it’s just whack, bam, done and there is nothing hot about it, but I don’t need to read that okay thank you. 🤚
The next point is still connected to the OW/OM drama, during the beginning of the tour when Lennon and Phoenix can’t stand each other, there was a lot of push and pull between them. They did so things just to spite each other and while I could understand it from Lennon point, I was just annoyed at Phoenix, cause he was already at the top of my hit-list. But that’s just a personal pet peeve of mine.
It was not only OW/OM drama, but this book came with all kinds of drama. Family drama? Check. band member drama? Check check. Ex-girlfriend/boyfriend drama? Check check check. Groupie drama? Check double check check. This book was like The Favor, but on steroids.
Conclusion
Lennon and Phoenix messed me up and it took me a very long time to decide if I should round up or down, but their story was a wild ride and it doesn’t feel right to shelve The Words into the same ‘forgettable’ 3 stars category, where most of the rest of the 3 star reads belong. It’s a rollercoaster of emotions with lots of ups and downs, but these this story will stay with me for a while. Kudos to Ashely Jade for pouring a part of her soul into this story, cause I felt how much these characters mean to her.
June 22, 2022
no one talk to me. i’m in distress over how much I hated this. these 2 stars are for the side characters and the side characters 👏🏻 ONLY 👏🏻
the beginning was amazing, and it hooked me RIGHT away but as soon as we got to the present chapters.. it all went downhill. we didn’t even walk downhill, we FELL. I have never changed my mind about a book so quickly. phoenix was a piece. of. shit. not only did he royally fuck up.. but groveling WHERE? nonexistent. also how was this plus size rep? she loses weight and all of a sudden everyone thinks she’s beautiful. as if she wasn’t fucking perfect already. bye.
I will be reading skylar & memphis’ book tho <3
the beginning was amazing, and it hooked me RIGHT away but as soon as we got to the present chapters.. it all went downhill. we didn’t even walk downhill, we FELL. I have never changed my mind about a book so quickly. phoenix was a piece. of. shit. not only did he royally fuck up.. but groveling WHERE? nonexistent. also how was this plus size rep? she loses weight and all of a sudden everyone thinks she’s beautiful. as if she wasn’t fucking perfect already. bye.
I will be reading skylar & memphis’ book tho <3
January 22, 2022
📚'THE WORDS' 📚 Is a full length stand-alone angsty rocker second chance romance book by Author Ashley Jade. Spoken in 'Dual Perspectives.'
MY REVIEW AND OTHERS: can also be found on my blog:
➽ KITTY KATS CRAZY ABOUT BOOKS
Love the cover, love the blurb, love this author!! And loved this book fully!!
God where to even start, this book right here put me through the wringer spat me out and I'm still reeling from the impact this book had on me. These too put the A in ANGST!! If you look up ANGST in the dictionary it would have their names in it.
Sex & Drugs and Rock n Roll showed the ugly downside of being a rock star, the backwards/forwards these two put me through god I feel like I lived their story, for 2 full days I read this, I couldn't put it down even when I looked at the sheer volume of the book, the percentage of reading not moving all that much, I was so invested in finishing this, but never wanting it to end, loving everything this author threw at me, wanting more, needing more, craving more, like a junky needing her next fix this book stole my breath away.
This author like no other always delivers us real characters, ones we can all relate to, Lennon is a wee bit bigger than her peers, a size 18, she’s constantly bullied because of it, her self esteem can only take so much, daly taunts has her taking a sharpie to herself marking hr skin with words that cut deep. until she’s peered with the guy she’s secretly stalked, secretly crushed on.
It’s up to her to help him pull his grades up so that he can graduate.
Phoenix hasn’t had the most easiest of life’s, music is his one passion, his only means to escape their town, he’s rough around the edges and doesn’t mince his words, so they can tend to spear with his blunt way of getting his point across.
On the outside it looks like he has it all…
But delve deeper and there’s a whole tonne of hurt brewing away. He doesn’t allow anyone to get close.
Until her…
She's on her way to Dartmoor, he's on his way to stardom.
This book is in 2 parts, then it jumps 4 years and that's when we spiral down a dark tunnel along with our two characters. One wanting revenge, the other riddled in guilt.
I wasn't even sure if these two would arrive at their HEA because it was a LONG road we had to travel, but that's what made this book so real, so raw, two beautifully broken characters, both flawed, making them that much easier to relate to. The hurt, the hate, the tugging on my heart, my mind in turmoil, this author pulled out all the stops and she nailed this book making it by far one of my most favourites by her!!
* Teaser used is off the authors facebook page *
June 21, 2024
TRIGGERS: body dysmorphia, fatphobia, food related/eating disorder, domestic abuse.
NO GROVEL.
Also, fmc HAD to lose weight to be "beautiful."
Problematic as fuck...
REVIEW:
We simply do not need this type of heroine as a society.
We need to evolve as a people!
I could not stand her. She is a doormat, tragically insecure, no self-worth, disgusting as a character.
I could not enjoy this story because the heroine had no backbone, never even attempted to follow up on whatever "revenge" she planned to take, and let the hero walk all over her, after he absolutely fked her over, stole from her, and left her in the dust.
I simply cannot read about pathetic heroines. It is not a good influence on me, my mental health, and does not make me feel good.
And as a reader, I read to FEEL good.
This story had so much potential, could have taken some sharp turns because it was an interesting premise. There were so many ways this heroine could have been a badass who kicked ass and took names, but no, this book ignored them all.
Alas the heroine was so pathetic, I was cringing the whole fking time.
It is a shame...
As for the hero, he did his job as the antagonist of this story, so he was great, but the author could have done way more with that tension.
So many opportunities wasted.
NO GROVEL.
Also, fmc HAD to lose weight to be "beautiful."
Problematic as fuck...
REVIEW:
We simply do not need this type of heroine as a society.
We need to evolve as a people!
I could not stand her. She is a doormat, tragically insecure, no self-worth, disgusting as a character.
I could not enjoy this story because the heroine had no backbone, never even attempted to follow up on whatever "revenge" she planned to take, and let the hero walk all over her, after he absolutely fked her over, stole from her, and left her in the dust.
I simply cannot read about pathetic heroines. It is not a good influence on me, my mental health, and does not make me feel good.
And as a reader, I read to FEEL good.
This story had so much potential, could have taken some sharp turns because it was an interesting premise. There were so many ways this heroine could have been a badass who kicked ass and took names, but no, this book ignored them all.
Alas the heroine was so pathetic, I was cringing the whole fking time.
It is a shame...
As for the hero, he did his job as the antagonist of this story, so he was great, but the author could have done way more with that tension.
So many opportunities wasted.
January 26, 2022
4 This One Wants to Burn Stars ⭐
Considering I have the attention span of a gnat, getting through 700+ pages in 2 days is impressive. This story will frustrate you, appall you and make you hurt. Because humanity can be ugly but fortunately resilience tips the scales. That's not to say you won't be left with scars that last a lifetime.
He might burn me, but I’ll go down like Joan of Arc.
The Words is a story of struggle. The kind that comes with growing up through bullying, abuse and abandonment. A story of two teens from opposite sides of the track with one big commonality; music. A tale of such betrayal, it's impossible to imagine a resolution.
He’s the sun…pulling me into his atmosphere. He breathes me in, I bleed him out.
Told in two parts, Phoenix and Lennon were paired together at school when they discovered friendship through the difficulty of their surroundings. They harboured tender feelings you knew would eventually be pulverised to dust. Because which fat outcast ends up with the hot guy? The good ones...
Four years later and Phoenix is an international rockstar with too many issues to disclose and Lennon is struggling to keep her family together. An opportunity of financial gain yet a sure way to reopen old wounds by facing the devil. Lennon doesn't want to say yes, but Phoenix needs a sober nanny and she requires the money. Luckily revenge is a great motivator.
It seriously sucks when the person you hate is also the very same person who gives you mind-blowing dick.
But hey, a girl has needs.
Now this wasn't exactly original, so why couldn't I put it down? There were so many landmines to wade through that I loved and hated Phoenix in equal measures. However desperation calls for desperate measures and regret is a bitch. If you're looking for something gritty and all encompassing this hits the mark. Ugly yet beautiful, emotional and steamy, it's a fucking rollercoaster of feels!!
Considering I have the attention span of a gnat, getting through 700+ pages in 2 days is impressive. This story will frustrate you, appall you and make you hurt. Because humanity can be ugly but fortunately resilience tips the scales. That's not to say you won't be left with scars that last a lifetime.
He might burn me, but I’ll go down like Joan of Arc.
The Words is a story of struggle. The kind that comes with growing up through bullying, abuse and abandonment. A story of two teens from opposite sides of the track with one big commonality; music. A tale of such betrayal, it's impossible to imagine a resolution.
He’s the sun…pulling me into his atmosphere. He breathes me in, I bleed him out.
Told in two parts, Phoenix and Lennon were paired together at school when they discovered friendship through the difficulty of their surroundings. They harboured tender feelings you knew would eventually be pulverised to dust. Because which fat outcast ends up with the hot guy? The good ones...
Four years later and Phoenix is an international rockstar with too many issues to disclose and Lennon is struggling to keep her family together. An opportunity of financial gain yet a sure way to reopen old wounds by facing the devil. Lennon doesn't want to say yes, but Phoenix needs a sober nanny and she requires the money. Luckily revenge is a great motivator.
It seriously sucks when the person you hate is also the very same person who gives you mind-blowing dick.
But hey, a girl has needs.
Now this wasn't exactly original, so why couldn't I put it down? There were so many landmines to wade through that I loved and hated Phoenix in equal measures. However desperation calls for desperate measures and regret is a bitch. If you're looking for something gritty and all encompassing this hits the mark. Ugly yet beautiful, emotional and steamy, it's a fucking rollercoaster of feels!!
April 4, 2022
you saw me give this four stars?? no you didn’t.
✨br with my fave Lara✨
i shouldn’t have liked this book. i mean, i really, really, really shouldn’t have liked this book. bcos this was everything i hate in a romance. Phoenix was everything i hate in a hero.
but Ashley Jade’s books are laced with crack, im telling you. like Lara and i had this all planned out— we were gonna read 20% Friday, 40% Saturday then the last 40% on Sunday to space it out since we have a lot of shit to do for classes and work.
yet we read this in twenty-four hours instead💀
my brain was ready to commit suicide by the end of this book, fr. it’s a hefty one too. but it really didn’t feel long? like at all? in the blink of an eye i was already half way through the book and was shocked at how much id binged.
crack. pure crack, im telling you.
and honestly, i think the main reason i was hooked from the get go was my bby, Lennon Michaels🧎♀️🧎♀️🧎♀️🧎♀️ without her, i don’t think this would have initially gripped me like it did bcos i immediately fell in love with her and was rooting for her the whole 700 pages.
if Lennon has a million fans, then i am one of them. if Lennon has ten fans, then i am one of them. if Lennon has only one fan then that is me. if Lennon has no fans, then that means i am no longer on earth. if the world is against Lennon, then i am against the world.
live footage of me looking down at my phone whenever i was reading about Lennon:
hands down my fave AJ heroine (Bianca and Kit are still my besties tho). in the high school chapters, she was so kind, soft and giving. she was selfless and caring, and always saw the best in people even if they didn’t deserve it— this latter trait can be seen as a “pushover” but Lennon was far from it. bcos she was equally headstrong, determined and fierce.
people were mean to her, Phoenix included, and she held them accountable. any time she gave him a verbal beat down, i bowed down to her even more. by the end of the book, i was metaphorically face down in the mud at her feet, polishing her shoes like a lil Victorian houseboy cleaning his master’s boots bcos i was just a peasant at her feet.
bcos despite her severe self-esteem issues, Lennon knew her worth. and this character trait was amplified even more in the present chapters. she still felt like the same Lennon, just... i wouldn’t say better? but just a more self-assured version of herself. she backed herself even if nobody else did, and i couldn’t fault her for it. heroines like her are my kryptonite, honestly. if you write a heroine like Lennon (like the heroines from Clash, Lilac and Timid) then im sold immediately lol. Lennon honesty reminded me of a mix of Emmy and Braxton, and i was living for it.
i felt a lot of her pain too. i got teary-eyed a few times bcos of what she was going through. i just felt so connected to her. she battled so much but it never felt... exhausting? so full of despair? you know, there are times a character goes through SO MUCH it’s suffocating and stifles your enjoyment of the book? it didn’t happen with Lennon. her pain and the handling of it all felt incredibly authentic to me, despite some of AJ’s crazy plot lines. my love for Lennon grounded the story for me so whenever the craziness made everything go off kilter, i just circled back to her and i couldn’t help but enjoy myself.
she was funny as fuck too. like she really said she’s glad this bitch is dyslexic bcos she didn’t want him reading what her tattoo said💀
i could honestly gush about her all day long so i’ll stop now. as Skylar so wonderfully put it in the book, i, too, want to be Lennon Michaels when i grow up :)
Phoenix... this man could do the bare minimum and i was swooning. i am ashamed of myself, i know.
he really had me by the throat in the best and worst way possible. i could fluctuate between loving him and hating him within the span of a chapter, a page, a damn sentence.
i could go from:
to this:
then to this:
it was a rollercoaster, i’ll tell you that much for sure.
his anguish was palpable to me. i constantly felt his pain and regret despite his arrogant, nonchalant facade. and that’s hard for me to feel a lot of the time. when the H is a douche, that’s usually all i see him as... but Phoenix managed to show me how multifaceted he was. it shocked the hell out of me too.
and i low-key enjoyed his pain🙃 there were times he would describe how something Lennon said to him was like a physical blow to his chest, cutting him to the bone or Lennon would mention he looked physically pained during one of their arguments about his betrayal. and i ate that shit up!!
bcos i did hate him too. and i wouldn’t even say i loved him, just the version of himself he was when he was with Lennon. she really did bring out the best in him. that version of him, aka, simp edition of Phoenix held my heart. sorry. i can’t even defend myself bcos this man would do the bare minimum and i was a goner.
it was these little things he did for her that just ruined me and made me overlook all of his monumental fuck ups. the revenge on Sabrina. the letters. Dartmouth. him “tattooing” Lennon. his time with Lennon’s dad. their first date. the recreation of their old memories... their first kiss. there was just a lot of sentimentality in his actions that i adored. i couldn’t entirely forget his godawful actions, dw. im not that dickmatised, but i went into this book with certain expectations (pretty low with not much hope for Phoenix) so he luckily surpassed all the preconceived notions i had of him.
so as for the romance... i shipped it lol. despite their borderline toxicity, their chemistry was insane and their love ran deep. he was just obsessed with her and a hero obsessed is my kryptonite, damn.
he relentlessly pursues her once they get all of their initial shit out of the way (took a while but it was hella fun), and i respected how transparent he was? he was the one putting his heart on the line, opening himself up to a lot of pain Lennon could potentially inflict on him... and i suppose she does bcos she holds him at arms length for so long it breaks him bit by bit... and again, i lived for that shit ahaha. seeing him in pain added an extra ten years onto my life span for sure.
i think if he hadn��t been so viscerally affected by everything that had occurred between him and Lennon, i likely wouldn’t have liked him and the story as much as i did. but his remorse and guilt definitely hit me, even tho at times i a) relished in it and b) thought he was getting off a bit too easy and/or not taking as much responsibility at he could have. in the end, i just wanted him and Lennon to be together so badly. they felt like soulmates, always drawn together. it was beautifully authentic to me, nothing felt forced between them. they just fit like two fucked up puzzle pieces.
honestly, the little crackhead voice whispering at the back of my head was like “give this five stars, you know you want to” bcos i kinda wanted to?? i just hadn’t read a book like this in a while, where i physically couldn’t put it down, was obsessed with every new revelation and invested in every new plot twist. it truly had me by the throat.
but i definitely couldn’t give it five stars for a few reasons.
i think i’ll just bullet point what i didn’t like, bcos it wasn’t that deep. just enough for me to kinda roll my eyes and move on:
im also incredibly invested in the side characters. the fact she’s not gonna give Quinn and Storm a book😒 the crumbs were all RIGHT THERE!! and she’s voluntarily not going to write them a story??? miss AJ, i will sell my kidney and then pay you to write them a story, god damn it!! their banter was so funny, his nickname for her was 🥺 and the tropes?? age gap, brother’s best friend, forced proximity... i ain’t letting this one go, sorry.
but at least Skylar and Memphis are in the works!! praying that Gwen bitch is a lying skank🥰 im scared for their book this bcos they were angsty (and exhausting) enough as side characters so i can’t imagine what their full length book is gonna be like, damn.
so overall, im shocked by how much i loved this. i just think AJ is my guilty pleasure T this point lol. and i am not ashamed.
and shoutout again to Lara for br this with me🥰
Once upon a time, Phoenix Walker made me believe I was special. Then he destroyed me. I won’t give him the opportunity to do it again.
✨br with my fave Lara✨
i shouldn’t have liked this book. i mean, i really, really, really shouldn’t have liked this book. bcos this was everything i hate in a romance. Phoenix was everything i hate in a hero.
but Ashley Jade’s books are laced with crack, im telling you. like Lara and i had this all planned out— we were gonna read 20% Friday, 40% Saturday then the last 40% on Sunday to space it out since we have a lot of shit to do for classes and work.
yet we read this in twenty-four hours instead💀
my brain was ready to commit suicide by the end of this book, fr. it’s a hefty one too. but it really didn’t feel long? like at all? in the blink of an eye i was already half way through the book and was shocked at how much id binged.
crack. pure crack, im telling you.
and honestly, i think the main reason i was hooked from the get go was my bby, Lennon Michaels🧎♀️🧎♀️🧎♀️🧎♀️ without her, i don’t think this would have initially gripped me like it did bcos i immediately fell in love with her and was rooting for her the whole 700 pages.
if Lennon has a million fans, then i am one of them. if Lennon has ten fans, then i am one of them. if Lennon has only one fan then that is me. if Lennon has no fans, then that means i am no longer on earth. if the world is against Lennon, then i am against the world.
live footage of me looking down at my phone whenever i was reading about Lennon:
hands down my fave AJ heroine (Bianca and Kit are still my besties tho). in the high school chapters, she was so kind, soft and giving. she was selfless and caring, and always saw the best in people even if they didn’t deserve it— this latter trait can be seen as a “pushover” but Lennon was far from it. bcos she was equally headstrong, determined and fierce.
people were mean to her, Phoenix included, and she held them accountable. any time she gave him a verbal beat down, i bowed down to her even more. by the end of the book, i was metaphorically face down in the mud at her feet, polishing her shoes like a lil Victorian houseboy cleaning his master’s boots bcos i was just a peasant at her feet.
bcos despite her severe self-esteem issues, Lennon knew her worth. and this character trait was amplified even more in the present chapters. she still felt like the same Lennon, just... i wouldn’t say better? but just a more self-assured version of herself. she backed herself even if nobody else did, and i couldn’t fault her for it. heroines like her are my kryptonite, honestly. if you write a heroine like Lennon (like the heroines from Clash, Lilac and Timid) then im sold immediately lol. Lennon honesty reminded me of a mix of Emmy and Braxton, and i was living for it.
i felt a lot of her pain too. i got teary-eyed a few times bcos of what she was going through. i just felt so connected to her. she battled so much but it never felt... exhausting? so full of despair? you know, there are times a character goes through SO MUCH it’s suffocating and stifles your enjoyment of the book? it didn’t happen with Lennon. her pain and the handling of it all felt incredibly authentic to me, despite some of AJ’s crazy plot lines. my love for Lennon grounded the story for me so whenever the craziness made everything go off kilter, i just circled back to her and i couldn’t help but enjoy myself.
she was funny as fuck too. like she really said she’s glad this bitch is dyslexic bcos she didn’t want him reading what her tattoo said💀
i could honestly gush about her all day long so i’ll stop now. as Skylar so wonderfully put it in the book, i, too, want to be Lennon Michaels when i grow up :)
He might burn me, but I’ll go down like Joan of Arc.
Phoenix... this man could do the bare minimum and i was swooning. i am ashamed of myself, i know.
he really had me by the throat in the best and worst way possible. i could fluctuate between loving him and hating him within the span of a chapter, a page, a damn sentence.
i could go from:
to this:
then to this:
it was a rollercoaster, i’ll tell you that much for sure.
Music sets my soul on fire, but she makes my heart beat.
his anguish was palpable to me. i constantly felt his pain and regret despite his arrogant, nonchalant facade. and that’s hard for me to feel a lot of the time. when the H is a douche, that’s usually all i see him as... but Phoenix managed to show me how multifaceted he was. it shocked the hell out of me too.
and i low-key enjoyed his pain🙃 there were times he would describe how something Lennon said to him was like a physical blow to his chest, cutting him to the bone or Lennon would mention he looked physically pained during one of their arguments about his betrayal. and i ate that shit up!!
bcos i did hate him too. and i wouldn’t even say i loved him, just the version of himself he was when he was with Lennon. she really did bring out the best in him. that version of him, aka, simp edition of Phoenix held my heart. sorry. i can’t even defend myself bcos this man would do the bare minimum and i was a goner.
it was these little things he did for her that just ruined me and made me overlook all of his monumental fuck ups. the revenge on Sabrina. the letters. Dartmouth. him “tattooing” Lennon. his time with Lennon’s dad. their first date. the recreation of their old memories... their first kiss. there was just a lot of sentimentality in his actions that i adored. i couldn’t entirely forget his godawful actions, dw. im not that dickmatised, but i went into this book with certain expectations (pretty low with not much hope for Phoenix) so he luckily surpassed all the preconceived notions i had of him.
I pin her with a glare that makes her breath catch. “I’m pursuing this.”
so as for the romance... i shipped it lol. despite their borderline toxicity, their chemistry was insane and their love ran deep. he was just obsessed with her and a hero obsessed is my kryptonite, damn.
he relentlessly pursues her once they get all of their initial shit out of the way (took a while but it was hella fun), and i respected how transparent he was? he was the one putting his heart on the line, opening himself up to a lot of pain Lennon could potentially inflict on him... and i suppose she does bcos she holds him at arms length for so long it breaks him bit by bit... and again, i lived for that shit ahaha. seeing him in pain added an extra ten years onto my life span for sure.
i think if he hadn��t been so viscerally affected by everything that had occurred between him and Lennon, i likely wouldn’t have liked him and the story as much as i did. but his remorse and guilt definitely hit me, even tho at times i a) relished in it and b) thought he was getting off a bit too easy and/or not taking as much responsibility at he could have. in the end, i just wanted him and Lennon to be together so badly. they felt like soulmates, always drawn together. it was beautifully authentic to me, nothing felt forced between them. they just fit like two fucked up puzzle pieces.
I breathe you in and bleed you out.
honestly, the little crackhead voice whispering at the back of my head was like “give this five stars, you know you want to” bcos i kinda wanted to?? i just hadn’t read a book like this in a while, where i physically couldn’t put it down, was obsessed with every new revelation and invested in every new plot twist. it truly had me by the throat.
but i definitely couldn’t give it five stars for a few reasons.
i think i’ll just bullet point what i didn’t like, bcos it wasn’t that deep. just enough for me to kinda roll my eyes and move on:
🎶 Lennon losing weight when she reunites with Phoenix. she’s still not “skinny by society’s standards” according to her book (giving specific sizes which was another thing i think AJ could have just left out) but she still lost a lot of weight and left a bitter taste in my mouth. she could still be her original size, and be happy and desirable.
🎶 obviously the explicit OW drama/sex i could have done without... but it’s AJ, so i have come to expect it at this point, honestly. so it doesn’t really faze me anymore.
🎶 AJ’s usual plot twists just being so bizarre you question your mental stability.
🎶 some of the things Phoenix has the audacity to say and do— the man was a red flag in leather pants with rockstar hair and a lip ring. the way i wanted to throttle him too many times to count (but man, he won me over ahahah, i know im as shocked as you).
🎶 the book could have been a lot shorter. it didn’t need to be 700 odd pages. tbh, for most of the book, i didn’t feel the severe length of it until the last 10-15%. that dragged more than the first 80% ever did. by the end i was getting kinda exhausted and was over it lol. all i cared about was Lennon and Phoenix, not whatever new curveball was thrown at them.
🎶 the plot twist with Lennon’s dad was just too much for me :/
🎶 and honourable mention to the scene where Lennon wakes up to Phoenix’s ONS going down on her 👁👄👁 that shit really had me wondering if i needed psychological evaluation bcos while it was so fucking weird (and i would classify it as SA), i moved on pretty easily lol so... again, i know. go ahead and judge me.
im also incredibly invested in the side characters. the fact she’s not gonna give Quinn and Storm a book😒 the crumbs were all RIGHT THERE!! and she’s voluntarily not going to write them a story??? miss AJ, i will sell my kidney and then pay you to write them a story, god damn it!! their banter was so funny, his nickname for her was 🥺 and the tropes?? age gap, brother’s best friend, forced proximity... i ain’t letting this one go, sorry.
but at least Skylar and Memphis are in the works!! praying that Gwen bitch is a lying skank🥰 im scared for their book this bcos they were angsty (and exhausting) enough as side characters so i can’t imagine what their full length book is gonna be like, damn.
so overall, im shocked by how much i loved this. i just think AJ is my guilty pleasure T this point lol. and i am not ashamed.
and shoutout again to Lara for br this with me🥰
January 17, 2022
5 STARS
For the blur of hours it took me to devour this book, it owned every part of me. This is by far, hands down, my favorite Ashley Jade book to date. I am absolutely ruined. RUINED.
When I tell you I binge read this in one sitting, I mean I stayed up until 4 am reading it. And as I write this review bleary eyed and coffee high the next day, I have zero regrets. Because this book was simply EPIC.
As a reader, I love broken, tortured and imperfect characters, and this story delivered this in spades. My heart bled for these characters and their pain.
When Lennon and Phoenix first meet, they're in high school. Phoenix is the bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks, and Lennon is the girl with the seemingly perfect life...but who's constantly bullied for her weight. Theirs is an unlikely friendship that forms when Lennon agrees to tutor Phoenix, that grows into something so much more as they get to know each other. Until the day when he completely shatters her heart.
Four years later, Phoenix is a famous rockstar who's quickly spiraling out of control in drugs, women, and partying. Desperate to keep him out of the tabloids and on the straight and narrow, his manager reaches out to the one woman that's not going to fall for his charm. She's also the one woman that wants nothing to do with him.
Phoenix took everything, and her heart from her. Now given the chance at a huge pay day to play babysitter and to get revenge, Lennon agrees to go on tour with him and his band for 8 weeks.
When I tell you that both of these characters are damaged, I really mean it. There were times where I wanted to scream to the ceiling and shake both of them. They're as far from perfect as they come, and their decisions show it. I wanted to hate both of them for some of the stupid things that they did. But they're also authentic, multilayered, and so well developed, that you simply can't help but fall further under their spell. Phoenix and his tortured soul, and Lennon and her hidden insecurities and broken heart.
Their road to a HEA is full of pain, heart ache, betrayal, mistakes, and angst. And when I say angst, I mean ANGST. If you want faultless characters who don't make their share of stupid mistakes, this book isn't for you. I love how the author wasn't afraid to go there with this story and her characters. Yes, they're damaged, but I loved them and their imperfections. I loved the tension with Phoenix and Lennon almost as much as I loved the incendiary chemistry when they finally give into the inevitable. And the grovel and grand gesture at the end? OUT OF THIS WORLD GOOD.
I also fell incredibly hard for all of the secondary characters, and already salivating for both Memphis and Storm's books. This was honestly one of my favorite rockstar romances I've read in a long, long while, and I cannot recommend it enough. Just be prepared for a book full of messy emotions, unforgivable betrayals, and a once in a lifetime love. I'm absolutely obsessed!!
ARC courtesy of author in exchange for an honest review
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Once upon a time, Phoenix Walker made me believe I was special. Then he destroyed me.
For the blur of hours it took me to devour this book, it owned every part of me. This is by far, hands down, my favorite Ashley Jade book to date. I am absolutely ruined. RUINED.
When I tell you I binge read this in one sitting, I mean I stayed up until 4 am reading it. And as I write this review bleary eyed and coffee high the next day, I have zero regrets. Because this book was simply EPIC.
As a reader, I love broken, tortured and imperfect characters, and this story delivered this in spades. My heart bled for these characters and their pain.
When Lennon and Phoenix first meet, they're in high school. Phoenix is the bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks, and Lennon is the girl with the seemingly perfect life...but who's constantly bullied for her weight. Theirs is an unlikely friendship that forms when Lennon agrees to tutor Phoenix, that grows into something so much more as they get to know each other. Until the day when he completely shatters her heart.
Four years later, Phoenix is a famous rockstar who's quickly spiraling out of control in drugs, women, and partying. Desperate to keep him out of the tabloids and on the straight and narrow, his manager reaches out to the one woman that's not going to fall for his charm. She's also the one woman that wants nothing to do with him.
Phoenix took everything, and her heart from her. Now given the chance at a huge pay day to play babysitter and to get revenge, Lennon agrees to go on tour with him and his band for 8 weeks.
When I tell you that both of these characters are damaged, I really mean it. There were times where I wanted to scream to the ceiling and shake both of them. They're as far from perfect as they come, and their decisions show it. I wanted to hate both of them for some of the stupid things that they did. But they're also authentic, multilayered, and so well developed, that you simply can't help but fall further under their spell. Phoenix and his tortured soul, and Lennon and her hidden insecurities and broken heart.
Their road to a HEA is full of pain, heart ache, betrayal, mistakes, and angst. And when I say angst, I mean ANGST. If you want faultless characters who don't make their share of stupid mistakes, this book isn't for you. I love how the author wasn't afraid to go there with this story and her characters. Yes, they're damaged, but I loved them and their imperfections. I loved the tension with Phoenix and Lennon almost as much as I loved the incendiary chemistry when they finally give into the inevitable. And the grovel and grand gesture at the end? OUT OF THIS WORLD GOOD.
I also fell incredibly hard for all of the secondary characters, and already salivating for both Memphis and Storm's books. This was honestly one of my favorite rockstar romances I've read in a long, long while, and I cannot recommend it enough. Just be prepared for a book full of messy emotions, unforgivable betrayals, and a once in a lifetime love. I'm absolutely obsessed!!
ARC courtesy of author in exchange for an honest review
Find me on:
January 22, 2022
✩ 1.25 stars.
i’m waiting for their book. <3
side characters stealing the show for me yet again. anyone surprised? i’m not. i can’t tell you how angry i am that ashley paired up lennon, who is such a great heroine by the way, with someone as terrible as phoenix. saying that i’m disappointed is an understatement. i loved her character so much, she really did her dirty. we don’t care about that anymore, though. give me storm and quinn’s book. that’s all i need!
’Clutching my other hand, she peers up at me. “Will you tell my brother I love him?”
Storm’s jaw tics. “Dial the dramatics down, Juvie.”
Storm isn’t the warm and fuzzy type and I know Quinn annoys the shit out of him, but that’s just plain heartless.’
i’m waiting for their book. <3
side characters stealing the show for me yet again. anyone surprised? i’m not. i can’t tell you how angry i am that ashley paired up lennon, who is such a great heroine by the way, with someone as terrible as phoenix. saying that i’m disappointed is an understatement. i loved her character so much, she really did her dirty. we don’t care about that anymore, though. give me storm and quinn’s book. that’s all i need!
February 9, 2023
Emotionally manipulative and tragically toxic love that keeps hammering at reader's heart chapter after chapter. Ashley can wriiiiite and bring readers to their knees. This one is intense like a quicksand. Sucks you in whenever Phoenix walks in. Is messy and sloppy whenever he confronts Lennon, his childhood saviour and love. Only they both don't know it yet.
"Writing songs was my outlet for all the pain I held inside. It’s what made me go on living when life got too hard."
He stole her soul, that she poured out exclusively for him. Made it a rung to climb the ladder of success and glamour. But karma places a boulder of guilt on his back so he has to forever stumble and just to bear it, he has to be intoxicated.
“The world thinks I’m a god…but I’m in hell.”
Story goes through so much bitterness and Venom spewed out from both Phoenix Walker and Lennon, that I didn't see any hopes of them ever reconciling.
Ashley spins her magic and makes it happen
I'd have loved if Lennon accepted and drew power from her body image rather than changing it, or Phoenix grovelled a bit more.
But I liked the story. Go read it.
4 stars for Master Thief
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"Writing songs was my outlet for all the pain I held inside. It’s what made me go on living when life got too hard."
He stole her soul, that she poured out exclusively for him. Made it a rung to climb the ladder of success and glamour. But karma places a boulder of guilt on his back so he has to forever stumble and just to bear it, he has to be intoxicated.
“The world thinks I’m a god…but I’m in hell.”
Story goes through so much bitterness and Venom spewed out from both Phoenix Walker and Lennon, that I didn't see any hopes of them ever reconciling.
Ashley spins her magic and makes it happen
I'd have loved if Lennon accepted and drew power from her body image rather than changing it, or Phoenix grovelled a bit more.
But I liked the story. Go read it.
4 stars for Master Thief
Follow me on:
Email🌻 Bookbub 🌻 Twitter🌻 Instagram🌻 Blog🌻 Facebook🌻 Amazon 🌻
January 22, 2023
4 stars
This book was so addicting! It was crazy long but I read it super fast because I didn’t want to put it down. I absolutely loved the heroine, loathed the hero (at times LOL) and it was incredibly angsty.
Lennon and Phoenix meet in high school. They don’t run in the same groups, but they become unlikely friends as Lennon tutors Phoenix. Friends turns into more, then it all falls apart. Fast forward years later and we get their second chance romance.
Lennon is such a baddie. Seriously, I loved her. So relatable and just all around a great character. Phoenix wasn’t quite as lovable for me. I was frustrated by him through a lot of the book. But I did love him at the beginning and the end. It was just the middle I had issues with.
If you’re looking for an angsty rock star romance check this one out!
“Music sets my soul on fire, but she makes my heart beat.”
This book was so addicting! It was crazy long but I read it super fast because I didn’t want to put it down. I absolutely loved the heroine, loathed the hero (at times LOL) and it was incredibly angsty.
Lennon and Phoenix meet in high school. They don’t run in the same groups, but they become unlikely friends as Lennon tutors Phoenix. Friends turns into more, then it all falls apart. Fast forward years later and we get their second chance romance.
Lennon is such a baddie. Seriously, I loved her. So relatable and just all around a great character. Phoenix wasn’t quite as lovable for me. I was frustrated by him through a lot of the book. But I did love him at the beginning and the end. It was just the middle I had issues with.
If you’re looking for an angsty rock star romance check this one out!
January 29, 2023
5 ⭐️ ♾️. Naaa 10 fucking ⭐️
This is one of the best contemporary romance books I’ve ever read. No contest, fight me for it 👊🏻
The ✨feeling✨ came over me, one I’ve only had that twice in my life with Still Beating and The Simple Wild. I KNEW I was in trouble from the first page 😭⭐️. This book was gunna have me up against by wall and by the mf throat 🤌🏻
WHAT A STORY 😭😩 it’s a rockstar second chance romance that follows Lennon and Phoenix, essentially told in 2 parts. Part 1 follows them at high school where we get to see the breakdown of their relationship and why they fell out and part 2 as adults 4 years later.
The characters were SO INTERESTING 👌🏻
Voicey. Layered. And DONT EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THE ANGST!! I may combust 😩 the back and forth sent meeeeee. But it wasn’t trashy or tasteless Ashley Jade got it RIGHT, and despite this book being over 500 pages I never wanted it to end.
It’s got…
☑️ touch her and you die
☑️ enemies to lovers
☑️ friends w benefits
☑️ hate sex
☑️ revenge plot
☑️ plus size rep
When I die, don’t even bother bringing me back if I’m not married to Phoenix Walker 🔥 what. A. MAN 😩
I loved EVERYTHING about it. THIS is how it’s done. An actual masterpiece MWAH 😘👏🏻
This is one of the best contemporary romance books I’ve ever read. No contest, fight me for it 👊🏻
The ✨feeling✨ came over me, one I’ve only had that twice in my life with Still Beating and The Simple Wild. I KNEW I was in trouble from the first page 😭⭐️. This book was gunna have me up against by wall and by the mf throat 🤌🏻
WHAT A STORY 😭😩 it’s a rockstar second chance romance that follows Lennon and Phoenix, essentially told in 2 parts. Part 1 follows them at high school where we get to see the breakdown of their relationship and why they fell out and part 2 as adults 4 years later.
The characters were SO INTERESTING 👌🏻
Voicey. Layered. And DONT EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THE ANGST!! I may combust 😩 the back and forth sent meeeeee. But it wasn’t trashy or tasteless Ashley Jade got it RIGHT, and despite this book being over 500 pages I never wanted it to end.
It’s got…
☑️ touch her and you die
☑️ enemies to lovers
☑️ friends w benefits
☑️ hate sex
☑️ revenge plot
☑️ plus size rep
When I die, don’t even bother bringing me back if I’m not married to Phoenix Walker 🔥 what. A. MAN 😩
I loved EVERYTHING about it. THIS is how it’s done. An actual masterpiece MWAH 😘👏🏻
February 18, 2022
Man, I am divided on this one.
On one hand, I was up til the wee hours of the morning reading this book. And I'm still thinking about it 2 days after I finished it. I loved the angst and the drama. I loved the character arc. I did feel like Pheonix was mostly redeemed by the end. I hated him the first 45-50% of the book, and I do feel like the author did a good job overall turning that ship around. So, for just overall writing and entertainment, this was a home run. Easily 4-5 stars. Definitely a standout story. 💗💗💗
But the more I think about the details, the less satisfied I am.
I never truly felt the connection in the way I think I was supposed to. Their time together in high school is short and more cringe than sweet. The 2nd hand embarrassment I had for the overweight h throwing herself at the hot guy who didn't seem to give a sh*t about her was a bit too much. I like a hopelessly devoted h, but I need *something* from the H that clues us in that he's probably just as into her. And I don't think that was sold ENOUGH to cover his wrongs and her cringe-worthy desperation. I hated that he watched the bullying without doing much to intervene. I like that he promised her that he wouldn't screw her bully anymore. It was nice. But it was annoying that she had to ask that of him at all. He can't figure that out all on his own? That he should stop putting his d*ck into a human dumpster? It bugs me when a dude has zero discretion, especially when it comes to people who are tormenting the h. 😐
And then when they meet up again after 4 years... well that scene was upsetting. I almost stopped reading. You're probably thinking I was upset about the orgy taking place, but that wasn't it. My issue is that he doesn't recognize her. Yes, he's totally blitzed, but it's only been 2 years since he's seen her last, and she's supposedly the love of his life. And he has no clue who she is? And I'm supposed to believe this is some epic love story? The scene would have been 100xs better if he had recognized her immediately and been mortified that THIS girl has walked into that scene of debauchery. Instead, she's just some random and he propositions her like any skank at a party. It was disappointing. 😐 #womp-womp
And I'm not really a ⚠️SAFETY SQUAD⚠️ member, but having him eff a groupie with the h in the next room listening was a bit much for me. I was hoping it was faked, but there's never anything showing that is the case. That is disappointing. I would think that a man that is obsessed with a girl, would be all about HER and not screwing OP, even if he wanted her to think he was. And that scene where he forces her to be touched by one of his groupies was gross, to me, and unnecessary. It felt like a shock value scene with absolutely no point. And her reaction was ridiculous. 🙄 Not believable at all. The fact that he had anyone else touch her bugged me. He had a lot to make up for and this relationship was not at a place where a sharing scene was appropriate or hot. It was MEGA cringe for me.
I really loved the kissing plot point. I loved that she was his first kiss. 🥺💕 He "never kisses his hookups" is what he told her in high school. I loved that it meant so much to him. I loved how angry he got when she kissed his bandmate. That scene was DELISH. 🔥🔥🔥 But, I felt like the author dropped the ball here. It would have been out of this world swoony if he had made a big deal of telling her he'd ONLY EVER kissed her. Yeah, he'd been whoring around for at least 2 years, but he'd saved that one thing as theirs... but he never actually says that. Maybe we're meant to infer that. But his manwhoring especially in front of her, means that I need more than just reading between the lines. As far as I remember, he tells her she was his first kiss... but not that he hasn't kissed anyone else since. And it was a blatant miss for me. I love a manwhore. LOVE. But, in contrast, I want it driven home that the h is special. And this would have been a great opportunity to drive that home. To at least partially redeem the manwhore. Total slam dunk. But we never got that. 😐 #womp-womp.
I really wish the h had made the H wait a little bit before jumping in bed with him after 4 years. Yeah, he basically *takes* the first time 🥵... but after her very desperate behavior in high school, I wish she'd been a little more reluctant to eff like bunnies when they were older. At that point he hadn't proved that he'd changed in any way. So, it felt a little cringe that she just opened her legs without much of a protest. I would have liked more tension around that. Or even better, HIM manning up and really trying to earn her trust. Didn't happen that way tho. 😐 #womp-womp
And finally, the h's weight and her low-self esteem are a big plot point. She never feels that she's worthy of the H in the looks department. She's brutally bullied and humiliated for it in high school. Four years later she's lost weight but she still struggles with body image. People are still making hurtful comments, even though she’s average weight, no longer obese. At one point there are sexy photos released of her and the H in a clench, and people online are brutal about her weight and asking why he's with her. And for me, I was waiting for the SUPER SWOON moment where he makes it clear to the world and all the haters that she's His Girl, and he’s PROUD of that. That he's crazy about her and her body... but that never happens. 😕 He brings her on stage to give her credit for her own song, but doesn't say she's his girl. He marries her, but it's a private ceremony in a hospital room and it's kept secret for the most part. So, where's the big public declaration? Where is the big scene that builds up her body image? The body image that we've been talking about the whole book? It's just left hanging. 😐 #womp-womp
Bottom Line? I liked it overall, but it's missing the swoon factor for me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 stars
⚠️SAFETY SQUAD SPOILERS⚠️
- cheating - depends on your definition 🤷🏼♀️, but they never have sex with OP while in an established romantic/sexual relationship with each other
- sharing - the H ties the h to the bed while she's asleep and has a groupie lick her p*ssy. He kicks the groupie out right before the h climaxes
- OW drama - friends, if OW drama is a problem for you, this is not your book. 😬 In high school, when they are friends, but not romantically involved, but the h has a huge and acknowledged crush on the H, the H is screwing her bully. She walks in at one point when they are finishing. She asks him to stop doing that, if she's his friend. He agrees.... but the day after the MCs have sex for the 1st time, the H makes her believe he screws the bully again. Four years later, the h walks in on the H during an orgy where he's actively getting a bj from 2 groupies. On another night, he H brings a groupie back to his hotel room and f*cks her against the wall that he shares with the h. The h sits there and listens to the whole thing - banging against the wall and moaning from the groupie. Then when he brings the girl into the h's room later and has her lick the h, he ejaculates on the groupie before sending her on her way. There's another scene where he bring the bully back and the h thinks he's screwing her, but that is faked... not sure why he wanted the h to think that, since he brought the bully there as revenge for the h.
- OM drama - the h gets friendly with the H's bandmate in the 4 years later timeline. He kisses her, and the H freaks out. Also, during the 4 years they are apart, the H goes to see the h at school, and he sees her with her boyfriend, and gets upset and leaves without talking to her.
- dubcon - the scene with the groupie licking the h while the h is tied up, is dubcon. Also their first time together after the separation could be seen as dubcon.
- the h is virgin in high school when they first have sex. She has 2 boyfriends in college and has sex with both during the separation. - it's unclear if she ever orgasmed with either. It’s clear it wasn't super satisfying either way.
- the H is a manwhore.
- the H didn't have sex for a year and half during their separation. He only started whoring around again after he visited the h at school and saw her happy with another guy, and assumed that there was no chance of them ever being together. It's pretty clear, to me, that he has been having lots of sex for the past 2.5 years since that time tho. With his risky behavior escalating after the death of his bandmate.
- lots of casual drug use
- all the band members are tested for STDs the day the h arrives to be the babysitter. The MCs do not use protection with each other. She's on birth control. He does say, at some point (not to the h), that he always uses condoms, but with his substance abuse, I'm not sure how he could know that 100%. Especially given he didn't even recognize the h while under the influence. And then he screws that groupie after the h arrives... and no mention or discussion of condom usage with the h.... so who knows. 🤷🏼♀️
- domestic abuse/child abuse is discussed - the H has been abused by his father, and we see the results of physical abuse with another character as well. Also, the H throws a bottle and it hits the wall next to the h's head. He isn't intending to hurt her, but he is a little out of control. Some readers could see this as a form of abuse.
On one hand, I was up til the wee hours of the morning reading this book. And I'm still thinking about it 2 days after I finished it. I loved the angst and the drama. I loved the character arc. I did feel like Pheonix was mostly redeemed by the end. I hated him the first 45-50% of the book, and I do feel like the author did a good job overall turning that ship around. So, for just overall writing and entertainment, this was a home run. Easily 4-5 stars. Definitely a standout story. 💗💗💗
But the more I think about the details, the less satisfied I am.
I never truly felt the connection in the way I think I was supposed to. Their time together in high school is short and more cringe than sweet. The 2nd hand embarrassment I had for the overweight h throwing herself at the hot guy who didn't seem to give a sh*t about her was a bit too much. I like a hopelessly devoted h, but I need *something* from the H that clues us in that he's probably just as into her. And I don't think that was sold ENOUGH to cover his wrongs and her cringe-worthy desperation. I hated that he watched the bullying without doing much to intervene. I like that he promised her that he wouldn't screw her bully anymore. It was nice. But it was annoying that she had to ask that of him at all. He can't figure that out all on his own? That he should stop putting his d*ck into a human dumpster? It bugs me when a dude has zero discretion, especially when it comes to people who are tormenting the h. 😐
And then when they meet up again after 4 years... well that scene was upsetting. I almost stopped reading. You're probably thinking I was upset about the orgy taking place, but that wasn't it. My issue is that he doesn't recognize her. Yes, he's totally blitzed, but it's only been 2 years since he's seen her last, and she's supposedly the love of his life. And he has no clue who she is? And I'm supposed to believe this is some epic love story? The scene would have been 100xs better if he had recognized her immediately and been mortified that THIS girl has walked into that scene of debauchery. Instead, she's just some random and he propositions her like any skank at a party. It was disappointing. 😐 #womp-womp
And I'm not really a ⚠️SAFETY SQUAD⚠️ member, but having him eff a groupie with the h in the next room listening was a bit much for me. I was hoping it was faked, but there's never anything showing that is the case. That is disappointing. I would think that a man that is obsessed with a girl, would be all about HER and not screwing OP, even if he wanted her to think he was. And that scene where he forces her to be touched by one of his groupies was gross, to me, and unnecessary. It felt like a shock value scene with absolutely no point. And her reaction was ridiculous. 🙄 Not believable at all. The fact that he had anyone else touch her bugged me. He had a lot to make up for and this relationship was not at a place where a sharing scene was appropriate or hot. It was MEGA cringe for me.
I really loved the kissing plot point. I loved that she was his first kiss. 🥺💕 He "never kisses his hookups" is what he told her in high school. I loved that it meant so much to him. I loved how angry he got when she kissed his bandmate. That scene was DELISH. 🔥🔥🔥 But, I felt like the author dropped the ball here. It would have been out of this world swoony if he had made a big deal of telling her he'd ONLY EVER kissed her. Yeah, he'd been whoring around for at least 2 years, but he'd saved that one thing as theirs... but he never actually says that. Maybe we're meant to infer that. But his manwhoring especially in front of her, means that I need more than just reading between the lines. As far as I remember, he tells her she was his first kiss... but not that he hasn't kissed anyone else since. And it was a blatant miss for me. I love a manwhore. LOVE. But, in contrast, I want it driven home that the h is special. And this would have been a great opportunity to drive that home. To at least partially redeem the manwhore. Total slam dunk. But we never got that. 😐 #womp-womp.
I really wish the h had made the H wait a little bit before jumping in bed with him after 4 years. Yeah, he basically *takes* the first time 🥵... but after her very desperate behavior in high school, I wish she'd been a little more reluctant to eff like bunnies when they were older. At that point he hadn't proved that he'd changed in any way. So, it felt a little cringe that she just opened her legs without much of a protest. I would have liked more tension around that. Or even better, HIM manning up and really trying to earn her trust. Didn't happen that way tho. 😐 #womp-womp
And finally, the h's weight and her low-self esteem are a big plot point. She never feels that she's worthy of the H in the looks department. She's brutally bullied and humiliated for it in high school. Four years later she's lost weight but she still struggles with body image. People are still making hurtful comments, even though she’s average weight, no longer obese. At one point there are sexy photos released of her and the H in a clench, and people online are brutal about her weight and asking why he's with her. And for me, I was waiting for the SUPER SWOON moment where he makes it clear to the world and all the haters that she's His Girl, and he’s PROUD of that. That he's crazy about her and her body... but that never happens. 😕 He brings her on stage to give her credit for her own song, but doesn't say she's his girl. He marries her, but it's a private ceremony in a hospital room and it's kept secret for the most part. So, where's the big public declaration? Where is the big scene that builds up her body image? The body image that we've been talking about the whole book? It's just left hanging. 😐 #womp-womp
Bottom Line? I liked it overall, but it's missing the swoon factor for me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 stars
⚠️SAFETY SQUAD SPOILERS⚠️
- cheating - depends on your definition 🤷🏼♀️, but they never have sex with OP while in an established romantic/sexual relationship with each other
- sharing - the H ties the h to the bed while she's asleep and has a groupie lick her p*ssy. He kicks the groupie out right before the h climaxes
- OW drama - friends, if OW drama is a problem for you, this is not your book. 😬 In high school, when they are friends, but not romantically involved, but the h has a huge and acknowledged crush on the H, the H is screwing her bully. She walks in at one point when they are finishing. She asks him to stop doing that, if she's his friend. He agrees.... but the day after the MCs have sex for the 1st time, the H makes her believe he screws the bully again. Four years later, the h walks in on the H during an orgy where he's actively getting a bj from 2 groupies. On another night, he H brings a groupie back to his hotel room and f*cks her against the wall that he shares with the h. The h sits there and listens to the whole thing - banging against the wall and moaning from the groupie. Then when he brings the girl into the h's room later and has her lick the h, he ejaculates on the groupie before sending her on her way. There's another scene where he bring the bully back and the h thinks he's screwing her, but that is faked... not sure why he wanted the h to think that, since he brought the bully there as revenge for the h.
- OM drama - the h gets friendly with the H's bandmate in the 4 years later timeline. He kisses her, and the H freaks out. Also, during the 4 years they are apart, the H goes to see the h at school, and he sees her with her boyfriend, and gets upset and leaves without talking to her.
- dubcon - the scene with the groupie licking the h while the h is tied up, is dubcon. Also their first time together after the separation could be seen as dubcon.
- the h is virgin in high school when they first have sex. She has 2 boyfriends in college and has sex with both during the separation. - it's unclear if she ever orgasmed with either. It’s clear it wasn't super satisfying either way.
- the H is a manwhore.
- the H didn't have sex for a year and half during their separation. He only started whoring around again after he visited the h at school and saw her happy with another guy, and assumed that there was no chance of them ever being together. It's pretty clear, to me, that he has been having lots of sex for the past 2.5 years since that time tho. With his risky behavior escalating after the death of his bandmate.
- lots of casual drug use
- all the band members are tested for STDs the day the h arrives to be the babysitter. The MCs do not use protection with each other. She's on birth control. He does say, at some point (not to the h), that he always uses condoms, but with his substance abuse, I'm not sure how he could know that 100%. Especially given he didn't even recognize the h while under the influence. And then he screws that groupie after the h arrives... and no mention or discussion of condom usage with the h.... so who knows. 🤷🏼♀️
- domestic abuse/child abuse is discussed - the H has been abused by his father, and we see the results of physical abuse with another character as well. Also, the H throws a bottle and it hits the wall next to the h's head. He isn't intending to hurt her, but he is a little out of control. Some readers could see this as a form of abuse.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 22, 2022
if i could give a lower rating than one i would but since that's not possible, phoenix is a real piece of shit and lennon is the most pathetic character i have had the displeasure of reading. match made in heaven, it is.
April 29, 2024
Lemme just say that for the first 60% of this book I was OBSESSED. I loved the book as a whole don’t get me wrong but I feel like it didn’t need to be almost 700 pages. After the first 60% Lennon gets SO frustratingly annoying, things start getting super repetitive and I just wasn’t as glued to the book as I initially was. But Phoenix 😍, this guy is up there with Kellan Kyle for me . LOVE HIM.
One thing that I kept rolling my eyes at was this constant mention of it being Lennon’s song womp womp womp. I don’t condone what he did by using it but she didn’t have any actual legal claim to it which is why she was trying to catch him on a recording. This could have been such a small thing but it’s mentioned over and over.
I totally get that it’s fiction but a lot of the second half of this book revolves around this. So, I certainly see it as a personal betrayal , I just couldn’t wrap my head around her actually having any legal claim (that whole narrative seemed so far fetched) Also, I don’t remember her ever wanting to actually be a songwriter- you don’t go to Dartmouth to write songs or become a singer, it all seemed to be an afterthought.
Anyway, just my two cents. Phoenix forever ❤️🔥
One thing that I kept rolling my eyes at was this constant mention of it being Lennon’s song womp womp womp. I don’t condone what he did by using it but she didn’t have any actual legal claim to it which is why she was trying to catch him on a recording. This could have been such a small thing but it’s mentioned over and over.
I totally get that it’s fiction but a lot of the second half of this book revolves around this. So, I certainly see it as a personal betrayal , I just couldn’t wrap my head around her actually having any legal claim (that whole narrative seemed so far fetched) Also, I don’t remember her ever wanting to actually be a songwriter- you don’t go to Dartmouth to write songs or become a singer, it all seemed to be an afterthought.
Anyway, just my two cents. Phoenix forever ❤️🔥
November 1, 2023
I'm not sure how I want to rate this....I liked some parts and then hated others
Overweight big school girl is a closet songwriter and the H hears her song one day and steals it to be a rockstar.
That right there made me hate him. I understand the why but....give credit where credit is due you know? He fessed up later on when he's got everything that he wanted career wise 😐😒
She's a doormat and goes on tour with him as a babysitter for money. Again. I understand why she becomes a babysitter, but the fact that a full grown man needs one makes me cringe.
She strings along another band mate named George (george?!) And doesn't even kiss him. It's a struggle for them to kiss! I loved the jealous thoughts and actions from phoenix 😂🤷 but that was awkward
The one part that really REALLY bothered me was when he threw a liquor bottle straight at Lennon. He didn't hit her....but he was close. That right there was a full stop for me. There's no excuse for that 👀 like, none. I'm trying to read about romance, not a abusive relationship 🤷🤷🤷 she even says that the red flags are everywhere and this is a point of no return but then its not mentioned again 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔
Editing to add: that part where she wakes up to find herself handcuffed to the bed and some random girl is going downtown? Listen linda. LISTEN. I love non con and dub con, but that shoiet was so effffffingggggg cringy and out of left field!! It wasn't cute, smexual....wtfuuuck was that? He tells the fucking stranger ow to stop and then cumms on the strangers face because she asked for it earlier 😐😐😐😐 what the dawg diggity fork crapshiet is that? 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔
And he was always telling her to cre@m his c0ck 🤔🤔 almost every smexxx scene. That shiet got old.
The ending was also ambiguous af. Is he in a band? Is he not? Is he a has been? What happened after they talked to the vic dude?!! Nothing was explained or talked about and it irked the faq out of me!
Does he redeem himself for all that he did?
He tried 🤷
So....yeah. Now I need a ROM com 😂
Overweight big school girl is a closet songwriter and the H hears her song one day and steals it to be a rockstar.
That right there made me hate him. I understand the why but....give credit where credit is due you know? He fessed up later on when he's got everything that he wanted career wise 😐😒
She's a doormat and goes on tour with him as a babysitter for money. Again. I understand why she becomes a babysitter, but the fact that a full grown man needs one makes me cringe.
She strings along another band mate named George (george?!) And doesn't even kiss him. It's a struggle for them to kiss! I loved the jealous thoughts and actions from phoenix 😂🤷 but that was awkward
The one part that really REALLY bothered me was when he threw a liquor bottle straight at Lennon. He didn't hit her....but he was close. That right there was a full stop for me. There's no excuse for that 👀 like, none. I'm trying to read about romance, not a abusive relationship 🤷🤷🤷 she even says that the red flags are everywhere and this is a point of no return but then its not mentioned again 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔
Editing to add: that part where she wakes up to find herself handcuffed to the bed and some random girl is going downtown? Listen linda. LISTEN. I love non con and dub con, but that shoiet was so effffffingggggg cringy and out of left field!! It wasn't cute, smexual....wtfuuuck was that? He tells the fucking stranger ow to stop and then cumms on the strangers face because she asked for it earlier 😐😐😐😐 what the dawg diggity fork crapshiet is that? 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔
And he was always telling her to cre@m his c0ck 🤔🤔 almost every smexxx scene. That shiet got old.
The ending was also ambiguous af. Is he in a band? Is he not? Is he a has been? What happened after they talked to the vic dude?!! Nothing was explained or talked about and it irked the faq out of me!
Does he redeem himself for all that he did?
He tried 🤷
So....yeah. Now I need a ROM com 😂
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 14, 2022
3.5 stars
It’s been so long since I’ve read a book -been frustrated by it- and couldn’t tell if it was a good kind or a bad kind of frustration!! My feelings were all over the place. I hated it and enjoyed it both at the same time. One thing for sure, it kept me stuck in my seat unable to stop reading.
The amount of “ouch” that came out of my mouth were too freakin many. Those two know how to use words to hurt each other!! I felt freakin rage for Lennon! Phoenix really did her bad. I wanted him to hurt so freakin much! I wanted him to suffer. I’m not a fan of second chances, but when he finally redeemed himself? And the way he righted his wrongs? I might’ve softened a little bit for him. I was like “yeah Lennon darling, I think maybe you should take him back. He suffered enough.” Lennon on the other hand? I loved her so freakin much!
This book was such a ride. There romance was cute then messy then toxic then emotional. It was all over the place. This is my first book by Ashley jade and it really messed with my head and emotions. I know I’m gonna read more from an author if I found myself unable to put their book down despite what I feel towards the story. I’m even more scared to read the second book, because I just feel its gonna get messier. I like Skyler, but Storm is the one I’m dying to have his book!!
“Does it hurt to hear me everywhere you go?”
It’s been so long since I’ve read a book -been frustrated by it- and couldn’t tell if it was a good kind or a bad kind of frustration!! My feelings were all over the place. I hated it and enjoyed it both at the same time. One thing for sure, it kept me stuck in my seat unable to stop reading.
“because even though my talent crowned me the king of rock…my kingdom was built with her gift.”
The amount of “ouch” that came out of my mouth were too freakin many. Those two know how to use words to hurt each other!! I felt freakin rage for Lennon! Phoenix really did her bad. I wanted him to hurt so freakin much! I wanted him to suffer. I’m not a fan of second chances, but when he finally redeemed himself? And the way he righted his wrongs? I might’ve softened a little bit for him. I was like “yeah Lennon darling, I think maybe you should take him back. He suffered enough.” Lennon on the other hand? I loved her so freakin much!
“Phoenix’s are supposed to rise from the ashes…
But this one wants to burn.”
This book was such a ride. There romance was cute then messy then toxic then emotional. It was all over the place. This is my first book by Ashley jade and it really messed with my head and emotions. I know I’m gonna read more from an author if I found myself unable to put their book down despite what I feel towards the story. I’m even more scared to read the second book, because I just feel its gonna get messier. I like Skyler, but Storm is the one I’m dying to have his book!!
October 4, 2022
TW for drug use, abuse, fatphobia, bullying, death of a loved one, care taking of a parent
I am so obsessed with Phoenix and Lennon. I really loved how the beginning of this book showed them falling for each other as teenagers until Phoenix betrays Lennon and becomes a famous rockstar. Years later, Lennon is taking care of her father and gets a call to be Phoenix's sober companion after he's lost himself to drugs and alcohol and messes up again and again. Lennon wants nothing to do with Phoenix, but the money can really help her and her father, so she accepts. THE ANGST IN THIS BOOK. Ugh. I do wish that Lennon had fought the attraction a little bit more, especially since she really needed the money, but I really enjoyed the emotional journey of the romance. I also loved all of the side characters! I loved their part in the story and Phoenix and Lennon's journey, and I definitely need a book for all of them now!
I'm so happy I read this book. This is definitely one of my favorite rock star romances now!
I am so obsessed with Phoenix and Lennon. I really loved how the beginning of this book showed them falling for each other as teenagers until Phoenix betrays Lennon and becomes a famous rockstar. Years later, Lennon is taking care of her father and gets a call to be Phoenix's sober companion after he's lost himself to drugs and alcohol and messes up again and again. Lennon wants nothing to do with Phoenix, but the money can really help her and her father, so she accepts. THE ANGST IN THIS BOOK. Ugh. I do wish that Lennon had fought the attraction a little bit more, especially since she really needed the money, but I really enjoyed the emotional journey of the romance. I also loved all of the side characters! I loved their part in the story and Phoenix and Lennon's journey, and I definitely need a book for all of them now!
I'm so happy I read this book. This is definitely one of my favorite rock star romances now!
April 8, 2022
This book was too much of a rollercoaster for me to even begin writing a review for…all I gotta say is Phoenix was such a horrible person and I loved it
memphis & skylar have my heart. I’m so happy they’re getting their own book
Fuck you, Lennon.
I stole your words, but you stole my heart.
memphis & skylar have my heart. I’m so happy they’re getting their own book
November 3, 2024
ETA: I don't think an author's work has ever turned me off this quick lol. This couple was pretty fucking toxic and there was A LOT of drama. If that's your cup of tea, go for it. If not and if you're sensitive like me, please for the love of god, DO NOT READ IT. There's a shit ton of OW drama and a lot of immaturity from both MCs. Imo Phoenix should spend the rest of his grovelling at Lennon's feet only for him to end up watching her marry another man who actually deserves her. Also, I'm terrified to read any more Ashley Jade again. Consider me traumatised because I'm def adding her to my list of authors whose books I won't be touching. I've obv read some spoiler reviews for her other books and they pretty much follow the same pattern. Another thing...FUCK JOSH. I don't care about his past and one thing I'm proud of is that I NEVER liked that son of a bitch from the beginning. He was a bad influence, a terrible friend, and an even horrible cheating boyfriend that manipulated, lied to, and played games with all those around him. I'm so fucking glad he died - sorry not sorry. Just thinking about this book angers me. The only good thing was Memphis, poor guy.
Say it with me: TRAUMA👏🏻DOESN'T👏🏻GIVE👏🏻YOU👏🏻A👏🏻FREE👏🏻PASS👏🏻TO👏🏻BE👏🏻TOXIC👏🏻AND👏🏻ABUSIVE. I said what I said. Phoenix was a massive cunt throughout the entire book and I HATED him. Yes, he became soft towards the end, but that doesn't erase what he's done. Especially the dirty way he fucked Lennon over. Ah and of course, Miss Lennon...I wish she'd been stronger and didn't allow Phoenix to use her as a doormat. It actually hurt me to see her being used by the same guy who broke her heart and toyed with her emotions all those years ago in high school and continued to do so four years later as well. She deserved better and shouldn't have settled for Phoenix. Usually, I'm all for the manwhore/reformed player trope. But Phoenix was a bit much tbh. I'm not gonna delve into the details of his disgusting sexcapades so as to not spoil it for any potential readers...but all I'm gonna say is that if any of y'all hate OW/OM drama, then this book isn't for you. While I really feel for Phoenix and relate to his distrust of women and pain - because I have the same issues with men - it does NOT excuse his shitty actions. This story was honestly emotionally draining and not to mention, THICC. It's astounding how I managed to finished it in less that 12 hours. But I did. Guess miss author really did put some crack in this shit. I'd be lying if I said that I liked Lennon and Phoenix's story. Because I didn't. But even I have to admit that Miss Ashley Jade has a certain magic when it comes to telling a gripping story. The Words was a heartbreaking book about trauma, second chance and lost loves. Pretty angsty too. But it's SO not for me. There was ZERO grovelling (and yes, I'm comparing this to Daddy Alex Volkov because he is the mf BLUEPRINT😌) and what happened to all that revenge that Lennon was gonna take??? Imo, she spread her legs for Phoenix the moment he told her to. Which was sad. She shouldn't have given in so easily to him. Also that ending was???🥴🤨 It seemed like the author just wanted to get it over with seeing as how long this book was lol. Anyways, I could go on and on about how much I disliked the way the characters acted, but imma stop here - otherwise this review won't be ending anytime soon lol.
*SPOILERS*
Now, moving on to the side characters...Skylar and Memphis. Color me curious even though I didn't like Skylar in the beginning due to her being doormat for that cheating scumbag Josh. I'm intrigued as to how the author will be telling their story. I'm sure it's gonna be equally angsty since it's gonna be a duet - not to mention, an emotional rollercoaster - but I'm looking forward to reading it. I just really, really, REALLY hope that Memphis doesn't end up marrying that Gwen bitch and it just turns out to be a false pregnancy. Lord give me strength to read Sklyar's and Memphis' books ajsjsjksksks😭😭😭
Say it with me: TRAUMA👏🏻DOESN'T👏🏻GIVE👏🏻YOU👏🏻A👏🏻FREE👏🏻PASS👏🏻TO👏🏻BE👏🏻TOXIC👏🏻AND👏🏻ABUSIVE. I said what I said. Phoenix was a massive cunt throughout the entire book and I HATED him. Yes, he became soft towards the end, but that doesn't erase what he's done. Especially the dirty way he fucked Lennon over. Ah and of course, Miss Lennon...I wish she'd been stronger and didn't allow Phoenix to use her as a doormat. It actually hurt me to see her being used by the same guy who broke her heart and toyed with her emotions all those years ago in high school and continued to do so four years later as well. She deserved better and shouldn't have settled for Phoenix. Usually, I'm all for the manwhore/reformed player trope. But Phoenix was a bit much tbh. I'm not gonna delve into the details of his disgusting sexcapades so as to not spoil it for any potential readers...but all I'm gonna say is that if any of y'all hate OW/OM drama, then this book isn't for you. While I really feel for Phoenix and relate to his distrust of women and pain - because I have the same issues with men - it does NOT excuse his shitty actions. This story was honestly emotionally draining and not to mention, THICC. It's astounding how I managed to finished it in less that 12 hours. But I did. Guess miss author really did put some crack in this shit. I'd be lying if I said that I liked Lennon and Phoenix's story. Because I didn't. But even I have to admit that Miss Ashley Jade has a certain magic when it comes to telling a gripping story. The Words was a heartbreaking book about trauma, second chance and lost loves. Pretty angsty too. But it's SO not for me. There was ZERO grovelling (and yes, I'm comparing this to Daddy Alex Volkov because he is the mf BLUEPRINT😌) and what happened to all that revenge that Lennon was gonna take??? Imo, she spread her legs for Phoenix the moment he told her to. Which was sad. She shouldn't have given in so easily to him. Also that ending was???🥴🤨 It seemed like the author just wanted to get it over with seeing as how long this book was lol. Anyways, I could go on and on about how much I disliked the way the characters acted, but imma stop here - otherwise this review won't be ending anytime soon lol.
*SPOILERS*
Now, moving on to the side characters...Skylar and Memphis. Color me curious even though I didn't like Skylar in the beginning due to her being doormat for that cheating scumbag Josh. I'm intrigued as to how the author will be telling their story. I'm sure it's gonna be equally angsty since it's gonna be a duet - not to mention, an emotional rollercoaster - but I'm looking forward to reading it. I just really, really, REALLY hope that Memphis doesn't end up marrying that Gwen bitch and it just turns out to be a false pregnancy. Lord give me strength to read Sklyar's and Memphis' books ajsjsjksksks😭😭😭
January 5, 2024
4/5
So angsty and soo good.
So angsty and soo good.
"Don’t let your insecurities overpower that which makes your soul come alive. Otherwise, you’ll walk this earth never feeling whole…and that’s no way to live."
"Mistakes don’t define who someone is, Phoenix. It’s what you do after that does."
"Music sets my soul on fire, but she makes my heart beat."
April 4, 2023
4 stars ✨ | BR with Ellie, and i'm so glad we read this shit show together 😍🤍
how do I even begin to describe the ✨ experience ✨ that reading The Words was? it was funny and random from the get-go, cause I was prepared to hate Phoenix, I had -100 expectations and had (have) so much shit to do that Ellie and I were going to read 1/3 of this book per day. imagine my surprise when we ended up binge reading a 700-page book and fangirling over everything 🤡 my academic life isn't happy but i can't say i care 🤡
this book was so problematic... but i loved it. first part starts with Lennon and Phoenix in high school, which i ADORED. i loved the friends to lovers aspect in this part, how Phoenix opened up to her and let her help him with his dyslexia, how they bonded over music and how much Phoenix was there for Lennon too. it’s only 1/5 of the book, but i swear it feels like a separate book. the pace is perfect, nothing is rushed. you truly get to see how Phoenix goes from giving 0 fucks about Lennon to loving her 🥺(then screwing her over.. but we don’t talk about that 🤪)
this part is KEY, because i don't think i would've been so forgiving of all the shit that happens in part 2 if i hadn't been so obsessed with Lennon and Phoenix as a couple in high school. even if the book is long af, i'm glad Ashley Jade included this part and didn't simply begin the story in the present.
now, as for the present.. i could very well sum it up with a clown emoji and call it a day, because that's how i felt reading it. it was a SHIT SHOW for sure, but i enjoyed the hell out of it and ignored every possible red flag 🤠
i don't know what came over me, but i was happy with Phoenix doing the bare minimum both in Part 1 and 2, cause i could feel how obsessed he was with Lennon anyway 🤡
as you can see... CLOWN BEHAVIOR. you can tell me Phoenix doesn't deserve shit and he's the worst hero ever and i'd have nothing to defend myself with. but for some reason, i was ready to overlook all the red flags. i could feel their connection and their love even amongst the toxicity 🧍♀️
on the other hand, i'm glad Lennon had a backbone. I absolutely LOVED HER as a heroine.
the way she went back into his life just to get revenge 😍 yes girl you tell him!! she made him suffer and beg, and i was here for it. for once i was on board with all the OM drama, because Phoenix was soooo jealous 😈 and it was beautiful to witness.
however, when the cute moments began.. i was rooting for them so hard 😭 this is why i overlooked all the red flags and messy drama. they shared such a beautiful connection and no character understood them better than they understood each other 🥺
I've read a couple of books by Ashley Jade a few months ago, and I kept having the same issue with them: i was invested in the couples... but the amount of drama was insane and it made me tired by the 50-60% mark. for some reason, that didn't happen here. Lennon and Phoenix had me in a chokehold for sure. the back and forth between them made sense, because his betrayal ran DEEP. so this time i felt there were actual reasons for them not to get together until very late in the book.
the only time i felt this was DRAGGING was by the last 10%. my god, that felt longer than the whole book. that was the moment AJ should've stopped with the plot twists and the angst, cause my brain couldn't handle it anymore. but before that... all good 🤪
i'm not sure i'd recommend this to everyone, because the drama can be tiresome for sure. i think low expectations worked for the best here. if you read this, know that it'll be crazy and looong, but IMO the romance is worth it 🤠
how do I even begin to describe the ✨ experience ✨ that reading The Words was? it was funny and random from the get-go, cause I was prepared to hate Phoenix, I had -100 expectations and had (have) so much shit to do that Ellie and I were going to read 1/3 of this book per day. imagine my surprise when we ended up binge reading a 700-page book and fangirling over everything 🤡 my academic life isn't happy but i can't say i care 🤡
this book was so problematic... but i loved it. first part starts with Lennon and Phoenix in high school, which i ADORED. i loved the friends to lovers aspect in this part, how Phoenix opened up to her and let her help him with his dyslexia, how they bonded over music and how much Phoenix was there for Lennon too. it’s only 1/5 of the book, but i swear it feels like a separate book. the pace is perfect, nothing is rushed. you truly get to see how Phoenix goes from giving 0 fucks about Lennon to loving her 🥺
“I don’t want your help,” he says again.
His low, raspy voice is a turbulent current of water, pulling me under. However, it’s the haunting, desperate look in his eyes that’s my undoing.
“But I need it.”
this part is KEY, because i don't think i would've been so forgiving of all the shit that happens in part 2 if i hadn't been so obsessed with Lennon and Phoenix as a couple in high school. even if the book is long af, i'm glad Ashley Jade included this part and didn't simply begin the story in the present.
“Both my voice and song are weird,” I warn him.
“I like weird.” Those ice-blue orbs sharpen on me, sucking all the oxygen out of the room. “And I love your voice.”
now, as for the present.. i could very well sum it up with a clown emoji and call it a day, because that's how i felt reading it. it was a SHIT SHOW for sure, but i enjoyed the hell out of it and ignored every possible red flag 🤠
i don't know what came over me, but i was happy with Phoenix doing the bare minimum both in Part 1 and 2, cause i could feel how obsessed he was with Lennon anyway 🤡
🌹 he calls her 'Groupie' which is a little offensive... but gets so jealous when his best friend starts calling her Groupie too 🥺
🌹 he taunts her saying he's going to fuck OW, but he phrases it in a way she said four years ago. so i could just think 🥰 he remembers the stuff she says 🥰 get yourself a guy who pays attention to you 🤪
🌹 he makes OW go down on Lennon while she's asleep and he's watching, but he watches her the whole time wishing it was him doing that 🥺💖sexual assault? nope not here!
🌹 he literally fucks everything that moves, but only kisses her 😍 i'm sorry you can blame that one on Christian Allister.
🌹 he covers Lennon with hickeys so that OM know she's his 🤠
🌹 doesn't apologize for YEARS for how he betrayed Lennon, but wrote a bunch of unsent letters saying how much he loved her and missed her 😭
as you can see... CLOWN BEHAVIOR. you can tell me Phoenix doesn't deserve shit and he's the worst hero ever and i'd have nothing to defend myself with. but for some reason, i was ready to overlook all the red flags. i could feel their connection and their love even amongst the toxicity 🧍♀️
on the other hand, i'm glad Lennon had a backbone. I absolutely LOVED HER as a heroine.
“Officially, I’m your new sober companion. But unofficially? I’m here to ruin you when you least expect it… and I want you stone-cold sober when I do it.”
the way she went back into his life just to get revenge 😍 yes girl you tell him!! she made him suffer and beg, and i was here for it. for once i was on board with all the OM drama, because Phoenix was soooo jealous 😈 and it was beautiful to witness.
“Let me get this straight. I’m not allowed to fuck George, but fucking you is fine?”
“Since you’re offering…”
“I’m not.” Pure contempt fills her voice. “Let me put it this way. If I was on fire, and the only way to extinguish it was to have sex with you… I’d beg someone to pour gasoline on me.”
however, when the cute moments began.. i was rooting for them so hard 😭 this is why i overlooked all the red flags and messy drama. they shared such a beautiful connection and no character understood them better than they understood each other 🥺
“There are over twenty-five thousand fans waiting inside that arena for you.”
“But the only person who matters to me is sitting right here.”
I've read a couple of books by Ashley Jade a few months ago, and I kept having the same issue with them: i was invested in the couples... but the amount of drama was insane and it made me tired by the 50-60% mark. for some reason, that didn't happen here. Lennon and Phoenix had me in a chokehold for sure. the back and forth between them made sense, because his betrayal ran DEEP. so this time i felt there were actual reasons for them not to get together until very late in the book.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
I pin her with a glare that makes her breath catch.
“I’m pursuing this.”
the only time i felt this was DRAGGING was by the last 10%. my god, that felt longer than the whole book. that was the moment AJ should've stopped with the plot twists and the angst, cause my brain couldn't handle it anymore. but before that... all good 🤪
“Does it hurt to hear me everywhere you go?”
i'm not sure i'd recommend this to everyone, because the drama can be tiresome for sure. i think low expectations worked for the best here. if you read this, know that it'll be crazy and looong, but IMO the romance is worth it 🤠
Because I’d rather be miserable with her than happy with anyone else.
![Profile Image for Corinne [semi-hiatus].](https://cdn.statically.io/img/i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1603449181i/94376563._UY200_CR13,0,200,200_.jpg)
July 18, 2023
2nd read: 3.5 - 3.75 stars
I liked it better the second time around. I guess I connected more with the characters now.
There are still things I don't like, for instance how Lennon treated George and how George turned out to be a bit of a douche all of a sudden. And how the first hookup btw Lennon and Phoenix started (the one in the bus). It just didn't make sense to me.
I also tried the audiobook but it was awful. It literally made my ears bleed. The narrators were either too detached and boring or too dramatic and annoying. Bummer!
=====
1st read: 3-3.5 stars
Not sure how to rate this one. Struggling here big time.
Tropes:
🎸 rockstar romance
🎸 second chance
🎸 hate to love / revenge plot
🎸 on the road
🎸 smut, smut, smut
This book is long, 700 pages. Quite a big commitment for the reader and maybe a duet would have been more appropriate.
It deals with a lot of hard hitting topics: high school bullying, body shaming, dyslexia, child abuse, domestic abuse, toxic relationships, Rockstar lifestyle, alcohol and drug abuse, early onset dementia, death of a loved one.
In terms of topics, this is probably Ashley Jade's most serious book, although still very smutty.
It follows the story of Lennon and Phoenix.
The first part of the book focuses on the last few months of high-school and then there's a 4 year time jump to present day.
18 year old Lennon is a good girl, living a cushy life albeit not perfect. Her dad's a song writer so he provides a pretty good living for her. She's smart, has good grades and has a passion for rock music. But her life isn't perfect. Her mom died at birth and she's using food as her crutch. So she's on the heavier side, the target of bullying from her peers and has no friends.
Phoenix is that mysterious unattainable guy in school, the smoker, dangerous, cold type and Lennon has a major crush on. His home life is bad. Mom left when he was 7 to save herself from an abusive relationship but left him to fend for himself against an abusive dad. He's got undiagnosed dyslexia but he's this effortless amazing musician. Together with his only friend, Storm, they're in a band.
Lennon is tasked with helping him graduate and they end up striking an unlikely friendship. Just after graduation, Phoenix and Storm catch their big break, not before Phoenix betraying Lennon in a big way and destroying their friendship.
This first part of the book felt under-developed to me. The bullying aspect was not treated enough, I felt Lennon sometimes came off more grown up than she was and I didn't buy into the relationship, felt no emotion. She was always in awe of Phoenix and constantly bringing herself down. I don't have a problem with it because I was this girl as well but I felt no sympathy towards her.
The second part focuses on present day, when Phoenix and his band, Sharp Objects achieved international fame. Phoenix is spiraling out of control with drugs and booze and Lennon ends up being hired as his sober companion.
They have a long back and forth hate to love relationship due to his betrayal for which he doesn't apologize until about 80%. Aside from this, I felt there was a lot of tell and not enough show.
Their relationship felt toxic for the most part of this book and solely based on sexual attraction, Lennon constantly thinking about what an amazing performed Phoenix is and always comparing him to the sun (at nauseam).
I didn't particularly like either character but at least Phoenix stayed true to himself and managed to redeem his actions by the end. Can't say the same for Lennon who was indecisive all the time. Her hot / cold attitude was frustrating. She had a real issue with Phoenix but she'd put it aside all the time cause the sex was great or he was in pain and she was the only one who could understand and support him. But every now and again she would remember why she was upset and fight with him again.
The book lacked the usual sarcastic humor and emotion I expect and enjoy from Ashley Jade. I felt very detached reading it, with the exception of a few scenes. There was no breathtaking buildup of emotion.
That being said, the book is addictive and I was eager to learn what happens next but I felt some topics lacked depth (Rockstar life, loss of creative control etc)
I guess the author tried to tackle too many heavy topics and some were better treated then others. I liked how the impact of child abuse was dealt with, Phoenix's spiraling and Lennon's help with that, the grief and guilt after the death of a loved one. The last topic felt really personal to the author as I was reading it.
***ARC generously provided by author in exchange for an honest review.
I liked it better the second time around. I guess I connected more with the characters now.
There are still things I don't like, for instance how Lennon treated George and how George turned out to be a bit of a douche all of a sudden. And how the first hookup btw Lennon and Phoenix started (the one in the bus). It just didn't make sense to me.
I also tried the audiobook but it was awful. It literally made my ears bleed. The narrators were either too detached and boring or too dramatic and annoying. Bummer!
=====
1st read: 3-3.5 stars
Not sure how to rate this one. Struggling here big time.
Tropes:
🎸 rockstar romance
🎸 second chance
🎸 hate to love / revenge plot
🎸 on the road
🎸 smut, smut, smut
This book is long, 700 pages. Quite a big commitment for the reader and maybe a duet would have been more appropriate.
It deals with a lot of hard hitting topics: high school bullying, body shaming, dyslexia, child abuse, domestic abuse, toxic relationships, Rockstar lifestyle, alcohol and drug abuse, early onset dementia, death of a loved one.
In terms of topics, this is probably Ashley Jade's most serious book, although still very smutty.
It follows the story of Lennon and Phoenix.
The first part of the book focuses on the last few months of high-school and then there's a 4 year time jump to present day.
18 year old Lennon is a good girl, living a cushy life albeit not perfect. Her dad's a song writer so he provides a pretty good living for her. She's smart, has good grades and has a passion for rock music. But her life isn't perfect. Her mom died at birth and she's using food as her crutch. So she's on the heavier side, the target of bullying from her peers and has no friends.
Phoenix is that mysterious unattainable guy in school, the smoker, dangerous, cold type and Lennon has a major crush on. His home life is bad. Mom left when he was 7 to save herself from an abusive relationship but left him to fend for himself against an abusive dad. He's got undiagnosed dyslexia but he's this effortless amazing musician. Together with his only friend, Storm, they're in a band.
Lennon is tasked with helping him graduate and they end up striking an unlikely friendship. Just after graduation, Phoenix and Storm catch their big break, not before Phoenix betraying Lennon in a big way and destroying their friendship.
This first part of the book felt under-developed to me. The bullying aspect was not treated enough, I felt Lennon sometimes came off more grown up than she was and I didn't buy into the relationship, felt no emotion. She was always in awe of Phoenix and constantly bringing herself down. I don't have a problem with it because I was this girl as well but I felt no sympathy towards her.
The second part focuses on present day, when Phoenix and his band, Sharp Objects achieved international fame. Phoenix is spiraling out of control with drugs and booze and Lennon ends up being hired as his sober companion.
They have a long back and forth hate to love relationship due to his betrayal for which he doesn't apologize until about 80%. Aside from this, I felt there was a lot of tell and not enough show.
Their relationship felt toxic for the most part of this book and solely based on sexual attraction, Lennon constantly thinking about what an amazing performed Phoenix is and always comparing him to the sun (at nauseam).
I didn't particularly like either character but at least Phoenix stayed true to himself and managed to redeem his actions by the end. Can't say the same for Lennon who was indecisive all the time. Her hot / cold attitude was frustrating. She had a real issue with Phoenix but she'd put it aside all the time cause the sex was great or he was in pain and she was the only one who could understand and support him. But every now and again she would remember why she was upset and fight with him again.
The book lacked the usual sarcastic humor and emotion I expect and enjoy from Ashley Jade. I felt very detached reading it, with the exception of a few scenes. There was no breathtaking buildup of emotion.
That being said, the book is addictive and I was eager to learn what happens next but I felt some topics lacked depth (Rockstar life, loss of creative control etc)
I guess the author tried to tackle too many heavy topics and some were better treated then others. I liked how the impact of child abuse was dealt with, Phoenix's spiraling and Lennon's help with that, the grief and guilt after the death of a loved one. The last topic felt really personal to the author as I was reading it.
***ARC generously provided by author in exchange for an honest review.
January 28, 2022
I fucking loved it! 😍
May 30, 2022
I DNFed this book at 58%. I found it to be fatphobic and written in a problematic way. I will be including quotes from the book in my review.
The book starts off with the two characters being in high school, with her being a plus-size girl. As someone who is plus-size, this is one of the factors that made me really pick up this book but unfortunately, that excitement was short-lived.
The bullying in the book comes from her peers and not the love interest, which I found interesting since it was sold as a bully romance. My issue is that the author made the specific choice to have them only refer to her as fat, cow and pig with one scene happening where she has literal pig slop thrown on her.
- "What's the matter, fatty? Cat got your tongue?" She laughs. "Oh, that's right, it can't. Because your mouth is always stuffed with food." (Just a single example out of a lot.)
- "Sabrina and a bunch of other assholes threw pig slop on her. Then they circled around the poor girl and oinked while someone kept yelling, 'Sooey'."
The love interest also has some gross internal dialogue regarding the MC's body.
- I'm sure Lennon has a mirror, therefore she's well aware that she's heavy.
- Funny thing is, her losing weight would be a threat to Sabrina. Not only because it would take away from her ammunition, but Lennon isn't ugly. Hell, I'd even call her cute in the right light. So cute, I have no doubt that if she dropped a few pounds, Sabrina would shit a goddamn brick because all the guys would be chasing her instead.
There were also NO trigger warnings included in the book (I read the KU version so I can't speak for the print version.) But the MC has a binge eating disorder, which is one I am personally in recovery from and I found that how it was written was a little sensationalized and extreme and it carried over into how she views "thin / skinny" (her words) characters eating what the MC deems "a lot of food."
- "You gonna finish that?" Normally I would not only finish it, I'd chase it with two more.
The MC only talks about her body in a negative way and I thought that maybe it was just the start of the story and that it would get better but it didn't. The MC went through a "glow up" and lost a bunch of weight and it's written in a way that makes it seem like her smaller size is somehow better than being plus-size. She goes from a size 18 to a size 10. This happens 25% of the way through the book.
- (When talking about large chested, plus-size women) Sadly, I didn't get the consolation prize that tends to come with being a big girl.
I initially wanted to stop shortly after I started reading the book but I wanted to give it the benefit of the doubt and I guess a chance to see if it was part of just the journey but the fact that the glow up happens at 25% and the negativity just continues to 58%, I decided to DNF it.
And I debated not sharing this but I haven't seen anyone else address this and would hate for someone who might find something like this triggering to pick it up thinking it's a positive plus-size romance when in fact it reads as fatphobic and triggering.
The book starts off with the two characters being in high school, with her being a plus-size girl. As someone who is plus-size, this is one of the factors that made me really pick up this book but unfortunately, that excitement was short-lived.
The bullying in the book comes from her peers and not the love interest, which I found interesting since it was sold as a bully romance. My issue is that the author made the specific choice to have them only refer to her as fat, cow and pig with one scene happening where she has literal pig slop thrown on her.
- "What's the matter, fatty? Cat got your tongue?" She laughs. "Oh, that's right, it can't. Because your mouth is always stuffed with food." (Just a single example out of a lot.)
- "Sabrina and a bunch of other assholes threw pig slop on her. Then they circled around the poor girl and oinked while someone kept yelling, 'Sooey'."
The love interest also has some gross internal dialogue regarding the MC's body.
- I'm sure Lennon has a mirror, therefore she's well aware that she's heavy.
- Funny thing is, her losing weight would be a threat to Sabrina. Not only because it would take away from her ammunition, but Lennon isn't ugly. Hell, I'd even call her cute in the right light. So cute, I have no doubt that if she dropped a few pounds, Sabrina would shit a goddamn brick because all the guys would be chasing her instead.
There were also NO trigger warnings included in the book (I read the KU version so I can't speak for the print version.) But the MC has a binge eating disorder, which is one I am personally in recovery from and I found that how it was written was a little sensationalized and extreme and it carried over into how she views "thin / skinny" (her words) characters eating what the MC deems "a lot of food."
- "You gonna finish that?" Normally I would not only finish it, I'd chase it with two more.
The MC only talks about her body in a negative way and I thought that maybe it was just the start of the story and that it would get better but it didn't. The MC went through a "glow up" and lost a bunch of weight and it's written in a way that makes it seem like her smaller size is somehow better than being plus-size. She goes from a size 18 to a size 10. This happens 25% of the way through the book.
- (When talking about large chested, plus-size women) Sadly, I didn't get the consolation prize that tends to come with being a big girl.
I initially wanted to stop shortly after I started reading the book but I wanted to give it the benefit of the doubt and I guess a chance to see if it was part of just the journey but the fact that the glow up happens at 25% and the negativity just continues to 58%, I decided to DNF it.
And I debated not sharing this but I haven't seen anyone else address this and would hate for someone who might find something like this triggering to pick it up thinking it's a positive plus-size romance when in fact it reads as fatphobic and triggering.
February 13, 2024
•Enemies to lovers
•Second chance romance
•Dual POV
•Forced proximity
•Rockstar/bad boy
•Quiet/curvy girl
The Words is nearly 700 pages long and took me what felt like forrrrreverrrr to read, but honestly, I could have read another 700 pages of this story and still lapped up every page. Phoenix & Lennon were CRAZY toxic and their relationship was full of the highest of highs and lowest of lows--beginning to end. Even so, they grew on me and I feel like their growth, both as individuals and as a couple, made the story what it was. Like they weren't meant to be perfect. Their flaws tore them apart...but also drew them back to one another.
Lennon is the smart, quiet, chubby girl in school. Forever the target of the bitchy popular girl's cruel taunts. Phoenix is the resident bad boy of Hillcrest High. Charming his way through classes and girls alike. That is until his English grade plummets and he's at risk of not graduating with only a few short weeks left in the school year. Enter Lennon the tutor. She's eyed him from a distance for years, but now that she's got to know him on a personal level, her life will never be the same.
Years of distance and some lingering bad blood will test both their limits when a professional opportunity arises. Can they put the past behind them or are they just asking trouble? Eight weeks and half a million dollars. Will it make them or break them?
The side characters really added to this book and felt like such a huge part of this story. As did the family drama and backstories on both side. Toxic. Smutty. Heartbreaking, yet hopeful. This is the type of story that sticks with you for a long time. 4 stars.
•Second chance romance
•Dual POV
•Forced proximity
•Rockstar/bad boy
•Quiet/curvy girl
The Words is nearly 700 pages long and took me what felt like forrrrreverrrr to read, but honestly, I could have read another 700 pages of this story and still lapped up every page. Phoenix & Lennon were CRAZY toxic and their relationship was full of the highest of highs and lowest of lows--beginning to end. Even so, they grew on me and I feel like their growth, both as individuals and as a couple, made the story what it was. Like they weren't meant to be perfect. Their flaws tore them apart...but also drew them back to one another.
Lennon is the smart, quiet, chubby girl in school. Forever the target of the bitchy popular girl's cruel taunts. Phoenix is the resident bad boy of Hillcrest High. Charming his way through classes and girls alike. That is until his English grade plummets and he's at risk of not graduating with only a few short weeks left in the school year. Enter Lennon the tutor. She's eyed him from a distance for years, but now that she's got to know him on a personal level, her life will never be the same.
Years of distance and some lingering bad blood will test both their limits when a professional opportunity arises. Can they put the past behind them or are they just asking trouble? Eight weeks and half a million dollars. Will it make them or break them?
The side characters really added to this book and felt like such a huge part of this story. As did the family drama and backstories on both side. Toxic. Smutty. Heartbreaking, yet hopeful. This is the type of story that sticks with you for a long time. 4 stars.
January 19, 2022
tropes:
-rockstar romance
-friends to lovers to enemies to lovers
-forced proximity
-second chance romance
-bad boy / good girl
-plus size rep
i loved every second of this book. the words had me gripped from the beginning to the point where i read it in one sitting.
i absolutely loved lennon and phoenix. phoenix’s love for lennon is so strong, he would do literally anything for her and vice versa. even before any love confessions, they both showed each other how much they loved one another through various forms and it was beautiful. after everything these two went through separately and together, they always had each other.
i was fawning over phoenix 🤤 that man is literal perfection! a man that gets on his knees FOR YOU? 💳💥💳💥 yes yes yes! the spice in this book was immaculate lemme tell YOU! and omfg don’t get me started on lennon. WHAT A STRONG, RESILIENT FEMALE LEAD! my absolute favorite to read about. lennon knew what she wanted and never went back on herself no matter how hard things got. i admired her determination and her strength. 🥺
this book had me tearing up so many times too. the side characters were amazing as always in ashley jade’s books. lennon and her dad’s relationship was so wholesome. skylar, the loyal friend we all love and need! i adored her. i was also SERIOUSLY crushing on storm 😍. and quinn was just the funniest character ever😭
overall, i am freaking obsessed with this book! phoenix & lennon have my heart all day everyday 🤍
and thank you so so much to one of my favorite authors ever ashley jade for sending me an arc of this book! i am forever grateful for your unconditional kindness 🤍
-rockstar romance
-friends to lovers to enemies to lovers
-forced proximity
-second chance romance
-bad boy / good girl
-plus size rep
i loved every second of this book. the words had me gripped from the beginning to the point where i read it in one sitting.
i absolutely loved lennon and phoenix. phoenix’s love for lennon is so strong, he would do literally anything for her and vice versa. even before any love confessions, they both showed each other how much they loved one another through various forms and it was beautiful. after everything these two went through separately and together, they always had each other.
i was fawning over phoenix 🤤 that man is literal perfection! a man that gets on his knees FOR YOU? 💳💥💳💥 yes yes yes! the spice in this book was immaculate lemme tell YOU! and omfg don’t get me started on lennon. WHAT A STRONG, RESILIENT FEMALE LEAD! my absolute favorite to read about. lennon knew what she wanted and never went back on herself no matter how hard things got. i admired her determination and her strength. 🥺
this book had me tearing up so many times too. the side characters were amazing as always in ashley jade’s books. lennon and her dad’s relationship was so wholesome. skylar, the loyal friend we all love and need! i adored her. i was also SERIOUSLY crushing on storm 😍. and quinn was just the funniest character ever😭
overall, i am freaking obsessed with this book! phoenix & lennon have my heart all day everyday 🤍
and thank you so so much to one of my favorite authors ever ashley jade for sending me an arc of this book! i am forever grateful for your unconditional kindness 🤍
January 24, 2022
not for me
This book was ok until I got to the part where Phoenix has a random woman go into Lennons bed while she is sleeping and perform a sex add on her. I can’t condone any book that normalizes rape in this manner
This book was ok until I got to the part where Phoenix has a random woman go into Lennons bed while she is sleeping and perform a sex add on her. I can’t condone any book that normalizes rape in this manner
January 20, 2022
The Words is a symphonic opus, a powerful and poetic consonance of moment that so seamlessly weave together. Each individual piece is compelling, but together, in harmony, they are magnificent. So much so that I found myself without words. But that’s par for the course for an Ashley Jade story- I feel them long before I can make meaning of them. And I rarely make it through a review without being moved to tears as I unpack how touched I am, how raw I feel. And the Words has taken that to new heights, I am bereft and broken, rejuvenated and repaired. This word vomit will never do it justice, but here are my words for The Words.
What a roller coaster of passion, longing, mistakes, and emotion. No one writes flawed characters with such intensity or affection-this is a messy and beautiful love story from the very first to the very last. Ashely is a master at writing about brokenness. About the rawness of what it means to be human, how radically challenging it can be to exist in our own skin every single day, no matter the adversity we face. The result is that her stories, no matter how soapy and dramatic, no matter how shocking or twisted, feel inexplicably personal and intimate. Like you’re breathing in the best and worst parts of these characters while simultaneously breathing out the best and worst parts of yourself. Her stories feel exposing and raw, with every passing word you’re not just stripping down her characters' vulnerability by vulnerability but you’re also stripping down your own. It’s intense, it’s poignant, it's powerfully unsettling and beautiful all at once. Her stories somehow touch my heart so intensely every single time, even if her characters’ truths are far from my own. But truth is the crux of it. How effortlessly and courageously she gets us to confront our truths.
But The Words cut even deeper, held me even tighter than her masterpieces that have come before. Perhaps it’s because I feel my own truth exposed so vividly in its pages, perhaps it is because it's even more psychologically and emotionally immersive, or perhaps it’s because Ashley Jade bleeds out her own truths- her own pains and triumphs-with every single word. Truth be told, it’s likely all of those things, all working in perfect concert to create what feels like her most intimate of all her stories, the most courageous in its sincerity and the most unguarded in it’s emotional resonance. But either way, I felt this story become part of me down to my every last pore. Like a warm hug of familiarity and a brutal wakeful slap all at once. I feel both seen and awoken.
I won’t speak much about the plot of this story- not only out of respect for Ashley’s abhorrence of spoilers, but also because this is a book that is meant to be experienced. To be felt with such heartbreaking and soul wrenching camaraderie that at moments you forget where the words end and you begin. But I will speak about the substance of this story- the brilliance that is the writing of the incomparable Ashley Jade. Ashley has such a keen ability to take a trope and dismantle it- her stories are never what they seem-and the result is a story that really defies any labels, stories that are refreshingly different and unexpected. This isn’t really even a rockstar story or a second chance trope, certainly not a romance story alone. This is a story about living and loving, a story about self-love, forgiveness, about mistakes.
There are few authors as courageous or bold as her when it comes to the emotional capacity and complexity of her characters. She lets her characters be deeply flawed, often unlikeable at times. There are no true external villains- because her characters are their own villains, to each other and often to themselves. She has a deft hand in putting words and meaning to their brokenness, with a real, raw, earnest, and unapologetic immersion into the ins and outs of their flaws, their imperfections, their limitations. And in doing so, she gives us access to their humanity, and somehow then our own- the courage it takes to exist when we’re so messed up, when we’re so flawed, when we’re swimming in a world full of our own mistakes. How we're somehow in control and powerless in our own being all at once. It’s what marks her stories so consuming, her characters so compelling, and her words so meaningful- because underneath it all is an intimate reflection of the worst of ourselves…but the best of us, too.
Not since Sawyer have I felt such a keen affinity to an Ashley Jade heroine. And no, it’s just because these characters are curvy, though they are. It’s more about these characters facing their own demons, confronting their own insecurities and battling themselves to claim and cherish their own self-worth. It’s perhaps the most human and most universal of love stories, the hard and painful love story we have with ourselves. And what a profoundly moving and personal experience it was to read a character like Lennon, because in rooting for her, in loving her and cherishing her, in screaming at her to love herself, it’s like I’m learning to love and see myself, too. To marvel at her finding her strength, her fierceness, harnessing her vulnerability and demanding to exist in a world that honors her being, to be loved in the way she is worthy of it, it challenges us to do that for ourselves. So yes, this is so much more than an angsty love story, but my god, that angsty love story is perfection. The passion, the longing, the PAIN and suffering, the healing. Toxic love, insecurity and brokenness, mistakes and courage, redemption- there is just so much here. And Lennon’s journey is the heart of it all.
And parallel to this journey of confronting our own inner demons, this is also a story about choices and mistakes. About the ways we consciously or unconsciously make decisions everyday around our hopes, dreams, and desires, and the tension we face when those decisions may conflict with our values, when we have to consider just how much of ourselves, or what we love, we’re willing to compromise to chase our desires. Phoenix’s character journey is part of what I love so much about how AJ writes broken characters. She dissolves them, has them self-destruct, but she also redeems them, while never excusing or explaining away their behavior. Rather, she makes them own it, face it, internalize and live their mistakes. And Phoenix makes many, so so many, but AJ reminds us that we’re not less worthy of love because we’re human. What makes us worthy is how we co-exist with our flaws, how we brave them. This man’s heart, his soul? Well, it takes my breath away just how beautiful he is- despite all his faults, all his wrongs.
Words themselves play such an important part of this story, and so much more than literally. At the end of the day, our being is all about the words, those imprinted on our hearts and minds. And Ashley has beautifully given those words personation and purpose in Lennon and Phoenix. The words we say to others, the words we say to ourselves, the way we live and breathe them…and the times that we don’t. The words that describe what make us human- forgiveness, mistakes, acceptance, adversity and pain, and so much love. Brava Ashley for adding a new cadence to my heartbeat yet again- this will not just be a favorite of 2022, but a favorite of all time.
What a roller coaster of passion, longing, mistakes, and emotion. No one writes flawed characters with such intensity or affection-this is a messy and beautiful love story from the very first to the very last. Ashely is a master at writing about brokenness. About the rawness of what it means to be human, how radically challenging it can be to exist in our own skin every single day, no matter the adversity we face. The result is that her stories, no matter how soapy and dramatic, no matter how shocking or twisted, feel inexplicably personal and intimate. Like you’re breathing in the best and worst parts of these characters while simultaneously breathing out the best and worst parts of yourself. Her stories feel exposing and raw, with every passing word you’re not just stripping down her characters' vulnerability by vulnerability but you’re also stripping down your own. It’s intense, it’s poignant, it's powerfully unsettling and beautiful all at once. Her stories somehow touch my heart so intensely every single time, even if her characters’ truths are far from my own. But truth is the crux of it. How effortlessly and courageously she gets us to confront our truths.
But The Words cut even deeper, held me even tighter than her masterpieces that have come before. Perhaps it’s because I feel my own truth exposed so vividly in its pages, perhaps it is because it's even more psychologically and emotionally immersive, or perhaps it’s because Ashley Jade bleeds out her own truths- her own pains and triumphs-with every single word. Truth be told, it’s likely all of those things, all working in perfect concert to create what feels like her most intimate of all her stories, the most courageous in its sincerity and the most unguarded in it’s emotional resonance. But either way, I felt this story become part of me down to my every last pore. Like a warm hug of familiarity and a brutal wakeful slap all at once. I feel both seen and awoken.
I won’t speak much about the plot of this story- not only out of respect for Ashley’s abhorrence of spoilers, but also because this is a book that is meant to be experienced. To be felt with such heartbreaking and soul wrenching camaraderie that at moments you forget where the words end and you begin. But I will speak about the substance of this story- the brilliance that is the writing of the incomparable Ashley Jade. Ashley has such a keen ability to take a trope and dismantle it- her stories are never what they seem-and the result is a story that really defies any labels, stories that are refreshingly different and unexpected. This isn’t really even a rockstar story or a second chance trope, certainly not a romance story alone. This is a story about living and loving, a story about self-love, forgiveness, about mistakes.
There are few authors as courageous or bold as her when it comes to the emotional capacity and complexity of her characters. She lets her characters be deeply flawed, often unlikeable at times. There are no true external villains- because her characters are their own villains, to each other and often to themselves. She has a deft hand in putting words and meaning to their brokenness, with a real, raw, earnest, and unapologetic immersion into the ins and outs of their flaws, their imperfections, their limitations. And in doing so, she gives us access to their humanity, and somehow then our own- the courage it takes to exist when we’re so messed up, when we’re so flawed, when we’re swimming in a world full of our own mistakes. How we're somehow in control and powerless in our own being all at once. It’s what marks her stories so consuming, her characters so compelling, and her words so meaningful- because underneath it all is an intimate reflection of the worst of ourselves…but the best of us, too.
Not since Sawyer have I felt such a keen affinity to an Ashley Jade heroine. And no, it’s just because these characters are curvy, though they are. It’s more about these characters facing their own demons, confronting their own insecurities and battling themselves to claim and cherish their own self-worth. It’s perhaps the most human and most universal of love stories, the hard and painful love story we have with ourselves. And what a profoundly moving and personal experience it was to read a character like Lennon, because in rooting for her, in loving her and cherishing her, in screaming at her to love herself, it’s like I’m learning to love and see myself, too. To marvel at her finding her strength, her fierceness, harnessing her vulnerability and demanding to exist in a world that honors her being, to be loved in the way she is worthy of it, it challenges us to do that for ourselves. So yes, this is so much more than an angsty love story, but my god, that angsty love story is perfection. The passion, the longing, the PAIN and suffering, the healing. Toxic love, insecurity and brokenness, mistakes and courage, redemption- there is just so much here. And Lennon’s journey is the heart of it all.
And parallel to this journey of confronting our own inner demons, this is also a story about choices and mistakes. About the ways we consciously or unconsciously make decisions everyday around our hopes, dreams, and desires, and the tension we face when those decisions may conflict with our values, when we have to consider just how much of ourselves, or what we love, we’re willing to compromise to chase our desires. Phoenix’s character journey is part of what I love so much about how AJ writes broken characters. She dissolves them, has them self-destruct, but she also redeems them, while never excusing or explaining away their behavior. Rather, she makes them own it, face it, internalize and live their mistakes. And Phoenix makes many, so so many, but AJ reminds us that we’re not less worthy of love because we’re human. What makes us worthy is how we co-exist with our flaws, how we brave them. This man’s heart, his soul? Well, it takes my breath away just how beautiful he is- despite all his faults, all his wrongs.
Words themselves play such an important part of this story, and so much more than literally. At the end of the day, our being is all about the words, those imprinted on our hearts and minds. And Ashley has beautifully given those words personation and purpose in Lennon and Phoenix. The words we say to others, the words we say to ourselves, the way we live and breathe them…and the times that we don’t. The words that describe what make us human- forgiveness, mistakes, acceptance, adversity and pain, and so much love. Brava Ashley for adding a new cadence to my heartbeat yet again- this will not just be a favorite of 2022, but a favorite of all time.
October 24, 2023
Engrossing story!
The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💙❤️💚💜💖
Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙
World building: 🌏🌍🌏🌎🌍
Character development: ☺️🙃😳🥰🤓
Narration: 🎙🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration Type: Dual Narration
The heroine: Lennon - her mom died when she was born. Her dad is a songwriter who works for different bands. Most recently a current band called Black Lung is looking at hiring him. Lennon is attending Hillcrest high school, and it has been her personal hell since she started there. She is a short, curvy girl and she attends a school full of good-looking people. She has quite a crush on Phoenix Walker.
The Hero: Phoenix - his mother left when he was seven years old. His father was once spoken about like he was the next Jimmy Hendrix, but he lost it all and became a drunk, abusive jerk. Phoenix promised himself that would never happen to him. He is one of the most gorgeous students at Hillcrest high school and is considered quite the player. He may not be one of the most popular students but people flock to him.
The Story: Lennon’s english teacher asks her to tutor Phoenix when he is in danger of failing her class and if he does, he won’t be able to graduate. So, Lennon agrees, and the two of them end up coming together when Lennon is able to help Phoenix with a serious problem he has, and they find that they both have a mutual love of music. They become friends until he passes his test, and something happens between them.
I have to say, that I hate how this book centered around Lennon being the fat girl in high school. Phoenix was basically the guy who would hook up with anyone willing, but only the beautiful skinny girls. It was obvious the girls he was attracted to all had awful personalities though they were pretty, so they were ‘his type’ and Lennon was his friend but not his type. She got bullied badly because of her weight and Phoenix really liked her, he was the only one who treated her like she was worthy until things got too hard, and he broke her heart.
I just hate books that focus so much on the heroine’s weight. I just knew that she would lose the weight before they came back together again. Before, it seemed was that everything came down to her weight. I was glad that she lost the weight and was finally happy with herself. Though I really didn’t like the fact that even after Lennon lost the weight and was a size 10, she was still referred to as overweight. Size 10 is not overweight as far as I’m concerned.
I did love the romance between the two main characters though. They hated each other for much of the book, but the back and forth between them was so engrossing. Usually I dislike too much back and forth, but with these two it was good. I didn’t like it as much in the beginning when Phoenix was still drunk all the time and sleeping with groupies, but I definitely couldn’t put this one down and though it was a long book, I could have listened to hours more of this story.
This audiobook was told in multiple points of view via dual narration. It was narrated by Teddy Hamilton and Erin Mallon. Teddy Hamilton has a soft yet deep voice which is perfect for any romantic Hero. Erin Mallon has a clear, feminine voice and is great at showing emotions through her voice.
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The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💙❤️💚💜💖
Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙
World building: 🌏🌍🌏🌎🌍
Character development: ☺️🙃😳🥰🤓
Narration: 🎙🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration Type: Dual Narration
The heroine: Lennon - her mom died when she was born. Her dad is a songwriter who works for different bands. Most recently a current band called Black Lung is looking at hiring him. Lennon is attending Hillcrest high school, and it has been her personal hell since she started there. She is a short, curvy girl and she attends a school full of good-looking people. She has quite a crush on Phoenix Walker.
The Hero: Phoenix - his mother left when he was seven years old. His father was once spoken about like he was the next Jimmy Hendrix, but he lost it all and became a drunk, abusive jerk. Phoenix promised himself that would never happen to him. He is one of the most gorgeous students at Hillcrest high school and is considered quite the player. He may not be one of the most popular students but people flock to him.
The Story: Lennon’s english teacher asks her to tutor Phoenix when he is in danger of failing her class and if he does, he won’t be able to graduate. So, Lennon agrees, and the two of them end up coming together when Lennon is able to help Phoenix with a serious problem he has, and they find that they both have a mutual love of music. They become friends until he passes his test, and something happens between them.
I have to say, that I hate how this book centered around Lennon being the fat girl in high school. Phoenix was basically the guy who would hook up with anyone willing, but only the beautiful skinny girls. It was obvious the girls he was attracted to all had awful personalities though they were pretty, so they were ‘his type’ and Lennon was his friend but not his type. She got bullied badly because of her weight and Phoenix really liked her, he was the only one who treated her like she was worthy until things got too hard, and he broke her heart.
I just hate books that focus so much on the heroine’s weight. I just knew that she would lose the weight before they came back together again. Before, it seemed was that everything came down to her weight. I was glad that she lost the weight and was finally happy with herself. Though I really didn’t like the fact that even after Lennon lost the weight and was a size 10, she was still referred to as overweight. Size 10 is not overweight as far as I’m concerned.
I did love the romance between the two main characters though. They hated each other for much of the book, but the back and forth between them was so engrossing. Usually I dislike too much back and forth, but with these two it was good. I didn’t like it as much in the beginning when Phoenix was still drunk all the time and sleeping with groupies, but I definitely couldn’t put this one down and though it was a long book, I could have listened to hours more of this story.
This audiobook was told in multiple points of view via dual narration. It was narrated by Teddy Hamilton and Erin Mallon. Teddy Hamilton has a soft yet deep voice which is perfect for any romantic Hero. Erin Mallon has a clear, feminine voice and is great at showing emotions through her voice.
Blog|Goodreads|Facebook|Instagram|Twitter|BookBub
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