Penny's Reviews > The Words

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 🤪)

“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.