anita's Reviews > Oleander: A Great Expectations Reimagining

~ ranting: 2,5 ☆
~ spice: 2 🌶

Suddenly, everyone was talking about this book and of course, I got excited and immediately started to read it. You know that feeling, when everyone loves the book, but you just don't? yeah, kinda sucks... i know.

!This review may contain spoilers, proceed at your own risk!

Well, this book is about a boy who becomes obsessed with another boy but turns out this boy couldn't care less about the other boy.

“I'd have thought my leaving the country would have been enough to stop your stupid infatuation with me, but clearly not.”

“I truly thought my leaving would help you figure out what it was you wanted, but evidently, you're still behaving like a child.”

Honestly Caspien and Jude had 0 chemistry, their relationship felt forced and pretty much toxic. I lost count of the times when Jude would just humiliate himself so he could feel loved by Caspien... We definitely can't choose who we love, but no one should feel the need to beg for love.

I barely felt any development in the characters, they pretty much stay the same throughout the book. I think it would be so much better if they didn't end up together; Jude needed someone like Nathan, who was willing to show him eventually how he could be properly loved and Caspien would eventually find someone worth his love, after overcoming his own demons.

I don't know how that ending makes me feel tbh... it was a pretty bad excuse just to put them together.

When love starts hurting, it's time to let it go.