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I‘m going to get some hate for this. But… I did not like this book. I do not consider this to be “dark romance”. The spice was mediocre at best. The characters were annoying. The storyline definitely felt very high school like to me. To be fair, this wasn‘t the worst I‘ve ever read but it wasn‘t the best either. 3/5 stars from me.

Okay. At first, I hated this book! The characters were toxic, the relationship was annoying, the story was stupid. But midway, it TRULY shifts. Almost *too much* to the point where it feels like separate people & the beginning toxicity felt added to be “edgy.” I really loved them at the end, and I loved the growth experienced. Even though I spent half the book rolling my eyes — by the end, my heart was fuzzy

Here is my #tbr for DARK ROMANCE READING CHALLENGE

Have you read any of these?

#darkromance #readingchallenge #readingwithmaja

“They were perfect together…Until they met.

Secrets, deception, and passion consume two pen pals in this #booktok phenomenon.”

FULL SPOTLIGHT: https://tinyurl.com/35p2xyh9

Penelope Douglas
@penguinrandomhouse

Just finished it and I enjoyed it but I don‘t think I‘d say it was a favorite. I enjoyed the drama and was waiting to see how Ryen to react to the truth about her penpal.

read: march 30-31, 2023

this book felt plot heavy but also lacking at the same time and i didn‘t know how to feel while reading. don‘t know if i just never had this kind of experience, but this book dramatized high school popularity. it felt like watching a movie, and it felt unrealistic. i always love the sort of anonymity that surrounds these kinds of love stories. our main characters are very lovable. i loved the smut and the epilogue!!

“Speak your mind, and you give others permission to do the same.”

-Ryen, Chapter 21, Page 300

“I guess I was afraid to stand on my own… Until I saw you doing it five seconds ago.”

-J.D., Chapter 19, Page 281

isn‘t that how it always goes? we need to do better as a society to be that first person to stand up and on our own!

“The world will open up, and we won‘t feel so trapped. You just need to hang on.”

-Ryen, Chapter 19, Page 279

“We were kids once, and we liked ourselves. We were happy. How did that change?”

-Ryen, Chapter 19, Page 279

“When everything is painful… You start to ask yourself ‘what‘s the point?‘ No one cares, and you start to care even less. You just want the pain to stop.”

-Manny, Chapter 19, Page 278

“Life is fifty wrong turns down a bumpy road. All you can hope is that you end up somewhere nice.”

-Ryen, Chapter 18, Page 270

“He hurt me, and I hurt him, but shit happens and love doesn‘t change.”

-Ryen, Chapter 18, Page 270

“No one does you better than you. You can‘t be replaced. Not everyone will see that, but only you need to.”

-Misha, Chapter 18, Page 266

“We‘re all ugly, Ryen. The only difference is, some hide it and some wear it.”

-Misha, Chapter 18, Page 265

“We were perfect for each other. Until we met.”

-Misha, Chapter 15, Page 225

“Eventually we all have to weigh what we want more: wanting back what we had or wanting what could be. To stay or to risk everything to move forward.”

-Misha, Chapter 10, Page 143

“I learned a long time ago that you don‘t need to reveal everything inside of you to the people around you. They like to judge, and I‘m happier when they don‘t. Some things stay hidden.”

-Ryen, Chapter 2, Page 26

My latest ebook.

Omg I can see what all the hype was about! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️5/5

Anybody else have a reading list that is all over the place. Finished a very spicy one followed by a Christian book now on to a YA. Gotta mix it up to keep it interesting. #4 of 2023

This got me into dark romance! Definitely got a 5 star rating. Misha and Ryen stole my heart. My first bully trope and I feel in love with it.

Let me start by saying I read this book in 2 days. I found this book to be so captivating and interesting. I found myself getting angry, sad, and happy with the characters as the book went on. The characters are young; 18 & 21(?) so I felt a little risqué reading the spicy parts but got over it quickly lol. Definitely recommend.

👌

"We were perfect together. Until we met."

My first read of 2022 and my reintroduction into the world of spicy books.
I was not disappointed! ?

* Template made by @recklessndreamer on IG *

Loving the tamplate!
Thanks @chasjjlee !

My January Reads!
It was a great month. 🙌😃

#januaryreads #january #reads #fun #greatmonth #littens

📚📚📚 Not utterly disappointing but not overwhelmingly great. I enjoyed this book enough to want to read it in one sitting. Is it worth the hype, no. Is it worth the swooning and the mooning…if you‘re a teenage girl, sure. Is it worth reading, yes. I liked the “twist” in the story but as a reader of much heavier & darker romance, this was a 🌶🌶 since teen sex doesn‘t do it for me. I am looking forward to reading others by Douglas. *KU read*

Did not live up to the hype

⭐️

This was my 1st read of 2022!
A book whose title begins with the last letter of your previous read.
Last read: Last StoP
I LOVE Penelope Douglas. My favorite book of hers is Birthday Girl.
I gave it 4 ⭐
First 7 chapters were a little slow but then it took off & kept me reading till the end. I loved the note by the author at the end, an unmeasurable message to every teen & adult who may need that reassurance.
If u like steamy and smutty content

Okay so Punk 57 did NOT meet my expectations...moving forward.

This is next on my TBR. I'm excited to find out what everyone has been loving about this book. I have read a few Penelope Douglas books so I'm anticipating some *steam*.

This is a photo of me wishing I was in the story with Misha! Wheweee… so much spice 🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶 I am definitely a new fan of Penelope Douglas after reading this one. An easy 5 stars for me. ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Book #49: I unintentionally read another book with writing lyrics being a central factor. The book has some underlying creepy tones and the main relationship is spicy but kind of messed up as well - especially the way they bully each other and the way he knows who she is the whole time. All that being said, I devoured this book. Another tiktok rec that lived up to the hype.

Stayed up til 2 a.m. finishing up my #BookSpin, which means I must've liked it more than I thought! There were a lot of elements of the story I didn't personally care for, but there were also parts that I felt made up for those (does that make sense?) It was a nice, steamy read. @TheAromaofBooks

Also, does this title count as having "five letters or less"? Technically 57 is a number ???‍♀️

The message is brilliant and the story worth reading and so relevant to the struggles teens face today with bullying and losing your identity to fit in. It's message about staying true to yourself and not conforming is very important. The story is well written and executed and is sure to bring on big feels. I hope the author does print a “PG” version so young girls and boys can enjoy this story as well, though.
#bibliophile #lovebooks #romance

I‘m really liking this book. It‘s frustratingly good!!!

If you‘ve ever had a thing for people with lip rings, you‘ll like this book.
That‘s it. That‘s the review.

Childhood friends to enemies-to-lovers. Overhyped. I did not like the “conflict”. But, I like the character development. And there‘s this twist that I did not see coming. Did not even imagine.

#punk57 #booknerd #readingstyle #bookgram #bookgasm #bookblog #bookblogger #bookreview #readingcommunity #bookreviewer #bookstagrammer #bookcommunity #bookworm #bookaholic #bookporn #bookphotography #bookfeaturepage #bookgeek #readerblogger #bookreviewer

I LOVE Penelope Douglas. This was a difficult book to read. Because of all the emotions. Choices we make and how we have to deal with the ramifications. Kindness goes so far and this story reminds you of that. Highly recommend this book for all ages. Seriously we can all learn from this one.

So far, this book is okay. #punk57

A page turner! I didn't expect how 🌶🌶🌶 it is, but I still love it!
#romance #bookworm

Currently reading #covertocovercafereads

160-2020⭐️⭐️⭐️
We first met Misha & Ryen in The Devil's Night Series and this is their foundation story

I‘m loving this book! I don‘t want to put it down.

Started this and I‘m loving it already. Also, these lip products are amazing!

Penelope Douglas is a new discovery of mine and I am here 👏🏽 for 👏🏽 it! Super steamy NA romance with a twisty plot and complicated characters. I absolutely love that it doesn't follow a typical romance storyline! 🔥 #romantsy