i want to preface this review and point out that what bothered tf out of me with the book was a me thing. i think a lot of other people could either overlook it and not give it a second thought, or not even notice it really in the first place. i am not one of those people lol.

i have waited eons for this goddam book. Brenna and Rye had me hooked from book one and i literally craved their story.

this book made me so giddy in the beginning. i had a constant smile on my face. i was internally squealing the whole damn time. i thought i was in for an easy five-star read.

until we find out the real reason Brenna hates Rye... and my enjoyment plummeted.

my feelings reading this book were extremely reminiscent of when i read [b:Inked in Lies|50256015|Inked in Lies (The Fallen Men, #5)|Giana Darling|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1593552231l/50256015._SY75_.jpg|75168838] last year and [b:The Fourth Time Charm|56518257|The Fourth Time Charm (Fulton U, #4)|Maya Hughes|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1609608617l/56518257._SX50_.jpg|70559671] earlier this year. as in, the feeling of anticipating your favourite couple in a series you’re utterly invested in... only for them to fall flat and be underwhelming af.

i can’t really get into why i didn’t enjoy this and what ruined it for me without going into spoilers. so some serious spoilers ahead if you plan on reading the book and would rather not know!

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Brenna, early on in the book, notes the reason she truly hates Rye: bcos she walked in on Rye and her aunt, Isabella, sitting snuggly and kissing... looking like they had fucked or were about to.

immediately all of that giddiness evaporated. all of my sunshiney emotions for the swoon-worthy cuteness dissipated and i was left feeling pretty frustrated.

i was hoping and praying it was a misunderstanding. literally anything. i was making up all kinds of shit in my head as to how Brenna could have misinterpreted the situation— i even came up with a fabulous dream sequence lmao. *spoiled alert* that didn’t happen.

the reality wasn’t as bad as i thought... but i still wasn’t a fan. it turns out, Rye drunkenly flirts with her, detailing how she’s the most beautiful woman in the world, blah blah blah and Isabella kissed Rye before he pushed her off and turned her down, and nothing actually happened... but this isn’t discovered until pretty late in the book. and by that point, it was too late