I still can't believe this is my fifth ARC from LJ Shen... I was freaking out when I received an email notification saying so! Kiss Thief is one of my favorite reads up to this date.... and this one... well this book is one of my most anticipated reads of 2019. I've read almost all of the Sinners of Saint books except for Bane—which I am going to rectify soon... and I guess this is kinda poetic because Defy, despite being a novella, is my fave... and Pretty Reckless is sort of Defy's offspring... lol
You've read the blurb, so I'm not going to touch on that, that much... Yes, it's an enemies to lovers trope—my fave... and yes, it's a mature, young adult read because it's sexy but also touches on sensitive matters such as bullying and abuse, and it revolves around the popular kids of All Saints High...
This book is pretty awesome... and it's also kind of like an indulgence... or a guilty pleasure. Whatever you wanna call it.... My high school life isn't as colorful or adventurous as in this book... heck, when I was 17 I still argued with my brother over who gets to be player 1 on PS1... or on whether I get to be Hwaorang on Tekken etc... I feel like reading this, is sort of an adventure for me... like I'm right there all along with Daria and all the other Totholes'.
This is kind of like a combination between the new Beverly Hills 90210, Gossip Girl, Friday Nightlights and The OC...
This book will make you realize that not everything is what it seems... that material things, while they can cheer you up, they don't really make you happy and fill in a void... that comparing your life to someone else's will only make you more miserable... like I always say... if it costs you your peace of mind, then its very expensive... Nothing and no one is worth losing your peace... and not every battle is worth fighting...
I really enjoyed Daria and Penn's story... I wish there was a longer epilogue... of them starting a family or something... it's all kinds of funny, angsty and sexy... and Leigh Shen is easily one of my favorite authors.