Previously published as Lovely Vicious, this fully revised and updated edition is full of romance, intrigue, and laugh-out-loud moments.
Don’t love your enemy. Declare war on him.
Seventeen-year-old Isis Blake hasn’t fallen in love in three years, nine weeks, and five days, and after what happened last time, she intends to keep it that way. Since then she’s lost eighty-five pounds, gotten four … eighty-five pounds, gotten four streaks of purple in her hair, and moved to Buttcrack-of-Nowhere, Ohio, to help her mom escape a bad relationship.
All the girls in her new school want one thing–Jack Hunter, the Ice Prince of East Summit High. Hot as an Armani ad, smart enough to get into Yale, and colder than the Arctic, Jack Hunter’s never gone out with anyone. Sure, people have seen him downtown with beautiful women, but he’s never given high school girls the time of day. Until Isis punches him in the face.
Jack’s met his match. Suddenly everything is a game.
The goal: Make the other beg for mercy.
The game board: East Summit High.
The reward: Something neither of them expected.
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REVIEW OF REREAD 07/23/2018
Now that all of the books in this series are out in the world, I decided to reread the first book and refresh my memory of the series. I remember that I really enjoyed this book the first time around, and that has not changed. I devoured this book in one sitting and couldn’t stop reading!
I found myself drawn, yet again, to the strong personality of the main character, Isis. She is snarky, loud-mouthed, and loyal to a fault. Throughout the book, her character has incredible growth. She has suffered heartbreak and abuse from a boy that she thought she loved in the past, and now she is safeguarding her heart. Her wounds show themselves throughout the book as she deals with so many pressing things in her life. Jack, the love interest/enemy of the book, also has a lot of inner turmoil over a dark past. His character grows throughout the book as well, and they both find themselves drawn together while fighting their pasts. The side characters have their own character growth and are very well fleshed out as well. The reader really cares about them all.
This book is very much character based. There is not a lot of world building. Granted, this is a contemporary novel and the world building on those tends to be on the small side. All the same, this book would not exist outside the characters.
The plot is fairly decent. It is all teenage drama surrounded by a whole love of mystery and some serious issues. The teenage drama was fun to read and added a lot of romantic tension. The mystery about the pasts of the characters keeps the reader wanting to read more. And I have to commend the author for including so many serious issues such as abuse, rape, underage prostitution, body shaming, bullying, and self-harm.
I found myself more critical when reading this the second time around. The book is told through first person from both of the main character’s perspectives. You feel like you are living and thinking inside the character’s heads. Which isn’t a bad thing, except that the main character thinks and feels in run-on sentences. So this means that practically the entire book is made of run-on sentences. I suppose it works because of the main character’s personality, but at the same time, it makes the book lover in me knock the book down a peg because of it. It feels messy and unprofessional. While my OCD begs me to bring this up, my mind also reminds me that I did enjoy this story regardless.
Overall, I was just as satisfied with the story this time around. I enjoyed it. I would recommend this book to those that like angsty love stories and don’t have an issue with triggering topics.
My ORIGINAL Review
I received this book for free from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book DREW. ME. IN. It was amazing. I started the first chapter and it sucked me right in and wouldn’t loosen its grip on me. I finished this book in 24 hours. I couldn’t stop reading it!
What I liked
The thing about this book that drew me in, and that I love most, is the personality of the main character, Isis. She is sassy, charismatic, bold, brave, daring, and she doesn’t take shit from anyone. She sticks up for other people. She was easy to like. So much so that I instantly connected with her.
I love the air of mystery surrounding the characters in this book. So many of the characters have secrets that come out, or somewhat come out, in this book. The suspense leading up to the reveal of the dark secrets is awesome. These characters have their own demons and their own wounds that they are licking. This not only adds mystery and suspense to the book, but it makes the characters more human. Everyone has issues. Some are really messed up. I like that the author wasn’t afraid to show them as real.
Picking up from the last point, I also loved that the author touched upon some serious issues. Not enough authors are brave enough to write about such delicate issues. And some authors simply cant write about them well. Sara Wolf not only writes about real issues, but she does it extremely well. Mad props! I love reading about realistic characters. There are so many different issues in the book that come up for the different characters and it adds so much more diversity to the book.
I liked how evident it was that something traumatic happened to Isis in her past. This event, or time in her life, has shaped who she is. You get to see it in all that she says and does, the way that she treats others, and the way that she puts on a second skin. I can’t wait to read the rest of the series and see if she comes to terms with her past.
The chemistry between the two main characters, Isis and Jack, is written incredibly well. The dialogues were not awkward. The scenes were drafted beautifully. I loved watching the two of them go through their feelings towards one another.
What I didn’t like
The ending is just…WHAT?!? Seriously, this book is the Cliffhanger King! It wasn’t even really an ending, just an abrupt stop. To be continued… I needed something with more finality. Even just a small conclusion. It didn’t feel right to me.
The book mainly consists of Isis and Jack and the war that they are waging against one another. I would have liked to see more things happen in the story. There are some parties that are attended and a few isolated events, but they seemed mashed together. I would have either liked more distinction between the events and the time that passes, or more events to make it seem like more is going on.
Would I Recommend It
I would, yes! I don’t typically like romances, but this one was quite refreshing. It grabbed me, sucked me in, and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute.
4.5*
Witty, engaging, delightful, thoughful, engrossing.
Love Me Never is packed full of brilliant dialogue, incredible character development, and riveting storylines that will have you laughing out loud one minute, shaking your head in wonder the next, and turning the pages as quickly as you can to see what is coming up.
Isis is quirky, sarcastic, snarky, damaged, and completely endearing. She’s fearless. She’s plucky. She’s gone through a lot in her young life, she has not only her issues to deal with but also her mom’s. She is someone you’d be lucky to have as a friend. I loved everything about this girl.
“He is the spitting image of a lion circling its prey. But I’m not a wildebeest to be eaten. I’m a tiger.”
Jack is not your classic high school “hero”. Yes, he has all the girls swooning and falling all over each other to get his attention, but he wants none of it. He’s very aloof, keeping to himself, he’s the “Ice Prince”. But his character is absolutely captivating- there is so much more to him than what meets the eye. He’s confusing, he’s mystifying, he’s complicated.
“But I see a girl- miserable and heartbroken, terrified and lonely. All I can see in the picture is a girl slowly convincing herelf, day by day, that no one will ever love her, convincing herself that it’s impossible for her to be loved.”
I was completely charmed by Isis and Jack, I wanted to peel back their layers and learn all their secrets. And this book is full of secrets! There’s so much mystery and intrigue, in addition to the humor and typical teen angst. It had me totally hooked at 3 years, 9 week, 5 days…and I need more!