Top #4 in the entire store.#14 Most Sold Book on Amazon“Best Romance Novels of 2019” – Oprah MagazineGoodreads Best Romance of 2019 Nominee“A runaway train of revenge, rivalry and angst. This complex and venomous tale takes on a modern-day Cruel Intentions/Mean Girls vibe. Pretty Reckless is unputdownable and absolute Kindle Crack.” – Kindle Crack Book ReviewsFrom USA Today and Washington Post … Crack Book Reviews
From USA Today and Washington Post bestselling author L.J. Shen comes an intense, high school enemies-to-lovers romance with a twist.
Penn
They say revenge is a dish best served cold.
I’d had four years to stew on what Daria Followhill did to me, and now my heart was completely iced.
I took her first kiss.
She took the only thing I loved.
I was poor.
She was rich.
The good thing about circumstances? They can change. Fast.
Now, I’m her parents’ latest shiny project.
Her housemate. Her tormentor. The captain of the rival football team she hates so much.
Yeah, baby girl, say it—I’m your foster brother.
There’s a price to pay for ruining the only good thing in my life, and she’s about to shell out some serious tears.
Daria Followhill thinks she is THE queen. I’m about to prove to her that she’s nothing but a spoiled princess.
Daria
Everyone loves a good old unapologetic punk.
But being a bitch? Oh, you get slammed for every snarky comment, cynical eye roll, and foot you put in your adversaries’ way.
The thing about stiletto heels is that they make a hell of a dent when you walk all over the people who try to hurt you.
In Penn Scully’s case, I pierced his heart until he bled out, then left it in a trash can on a bright summer day.
Four years ago, he asked me to save all my firsts for him.
Now he lives across the hall, and I want nothing more than to be his last everything.
His parting words when he gave me his heart were that nothing in this world is free.
Now? Now he is making me pay.
more
Pretty Reckless is new adult angst at it’s finest. Absolutely unputdownable (in between my panic attacks over what was going to happen next).
I’ll be honest, LJ Shen almost killed me with this one. I pretty much made her hold my hand through the entire thing (which was probably annoying) and there were several occasions where I required reassurance that everything was going to be okay. I don’t know why, since she’s never failed to write an epic, gorgeous story, but the angst level in this one is high and I’m kind of a suck. It was worth every single tear, though. And there were quite a few. I freaking loved this one, in case you wondered.
Pretty Reckless is an enemies-to-lovers, high school standalone romance. It has everything you’re looking for angst, bad boy, new adult, sports romance!! Grab your copy today!!
L.J. Shen never disappoints y’all. Ever!! Pretty Reckless was unexpected, flawed, intense, and wonderful!! I haven’t read a heartbreaking, gut-wrenching, and angsty highschool romance since Bully by Penelope Douglas!
Without a doubt readers will fall in love with Daria and Penn. Two very different and complex characters from opposite sides of the track. Daria is the heroine who you hate in the beginning but as the story progresses you begin to love and understand her. Acting like a spoiled princess and a mean girl is Daria’s way of hiding her pain. Coming from a rich and well known family (The Followhills) didn’t mean much to her because she always felt unworthy and unloved.
Then we have Penn, he’s poor and the boy who has fought for everything in his life. He first meets Daria when they’re 14 years old and she gives him all her firsts. But the kicker of it all is that Daria’s archenemy is non other than Via, Penn’s twin sister . Something happens that changes the course of the story. Fast forward four years later, Penn has sworn to bring Daria to her knees! Ugh, the angst. As you can imagine things become intense and start to heat up.
Pretty Reckless was just the perfect concoction of sass, wit, sexiness, and lots of drama! But really what is high school without some drama?
This is the first novel in an all-new series from L.J. Shen which follows the kids of the infamous Hotholes from the Sinners of Saints series. Let’s just say they’re ruthless and yet nothing like their parents! You’ll definitely be left yearning for more!! Like me, you’ll be waiting with baited breath for the next book in the All Saints High series (Vaughn!!)
New adult angst at its very best! Amazing book.
Think high school bullying, mean girls, and all the drama and angst in between and you’ll get this insane page turner!
“It started with a lemonade
And ended with my heart
This, my pretty reckless rival,
is how our screwed-up story starts”
As I sit here typing this review a few days later after finishing this book, I am cocooned in my blanket as I nurse another book hangover. And you know what? This book hangover has turned out to be of epic proportions! I haven’t been even remotely interested in starting another book.
Thanks, L.J. Shen! *raises glass Gatsby style*
Pretty Reckless has been my most anticipated read since its announcement a year ago. It’s been a torturous year waiting and now that I have finished it, I want to go back and have the chance to read this book all over again for the first time, just so that I can feel all that angst all over again! (Oh Marx! What is wrong with me?!)
Daria Followhill, daughter of Jamie and Melody Followhill, is the reigning Queen B. of All Saints High. Ruthless, destructive and cunning with zero brain-to-mouth filter, I was not expecting to fall in love with her character the way I did. From the very first page, her very first description, I couldn’t help but fall in love with this deeply flawed girl, even when she was being a Grade A B*tch.
Her struggles, her pain, her isolation — It was the layers added to her character that had me rooting for her from the very beginning of the book till the very end.
Penn Scully, even though not a TotHole, was exactly what the TotHoles are made of, just from the wrong side of the tracks. Bad boy to the T with a heart of gold, Penn’s personality was his soft younger self that was kept tightly under the wrap of his older and harder self because of the life he had been dealt with and lived through all these years.
Penn and Daria have a past and 8 years later, they are now living under the same roof. Once upon a time, they claimed to be best friends but they turned out to be were enemies of themselves and each other.
“I have something for you.” I bat my eyelashes as he produces a red apple from his duffel bag and tosses it into my hands. My eyes widen at the realization of what it is. “Game over. You win. You conquered me even though it was me who marched into your territory unannounced.”
I loved and lived for every aspect of Daria and Penn’s relationship and their immensely flawed selves. The hate, the love, the push and pull, that intense connection these two shared and that nickname. Skull Eyes. MARX! The story behind this nickname is ADORABLE and to learn what it stood for and what Penn was referring to by calling Daria that from the moment they met — TAKE MY HEART, SHEN!
I loved every single minute of reading this book! I loved how Shen focused only on Daria and Penn with minimal intrusion and influence from the HotHoles or the TotHoles. I was on the edge of my seat and then there were things happening and all I could do was wait with bated breath and an almost stopped heart as I reached the climax and waited for everything to unfold!
Pretty Reckless turned out to be so much more than I had been expecting and let me tell you I have some pretty high expectations from this series.
The ups and downs, the twists and turns which lead to the most unexpecting point in the story to that absolutely heart racing epilogue! Daria and Penn have left such a mark on me with their story, I won’t be forgetting about them or this story anytime soon or in the near future.
5 Stars!
If you love angst, you’ll devour this one. LOVE.
Gahhhh LJ Shen can write those Angsty men y’all!!
Every time she releases a book I’m like what Awesome Asshole does she have in store for us this time?? Lol Of course you can look at this cover and know there is something so dann HAWT in between these pages!
Yea ladies ..definitely need those fire extinguishers for this one!!
Thank you for another bad ass book LJ Shen…freaking loved it!!
It took me days to process the kaleidoscope of emotions this book brought forth. I was laughing over the teenage snark, envious of the poetic prose I could never pull off in my wildest dreams, crying over the injustice while my heart was shattering, gasping through the angst I feel in my bones, and wrapping myself in the love that was so damn hard to earn.
This is a new adult sports romance with a sexy, alpha bad boy!! I mean, who doesn’t love that?
Pretty Reckless is the first book in the All Saints High Series. This is Daria Followhill and Penn Scully’s story.
What I didn’t know was that this is a spin off from the Sinners of Saint series which was the start and was Daria’s parents story Jaime and Melody’s story in Defy 0.5 a novella. I bought Defy and can’t wait to read their story.
I didn’t like Daria most of the way through Pretty Reckless but I did feel sorry for her. Daria obviously had something going on. Daria felt her mother Melody didn’t love her and she held a grudge against her mom. I didn’t care much for Melody either. At first I thought Daria just had teenage angst and when you are a teenager you don’t love anyone. Not even yourself. She thought everyone was against her. Daria was the mean spoiled rich girl.
Penn’s life just sucked in a very bad way. He had an abusive step-father and a drug addicted mother. He had a twin sister that disappeared because of the abusive step-father. After his mother died his new foster parents were Daria’s parents. Penn seems to be the only person that can talk with Daria.
I loved the ending of the book. LJ Shen tore everyone down and then rebuilt them by the ending. I enjoyed reading Pretty Reckless and now that I know it is a spin off I need to read to go back and read Sinners of Saint Series. I give Pretty Reckless 4 stars.
A beautiful, emotional roller coaster
5 “Talk” Stars
I admit I am not normally big into the NA stories, but having just discovered LJ Shen recently, there’s just something about her writing that sucks me in, so I couldn’t pass it up. What she delivered is a highly emotional, heart-wrenching friends to enemies to lovers story that will grip you from the first page and hold you in its claws until the last. I didn’t realize this is a spin off from another series, so I will be going back and catching up on those for sure. I can’t wait to read the dynamics behind her parents own love story. If you’re a fan of LJ Shen and the previous series, then you’ll be ecstatic for this one.
Angela – Alphas Do It Better Book Blog
This book was absolutely well worth the wait and did not disappoint in the least! Penn and Daria had an intense attraction to one another. They couldnt stand each other and he was determined to get back at her. Itll definitely keep your emotions going up and down. I could not get enough of them whatsoever.
4.5 Stars
This book is amazing!!! I don’t even have words to describe how much I loved this book! The only downside to this book is it’s a little wordy. I believe this author could have eliminated about 25% of this book, but having said that overall it’s a fantastic book. I was transported back to high school with all of the twists and turns, secrets and betrayals. Penn and Daria’s chemistry is off the charts but they are broken. They mend each other in a truly emotionally draining journey. I can’t wait for the next installment of this series. I can’t wait for Vaughn, Luna and Knight’s stories!
Phenomenal! Top Read of 2019! Top Read of April!!
As soon as I heard that there was gonna be a series of the kids from the Sinner if Saint Series I knew I was gonna have to read it. And let me tell you, All Saint High: Pretty Reckless is just as phenomenal as the Sinner is Saints; actually I think it might be better then it.
In Pretty Reckless we are going through this journey with Daria Followhill and Penn Scully. They meet when they are young and a turn events puts them as enemies together. It’s not till they are in their senior year of high school do they meet again and everything starts to go downhill.
Daria is exactly Jaime’s (her father from Defy) mini-me. But she also as your mother Melody’s toughness of not putting her emotions out there. Through this story I felt so bad for Daria. I wanted to reach through the papers and just hug her. She’s your typical teenager dealing with teenage things but she’s all softer from things she doesn’t want people to know. So she turns to someone she thought she could trust but he ends up hurting her.
Penn is the boy from the wrong side of the tracks and from the rival schools. He’s dealing with some that no one should ever have to deal with. And when he’s at his Lowe’s point he’s kind of saved by Melody, bringing him into the Followhill home.
The chemistry between these are is amazing, you instantly feel it and are in the edge of your seat while reading. The emotions are so raw, I went from laughing at all the banter with all the characters to crying when my heart was breaking for these characters.
Pretty Reckless is gonna be one of those books that you are gonna wanna read and reread again. Once I started I could stop reading.
LJ Shen is one other authors that just pulls you in from the start and leaves your wanting more at the end. Her way with words and bringing these amazing characters to life is brilliant. It’s on a whole new level.
What a welcome back to All Saints High and Todo Santos this was. Pretty Reckless was angsty, addicting, dark and delicious. LJ Shen does broken, brooding, sassy, vindictive, passionate and sexy like no one else. Pretty Reckless is book 1 of All Saints High series. Can be read as standalone but If you haven’t started with her Sinners of Saint first YOU ARE MISSING OUT BIG TIME.The Hot Holes are my guilty pleasure.
This book was more than just high school romance. Topics that most of us as youngsters in high school experience one way or another will be discuss. Between insecurities, peer pressure, judgment, been misunderstood, bullying, rebellion, family drama and first loves. Everything and more will ensure that Pretty Reckless makes you hook and sinker for this new generation, also known as TotHoles
Shen made me go from angry to a mess of tears in a heartbeat with this love story. I ached for both Daria and Penn with intensity. I didn’t want this book to end and less so after having all the gang back because you will get to see more of the Hot Holes in this first book. Also get to know a bit better the new members of All Saints High ( Knight, Vaughn and Luna). Pretty Reckless revolves around Daria and Penn.
Daria Sofia Followill ( Queen Bee), cheerleader captain, popular rich girl and Jamie’s daughter. She made me mad at the beginning but once I got inside her head and heart I fell and ache for her. She was broken and desperate to be seen behind the makeup, popularity and designer clothes. I know money doesn’t equals happiness and she is the perfect example of this. Hate and jealousy are as powerful in this story as love.
Penn Scully is brooding bad boy from the “ wrong side” of town. Las Juntas’ wide receiver and the hottest guy in SoCal. Omgg he made me feel like a cougar and I don’t care. Why we didn’t had guys like him in my high school??!! I wouldn’t had graduated if he would had jajajaj. Not only was he hot, serious, intelligent, he was also broken. Not sure how to understand and express his own feelings.
This two will fight, hate, bicker and love with a fierce ferocity. An enemies to soul mates story. I think I said enough because there’s drama and secrets that I won’t talk about. That’s for you bookworms to discover and I guarantee you Shen’s fans WILL LOVE
5 Stars
Review by Lisa
Late Night Reviewer
Up All Night W/ Books Blog
To be honest, at first I thought this was a slow moving story, but then I hit that point and I was flipped upside down, turned around and OMG!!!!! Amazing, Pretty Reckless by LJ Shen is the first book in the All Saints High series and I can’t wait to read more!!! Holy Smokes!!! This series follows the children of the Sinners of Saint. They can be read as stand-alone, but oh so much more enjoyable reading them ALL.
There is just so much to say and so much I can’t without spoilers!!! You need to read this!!! Angst, angst and sooooo much more angst! Family drama, friend drama, drama with yourself and so much more!
The character complexities are outstanding and brilliant. So real, heartbreaking and sad the way life can be. It is so well written that once finished, you will have a book hangover.
Wow, LJ Shen absolutely nailed it in Pretty Reckless! A friends-to-lovers that is all kinds of angsty with a Pretty Little Liars and Gossip Girl vibe. This is a must read if you love high school romances!
Loved it