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.
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Loved it! Mean girls too the extreme. Loved the characters!!
Pretty Reckless has got to be one of my favourite L.J. Shen books. Everything about this book made my anxiety grow and my heart beat faster. I will never stop thinking about Penn and Daria, and there is never going to be a day that I will hesitate to reread their story. Penn and Daria made me want to cry of frustration several times throughout this book but every emotion I went through during this book was worth it.
Wow!!! I’ve read quite a few books by LJ Shen, and I’ve loved each and every one of them, but this one is my favorite so far!!! Penn and Daria were electric! Their chemistry was undeniable, and I just want more and more of them! I’m positive I’ll be thinking about this book for a long, long time to come! Definitely recommended!!!
This was quite a powerful book, with the full gamut of emotions. Be ready to take the plunge to experience them all. L. J. Shen is adept at drawing you in to feel.
This book got me out a major reading funk that I’d been in. I’d DNF’d the last 4 books I read and was desperate for something that would hook me and hold on until the very last page. Well, this book delivered 100%.
Oh My Marx 🙂 i loved this whole book ,omg the characters are awesome and i loved the plot ,i loved seeing the hotholes kids all grown up t 🙂
I love Daria ,i totally get where she is coming from and everything she went through ,i loved her first meeting with Penn ,i mean wow ! and the fact that they end up living together, their love/hate thing going on is what makes this book so enjoyable and i loved seeing them fight their feels and then finally giving in to them 🙂 they are so freaking good together and i loved their story 🙂
OMG Penn ,i loved him ,the moment he steps onto the page i can’t get enough ! i love that he helps Daria even though he thinks he hates her and he has all these plans to get back at her but it doesn’t exactly go that way 🙂 they end up falling in love and even though they have some tough stuff to overcome they do it together and i loved it 🙂
I fell in love with this book and the characters and i am so happy that i opened this book and read it !
At first L.J. Shen’s writing style was a little hard to read but the more i got into the book the more i actually started to like her style and i am jumping into the next book right away !
kinda hooked on this series.
This was the book that got me hooked… I Absolutely loved the main & supporting characters. I read this book in one sitting, I just couldn’t pull myself away. Now it’s your turn to get immersed in this world!
This book has it’s fair share of heartbreak. There’s also hope, tragedy, humor, anguish, and love all wrapped up into this. I couldn’t help but just want to hug Daria, make it all better for her. High school girls can be so cruel and it makes life so so hard. When I was growing up people always said high school will be the best years of your life. Well I’d have to disagree. High school was awful. Maybe that’s why I liked this book so much.
Daria goes to a private fancy high school. She’s pretty and hangs out with the popular kids. But some things aren’t always as they appear on the outside. I really felt for Daria. Home life isn’t easy for her, and despite what people think, her social life wasn’t that great either.
Penn goes to a public high school and lives on the wrong side of the tracks. His life has been far from perfect either. Then his world gets turned upside down on his 18th birthday no less.
Daria and Penn share a history. It goes back to when they were much younger. With an interesting sad turn of events their lives intersect again. Only time will tell if it will be for worse or better.
Angsty, but the ending is a big reward.
ENEMIES TO LOVERS.. DON’T MIND IF I DO!
I loved how much Daria and Penn hate each other! I loved all their banter and wit. But behind all the banter, was two very broken and guilty people who had made a mistake and didn’t know how to make it right.
Penn had a lot on his plate, first taking care of Via and then Addy and Harper. Daria was dealing with her ugly green monster that consumed her whenever jealously came along, which seemed to be a lot of the time. Daria had a very difficult relationship with her mother Mel, they didn’t understand each other and this was very sad and difficult to read.
I love how after all the years of struggle these character had, they slowly face reality and deal with their lives so they can move forward.
What I love the most though, is that Penn calls Daria ‘Skull Eyes’ the first moment he ever spoke to her and gave her his most precious belonging. The meaning of that name he gave her was so sweet.
Pretty Reckless is one of my favorite books ever. I have listened to it and read it more times than I can count and it still evokes profound emotions for me. Penn is the book boyfriend that my dreams are made of. The way that he loves is so fierce that it is devastatingly beautiful.
Pretty Reckless is everything I look for in a book: angst, heat, complex characters, family/friend dynamics, intrigue, and heart-stopping romance. The best books are the ones where the journey is just as important as the ending. This journey was amazing from start to finish. Like Penn did for Daria, I feel like this book broke me and put me back together as well.
Penn Scully asked her to save him all her firsts, after taking her first kiss. Then the unexpected happened and he could never forgive her for what she did. He wants revenge, and after he loses his mom and becomes her foster brother, he gets his chance.
Daria Followhill has a lot of insecurities and deals with them by being a bitch to others. She pushed away the only thing he loved because they were in her way. But now that he’s living across the hall, he’s going to do everything to get back at her.
This enemies to lovers romance was angst-y with a little steam. There were a lot of twists and turns and things I wasn’t expecting, and loved every minute of it! Penn is such an interesting character with a lot of secrets and a huge heart. Daria took some time to grow on me, but once you saw through all the insecurities she deals with you can’t help but love her. And both of them together? Absolutely perfect for each other.
After reading LJ’s Sinners of Saint series, I always dive into the world of the kids of the Hot Holes. First up (of course) is the mean, overly guarded girl of Jaime and Melody Followhill…Daria. Daria is the perfect (on the outside) beautiful blonde head cheerleader of the high school that her parents hooked up in. Penn Scully was the broken boy from a broken home on the wrong side of the tracks. These two together? Man – it’s drenched with chemistry, angst, lust, and so much more. That’s exactly what this book was – more. Always expecting the unexpected, when I dived into this story the first time – I was not prepared to be swept up into the world of the rich preppy kids that I never associated with when I was that age….but LJ succeeded because this was so much more than some high school drama. I was pulled into the broken worlds of Penn and Daria, clinched with their push and pull, and melting over their un-proclaimed love until they finally got their happy ending. This is one of those stories that I went in expecting to not enjoy the story and was just praying that I would be able to make it to the end – now, sitting and (finally) writing a review after my 5th read thru….I will never get tired of loving this story.
More kids of the Sinners. LJ’s Sinners of Saint series hooked me with the first book that I read. The characters, with all their flaws, twisty ways, and devoted, HARD loving, roped me in and didn’t let go. Love seeing this continuation, although [no spoilers] one subplot of the original Sinners broke my heart.
Very angsty teen novel. Children of some of the best hot-holes ever! Daria is Jamie and Melody’s first born. She is a strong willed, vicious girl wearing a cheer uniform and pompoms. Penn Scully is the football star of a rival team and long before she knew who he was, she fell a little for him. Now he will be her downfall in so many ways. In truth, each action she has taken has led to her downfall but through it all, she becomes the person she was as Leary’s meant to be. She is his heart’s desire and biggest enemy. He is split in two but can no longer deny himself. She is his…and he is hers.
Great ending!
How did I miss this book?? I thought I read this one before but I was wrong. It was absolutely awesome. I love this series a lot. LJ knows how to write some really good, intense, hot and emotional bully romances. Another win for LJ.
I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy.
angsty and emotional
Genre: YA Romance
Book Length: Novel
POV: Alternating Dual
Hero: Penn is poor, gorgeous and rough around the edges. He’s captain of the rival football team and he’s endured a life of tragedy making him tough as steel. He’s 18, muscular, handsome, with light brown hair and green eyes.
Heroine: Daria is the spoiled and beautiful daughter of one of the Hotholes, Jaime Followhill. She’s ruthless, sarcastic, vindictive, captain of the cheerleading squad and all around mean girl. She’s almost 18 with blonde hair and blue eyes.
Heat Level: Low/Medium
Frequency of Sex: Low
Angst Level: High
Standalone or Series: Standalone
Cliffhanger: No
Epilogue: Yes
Thoughts on Ending: Sweet ending, wish it was longer but felt satisfying.
Would I Recommend? Yes
My Review: Oh the teenage angst! These kids at All Saints High are drama, drama, drama…and I love every minute of it! Daria is a bad B, she’s nasty and a bully but inside is a heart full of insecurity and pain. She’s made some terrible choices in her young life and she lives with those scars on her soul everyday. Penn is a bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks. He’s cocky, brash and arrogant but he’s also full of regret and red hot anger towards Daria. Their hate turns into flames of passion and they have to learn to find a way to either ignite those flames together or destroy each other until there’s nothing left but ash. I highly enjoyed this book, as I have the previous series. It’s exciting to see the spawn of the Hotholes return and stir up their own amount of trouble and find love like nothing before.
Disclosures: I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.