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Devilbend Dynasty #1
Like You Care
I am nothing.
Nobody.
I'd rather be invisible than deal with what happens on the days my classmates decide to acknowledge my existence.
But then Turner Hall shows up - all cool confidence and witty banter - and all of a sudden I don't want to be invisible any more. I want to be seen.
I want him to see me.
I'm not who he thinks I am but I'm starting to suspect he's not all he says he is either.
Just my luck that he starts to make friends with my tormentors. How am I supposed to tell him who I really am? How am I supposed to show him my true face? What if the boy I'm falling in love with decides I'm nothing too?
*Like You Care is a part of the Bully Me Anthology. In the Bully Me Anthology, this was a 30k novella. This is now the complete book. *
Nobody.
I'd rather be invisible than deal with what happens on the days my classmates decide to acknowledge my existence.
But then Turner Hall shows up - all cool confidence and witty banter - and all of a sudden I don't want to be invisible any more. I want to be seen.
I want him to see me.
I'm not who he thinks I am but I'm starting to suspect he's not all he says he is either.
Just my luck that he starts to make friends with my tormentors. How am I supposed to tell him who I really am? How am I supposed to show him my true face? What if the boy I'm falling in love with decides I'm nothing too?
*Like You Care is a part of the Bully Me Anthology. In the Bully Me Anthology, this was a 30k novella. This is now the complete book. *
203 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 7, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 357 reviews
June 18, 2020
4.25
I read the first half of Like You Care in the Bully Me: Class of 2020 Anthology and loved it. The storyline and the characters are fantastic. Kaydence Snow's writing style pulled me in from page 1 and kept my attention the whole way through. By the time I got to the end, I was obsessed with the hero and heroine, Tucker and Mena, and I couldn't wait for the full length novel to be released to find out their fate!
Now that I've read it, how do I feel about the book overall?
I loved it! It was easy to slide back into the story immediately, and just like before, I read it all in one sitting. This is my first read from this author, and she definitely made a hell of an impression!
What did I enjoy most about the story?
Hands down, the characters!
Tucker is the perfect combination of hot and sweet. I usually have a thing for the assholes and the bad boys, but I would let Tucker in my harem for sure. He's protective, thoughtful, respectful, and just all around swoonworthy. Any girl would be lucky to have a Tucker in her life.
Mena suffers unmerciful bullying at school in large part due to a birthmark on her face, but she is determined not to let that define her or destroy her happiness. I loved her strength, spirit, and development over the course of the novel.
Aside from the assholes that regularly tormented her and tried to make her life hell, Mena had some amazing people in her corner. Her family and friends supported her unconditionally. They came together when she needed them most and would do absolutely anything for her.
If you love to see healthy, positive, and downright beautiful female friendships portrayed in books, look no further, friends! Mena's relationship with her cousins/friend group was a highlight of the book for me. They are the epitome of a girl gang, and I definitely want to read more about them in the future!
New adult romance fans, this one's for you!
*Side note: If bully romance usually isn't your thing, because you don't enjoy the hero being a dick to the heroine, you don't have to worry about that here! The hero is not the bully in this story.*
I read the first half of Like You Care in the Bully Me: Class of 2020 Anthology and loved it. The storyline and the characters are fantastic. Kaydence Snow's writing style pulled me in from page 1 and kept my attention the whole way through. By the time I got to the end, I was obsessed with the hero and heroine, Tucker and Mena, and I couldn't wait for the full length novel to be released to find out their fate!
Now that I've read it, how do I feel about the book overall?
I loved it! It was easy to slide back into the story immediately, and just like before, I read it all in one sitting. This is my first read from this author, and she definitely made a hell of an impression!
What did I enjoy most about the story?
Hands down, the characters!
Tucker is the perfect combination of hot and sweet. I usually have a thing for the assholes and the bad boys, but I would let Tucker in my harem for sure. He's protective, thoughtful, respectful, and just all around swoonworthy. Any girl would be lucky to have a Tucker in her life.
Mena suffers unmerciful bullying at school in large part due to a birthmark on her face, but she is determined not to let that define her or destroy her happiness. I loved her strength, spirit, and development over the course of the novel.
Aside from the assholes that regularly tormented her and tried to make her life hell, Mena had some amazing people in her corner. Her family and friends supported her unconditionally. They came together when she needed them most and would do absolutely anything for her.
If you love to see healthy, positive, and downright beautiful female friendships portrayed in books, look no further, friends! Mena's relationship with her cousins/friend group was a highlight of the book for me. They are the epitome of a girl gang, and I definitely want to read more about them in the future!
New adult romance fans, this one's for you!
*Side note: If bully romance usually isn't your thing, because you don't enjoy the hero being a dick to the heroine, you don't have to worry about that here! The hero is not the bully in this story.*
May 9, 2020
REVIEW: DNF AT 80% - skimmed to the end
I am so angry and so frustrated after reading this ridiculous story. I'm not going to beat around the bush and say something nice to offset the ridiculousness that this book offered me. First and foremost, this is nothing but a mean girl story with over the top exaggerated drama and actions by holier than thou teenaged girls, and a heroine that is literally TSTL. (I hate using that, but she fit the description perfectly) To top if off, I feel like I wasted an entire day away not only reading it, but being duped into thinking if I go back in, it will get better. I should have DNF'd it when I first tried to.
This story was originally a novella in the Bully Me Anthology and I had just finished reading Sam Mariano's addition - The Boy on the Bridge, so I was excited to read more in that genre. So seeing that this one was supposed to be turning into a full length book, I was excited to try a new to me author. This was in the bully anthology - therefore it was supposed to be a bully romance . I don't even understand how this book made it into a bully romance anthology in the first place. This was 200 pages full of mean girl antics, abuse, harassment and assault. I do NOT want to read about spoiled girls beating up and physically abusing another girl because of a birthmark on her face!!! I don't even in the littlest bit. It was as if the romance was a side-thought to the bullying and a second thought to the "other" twist in the book. Which was all ridiculous in hindsight.
Walking into this one, I was hoping for a new voice to follow - a new bully writer that made me root for the bad guy. Uhhhh, nope. Nuh uh. This was nothing of the sort. The voice was very young sounding with a very dramatic flair with her use of adjectives. I highlighted enough to roll my eyes at, and then I just stopped because I was highlighting more out of anger than places to remind me of the storyline.
I initially liked the setup enough to keep going. Mena was an embarrassed/shy girl with absolutely ZERO confidence because of a facial birthmark - but overwhelmingly so to the point of annoyance. She also hid her identity from Turner (the H) - but that's what started the whole intrigue for me. They had this amazing chemistry from the moment they met. The banter was fun and they talked and grew a sort of relationship organically, but secretly. It was quick, a little rushed and scripted, but it was growing. I was enjoying that little bit....until I wasn't. But Mena was a loner without any friends. Bullied incessantly and ridiculed into a corner. She watched enough YouTube to teach herself how to do makeup apparently quite well, enough to where she was doing her mother's when she went out a few times a week to "seminars". If she's SO good at doing makeup, why didn't she wear makeup to work? Why doesn't she put it on for school? (The reasons given were amateur at best.) Why does she let these moronic asshole abusive bullies pick on her? She was a complete doormat until 78%. A complete idiot. Her martyrdom throughout the entire book made her absolutely ridiculous. The lessons being ruined from this book alone is shocking. Like, why even bring all the cousins to make a show....and nothing happens??? Seriously, nothing. So many plot holes and questions.
Add to it all, there were no repercussions for any of the assaults this poor girl went through - not ONE, and it was frustrating beyond all belief. I made it to 80% in the book, to Turner and Mena's first sex scene and I was out. The "bully" was the girls. The twist with the family was not shocking - just another addition of drama. And the most annoying thing ever was she neverrrr trusted Turner, even at the end until he became her knight in shining armor - right after he "saved" her, and right before sex, of course. She questioned him way too damn much. She questioned everything way too damn much.
So, to sum it up: this was NOT a bully romance. The characters were very shallow and didn't have a whole lot of growth (if any) in this story. The side plots and teenaged romance were completely overshadowed by the mean girls that would have killed her had they not been stopped. This was full of over the top, forced drama for absolutely no reason. By the time it was all said and done, this was not entertaining in the least. It was angering. It was frustrating. It was annoying.
~BEE
Available in Kindle Unlimited: https://amzn.to/3bhfXuf
Affiliate Link
No giveaway for DNF reviews
I am so angry and so frustrated after reading this ridiculous story. I'm not going to beat around the bush and say something nice to offset the ridiculousness that this book offered me. First and foremost, this is nothing but a mean girl story with over the top exaggerated drama and actions by holier than thou teenaged girls, and a heroine that is literally TSTL. (I hate using that, but she fit the description perfectly) To top if off, I feel like I wasted an entire day away not only reading it, but being duped into thinking if I go back in, it will get better. I should have DNF'd it when I first tried to.
This story was originally a novella in the Bully Me Anthology and I had just finished reading Sam Mariano's addition - The Boy on the Bridge, so I was excited to read more in that genre. So seeing that this one was supposed to be turning into a full length book, I was excited to try a new to me author. This was in the bully anthology - therefore it was supposed to be a bully romance . I don't even understand how this book made it into a bully romance anthology in the first place. This was 200 pages full of mean girl antics, abuse, harassment and assault. I do NOT want to read about spoiled girls beating up and physically abusing another girl because of a birthmark on her face!!! I don't even in the littlest bit. It was as if the romance was a side-thought to the bullying and a second thought to the "other" twist in the book. Which was all ridiculous in hindsight.
Walking into this one, I was hoping for a new voice to follow - a new bully writer that made me root for the bad guy. Uhhhh, nope. Nuh uh. This was nothing of the sort. The voice was very young sounding with a very dramatic flair with her use of adjectives. I highlighted enough to roll my eyes at, and then I just stopped because I was highlighting more out of anger than places to remind me of the storyline.
I initially liked the setup enough to keep going. Mena was an embarrassed/shy girl with absolutely ZERO confidence because of a facial birthmark - but overwhelmingly so to the point of annoyance. She also hid her identity from Turner (the H) - but that's what started the whole intrigue for me. They had this amazing chemistry from the moment they met. The banter was fun and they talked and grew a sort of relationship organically, but secretly. It was quick, a little rushed and scripted, but it was growing. I was enjoying that little bit....until I wasn't. But Mena was a loner without any friends. Bullied incessantly and ridiculed into a corner. She watched enough YouTube to teach herself how to do makeup apparently quite well, enough to where she was doing her mother's when she went out a few times a week to "seminars". If she's SO good at doing makeup, why didn't she wear makeup to work? Why doesn't she put it on for school? (The reasons given were amateur at best.) Why does she let these moronic asshole abusive bullies pick on her? She was a complete doormat until 78%. A complete idiot. Her martyrdom throughout the entire book made her absolutely ridiculous. The lessons being ruined from this book alone is shocking. Like, why even bring all the cousins to make a show....and nothing happens??? Seriously, nothing. So many plot holes and questions.
Add to it all, there were no repercussions for any of the assaults this poor girl went through - not ONE, and it was frustrating beyond all belief. I made it to 80% in the book, to Turner and Mena's first sex scene and I was out. The "bully" was the girls. The twist with the family was not shocking - just another addition of drama. And the most annoying thing ever was she neverrrr trusted Turner, even at the end until he became her knight in shining armor - right after he "saved" her, and right before sex, of course. She questioned him way too damn much. She questioned everything way too damn much.
So, to sum it up: this was NOT a bully romance. The characters were very shallow and didn't have a whole lot of growth (if any) in this story. The side plots and teenaged romance were completely overshadowed by the mean girls that would have killed her had they not been stopped. This was full of over the top, forced drama for absolutely no reason. By the time it was all said and done, this was not entertaining in the least. It was angering. It was frustrating. It was annoying.
~BEE
Available in Kindle Unlimited: https://amzn.to/3bhfXuf
Affiliate Link
No giveaway for DNF reviews
May 8, 2020
***4 "#DevilbendDynasty!!!" stars***
!NOW LIVE!
"He took a step forward, and I braced myself to find out if the boy I loved would be my salvation... or if my heart would be torn to shreds right along with my mind and soul."
Wow!!! Just wow!!!! This is my first book by Kaydence Snow, but I'm really impressed!!!!
You know how the book community these days are full of bully romances, which i freakin' love by the way, but with the boy usually bullying the girl and then they are falling for each other???
Well, this isn't the deal in here!!!!
Yes, there is a girl that is bullied by awful persons and there is a boy, but this story is so different!!!
And i loved that, even though in a way I hated the brutality of what Mena had to faced!!!
"I didn't want my life to be dictated by bullies. It wasn't fucking fair."
Philomena or Mena is a lovely girl with a heart of gold and an obsession with make-up stuffs!!!
But Mena on the school is facing an awful reality!!!!
Almost everyone around there is treating her badly, with a certain group to bullying her every single day with malice and brutality... Well, my heart was breaking everytime that they were doing a shitty thing to her!!! And the worst of everything???
Nobody cared!!! Not her classmates, not the rest of the school body, not even the teachers!!!!
Yes, Mena wasn't enjoying being at school and she was preffering to go unnoticed, but who can blame her for that???
"No one cared about me. No one. How could this have happened to me if they did? What was the point in trying to tell someone when they didn't care to listen?"
And then a boy got in her life and her life brighten a little bit.
She was counting the minutes that they will spent some time together with a bamboo barrier between them!!!!
There, in the balcony with him, she could be herself and it was such a wonderful thing to witness her blossom!!!
And then, the boy started hanging out with her tormentors and that was something that was bothering Mena so much!!!!
What will happen after all???
Will Turner choose her or he will turn out to be like the rest of them???
"He was the best thing that had happened to me in a long time. But was he who I thought he was? Or was I so desperate for human interaction that I was seeing something that wasn't there?"
Well, i loved this story very much!!! It was intriguing and at the same time raw and brutal!!!
Poor Mena!!!! For a stupid reason, she had to face so much brutality in a place that should have given her solace!!!
Thank God, that her family was amazing and was loving her unconditionally, but still... the insecurities were too many to be counted!!!
Turner was a wonderful person as well, but he had his own issues to deal with...
But these two together were sweet and pure!!!
But i can't say more!!! No!!! My lips are sealed!!!
"I want you to know I'm going to fight for you."
Before I go, i should add that i loved Mena's cousins, Donna and Harlow and their best friend, Amaya, very much and i can not wait to read more about them...
Even though the stereotype would want them to be the bitches and tormentors, they were just perfect and i loved them for that!!!
Yeah, I definitely need more Devilbend Dynasty girls in my life!!!! Can't really wait for Donna's turn!!!
"Point is Mena, you have to let us help you in some way. I can't just sit around knowing you're being treated like shit. I refuse to do nothing. The Devilbend Dynasty take care of its own."
Please, don't let anyone out there to make you feel worthless!!!
Speak!!! Act!!! Fight back!!!
Every person out there is beautiful and she or he has to shine and not to shy away because of his fears that others are causing them!!!
Be brave and courageous!!! All of you!!!!
"LIFE IS A WAR. AND I REFUSE TO LOSE A SINGLE BATTLE."
***An ARC was provided for the exchange of an honest review***
!NOW LIVE!
"He took a step forward, and I braced myself to find out if the boy I loved would be my salvation... or if my heart would be torn to shreds right along with my mind and soul."
Wow!!! Just wow!!!! This is my first book by Kaydence Snow, but I'm really impressed!!!!
You know how the book community these days are full of bully romances, which i freakin' love by the way, but with the boy usually bullying the girl and then they are falling for each other???
Well, this isn't the deal in here!!!!
Yes, there is a girl that is bullied by awful persons and there is a boy, but this story is so different!!!
And i loved that, even though in a way I hated the brutality of what Mena had to faced!!!
"I didn't want my life to be dictated by bullies. It wasn't fucking fair."
Philomena or Mena is a lovely girl with a heart of gold and an obsession with make-up stuffs!!!
But Mena on the school is facing an awful reality!!!!
Almost everyone around there is treating her badly, with a certain group to bullying her every single day with malice and brutality... Well, my heart was breaking everytime that they were doing a shitty thing to her!!! And the worst of everything???
Nobody cared!!! Not her classmates, not the rest of the school body, not even the teachers!!!!
Yes, Mena wasn't enjoying being at school and she was preffering to go unnoticed, but who can blame her for that???
"No one cared about me. No one. How could this have happened to me if they did? What was the point in trying to tell someone when they didn't care to listen?"
And then a boy got in her life and her life brighten a little bit.
She was counting the minutes that they will spent some time together with a bamboo barrier between them!!!!
There, in the balcony with him, she could be herself and it was such a wonderful thing to witness her blossom!!!
And then, the boy started hanging out with her tormentors and that was something that was bothering Mena so much!!!!
What will happen after all???
Will Turner choose her or he will turn out to be like the rest of them???
"He was the best thing that had happened to me in a long time. But was he who I thought he was? Or was I so desperate for human interaction that I was seeing something that wasn't there?"
Well, i loved this story very much!!! It was intriguing and at the same time raw and brutal!!!
Poor Mena!!!! For a stupid reason, she had to face so much brutality in a place that should have given her solace!!!
Thank God, that her family was amazing and was loving her unconditionally, but still... the insecurities were too many to be counted!!!
Turner was a wonderful person as well, but he had his own issues to deal with...
But these two together were sweet and pure!!!
But i can't say more!!! No!!! My lips are sealed!!!
"I want you to know I'm going to fight for you."
Before I go, i should add that i loved Mena's cousins, Donna and Harlow and their best friend, Amaya, very much and i can not wait to read more about them...
Even though the stereotype would want them to be the bitches and tormentors, they were just perfect and i loved them for that!!!
Yeah, I definitely need more Devilbend Dynasty girls in my life!!!! Can't really wait for Donna's turn!!!
"Point is Mena, you have to let us help you in some way. I can't just sit around knowing you're being treated like shit. I refuse to do nothing. The Devilbend Dynasty take care of its own."
Please, don't let anyone out there to make you feel worthless!!!
Speak!!! Act!!! Fight back!!!
Every person out there is beautiful and she or he has to shine and not to shy away because of his fears that others are causing them!!!
Be brave and courageous!!! All of you!!!!
"LIFE IS A WAR. AND I REFUSE TO LOSE A SINGLE BATTLE."
***An ARC was provided for the exchange of an honest review***
March 1, 2021
FIVE CARE STARS for Mena and Turner 💙🖤💙🖤!!!
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
TRULY ENJOYED READING THIS BOOK!
Oh, I have no idea how to start this review because this book surprised me positively in every way.
Although I've read numerous bully romances in the last few years, this book was a real refreshment as it was an atypical book of this trope.
I have to admit that reading some parts of this book was a bit tiring for me, but only because the author described them credibly.
Kaydence is the author who has shown with this book that she has a lot of potentials to write an interesting and emotional bully romance no matter how much this trope has become a bit worn out.
"Like You Care" is a dark high school bully romance with a lot of extremely emotional parts that will break your heart but also sweet moments between Mena and Turner.
Mena is a female character that I completely admire because, despite the bullying she experienced from her peers, she managed to survive, no matter how much she was mentally and physically hurt.
There were several situations in which I wanted to hug and comfort her because of what she was going through that I wouldn't wish that even to my worst enemy.
Turner is a male character who completely surprised me because I expected him to be the one who would bully Mena, but I was so wrong.
He is the type of man that every woman would want in her life because of his caring and protective attitude towards Mena and the people he loves.
Mena and Turner's connection from the beginning of the book was real and tangible, and it slowly grew from a friendship into a relationship that, despite several difficulties, managed to survive and become even stronger.
If you love a dark high school bully romance and you don't have any triggers, then this is the book you should read next!!!
Highly recommended!!!
P.S. Can't wait to read "Like You Hurt"!!!
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
TRULY ENJOYED READING THIS BOOK!
Oh, I have no idea how to start this review because this book surprised me positively in every way.
Although I've read numerous bully romances in the last few years, this book was a real refreshment as it was an atypical book of this trope.
I have to admit that reading some parts of this book was a bit tiring for me, but only because the author described them credibly.
Kaydence is the author who has shown with this book that she has a lot of potentials to write an interesting and emotional bully romance no matter how much this trope has become a bit worn out.
"Like You Care" is a dark high school bully romance with a lot of extremely emotional parts that will break your heart but also sweet moments between Mena and Turner.
Mena is a female character that I completely admire because, despite the bullying she experienced from her peers, she managed to survive, no matter how much she was mentally and physically hurt.
There were several situations in which I wanted to hug and comfort her because of what she was going through that I wouldn't wish that even to my worst enemy.
Turner is a male character who completely surprised me because I expected him to be the one who would bully Mena, but I was so wrong.
He is the type of man that every woman would want in her life because of his caring and protective attitude towards Mena and the people he loves.
Mena and Turner's connection from the beginning of the book was real and tangible, and it slowly grew from a friendship into a relationship that, despite several difficulties, managed to survive and become even stronger.
If you love a dark high school bully romance and you don't have any triggers, then this is the book you should read next!!!
Highly recommended!!!
P.S. Can't wait to read "Like You Hurt"!!!
May 2, 2020
MIND BLOWN!!!
* A review copy was provided by the author *
~ 5 Ride or Die Stars ~
This is my first book by Kaydence Snow, but I know it won’t be my last!!
This book blew my mind….I was left speechless after reading this story. I will warn readers out there, there were some really tough spots to read in this book.
My heart literally broke while reading Mena’s story, because I know that this type of behavior exists today in high schools everywhere. I truly just wanted to give Mena a huge hug and tell her it would get better.
If you are a fan of a bully , mature YA, high school aged characters romance, then this is one you should definitely read. I believe this book was a great way to start this series.
Like You Care is the first book in Kaydence Snow’s Devilbend Dynasty series. I think this series is off to an amazing start and I can’t wait to read the other books. This is a standalone novel, but this series will have interconnected characters. This book was told solely from Mena’s POV. That is probably the only downfall I found with this story. I would’ve liked to know Turner’s POV at times in the story. I thought this book was well written. It is filled with emotion and is thought provoking. Your heart will definitely be torn to shreds but in the end it will be put back together. One thing I did notice was that it felt like the ending was slightly rushed. We got a lot of the answers I was looking for, but somethings I thought were kind of rushed over. Now that didn’t take away from my enjoyment of this book.
I don’t want to say much more about this storyline. Just know, I thought the author’s writing was flawless and that this story was portrayed pretty accurately of how things happen in school. I couldn’t help but be sucked into the story and Mena’s life. I loved that she wrote on a tough subject but one that I think needs to be addressed and stopped!!! I also loved she added some mystery to the story when it comes to Turner’s storyline. There were things I didn’t expect but was pleasantly surprised with.
I would 100% recommend this book to anyone who likes this genre and trope. It was one of the best I have read so far!!!!
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* A review copy was provided by the author *
~ 5 Ride or Die Stars ~
This is my first book by Kaydence Snow, but I know it won’t be my last!!
This book blew my mind….I was left speechless after reading this story. I will warn readers out there, there were some really tough spots to read in this book.
My heart literally broke while reading Mena’s story, because I know that this type of behavior exists today in high schools everywhere. I truly just wanted to give Mena a huge hug and tell her it would get better.
If you are a fan of a bully , mature YA, high school aged characters romance, then this is one you should definitely read. I believe this book was a great way to start this series.
Like You Care is the first book in Kaydence Snow’s Devilbend Dynasty series. I think this series is off to an amazing start and I can’t wait to read the other books. This is a standalone novel, but this series will have interconnected characters. This book was told solely from Mena’s POV. That is probably the only downfall I found with this story. I would’ve liked to know Turner’s POV at times in the story. I thought this book was well written. It is filled with emotion and is thought provoking. Your heart will definitely be torn to shreds but in the end it will be put back together. One thing I did notice was that it felt like the ending was slightly rushed. We got a lot of the answers I was looking for, but somethings I thought were kind of rushed over. Now that didn’t take away from my enjoyment of this book.
I don’t want to say much more about this storyline. Just know, I thought the author’s writing was flawless and that this story was portrayed pretty accurately of how things happen in school. I couldn’t help but be sucked into the story and Mena’s life. I loved that she wrote on a tough subject but one that I think needs to be addressed and stopped!!! I also loved she added some mystery to the story when it comes to Turner’s storyline. There were things I didn’t expect but was pleasantly surprised with.
I would 100% recommend this book to anyone who likes this genre and trope. It was one of the best I have read so far!!!!
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May 8, 2020
2 eye rolling stars.
Alright, I was willing to give this 3 'ok' stars at first. The writing was cheesy and over dramatic and it had the tone of a Disney channel teen movie; lots of angst that fell back on over used stereotypes, that sort of thing. But I could deal with it. For the past year, its a big deal if im even able to get past the first few chapters without cringing and DNFing. And believe me, there were ALOT of cringey scenes in this book.
BUT
You loose me when a high school romance suddenly starts bringing in all of these extra shitty plot devices to bring the book to its climax. What was a just-ok written phantom of the opera scenario, (with the heroine apparently having such a grotesque birth mark on her face that she cant even have a conversation with the hero face to face with the lights on for the first half of the book) suddenly turns into a crime mystery that involves kidnapping and wait for it................
a goddam CULT.... with one awkward sex scene that I ended up skimming because these characters were written so naively that if felt a little... gross.
But what was the cherry on top of this shit sundae? The heroine gets physically assaulted and abused by the main villain/bully with a switchblade to the face. And what does this heroine do? Refuse all police or parental or school involvement. Yeah cause thats the message we want to send to people. Dont report assault to the police because you're "nothing and nobody cares".
Bitch. You have a goddam birthmark on your face. Can we PLEASE stop with this hyper martyr personality that always comes with a spineless heroine. And yeah, im gonna say she was spineless because she actively chose to suffer in silence instead of asking for help.
She does eventually report the assault to the police two whole weeks later, but by that time the book is already rapping up and it feels so anti climatic I wanted to just give up. So yeah. If you want hyper angst and drama with your tired stereotype of "popular jocks bully the weird girl" then this is for you. I cant even say the romance was great because they were confessing "I love yous' so quickly that it gave me whiplash.
Safety:
No OW/OM drama
No cheating
Heroine is a virgin
Hero had previous experience but nothing was mentioned
Alright, I was willing to give this 3 'ok' stars at first. The writing was cheesy and over dramatic and it had the tone of a Disney channel teen movie; lots of angst that fell back on over used stereotypes, that sort of thing. But I could deal with it. For the past year, its a big deal if im even able to get past the first few chapters without cringing and DNFing. And believe me, there were ALOT of cringey scenes in this book.
BUT
You loose me when a high school romance suddenly starts bringing in all of these extra shitty plot devices to bring the book to its climax. What was a just-ok written phantom of the opera scenario, (with the heroine apparently having such a grotesque birth mark on her face that she cant even have a conversation with the hero face to face with the lights on for the first half of the book) suddenly turns into a crime mystery that involves kidnapping and wait for it................
a goddam CULT.... with one awkward sex scene that I ended up skimming because these characters were written so naively that if felt a little... gross.
But what was the cherry on top of this shit sundae? The heroine gets physically assaulted and abused by the main villain/bully with a switchblade to the face. And what does this heroine do? Refuse all police or parental or school involvement. Yeah cause thats the message we want to send to people. Dont report assault to the police because you're "nothing and nobody cares".
Bitch. You have a goddam birthmark on your face. Can we PLEASE stop with this hyper martyr personality that always comes with a spineless heroine. And yeah, im gonna say she was spineless because she actively chose to suffer in silence instead of asking for help.
She does eventually report the assault to the police two whole weeks later, but by that time the book is already rapping up and it feels so anti climatic I wanted to just give up. So yeah. If you want hyper angst and drama with your tired stereotype of "popular jocks bully the weird girl" then this is for you. I cant even say the romance was great because they were confessing "I love yous' so quickly that it gave me whiplash.
Safety:
No OW/OM drama
No cheating
Heroine is a virgin
Hero had previous experience but nothing was mentioned
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 9, 2020
I love Bully romance books and I've read series by this author before. So when I saw this in one of my emails I immediately knew I wanted to read it. I may not immediately notice the cover, but I think it is cool. The story also sounds really good so I am very curious.
This book is not like any other bully book I have read, but what a rollercoaster this book is! I really enjoyed it a lot. I have to say that I had to get used to Mena in the beginning, but you often have that with a character that isn’t like you at first. But soon I was completely sucked into the story, besides the fact that it is a bully romance, it is also a secret romance for one of the characters because he does not know who she is.
The bully aspect of this book is intense, I am not going to lie about that, intense as in I have been crying in bed while I was reading it. The way she was bullied is very similar to the way I was bullied in the first grade of high school. So that was a bit confrontational but so well done. I fully recognized myself in her feelings.
I think Mena is a very nice character, you see how she struggles and just like me she doesn’t want to let anyone know how bad it is at school. I think the fact that I recognize myself so well in her makes me really like the book even better.
But I also found Turner a really nice character who is clearly growing in this book, especially with regards to Mena. I really liked the build-up of their romance, not knowing at first who it is, the tension between the two characters and then the moment he discovers who she is. That moment was also one of the hard moments in the book, but also a very strong moment for the rest of the story.
I want to say so much about this book but I notice that I will give spoilers and I don't want to do that haha.
My conclusion: Read this book! Even though bully romance is not your genre, trust me when I say that this is nowhere like any other bully book I have read. I really can't wait for the next book!
This book is not like any other bully book I have read, but what a rollercoaster this book is! I really enjoyed it a lot. I have to say that I had to get used to Mena in the beginning, but you often have that with a character that isn’t like you at first. But soon I was completely sucked into the story, besides the fact that it is a bully romance, it is also a secret romance for one of the characters because he does not know who she is.
The bully aspect of this book is intense, I am not going to lie about that, intense as in I have been crying in bed while I was reading it. The way she was bullied is very similar to the way I was bullied in the first grade of high school. So that was a bit confrontational but so well done. I fully recognized myself in her feelings.
I think Mena is a very nice character, you see how she struggles and just like me she doesn’t want to let anyone know how bad it is at school. I think the fact that I recognize myself so well in her makes me really like the book even better.
But I also found Turner a really nice character who is clearly growing in this book, especially with regards to Mena. I really liked the build-up of their romance, not knowing at first who it is, the tension between the two characters and then the moment he discovers who she is. That moment was also one of the hard moments in the book, but also a very strong moment for the rest of the story.
I want to say so much about this book but I notice that I will give spoilers and I don't want to do that haha.
My conclusion: Read this book! Even though bully romance is not your genre, trust me when I say that this is nowhere like any other bully book I have read. I really can't wait for the next book!
March 20, 2020
Kaydence Snow is a fresh voice in the bully academy genre, with characters so vivid they leap off the page and directly into your heart. Mena and Turner's story is full of angst and longing, and all those deliciously intense and painfully earnest emotions that surround first love. Mena's anxiety and fierce spirit make her instantly relateable, and Turner's earnest devotion is a joy to experience. And that ending gave me so many feels that even after immediately re-reading the book, I still cannot cope. Kaydence Snow has created a world and a dynasty that I never want to leave. #DevilbendDynasty #rideordie
May 7, 2020
Disclaimer: I received an Advance Reader Copy at no cost from the publisher/author. All opinions in my review are my own.
Kaydence Snow is a new author for me and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I was really impressed from the get-go.
The writing style really drew me into the story. The narration was very inviting and smooth. I also really liked the plot of the story. This book shines a light on bullying and the effects it can have on people's lives. I really liked the plot twists. There were some in there that I wasn't fully expecting. The story definitely kept my interest. The story was a little too short for my liking but still solid.
I really loved the main characters. Both Mena and Turner are characters that are keeping secrets. They both had really great backstory and some good character development. Mena's character didn't really stand up for herself. She was resigned to being bullied and felt trapped in the cycle. While I wish that she had stood up for herself a little more, I did connect with her character regardless. Turner's character was a little mysterious in the beginning but I really loved his personality. All of the secondary characters in this book were really great. I loved the wonderful representation of friendship and family. I can't wait to dive into the rest of this series and get to know the secondary characters better.
I liked the romance. It felt genuine. Sometimes it felt a little unbelievable since Mena doesn't show her face to Turner for a while at the beginning but I still liked it nonetheless. I also felt that the romance was a little rushed. It wasn't necessarily instalove. It just didn't have much room to grow before the characters are professing their love. All that aside, I really liked Mena and Turner together. They were such a cute couple and had an undeniable connection.
Overall, this is a raw story with some tough subject matter but it is such a heartwarming read. I can't wait to get my hands on the rest of this series!
More reviews on my blog: Novel Nerd Faction
Kaydence Snow is a new author for me and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I was really impressed from the get-go.
The writing style really drew me into the story. The narration was very inviting and smooth. I also really liked the plot of the story. This book shines a light on bullying and the effects it can have on people's lives. I really liked the plot twists. There were some in there that I wasn't fully expecting. The story definitely kept my interest. The story was a little too short for my liking but still solid.
I really loved the main characters. Both Mena and Turner are characters that are keeping secrets. They both had really great backstory and some good character development. Mena's character didn't really stand up for herself. She was resigned to being bullied and felt trapped in the cycle. While I wish that she had stood up for herself a little more, I did connect with her character regardless. Turner's character was a little mysterious in the beginning but I really loved his personality. All of the secondary characters in this book were really great. I loved the wonderful representation of friendship and family. I can't wait to dive into the rest of this series and get to know the secondary characters better.
I liked the romance. It felt genuine. Sometimes it felt a little unbelievable since Mena doesn't show her face to Turner for a while at the beginning but I still liked it nonetheless. I also felt that the romance was a little rushed. It wasn't necessarily instalove. It just didn't have much room to grow before the characters are professing their love. All that aside, I really liked Mena and Turner together. They were such a cute couple and had an undeniable connection.
Overall, this is a raw story with some tough subject matter but it is such a heartwarming read. I can't wait to get my hands on the rest of this series!
More reviews on my blog: Novel Nerd Faction
April 20, 2020
This book will suck you in, and spit you out with a "what did I just read?" reaction. This will make you go back to the beginning and start again!
This book looks at the dark side of life. Mena has been bullied most of her life at her public school, and does anything and everything to go unnoticed. She has low self-esteem, and doesn't want to make waves. Unfortunately the "popular" kids will not allow her to go unnoticed. She meets her new neighbor, Turner, without having to be seen. They develop a friendship based on feelings, and emotions that turns to something more. Both Mena and Turner are keeping secrets from each other while they decide what they want to do about their feelings for each other.
While Mena doesn't have any friends at her school she does have a great group of girls who support her every step of the way. Donna and Harlow are her cousins and Amaya is their best friend. Their unconditional support brought tears to my eyes. I'm excited to see where the Devilbend Dynasty series goes!
This book looks at the dark side of life. Mena has been bullied most of her life at her public school, and does anything and everything to go unnoticed. She has low self-esteem, and doesn't want to make waves. Unfortunately the "popular" kids will not allow her to go unnoticed. She meets her new neighbor, Turner, without having to be seen. They develop a friendship based on feelings, and emotions that turns to something more. Both Mena and Turner are keeping secrets from each other while they decide what they want to do about their feelings for each other.
While Mena doesn't have any friends at her school she does have a great group of girls who support her every step of the way. Donna and Harlow are her cousins and Amaya is their best friend. Their unconditional support brought tears to my eyes. I'm excited to see where the Devilbend Dynasty series goes!
April 22, 2020
“You’re not nothing. You matter to me more than anything on this fucked-up world.”
➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖
Like You Care. A better title can’t exist for this bullying book that is both brutal and beautiful, bursting with loyalty and love. Cruel Intentions meets Mega Mean Girls in this unique and unputdownable bully romance that is truly special, a book that dares to be different in every way.
This is the tale of a strong but struggling teenage heroine, Mena, and the equally strong hero, Turner, who saves her, both characters are soulful and stunning inside and out. My heart broke for both this hero and heroine, but even more for Mena. I wanted to pour strength into the bullied heroine and watch her rise—to be untouchable—so far and so high that she’d breath fire into the bullies like a dragon and use her wings to fly.
From the very first line of the painfully powerful Prologue to the last line of this tortuous tale, I was thrust full throttle into Like You Care, a bully romance that rocked my world. I couldn’t help but fall for the complex yet caring characters who instantly captured my heart. Like You Care is so much more than a bold bullying romance. Full of spirit and soul, this story shows the value of unconditional love and life, of friends who become family, and strength in spades, squashing stereotypes and slaying demons.
Like You Care is haunting, honest, but oh so heartfelt. It’s raw and riveting. It’s complex and compassionate. The writing is the best blend of ordinary and extraordinary in a story that’s utterly unique. I only left needing more, as I feel that Mena and Turners’ story’s only begun.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I care stars
➡️ https://amzn.to/2yyVpzN
➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖
Like You Care. A better title can’t exist for this bullying book that is both brutal and beautiful, bursting with loyalty and love. Cruel Intentions meets Mega Mean Girls in this unique and unputdownable bully romance that is truly special, a book that dares to be different in every way.
This is the tale of a strong but struggling teenage heroine, Mena, and the equally strong hero, Turner, who saves her, both characters are soulful and stunning inside and out. My heart broke for both this hero and heroine, but even more for Mena. I wanted to pour strength into the bullied heroine and watch her rise—to be untouchable—so far and so high that she’d breath fire into the bullies like a dragon and use her wings to fly.
From the very first line of the painfully powerful Prologue to the last line of this tortuous tale, I was thrust full throttle into Like You Care, a bully romance that rocked my world. I couldn’t help but fall for the complex yet caring characters who instantly captured my heart. Like You Care is so much more than a bold bullying romance. Full of spirit and soul, this story shows the value of unconditional love and life, of friends who become family, and strength in spades, squashing stereotypes and slaying demons.
Like You Care is haunting, honest, but oh so heartfelt. It’s raw and riveting. It’s complex and compassionate. The writing is the best blend of ordinary and extraordinary in a story that’s utterly unique. I only left needing more, as I feel that Mena and Turners’ story’s only begun.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I care stars
➡️ https://amzn.to/2yyVpzN
May 7, 2020
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Like You Care is a high school bully romance that wasn’t overly dark, although that prologue had me preparing for a lot worse. The plot was great, and it progressed in a way that it didn’t feel rushed or exaggerated.
My heart broke for Mena and the bullying she endured. As a victim of bullying in high school myself, I really connected with her and felt her pain and suffering. I felt so angry at what she had to endure and just wanted to reach through my kindle and give her a big hug. I loved her cousins’ and friends’ fierceness to protect her and show her that she was loved.
Turner, sweet Turner. I loved Turner. He was stuck between a rock and hard place, but loyalty kept him from defending Mena, even though he desperately wanted to.
A perfect first love story that had my stomach fluttering and left me feeling warm and tingly inside. It was a great balance of drama, the swirling emotions of a teenager and the sensitive topic of bullying. This is my first read by Kaydence and it definitely won’t be my last. I’m super excited to read Donna’s story next and the rest of the characters in the series.
ARC kindly provided in exchange for an honest review.
Like You Care is a high school bully romance that wasn’t overly dark, although that prologue had me preparing for a lot worse. The plot was great, and it progressed in a way that it didn’t feel rushed or exaggerated.
My heart broke for Mena and the bullying she endured. As a victim of bullying in high school myself, I really connected with her and felt her pain and suffering. I felt so angry at what she had to endure and just wanted to reach through my kindle and give her a big hug. I loved her cousins’ and friends’ fierceness to protect her and show her that she was loved.
Turner, sweet Turner. I loved Turner. He was stuck between a rock and hard place, but loyalty kept him from defending Mena, even though he desperately wanted to.
A perfect first love story that had my stomach fluttering and left me feeling warm and tingly inside. It was a great balance of drama, the swirling emotions of a teenager and the sensitive topic of bullying. This is my first read by Kaydence and it definitely won’t be my last. I’m super excited to read Donna’s story next and the rest of the characters in the series.
ARC kindly provided in exchange for an honest review.
May 7, 2020
Oh my heart!! I’ve got a girl crush! Y’all I love Mena! This character is amazing. I can’t even imagine all this poor girl went though. Oh the tears I shed for her, but she was surviving the best way she could. By being invisible. She got stronger as the book went on in my opinion.
When Turner moved in next door I just loved how she was able to be with him, it was behind a screen but she was a fun and normal teenager with a crush and the connection between them made my heart flutter with emotion.
This book was full of hope and love, heartbreak, and some elements of acceptance. I loved Mena and Turner together. The book itself was an easy read and flowed well. I read it super quick. There were some surprising elements to it. This was my first book by Kaydence Snow but I will definitely read her again!
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May 13, 2020
I met Mena & Turner for the first time in the Bully Me: Class of 2020 anthology that came out a couple months ago. I only got to read half of the book in the anthology but I was hooked and I needed to know exactly what happened. This book had secrets, bullies and dangerous situations lurking around the corner. I think this was honestly one of the worst bully situations I’ve read and it hooked me in the prologue. I did feel that it kind of slowed down a bit for the first few chapters but it picked up big time and kept me glued for the rest of the book.
Mena meets Turner when he moves in next door to her and they hit it off right away, not knowing that the two of them have more in common than they realize. Keeping their relationship a secret from the people at her school is the only way that Mena thinks she can keep her bullies away & her ability to keep the guy she’s quickly falling for. Torn between whether he would stand up for her/with her and worried he would just toss her aside for popularity is what puts these two in the dark but what keeps them there is Turner’s secrets! When things get more dangerous everyone is pushed to make decisions.
Mena’s cousins and friends are definitely my favorite characters in this story. These girls are the type of girls I love reading about: strong, determined and fierce...loyal to a fault. I loved them! I really enjoyed Like You Care but there were times when I was saddened by Mena’s character...sad because I feel like she could have put a stop to the bullying long ago. At the same time, I also try to remember that she represents the population of people who are genuinely scared to stand up for themselves. Whether it’s because of pure fear or they already have tried and it never amounted to anything. I love the girl that Mena grows into and I truly love how Turner helps motivate her.
That prologue and the jokes that Mena & Turner toss around right off the bat combined with how quickly they clicked is what hooked me. The secrets & danger is what kept me!
Mena meets Turner when he moves in next door to her and they hit it off right away, not knowing that the two of them have more in common than they realize. Keeping their relationship a secret from the people at her school is the only way that Mena thinks she can keep her bullies away & her ability to keep the guy she’s quickly falling for. Torn between whether he would stand up for her/with her and worried he would just toss her aside for popularity is what puts these two in the dark but what keeps them there is Turner’s secrets! When things get more dangerous everyone is pushed to make decisions.
Mena’s cousins and friends are definitely my favorite characters in this story. These girls are the type of girls I love reading about: strong, determined and fierce...loyal to a fault. I loved them! I really enjoyed Like You Care but there were times when I was saddened by Mena’s character...sad because I feel like she could have put a stop to the bullying long ago. At the same time, I also try to remember that she represents the population of people who are genuinely scared to stand up for themselves. Whether it’s because of pure fear or they already have tried and it never amounted to anything. I love the girl that Mena grows into and I truly love how Turner helps motivate her.
That prologue and the jokes that Mena & Turner toss around right off the bat combined with how quickly they clicked is what hooked me. The secrets & danger is what kept me!
December 11, 2020
Like You Care by Kaydence Snow was an amazing YA romance! Philomena, aka Mena, is a shy high schooler who has been bullied all her life because of a port wine stain birthmark on her face. Right before the start of her senior year of high school, she meets and starts talking to her new neighbor, Turner, behind a screen that separates them on their balconies. Turner and Mena have a great connection and she really likes him, but is worried about what he'll think if he sees the real her. As school begins, she is heartbroken to discover Turner begin to make friends with her tormentors. Will their relationship last once Turner sees all of Mena? I thought this was a great romance. Turner and Mena had a great connection and great interactions together. Mena's parents felt really absent until the very end of the book. Her aunt and cousins played a much bigger role in the story. There was a bit of suspense, what with Turner's reason for moving to town, which was a surprise, but added a little something to the story. The ending was quite sudden and felt incomplete to me. The whole issue surrounding Turner just seemed to disappear, and Mena's mom seemed to just kind of disappear in that bigger issue as well. Overall, however, the romance between Turner and Mena was adorable. I loved seeing Mena grow as a person, and there were a lot of great girl-power scenes. I'm excited for the next book in this series!
June 3, 2021
Mena is a high school senior. She has a birth mark on her face and she's been terribly bullied since the start of high school, but she hasn't told no one, nor her parents nor her cousins—the only friends she has. Until one day, a new neighbour appears, Turner, and the two start to talk on their balconies without meeting in person. But it doesn't take long for Turner to find out who Mena really is, and he needs to make a decision. Will it stand by the side of her friends, the bullies, or by the side of the girl he has fallen for?
This book turned me into an emotional mess. After reading about the bullying and abuse that Mena suffered, few tears came down. She's such a strong woman despite everything, and I wish we could see more of her. Although there was romance in the book, I didn't feel like Turner was a main part in the book. Yes, Mena falls for him and he helps to come clean about what is happening, but I felt like the relationship with her cousins and her family was more important and impactful than the one she had with Turner. Moreover, I felt like Turner's story, about his mother and sister, was thrown out of nowhere.
This book turned me into an emotional mess. After reading about the bullying and abuse that Mena suffered, few tears came down. She's such a strong woman despite everything, and I wish we could see more of her. Although there was romance in the book, I didn't feel like Turner was a main part in the book. Yes, Mena falls for him and he helps to come clean about what is happening, but I felt like the relationship with her cousins and her family was more important and impactful than the one she had with Turner. Moreover, I felt like Turner's story, about his mother and sister, was thrown out of nowhere.
May 6, 2020
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Like You Care is the first book of the Devilbend Dynasty, and it's set in high school. I would consider it YA, but a mature YA, since the main protagonist Mena is a teenager but she's very mature for her age.
She has issues with herself and how others perceive her, but she tries to be positive despite everything. At first you don't know what is burdening her and you just understand that she's about to start school again and she dreads it. She just wants to be have a real friend, and she's sort of given the occasion to do so when she starts to speak with her neighbor. She doesn't know who is the guy with the sweet voice that lives next to her and with whom she's able to laugh and have a sincere chat without the risk of being laughed at. But when she finds out who the guy is, Mena's world comes crumbling down yet again. What would happen if Turner finds out who she is?
Mena was a complex character and she had to endure a lot. Her recollection of what she had to suffer at the hands of her tormentors broke me apart because I could feel her pain. In this book the bully isn't the main male character, Turner, but other people. You are reading what happens to Mena and you just want to get in the book and punch them, humiliate them. But Mena doesn't try to do any of these things. She's resilient, until she can't anymore, because everyone is bound to break at some point. The narration of Mena's difficulties and people she had to deal with at her school, especially her bullies, was so heartbreaking but it didn't make me stop my reading to take a breather. On the other hand, it made me continue because I wanted to know what would happen next. Would they finally pay? You need to read to find out.
Besides the suffering caused by the arrogant bullies who tested my patience and self-control, Mena's love interest, Turner, was a surprise. The blurb also says it. Mena knows Turner when they can't see each other on their balconies but he acts differently than when he is at school. Who is the true Turner? This was interesting to find out as well because his characters had various layers and it wasn't easy to read.
The author was new to me, and I can't wait to read the next book of this series because I'm sure it would make me feel a lot of feelings like I did when I read this one.
April 24, 2020
3.5⭐️
This was my first ARC from the author. I've also never read anything from her before so I didn't know what to expect. All I know was that I was excited because it's a bully, mature YA romance.
This is probably just me but... I don't know, it was such a slow burn and didn't pick up until the middle. I didn't like the heroine because I felt like she was being weak on purpose. What happened to her happened because she hadn't really been persistent in telling anybody herself, and although I'm not one to judge because I've never been in her shoes, as a reader I wanted her to really assert herself and not hide. I was practically drained going three quarters in the book... I mean sure in the end it all worked out but still, she was avoiding her bullies for most of the book. Although surviving what she'd been through was, I guess, already courageous enough.
Like I said, it's probably just me. Maybe my next read won't be as draining as this one had me, I'm sorry.
This was my first ARC from the author. I've also never read anything from her before so I didn't know what to expect. All I know was that I was excited because it's a bully, mature YA romance.
This is probably just me but... I don't know, it was such a slow burn and didn't pick up until the middle. I didn't like the heroine because I felt like she was being weak on purpose. What happened to her happened because she hadn't really been persistent in telling anybody herself, and although I'm not one to judge because I've never been in her shoes, as a reader I wanted her to really assert herself and not hide. I was practically drained going three quarters in the book... I mean sure in the end it all worked out but still, she was avoiding her bullies for most of the book. Although surviving what she'd been through was, I guess, already courageous enough.
Like I said, it's probably just me. Maybe my next read won't be as draining as this one had me, I'm sorry.
April 18, 2020
Like You Care by Kaydence Snow is the first book in the Devilbend Dynasty series, and it has been perfectly named.
The emotion from the prologue is so gripping that I already felt heartbroken for what was possibly coming in this story. The emotions (good and bad) just keep building throughout this story, which eventually lead to teary eyes for me.
Mena’s character is well written, as are the other characters in the story and key parts they each play. Mena’s experiences of bullying whilst also being a normal teenager, and one who can remain an overall nice person, with magnificent strength is great to read in this genre. I think this also allows the reader to experience a deeper connection with the MC.
The building relationship between Mena and Turner is perfectly expressed as a first love with all the feels, intensity and secrets...if only Mena could hide who she really is forever. But Mena’s isn’t the only secret in this story, and that makes it all so much more intriguing.
If you love bully/dark contemporary romances in an academy/school setting, then Like You Care is one you’ll want to pick up immediately.
The emotion from the prologue is so gripping that I already felt heartbroken for what was possibly coming in this story. The emotions (good and bad) just keep building throughout this story, which eventually lead to teary eyes for me.
Mena’s character is well written, as are the other characters in the story and key parts they each play. Mena’s experiences of bullying whilst also being a normal teenager, and one who can remain an overall nice person, with magnificent strength is great to read in this genre. I think this also allows the reader to experience a deeper connection with the MC.
The building relationship between Mena and Turner is perfectly expressed as a first love with all the feels, intensity and secrets...if only Mena could hide who she really is forever. But Mena’s isn’t the only secret in this story, and that makes it all so much more intriguing.
If you love bully/dark contemporary romances in an academy/school setting, then Like You Care is one you’ll want to pick up immediately.
May 4, 2020
I first read Like You Care as part of the Bully Me charity anthology, and I was hooked on Turner and Mena's sweet romance. So I was anxious to jump into the full novel and see what happens where the novella left off!
From opposite sides of their apartment balcony, these two high school seniors got to know one another in the purest of ways: by talking. Mena is definitely at an advantage as she's figured out who Turner is amongst her high school classmates -- but he is clueless that the girl next door is actually Phil/Philamena, the girl with the birthmark on her face who is the target of the cool kids' bullying at school.
When Mena's hand is forced by the mean girls and Turner figures out who she actually is, my heart broke for her. I was glad to see her stand up for herself and rip into Turner for standing by silently. And when the bullying reaches an awful, horrible climax, Turner redeems himself by being Mena's white knight coming to her rescue. (Seriously, teenage girls suck.)
There's an interesting subplot with Turner's family going on, and I'm curious to see if that will continue to play out in the rest of this series -- hopefully his little sister gets a book of her own because I'd love to see how the trauma she went through impacts her relationships moving forward. I wouldn't classify this as a bully romance since Turner isn't one of the bullies himself -- but he does stand by silently as the popular kids torment Mena before he knows who she is. But once he becomes her savior, he really goes above and beyond to let Mena know that she's beautiful with or without the makeup she wears to cover the birthmark marring her face. And through the love of the hot new guy and the support of her cousins, Mena gains an inner strength and confidence that she so desperately needed.
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
From opposite sides of their apartment balcony, these two high school seniors got to know one another in the purest of ways: by talking. Mena is definitely at an advantage as she's figured out who Turner is amongst her high school classmates -- but he is clueless that the girl next door is actually Phil/Philamena, the girl with the birthmark on her face who is the target of the cool kids' bullying at school.
When Mena's hand is forced by the mean girls and Turner figures out who she actually is, my heart broke for her. I was glad to see her stand up for herself and rip into Turner for standing by silently. And when the bullying reaches an awful, horrible climax, Turner redeems himself by being Mena's white knight coming to her rescue. (Seriously, teenage girls suck.)
There's an interesting subplot with Turner's family going on, and I'm curious to see if that will continue to play out in the rest of this series -- hopefully his little sister gets a book of her own because I'd love to see how the trauma she went through impacts her relationships moving forward. I wouldn't classify this as a bully romance since Turner isn't one of the bullies himself -- but he does stand by silently as the popular kids torment Mena before he knows who she is. But once he becomes her savior, he really goes above and beyond to let Mena know that she's beautiful with or without the makeup she wears to cover the birthmark marring her face. And through the love of the hot new guy and the support of her cousins, Mena gains an inner strength and confidence that she so desperately needed.
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
July 17, 2020
Pages: 203
My rating: 3.5
Read other books by this author in the future: yes
MC: Mena, Turner
When I started reading this book, I was into it. I thought it was ridiculous that Mena was bullied because a birth mark in her face. But the worst of bullying were the people telling her to kill herself for her birth mark of course on sozial media and not to the face.
Luckily she had two cousins and a friend in her corner, when she could not tell her parents to help her, because they were so stressed out to make a living.
I liked that Turner had a set of secrets of his own and he was not the rich guy to save Mena, but a poor guy too. He had to deal with his family history which made his live rough. I enjoyed reading this story but it was not good as her other books, so I will rate it 3.5 stars and give 3 stars here.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 16, 2020
Kaydence Snow missed the mark with this one.
» pacing: too rushed; you don’t get to know the characters well enough to care about them
» plot was just dumb
» if someone you’re interested in is a bystander for bullying, they gotta go: this includes the H & the h’s cousins
I’m really disappointed that someone like KS, who’s written some awesome stories, wrote this mess.
» pacing: too rushed; you don’t get to know the characters well enough to care about them
» plot was just dumb
» if someone you’re interested in is a bystander for bullying, they gotta go: this includes the H & the h’s cousins
I’m really disappointed that someone like KS, who’s written some awesome stories, wrote this mess.
May 7, 2020
5 EMOTIONAL TOUGH STARS!! The feels in this high school bully book was off the charts. Mena and Turner's story starts in a beautiful way, it was perfect and new to me. Their story is full of secrets with some mystery and will have you turning pages quickly. I read this book in one sitting. Looking for high school bully book look no further.
May 1, 2020
Like You Care is by a new to me author so I wasn't exactly sure what kind of story I would be reading.
It's a bully romance but it's different from all the other bully romances I've read to date.
It's brutal at times. For every step Mena takes forward, there is someone to push her three steps back.
Then there is the other storyline that I wish would have been drug out a little more because it was suspenseful and nail biting.
This book intrigued me and I can't wait to see what direction the author takes next with this series.
It's a bully romance but it's different from all the other bully romances I've read to date.
It's brutal at times. For every step Mena takes forward, there is someone to push her three steps back.
Then there is the other storyline that I wish would have been drug out a little more because it was suspenseful and nail biting.
This book intrigued me and I can't wait to see what direction the author takes next with this series.
September 17, 2021
DNF
Did not Finish
The jist of the story is that Mena gets bullied badly by everyone at school because of a large birthmark on her face. A family moves in next door and after talking to the guy on the balcony in the dark, she ends up kissing him and they decide to date even though he doesn’t know what she looks like at all. She’s terrified to show him what she looks like. They have a random hook up session where they declare themselves an official couple even though he doesn’t know what she looks like and that she gets bullied badly in school. And this is where I stopped reading.
The plot has some serious holes and you struggle to get a full hold of the characters and what everyone’s roles are. It feels like the author tries to shove too much into the story while at the same time not giving enough detail for everything to flow well.
Did not Finish
The jist of the story is that Mena gets bullied badly by everyone at school because of a large birthmark on her face. A family moves in next door and after talking to the guy on the balcony in the dark, she ends up kissing him and they decide to date even though he doesn’t know what she looks like at all. She’s terrified to show him what she looks like. They have a random hook up session where they declare themselves an official couple even though he doesn’t know what she looks like and that she gets bullied badly in school. And this is where I stopped reading.
The plot has some serious holes and you struggle to get a full hold of the characters and what everyone’s roles are. It feels like the author tries to shove too much into the story while at the same time not giving enough detail for everything to flow well.
May 3, 2020
3.5
My first book by Kaydence Snow and certainly not last.
All those who know me, would tell you that I'm a sucker for bully romances. I love angst and tension, and I feel like I get so much of that in this genre.
Like You Care is a bully romance. Mena has been bullied since forever. She has been bullied for so long, that it even doesn't faze her no more, which is so sad.
The only light in her life is doing her make up. She does like a pro and it's her gulity pleasure. Up until she gets a new neighbour. A boy of her own age. They can't see each other while talking on a balcony, but they live for those talks now.
This is an eye-opening tale of a person being bullied, and how easy it is for us to put a stop to it, if only we will it.
My first book by Kaydence Snow and certainly not last.
All those who know me, would tell you that I'm a sucker for bully romances. I love angst and tension, and I feel like I get so much of that in this genre.
Like You Care is a bully romance. Mena has been bullied since forever. She has been bullied for so long, that it even doesn't faze her no more, which is so sad.
The only light in her life is doing her make up. She does like a pro and it's her gulity pleasure. Up until she gets a new neighbour. A boy of her own age. They can't see each other while talking on a balcony, but they live for those talks now.
This is an eye-opening tale of a person being bullied, and how easy it is for us to put a stop to it, if only we will it.
August 27, 2020
if you have come here for bully romance then note that the hero isn't the bully he doesn't bully the heroine.
May 11, 2020
Amazon
Mena (Philomena) is tormented daily by the more than mean girls and guys at her school, all because she has one birthmark on her face, and because she's not from the rich side of town. But this is not the kind of bullying you may be used to hearing about, it's much, much worse, and poor Mena faces it all alone. She knows she can't tell her parents because it would necessitate them leaving their jobs that keep the rent barely paid and food barely on the table, to come to the school and talk with the officials about it. She's tried telling teachers, but they don't care, don't do anything to stop it. So she goes to school every day and tries to make herself as invisible as possible so her tormentors might not see her and degrade her. Then she hears a deep voice from her new neighbor while hanging out on her balcony. They can't see each other, but they can talk. And talk they do, and flirt, and somehow become something. Will the relationship last once he sees her? Will it make it if she tells Turner who she is?
My God, now this, this is how you do a bully romance. It's tense and edgy and angsty, and the twisty part makes it even more addicting reading. I absolutely loved this story. Mena is just...God, I felt for this girl as she fought her loneliness and her pain, and how she grew in her own skin as she realized there were people who had her back, who loved her unconditionally. And Turner, I wanted to hug him when he told Mena his story. I admit I shed a few tears over these two. And I loved every second of their emotional, painful journey. I hope there are many, many more characters to get their own stories because all of Mena's crew are as awesome as she is and deserve their stories to be told, too.
ARC via Wildfire Marketing Solutions for an honest review.
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May 9, 2020
“He was the best thing that had happened to me in a long time. But was he who I thought he was? Or was I so desperate for human interaction that I was seeing something that wasn’t there?”
This is yet another one that I found through reading the Bully Me anthology.....if I ever need a reminder why these kinds of collections are worth it, all I need to do is look back at my last week of reading. This was the only included in BM that introduced me to an author I had never heard of before and it ended up being my favorite (well tied) of the anthology. It was the only one that I could not get out of my head after finishing the teaser, I thought about this for an unhealthy amount of time after.....
As I said in my BM review, I could FEEL the connection between Turner & Mena. I had a deep connection and an unwavering protectiveness when it came to Mena because of how she is bullied over something she cannot control or change. And it was clear that Turner was not at all like those he hung out with......I had a gut feeling there was a specific reason he was involved with that group, I couldn’t wait to see if my theories proved true. I thought I was prepared for a one of a kind type of read that would truly take me through the emotional ringer....but this book gave me so much more than an emotional read. This is the kind of book that breaks your heart but also gives you hope in humanity, featuring characters that are fiercely loyal & protective. It’s a great authentic romance sure, but it is also a story about true friendship and family bonds. I didn’t want to say goodbye to any of these characters and thankfully I don’t have to!
Overall Plot/Story: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot Pace: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Turner: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Mena: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Steamy Meter: 🔥🔥
Book Facts:
Told in: Mena’s POV, all present day.
About: This high school bully romance is the first interconnected stand-alone in the Devilbend Dynasty series. Mena has always been bullied for her birthmark, unable to wear makeup or try to conceal it without being bullied even more. So when a new guy moves into the apartment next door, she is able to develop a relationship with him through the divider between their balconies. The more they get to know each other, the more her feelings deepen. But what happens when the guy she’s fallen for becomes part of the very group that has made her life miserable? Is he just another popular bully, or is Turner hiding his own truths?
Safe Read? Yes, although it does contain some awful bullying that does result in violence towards our heroine (not by Turner).
Ends in: HFN-ending for couple, with Donna’s story coming next.
My Thoughts:
Not only was this book a true page turner, but it gave me everything I crave when it comes to an emotional read. I don’t have anything to add to my dislikes portion, but plenty of positives so......
What I loved.....
Mena: This is one strong heroine. I was so protective over this character bc she is bullied like you wouldn’t believe over something she was born with. What absolutely broke me is how she suffers with it all by herself, never wanting to burden anyone else with all she’s going through. Some might see her as weak bc she just “puts up with it”, but I found it more realistic and refreshing to see the truer representation of bullying. Despite everything, she is still determined to push through and be happy. And she gave me one of the funniest quotes of the book...
I’d never given anyone a blow job—I wasn’t sure I was ready for that—and getting on my knees and licking that general area was sure to lead to a dick in my mouth.
I truly LOVED her.
Turner: I was so nervous about him, I couldn’t take him being an awful dude. He didn’t let me down, he is truly a good guy trapped in a situation that requires him to sacrifice certain “values” to accomplish what he set out to do. It’s so rare that a bully romance doesn’t include bullying from the main guy, in fact he is never ashamed of her (and he shouldn’t be).....
“You know none of that shit is true, right?” His ocean-calm voice was serious. “I’d tell them all I was yours if you’d let me.”
He doesn’t always make the right choices, but he does when it matters and I LOVED him as well.
Support Characters: This is where this book truly shined even brighter. Never in my life did I think I would see the day where the rich “entitled” prep school kids would be the good guys. I mean I knew early on how fiercely loyal Donna, Harlow, & Amaya were towards Mena.....
“Fuck any asshole that isn’t there for you no matter what. Ride or die. He didn’t ride tonight. So, he should just die. Like, figuratively. In your heart . . . but also maybe literally.”
.....but how these guys came through to produce my favorite scene in the entire book (the school parking lot scene)...
“Mobilized the . . . guys, this isn’t a war.” “Life is war. And I refuse to lose a single battle.”
I haven’t been so pumped up in a moment like this in a while.
Twists/Bombs: I loved that most of my theories weren’t right BUT that only meant that what actually goes down is better and more interesting than what I came up with. It’s truly something I didn’t expect BUT something that made sense to the story. It’s uncommon for me to not see the twist before it comes....but Snow definitely got me with hers.
Their Connection: It might feel like things go to insta-love in a snap, but if you truly pay attention to how they build their connection/relationship based almost solely on the emotional connection over the physical, it’s more authentic & believable than some others I’ve read. It was a definite kind of romance than I am used to, one that started on a deeper level and had no basis on physical appearance. Of course these two are physically attracted to each other as well, but that comes later and I loved that.
The Verdict:
This may have been my first book by Snow BUT it definitely isn’t going to be my last. In fact, I preordered the next installment as soon as I finished Turner & Mena’s story.....needing any and everything she could give me from this “world”. This isn’t your typical bully romance, Like You Care featured two truly good characters who have a story that shouldn’t be skipped over. I absolutely loved it, and I think others will too!
“Because you mean everything to me. The world is a shitty place, but you make me happy. I love you.”
This is yet another one that I found through reading the Bully Me anthology.....if I ever need a reminder why these kinds of collections are worth it, all I need to do is look back at my last week of reading. This was the only included in BM that introduced me to an author I had never heard of before and it ended up being my favorite (well tied) of the anthology. It was the only one that I could not get out of my head after finishing the teaser, I thought about this for an unhealthy amount of time after.....
As I said in my BM review, I could FEEL the connection between Turner & Mena. I had a deep connection and an unwavering protectiveness when it came to Mena because of how she is bullied over something she cannot control or change. And it was clear that Turner was not at all like those he hung out with......I had a gut feeling there was a specific reason he was involved with that group, I couldn’t wait to see if my theories proved true. I thought I was prepared for a one of a kind type of read that would truly take me through the emotional ringer....but this book gave me so much more than an emotional read. This is the kind of book that breaks your heart but also gives you hope in humanity, featuring characters that are fiercely loyal & protective. It’s a great authentic romance sure, but it is also a story about true friendship and family bonds. I didn’t want to say goodbye to any of these characters and thankfully I don’t have to!
Overall Plot/Story: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot Pace: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Turner: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Mena: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Steamy Meter: 🔥🔥
Book Facts:
Told in: Mena’s POV, all present day.
About: This high school bully romance is the first interconnected stand-alone in the Devilbend Dynasty series. Mena has always been bullied for her birthmark, unable to wear makeup or try to conceal it without being bullied even more. So when a new guy moves into the apartment next door, she is able to develop a relationship with him through the divider between their balconies. The more they get to know each other, the more her feelings deepen. But what happens when the guy she’s fallen for becomes part of the very group that has made her life miserable? Is he just another popular bully, or is Turner hiding his own truths?
Safe Read? Yes, although it does contain some awful bullying that does result in violence towards our heroine (not by Turner).
Ends in: HFN-ending for couple, with Donna’s story coming next.
My Thoughts:
Not only was this book a true page turner, but it gave me everything I crave when it comes to an emotional read. I don’t have anything to add to my dislikes portion, but plenty of positives so......
What I loved.....
Mena: This is one strong heroine. I was so protective over this character bc she is bullied like you wouldn’t believe over something she was born with. What absolutely broke me is how she suffers with it all by herself, never wanting to burden anyone else with all she’s going through. Some might see her as weak bc she just “puts up with it”, but I found it more realistic and refreshing to see the truer representation of bullying. Despite everything, she is still determined to push through and be happy. And she gave me one of the funniest quotes of the book...
I’d never given anyone a blow job—I wasn’t sure I was ready for that—and getting on my knees and licking that general area was sure to lead to a dick in my mouth.
I truly LOVED her.
Turner: I was so nervous about him, I couldn’t take him being an awful dude. He didn’t let me down, he is truly a good guy trapped in a situation that requires him to sacrifice certain “values” to accomplish what he set out to do. It’s so rare that a bully romance doesn’t include bullying from the main guy, in fact he is never ashamed of her (and he shouldn’t be).....
“You know none of that shit is true, right?” His ocean-calm voice was serious. “I’d tell them all I was yours if you’d let me.”
He doesn’t always make the right choices, but he does when it matters and I LOVED him as well.
Support Characters: This is where this book truly shined even brighter. Never in my life did I think I would see the day where the rich “entitled” prep school kids would be the good guys. I mean I knew early on how fiercely loyal Donna, Harlow, & Amaya were towards Mena.....
“Fuck any asshole that isn’t there for you no matter what. Ride or die. He didn’t ride tonight. So, he should just die. Like, figuratively. In your heart . . . but also maybe literally.”
.....but how these guys came through to produce my favorite scene in the entire book (the school parking lot scene)...
“Mobilized the . . . guys, this isn’t a war.” “Life is war. And I refuse to lose a single battle.”
I haven’t been so pumped up in a moment like this in a while.
Twists/Bombs: I loved that most of my theories weren’t right BUT that only meant that what actually goes down is better and more interesting than what I came up with. It’s truly something I didn’t expect BUT something that made sense to the story. It’s uncommon for me to not see the twist before it comes....but Snow definitely got me with hers.
Their Connection: It might feel like things go to insta-love in a snap, but if you truly pay attention to how they build their connection/relationship based almost solely on the emotional connection over the physical, it’s more authentic & believable than some others I’ve read. It was a definite kind of romance than I am used to, one that started on a deeper level and had no basis on physical appearance. Of course these two are physically attracted to each other as well, but that comes later and I loved that.
The Verdict:
This may have been my first book by Snow BUT it definitely isn’t going to be my last. In fact, I preordered the next installment as soon as I finished Turner & Mena’s story.....needing any and everything she could give me from this “world”. This isn’t your typical bully romance, Like You Care featured two truly good characters who have a story that shouldn’t be skipped over. I absolutely loved it, and I think others will too!
“Because you mean everything to me. The world is a shitty place, but you make me happy. I love you.”
March 2, 2021
ALL MY REVIEWS CAN BE FOUND ON MY BLOG: ABSTRACT BOOKS
Star Rating : 4/5 Stars
POV : Dual
Cliffhanger : None
Hero : Tucker
Heroine : Mena
Pace of the story : Moderate
Angst Rating : 6/10
Heat Rating : 5/10
Triggers Involved : Bullying
Plot Summary :
Mena does not have a peaceful life in her high school. Being the victim of so much bullying , it's starting to break her. She is strong enough to not let these people decide her life and destroy her but slowly their poison is making way in her mind.
Tucker is the new boy at school. He was sweet and hot and everything was perfect. For Mena , he was the overall guy and the one she did not deserve. The one whom she could not show her true face. Because if he gave up on her like everyone else , it might just break her for the final and last time.
Overall Opinion :
I still remember the time when I read this book in Anthology! I was so hooked. The way the author has spun this tale of Bullying and heartache all the while giving us the perfect Ending , pretty much made this book a perfect package for me! Mena and Tucker were perfect for each other.
I loved the way he always supported her and the way he always gave her everything he had. She didn't know it but she needed exactly someone like him to make her life complete. Their story was full of heartbreak and so much love keeping me hooked from the start to the very end! Highly recommended!
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