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Truly
The summer after senior year was supposed to be the best summer of my life. It was supposed to be full of adventure and self-discovery and making love under the stars. It was supposed to be about losing myself and finding my way. Only, it wasn’t supposed to start like this. I wasn’t supposed to go to that party. He wasn’t supposed to notice me. The hot jock with the trust fund and chip on his shoulder. My ex-boyfriend’s half-brother. Noah Tedesco is so far out of my league he might as well be playing a different game. Noah wasn’t supposed to look twice at a girl like me, but he did. Now that I’m on his radar, my life will never be the same. Truly is a dark, coming of age romance that explores themes like NON-CON DUB-CON, and happily ever after.
313 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 11, 2020
About the author
Carmel Rhodes
13 books977 followersWriter of words. Mother of Joy. Wife of Compassion. I like to write stories about real people who go through real struggles, and come out the other side stronger. I also like to write smut. Welcome to my brain. It’s a little screwed up, but always well intended.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 947 reviews
July 7, 2020
4.5 stars. Review to come....
June 6, 2020
MY REVIEW AND OTHERS: can also be found on my blog:
➽ KITTY KATS CRAZY ABOUT BOOKS
'TRULY' is a dark, full length coming of age bully romance book by new to me author 'Carmel Rhodes.'Ok I'm going to be brutally honest here, this book will not be for everyone, that's a fact, the hero does some questionable deplorable unforgivable acts which sent more than a few red flags (more like bombs) popping up all over the show. Please heed that warning..It's right up in your grill, there's no escaping it. He's going to push and pull you out of your comfort zones!! And yes you will end up despising him!! Not many people will even get through the first few chapters without feeling enraged with him!! I felt all those things!! So the question is, are you ready for him?
But if your like me who love their alpha's with a crooked tarnished crown, with asshole psycho tendencies then seriously you need not look any further than this book. This guy takes the cake!! He's pretty much obliterated all other a-holes and left them in his dust without so much as an apology!!
Now as for our heroine she definitely wasn't ready for the big bad wolf!! He ate her up alive!! She was untarnished, pure, gullible, and really when she needed a back bone it never came, she reverted to playing games which pretty much had me wanting to throw my ipad at the wall. And that ladies is where the angst flew into my bloodstream. At that stage I was done, they deserved each other. What they had was toxic, but at the end of the day it's these types of books which feed all my angsty needs. I hate to love these types of books!!
I flip flopped around with this book so much, like so much, that it did my head in!! I hated him, I liked her, I hated her, I liked him, until I thought oh for fucks sake it's not real life and threw myself at the mercy of the author and fell in love with everything she threw at me. For me I don't need pretty words and unicorns farting glitter, I seek out those nasty boys we can't connect with, and the girls that are too weak to walk away.
* Teaser used is off the authors facebook page *
June 5, 2020
Dnf at 50%
( arc review)
I was so excited to read this book cuz the blurb was interesting, so i signed up for the arc and when i started to read i didnt see any romance. This is not a “dark romance” its falling in love with your “almost rapist”. There are so many things that bothered me and i couldnt continue, the hero and heroine but are fuck ups. The story is about a girl named Truly whose boyfriend breaks up with her on the day of their graduation, she is heartbroken but her friend Becca takes her to a party hosted by Devin ( who is Truly’s ex boyfriend ( the one who broke up with her)’s younger brother Noah. Now, Becca, i hate her, she is the worst friend of the whole century. At the party Noah who is our hero gets drunk and forces Truly to suck his dick and eats her out while she was begging him to stop. He then threatens her not to tell anyone and vows to take her virginity. A few days later, Truly is traumatised and scared of Noah but the day before she and Becca were supposed to go on a road trip, Noah shows up and she LETS him eat her out again, cuddles with him and watched netflix. Yes, and then she starts to develop feelings for Noah who sexually assaulted her and after that kept scaring, threatening and forcing her to talk to him.
Then Becca who was supposed to be Truly’s bestfriend lets her boyfriend Ethan and Noah tag along on their roadtrip without informing Truly. And it was supposed to be only girls trip. When Truly finds out that Noah is gonna go with them she says nothing, and during their trip Noah keeps using her body, touches her whenever he wants even when she says NO and she develops feelings for him. She brings up the topic of him assaulting her but he says TO FORGET IT! WTF! Whenever he gets pissed by her behaviour ( she tries to say no, stop him, feels insecure, ) she first tries to be sassy but at the end of the day, she blames herself for pissing him off and lets him fuck her. 😶😶😶 Truly is weak, pathetic and desperate. She is no where near sassy or strong. She dresses up to make Noah jealous and even impress him. Like wtf dude, that guy literally forced u to do things u didnt want to do. And during their relationship, Truly is scared of Noah cuz his mood keeps changing. Once he is nice and then he is being the guy who forced her, he keeps threatening her. Their relationship is toxic as fuck. Its not dark romance, and Noah is not the hero, he is a guy who tried to rape a girl. And Truly falling in love with him and his wildness disgusts me.
Becca on the other hand keeps defending Noah, even tho he behaves like a jerk with Truly infront of everyone. Becca says Noah is obsessed with Truly and he is right for her and i am like 😟😟😟😟. Literally everyone in this book behaves like 11- 13 yr old horny teenagers who are newly in a relationships. Seriously they are so immature, so disgusting, and stupid af. And Noah keeps using Truly’s body to stop her from hating or saying no. 🚫🚫🚫
( arc review)
I was so excited to read this book cuz the blurb was interesting, so i signed up for the arc and when i started to read i didnt see any romance. This is not a “dark romance” its falling in love with your “almost rapist”. There are so many things that bothered me and i couldnt continue, the hero and heroine but are fuck ups. The story is about a girl named Truly whose boyfriend breaks up with her on the day of their graduation, she is heartbroken but her friend Becca takes her to a party hosted by Devin ( who is Truly’s ex boyfriend ( the one who broke up with her)’s younger brother Noah. Now, Becca, i hate her, she is the worst friend of the whole century. At the party Noah who is our hero gets drunk and forces Truly to suck his dick and eats her out while she was begging him to stop. He then threatens her not to tell anyone and vows to take her virginity. A few days later, Truly is traumatised and scared of Noah but the day before she and Becca were supposed to go on a road trip, Noah shows up and she LETS him eat her out again, cuddles with him and watched netflix. Yes, and then she starts to develop feelings for Noah who sexually assaulted her and after that kept scaring, threatening and forcing her to talk to him.
Then Becca who was supposed to be Truly’s bestfriend lets her boyfriend Ethan and Noah tag along on their roadtrip without informing Truly. And it was supposed to be only girls trip. When Truly finds out that Noah is gonna go with them she says nothing, and during their trip Noah keeps using her body, touches her whenever he wants even when she says NO and she develops feelings for him. She brings up the topic of him assaulting her but he says TO FORGET IT! WTF! Whenever he gets pissed by her behaviour ( she tries to say no, stop him, feels insecure, ) she first tries to be sassy but at the end of the day, she blames herself for pissing him off and lets him fuck her. 😶😶😶 Truly is weak, pathetic and desperate. She is no where near sassy or strong. She dresses up to make Noah jealous and even impress him. Like wtf dude, that guy literally forced u to do things u didnt want to do. And during their relationship, Truly is scared of Noah cuz his mood keeps changing. Once he is nice and then he is being the guy who forced her, he keeps threatening her. Their relationship is toxic as fuck. Its not dark romance, and Noah is not the hero, he is a guy who tried to rape a girl. And Truly falling in love with him and his wildness disgusts me.
Becca on the other hand keeps defending Noah, even tho he behaves like a jerk with Truly infront of everyone. Becca says Noah is obsessed with Truly and he is right for her and i am like 😟😟😟😟. Literally everyone in this book behaves like 11- 13 yr old horny teenagers who are newly in a relationships. Seriously they are so immature, so disgusting, and stupid af. And Noah keeps using Truly’s body to stop her from hating or saying no. 🚫🚫🚫
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 3, 2022
3 Run, Little One Stars ⭐
There is nothing romantic about an asshole that bullies a girl and forces their advances on them. Even though I love this author and I find her stories addictive it posed are real problem for my moral compass because I hated this trope, but I couldn't put this book down.
"I’d gone from the virginal princess, pretending to be a bad girl, to this… this person who takes pleasure in being used…being fucked hard and without mercy. This girl in the mirror with the emptiness between her legs and the war in her heart."
Truly knows loss and heartbreak intimately. Now at graduation, her boyfriend of two years breaks up with her. The one person who provided much needed comfort at a time she needed it most is gone and she's at a loss. When her best friend convinces her to attend a party, the last thing Tru needs is to grab the attention of fellow student Noah Tedesco. Because Mr Popular is just a front for what he really is...
"Noah’s rough touch doesn’t feel like the better version. His black soulless eyes aren’t romantic at all. He isn’t here to bring me hearts and flowers, he’s here to bring chaos and calamity"
Not only is Noah the brother of her ex, he is hiding very dark desires that are now solely focused on her. And before Tru can finally come to terms with what transpired at the party, this beautiful monster with rapey tendencies has inserted himself into her life and has hijacked her after graduation road trip. The perfect 3 weeks to convince her that she is his.
"The world melts away, and it’s just him and me alone in our own little bubble. Things don’t fit neatly into boxes, but that’s okay, because life is messy, and people are not all good or all bad or all brave or all naive."
There are many questionable issues with this relationship and the dub con is just the beginning. I get that Noah spent the majority of the book trying to redeem himself in his fucked up kind of way, but in my mind it was never quite enough.
There is nothing romantic about an asshole that bullies a girl and forces their advances on them. Even though I love this author and I find her stories addictive it posed are real problem for my moral compass because I hated this trope, but I couldn't put this book down.
"I’d gone from the virginal princess, pretending to be a bad girl, to this… this person who takes pleasure in being used…being fucked hard and without mercy. This girl in the mirror with the emptiness between her legs and the war in her heart."
Truly knows loss and heartbreak intimately. Now at graduation, her boyfriend of two years breaks up with her. The one person who provided much needed comfort at a time she needed it most is gone and she's at a loss. When her best friend convinces her to attend a party, the last thing Tru needs is to grab the attention of fellow student Noah Tedesco. Because Mr Popular is just a front for what he really is...
"Noah’s rough touch doesn’t feel like the better version. His black soulless eyes aren’t romantic at all. He isn’t here to bring me hearts and flowers, he’s here to bring chaos and calamity"
Not only is Noah the brother of her ex, he is hiding very dark desires that are now solely focused on her. And before Tru can finally come to terms with what transpired at the party, this beautiful monster with rapey tendencies has inserted himself into her life and has hijacked her after graduation road trip. The perfect 3 weeks to convince her that she is his.
"The world melts away, and it’s just him and me alone in our own little bubble. Things don’t fit neatly into boxes, but that’s okay, because life is messy, and people are not all good or all bad or all brave or all naive."
There are many questionable issues with this relationship and the dub con is just the beginning. I get that Noah spent the majority of the book trying to redeem himself in his fucked up kind of way, but in my mind it was never quite enough.
September 24, 2022
This is a romance. Only its the kind that features a dark, alpha, love-interest who pushes. breaks. and defiles her limits in such a ✨devious delicious way✨ that keeps you crawling back for more.
Meetour heroine. Noah's Little One: Truly featured on this *gorgeous* cover
Overall, I enjoyed Truly. At times her nativity made me cringe especially with setting of not even being in college *wait what* that made her seem even more immature
But its a coming of age road trip. So she recognizes that she has been kinda fake and innocent and works to embrace herself and her sassy nature
"I’d gone from the virginal princess, pretending to be a bad girl, to this… this person who takes pleasure in being used…being fucked hard and without mercy. This girl in the mirror with the emptiness between her legs and the war in her heart."
And then theres our bad boi, Noah.
As if being the brother of her ex wasn't taboo enough, he's has possessive psycho tendencies all centers around ruining Truly
And Holy FUCKING hellllll. I FELL FOR HIM SOOOO HARD. Usually it takes more of a build up but the moment Noah started giving orders I was
“I see you, Truly. If my brother was stupid enough to drop you, you better fucking believe I’m going to pick you up. I will own you, every inch that belonged to him will be mine.”
This being a bully love interest genre, it features some kinky rough sex with the dark romance element being pretty intense but kinda limited to just the beginning.
Totally respect people not enjoying DUB-CON and CON-CON especially with experiences of trauma and consent which is precisely why authors work to include trigger warnings and upfront genres, so be sure to check that shit out before reading.
Besides adoring Noah's dark prince personality ENTIRELY more than I should've, I was pleasantly surprised by the writing quality itself. It was extremely engaging that managed to bring fresh new elements to a *lets be honest here* often contrived roadtrip plot
“The summer after senior year is supposed to be the best summer of my life. It’s supposed to be full of adventure, and self-discovery, and making love under the stars. It’s supposed to be about losing myself and finding my way.
Only, it isn’t supposed to happen this way”
Though I must admit I was completely thrown for a loop, and frankly confused as fuck, when Chapter Two began with,
“The Bible talks a lot about faith.”
Honestly it just felt random and thrown in for the one chapter to note really make a reappearance. The unexpected religious element also worked against the dark romance vibes that were strived for, but did work to build Truly’s character and her past with her mother.
So I guess.. you do you, boo boo.
Overall. Well-fucking-done. I wanted a dark romance and while it wasn't *quite* not as dark as I might've wanted, Truly totally fit the bill. Hot, ridiculous, and pushes the limits, this will likely be a re-read of mine. I would've preferred to have the setting be for slightly older established college kids but thats just me so I just kept picturing them at that anyways so fuck it.
Definitely recommend checking out if this your kinda genre.
Completely side note but fuck Becca. She is honestly one of the worst friends. I understand her actions were the reason we even got the fun plot but objectively, it was a shitty friend move. just sayin'...
Meet
Overall, I enjoyed Truly. At times her nativity made me cringe especially with setting of not even being in college *wait what* that made her seem even more immature
But its a coming of age road trip. So she recognizes that she has been kinda fake and innocent and works to embrace herself and her sassy nature
"I’d gone from the virginal princess, pretending to be a bad girl, to this… this person who takes pleasure in being used…being fucked hard and without mercy. This girl in the mirror with the emptiness between her legs and the war in her heart."
And then theres our bad boi, Noah.
As if being the brother of her ex wasn't taboo enough, he's has possessive psycho tendencies all centers around ruining Truly
And Holy FUCKING hellllll. I FELL FOR HIM SOOOO HARD. Usually it takes more of a build up but the moment Noah started giving orders I was
“I see you, Truly. If my brother was stupid enough to drop you, you better fucking believe I’m going to pick you up. I will own you, every inch that belonged to him will be mine.”
This being a bully love interest genre, it features some kinky rough sex with the dark romance element being pretty intense but kinda limited to just the beginning.
Totally respect people not enjoying DUB-CON and CON-CON especially with experiences of trauma and consent which is precisely why authors work to include trigger warnings and upfront genres, so be sure to check that shit out before reading.
Besides adoring Noah's dark prince personality ENTIRELY more than I should've, I was pleasantly surprised by the writing quality itself. It was extremely engaging that managed to bring fresh new elements to a *lets be honest here* often contrived roadtrip plot
“The summer after senior year is supposed to be the best summer of my life. It’s supposed to be full of adventure, and self-discovery, and making love under the stars. It’s supposed to be about losing myself and finding my way.
Only, it isn’t supposed to happen this way”
Though I must admit I was completely thrown for a loop, and frankly confused as fuck, when Chapter Two began with,
“The Bible talks a lot about faith.”
Honestly it just felt random and thrown in for the one chapter to note really make a reappearance. The unexpected religious element also worked against the dark romance vibes that were strived for, but did work to build Truly’s character and her past with her mother.
So I guess.. you do you, boo boo.
Overall. Well-fucking-done. I wanted a dark romance and while it wasn't *quite* not as dark as I might've wanted, Truly totally fit the bill. Hot, ridiculous, and pushes the limits, this will likely be a re-read of mine. I would've preferred to have the setting be for slightly older established college kids but thats just me so I just kept picturing them at that anyways so fuck it.
Definitely recommend checking out if this your kinda genre.
Completely side note but fuck Becca. She is honestly one of the worst friends. I understand her actions were the reason we even got the fun plot but objectively, it was a shitty friend move. just sayin'...
June 1, 2021
dnf @55%
no <3
no <3
June 15, 2020
4 Noah & His Little One ⭐️'s
This book in a couple of quotes :
Anyone who knows me knows I live for two things : DUB-CON & NON-CON.
Like seriously, mention one of those, sit back and watch how fast I one-click.
I obviously needed to get my hands on this as soon as I read the blurb.
While this wasn't life changing by any means, and I can even say it was somewhat cliché and very much predictable, it was still extremely enjoyable, because
➵➵ NOAH TEDESCO
➵➵ NOAH TEDESCO
➵➵ NOAH TEDESCO acting pushy, possessive, obsessed, overbearing and near rapey.
Sigh. I loved this guy. He reminded me a bit of Carter from Untouchable and Aiden from RES, but while I hated Carter (not for the non-con because that was the whole reason why I read the book, but I just didn't like him as a character, idk why), I fell as hard for Noah as I did Aiden.
I also liked the fact that the heroine was a POC, we need more of those in romanceland!!
Now, what I didn't like :
➵➵ The reason for the "big breakup". I mean, Truly got past EVERYTHING that happened and somehow, THAT seemed unforgivable ?
➵➵ I swear there was something else but I just can't remember it right now.
Anyway,if you are triggered by dub-con or non-con, then this is definitely not for you. And if you're not, this is just what the doctor ordered. 😈
PS : for my non-con lovers out there, is it just me or the non-con here didn't feel very...non-con? I mean, for a normal person it was very much non-con, but for a seasoned non-con reader such as I, I wanted more. 🙄Also, that was a lot of "non-con" in one sentence, sorry 🤣
This book in a couple of quotes :
“I hate you”
“I don’t give a fuck. The pussy is just as good when you’re pissed as it is when you’re happy.”
“Because I want to make new memories here to erase the bad ones. So, when we come back to this place with our kids in twenty years, this won’t be where Daddy nearly raped Mommy, but the place where they read together and fell in love.”
Anyone who knows me knows I live for two things : DUB-CON & NON-CON.
Like seriously, mention one of those, sit back and watch how fast I one-click.
I obviously needed to get my hands on this as soon as I read the blurb.
While this wasn't life changing by any means, and I can even say it was somewhat cliché and very much predictable, it was still extremely enjoyable, because
➵➵ NOAH TEDESCO
➵➵ NOAH TEDESCO
➵➵ NOAH TEDESCO acting pushy, possessive, obsessed, overbearing and near rapey.
“Tell anyone about this, and I will fucking kill you.”
Sigh. I loved this guy. He reminded me a bit of Carter from Untouchable and Aiden from RES, but while I hated Carter (not for the non-con because that was the whole reason why I read the book, but I just didn't like him as a character, idk why), I fell as hard for Noah as I did Aiden.
I also liked the fact that the heroine was a POC, we need more of those in romanceland!!
Now, what I didn't like :
➵➵ The reason for the "big breakup". I mean, Truly got past EVERYTHING that happened and somehow, THAT seemed unforgivable ?
➵➵ I swear there was something else but I just can't remember it right now.
Anyway,if you are triggered by dub-con or non-con, then this is definitely not for you. And if you're not, this is just what the doctor ordered. 😈
PS : for my non-con lovers out there, is it just me or the non-con here didn't feel very...non-con? I mean, for a normal person it was very much non-con, but for a seasoned non-con reader such as I, I wanted more. 🙄Also, that was a lot of "non-con" in one sentence, sorry 🤣
September 1, 2020
WTF. I've just noticed by chance that my review of this book was deleted.
WTF. And now I am too lazy to write it one more time.
That's just so disappointing. Why did it happen... 😶
WTF. And now I am too lazy to write it one more time.
That's just so disappointing. Why did it happen... 😶
February 22, 2021
Trigger warnings like a motherfucker!
This book is NOT for everyone.
If you enjoyed Untouchable by Sam Mariano, this is the perfect book for you! It gave me the same kind of vibes. It's the kind of book that makes you want to run over the hero with your car several times, and then swoon over how thoughtful he is all while contemplating your sanity and a shot of tequila!
Sound amazing? This one's for you!
This book is NOT for everyone.
If you enjoyed Untouchable by Sam Mariano, this is the perfect book for you! It gave me the same kind of vibes. It's the kind of book that makes you want to run over the hero with your car several times, and then swoon over how thoughtful he is all while contemplating your sanity and a shot of tequila!
Sound amazing? This one's for you!
March 13, 2023
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My friend Julia told me about this book and it sounded really amazing. I have to say, I'm a sucker for tender, possessive dudes with a slight psychotic streak and some of the lines she shared as quotes in her review made me swoon. Also, I loved that it's a dark romance with a Black heroine written by a Black author. There aren't a lot of diverse dark romances out there, although that seems to be changing, and I am glad. Fucked-up stories for everyone, of all creeds! That's my motto.
Noah is the brother of Truly's ex, and there's bad blood there that goes beyond the breakup. I feel like this book really plays with family dynamics in a way that a lot of dark romances don't. Truly goes on the road trip, for example, because it's the same one that her mom took with her aunt when she was a teen. We also get to see little excerpts from Truly's mom's journal and I really hope the author decides to write a prequel about that, because I think it would be so much fun to read a book about Truly's mom falling in love with Truly's dad. I also felt like Truly was a bit more dynamic as a heroine. She's selfish and imperfect and flawed. The grovel at the end was also pretty good and I wish it had ended there, instead of with the epilogue. Also, she does photography as a hobby and we actually see her doing that and documenting her journey, which I appreciated. Often we're told that heroines have hobbies but we never see them in action.
That said, even though I mostly liked this book, there were some things that really rubbed me the wrong way. I hated that Truly fell in love with Noah so quickly and that she never told Becca that he tried to rape her. This bites her in the ass later when she finds out that Becca invited boys on what should have been their girls-only trip. Now, that is Truly's decision to confide and she is in no way to blame for what happened to her, and Becca was wrong to ruin their plans without okaying it with Truly first, but it felt like this oversight was just a big loophole to force the guys on the trip. Given the relationship that the two girls had, it felt weird that Truly wouldn't tell Becca what happened. I also wasn't a fan of the nickname "Little One" (what is he, a vampire?) or some of the sex scenes. The rough sex was fine but it didn't always feel like the heroine was into it, or that Noah wasn't using it as a way to take out his frustrations on the heroine to punish her. Calling her butthole her "forbidden entrance" in reference to anal sex also made me cringe, and the slight breeding vibes to this book (multiple references to wanting to put a baby in Truly) made my ovaries shrivel up like sand. These are college students, right?
The beginning was four stars and the ending was two stars (for me), so I think I'd round this out to a three. Loved the road trip angle and how this felt like an aged-up version of one of those indie films from the aughts, like Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist or Charlie Bartlett. If she'd played up Truly's ambivalence about Noah a little more and made him work harder to get with her, I think I would have liked this more. But considering it had so many things that are usually deal-breakers for me, it's kind of amazing how much I ended up liking this. Regular readers of jealous, possessive stalker romances will probably enjoy this more than I did. I prefer my heroes more on the gamma side than the alpha side, but I'm not entirely mad about Truly ending up with her psychotic prince. (This is fantasy, after all.)
2.5 stars
December 28, 2020
Notes
The trigger warnings are provided in the blurb of this book so please heed them before diving into this book. This book is a dark bully romance. Skip reading this review if you are not a fan of bully romances.
Rating
4 ‘Little One’ 🌟
Song Recommendation
I think Chaahat really fits Noah’s possessiveness in this book and I am so here for it. Here is the translation for anyone interested.
Review
Maybe because I don’t read many bully romances nowadays, but I don’t think I have been this excited for a bully romance with enemies to lovers trope since Bully by Penelope Douglas and Vicious by L. J. Shen! The blurb of this book just clicked with me and I knew I had to read this as soon as I can get my hands on it.
The devil never sends damnation in its true form, otherwise, Noah would have red skin and horns.
Truly picks up at Truly’s high school graduation where her boyfriend of two years, Devin, breaks up with her out of the blue. Yes, he is an asshole for breaking up with her at graduation. This humiliation hits her harder as she realizes that, for these past two years, she was conforming to Devin’s idea of a girlfriend and straying from who she is and what she stands for. The already bad graduation day is made worse by her encounter with Noah, Devin’s half-brother, at the party at his house.
“I see you, Truly. If my brother was stupid enough to drop you, you better fucking believe I’m going to pick you up. I will own you, every inch that belonged to him will be mine.”
The events that transpire in the treehouse at Noah’s house on the night of the party traumatize Truly so much so that her body starts trembling in the presence of Noah. Circumstances are seemingly made worse when Becca, Truly’s best friend, invites Noah to a two-week cross-country road trip that is very special to Truly. However, this road trip forces Noah and Truly to spend time together and Truly realizes that she likes Noah, both his sweet and tender side and his harsh and possessive side.
“Read to me.”
“What?...Why?”
"Because I want to make new memories here to erase the bad ones. So, when we come back to this place with our kids in twenty years, this won’t be where Daddy nearly raped Mommy, but the place where they read together and fell in love.”
Was this story predictable? Yes. Did I care? Hell no, because the story was engaging and the writing was gripping. The pacing of the book was great as well. Noah was exactly the tortured, brooding, possessive, and, then, tender alphahole that I was in the mood for reading and Carmel Rhodes delivered and then some!! Truly seemed weak at first, but she started growing a backbone and standing up for herself against Noah and it made for a fiery chemistry between them.
“I’m not your prince, Truly. Our story isn’t a fairytale. I don’t vow to always be kind, or do what the world deems as right, but I will always do right by you. I will always protect you…”
Overall, I immensely enjoyed this dark bully romance. Obviously avoid this book if the warnings mentioned in the book’s blurb are something that triggers you, but otherwise, I would really recommend this book for anyone who loves a bully romance and enemies to lovers done right. The only reason it is missing a star is because I would have loved for the plot to be more fleshed out. I would have also enjoyed this book more if it had showed us some interaction between Noah and Truly before Devin broke up with Truly. Nevertheless, this dark bully romance is recommended if you enjoy reading dark romances. I am looking forward to reading more from this author.
The trigger warnings are provided in the blurb of this book so please heed them before diving into this book. This book is a dark bully romance. Skip reading this review if you are not a fan of bully romances.
Rating
4 ‘Little One’ 🌟
Song Recommendation
I think Chaahat really fits Noah’s possessiveness in this book and I am so here for it. Here is the translation for anyone interested.
Review
Maybe because I don’t read many bully romances nowadays, but I don’t think I have been this excited for a bully romance with enemies to lovers trope since Bully by Penelope Douglas and Vicious by L. J. Shen! The blurb of this book just clicked with me and I knew I had to read this as soon as I can get my hands on it.
The devil never sends damnation in its true form, otherwise, Noah would have red skin and horns.
Truly picks up at Truly’s high school graduation where her boyfriend of two years, Devin, breaks up with her out of the blue. Yes, he is an asshole for breaking up with her at graduation. This humiliation hits her harder as she realizes that, for these past two years, she was conforming to Devin’s idea of a girlfriend and straying from who she is and what she stands for. The already bad graduation day is made worse by her encounter with Noah, Devin’s half-brother, at the party at his house.
“I see you, Truly. If my brother was stupid enough to drop you, you better fucking believe I’m going to pick you up. I will own you, every inch that belonged to him will be mine.”
The events that transpire in the treehouse at Noah’s house on the night of the party traumatize Truly so much so that her body starts trembling in the presence of Noah. Circumstances are seemingly made worse when Becca, Truly’s best friend, invites Noah to a two-week cross-country road trip that is very special to Truly. However, this road trip forces Noah and Truly to spend time together and Truly realizes that she likes Noah, both his sweet and tender side and his harsh and possessive side.
“Read to me.”
“What?...Why?”
"Because I want to make new memories here to erase the bad ones. So, when we come back to this place with our kids in twenty years, this won’t be where Daddy nearly raped Mommy, but the place where they read together and fell in love.”
Was this story predictable? Yes. Did I care? Hell no, because the story was engaging and the writing was gripping. The pacing of the book was great as well. Noah was exactly the tortured, brooding, possessive, and, then, tender alphahole that I was in the mood for reading and Carmel Rhodes delivered and then some!! Truly seemed weak at first, but she started growing a backbone and standing up for herself against Noah and it made for a fiery chemistry between them.
“I’m not your prince, Truly. Our story isn’t a fairytale. I don’t vow to always be kind, or do what the world deems as right, but I will always do right by you. I will always protect you…”
Overall, I immensely enjoyed this dark bully romance. Obviously avoid this book if the warnings mentioned in the book’s blurb are something that triggers you, but otherwise, I would really recommend this book for anyone who loves a bully romance and enemies to lovers done right. The only reason it is missing a star is because I would have loved for the plot to be more fleshed out. I would have also enjoyed this book more if it had showed us some interaction between Noah and Truly before Devin broke up with Truly. Nevertheless, this dark bully romance is recommended if you enjoy reading dark romances. I am looking forward to reading more from this author.
April 13, 2021
DNF 70%
awful writing style.
Viendo algunas reseñas esperaba encontrar alguna mierda oscura que me hiciera cuestionarme pero el estilo de escritura fue tan malo-más bien patético- que las acciones del héroe no me movieron ni un pelo y la heroína era una insoportable. Todo este libro fue una pérdida de tiempo y lo único que me estoy cuestionando es si leí el mismo libro que los demás.
awful writing style.
Viendo algunas reseñas esperaba encontrar alguna mierda oscura que me hiciera cuestionarme pero el estilo de escritura fue tan malo-más bien patético- que las acciones del héroe no me movieron ni un pelo y la heroína era una insoportable. Todo este libro fue una pérdida de tiempo y lo único que me estoy cuestionando es si leí el mismo libro que los demás.
March 10, 2021
✰ 3.75 ➼ 4 Stars ✰
-ˏˋ INITAL THOUGHTS ˎˊ-
I have just one question, why? Why, why, WHY did it take me so damn long to read this book?! Truly was the horny teenaged-drama-fueled road trip book I didn't know I needed.
Oh and shoutout to the real MVP of the book, Becca.
We all need and deserve a friend like Becca ❤︎
-ˏˋ THE PLOT ˎˊ-
Hm, the plot. Well this book is pretty much an R-rated coming of age teen romance. But, if I had to attempt to explain what was happening. . . hmmmm. . . let's see, Truly's boyfriend breaks up with her, her ex's brother assaults her in a treehouse, said brother begins to stalk her, road trip shenanigans, Truly is now dating the somewhat rapey brother, drama, obligatory breakup, reunion, HEA. The End. Oh, and sex, all the sex was being had ✨
-ˏˋ THE GOOD//GREAT//FABULOUS ˎˊ-
✦✧ Character Spotlight - Noah fuckin' Tedesco ✦✧
The above quote fully encompasses who Noah fuckin' Tedesco is and was as a character. He's possessive, obsessive, most likely has anger issues, extremely loyal, loves Truly with his whole being, and is one crazy motherfucker. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to feel about this guy. On the one hand every other word out his mouth had me -
I mean my mans was the type of guy who said shit like this unapologetically -
wha -. . .
I -
huh. . .
On the other hand, Noah Tedesco as a hero was. . . alarmingly rapey and overly possessive especially considering he was *checks book* EIGHTEEN-YEARS OLD?
Yeah Noah was. . . a lot, and personally if I were Truly I would've dipped the minute my mans had the AUDACITY to show his face after the tree-house incident. HOWEVER, since I wasn't Truly I was actually able to not only enjoy Noah Tedesco, but actually come to like him. That's right, I liked nay loved Noah Tedesco. There's something about the way he demonstrated hisobsession love for Truly that struck me as well. . . sincerely genuine.
It was those little moments of vulnerability, love, and care that I found myself actually rooting for Noah to get his girl. It also helped that he, get this, L-I-S-T-E-N-E-D to what Truly said. I know, I was shocked too.
Ugh, stop it Noah Tedesco, I'm still not sure if I'm relieved or disappointed that you're not a real person. All in all, Noah was a really interesting hero. He was this dirty talking, possessive, overly alpha, 18 year old punk, but at the same time he was this vulnerable, madly in love, dedicated as hell guy who wanted nothing more than to make Truly his forever.
✧ The Romance ✧
I'm not gonna lie, the romance was a bizarre combination of oh dear god i hope she breaks up with him and LOCK HIM DOWN GIRL. The first meeting between Truly and Noah was as I've said, not great. The subsequent meeting between Noah and Truly was. . .still not great. However, as their relationship developed the undeniable spark between Noah and Truly lit. They had this fun flirty banter that I just adored -
The dynamic between them was simultaneously romantic -
AND also toxic as all get out -
In short, CARMEL RHODES brilliantly wrote a hyper-sexualized version of teenaged love. While most normal high school romances most likely don't have half as many rapey incidents they do have drama galore. The growing pains between Truly and Noah felt real. The passionate way they loved and fought felt realistic. The way Noah wasborderline obsessed with Truly may have been a bit exaggerated, but the origins of that type of love felt real. Seeing Truly get over her first breakup and move on with Noah while a bit questionable, felt true to life. A lot of the emotional issues Noah and Truly went through sorta made me cringe because they felt so high school and so recognizable. Ultimately that's why I rooted for Noah and Truly. The love they had while messy, worked.
What kept this romance, a romance, was the way in which both Noah and Truly wanted to try. They went in (for the most part) with a real understanding of who the other person was. Both characters accepted the other for who they were, the good, the bad, and the ugly.
The last aspect of this romance that I actually really appreciated was the growth. If you guys have even glanced at one of my reviews then you know that I love seeing growth in relationships. I liked that CARMEL RHODES examined Noah and Truly's relationship and realized they couldn't really get a HEA without some MAJOR tweaking. That's why while I didn't , I did appreciate the opportunity it gave both characters to grow, reflect, and eventually come back together as more mature versions of themselves.
✧ Those Road-trip Vibes ✧
One of the most pleasant surprises of TRULY was the fact that the book was actually a road trip book! I just loved that! I'm not sure if road-trips are a quintessentially American thing, but whenever I read about anything resembling a road trip in a romance it instantly gives me deeply nostalgic feelings and i haven't even been on a road trip. . .
There's something about road-tripping books that I just love. Here it was no different. It gave the book an almost ethereal A24 indie movie vibe. The relationship development between Noah and Truly while fast, fit within the context of the road trip. By smartly setting this book within a road-trip MS. RHODES allowed there to be an unnamed "self-discovery" and "coming-of-age" feeling to be imbued within the book. It was also a nice touch to include the journal passages from Truly's mom and to have the road-trip be a tradition that her mom started. Doing this allowed us to see Truly's grief, get to know her character motivations better, and her mom inadvertently became an ethereal secondary character.
-ˏˋ THE MEH//HUH//NOPE ˎˊ-
✧ Truly & All The Drama ✧
You may have noticed my definitive lack of comment on Truly as a heroine. . .there's a reason for that. The first reason is pretty simple, Truly had the unfortunate luck of having to share a book with Noah fuckin' Tedesco. Noah was such a magnetic and charismatic character, so even though Truly is the namesake of the whole book you'll probably only remember Noah and his antics. It's been almost two months since I've read this book (yes i'm slow at writing these things), and when I think back on TRULY (without looking at all my highlights) the character that stands out the most is Noah. And when I do think of Truly, welllllll . . .
Now, I actually really liked Truly as a character. She had some really great moments. I enjoyed her quick wit and dry humor -
The friendship between Truly and Becca was so relatable -
Her relationship with her father was beautiful -
And her attitude towards Noah was. . . well, varied -
Basically, up until about 85% I was team climb him like a tree and fully supported Truly's decisions. Then this bombshell dropped -
Now, out of context this is pretty bad. HOWEVER, h-o-w-e-v-e-r, considering how they met it's pretty low on the totem poll of bad shit. If she can forgive Noah for practically raping her in a treehouse than I'm sure she can forgive him for that shit. BUT NOPE, she breaks up with him. And I just didn't understand it. I liked what they both did during the breakup (worked on themselves) but the last minute drama and 9th hour breakup pissed me off. If there was a time to "put her foot down" it would've been in the beginning of the book. Plus, to make matters worse she had THIS mentality -
I - *deep sigh*
I cannot with that type of attitude. You know what she should be mad about? She should be angry and baffled that Noah's grand plan to make her fall in love with him was to force her to engage in sexual activities with him. That's the concerning part. I'd be concerned that I'm dating Stupid.
-ˏˋ MY FINAL THOUGHTS ˎˊ-
It has been a month (+some change) and I'm still thinking about TRULY . This book was just so gosh darn FUN. The characters while not always likable were extremely magnetic. Noah Tedesco was one of the most interesting heroes I've encountered in awhile, Truly was actually a pretty solid heroine and she did a great job holding her own, the dynamics between all the characters felt so real, and the road-trip theme was the cherry on top. Where I think the book got a bit bogged down was with all the drama. While it did make sense, I mean what can your really expect from a bunch of horny 18 year olds, it could've been cut in half. Ultimately, I highly recommend TRULY . If you're looking for a horny-as-fuck-road-trip-romance then definitely check this one out!
“I see you, Truly. If my brother was stupid enough to drop you, you better fucking believe I’m going to pick you up. I will own you, every inch that belonged to him will be mine."
-ˏˋ INITAL THOUGHTS ˎˊ-
I have just one question, why? Why, why, WHY did it take me so damn long to read this book?! Truly was the horny teenaged-drama-fueled road trip book I didn't know I needed.
Oh and shoutout to the real MVP of the book, Becca.
“. . . if that asshole gives you a hard time at Jameson, you’ll call me and I’ll come for his kneecaps.”
We all need and deserve a friend like Becca ❤︎
-ˏˋ THE PLOT ˎˊ-
Hm, the plot. Well this book is pretty much an R-rated coming of age teen romance. But, if I had to attempt to explain what was happening. . . hmmmm. . . let's see, Truly's boyfriend breaks up with her, her ex's brother assaults her in a treehouse, said brother begins to stalk her, road trip shenanigans, Truly is now dating the somewhat rapey brother, drama, obligatory breakup, reunion, HEA. The End. Oh, and sex, all the sex was being had ✨
-ˏˋ THE GOOD//GREAT//FABULOUS ˎˊ-
✦✧ Character Spotlight - Noah fuckin' Tedesco ✦✧
“This is my pussy, Truly. I’ll eat it whenever the fuck I want.”
The above quote fully encompasses who Noah fuckin' Tedesco is and was as a character. He's possessive, obsessive, most likely has anger issues, extremely loyal, loves Truly with his whole being, and is one crazy motherfucker. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to feel about this guy. On the one hand every other word out his mouth had me -
I mean my mans was the type of guy who said shit like this unapologetically -
“You can run, Little One,” he calls after me. “But I will chase you, and I won’t stop until your innocence is smeared all over my cock.”
wha -. . .
“How would you feel if I came to you smelling like another man?”
He wraps a hand around my throat, the other finds the slippery opening between my legs, and he growls. “I’d kill him and fuck you on his corpse. This is mine.”
I -
“No crying. The only thing I want to ruin this makeup is you gagging on my cock.”
I shake my head. “There’s the monster I’ve come to know and love.”
huh. . .
On the other hand, Noah Tedesco as a hero was. . . alarmingly rapey and overly possessive especially considering he was *checks book* EIGHTEEN-YEARS OLD?
Yeah Noah was. . . a lot, and personally if I were Truly I would've dipped the minute my mans had the AUDACITY to show his face after the tree-house incident. HOWEVER, since I wasn't Truly I was actually able to not only enjoy Noah Tedesco, but actually come to like him. That's right, I liked nay loved Noah Tedesco. There's something about the way he demonstrated his
“You are a collection of other people’s expectations, but with me… you’re honest. You’re Truly, so maybe instead of spouting about faith, you should actually have some…in me…in us.”
It was those little moments of vulnerability, love, and care that I found myself actually rooting for Noah to get his girl. It also helped that he, get this, L-I-S-T-E-N-E-D to what Truly said. I know, I was shocked too.
“You told me you couldn’t keep bending yourself to make me comfortable, and I realized I don’t want to be the kind of man who makes you bend. I don’t want to change the person you are, Truly. I only want to change your last name.”
Ugh, stop it Noah Tedesco, I'm still not sure if I'm relieved or disappointed that you're not a real person. All in all, Noah was a really interesting hero. He was this dirty talking, possessive, overly alpha, 18 year old punk, but at the same time he was this vulnerable, madly in love, dedicated as hell guy who wanted nothing more than to make Truly his forever.
✧ The Romance ✧
“I put a tracker on your phone.” The bastard doesn’t even have the decency to look ashamed.
I'm not gonna lie, the romance was a bizarre combination of oh dear god i hope she breaks up with him and LOCK HIM DOWN GIRL. The first meeting between Truly and Noah was as I've said, not great. The subsequent meeting between Noah and Truly was. . .still not great. However, as their relationship developed the undeniable spark between Noah and Truly lit. They had this fun flirty banter that I just adored -
“Just once, I’d like you to respect a boundary I set. Just one.”
“Just once, I’d like you to smile at me like you smile at him and tell me good morning, Daddy.”
cute✨
The dynamic between them was simultaneously romantic -
“Truly—” He opens his mouth, then closes it, choosing his next words carefully. “I have always noticed you. You just noticed him first.”
AND also toxic as all get out -
“He said, and I quote, the one with the purple hair belongs to me.” . . . The football comes whizzing through the air and hits Juan’s cup, spilling the contents in his lap. “MINE,” Noah yells, sneering in our direction.
ngl, that scene was kinda hot. . .
In short, CARMEL RHODES brilliantly wrote a hyper-sexualized version of teenaged love. While most normal high school romances most likely don't have half as many rapey incidents they do have drama galore. The growing pains between Truly and Noah felt real. The passionate way they loved and fought felt realistic. The way Noah was
“I’m not your prince, Truly. Our story isn’t a fairytale. I don’t vow to always be kind, or do what the world deems as right, but I will always do right by you. I will always protect you. Plus,” he pauses, and I can feel the corner of his mouth tip up, “I’ll fuck you better than the prince ever could.”
What kept this romance, a romance, was the way in which both Noah and Truly wanted to try. They went in (for the most part) with a real understanding of who the other person was. Both characters accepted the other for who they were, the good, the bad, and the ugly.
“I like pain because I feel like I deserve it. You like inflicting pain because it gives you power.”
“We’re both fucked in the head [. . .]"
“Maybe we’re fucked in the heart, too.”
The last aspect of this romance that I actually really appreciated was the growth. If you guys have even glanced at one of my reviews then you know that I love seeing growth in relationships. I liked that CARMEL RHODES examined Noah and Truly's relationship and realized they couldn't really get a HEA without some MAJOR tweaking. That's why while I didn't , I did appreciate the opportunity it gave both characters to grow, reflect, and eventually come back together as more mature versions of themselves.
“You deserve someone better than me." . . . “But I’m not selfless enough to let you find him, so I figured I’d do the next best thing.”
“Which is?”
“Be better.”
❤︎ You sir, have my whole heart ❤︎
✧ Those Road-trip Vibes ✧
One of the most pleasant surprises of TRULY was the fact that the book was actually a road trip book! I just loved that! I'm not sure if road-trips are a quintessentially American thing, but whenever I read about anything resembling a road trip in a romance it instantly gives me deeply nostalgic feelings and i haven't even been on a road trip. . .
The summer after senior year is supposed to be the best summer of my life. It’s supposed to be full of adventure, and self-discovery, and making love under the stars. It’s supposed to be about losing myself and finding my way.
There's something about road-tripping books that I just love. Here it was no different. It gave the book an almost ethereal A24 indie movie vibe. The relationship development between Noah and Truly while fast, fit within the context of the road trip. By smartly setting this book within a road-trip MS. RHODES allowed there to be an unnamed "self-discovery" and "coming-of-age" feeling to be imbued within the book. It was also a nice touch to include the journal passages from Truly's mom and to have the road-trip be a tradition that her mom started. Doing this allowed us to see Truly's grief, get to know her character motivations better, and her mom inadvertently became an ethereal secondary character.
-ˏˋ THE MEH//HUH//NOPE ˎˊ-
there was a lot of "what-the-fuckery" shenanigans going on. . .
✧ Truly & All The Drama ✧
You may have noticed my definitive lack of comment on Truly as a heroine. . .there's a reason for that. The first reason is pretty simple, Truly had the unfortunate luck of having to share a book with Noah fuckin' Tedesco. Noah was such a magnetic and charismatic character, so even though Truly is the namesake of the whole book you'll probably only remember Noah and his antics. It's been almost two months since I've read this book (yes i'm slow at writing these things), and when I think back on TRULY (without looking at all my highlights) the character that stands out the most is Noah. And when I do think of Truly, welllllll . . .
Now, I actually really liked Truly as a character. She had some really great moments. I enjoyed her quick wit and dry humor -
“You’re...you...there are no words... It’s like you’re an entirely new, undiscovered species of fuckboy.”
The friendship between Truly and Becca was so relatable -
“I love you, deep deep.”
“Big deep.” She smiles.
Her relationship with her father was beautiful -
“I don’t care if you were on the moon, Tru. I’ll always come to your rescue.”
“I know you would, that’s why I love you so much.”
And her attitude towards Noah was. . . well, varied -
“What was that?”
“Due diligence,” I say, looking back at the picture. “When I write my dissertation on psychopaths, I’ll need photographs of my test subject.”
Basically, up until about 85% I was team climb him like a tree and fully supported Truly's decisions. Then this bombshell dropped -
“He paid me to do it,” Devin blurts out. “To humiliate you in front of the whole school. He wanted you to hate me. And I agreed because I needed the money to help pay for my classes, and...I knew I’d lose you next year anyway, so I agreed.”
Now, out of context this is pretty bad. HOWEVER, h-o-w-e-v-e-r, considering how they met it's pretty low on the totem poll of bad shit. If she can forgive Noah for practically raping her in a treehouse than I'm sure she can forgive him for that shit. BUT NOPE, she breaks up with him. And I just didn't understand it. I liked what they both did during the breakup (worked on themselves) but the last minute drama and 9th hour breakup pissed me off. If there was a time to "put her foot down" it would've been in the beginning of the book. Plus, to make matters worse she had THIS mentality -
I don’t know what hurts worse, breaking up with him or the fact that he just let me.
I - *deep sigh*
I cannot with that type of attitude. You know what she should be mad about? She should be angry and baffled that Noah's grand plan to make her fall in love with him was to force her to engage in sexual activities with him. That's the concerning part. I'd be concerned that I'm dating Stupid.
-ˏˋ MY FINAL THOUGHTS ˎˊ-
It has been a month (+some change) and I'm still thinking about TRULY . This book was just so gosh darn FUN. The characters while not always likable were extremely magnetic. Noah Tedesco was one of the most interesting heroes I've encountered in awhile, Truly was actually a pretty solid heroine and she did a great job holding her own, the dynamics between all the characters felt so real, and the road-trip theme was the cherry on top. Where I think the book got a bit bogged down was with all the drama. While it did make sense, I mean what can your really expect from a bunch of horny 18 year olds, it could've been cut in half. Ultimately, I highly recommend TRULY . If you're looking for a horny-as-fuck-road-trip-romance then definitely check this one out!
October 20, 2021
This is one of those times when my habit of not reading blurbs jumped up and bit me... I was expecting a bit of a dark YA romance, but this didn't work for me at all. I couldn't get past the actions of the hero at the start. I can see why others would love this and I would actually like to try another one of this authors books, because I think her writing was great, but this wasn't it for me. If you're looking to read this one, I recommend checking the blurb and trigger warnings, because if I did I wouldn't have picked it up x And if those things don't bother you, give this one a go! I know a lot of friends that have loved it!
Audio book source: Audible
Story Rating: 2 stars
Narrator: Lacy Laurel
Narration Rating: 4 stars
Genre: YA/NA dark romance
Length: 10h 3m
June 18, 2020
The tone of this book started exciting, I love dark, complicated romance with an element of surprise. This book has it's sweet moments and has alot of personal issues. What put me off was with the way the story was dealt and the characters input in it was messy. Ofcourse bullying, breakups, friendship situation are "crazy" but here I found things not justified even at the end.
Noah is a psychotic character and he gets away with everything, Truly is not naive but an idiot with personality disorder. And her virginity topic, it got on my nerves, I was happy when it was rid off. Yes I've read books where hero gets away with horrid things done to the heroine, and the heroine stays doormat and I rated those books highly, the difference here is the heroine talks herself into blaming for everyones deeds and is not strong enough to push the toxic people away. Noah on the other hand takes everything sexually and melts Truly faster than butter in heat. In short the characters are not powerful enough and doesn't push the other to rectify a situation.
This book is not a dark romance but midly has dark themes. I appreciate the authors warning. This book has high rates so don't take my issues into consideration. This book was not for me.
Truly is not going to stop me from reading Carmel Rhodes other books. It is just my bad for not enjoying this. I like the writing and so far the two books I read of Carmel Rhodes I love the friendship bonds she creates, it's not simple or unique but realistic.
Noah is a psychotic character and he gets away with everything, Truly is not naive but an idiot with personality disorder. And her virginity topic, it got on my nerves, I was happy when it was rid off. Yes I've read books where hero gets away with horrid things done to the heroine, and the heroine stays doormat and I rated those books highly, the difference here is the heroine talks herself into blaming for everyones deeds and is not strong enough to push the toxic people away. Noah on the other hand takes everything sexually and melts Truly faster than butter in heat. In short the characters are not powerful enough and doesn't push the other to rectify a situation.
This book is not a dark romance but midly has dark themes. I appreciate the authors warning. This book has high rates so don't take my issues into consideration. This book was not for me.
Truly is not going to stop me from reading Carmel Rhodes other books. It is just my bad for not enjoying this. I like the writing and so far the two books I read of Carmel Rhodes I love the friendship bonds she creates, it's not simple or unique but realistic.
Read
June 11, 2020he sexually assaults her, I like my books with consent and not rapey, No means No, we shouldn’t romanticize sexual assault and the trauma that the victims suffer just for the sake of fiction no matter how small the assault is 🤮🤮.
June 25, 2023
just what happened to this author, she went MIA. smh the potential these authors have and they all vanished.
June 7, 2020
Truly is a semi dark romance with bully tendencies screaming off the wall. I had no idea what I was going to get with this book and a part of me loved the element of surprise that I got with some of the characters. They were messy, made me mad as hell, and gave us some sweet moments when it was necessary.
I don’t want too go too much into this book because the stuff that went down? I’m still not sure how I feel about it. These characters were beyond complicated and normally when I read a bully romance, I end up being drawn to the hero and feeling for him. Not so much the case in this one. I think that Noah definitely was being dealt with a lot of personal things and he really wasn’t a bad person because he showed that he cared in certain scenes and we felt the sincerity.
I had a really huge problem with the first few chapters of the story and not only did it set the tone for me and how I would feel about the two main characters, it really left a bad taste in my mouth and I could not for the life of me move on from that one prolific scene. I felt like the heroine was a bit weak in certain situations and I wanted her to have a stronger backbone and stand up for herself more.
As I’ve said before, I was not a fan of the hero and even though he had some good moments, that boy made my blood pressure spike in the beginning and I had a really hard time accepting him. I will say that I tried my best to put my reservations aside for him and looked at the story for what it really was and it was about a young woman’s journey to life and love. Connecting to something that meant the most to a loved one, messy relationships, forever friendships, and unforgivable heartbreak. All of these things played a huge part in this book and I liked that the author portrayed it in a way where you had no choice but to take everything in stride and feel it.
If you’re looking for semi dark bully romance, then you should give this one a try.
July 25, 2020
Truly will make my top reads of 2020 list!
I AM IN SOOOOOO MUCH LOVE!!! Gah! This book put my poor heart through the ringer and I want to do it all over again. I read this not only in one day, but practically one sitting! It is TRULY amazing!
Before I begin this gushfest, I think it best to point out that this book may not be for everyone. While I don't consider it super dark there are themes that may not appeal to all readers. If you're a dark romance lover, you won't have any issues with them. So, here's what you need to know:
Noah shot up the BBF ranks pretty quickly! He's jealous, possessive, and slightly unhinged. What on earth is wrong with me, people?! I was completely enthralled by his over the top high handed behavior. It was obvious there was something deeper lurking behind the scenes and I couldn't wait to uncover all his secrets.
That's ultimately what won me over. The way the story unfolded and seeing each piece of the puzzle fall into place was pure kindle crack. The author did a masterful job of weaving together a story that is both jarring and shocking, yet also completely tender and heart melting. A truly spectacular feat, in my humble opinion.
Its a coming of age story. We follow Truly's path to understanding, not only with her confusing feelings about Noah, but following in her mom's footsteps. I loved that aspect of the story so very much.
Last but not least, this gorgeous cover and beautiful heroine who looks like me was an instant draw. I couldn't help but grab this one and man oh man am I glad I did. I loved every minute of it!
5 Truly Deserved Stars!
I AM IN SOOOOOO MUCH LOVE!!! Gah! This book put my poor heart through the ringer and I want to do it all over again. I read this not only in one day, but practically one sitting! It is TRULY amazing!
Before I begin this gushfest, I think it best to point out that this book may not be for everyone. While I don't consider it super dark there are themes that may not appeal to all readers. If you're a dark romance lover, you won't have any issues with them. So, here's what you need to know:
Noah shot up the BBF ranks pretty quickly! He's jealous, possessive, and slightly unhinged. What on earth is wrong with me, people?! I was completely enthralled by his over the top high handed behavior. It was obvious there was something deeper lurking behind the scenes and I couldn't wait to uncover all his secrets.
That's ultimately what won me over. The way the story unfolded and seeing each piece of the puzzle fall into place was pure kindle crack. The author did a masterful job of weaving together a story that is both jarring and shocking, yet also completely tender and heart melting. A truly spectacular feat, in my humble opinion.
Its a coming of age story. We follow Truly's path to understanding, not only with her confusing feelings about Noah, but following in her mom's footsteps. I loved that aspect of the story so very much.
Last but not least, this gorgeous cover and beautiful heroine who looks like me was an instant draw. I couldn't help but grab this one and man oh man am I glad I did. I loved every minute of it!
5 Truly Deserved Stars!
April 7, 2021
Style: Dark Bully Romance (High School)
Story: 5/5
Sexual: SEX-CITINGLY GOOD
Enjoyment: 4.5/5
Series: N/A
Pages: 313
Kindle Unlimited: No
The Best way I sum up dark romances, this is all kinds of wrong that reads all kinds of good. It’s disturbing, but you can’t help it, it’s a fix.
This is possessive and obsessive to another level. Everything Truly thought, I felt the same way. Noah sounds like a damn psychopath. It was chilling the way he speaks and handle Truly. I thought early on in the book, is the author sure she has him in the right story. He should be a hit man for the mob in another book. He is very intense, and I am not sure how to accept him or what his end game was. However, that was also the allure for me Noah’s dark side because I couldn’t figure him out for most of the book. I laughed when the author gave him my birthday (straight violation) not sharing it with psycho but very sexy Noah.
The metamorphosis of Truly, after Noah was interesting. I didn’t consider her weak. What she has with Noah works for them and that’s what makes this story so good for me to read.
To the author, (spoiler) I am not feeling the 10 years later. I accept this with Noah and Truly, however, this could have developed in to a series because I am not satisfied with how some of those relationships turned out. But then again, wouldn’t have worked because how can you even compete with Noah and Truly turbulence sex driven relationship.
Lastly, major triggers. I am mean setting off 4th of July fire works of warning. This is not your typical romance and has throat grabbing, rough handling of heroine and more disturbing parts.
***I don’t equate these stories to real life. It’s definitely about personal taste and what you would or want to tolerate with the stories you read. I hope this review was helpful.
Story: 5/5
Sexual: SEX-CITINGLY GOOD
Enjoyment: 4.5/5
Series: N/A
Pages: 313
Kindle Unlimited: No
The Best way I sum up dark romances, this is all kinds of wrong that reads all kinds of good. It’s disturbing, but you can’t help it, it’s a fix.
This is possessive and obsessive to another level. Everything Truly thought, I felt the same way. Noah sounds like a damn psychopath. It was chilling the way he speaks and handle Truly. I thought early on in the book, is the author sure she has him in the right story. He should be a hit man for the mob in another book. He is very intense, and I am not sure how to accept him or what his end game was. However, that was also the allure for me Noah’s dark side because I couldn’t figure him out for most of the book. I laughed when the author gave him my birthday (straight violation) not sharing it with psycho but very sexy Noah.
The metamorphosis of Truly, after Noah was interesting. I didn’t consider her weak. What she has with Noah works for them and that’s what makes this story so good for me to read.
To the author, (spoiler) I am not feeling the 10 years later. I accept this with Noah and Truly, however, this could have developed in to a series because I am not satisfied with how some of those relationships turned out. But then again, wouldn’t have worked because how can you even compete with Noah and Truly turbulence sex driven relationship.
Lastly, major triggers. I am mean setting off 4th of July fire works of warning. This is not your typical romance and has throat grabbing, rough handling of heroine and more disturbing parts.
***I don’t equate these stories to real life. It’s definitely about personal taste and what you would or want to tolerate with the stories you read. I hope this review was helpful.
June 19, 2020
I finished this and I absolutely did not like it. I tried to like it, but it was impossible to even get into!!!
He’s all “mine” and she’s all like “yours” after 3 sexual encounters together. So disappointed in this. I have so much more to say about this, but I won’t.
I just hope if you’re ever in a relationship where the other person never says “sorry” and you don’t even ask them personal questions. You need to leave. It’s all superficial at that point. AHHH.
He’s all “mine” and she’s all like “yours” after 3 sexual encounters together. So disappointed in this. I have so much more to say about this, but I won’t.
I just hope if you’re ever in a relationship where the other person never says “sorry” and you don’t even ask them personal questions. You need to leave. It’s all superficial at that point. AHHH.
October 1, 2021
1⭐️
ya i didn't enjoy this at all. only reason its getting 2 stars instead of 1 because it was an easy and fast read.
i'm not a fan romanticizing SA. it was kinda hard to get over on top of all that he also made a joke out of it... bitch it wasn't a joke. i don't care what kind of drama people have going on in their life, it shouldn't be an excuse for almost raping someone. he didn't even apologize until she asked ugh.
i like dark romances but i don't see how that SA was necessary for the plot. i couldn't respect the guy so i couldn't get into whatever they had.
also he wasn't possessive, he literally controlled her. like bitch put a tracker on her, controlled who she talked too, controlled what she wore. i'm probably nitpicking because i hate him but still.
i would've (probably) enjoyed this if that shit didn't happen because i liked the concept of the book and i honestly loved the writing style and family bonding. i could see how someone could love this and enjoy it because they can separate themselves from books but this felt very toxic for my liking.
also i might change the rating to 1 star idek how i feel yet and idk how it has such a high rating bc this just feels very wrong.
update: ya i changed the rating from 2 to 1 because honestly the writing style (was amazing) i still don't see how this is classified as a dark romance? no fucking romance whatsoever. the whole relationship is him forcing himself onto her and her basically giving up because he won't leave her alone. and to JOKE about it? fuck off.
“Life is like a sink full of dirty dishes—you stick your hand in, and hope there isn’t a knife at the bottom.”
ya i didn't enjoy this at all. only reason its getting 2 stars instead of 1 because it was an easy and fast read.
i'm not a fan romanticizing SA. it was kinda hard to get over on top of all that he also made a joke out of it... bitch it wasn't a joke. i don't care what kind of drama people have going on in their life, it shouldn't be an excuse for almost raping someone. he didn't even apologize until she asked ugh.
i like dark romances but i don't see how that SA was necessary for the plot. i couldn't respect the guy so i couldn't get into whatever they had.
also he wasn't possessive, he literally controlled her. like bitch put a tracker on her, controlled who she talked too, controlled what she wore. i'm probably nitpicking because i hate him but still.
i would've (probably) enjoyed this if that shit didn't happen because i liked the concept of the book and i honestly loved the writing style and family bonding. i could see how someone could love this and enjoy it because they can separate themselves from books but this felt very toxic for my liking.
also i might change the rating to 1 star idek how i feel yet and idk how it has such a high rating bc this just feels very wrong.
update: ya i changed the rating from 2 to 1 because honestly the writing style (was amazing) i still don't see how this is classified as a dark romance? no fucking romance whatsoever. the whole relationship is him forcing himself onto her and her basically giving up because he won't leave her alone. and to JOKE about it? fuck off.
July 9, 2020
3.5*
Truly was entertaining. Well written and flowed pretty well. There are non-con and dub-con themes, a coming of age road trip, and just general teen angst. I liked the heroine, Truly, and all of the inner thoughts she had while dealing with some of the things her love interest and others, put her through. I also just liked her characters story overall. The anti-hero, Noah, was kind of terrible. Truly liked him eventually, so I’ll trust her as a character. Her prerogative 😂
I do want to note that the bones of this story reads very much like Untouchable by Sam Mariano. So if you’ve read that and are looking for something similar, then you’ll probably enjoy this. Truly definitely has its own unique vibe, especially with the road trip, but at its base it’s very similar. Less about the why people do bad things and more about how someone deals with it after maybe.
To me this was a good read, but for some reason I didn’t connect as much with all of the characters. I liked them on the surface, but that was about it.
Truly was entertaining. Well written and flowed pretty well. There are non-con and dub-con themes, a coming of age road trip, and just general teen angst. I liked the heroine, Truly, and all of the inner thoughts she had while dealing with some of the things her love interest and others, put her through. I also just liked her characters story overall. The anti-hero, Noah, was kind of terrible. Truly liked him eventually, so I’ll trust her as a character. Her prerogative 😂
I do want to note that the bones of this story reads very much like Untouchable by Sam Mariano. So if you’ve read that and are looking for something similar, then you’ll probably enjoy this. Truly definitely has its own unique vibe, especially with the road trip, but at its base it’s very similar. Less about the why people do bad things and more about how someone deals with it after maybe.
To me this was a good read, but for some reason I didn’t connect as much with all of the characters. I liked them on the surface, but that was about it.
July 31, 2020
5+ stars for Truly!
This book owned me! The writing. The storyline. Everything! This was my first real bully type romance, and I’m truly just stunned.
This book has definite triggers. Sexual assault takes place..I can’t get over how real this book felt. It was as if I could experience Truly’s fear, trauma, and the conflicting feelings of arousal towards this narcissistic, over powering, hurt young man named Noah. I’m reminded of the quote, “hurt people, hurt people.” What was so fascinating was getting inside the heads of Truly & Noah. Watching Truly learn to compartmentalize the trauma of what happened that night in the tree house, to developing some type of twisted Stockholm syndrome without being kidnapped per say was truly something to behold.
The more this story unfolded, and we got a glimpse into Noah’s life/background, the more I understood the awful train wreck that really was his life, and how he used this dominant, controlling personality to cope.
“Now that I have you, I’ll never let you go.”
*Shivers* That is how this book made me feel the entire time reading it. It’s like it had me.
“The more of his scars I see, the more I understand him.”
Watching these two fall in Love was truly something. I’m trying so hard to be careful with spoilers because everyone deserves to be able to go into this story blind. I’m so glad I gave this book a chance, branching out and trying a new genre. This is always what I want my reading experiences to be. Yes I have my comfort food reads that are my jam that I can always count on to get me through, but I never just want to stick to what’s comfortable. I always want to be pushed, and have my horizons broadened. This story did that and more!!
“Ours was never a fairytale, but fairytales are boring. Maybe our once upon a time was dark and dirty and raw, but it was ours.”
This book owned me! The writing. The storyline. Everything! This was my first real bully type romance, and I’m truly just stunned.
This book has definite triggers. Sexual assault takes place..I can’t get over how real this book felt. It was as if I could experience Truly’s fear, trauma, and the conflicting feelings of arousal towards this narcissistic, over powering, hurt young man named Noah. I’m reminded of the quote, “hurt people, hurt people.” What was so fascinating was getting inside the heads of Truly & Noah. Watching Truly learn to compartmentalize the trauma of what happened that night in the tree house, to developing some type of twisted Stockholm syndrome without being kidnapped per say was truly something to behold.
The more this story unfolded, and we got a glimpse into Noah’s life/background, the more I understood the awful train wreck that really was his life, and how he used this dominant, controlling personality to cope.
“Now that I have you, I’ll never let you go.”
*Shivers* That is how this book made me feel the entire time reading it. It’s like it had me.
“The more of his scars I see, the more I understand him.”
Watching these two fall in Love was truly something. I’m trying so hard to be careful with spoilers because everyone deserves to be able to go into this story blind. I’m so glad I gave this book a chance, branching out and trying a new genre. This is always what I want my reading experiences to be. Yes I have my comfort food reads that are my jam that I can always count on to get me through, but I never just want to stick to what’s comfortable. I always want to be pushed, and have my horizons broadened. This story did that and more!!
“Ours was never a fairytale, but fairytales are boring. Maybe our once upon a time was dark and dirty and raw, but it was ours.”
June 16, 2020
**DNF
So, I'll be the first to admit that going in I had no clue what non-con-dub-con was. I should have looked it up, but I honestly thought it was a form of BDSM, so I was ok with it. Spoiler alert: it is not.
That aside, within the first 10% I had to stop. I'm very vocal about my support of victims of sexual assault, how they SHOULD be be believed and supported regardless of the circumstances, and just how prevalent rape culture is today. With that in mind, I cannot, and WILL NOT, support a hero who rapes the heroine. That's just a no-go. How is that love? How is it ok to romanticize sexual trauma? I don't care if his penis never entered her vagina; she was screaming and crying for him to stop, which he didn't, and then proceeded to tell her thay be would kill her if she told anyone what happened. HOW IS THAT REDEEMABLE?!?!
I've read some other reviews that shows within the next few scenes our girl consents to him sexually and I just can't get past that. This girl was traumatized, shaking, TERRIFIED, and then five minutes later it's whatever? And apparently when she tries to bring up the assault, he gets MAD at her and tells her to forget about it. I'm swooning so hard right now guys.
And for the love of all things holy, can we finally have a book where our black heroine isn't traumatized in some way? You don't need to add trauma for black women to be strong. THEY ARE ALREADY STRONG.
Obviously I just couldn't with this book. Call me crazy, but I like my romances completely consensual.
So, I'll be the first to admit that going in I had no clue what non-con-dub-con was. I should have looked it up, but I honestly thought it was a form of BDSM, so I was ok with it. Spoiler alert: it is not.
That aside, within the first 10% I had to stop. I'm very vocal about my support of victims of sexual assault, how they SHOULD be be believed and supported regardless of the circumstances, and just how prevalent rape culture is today. With that in mind, I cannot, and WILL NOT, support a hero who rapes the heroine. That's just a no-go. How is that love? How is it ok to romanticize sexual trauma? I don't care if his penis never entered her vagina; she was screaming and crying for him to stop, which he didn't, and then proceeded to tell her thay be would kill her if she told anyone what happened. HOW IS THAT REDEEMABLE?!?!
I've read some other reviews that shows within the next few scenes our girl consents to him sexually and I just can't get past that. This girl was traumatized, shaking, TERRIFIED, and then five minutes later it's whatever? And apparently when she tries to bring up the assault, he gets MAD at her and tells her to forget about it. I'm swooning so hard right now guys.
And for the love of all things holy, can we finally have a book where our black heroine isn't traumatized in some way? You don't need to add trauma for black women to be strong. THEY ARE ALREADY STRONG.
Obviously I just couldn't with this book. Call me crazy, but I like my romances completely consensual.
January 30, 2021
Finally finished (would have been faster but I did a buddy read) this one was fast and steamy and bully!!! I didnt think i would enjoy this one so much remember this is a darkish bully romance.
Let me tell you I had a love/hate relationship with Noah the things he did I was omg Tru don't fall for him. But then again my ass was falling for him 🤣🤣🤣 he is the type of asshole you wanna stay away from but then your like oh fk it. The things he did towards tru were bad well first part was bad the rest I laughed at. Beside his romance with Truly the drama between the brother.. who happens to be her ex. Yeah lots of drama between brothers.
As for Truly I liked her I wish she stood up for herself alittle more during the road trip she gave in to easy when the bestie invited her bf and Noah. (But then again lol Noah always gets what he wants)
Hands down Becca the bff.. Tru should drop her she isn't a friend all the crap that she did?? Fuck that bitch like i never disliked a best friend that badly. And wasn't sad she got cheated on.
Low angst, om drama (ex bf) ehh ow (flirty waitress and some girl he flirted with), no cheating, slight secondary character, Drama, sexy times, virgin gal and sorta manwhore he was a flirt
Recommend-maybe
Cover-⭐⭐⭐
Heat level-🌶🌶🌶🌶
Slow-instaburn
Push away from h
18/18
Non-conish turned consent
No condom
Exhibition
Seperation 3 months (both faithful)
Hea
Epilogue
Let me tell you I had a love/hate relationship with Noah the things he did I was omg Tru don't fall for him. But then again my ass was falling for him 🤣🤣🤣 he is the type of asshole you wanna stay away from but then your like oh fk it. The things he did towards tru were bad well first part was bad the rest I laughed at. Beside his romance with Truly the drama between the brother.. who happens to be her ex. Yeah lots of drama between brothers.
As for Truly I liked her I wish she stood up for herself alittle more during the road trip she gave in to easy when the bestie invited her bf and Noah. (But then again lol Noah always gets what he wants)
Hands down Becca the bff.. Tru should drop her she isn't a friend all the crap that she did?? Fuck that bitch like i never disliked a best friend that badly. And wasn't sad she got cheated on.
Low angst, om drama (ex bf) ehh ow (flirty waitress and some girl he flirted with), no cheating, slight secondary character, Drama, sexy times, virgin gal and sorta manwhore he was a flirt
Recommend-maybe
Cover-⭐⭐⭐
Heat level-🌶🌶🌶🌶
Slow-instaburn
Push away from h
18/18
Non-conish turned consent
No condom
Exhibition
Seperation 3 months (both faithful)
Hea
Epilogue
October 25, 2020
I absolutely loved this book. This is my second book by Carmel Rhodes and I haven’t been disappointed yet. Noah is SWOON worthy and Truly is such a sweetheart. It does have kinky/rough sex, but I wouldn’t call it dark romance. I still very much enjoyed it.
July 4, 2021
"Because I want to make new memories here to erase the bad ones. So, when we come back to this place with our kids in twenty years, this won’t be where Daddy nearly raped Mommy, but the place where they read together and fell in love."
OKKKKAAAAYYYYYY 😶
OKKKKAAAAYYYYYY 😶
February 19, 2021
if you are not a reader of bully romance STAY AWAY from this book..
and maybe I should listen to my own advice because I feel like I really should stop reading these books
and I probably wouldn't read it but I picked it up for a challenge...
non-consensual content is a convenient word for rape and dubious content is also plentiful in these books and then there is justification for all of it...
just no!!
I need to stop doing this to myself because all it does is makes me mad...
beautiful cover!!
1,5 stars
and maybe I should listen to my own advice because I feel like I really should stop reading these books
and I probably wouldn't read it but I picked it up for a challenge...
non-consensual content is a convenient word for rape and dubious content is also plentiful in these books and then there is justification for all of it...
just no!!
I need to stop doing this to myself because all it does is makes me mad...
beautiful cover!!
1,5 stars
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March 24, 2021
✰ 4 stars ✰
**Trigger warning**: sexual assault by H to h in the beginning, dub-con/non-con. Not for the faint of heart so, if this isn’t for you, I’d highly suggest not to read this.
‼️ SPOILERS AHEAD ‼️
”I’m not your prince, Truly. Our story isn’t a fairytale. I don’t vow to always be kind, or do what the world deems as right, but I will always do right by you. I will always protect you. Plus, I’ll fuck you better than the prince ever could.”
i personally love bully romances and it was never the bullying aspect that i enjoyed obviously, but it was the characters and seeing their relationship develop. in most bully romances, there’s this complex, anti-hero with a tragic backstory H and the h who changes his perspective on things. yes, i’m a sucker for that shit. i don’t think i’ve read a lot of dub-con/non-con books specifically (at least ones that stick in my memory and i know bully romances have those, but it’s different when it’s the center of the story), but the one that changed it all for me was Untouchable by Sam Mariano. ngl, the first three chapters of the book disgusted me, but the way the relationship between the H/h progressed as i kept reading was what had me turning the pages nonstop, which led me to this book, Truly.
i loved seeing Noah (H) and Truly’s (h) relationship slowly develop through this road trip that they, along with Becca (Truly’s best friend) and Ethan (Noah’s best friend), took. Noah was personally my favorite character in the book. aside from his scene in the beginning with the dub-con/non-con, i pretty much loved him throughout the rest of the book!! yes, it was the typical ‘possessive, controlling alpha male’ personality of his that got me, but the way he would notice these little things about Truly that i feel like someone only in love would notice about a person, warmed my heart. also, their deep conversations tug at my heartstrings because, especially in books like these, i’d want to see an emotional connection between the main characters for me to believe they had fallen in love and it worked well imo. i also loved how Noah had first seen Truly in her dad’s clinic when he had to get stitched up and she was sleeping. i’m not the biggest fan of the ‘love at first sight’ trope, but i thought it was cute here!!
(example 👇🏼):
”You do. Anyway, he had to reset my finger. It hurt like a bitch, but I just focused on you. Your face. Your lips. How, despite the horrific sounds coming from your mouth, beautiful you were. How you could be so comfortable someplace to be in such a deep sleep?” 🥺
other things i liked:
↬ Truly/Becca’s friendship. although i wasn’t the biggest fan of Becca not telling Truly about inviting Noah and Ethan to the road trip until literally the last minute where Truly had no choice at that point but to accept it, their friendship was still one of the things i loved about this book because of the way they stood up for one another when needed.
↬ Truly’s mom’s diary. i loved reading the snippets of the diary Truly’s mom had written of her road trip from back then, which was what led Truly to take one in the first place.
↬ Truly’s dad. what can i say? i adored her dad sm, especially when he would call to check up on her while she was away. ♡
what didn’t work for me:
↬ third act breakup. i’m usually all for the drama and angst in books so i don’t mind the break ups that much (unless it’s the repetitive misunderstandings situation) but i wasn’t a fan of it here. i think, because Truly and Noah went through a lot by this point, i was hoping there wouldn’t be any break ups whatsoever. :/ which leads me to the next thing…
↬ time skips. ugh i was never a fan of time skips because i would prefer seeing things solved in the present rather than having months pass by (unless it’s necessary and, in this case, i didn’t think it was necessary?) to confront it buut, with that said, another thing i never understood about the break up was...if Truly broke up with Noah because of that, why did she cave in so easily the next time they crossed paths? ok yeah, she was drunk but, if you’re gonna break things off with the guy, at least make him work for it to get you back.
↬ Ethan emotionally cheating. imo, emotionally cheating is wayy worse than physical. if you have any doubts at all in the relationship, then just break up with the person? i thought his excuse on why was bullshit tbh. i actually liked his character before that but then it happened soo yeah lmao.
**Trigger warning**: sexual assault by H to h in the beginning, dub-con/non-con. Not for the faint of heart so, if this isn’t for you, I’d highly suggest not to read this.
‼️ SPOILERS AHEAD ‼️
”I’m not your prince, Truly. Our story isn’t a fairytale. I don’t vow to always be kind, or do what the world deems as right, but I will always do right by you. I will always protect you. Plus, I’ll fuck you better than the prince ever could.”
i personally love bully romances and it was never the bullying aspect that i enjoyed obviously, but it was the characters and seeing their relationship develop. in most bully romances, there’s this complex, anti-hero with a tragic backstory H and the h who changes his perspective on things. yes, i’m a sucker for that shit. i don’t think i’ve read a lot of dub-con/non-con books specifically (at least ones that stick in my memory and i know bully romances have those, but it’s different when it’s the center of the story), but the one that changed it all for me was Untouchable by Sam Mariano. ngl, the first three chapters of the book disgusted me, but the way the relationship between the H/h progressed as i kept reading was what had me turning the pages nonstop, which led me to this book, Truly.
i loved seeing Noah (H) and Truly’s (h) relationship slowly develop through this road trip that they, along with Becca (Truly’s best friend) and Ethan (Noah’s best friend), took. Noah was personally my favorite character in the book. aside from his scene in the beginning with the dub-con/non-con, i pretty much loved him throughout the rest of the book!! yes, it was the typical ‘possessive, controlling alpha male’ personality of his that got me, but the way he would notice these little things about Truly that i feel like someone only in love would notice about a person, warmed my heart. also, their deep conversations tug at my heartstrings because, especially in books like these, i’d want to see an emotional connection between the main characters for me to believe they had fallen in love and it worked well imo. i also loved how Noah had first seen Truly in her dad’s clinic when he had to get stitched up and she was sleeping. i’m not the biggest fan of the ‘love at first sight’ trope, but i thought it was cute here!!
(example 👇🏼):
”You do. Anyway, he had to reset my finger. It hurt like a bitch, but I just focused on you. Your face. Your lips. How, despite the horrific sounds coming from your mouth, beautiful you were. How you could be so comfortable someplace to be in such a deep sleep?” 🥺
other things i liked:
↬ Truly/Becca’s friendship. although i wasn’t the biggest fan of Becca not telling Truly about inviting Noah and Ethan to the road trip until literally the last minute where Truly had no choice at that point but to accept it, their friendship was still one of the things i loved about this book because of the way they stood up for one another when needed.
↬ Truly’s mom’s diary. i loved reading the snippets of the diary Truly’s mom had written of her road trip from back then, which was what led Truly to take one in the first place.
↬ Truly’s dad. what can i say? i adored her dad sm, especially when he would call to check up on her while she was away. ♡
what didn’t work for me:
↬ third act breakup. i’m usually all for the drama and angst in books so i don’t mind the break ups that much (unless it’s the repetitive misunderstandings situation) but i wasn’t a fan of it here. i think, because Truly and Noah went through a lot by this point, i was hoping there wouldn’t be any break ups whatsoever. :/ which leads me to the next thing…
↬ time skips. ugh i was never a fan of time skips because i would prefer seeing things solved in the present rather than having months pass by (unless it’s necessary and, in this case, i didn’t think it was necessary?) to confront it buut, with that said, another thing i never understood about the break up was...if Truly broke up with Noah because of that, why did she cave in so easily the next time they crossed paths? ok yeah, she was drunk but, if you’re gonna break things off with the guy, at least make him work for it to get you back.
↬ Ethan emotionally cheating. imo, emotionally cheating is wayy worse than physical. if you have any doubts at all in the relationship, then just break up with the person? i thought his excuse on why was bullshit tbh. i actually liked his character before that but then it happened soo yeah lmao.
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