Reviews with content warning for Child abuse - Credence

Oh jeeze. This was unhinged. Did I enjoy it? …Yeeees? Look, it’s complicated. I couldn’t put it down, but there were some major issues.
First, this author has a habit of starting off her FMCs at age 17. Typically there’s a birthday thrown in the book (which there is here) but in this story I just feel like it didn’t come soon enough. Absolutely hated that.
Second, making her endgame MMC

not speak for the entire book

hindered the story in a huge way. What incentive did the reader really have to root for them, y’know?
Then there’s the more minor things:
Like why is her not-uncle shocked/angry that she has a bad attitude 3 days after her

parent’s suicide

?
WHY is everyone constantly going swimming with their clothes and shoes on?
I will say that the setting of this book was gorgeous, and I really enjoy the way this author writes. (She can write the hell out of a spicy scene, and she definitely did that here.)
All in all folks, definitely check your trigger warnings before reading and don’t take them lightly.

Content Warnings

everythinginbetween's review against another edition

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challenging emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

So I really struggled with how to rate this book. The writing was SO well done, and Tiernan made incredible growth as the story progressed, but I struggled with the characters and namely, some of the choices made by these characters. Noah was probably the most likeable, and even then, I feel like he was advantageous of a GIRL who was struggling with the loss of her negligent parents. (Jake was even worse in this regard. I really couldn't stand him.)

I'm still uncertain about how I feel about Kaleb- part of me wants to like him. My heart aches for him, but his trauma doesn't justify how he treated Tiernan- especially in the beginning. There were moments where I felt I could forgive his behavior- holding her each night through her night terrors, protecting her from Terrance, the birthday gift, the hidden notes in his books... but then I also feel he should have made his feelings known in a concrete way (even more so considering her need for words). While I understand her pull towards Kaleb considering how they're both quiet and closed off, I feel Noah should have had a happier ending. I wish he could have found the connection he found with Tiernan with someone in a romantic sense.

Overall, this is a great read if you can look past some of the taboo. Tiernan really does grow into herself in such a short amount of time and appropriately stands up for herself when the time comes.

Content Warnings

meg53's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Content Warnings

katepalmer's review against another edition

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0.5

What the fuck.

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sam_willson's review against another edition

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dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Content Warnings

thefichest's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

What the f*ck did I just read.
Are the spicy scenes spicy? Yes, 100%. Is it sex with plot? Also yes. AND WHY WOULD YOU EVER CHOOSE KALEB??????? F*cked up from the beginning, should have DNFed it, but pushed through. Trigger warnings very much needed.

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