I enjoyed this a lot. Although I did have some issues going into this at first as there were some discrepancies with respect to how certain events took place in The Dare (the prequel) vs. here.

Manson was the only one I knew some details about after reading The Dare. I got an understanding of how things had been for him after he was expelled. Even after Jessica ghosted him after the party, he still had feelings for her after all this time. But he didn't want to jump headfirst into this situation with her in the present because he didn't know where her mind was at. He convinces himself and others that it's purely transactional and physical, but with time he accepts that he might not be able to let her walk away from him this time. I loved his relationship with Lucas, how he knew what he needed, and they were just so hot together.

Jason was a total genius, and people didn't even suspect that he could actually pull off the things that he did. Being raised in the family he had with the kind of religious beliefs had forced him to obey and hide his sexuality for the longest time until Vincent helped him come to terms with it all and break free from the toxicity. That also resulted in him being abandoned by his family, but he was fine with that, finding a home with Vincent and the other two. Jason had a crush on Jessica while he was in high school but never thought anything would come of it until now. Every time he called her "our girl," it made me smile. He was a nerd, but boy was he sexy as hell in a way you wouldn't have expected.

Vincent was the chill guy who was always the best person to diffuse any situation. But when it came to sex, he was all about taking control and getting things done his way. I liked that he was close to his family and how his family accepted and included Jason into their own family after he came out and was disowned by his family. I liked his relationship with Jason and how he knew his needs so well even when Jason didn't know it himself. I loved the playful banter between him and Jess, and he helped bridge the distance between the five of them the most and made her feel really comfortable and included right from the start. He was also the voice of reason in most cases and awesome in general.

Lucas took the longest time to come around and warm up to Jessica. Watching the way she had treated his friends in high school had convinced him that she was just playing them again and would be gone as soon as her purpose was served. But as he spends time with her, he starts feeling like he's seeing Jessica for the first time. Not the act she put up for the world for years, but who she truly was, while she herself was coming to terms with accepting herself along with the rest of the guys getting to know her. But at the same time he was also scared of getting attached to her only to watch her walk away again, which made him act out and pull away for a long time. Eventually, she gets through to him, and he slowly lets her in.

I also loved his relationship with Manson as his lover. They had been through a lot together and stuck by each other's side when things got too much and helped each other survive one day at a time. I liked how they had a connection and an understanding of their own, which was so sweet.

Jessica had a lot to unpack. Given how she was brought up and told to act a certain way, the expectations that her family had from her to be with someone of their own status made her feel like she needed to fit into the mold that everyone told her to or she would be seen as an outcast and a freak herself. But she had desires and feelings deep inside that she suppressed for the longest time, feeling like she would be laughed at for the things she liked and craved. But the only time she could feel herself let go and relish in that want was when she was with Manson, Jason, Lucas, and Vincent because they helped bring out that side of her and cherished her for it instead of feeling mortified. They gave her the space and freedom to be herself, experiment, and embrace her desires rather than feeling like something was wrong with her.

Oh Fucking My!!! The spice was fan-fucking-tastic, and I loved every second of it. I listened to the audiobook, and I honestly couldn't get any work done. The things these guys did were just so freaking hot and Harley knows how to write mind blowing smut. So many k!nks were explored, and so many more are yet to be in the next book.

I liked that there were flashbacks about instances between Jessica and the four of them in high school that showed that there was a spark, an attraction, and some sense of a connection even if she was their bully the rest of the time in front of her group.

I truly loved the found family aspect in this book and how Jessica slowly finds herself becoming a part of their group, and she surely fit right in with them. The way she built a connection and relationship with each one of them and how they all got together to celebrate and support each other was amazing, and watching Jess slowly blend into that group felt natural once she stopped fighting herself about wanting them.

I also enjoyed all the drama with Jessica's old friends and how it created a dilemma about what she was expected to choose vs. what she wanted. With time, she slowly realizes that her old friendships were always transactional, always ready to reprimand her if she didn't follow what was expected of her. Getting older and leaving town after high school gave her some perspective, and she was able to see through this behavior even as she felt the conflict to just agree so as to not be labeled as a freak. But the more she grew closer to the four men, the more she felt like she was okay with that if it meant she could embrace her true feelings.

Things get more complicated and intense when Manson's father returns to town, which puts them all on edge about what he wants, knowing what his father is capable of. The book ends with a tense conversation between Manson and his father, which makes things a lot more dangerous and will pick up in book two.