it’s so hard to dnf books sometimes (this is my third time deciding to dnf this particular book), but i can’t waste any more time on still beating. i was aware of the trigger warnings going into the book and while the multiple sa scenes were understandably difficult to read about, they are not what put me off. neither was the mc, who was “not like other girls,” because it was clear this attitude was coming from a place of insecurity, and i was willing to give her the opportunity to grow. it was not even the fact that this book is a “dark” romance at its core and the kidnapping/sa premise is how the two main leads (trauma) bond and how their relationship develops. is it inherently messed up? maybe, but i also knew this going into the book, so i can’t fault it for that.

why am i dnfing this after all? it’s the writing. still beating reads like badly written young adult book or at best a silly quirky adult romance, but not a serious book about trauma, kidnapping, sexual assault, and recovering from it. i tried and tried to give it a chance, but the writing was giving coho in it ends with us, and i just could not torture myself with it any further.