3.5 stars (messed up i did 3 stars by accident)
okayy soo this wasn't the WORST and out of say you swear, promise me not, and trust me always, i prefer this one (trust me always) the most. IF were talking abt the entire universe which includes the fumbled futures duology, then no this one isn't better than defenseless hearts but it's second best so far. with that being said, this book still had lots of problems for me.
BUT i'll start with why i enjoyed this one.
!!!SPOILERS!!!
what i liked:
1) this book was very fast paced. i think this one took the least amount of time for me to read and overall the story felt quick. my book was 335 pgs and had 40 chapters but it didn't rly drag for me until the last 15% of the book (which i'll get to in a bit).
2) i liked both main characters! overall, i've always liked brady and cameron so reading from their povs wasn't terrible! BUT i'll talk abt the 3 povs in a bit....
3) i LOVEE friends to lovers so this was cute and we got lots of them even from the first book so it was easy to root for brady and cameron to be together.
4) brady's pov specifically had me DYINGGGG he was so funny at times and yeah ngl this book made me laugh lots.
5) SLOW BURN AYYYYYYYYYY 😛😛😛
now here are the problems i had with this book:
1) EXTREMELY LUSTY EUGH. brady was such a gentleman at times and RLY good with cameron but, he was also super lusty and i hated that. it was so gross to read and made me uncomfortable.
2) i didn't like alister's pov. overall, okay i felt bad for alister but at the same time, cameron was TOO nice to him. she needed to get a restraining order on him bcz the way he would NEVER leave her alone, LITERALLY PUT HIMSELF IN ONE OF HER CLASSES TO FORCE HER TO TALK TO HIM, and ALSO not to fricking mention him using her in the first place. idk why do i lowkey feel like we got more of alister's pov than brady's? at least in the beginning it felt like that and it was weird.
3) the last 15% of the book was DUMB. the stupid miscommunication, trey RANDOMLY coming back, the book ending in smut (i think all the books ended like that so far - LAMEEE). it was just unnecessary.
4) LISTENNNN i know this is drama from the first book BUT i just HATE how QUICKLY these people moved on from what chase did to ari. it's always "aw chase it's so hard for him to watch ari and noah be together" and "the noah, ari, and chase drama" LIKE STFUUU HE LITERALLY SLEPT WITH HER THEN GHOSTED HER JUST BCZ HE WAS TOO MUCH OF A WUSS TO BE WITH HER TF???? brady made me so mad bcz he was all like "oh alister hurt my cammie girl" OH BUT CHASE DIDN'T HURT UR "ARI BABY" (he calls her that)??? i know chase liked her but i'm sorry HE was the one who did ari dirty, not the other way around idc i'll defend ari with my LIFE when it comes to that whole drama. also seeing ari's mom and chase having their moments UGHHHHH so annoying. i don't even remember brady being a little mad abt what chase did to her. it just annoys me so bad and knowing that chase's book is next - RAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!
5) i talked abt this but this needs a seperate place bcz it's so bad. the car wash chapter was SO LUSTY AND CRINGE. one of the worst chapters i've ever read. IDK I'M SORRY IT MADE ME SO UNCOMFORTABLE.
And girl’s got a booty. Ever since she and Ari did that Booty Bootcamp thing, whatever the fuck that is, it’s been poppin’. She’s most definitely kept up the routine. It’s high and round, and I’ve got the sudden urge to give it a little tap. Maybe a squeeze or two, you know, just to see how soft it is. I glare harder at the offending underwear.
“Pretty sure when your leg stretches to take a step, them things are gonna slide up and out will plop a cheek.” (brady to cameron btw).
BLEHHHHHHHHHHHHHH 🤮🤮🤮 idk man it's just NAWT IT FOR MEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!
6) okay so cameron has this disease thing and she told brady that she wants to adopt. TILL THE END OF THE BOOK, brady says this:
“I want to give to another child out there somewhere what my dad gave to me simply by being nothing more than the man he is. I will adopt one day,” he says surely. “It’s a lot, I know, but it's something I’ve known about myself for a very long time.”
OKAY SO brady's dad isn't actually his dad and the biggest plotwist in this book is despite brady being known as the "playboy" and stuff, he's a virgin. ANYWAY, THIS MAN NOT ONCE MENTIONED HE WANTED TO ADOPT. i can see what the author is trying to do her. idk how to feel abt it tho. it's fun to have these reveals but at the SAME TIME, idk i'm reading their pov i just feel like i should know this stuff YK???? idk maybe it's just me but he mentioned to cameron once abt his dad not actually being his biological dad and then never brought it up again until the end of the book. it sorta bothered me.
7) not many memorable quotes tbh LOL.
ANYWAY character time:
cameron cox: OKAYY SHE WAS CUTE!!! for some reason, i can't imagine her as a blonde i keep thinking she's a brunette but ANYWAY, i related to her and enjoyed her lots. careerwise, we're sorta doing the same thing (at least, that's my plan) and she was nice. i wish she had just told brady that alister already talked to her abt his feelings bcz then there wouldn't have been that dumb and unnecessary miscommunication in the last 15% of the book. BUT she was still a pre decent character and NGL she made alister kinda likeable at times. i'd be like "GIRL MOVE ON" but at the same time, there were moments where i understood why she couldn't yk? anyway i like her overall.
brady lancaster: he's cool too!! again, still pre 50/50 abt him bcz although, he was a gentleman and sweet for the most part:
“Well, you’re forgiven, and thank you. I’ll Apple Pay the money over later.” “I’ll just send it right back.” (it's the bare minimum but still sweet - he also took care of cameron a lot AND was very protective of her too).
he did say some gross, lusty things that were hard for me to read. like it actually made me uncomfortable. but other than that he was still a rly funny character and good to cameron.
them as a romance:
friends to lovers and slow burn? SIGN ME UPPPPPPP!!!!! it was actually done rly well for the most part tbh. it could've been worse. but yeah, these two defs work well together the most imo they're very similar and have been friends for the longest time. they're both party animals and for the most part are rly good to their friends. they just work well imo and i'm glad they ended up together bcz tbh i can't imagine them with anyone else. also him remembering her order since middle school?? OKAY BRADYYY 🤭🤭 yeahh they were cute!!!!!
other characters:
alister: yeahhhh no. cameron was too nice to him (AGAIN someone rly should've suggested getting a restraining order). i feel bad for him when it comes to allana and him not having family but he still needed to BACK OFF and he did cameron so dirty too. he just gave her a hard time and it annoyed me.
the others: chill. ARI AND NOAH.........are they engaged??? OU I HAVE A PREDICTION: in chase's book, they're gonna get engaged and chase gonna CRASH OUT!!!! speaking of him, he defs got feelings for paige and SMTHN is going on with them (they're endgame - it's obvious and i got spoiled) but idk what the tea is!! ALSO smthn is up with chase's mom (i'm assuming she's sick).
ANYWAYYYYY gonna start chase's book today!! pray for me ya'll i hate him HAHA 😭😭
quotes:
For those whose choices remain their own secret. Never let the world push your off course. Your patience will pay off in time. I’M TELLING YA’LL SMTHN ABT THE AUTHOR’S DEDICATION PAGES!!! they give me hope.
“Well, you’re forgiven, and thank you. I’ll Apple Pay the money over later.” “I’ll just send it right back.” PERIOD.
God, I’m so messed up. I hate that you can’t just turn off feelings. Life would be so much easier if you could. real.
A virgin at twenty years old. By choice, obviously, but what does that matter? AIN’T NO FAWKING WAY. biggest plotwist in the book tbh.
“I have waited to sleep with someone because I need to be able to trust that person with everything I have, Cameron. I refuse to risk the chance that any child of mine could possibly lose a parent from choice. If I were sleeping around, I’d have no way of knowing if someone out there ended up pregnant and either couldn’t find me to tell me or simply decided not to. I know that sounds crazy. I’m young as hell and maybe this isn’t something that should have even crossed my mind yet. And I just said I lost nothing with Ben as my father. It’s true that I have everything I could ever need in my parents, but I also know that not everyone has someone else come along who can give as freely and wholeheartedly as my dad has. But it’s not only that, and maybe this is the craziest part.”
pre-review:
EHHHHHHH mixed feelings abt this one so it's getting 3 stars. best one out of the entire boys of avix series tho so far (not better than defenseless hearts from fumbled futures tho imo).
pre-read:
OKAYYY HEAR ME OUTTTT!!!!!!! these books haven't been great BUT i'm actually excited for this one!!! cameron and brady's story is gonna EAT (it better)!!!! 💜💜