Pretty Reckless ~ Review

Ali here ~

Title: Pretty Reckless
Series: All Saints High #1
Author: L.J. Shen
Release Date: Apr 26, 2019
Genres: NA Contemporary Romance
Blurb:

From USA Today and Washington Post bestselling author L.J. Shen comes an intense, high school enemies-to-lovers romance with a twist.

Penn

They say revenge is a dish best served cold.
I’d had four years to stew on what Daria Followhill did to me, and now my heart was completely iced.
I took her first kiss.
She took the only thing I loved.
I was poor.
She was rich.
The good thing about circumstances? They can change. Fast.
Now, I’m her parents’ latest shiny project.
Her housemate. Her tormentor. The captain of the rival football team she hates so much.
Yeah, baby girl, say it—I’m your foster brother.
There’s a price to pay for ruining the only good thing in my life, and she’s about to shell out some serious tears.
Daria Followhill thinks she is THE queen. I’m about to prove to her that she’s nothing but a spoiled princess.

Daria

Everyone loves a good old unapologetic punk.
But being a bitch? Oh, you get slammed for every snarky comment, cynical eye roll, and foot you put in your adversaries’ way.
The thing about stiletto heels is that they make a hell of a dent when you walk all over the people who try to hurt you.
In Penn Scully’s case, I pierced his heart until he bled out, then left it in a trash can on a bright summer day.
Four years ago, he asked me to save all my firsts for him.
Now he lives across the hall, and I want nothing more than to be his last everything.
His parting words when he gave me his heart were that nothing in this world is free.
Now? Now he is making me pay.

Amazon | Goodreads

*****Positives*****

• Enemies to Lovers
• This is one of those books that sucks you in so completely that it’s the first thing you think about when you wake up.
• I did not like Daria in the beginning. She was a mean girl, and didn’t have any self respect. She had a lot of issues. But one of my favorite things about this book was watching her mature, and it happened naturally. It never felt rushed. And, it felt real. In the end, I sooo respected her.
• I love the growth in the side characters, too, like Melody, Daria’s mom.
• Lots of twists and mysteries!
• Jaime, Daria’s dad. He has his flaws as a parent, but there is soooo much I love about his character. He’s so completely supportive and protective.
• Some horrific (down right disgusting) and heart-wrenching scenes. While of course they aren’t pleasant by any stretch of the imagination, the writing was dramatic and pulled you in. Made you feel. Made you care.
• Penn! Oh man, his life sucks hard. He will so pull on your heartstrings.

*****Negatives*****

• There are a couple circumstances in the book that weren’t completely believable for me. Nonetheless, they didn’t take much away from the story.

There are some things in this book that would definitely bother some of you with triggers. Please research those if there are some topics that you struggle with. This book touches several. Also, while this is a book set in high school, it is definitely not a YA book. I’d only recommend it for mature readers. There are a lot of bad choices being made throughout most of this book that wouldn’t be good for impressionable readers. That being said, it does have a great message and displays lots of consequences and maturity.

This book sucked me in sooo hard! It has its flaws but it has some really bright sides, too! It’s completely addictive and I’m so looking forward to reading the rest of the series! 4.5 Stars!

Challenges: Popsugar, Beat the Backlist, Wizarding World Tour, 20 in 20, A to Z Reading Challenge, Goodreads 

Have you read Pretty Reckless or any of L.J. Shen’s other books? What did you think? Have a recommendation for me?

Happy Reading,

Ali