adds

This is probably my favorite in the Off-Campus series closely followed by The Deal, then The Mistake, and I honestly probably could have skipped The Score (sorry Dean). While this is an easy read, it's not as fluffy and doesn't quite follow the same format as the others. Tucker is patient and reliable. Sabrina is incredibly driven and focused. Two levelheaded main characters make for somewhat more mature writing. Even the humor was a different caliber and I laughed fairly often and terribly hard at times. Tucker is one of the best book boyfriends ever and I'm glad I know someone a lot like him.

I just finished Star-Crossed and I'm so exhausted. Done-in. Emotionally drained. I've just been on one tempestuous journey, and it wasn't always very easy to keep going but thank god I did.

I almost gave up on this book at least 3 different times. I was seriously so frustrated with how awkwardly hard it was trying. Having them perform Romeo and Juliet while reading Lolita at the same time? C'mon now, really? So disgustingly obvious I almost couldn't take it. Yet there was this little voice that kept whispering about how much I was liking Kaitlyn and Will Tennant's interactions. It kept saying, “Who is Mr. Tennant? What will he do?” I will be honest that I skimmed a lot just to get the gist of things and get right back to Kaitlyn and Mr. Tennant.

For me, Will Tennant made this book. Kaitlyn may be the main character and did the most evolving, but I silently saw everything from Will's perspective even while it's Kaitlyn's voice guiding and telling the story. He's my age so I easily put myself in his shoes. I've even had someone years younger than I am make an impressive attempt to woo me into a fling with more confidence than someone their age should rightfully posses. It was disconcerting for me to say the least. I also totally understand how some people and relationships can transcend societal barriers. Some people just connect and the rest almost pales in importance.

Both Kaitlyn and Will had a lot to figure out internally. Different kinds of growth spurts haphazardly come throughout life. There's no guidebook on how to grow up and sometimes it hits hard and devastates while it's happening. So yeah, Will made me cry. I literally started bawling for him I couldn't even see to keep reading. It surprised the hell out of me how much I empathized with his pain.

I would definitely recommend this book to people. It might not be easy to get through but do what you gotta do to keep going because I found it absolutely worth it by the end, faults and all.

Me: starts reading
Kindle: 8 hrs 5 mins left in book
Me: Hmm ok, I'll have to put this down for bed, but that's alright.
Kindle: 1% done
Me: If the rest of this is as good as the first 8 pages I'm in trouble...
Me: 5 am I didn't put it down. I don't regret my decision.

We Are the Ants is the perfect blend of the human condition, bittersweet nihilism, and tenacity of hope. I saw myself reflected in the cynicism and dry sarcasm of Henry, the main character. I keenly felt the paralyzing fear of choices through this book. I laughed until I almost couldn't breathe, got choked up, paced in circles around my house, and even woke someone up in another room with an uncontrollable cursing fit from the emotional roller coaster at one point. Whoops!

I can safely say We Are the Ants is 1 of my top 3 books this year.

I'm convinced it's the artwork that kept me reading this series. It's SO beautiful. I was amazed at the expressiveness in some of the panels. It's enough to make you stop reading and just stare for a few seconds.

Koharu ends up in a polygamous marriage with a man who already has two wives. I don't have any issues with polyamorous relationships. I know people in healthy relationships with multiple partners. The thing is is you're not in a relationship with one person who's also in a relationship with 1 or more other people. Not in the kind of situation in this series at least.

It took quite awhile for the wives to start bonding and talking about how they deal with the tensions their relationship can cause. Throughout most of the first book this lifestyle is portrayed in a manipulative and abusive way more than I was comfortable with. Yes, I understand that there needs to be drama, tension, and humor to keep readers engaged, but I think these things could have been accomplished without the seemingly unnecessary unhealthy actions of the characters at certain times. This series may be aimed at men, but the story could have still progressed without manipulation and extortion of women. Then again, we haven't seen every motive as this series is till ongoing. Perhaps I'm looking for the best in characters when I shouldn't be. Remains to be seen.

I had to regularly keep in mind to look past the culture differences of gender roles. If you're able to do that then this series is rather engaging. Again, the art!

Not a very satisfactory visit back to the wizarding world. The format doesn't lend itself to a pleasant reading experience. I had to remind myself almost constantly that I was not reading a slow buildup fanfiction of a m/m romance.

Well, that was much more delightful than I anticipated. I honestly thought I'd end up abandoning this because the blurb sounds out there for me. Wolf-men? This could go so badly... It was rather entertaining instead. The adventure is fun and the romance is sweet. The people aren't overly wolfy. Some fur, pointy ears, and slightly sharp teeth are no big deal. I was also rather fascinated with the world building and legends of the people. More stories Riggs, more stories!

This book can totally be read as a standalone. Anya is a character from the first book, but there's only one small reference that might make someone pause to decipher.