Mia was a pleasant surprise for me too. She's unapologetic and unashamed to be who she is. She knows what she wants, and she owns her life, and her curvy body. She's a camgirl, and she likes to be in control of what people get to see. And yes, she has an annoying stepbrother. Someone she's always been attracted to, drawn to, somehow, but she's never done anything about it. Lol it's like the author forgot that isn't the norm. She acted like their stepsiblingness wasn't even a deterant or an inconvenience, lol. Like, she didn't even add any tension with the parents or anything.

But overall I liked this book quite a lot, it’s a heavy one and it has a lot going on that made me cringe, but sometimes I like that cringey feeling if it’s done well, which it was. She also forgives way too easily. Raise your standards, girl. And stop being immature. And stop using the words “flesh” and “belly.” I don’t know why, but they are 0% sexy. “Flesh” reminds me of Hannibal Lecter. “Belly” reminds me of a dog. Stop that. From the start, we know Garrett likes to watch. And we know he has an infuriating stepsister, 13 younger than him, that gets on his nerves. He used to make fun of her, but it wasn't because he was mean. It was just his way of expressing himself around her, of showing her he cared. Because this man cares. He may even care too much about everything, but he goes to great lengths not to show it. Why? Let's just say I absolutely understand him. Warm- a medium level of sexual tension, a balance of sexual and emotional intimacy, lighter on the details in the sexual moments. Anyways I’m kind of rambling now & it’s two am so I really should go to bed, but this was just such a let down. There’s also a smattering of pretty negative commentary about women (“they’re catty bitches, most women are mean to each other and that’s why Mia doesn’t have women friends”) a weird comment about “skinny shaming” and after what felt like (to me, I could be wrong) a shallow dive into Garret’s depression, the reader is informed that Garret is ready to have a baby w/ Mia bc he’s been on antidepressants x therapy for a year, and also spent that year proving “that he had everything under control” which feels like not a great metric to measure mental health?? Like require control and perfection all the time feels…not great?

Success!

TW: are listed at beginning of novel but include - depression, anxiety, attempted suicide in past. Please read the content warning before starting. I like that we have so much variety in the books and I look forward to reading more from Sara Cate in the future. I highly recommend this series and I’ll give the series as a whole a 4 stars, 3.5 peppers, and 2 tissues. And have no fear... it definitely brings the spice. The kinks and the sexy times are epic. It just made this book work on so many levels for me. I cannot wait to see what the next 2 books bring. There is some great set up for the next relationship and I am very much anticipating how Sara Cate brings it to life.

I enjoyed seeing the progress of Garrett and how he slowly accepted that he had depression. It’s rare to see it in books & especially from a MMC perspective. Someday a man will come along who won’t like what you do. He’ll want you to himself because he thinks you’re nothing more than a body he can control, and it will be because he’s insecure. A real man knows that truly possessing someone is a privilege, and it’s not their body you’ll own. It’s so much more. I want you to know the difference, Mia. What I Loved Living in Arizona with her husband and kids, Sara spends most of her time reading, writing, or baking.I appreciated the representation of a hero with depression, though I would have like to see it discussed earlier and more throughout the book and not just at the last 80% of it. please don’t say that…. I know there’s no shame, but I mean…how would you feel if it was [your girlfriend]? Flashing her puss—" This comic is about a boy, Evan, who forgets his keys at his friend's house, on his way to find them he didn't expect to find such a cute guy at the door... even less for said guy to be half naked and interested in him for no reason!