Hazel has dreams of becoming an author. She gets a job as an assistant for an author she admires, and she moves to a private island for the job. But she never once meets the author; instead, she has to assist Mr. Remington, a man who lives there and knows the author. He’s cold and unfriendly, and he has secrets that Hazel tries to uncover.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this story, but it definitely kept me interested. I was constantly wondering what was going on, and I did come to the same conclusion as Hazel (which was wrong, but that means the author did a good job leaving the details to lead me astray).

I hope there’s another book because I still have questions! But either way, this was a fun read, and I enjoyed it.

I enjoyed this story. I was hesitant based on some other NetGalley reviews but I liked the FMC and enjoyed the mystery elements of the story.

Hazel Fox is an aspiring author. She has recently been given the opportunity to become an assistant to a very famous and successful author, Athena Quinn. She drives to a gated neighborhood to find the mansion she'll be staying in. Upon arrival, Hazel meets Athena Quinn's assistant, Mr. Remington. He is very formal and insists they only refer to one another with their last name. He is very cold and Hazel is a bit put off by him. Mr. Remington is very old fashioned and southern, using strange phrases. Unfortunately for Hazel, her role is very much being the assistant to the assistant, and she is stuck doing grunt work--going through Athena Quinn's hate mail.

There were a ton of red flags all throughout the book, and just when you thought it'd wrap itself up in a neat little bow, it just ends. It was a bit perplexing. Overall, I thought their attraction/relationship was a stretch. This was a quick, but just ok read.

3 out of 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review. Well let’s just say this book falls flat. It’s just so meh and the FMC is too immature and annoying for my liking.

This was an interesting read. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what was happening and still ended up wrong at the end.

At times I was confused about what was happening, not because it was poorly written but because it was such a great story. This was as much about the mystery as it was the relationship

4.5 stars

The book follows Hazel who is starting a job as an assistant to a famous author, Athena Quinn. The author lives on an island where Hazel is hoping to receive inspiration in order to write her book. However, when she arrives at the house, it turns out she is working as the assistant to the assistant, Mr. Remington. The more time Hazel spends in the house the more she notices how peculiar and haunted the estate is. Secrets begin to become uncovered and Hazel wonders if she should have ever moved to the estate in the first place.

With twists and turns, you just don’t see coming. So many theories, I can't wait to see how people react to this mystery thriller with some romance tossed in.

Not sure how to feel about this book. It isn't for me, but maybe others will like it. I went into this book without reading other people's reviews because I wanted to be surprised. Let's say this book succeeded in doing that, albeit not in a pleasant way. I had difficulty getting through it and wanted to DNF it many times.

This was such a fun and quick read that had an air of mystery and spookiness with the perfect backdrop of a creepy old house full of noises, hidden passageways, and secrets. It is definitely in a different wheelhouse from what Ivy typically writes, but I loved it all the same!

Hazel travels to an island for a job offer of the century. To be the assistant to world-renowned author Athena Quinn. With the hopes of becoming an author herself, she’s filled with nothing but excitement for this once in a lifetime opportunity. But when Hazel arrives, she discovers that she’s actually going to work as the assistant for Mr. Remington and may never have the chance to meet Athena after all.

𝘉𝘢𝘥 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘍𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘉𝘦𝘴𝘵 is filled with mystery, gothic vibes, plot twists, and so many questions on what is going on in that house. There are funny moments and moments that you leave you scratching your head. Without spoiling too much you’ll just have to dive into this book and go along the journey with Hazel to unearth all those secrets.

This book keeps you guessing until the very end and yet at the end you realize that you don’t really know what actually happens. Great plot and characters!!

Thank you for the opportunity, but I will not be reading this book. The author took some actions that I do not feel comfortable with, and have decided not to read her work. I would not be able to separate the art from the artist, and would not give this book the opportunity to stand on its own.

Bad Things Feel Best by Ivy Smoak is a thriller story full of mystery and intrigue. This story can be read as a standalone. In this book the main characters are Hazel Fox and Atlas Remington. Hazel is an aspiring writer and has just applied to work as a PA for one of her favourite authors. After scoring the gig as the PA, she is hopeful she can get some insight on writing from her boss to help jump-start her own writing career. Or so she thought. The job is to be the personal assistant for her bosses personal assistant. Enter Atlas Remington the guy who Hazel is meant to be the PA for. The man is full of secrets and has an air of mystery to him. He also seems intent on getting rid of Hazel.
And so begins this hate to love, enemies to lovers story. With very gothic and almost eerie vibes, this story will have you on the edge of your seat, waitting for the climax and plot twist to hit. The story was thrilling, suspenseful, with mystery, tension and was a good quick read.

The book was okay, not what I expected though, the creepy beach house aspect wasn’t my cup of tea. The story was good, I can say that. I love reading Ivy Smoak’s books for the spice, this book was not what I usually love to read from her and left me feeling a bit meh.

What had promise turned into a hot mess.
My eyes hurt from rolling so much. It was so predictable, and I wanted to stop reading 20% in but I powered through in the hopes it would improve.

The ending was rushed, the heroine… basic. There was no depth to her. I didn’t feel any connection between any of the characters, even when the naked time happened. Lacking…

Sadly this one wasn’t for me.

I am going to start off by saying that I adore Ivy Smoak. I have enjoyed everything I’ve read of hers…..until now. It was a bit slow moving for a good quarter of the book. It picked up a bit. I was interested to see where it would go but alas I felt it went nowhere. There’s little to no romance. The main characters barely carry on a conversation yet BAM…they’re in love. I was all there for the vampire/immortal vibe but again it went nowhere. Again, I’m a huge fan of Ms. Smoak and I will continue to pick up anything she writes, but this didn't do anything for me.

This was my first book by Ivy Smoak, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I loved the characters and the storyline itself was fantastic. Would definitely recommend.

I really wanted to get to this one, as it seemed interesting. This was requested when I first found out about NetGalley and I had requested so many ARCs that I could not get to all of them before they were archived. If I can find this somewhere for a reasonable price, I will try to get it!

A fun book that dives into some paranormal fiction. It just dabbles but it is enough to keep you hooked until the very end! It was a fun age gap, mysterious, haunted mansion story. It was a fun story to get lost into!

This book was a huge miss for me!

Hazel was honestly one of the most annoying characters. None of her decisions were smart or made sense and it was really frustrating to read. The plot didn’t suck me in. The characters weren’t intriguing,

I’ve heard great things about Ivy Smoak so I’m definitely willing to give her another try. Some books just aren’t meant for everyone.

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I have been provided with a review copy of Bad Things Feel Best from NetGalley for an impartial review. This book was just so easy to get lost in. I completely got lost in the story and I just loved getting to see these new characters come together. I just absolutely love this story and I just didn’t want to put it down. I can’t wait to see what’s next from this author.

Nothing could have prepared me for this kind of remarkable storytelling or the many marvellous twists and turns along the way. An absolute must-read that I am shout-recommending from the rooftops.