I received this as an ARC and here is my honest review:
I loved the beginning of this book and the setup/potential it had. The large estate with a mysterious and strict boss, a curious female main character, and an author who we constantly get excuses for why we can’t meet her. I got really into it at first, then got bored around 20% in until about halfway. I will say that I guessed the plot twist at the halfway point, but it was still good to read about and see exactly how Ivy Smoak decided to write it. There were some things mentioned that never circled back, so I wish those plot holes would’ve been filled. And the direction of the book was a mystery/thriller but then also a romance. The mention of a ____ and all the foreshadowing that happened, for it to not even happen kinda disappointed me.

Overall I’m giving this book a 4 star. It was predictable, but also a quick, easy read and I love Ivy’s writing.

Hazel Fox is a quirky new character working for the elusive author, Athena Quinn, in a reclusive beach town in this new standalone book by Ivy Smoak.

I will admit, I found this book both a bit cheesy, but also highly intriguing. I would categorize several of Ivy's books in this exact extreme, which is probably why I kept turning pages and wanted to know all of the secrets that would eventually be revealed. It's very slow burning and is light on steam, but that didn't keep me from turning the pages. Like I said, I wanted to know all the secrets and it took the entire story for them to be revealed.

Hazel arrives at a new job where Mr. Remington is her new employer, and everything she thought the job was going to be, isn't exactly what it turns out to be. On top of the lacking job duties Mr. Remington is wrapped up in mystery and it continually appears that he doesn't like her very much. These two are quite abrasive for multiple chapters, but then along comes his nephew, Hudson. A man closer to her age, cheerful, he actually smiles and honestly things begin looking up. But while Hudson is a bright shiny ray of sunshine to her dull days, Atlas Remington remains a gray, stormy rain cloud, and yet, Hazel is constantly drawn to the rain cloud. Why, there are lots of reasons, let's circle back to all of those secrets, shall we...oh wait, they are secrets for a reason. 😏

There is a ton of mystery surrounding the house she's staying in, along with the housekeeper who won't speak a word to her. Hazel's best friend, Kehlani-who is a total hoot, who both pushes Hazel to purse the hot guys in her life and also pushes her to leave the creepy mansion. Like I said, Kehlani is crazy in the best way only a best friend can be.

If you enjoy Ivy's books, especially the zany ones, this one will be right in your wheelhouse.

I was excited for this book when I first came across it. I've read other books written by Ivy Smoak and quickly devoured each spicy one. The combination of the book cover and blurb caught my attention, and I felt like I was in for something mysterious and forbidden.

The story started great and sucked me in immediately, but it all seemed to fall apart once I hit the midway mark.

I liked the friendship between the MC Hazel Fox and her best friend Kehlani - it was pure and sometimes downright funny. But otherwise, the characters' constant indecision and blind love for other characters they didn't know came off as annoying.

I did appreciate that I was left guessing up to the very end. Unfortunately, the ending wasn't as rewarding as I'd hoped, but I'm okay with that.

This book won't deter me from checking out future books by Ivy Smoak because her stories are very well-written and so easy to get wrapped up in. Looking forward to the next!

Thank you Ivy Smoak, Montlake Publishing, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

Hazel, an aspiring writer, has landed her dream job. Assistant for a popular romance writer. But things don't appear as they seem. She's never met the writer, only Mr. Remington who seems to want to keep her from ever doing so. This was as fast paced read, a little twisty but very satisfying.

Hazel Fox can’t believe she got the job. An assistant to Athena Quinn! Hopefully she can learn from the best on how to be the best writer there is and she can’t wait to meet her.

But now she finds out she’s an assistant to her assistant, has an armful of files to read and sign and the house is creepy as hell, she’s having doubts that she should’ve taken the job in Marketing after all, like her friend Kehlani said.

Mr Remington as the first assistant is called, won’t give his first name and according to him, are not required. Miss Serrano the cook doesnt speak and runs off whenever she tries to talk to her. The whole house is a bit off and strange but she just can’t make herself leave like her friend keeps telling her to.

The only one she’s met who is friendly is the pool boy, Hudson. Although he isn’t all what she expects either.

But not all is what it seems. Why doesn’t Athena meet with Hazel? I She can see her curtains twitch in her wing which she’s not allowed to go into, so knows she’s watching.

Hazel finds out that Athena Quinn’s fan base isn’t what it used to be. It’s more hate mail than anything now, Mr Remington gives her bags upon bags of it to sort.

Did I mention Mr Remington is kind of hot? No? Ah ok. Well, yes he is. And Hazel is having unspeakable thoughts about him and I don’t think it’s all one sided either.

As always, Ivy’s book has twists, making me question who and what people are and this is no different. Loved reading this and I couldn’t put it down. All the crazy things going on add to my wanting to turn the page and read to the end of the chapter.

If you’re a fan of Ivy Smoak’s books, you’ll enjoy this one very much

Hazel is excited to work alongside a best selling author as their assistant, in the hopes that she can get some tips on her own writing career. But when she arrives, she is greeted by Mr Remington who informs her that he is the assistant and she will be his assistant. With the whole place shrouded in secrecy, the novelist nowhere in sight and Mr Remington being so elusive, Hazel doesn't know what to think and so she decides to investigate...

Thrillers and romances are my favourite kind of books so imagine my surprise when this one was a mixture of both! I managed to guess the thriller twist at the end however I think when multiple genres are tackled, maybe both can't be as strong. Despite all the mixed reviews I've heard about this one, I didn't actually mind it. It held my interest and I loved how Mr Remington (Atlas is his first name!) was described to be so smoking hot.

Thank you to Ivy Smoak, Montlake, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was my first Ivy Smoak book and it was okay. I wasn't the biggest fan. Hazel was too whiny for me. The beginning of this book dragged. Thankfully it picked up during the second half, but it wasn't enough for me to fall in love with this book. The ending was predictable.

I did like Ivy's writing and that was one of the reasons I stuck with this book.

This was a first read from a new author for me and Bad Things Feel Best did not disappoint. Once I got started with it, it went really fast. The characters are mysterious and engaging. There is just enough intensity and thrill to it to keep you on the edge of your seat and wanting to know what happens next. It was at times spooky, funny, and intense. The banter between the heroine, Hazel, and the mysterious Mr. Remington is both tense and sometimes awkward, as are the characters which makes them relatable. As Hazel explores her new home and tries to unravel the mystery of Mr. Remington, she’ll have you exploring a haunted house with her and riveted to find out what happens next. I enjoyed it very much and will definitely read more by this author.

I enjoyed this book. I found Hazel so funny. Calling her best friend getting so worked up about Atlas. It kept me guessing. It was a quick read for me. I wanted to know what the secret was. Hazel was a girl that you wanted as a friend. Loved this!

I love Ivy Smoak. The Hunted Series is one of my favs. This one however did not hit the mark for me. The romance and thriller aspect just didn't mesh well together imo and made parts super cheesy.
If you love a cozy mystery with some romance and humor you may love this!

✨Review ✨
***
Bad Things Feel Better was so addictive and so good. The writing was amazing and the characters stoled my heart!! The story was mysterious, it was funny, it was surprising, and it was so Gothic. There was lots of oh crap moment and lots of very incriminating evidence against Mr. Remington. He was so grumpy, strange, and perfect. The ending took me by surprise but I absolutely loved it. The situations Hazel left me speechless but I loved her and her best friend. The writing was well done and I can say without a doubt that I was hooked from the first chapter.
***
Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Romance: 🩷🩷
Spice: 🔥
***
Thank you to Ivy Smoak and Literallypr for the ARC to review.
***

This was a great read for me. I love how this Author doesn’t stick to just one genre. I enjoyed it so much that I wish there is a second book.

Bad Things Feel Best by Ivy Smoak is the story of Hazel Fox is a aspiring author who has left her home in New York to be a assistant to the famous author Athena Quinn. There she will be a live in assistant in a gated mansion living off the coast of South Carolina. When Hazel arrives she finds the place a mysterious and who she is really working with / for is Atlas Remington who is Athena's Personal Assistant. Mr. Remington is a mystery too but one Hazel finds herself attracted too. Enjoyed this book and I hope to read more from this author.

Hazel gets hired to be the assistant to a popular author; upon arrival at her house, she finds out that she is actually the assistant to the author’s assistant, and she begins to doubt she will meet the author. While she is there, she believes there is a larger mystery to discover, and the readers are led to believe that as well. As Hazel’s friend pointed out, there was a story there for her to write, but perhaps she was not the only person writing it. I like that she always had her best friend available to take her call. The ending of this book was as meta as the rest of it, and you realize there was a reason for that. The ending did leave a lot of loose ends untied.

This book for me was a mess of characters that weren't formed and a story that was just so flat that I should have just DNFed this one. Even though this was just over 200 pages it felt so much longer and for this one that was not a good thing. I would say if you want to check this one out. Try getting it from the library because this was a total fail for this reader.

I’ve read so many of Ivy’s books and it’s a refreshing change to read a gothic romance by her. I love her thriller books so I was excited for this one. The book was a fast read featuring a single POV, co-worker, slow burn romance set in a creepy mansion by the beach.

Hazel is excited for the chance to work for a famous romance author with the hope of using the experience to improve her own writing. Those hopes are dashed when she realizes she’ll be working more closely with Mr. Remington who does not appear to be excited by her presence in the least or is he. She feels a pull to him but can’t decide if she wants to slap his stupid beautiful face or feel up his six pack. It’s a hard toss lol.

Before you exit the book make sure to download the bonus chapter! It’s worth it just to get a glimpse into the mind of Mr. Remington. I truly hope 🤞🤞we get more from these characters.

This book was really surprising. It is a mystery romance that kept me on my toes with the continuous questions that popped in my head with each chapter I read.
The book is a slow burn that was really fun to read.
The characters were well constructed and their chemistry was amazing.
I loved the story very much and I really hope that Ivy will write some more about them.

What a complete mindf*ck this was. I was intrigued and captivated from the start,I'm telling this book had me at the edge of my seat, the anticipation of what's coming in the future pages was too much I couldn't put it down. I especially loved the mystery aspect of the book, so many twist and turns and I loved it, this book it literally the definition of more questions than answers and my inner Shelock Holmes came out in full force.
The man of the book i can't not talk about him Mr Atlas Remington what an enigma but oh how I loved him, I loved how he was written ,broody, aloof and my favorite the way he spoke.... that old South western accent it did funny things to me but I would've liked to seen more of him and Hazel as a couple though With that being said I really enjoyed this book

I really enjoyed this book. I did guess the twist about halfway through the book but it didn’t take away from enjoying the rest of the book. It’s under 300 pages and fast paced. I think the story was well developed and interesting.

This is a contemporary Beauty and the Beast retelling with some suspense. Hazel is an aspiring author who gets hired to be an assistant for a bestselling author. When she arrives at the author’s house she instead finds Mr. Remington who is already the assistant to the author. And creepy things start happening.

Billionaire romance
Age gap
Romantic suspense

4⭐️
.5🌶️

4.5
I enjoyed this book a lot. It’s super addictive and definitely a page-turner.
Hazel Fox arrives at her new job on a private island hoping to get inspiration from a renowned novelist, only to discover she won’t be working with the author after all. She won’t even get to meet her. Instead, she’ll be assisting the handsome—and infuriating—Mr. Remington. Hi unnerves Hazel from the moment they meet. His intense gaze always seems to be trained on her and refuses to share any personal information about himself—not even his first name. Something sinister is going on in this beautiful, isolated estate, and Hazel is determined to discover the truth…no matter how close she has to get to Mr. Remington. After all, it’s the things that are bad for us that feel best.
Once I started this book, it was impossible to put it down. It’s engaging, full of mystery and mixed feelings. I love her friend who is super fun and supportive. Haze has the most vivid imagination, but strange things keep happening to her. Mr. Remington —his real name is so hot— is this dark brooding character, sexy and twisted. The chemistry is just perfect and a really good experience in a kind of gothic way. I felt that the ending was a bit rushed, but I loved the story, nevertheless.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.