Side Effect by Lulu Jones had a surprisingly great plot. Not that I expected it not to, I just tend to gravitate towards thrillers instead of romantic novels. This has great characters that have great dialogue and intelligence. This is a fast paced read that if you have a few hours, you can finish in one setting. I give this 4 out of 5 stars.

Thank you to netgalley as well as the author/publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Side Effect by Lulu Jones was exactly what I needed in the midst of a pandemic. It was entertaining and gave me Fifty Shades vibes, at times. Overall, it was a fun read!

The story of Kendall and Maton. He is technically his patient, so will she cross the line and have relationship?

Deals with some difficult issues, but a good read.

Okay, so the blurb is way too revealing, we can all agree with that. It's basically like one of those movie trailers that reveal too much so you don't have to actually watch the movie.

I don't know why but lately, in all e-books I have this feeling that's it's all happening too soon. For example, in this book, they were basically in love with each other at half of the book, so when he asked her to marry him, I internally cringed. He can't even get out of the apartment, how does he expect to make this relationship work?? Then suddenly, he can overcome his fear and he goes out easily. Like he never feared anything. How can he do that? Forget his fear so easily?

I think the characters didn't know what they wanted. Kendall wanted one thing, Maton another. Maton wanted to marry even though he had like a thousand issues but Kendall agreed either way.

The beginning of the book was well written but farther I was reading, the more I felt like the flow is missing. There was no more connection between me as a reader and the text. I just cringed more and more till the end. Also, couple mistakes in the story were present but since it's an arc maybe they got deleted later.

We got a HFN ending. The man who threatened Maton never get caught, instead we're told that his focus has shifted and he's done with Maton. Um, okay? So, you're just going to be happy the man is not targeting you anymore but you're not even slightly concerned about your friends? I would have liked this book more if this was solved not that I need to read other books to find out what happened to this man.

3 stars.

First thing first I should have really listened to the previous reviews of this story and dropped this story before I got in too deep but whoops, too late. The blurb was interesting enough to give this a go yet there wasn't anything preventing me from dropping this. The relationship between Kendall and Maton escalated way quicker then what I would have liked it (0 to 100 is putting it lightly), the stalker like tendencies and possessive behavior between them was a major turn off and lastly the many plot holes were too great to ignore. I couldn't find any real appeal about their relationship and honestly this series was a letdown. Definitely not worth the time and energy I put into and sadly to say as much as I appreciate the ARC, Lulu Jones “Side Effect” wasn't for me. In conclusion, this properly would've have worked better if the author written the series as a erotica instead of this mess some would call a romance novel.

It was an amazing book I loved reading it and would definitely recommend it to others. The author did an amazing job.

I had a bit of a hard time with this one given the ethics that went along with it. While I enjoyed the characters, I did think that the whole insta love was a bit much!

I think I would be wary of who I recommended this book to,

Kendall is a student psychologist who is hired by Martin's mother to help him after a traumatic experience. He's initially very rude and obnoxious but they form a relationship.

I had a few big issues with this. First the whole doctor patient grooming and inappropriate relationship thing. I know it's fiction but the solution the author has for this isn't great. Second the instalove - from 0 to I love you in 2 seconds flat. Third is possibly down to the marketing - the 1st 20% of this book I enjoyed. It was building up well, but then it took a sudden turn and there were sex scenes every other chapter. I don't have anything against erotic romance but there was no suggestion of the large role these scenes would play in the description of the book and within the text the 1st one came from nowhere.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC

The book started out good. Where the mother hires a student intern from her psychiatrist to help her son.
Her son was shot 6 months prior and has closed himself from the world. Takes caution to the extreme measures.
The intern is first insulted by the son, then refuses to go back. But she needs the money that the mom if offering to finish off her last semester of school.

I liked the book to a point, but once some lines were crossed the storyline lost me. When you are studying to be a psychiatrist there are things that you don't cross. Even though she is not a "psychiatrist", she crossed those lines. The story focused on the 2 main characters and how attracted they were to each other, instead of trying to find the shooter. When the shooter is finally introduced it was very anti-climatic. It could have gone a whole different way.

Will I read from this author again? Yes. I see the potential in the writing.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of Side Effects. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Even though the basis for this relationship was completely unethical, this was a very enjoyable read. I loved the characters, which were well developed and believable. The novel was well written and obviously researched. However, not being a psychology major myself, I was a little surprised/in disbelief at the timeline for some of the resolutions to the issues of concern for Maten. That being said, parts of this novel had me nearly in tears and parts had me on cloud nine! I will happily read this author's future work!

Thank you to NetGalley and Lulu Jones for the ARC!

I don't think that I was sure what I requested when I did here however, the writing is very good. Not my usual type of book I think I blushed all the was through it. A guy in recovery whom become involved with his therapist romantically. Honestly not hard to think this book up Im sure this plays out often in this type of movie and book but it is well written.

I found this to be a very enjoyable read. An entertaining story-line and great characters keep your interest extremely well.

Watching the evolution of the relationship between these two was a treat. Add in drama and steamy passion and you have a good read.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for my review. Kendall Atherton is a psychology student who has been invited to observe Maton Lee, a very successful business man who is suffering from PTSD and is unable to leave his apartment. Maton Lee's mother senses a special connection between Kendall and Maton and requests that she continue to work with Maton even though she is not quite done with her schooling. She agrees and slowly she is able to make progress with his PTSD, but she makes a terrible career choice by getting involved with a patient. The bigger risk is that the person responsible for the violence that caused Maton's trauma is on the loose and Kendall may be his next victim.

This was a very quick read, and I can suspend some degree of reality if the story is great, but there were just too many holes in this plot for me to buy into it.

I was so intrigued by the description to this book.
It sounded so complicated and interesting. And I honestly got sucked in right from the start.

The chemistry between these two characters was just explosive, for lack of a better word.

And I just found myself not able to read fast enough.

I fell in love with eveything about this book. And highly suggest if your looking for a good romance with a little bit of that love to hate you vibe going on, to go pick this one up.

Side Effect by Lulu Jones clocks in at 255 pages in print length, and provides another new interesting story idea against a pleasant Australian backdrop. Labeled by some as a "Medical Romance," Side Effect begins with Kendall Atherton, a young psychology student being led through an expensive Sydney apartment building by a mysterious older woman named Vanessa. The reader is then briefed as to Kendall's "off the record" assignment: to assist with the therapy of Vanessa's son Maton. The obscenely wealthy Maton has been an absolute disaster of a patient with more traditional psychologists, so it appears Kendall's potential for new ideas (wrapped in an attractive package) could somehow reach out to the troubled man.

Something you won't see much of in Side Effect are plot twists. Overall the story is fairly straight forward: Kendall slowly gets Maton to open up about himself, dark secrets are learned, vulnerabilities are expressed, dicks are put into vaginas, rinse and repeat. The funny thing is, while nothing came as a shock, the story felt more satisfying this way. Plenty of modern erotic or romantic stories include surprising twists about extreme trauma, or unspoken motives for why the characters were in their specific situations. Certainly, Side Effect has some roller coaster moments, some instances of suspense and drama. But despite the frantic moments, we're never toyed with as the reader, not worried that the author has some trick up their sleeve that'll make us feel bad for wanting these characters to express their love. This "love", by the way, was quite intelligently written. The sexual moments were almost poetic in their choice of words...deciding to express more in terms of self and feeling instead of clinical terminology. Such moments were also magnified by the story's choice of perspective.

One other particular strength of Side Effect is the focus of point of view, especially during the erotic moments. While the POV can change during a single chapter, the author does a great job to paint “both sides of the picture” when an opportunity presents itself. Maton's intense lust can be countered in the same chapter by Kendall's reluctant affection, serving to provide each moment with a little more mileage for the reader. Choosing to have these views in the same chapter should also be considered a victory, as we don't even need to pause to feel fully encompassed in the whole damn sexy experience.

Rating: Side Effect, by Lulu Jones is a long journey that feels well worth the effort it takes to reach the finish line. Comprehensively, the novel was a pleasure to read, and the consideration and professionalism of the author (thankfully the character's malpractice not withstanding) pays dividends all the way to the story’s intense satisfying conclusion.

It had an interesting theme with two needy people desperate for love against all the odds. It was handled with sensitivity and compassion as Kendall attempts to make Maton better, but too raw and saucy for me in places I'm afraid. The language was too ripe as well. I failed to notice that it was listed as "erotic" as it's not one of my categories. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read it.

One of the best romances I have read in a while, and from an author I've never read before! I have never been happier about being a part of the Net Galley team, as I was after finishing this incredible book. It was relatable, it was driven, it was twisted, and it not only kept you on your toes.. in everyway. But it had you rooting for every single character. It felt a bit rushed, when things finally started falling into place.. but it was still beyond anything I expected. I found myself wanting a sequel, and I don't think that very often.

I loved this book! Made me cry and happy all in the same moment. The author did great writing this book. I this book kept me on my toes. Some of it even hit home! Can't wait for more from the author!!

“Side effect” is a fascinating book. The plot was fantastic. In books, most of the times it’s the woman who is weak and needs the help of a man but I am glad that wasn’t the case here. Kendall helps Maton when there is little to no chance of him returning to normal. She forgives him even when he destroys her dream of being a psychologist. I read the book in a day; it was that amazing. I wish a book about Archer and Blair comes too.

Thank you Netgalley and to the author, Lulu Jones, for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. When I first read the description for Side Effect, I got Me before You and 50 Shades of Grey vibes. Except this is extremely better written than Grey. I downloaded the book at 2am Friday morning and was done with it by Friday evening. The story pulled me in from the start and I did not want to put it down. While I did take some issues with the character Maton, who obviously suffered from PTSD, being called crazy by other characters, the book still shows the dramatic effect that PTSD and anxiety can have on a person. I would recommend Side Effect if you are looking for an engaging, sexy, can't put down read.