Revenge Cake is about a couple that have issues, while Logan has many mommy issues and cannot live without having a girl by his side, Leilani has some social anxiety disorder that leads her to act rudely to those beside her. The way we meet the main characters is really funny, something I have never read in Literature. I didn't know about the existence of Closure Cakes or Revenge Cakes, and I have to say that the Revenge Cake scene was really creepy and empowering at the same time, I still don't know how to describe it. I think that Logan and Leilani are one and the same, they cannot exist separatedly, although maybe being single would be the best for both of them. I think that the author has portrayed how social anxiety works in the right way and I really enjoyed the writing style. It has been really funny and me and Clau -from Caerellia's blog- had some interesting debate about toxic relationship thanks to our improvised buddy reading of this book. I want to read something else by Skyler Mason, tbh.

The first 20% reminded me of after just with some gender reversal. So if you liked heart wrenching toxicity then read this after after.

There's some substance abuse and anxiety issues with Lani our main, the reactions from Logan regarding panic attacks are not the greatest.

The break up cake at the beginning was really unique and tried to make a point that you have to show your ex partner respect and acknowledge there was some good even if it didn't end well.

Logan being described as a relationship sociopath was... Interesting. I'm not really sure what to feel with it, which also gets to the main problem some will have with this book is that he cheats because he has to be with someon

Disclaimer: I got this ARC in exchange for a review.

This is told in a dual POV from Logan and Leilani's perspective. I love that they're senior in college and have been together for a year. The jump between the start of their relationship to present was intriguing, but there were times when it was a liittle slow. Leilani has severe anxiety and the way Logan reacts is awful, but these two grow on you as you keep reading it.

***ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review***

Ah, where do I even start with this one... I hate to be harsh but unfortunately, there are just too many things that I did not enjoy with this one. This is probably the messiest breakup that I've ever read about.

A couple goes on a break. Well one party considers it to be a break, the other thinks of it as a break up. Although, is it even a break if they keep showing up in front of each other all the time and make no effort at all to "sort things out by themselves" as they were meant to?

The relationships displayed in this one are all extremely toxic and the characters are not likeable. This made it really difficult for me to care about any of them and their relationships. Perhaps if the book had started differently, showing you another side of the characters and their love, perhaps then I would've have cared more. Both characters are unfortunately very small-minded and selfish and it doesn't really make sense for them to be together, but hey at least if they are no one else will have to suffer.

I was a bit confused by the timeline in the beginning as well, although I did understand it better later on.

The book was unfortunately not even steamy enough to make up for everything.

I’m not sure on what I should say for this, I didn’t like it, I thought that it was going to end a different way, thought that it was going to end up differently, I just didn’t like this book at all.

I am honestly so torn and not sure how to approach this one. I really enjoyed parts, but other parts it felt like the author was trying to hard to make us like the characters and make them seem like good people. I really enjoyed Logan but even found myself not so sure about him as well.

definitely an interesting read, worthy of a reread to discover how I truly feel.

To sum it up, Revenge Cake is worth 4/5 stars in my opinion. Despite the heavy topics addressed in this novel, this is a light and yet interesting read, indeed the kind of book I would give as a present to my friends. Maybe not after a breakup though

Thank you NatGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Honestly, I have no idea how this book doesn't have a five star rating. It gripped me with the first Closure Cake. I mean what a concept; break-up, make a cake, write the ex's name on it, enjoy. Bye bye ex-lover. If I wasn't already married, I think this would be my new ritual. LOL

I appreciate that Lani owns her anxiety disorder, even though she had a spiral and the one person she finally let in failed her. Broke her heart and didn't truly understand why. They way she speaks about her mental illness is probably the most genuinely open I have ever read. I fell like mental illness is attempted in a lot of books but falls flat with little to no real examples, or explanation. Lani, while being an adult, is still learning to navigate the waters of a relationship and even though she does some childish and immature things you can really see the growth in her from page one to the ending. I especially love the fact that she pursues actual help when needed instead of seeking a band-aid to appease herself.

Logan, oh Logan. How can you be so charismatic and lovely? Logan's character is beautifully written, he is your typical serial dater, but what he really wants us love and affection. He just can't seem to make it last. I think Logan had more to overcome than Lani, even though he doesn't have a mental illness. His clingy, needy, behavior drives him to make some questionable decisions. His constant need to push a relationship, while genuine, came off as stereotypically manipulative. But ultimately I think he recognizes it and grows from the experience.

This book was a wonderful read, if you also have an anxiety disorder this kind of puts a perspective on a character that you can finally relate too on a deeper level. I love that the author included this and made it relatable instead of crippling. I read this book in one sitting, I just had to know what was going to happen to the characters.

Not exactly what I was expecting. I wanted something fun and light and enemies to lovers trope. But this was left me sad and thankful I'm in a mature adult relationship. I guess that's a plus.

*If cheating and Toxic behavior in a relationship is not your thing then don't read this book*

Ever heard the saying ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover?’ Well, I did, and sadly I didn’t get what I was expecting.

I was geared up to read a ‘enemies to lovers’ revenge type romance. In my experience, it usually begins with a jilted ex seeking revenge against the bad boy/girl before falling in love with them all over again. But this book flips back and forth between the past and the present relationship and tells the story of the events that lead up to the revenge.

Leilani and Logan are a prime example of what a toxic relationship looks like and I was unable to find any redeeming qualities in either character.

I read all types of romance, including the darkest of dark, but it’s not very often I’m left feeling depressed and miserable upon finishing.

Also, labeling this novel as a romance is questionable!

I am so behind on my reading, apologies.

I chose this book because the title and the description intrigued me.

Can I just say BRAVO! ENCORE!

I give this 4 stars based on the epic ness of Lani alone. She did what every girl (well ok me) wishes they could do, but is too scared/honorable to do so. She took back her power and made it her b*****!

Was the ending realistic? Not at all. Hahaha. This book was straight toxic (in a good way), but damn if it didn’t give some of us vindication. I truly enjoyed reading this.

The beginning was kind of slow, but when it picked up. I could not stop.

Also as someone who deals with anxiety as well I connected with Lani. Her mode of self preservation I can totally relate to. It’s not right, but sometimes it’s all you have when you don’t want to be hurt.

One last tidbit, the naughty scenes, A+.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. Just wow. This book. Wow. I honestly don't even know what to say about Revenge Cake right now. I finished it a while ago and all I can is that this is one toxic ass relationship.

In it, you mill meet Logan and Lani. Both are manipulative in some way but hot damn - they should NOT be together. Yet, for some weird ass reason.. fate brought them together. I don't see why they like each other.. unless it's the sex. Maybe she has a magical vagina or something.

Lani deal with pretty bad anxiety and goes through some panic attacks every now and then. So it doesn't help that her relationship with Logan takes a huge dive into crazyville. She starts taking this medicine that she ends up abusing and ruining her relationship with him. But don't think he's completely innocent here because he is completely and painfully needy AF. Plus, he basically cheated on her with this girl named Kiera. And by basically.. he completely did.

He's a douche. Through and through.

In the end, I really liked that they weren't together and Lani was doing better. Yet, this ending came and ugh - just utter disappointment. I did not like this book one bit.

This book is filled with the angst. Both characters start out as likeable characters. She suffers from panic attacks and social anxiety, but her quirkiness (mostly due to those issues) is one of the things that he first finds attractive about her. With her mental illness always in the back of her head, she builds a wall around her to protect herself from hurt, and doesn't completely trust anyone, including him. He is patient though and doesn't give up on her. Just when they finally get to a good place in their relationship, all hell breaks loose. This is where she starts losing some of her likeability. She changes, and not for the better. Some of her feelings are warranted, and some not so much. She gets quite verdictive in her revenge plan for getting back at him for how he wronged her (even though we don't really find out exactly how he had wronged her until near the end.) And while he remains likeable throughout, there are things that take place that don't put him in the best of light, and he has his own personal issues as well. No matter their behaviors, you do still root for them and want to see them be together, and you want to see her get help and become the person she once was. There is a lot of feelings involved. Mostly sad and anger. There is some light humor, but it is mostly a heavy heart read. The timeline bounces between the past and present and takes place over the course of a year. In addition to the mental illness issue, there is also addiction involved. There is some sexual content. Due to the subject matter, I would recommend this for mature readers. Great book for a authors debut.

*I received an ARC copy of this book from Netgalley.

3.5 Stars
First off I have to say this book would drive anyone with knowledge of psychology insane. The MC’s are the epitome of a toxic relationship and even after reading and enjoying the story I really doubt these two have a lasting HEA. Both Lani and Logan have not advanced from their highschool years. It was hard to take them seriously when both require so much coddling and attention. The whole book consists of two timelines, then and now. We see how their relationship evolved and devolved just as quickly. Again they were both so immature and destructive it was hard to like either one of them or care what happened between them. It was like they both wanted to hurt the other to the point of no return and then realizing they’re so alike they decide to give it a go again. I mean really, these two are both a mess and I don’t think either is up for a relationship until they grow up. [Lani may be going to see a therapist but it’s clear she has more issues going on that need to be addressed, she has an addictive personality on top of her anxiety disorder and panic attacks. The only reason she got cleaned up was because it was a part of her revenge plan. Perhaps if they each seek therapy together and apart I can find hope for them but it’s hard lol. Maybe they’d turn into that old couple whose whole relationship consisted of break ups and reunions 🤷🏼‍♀️ I think Logan running to other women as his defense mechanism would eventually go past the point of no return but the irony is really him calling Lani a runner when that’s exactly who he is. Running in and out of relationships and especially running when things get hard. After all is said and done I kind of feel bad for Lani, personally just hearing my man making out with another girl would be enough for me. Not only does Logan abandon her when she’s literally in the middle of a mental break he himself mentally checked out and got involved with another woman and nearly cheated on her. While I didn’t fully hate the book I hate how cheating played such a big role in the plot. Logan’s reaction to her mental disorders was also disgusting and he’s just a shit guy IMO. They’re both f’n nuts so maybe they are perfect for one another. Think she can do a whole lot better but I at the end of the day if she can excuse his cheating ways I just feel sorry for her.
As for the story as a whole I didn’t hate it but I didn’t love it either, especially the plot as a whole (the reasons for their breakup and Lanis revenge plans). I think the back and forth timelines worked for the story and made for a more explosive end that still posses me off. wWhile I don’t have faith in the ending I didn’t mind witnessing their relationship go off track, it’s like reality tv in a book, they’re both a mess and need help. While this was way more drama laden than I’d normally go for I’m glad I gave it a go. That cover alone called to me and I do like how both the title and cake played a part in the book as well. The author makes some political statements that don’t bother me in the least but I think it’s a little risky going so hardcore at times and can potentially get some panties in a twist.

Thank you for the advanced copy.

This book was not what I was expecting it to be furthermore, even during the book, the plot twists kept on coming and made the book engaging.

As a person who deals with anxiety and panic attacks as well, this book took me on a journey of emotions.

Logan and Lani - both had issues and touching on both their character development was a great addition. The characters were realistic and relatable, creating a connection between the readers and the characters.

Although I liked how the book talked about the reality of Mental Health issues, trigger warnings should've been mentioned.

I also loved how the book had POV's from both characters, the constant break between the past and present threw me a little, but, the format does make sense when it comes to the storyline.

Congrats to Skyler Mason on the debut novel!

Although I wasn't a big fan of the in-details of the explicit scenes, besides that, I thoroughly enjoyed the book.

This completely missed the mark for me. I want to give constructive criticism, rather than simply complain and really try to find something to improve upon. My honest advice is that Revenge Cake needed to be completely rethought. It was far too immature with the two most unlikable characters I have read about in a long time.

I loathed how neurodiverse characters were called crazy and how Logan did not understand Lani at all but she still wanted to be with him? This man-child whore who cheated on her?!?! No, thank you.

I have to be honest, I was not as big a fan of this book as I thought I was going to be,

I flew through this in a single evening, probably skipping over a lot of the lines in order to get through it. I didn't particularly like any of the characters and so I wasn't really rooting for the relationships, which is kind of a vital aspect of a romance novel. Moreover, the relationships in this book all seemed quite toxic.

I also often like flashbacks, but this time I wish it was linear. I wanted to read more of the present day stuff rather than returning to the supposedly good relationship in the past, although I see what the author was trying to do here with the contrasting halves.

I am quite disappointed by this, but I know that a few of my bookish friends have read this and enjoyed it so I wouldn't want anyone to be out off reading after this review, Maybe I'm just in a cynical mood...

I hate writing harsh reviews. That being said....
The level of toxicity in this book is off the charts. I don’t think any of the relationships are healthy. And I really hope that the 20-somethings reading this book realize that the female characters are poor examples of what feminism is like, because if this is what passes for feminism I am truly afraid. I didn't like a single character or find any of them sympathetic.
The book construction didn't help the storytelling. The plot dragged. Just as I would finally get into a chapter, we would time travel and the POV often changed at the same time and so I was thrown out of the story and any engagement I felt was erased. After a while, I just didn't care to keep track, particularly for the chapters set in the past.
The two stars are for the cover and for those brief moments that did engage my interest.
I received an ARC and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

REVENGE CAKE
BY SKYLER MASON

Leilani and her best friend bake a Revenge cake for their boyfriends as they are exiting out of their lives. At first, I thought that the target audience marketed for this book was Young Adult. The more I read I realized that it was written for adults also. There are a lot of immature relationships taking place but that sometimes happens in older adult relationship's also. In this case Logan goes from one relationship where he falls head over heels in love from one relationship to the next. In this story his love interest happens to be with Leilani, until she confides in him that she suffers from panic disorder. She is abusing Ativan which is a minor tranquilizer used to treat panic attacks or those who suffer from anxiety.

The author tried to render a serious novel about what it is like to suffer from panic attacks and the high addiction rate drugs like Ativan in Leilani's case. She wrote about how zonked out Leilani became when she mixed alcohol with her Ativan. The author also did a stellar job in painting a portrait of what a stigma it can be even in 2020, by Logan's initial rejection of Leilani.

I thought that their were a lot of explicit and graphic sexual scenes and that the language used to describe such acts was very coarse and crude. It was a turn off to me as a reader to happen to have to read such foul mouthed vocabulary to describe the nature of these acts. Maybe I am not the target audience for such crude language due to my age. I do applaud this author for exploring the seriousness of panic disorder by making her protagonist suffer from them. This is an ever increasing epidemic that touches all ages and classes. I just would have enjoyed the novel without the crude language describing what young sexually active adults do and adults of all ages.

Leilani and Logan's story was interesting at first for the first half of the book and after that I think that it got to be a bit sadistic and repetitive. I think that they acted childish towards each other especially Leilani and Logan in each of their own ways. I think that the cover of this book is Instagram worthy. I do applaud this author for tackling the tough and very real topic of anxiety disorders and the addictive effects of treating them with drugs like Ativan and what happens when drugs in that class are abused.

Publication Date: December 6, 2020
Available Now!

Thank you to Net Galley, Skyler Mason and Victory Editing Netgalley Co-op. for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#RevengeCake #SkylarMason #VictoryEditingNetgalleyCoop #NetGalley

This did not play out like I thought it would. From the title, I thought the story would be about a girl getting revenge on her jerk of an ex, instead it was half about the development of their relationship and half about Logan and Lani hurting each other and then deciding if they're getting back together.

Leilani has pretty bad anxiety and panic disorder. When she and Logan first meet, she's managing things okay but not great. As her and Logan's relationship progresses, he shows that he doesn't understand her panic attacks and her mental health declines. She then becomes addicted to pills and everything spirals. Yes, Lani doesn't handle things well and said some terrible things, but Logan is far and above the bad guy. He pushes Lani past her comfort, he doesn't try to understand her mental health, and he does something pretty terrible. Lani did get a bit of revenge on him and I was happy that it had positive side effects for her.

I thought Logan and Lani made a poor couple and I didn't want them together. I was hoping she'd get her revenge, tell him to get out of her life, and be happy. That's not quite how it played out and the ending felt really abrupt. Oh well, can't love them all.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review