To begin with, let me just say OH MY GOD. The blurb gives you an idea of what you’re getting yourself into, but you are truly not prepared for the wild ride that Skyler Mason takes you on in Revenge Cake. It’s not just your average second chance romance, it’s not simple or cute, it’s all kinds of chaos, painful and strangely beautiful. Leilani and Logan are a hot mess and I’m still unsure if I like them together or not.

Revenge Cake is Skyler Mason’s brilliant, raw and honest debut. The book tackles a lot of tough subjects, but she doesn’t shy away from being honest and real about it. And that’s what I really liked about the book - anxiety and panic attacks are not just a plot point, it’s part of who the character is. Mental health is at the core of this book and that’s not something lots of authors tackle. Or if they do, they don’t do it at the level that Skyler does. Also, yes, there is cake. Lots of cake.

Told through dual POV, the book alternates between past and present, giving you insight into the beginning and the end of the relationship. It’s a rough ride, so strap yourself in because you are going to need all the support you can get. Logan and Leilani are both rough around the edges characters with epically real flaws that you can almost relate to. And their relationship is heart wrenching and it really makes you take a step back and look at your own life and your choices.

Revenge Cake starts with a break-up, then goes back in time to see how Logan and Leilani met. Logan’s a bit of a relationship guy and he jumps from one girl to the next without pause because he always feels like he does better in relationships. Which isn’t entirely true or smart. And Leilani is too smart to fall for that. At first anyway. The book chronicles the relationship through their ups and downs, through their wild, passionate sexcapades and everything in between.

I feel like it’s important to point out that I couldn’t find it in me to like Logan. And it’s not just because of how we see him through Leilani’s eyes, he’s not a good guy. And yes, there’s cheating and repeated mentions of it. Which makes it hard to like and forgive Logan. Leilani isn’t perfect, but she’s at least aware of her issues and she’s finding ways to handle them to the best of her abilities. Logan is petulant and childish and a bit of an asshole. Whatever redeeming qualities he has is negated by everything else he does and says.

The book took a little while for me to get really involved, but there’s also lots of world and character building. You get to meet Logan’s family and connect with these characters, and even meet their friends. There’s a lot to process and it’s a lot of angst that you really need to brace yourself for. As a debut, Skyler Mason sucks you in and keeps you hooked as she takes you on this wild ride.

To cut a long story short, Revenge Cake is not just about a relationship between two people. It’s about accepting people for who they are, it’s about going on that journey of struggles with someone else and supporting them through it. It’s about mental health and the various faces it projects. It’s about loving yourself before loving someone else. The book might follow two very flawed characters through a tumultuous relationship, but it’s so much more and even with all the triggers and hoops you have to jump through, you will feel all of that at the end. And Skyler Mason has woven all of this together in a unique story.

Revenge is a cake best served after a bad breakup. Or such is the theory of Lelani, the heroine of the book I'm about to review: Revenge Cake, by Skyler Mason. I've been able to obtain an advanced reader copy of this novel on NetGalley, for which I am incredibly grateful.

First of all, I feel the need to say that this book includes possible trigger warnings such as drugs and alcohol abuse, and several sex scenes. That said, let's begin!

Revenge Cake gave me a lot of the same vibes of Normal People by Sally Rooney, but even if I could see many similarities between Marianne and Leilani, there are also a lot of differences, the most important being that Marianne swipes through life apparently uncaring, while Leilani is in fact terribly afraid of living and, most importantly, of failure. She is a control freak because of her anxiety, and when things escape from her tight grip, she spirals down. Hard. Ativan and alcohol are her poison of choice, and they are indeed a quick and extremely unhealthy way to cope with life. As the book shows though, there is no way to keep the addiction under control: sooner or later it will be too strong and it will ruin your life.

As someone who struggles with anxiety, I relate to Lani. In particular, I relate to not being able to move forward because things get scary or overwhelming, or with the awful feeling of being dead/not wanting to die but feeling my departure is imminent. What I definitely don't relate to is how mean she is. We're not talking about your average social ineptitude here; she's borderline abusive toward her boyfriend, from telling him he looks dumb to making him feel small most of the time. As Logan points out in one of their conversations, she often gaslights him, pretending to know him better than he knows himself.

On his part, Logan is clearly someone who gets a high from being mistreated. Moreover, he falls in love all the time and is always ready to replace the old girl with a new one, sometimes even when he is still in a relationship. He might be kind and caring, but he has so much relationship baggage at such a young age that I'm not sure I would even poke him with a stick from afar. Looks aside, what is to like about him? What interesting personality traits does he have, looks and big package aside? And why does he fall for Lani if not for the challenge of pushing her boundaries further and further away until he gets the whole package? Or, as he says, her with a ring on the finger and a pregnant belly.

Interesting characters? Check. I can see them having this unhealthy on-again, off-again relationship for years, despite the sugar-coated ending and the promise of change on both parts. They could easily have one of those unhealthy love stories à la Catherine and Heatcliff, where they tear each other down way more than they lift each other up. They both are toxic people, and I love it. Give me more characters in love despite how wrong they are for one another. In my opinion, this is the kind of stuff that creates nice and compelling conflicts, if you haven't noticed until now. It generates food for thought and strong opinions, which is part of what makes a story not easy to forget.

Did you know that there are two schools of thought in dentistry? Some dentists strongly believe that teeth tend to move back to their original spot, and others think that they keep moving all our life. In both cases the end result is exactly the same: once you've fixed your crooked teeth, you'll have to wear a retainer to keep them in place. Basically, no matter how strong the opinions are, the outcome remains unchanged. This is incredibly similar to how storytellers view the plot vs characters issue: we have those who believe a story needs to be fresh and original at all cost --and nope, unpronounceable names don't make a story original-- and those who'd rather work with fresh ways to twist already existing plots. Hey, that's the reason why tropes and archetypes exist, after all.

My take on this issue is that we only get a limited number of possible plot combinations, and what matters the most is how a writer uses them. This is why characterization is so important to me, and this is why I liked Revenge Cake so much. This novel explores a failed relationship and the need for revenge it causes. Not the most uncommon plot ever, but the characters and their decisions make more than up for it. I liked how focused Lani was on making Logan hurt for his misdeeds. I mean, this girl's dedication is admirable. I enjoyed how thick Logan was, and how it took a lot for him to admit he was freaking wrong. And a jerk. And I liked the corollary of characters around them, from Logan's sister to the sweet (and definitely better suited for Lani, but hey, who am I to complain) Dean.

I liked Skyler Mason's writing style: the book has a great flow, and not once I felt like I could get bored of what I was reading. I didn't even hate either the multiple POVs nor the time jumps, both of which generally are a big no for me. The plot was linear enough that I always had a general idea on where we were and where we were heading. At about 65% of the book I got so curious to know what was going to happen next that it took me a lot of willpower not to jump to the last pages and spoiler myself the ending.

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.

Wow.  I was expecting a standard, light romance but instead got a surprisingly insightful exploration of love for someone living with anxiety.  I admire the author’s sensitive and frank exploration of this often debilitating condition which can prevent people developing meaningful relationships.  It helps, too, that the book is often very funny.  Great dialogue, appealing characters - a definite win.

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

“I’m not a fuckboy. I’m the opposite of a fuckboy. I’m a relationship-boy.”

Logan Henderson is what his friends would describe as a “relationship sociopath.” As soon as he ends one relationship, he’s onto the next one. When his best friend, Armaan, drags him to hangout with Brenna and her roommates after a recent breakup, Logan swears that he is off dating for a while and claims that his ex was “fucking crazy.” However, that all changes when he meets Leilani Girarid, Brenna’s best friend and roommate. Lani is outspoken, straight to the point, and socially awkward - which Logan is not used to. During their first interaction, Lani calls him weak. He finds himself instantly intrigued by her and decides that she has to be his next girlfriend. 

Lani, on the other hand, could not be bothered with Logan. She knows about all of his relationships, and has no desire to be one of his “crazy fucking ex’s.” However, as she spends more time getting to know him, she starts to fall for him. The thought terrifies her, which doesn’t help her severe anxiety. When they finally get together, she casts doubt on the relationship until she’s finally proven right and Logan breaks her heart. Now, she has to decide if she wants Logan back in her life. Can they get back to the place they once were?

“You’re an incredibly poor judge of what’s right for you.”


I really don’t know where to start with this review because I have so many mixed feelings about this book. I want to start off by saying that this book may be very triggering for some people because there is a heavy focus on mental illness, specifically anxiety. After just a few pages, there was a part of me that wanted to reach into the screen (it’s a digital copy), shake Logan, and yell at him for how he was treating Lani. On the other hand, I wanted to sit him down and have a serious conversation with him about his serial dating, because it’s clearly unhealthy. As someone who has anxiety, I found myself able to relate to Lani’s feelings of doubt and the need to push people away before they hurt you - which was heartbreaking to read. However, I feel that Lani and Logan’s relationship issues went deeper than just her anxiety. In fact, none of the relationships in the book were what I’d consider to be “healthy.”

Something that I liked about this story was that it was told from both Lani and Logan’s POVs, and went back and forth from the past to the present. As the reader, I felt that I was able to understand both sides of their story and watch their entire relationship unfold. Overall, it was an okay but quick read. The story was filled with many steamy moments between a couple who truly loves each other, but are constantly having to battle each other. If they have any hope of being together they both have to work on their issues.

“Words like that are empty coming from a boy who’s in love with being in love”

I enjoyed this book, I like how it was told in the different points of view of both lani and Logan as it showed how they had conflicting thoughts and views on things.

The book touched on difficult topics such as panic attacks / panic disorder and addiction. It showed how difficult it is not only for the person suffering but for the people that love them.

I was rooting for lani and Logan the whole way through and I would love to hear more from the characters

Release Date: Expected 6th December 2020
Genre: New Adult / Romance

TW: This book deals with issues including mental health / anxiety / gaslighting / cheating / sexual content / drug abuse / alchohol misuse. There are minor spoilers in this review.

Can I just start out by saying - how pretty is the cover art for this book?

Logan is a serial relationship junkie, but he was a damn good boyfriend. At least that's what Leilani thought anyway. He was romantic, understanding, a feminist, and he was pretty hot which definitely helped. 

Until he wasn't anymore. After Leilani's panic disorder and mental health takes a rapid decline, she's struggling with not only panic attacks but trying to combat her reliance on prescription medication. However, Logan isn't okay with this - he decides if they want to be together, she needs to 'get her act together in the next month' or it's done. So what should Leilani do? Of course she wants to get better, but now she has an even better reason to - to prove she's fine without him and his judgemental attitude. 

But maybe revenge isn't all it's cracked up to be? 

This was not your typical break-up story, from the very first interaction between the two main characters, I'd already formed strong opinions on them both and was instantly sucked into the conflict between them. I really expected this to be a standard woman-scorned situation but there was much more to it. This is a story about self-worth, about anger, about judgement and being a woman. 

Leilani was the girl that I've been dying to see written about. She is a mess sometimes. She's flawed. She is outspoken and vulgar and loud and she is a real, angry woman. She is the very epitome of what men like to call the crazy ex-girlfriend - the girl they couldn't control. 
Logan made me every bit as uncomfortable as he was supposed to; he was a jerk. Yes, maybe there were reasons behind his behaviour but I hated him within an instant of meeting him. 

This rang so true to life, painfully at times, about the treatment that people recieve when they live with mental health disorders and how differently people act around them. And especially, how to deal with issues that may arise in relationships because of them. This was very uncomfortable to read in places, espeically when dealing with delicate subjects so if you're not able to read sensitive content this book is not for you. 

Admittedly, there were some issues I had with this story that left me slightly conflicted - Leilani's kindness towards Logan in places made me furious to say the least. Someone who trivialises suffering like that should not be redeemed in any way - in my opinion of course.

All in all, this book was a beautiful, bitchy read that let me live in that petty revenge fantasy that every woman has harboured at least once in their lives - I definitely reccommend it. 


RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐


Thank you to NetGalley and Skyler Mason for providing with this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Please note that all opinions contained within are my own. 

(This review is also published at bethanys-bookshelf.blogpot.com)

"I don't want the kind of love that I'm able to give. I don't want the kind of love that's earned slowly over time--handed out in small greedy doses--and withdrawn piece by piece for each mistake. I want love like Logan's--free and big-hearted and achingly sweet."

Before diving into this review, I want to put some trigger warnings on both this review and this book for Anxiety disorder/panic attacks, drug and alcohol consumption, unsupportive partner (this might not be triggering for some, but it was for me). Revenge Cake is a New Adult story, not YA. Not all things get a rose-colored look. It's raw and scary and real. 

I stumbled upon this story purely by accident and I don't think I've ever been happier that I did. The moment I saw the cover of Revenge Cake, my eyes were drawn to it. The moment I read the synopsis, something clicked home inside my chest. I requested the arc on Netgalley and was so happy when it got accepted that I immediately started reading it. And I did not stop until it was 2:30 am, and there was nothing more to do than stare at my ceiling in the dark, unable to quiet my mind from thinking about how amazing this book was.

Revenge Cake is told from the dual perspective of Leilani and Logan, a girl who suffers from severe anxiety and a boy who struggles with codependency. They're a perfect match. Until things turn toxic. 
The story begins with their breakup and takes the reader along a journey of both flashbacks and present time as their relationship unfolds and falls apart. 

Logan Henderson is known as the guy who is always in a relationship. It won't take more than two days after the previous breakup for him to find another. Leilani knows of his reputation and refuses to become another one of his crazy ex-girlfriends. She's reluctant to his advances at first; she doesn't want to give in to her feelings for fear that he'll break her heart. As the story unfolds, you get to read about how their relationship began but you also slowly find out why exactly their relationship falls apart. You come to realize that there are two sides to each story; two sides that can both be right and wrong at the same time.

When I started this book, I did not expect it to hit me as hard as it did. But this story turned out to be more relatable than I anticipated. The hardest part for me was that I did not relate to just one of the main characters but to both of them. I could emphasize with both sides because I've been on both sides. I could understand where both of them went in the wrong. And that scared me a little.

*** The next part of this review contains some spoilers so read at your own risk. The spoiler-free review continues after the ***

As someone who suffers from social anxiety, Leilani's panic attacks hit home, as well as her self-destructive behavior. Lani is incredibly insecure about her anxiety. She calls it twisted and ugly and not something anyone could live with. She doesn't want Logan to see how ugly it can get because she's scared he'll leave and break her heart. So she tries to keep him at a distance and pushes him away instead. Her self-doubt and insecurities become so big she can't seem to overcome them so she starts taking prescribed anxiety medication which turns into an addiction.

I've read books about anxiety before and just like this one, they were relatable to me. But they never scared me. Revenge Cake showed the ugly side of anxiety disorders. I loved that about this book. This wasn't some cute story about a girl with anxiety who gets better because a boy came into her life. This was the opposite. Revenge Cake showed the truth. I know the impact medication can have on a person and how it can become addictive. I've never gotten to the point where Lani got to but I have felt the withdrawals when I forgot to take my meds. It's an ugly, terrifying thing. I know what it feels like to feel totally worthless and drown yourself in drugs and alcohol until you feel numb. I've been there, I've done that. It's a dark place to be stuck in and one you can't get out of without the right help. You need support from the people around you. Unfortunately, Logan did not deliver.

From the beginning it was made clear that Logan didn't understand Lani's anxiety. He didn't know how to deal with it. And while I can understand not understanding it, that was no excuse for his behavior. Logan is the kind of guy who always needs to be in a relationship. And the moment things start to turn bad with his current girlfriend, he already runs off to the next. He was not a supportive partner during Lani's darkest times as he should have been. This was unexpectedly very triggering to me. Yet a little part of me could emphasize with his standpoint because I know what it's like to have someone you care about struggle with addiction and there's only so much you can do to help them. Still, in my opinion, Logan could have done more to help his girlfriend instead of seeking solace with another. But that just emphasized the imperfectness of these characters. 

***

Revenge Cake is thought-provoking, intense, and angsty. This story felt real and raw. It shows all the good and all the bad of a relationship and how, sometimes, love isn't always enough to overcome obstacles, but with hard work, truthfulness, and open communication, it can succeed. It's a beautiful but heartbreaking story, one I'll definitely recommend.

3 stars

Thanks to Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Revenge Cake is an intriguing contemporary romance that explores toxicity in relationships and has strong mental health themes. The story jumps from the past to present in an intricate look at the development of Leilani and Logans' relationship; through the ups and downs, anxiety attacks, booze and a developing prescription drug addiction.

Overall, the book was good, the characters attractive  but the story didn't entrance me as other stories have.

I was enjoying this book for the first 75%. It had drama and I was entertained. I did find things problematic but it didn't stop me from having fun while reading it. However, I hated one of the plot points delivered after that. I knew it was coming in some shape or form but I was hoping to be wrong. It's about cheating. I'm warning you that if you don't want to read books with cheating in it, you should stay clear of this one because even though I can handle it usually, I don't really like it and here there was one scene/chapter that almost made me feel sick. (view spoiler)

There is also emotional cheating as the MMC started checking out and replacing her with someone else "as a friend"... But then again, it's what he usually does as he's known as a guy who is always in a relationship. And all of this happened in a period where our FMC was at her lowest. She was taking drugs and ended up making a mess of things. I'm not saying she was perfect because she wasn't. She had her faults. However, she has serious anxiety/panic attacks and he didn't understand them at all. His reaction was so bad and it annoyed me. I was hoping that he would grow and learn and fix his mistake about it but even by the end of the book, it didn't happen. He did however apologize for some of his faults in an immature/childish way by pointing out he wasn't the only one in the wrong... so there is that.

Overall, I didn't find their relationship healthy. I'm sorry I couldn't love this book as I loved the cover and revenge plots are usually pretty fun to read about.

(Thank you for letting me read and review an ARC via Netgalley)

Wow. I’m not sure what to say about this book. It took me a while to finish this book because the subject matter is pretty heavy. Leilani has anxiety disorder and struggles with addiction during her relationship with Logan and it is a credit to the author that is so painful to read about. 

The book starts with their break up and I get the impression that Logan’s an unsympathetic jerk and Leilani is meek and dependent on him. I’ve never been more wrong. 

To be honest, there are no good-guys and bad-guys in this book. Everyone is flawed. If they had a dog, the dog would be flawed. As the story unfolds, there is not one character in this book with their shit together. 

The story is told from duel points of view, in flashbacks and in present time so there’s a lot to process. It’s an interesting, engrossing book. The story definitely had slow pockets, but the writing was solid and the characters, while not super-likable, were well-developed. 

The story is interesting because you are reading about their break up and their love story at the same time and trying to reconcile between the two without having all the facts until the end. 

This is weird to write in a review of a romance novel, but I did not actually want these two to end up together. I feel like a whole bunch of therapy later, they might be decent partners for other people, but they should not have gotten back together at the end of this book. 

ARC provided via NetGalley. This is a voluntary review and these thoughts an opinions are my own.

When I first requested this book, I did not know much regarding what it’s about. The cover really enticed me because it is so pretty. Then when I was approved, I read the synopsis and it sounded like a story about a jealous ex-girlfriend, and I love those (most of the time). I was very, very wrong. I still don’t even know what this was about. It is a debut novel and the author’s biography say that she writes romances, but I just didn’t see the romance or the romantic appeal of this book.

Both characters were highly unlikable and incredibly arrogant. Logan is a pretentious a-hole, who probably has Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Leilani was described as this girl who suffers form social anxiety and panic disorder, and that makes her crazy. I didn’t appreciate the way her mental health was played about, especially coming from someone who has an anxiety disorder herself. It was a huge plot point and Logan was an ass about her anxiety and verbally abused her half the time while she emotionally abused him. Literally, they were so toxic for each other. They are portrayed as college students but this whole “let’s take a break” and then “let me try to win him back” attitude was more high school than anything else. Why are “breaks” even a thing in relationships? Either you want to be together or not. And these two really took a number on playing with one another’s emotions. I mean, seriously? Grow up. If they just learned to communicate better and get their heads out of their own assess, half the problems that made the “plot” of this book could have been avoided. 

Logan falls in love with Leilani after one conversation and that to me, is totally unrealistic. The social worker in me makes me wonder if he has attachment issues, or maybe mommy issues? I don’t know but that was a huge turn off for me. No wonder Leilani wanted nothing to do with him for some time. 

There was ONE sex scene that literally had me gagging. (No spoilers here). It also felt incredibly random and aggravated me. The others were tolerable.

And that ending? Ugh. I just don’t see how this is a romance. It just seemed way too toxic for me. Maybe I’m just too old and don’t enjoy the angsty love stories anymore.

Rating: 5/5

Amazing! A diamond in the rough of mental disorders! Ms. Mason does a superb job of encompassing anxiety and all that’s tied with it - the pain, drug addiction, suffering - not only for the victim but for their loved ones as well. I had a lot of moments where I cried, laughed and shouted in anger. Although I don’t suffer from any mental disorder, I sympathized 1000% with the characters and their journey towards healing and acceptance. They aren’t perfect - they f**k up  A LOT. But that’s what I appreciate here. The realistic storyline and raw emotions she drags out of you makes for an intense ride. Plus the steamy romance doesn’t harm anyone!

Revenge Cake is not your clean-cut typical romance but an edgier, darker romance that was tear-jerkingly raw and honest.  

Logan aka, "The Relationship Sociopath", is a serial dater who falls head over heels for Leilani, a self-proclaimed feminist who suffers from social anxiety. I enjoyed that the book was narrated from both their perspectives as it gives readers a very crude and unfiltered version of the struggles of social anxiety and addiction.  

This story was a slow build for me and I almost abandoned it more than once but I am happy I chose to stick it out. Once it picked up, the story was gripping and engaging with its realistic characters and even more relatable storyline. 

That being said, there were certain aspects that did not sit well with me. I did not like the toxic nature of the relationships formed within this novel both with its main characters Leilani and Logan and the secondary relationship of Armaan and Brenna. Brenna basically confessed to using Armaan for his money and family name and talked down to him in a very derogatory way for the entire novel. The attempt at normalizing dysfunctional and unhealthy relationships wasn't something I enjoyed reading. 

I understand the writer wanting to position Leilani in the "hell hath no fury like a scorned woman," but the rationale for her behavior was pretty weak.  Instead of rising above her past addictions and wanting to become a better version of herself, she is focused on petty revenge with a cliche "empowerment list" featuring vapid items like makeover and seduction. 

Revenge Cake had the opportunity to bring awareness to less talked about issues of mental health and instead of creating a story of recovery and strength it came across as a sadistic romcom. Even the "mommy" issues experienced by Logan could have been a teachable moment on breaking away from toxic love that requires jumping through hoops but instead ended with him repeating the self-sabotaging behavior till the very end. 

Trigger warning- this book features addiction, anxiety, and panic attacks and is recommended for those who are interested in chick-lit, romantic comedies with darker undertones. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Skylar Mason for providing me with an arc of this book in exchange for my review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy for review. 

I wish I could say I liked this one. It was a fast read, and initially it seemed promising. However, these characters were pretty horrible and I unfortunately couldn't find many redeeming qualities. Logan (our main love interest) meets Lani through his roommate Armaan who is dating Brenna, Lani's roommate. When we first meet Lani she is I guess what most people would classify as socially awkward. She's a know it all, very blunt, and pretty condescending, and I almost found it refreshing. Unfortunately from here. on out it's a downward spiral. It is stated (to almost an extreme) how feminist Brenna and Lani are, but apparently their brand of feminism is basically "we must degrade the men to show how feminist we are." Brenna goes out of her way to consistently put down Armaan and point out how useless. he is, and generally doesn't pay him much attention outside of that. She then freaks out when he finds someone who at the very least treats him like a human. She also states at one point she was with him for the potential and money. Lani and Logan are honestly just toxic together. Logan has a serious codependency issue, and. is a notorious serial dater. Lani, after they go on a break, proceeds to embark on a seriously petty filled revenge plot. You get the impression he has done something unforgivable to deserve this yes? Um not really, he more or less just stated facts. Lani does have a severe anxiety disorder, however I don't feel this should condone her behavior which is, at best, self destructive, but it also harms others. I was hoping for some sort of character redemption, and I guess there was a little tiny glimpse at the end but it just wasn't enough for me.

1.5 stars rounded up

Both main characters are super unlikable and it’s really such a shame how the mental illness is treated in this book. It was a slog to get through. If either of the characters were even somewhat likable it would have been better but they’re both assholes and it makes this a miserable reading experience.

I really enjoyed this book. I received an advanced readers copy. This is a little more angsty than my typical read but I enjoyed it.  As someone with anxiety,  I felt there were many ways in which I related to Lani. Skylet Mason did a great job creating well thought out characters that actually seemed believable in their actions. I'd recommend this book to anyone who likes 'chick lit' and romcom type books as this kind of falls into both categories.

I was quite surprised by this novel, it's quite a strong romance, it's full of heartbreaking phases, it makes me have quite a few mixed feelings. 
Told from both points of view, it is quite raw and realistic. It touches on issues of mental health, addictions, etc. 
It tells the story of Leilani and Logan, who are seniors in college and have been dating for over a year. From the beginning you can tell it's a toxic couple, Logan is practically a fuckboy who is always in and out of a relationship, and this is mostly when things start to get a little more difficult. On the other side we have Leilani, she suffers from anxiety and panic issues, which brings her some problems. Our story begins when Logan asks Leilani to take some time off, as she is now suffering from an addiction. And he tells us how his whole story went until he reached the end point.
I think it was a good book, although the plot advanced a bit slowly for my taste and the jumps in time confused me a bit. I almost don't like books with a double perspective, but in this case I liked it, so I could get to know the story of both protagonists. 
It was a complete trip to mental health, the truth is that there are few books that touch on this type of subject, and many times they only do it superficially, but with this book we go a little deeper into the subject. And the truth is that to a certain extent I understand Leilani, I also suffer from anxiety and panic attacks, so for that part I did understand, and I feel understood at the same time. 
One thing that I should point out is that this book is full of toxic couples, from the main characters to the secondary characters, they were so toxic that they brought me to the point where I felt quite uncomfortable. This is something I don't like at all in the books, because many times instead of saying "don't do this" it's as if they encourage people to do it. I know that many people who read this book will give it a low grade because of this. But you still have to look at the other side of the story and the other issues it addresses. Not just the toxicity. 
I must admit that, in spite of everything, it's quite a peculiar novel, I liked the way it developed the different themes. If you have any kind of problem with any of these topics, either you don't like them or you are against them, I suggest you don't read this book. It might go against what you think. But if you are open-minded, I recommend that you read it. It touches on some pretty interesting topics, and may even be helpful to you or someone you know.

I thought this book was going to be a cute and fun romcom but it was actually filled with anxiety, panic attacks and other serious issues. While I can be wrong about my initial impression and still enjoy the book, this was not one of those times

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Relationships have their ups and downs but known more so    Being in a relationship and having anxiety can be tough and this book did a good job of dealing with it.

I was given this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book was so good. All the drama. I loved it. I loved Logan and Lani. I enjoyed getting to see both sides of the story. I would recommend this book.