***Spoilers for the entirety of the book (and potentially the sequel too since I went beyond my usual: skipping to the end before I finish the middle and went straight for skipping to the second book without finishing the first)***

I liked the book. Did the main couple get together too quickly? Maybe. But honestly, they both like each other and I don’t see any reason for two people who like each other to insist on staying apart. It makes no sense and it’s annoying. And besides, they’re 19 and 22, now is the time for them to live instead of second guessing every choice.

This is the type of book you could always expect a happy ending from. It’s an emotional gut punch that will eventually end with the main characters getting what they deserve. It’s not so much about the plot, at face value, but rather more about how the story makes you feel. And it feels like a rollercoaster.

Blake Did Not Cheat On Farah!

Yes, I did skip to the second book and I know what the twist is, but even without knowing the twist, accusing Blake of cheating is so unfair. If you are so intoxicated, you lose all memory of it the next day, you were not in a position to give consent. And that is not a matter of opinion, it is a fact. And honestly, how Blake acted after the fact makes perfect sense when you view him as a survivor of rape.

Pretend He’s A Woman

Imagine this scenario. You have a woman who has been pressured by her family into being with a guy she’d rather be friends with. She finally stands up for herself and breaks up with that guy. She moves to a whole other country. Falls in love with someone else. For all intents and purposes, she’s absolutely devoted to the new guy. And when she finally goes back to her hometown and sees her ex, she’s still glad she broke up with him and in fact, thinks she never should’ve dated him in the first place. The only thing she regrets is ruining their friendship.

Now imagine that guy essentially goads her into doing shots of tequila. And yeah, maybe she should understand her own limits when it comes to alcohol but she’s 22 years old and hasn’t lived enough life to know when to stop. (Trust me, I was 22 when I got drunk to the point of partial memory loss and waking up in my own vomit. I don’t drink anymore. But sometimes you have to experience falling off the deep end to understand your limitations and set proper boundaries.) And she has no sense of danger or inhibition because she’s around a guy she grew up with. A guy she still wants to be friends with.

And then the next day, she wakes up in a hotel room. The guy comes out of the shower and while looking incredibly suspicious (scared and guilty), he tells her they slept together. AFTER confirming with her multiple times that they’re “friends, right?” and confirming she truly can’t remember anything of the past night.

Is that suspicious to you? Because to me, it sounds like a girl who was taken advantage of while heavily intoxicated. And even if the guy was equally drunk, there is no universe in which you could possibly give consent while being intoxicated to the point you experience complete memory loss of all events that happened while you were drunk.

Make Him A Man Again And It’s Still Equally Wrong And Creepy

And you flip the script and it’s Blake who’s in that position. Blake, an athlete who is described to be as hard as a wall. How much alcohol does it take for that guy to get drunk to the point of complete memory loss? Can a guy that intoxicated possibly make any decisions? If that guy signed a contract, would it even be valid considering his severe state of intoxication? No.

Even if it had been a situation of him being very drunk and sleeping with Cleo and just regretting it the next day. I still wouldn’t consider it cheating. Because drunk people cannot give consent. And so if you consider this to be cheating, it’s very concerning.

I was enraged when I read the reviews for this book. I have yet to read a review that acknowledges Blake was taken advantage of. Cleo took his moment of vulnerability and hurt him. The only reason he even considered getting back with her was because he didn’t want his child to grow up in a broken home. And he felt responsible for knocking her up.

But he shouldn’t. And if he had been my boyfriend, I would be encouraging him to get a paternity test and a restraining order. And I’m not kidding when I say that. Now I’m someone who has been cheated on and doesn’t believe in forgiving a cheater. I would never blindly devote myself to a man who betrayed me. But just as I would consider it taking advantage of me if someone slept with me while I was that drunk, I have the same standards for male victims.

Final Thoughts

I understand people prefer Ana Huang’s “Twisted” series to this but I liked the book. It’s similar to what she writes after but also unique in its own way. And sure, it follows a lot of cliches but the characters speak to me. And at the end of the day, originality is only part of what makes a good story.

You can have the most original and unique story in the world. Doesn’t make it good or compelling.