Ari Bookzilla

I JUST CAN'T GET OVER THIS BOOK. I JUST CAN'T.1 heart clenching star...to this heart clenching romance...clenching clenching clenching like nothing ever clenched before.This book was about a girl named Brooke who obviously has some sort of clenching condition. I can't count the times or list parts of her that clenched in many, many ways.Every time Remy was near she was panting like a dog in heat and I just wanted to pull her out of my Kindle and hit her. And hit her. Again and again.Look. I have a soft spot for fighters even outside of book realm. And I totally got that she thought he was so hot she was burning up with clenching and needing and what the eff ever it was.But seriously. She's at it for 80% of this book. At one point, I was one-hundred-and-one percent sure that the author was making a joke out of it.Not only does she clench at the sight of him, at touching him, at whatevering him, but she actually clenches at remembering the sight of him, touching him, whatevering him. I kept waiting for her to clench at remembering clenching at remembering the sight of him, touching him, whatevering him. Et cetera, et cetera.By the end I was almost positive that she actually did have a clenching condition. Her core/muscles/p**sy clenches a lot, but so do her hands, fingers, toes, heart - you name it, it probably clenched in this book.I kept imagining her spasming because she was clenching so much.Please note that her muscles/core/p**sy/pit of her stomach also: tingles, tightens, warms. But mostly she clenches.And not only that - but it's contagious because, yeah, you got it right, Remy clenches and so do his friends, and I think I really lost count of all the people that clench in this book.Oh, and there's also this sweet subplot love story with crazy chemistry between Ms. Clench and Remy.The word clench, people, is used seventy times throughout the book in all its forms. I see a red flag go up. HOW did nobody catch this.I do wish the author didn't force her tastes on me while reading the book, though. I like Goo Goo Dolls, but I don't think I'll ever listen to Iris again.She also sort of explains to you what VERY popular songs and movies are about. Make of that what you will.There are a couple of graphic sex scenes.Overall? I wouldn't not recommend this book. I wouldn't recommend it either. I'd just sort of shrug. I didn't care for it even if it did have some very sweet/intense/funny/amazing moments.edit: I originally gave this book 2 stars. I've just changed my mind.I didn't want to talk about Remy's manic depression in my review, and I still don't want to, but having personal experience with that I thought it was dealt with in a very irresponsible manner and frankly, I felt slightly insulted at some things that went on/were said.But that's all I'm saying.edit2: I just couldn't leave it be. I feel like I owe it to the author to say what exactly I didn't like about this book (other than the fact it had me clenching my teeth). It really wasn't my intention to trash the book, and I don't wanna come off as a reviewer that just hated on it for the sake of hating. I didn't hate this book, I just didn't love it either.ONEThere are numerous fighter books that are all a variation of a theme, and this one finally, FINALLY, had potential to be something more. There is nothing worse than wasted potential.I can definitely see the allure of smut without substance (who am I kidding? I can't, not really), but it could have been so much deeper than it was.Instead of reading a book about Remy and Brooke healing each other and being what the other needs, it was trivialized by turning this into a juvenile "why won't he eff me? he's so hot. ovaries explode." book.It's not really all the clenching, that was me actually trying to find some humor in reading this book, otherwise I wouldn't have gone through it all the way.TWOThe writing is amateurish at best. Written in first person POV present tense - which I can tolerate, but it keeps switching tenses throughout. Please, no. It's an aneurysm waiting to happen.Someone obviously proof-read this as it was really low on typos, considering, and I'd even say it was a fairly well edited book.But there were sentences that made no sense. There were misused words. It was repetitive.I admire the author's efforts because I really thought she might have had a good story here if it weren't for the fact that being in Brooke's head was worse than being in Bella Swan's head and I hated, hated Bella.The heroine overshares to the point of being disgusting. Her ovaries cramp, her womb clenches, her nipples harden and it's a constant state of unbearable arousal that is so unrealistic I had to fight not to roll my eyes every time she would say anything about it.She literally views Remy as a piece of meat, he's all man, he's huge, his muscles this, his jaw that, his spiky hair, his this, his that, oh, the obligatory pants (jeans, whatever) that hang on his hips...she wants to lick him, to jump him, to I-don't-even-know...It's objectifying and superficial at its worst. Not to mention swamped with cliches.By the time she started showing Brooke maybe falling for Remy's personality it was already too late for me.I still believe Remy was the highlight of this book. That's a good character, if only she gave him a touch more personality. I'm not the one to go for silent and broody, but I can see why it's attractive, however, Remy just grunts and groans and grumbles and growles throughout this book. Just when I was okay and accepted the fact that he's simply not a man of many words, he spills his heart out in a long-winded speech that is basically a recap of the book in his POV.The ending was rushed and a bit of a "it was all a dream" solution. "Hey, it was just a big misunderstanding. We cool now?"THREEThe author obviously did her research. I was kind of bored with all the muscle names and nutritional information, but I loved the fighting aspect of the story. I would have enjoyed it so much more if it weren't for the cop-out in the end.BUT. But, the depiction of Remy's bipolar disorder was mostly off mark.And I beg you, authors, don't use mental disorders and illnesses, rape and near rape, eating disorders, domestic abuse (NOT all of these are in this book, this is more of a general thing) or anything similar just as a plot device.Moreover, don't be irresponsible about using these sensitive subjects. Suggesting that mood-stabilizers and anti-depressants are no good is not a responsible action. You hold the power of a written word in your hands that, maybe, hundreds, thousands will read. Please don't suggest people they are better off not medicating something as serious as Remy's condition.Remy is sedated by Pete and Riley on a regular basis and I just don't know how that is more okay than just seeking proper kind of help. They bring him hookers while he's out of it and it seriously rubbed me the wrong way.Okay, now I've calmed down from the high that was this book, I guess my thoughts sound a lot more coherent. I hate writing negative reviews without actually adding something substantial to them.edit3 lmao:And for the love of everything you cherish, if anyone wants to comment with a "don't take it so seriously, it's just a book", just please refrain from doing it. When I want to read a book that is not serious, I read a comedy.edit4: I JUST CAN'T LEAVE IT BE.After giving it A LOT of thought (I literally can't stop thinking about it), today I've decided the book pissed me off.How irresponsible do you have to be to write something like this?!Relying on tranquilizers to control his behavior when he's having an episode is probably the most irresponsible thing I have ever heard.I really hope the author will get Remy some proper, medical help in the next book.Having bipolar disorder DOES NOT mean you end up in a looney bin. They were freaking treating him like he's crazy when this illness is treated like any other illness today. I just can't fathom this.It is so obvious it was in there just for drama's sake.I live in a freaking stone age country compared to the States and even here people are treated for what they have, and not kept in a psych ward just because they're depressed unless they're a threat to themselves (which, let's be honest, Remy maybe even was).GOD. I just can't get over this whole thing.I make it a point to stay away from books about these heavy issues because of all the REAL books out there that treat these things with so little respect it makes me want to gag.If I could unread a book, I'd choose REAL, just to keep my sanity. And I have read some pretty horrible books.