Since Audible doesn’t have a DNF category and requires a rating, I gave this one star. For me, if I DNF a book, that’s what it means—but I really don’t like giving one star to books I don’t finish.
That being said, I ended up DNF’ing this one largely because of the female lead.
Tatum’s character is intolerable. SPOILER – the FMC is built around a childhood attachment to Archer, whose death shapes her well into adulthood. The connection to Archer is weak at best. It feels like she imprinted on him as a child, and nothing or no one can replace the image of a boy who once treated her kindly. She’s manifested that grief into a reason to avoid serious relationships—but she only defines “serious” as emotional connection.
She doesn’t just keep men at a distance—she uses them purely for sex, with no emotional connection, and repeats that pattern throughout the story. It quickly becomes exhausting rather than compelling, especially since there’s little growth or self-awareness. I’m not a fan of when men treat women this way, and I’m not a fan of when women treat men this way either. Trauma may explain behavior, but it doesn’t excuse treating people poorly. Tatum reads as having borderline personality and narcissistic tendencies.
The dynamic with the MMC didn’t help. He tolerates a level of treatment that, if the roles were reversed, would likely read as emotionally unhealthy, so the romance never felt convincing.
Finally, there are a lot of different angles in this book—the rockstar storyline, the new town, the fighting, the lying, and the very strained relationship with Tatum’s sister, Ophelia. It’s a lot, and when you couple that with the fact that I genuinely disliked the female main character, I just couldn’t finish.
I don’t read romance to find deep meaning—I just want a good story with characters I enjoy. Unfortunately, this felt more like pushing through than actually enjoying the story.