Wrong Narrators

The female narrator, Stella, felt all wrong for Lavender’s character. Lavender is 19 in the book, but Stella sounds like a 30 year old. She also has the strangest inflections, where she ends every sentence by raising her voice. It gets so obnoxious. Stella also was the voice of both Lainey (the hero’s mother) and Queenie (the heroine’s therapist) in previous audiobooks. So it’s odd for her to read Lavender in the same exact voice as these other characters (who also appear in this book). Teddy Hamilton kinda makes sense as Kodiak, as he can play younger. But, as a Californian myself, his fake surfer dude accent gets old real quick and doesn’t really work for Kodiak’s character.

5 people found this helpful

Worth the Wait ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

We have been anticipating the story of Alex and Violet Waters only daughter and wow this did not disappoint. A great love story. The angst was good. Not as angsty as I thought it would be but perfect for this story. The epilogue was a bit of a head scratcher. It didn't really foretell too much or elude to the next book of the series. It actually confused a bit. Otherwise, this was a delightful journey, with some great steam in all the right places!! You can't help but to fall deeply for Lavendar and Kodiak, but most of us have been in love with them since they were born

3 people found this helpful

Wow!! Just knew this book would blow me away!

Eagerly awaited for this to hit my library today and just knew once I started it I wouldn't be able to turn it off. Hunting, just has that gift of bringing you into these worlds and making you feel apart of them as if you are just watching from the sidelines waiting for the emotion and connections to unravel before you. Kodiak and Lavender were so tragically beautiful, and to see them evolve from children to young adults was magical. Hunting did warn her readers that this series (I say that because I'm hoping to see more books for the Pucked children) would be different but I still felt the huge connection to the Pucked series and the beloved characters.

3 people found this helpful

a new favorite

omg this book was so unexpectedly amazing the authors go so indepth with the characters and story narration was perfect lavenders and Kodiaks love story is not your typical love story and they talk about co dependency which i can relate to and how unhealthy it truly is. such a great book

3 people found this helpful

All the feels

Loved the story line it gives all the feels. Every emotion pours through all the characters. Narration was great though I loved the male POV so wish there was more of his voice. Beautiful story and grab the tissues.

2 people found this helpful

Beautiful. So freaking good.

Narration was excellent on both ends. Surprising but very touching storyline on trauma and mental health and how broadly it can impact. Lavender grew into a very strong heroine who stayed true to herself. Kodiak was trying at times as the hero, but we knew he came from good people so there had to be a reason for his temporary assholery. I loved that we got some time with them as a couple and it wasn’t just a quick HEA in the final pages. We got to see them grow and face real life challenges. Their connection was palpable from their beginning and I loved the idea that others could see that they were soulmates before they were even old enough to know what that meant. I also loved hearing about the Puck series parents and seeing how close they still are and that all their children were raised to be close to one another. What a freaking treat this book was. Thank you HH!

2 people found this helpful

Loving Little Lies

I really love this book. I would like to know if there will be another book about Lavender and Kodiak as an adult living on there own.

1 person found this helpful

Great!

Wow. What a great book! I've been dying to get inside Lavender's head ever since A Secret for a Secret. I just knew she had to have an incredible story. Little Lies definitely lived up to my expectations. I absolutely love books about mental health because I love getting inside the heads of these types of characters. I am not someone who has anxiety so to be able to get a glimpse inside the head of someone who does is fascinating to me and really helps me learn about that kind of disorder.

Lavender is my favorite kind of character. She grows SO much during this entire book so I loved to see the flashbacks from when she was younger to her as an adult. The way she transforms herself from an incredibly co-dependent person to someone who relies on no one but herself was absolutely amazing to witness. I loved that she found her sass and that she desperately wanted to be treated like a strong, independent woman. Her putting all the men in her life in place was some of the best parts of this book. I also LOVED her relationship with Violet and it was super interesting to see how Violet was as a parent. She was always on Violet's side no matter what and I just adored their interactions.

Kody was a frustrating, but interesting character. I didn't realize that he also suffered from anxiety and I really liked how, though they both suffered from the same mental illness, they both handled it in different ways. It was a really great juxtaposition and also a really great way to show that anxiety comes in all forms and no two people will handle things the exact same way. Kody overall was a tough pill to swallow in the beginning. He was SO mean to Lavender and it broke my heart to see how he was treating her. When they did eventually get together it was sweet and funny. However, the reason I ultimately knocked a 1/2 star off was because I thought Lavender gave in a little too easily and Kody definitely should have proven himself to her a little bit more. How she got back at him though had my jaw dropping. I did NOT expect them from Lavender, but her being Violet's daughter, I probably should have.

The narration was great! I've tried Stella Bloom in the past and didn't much care for her narration, but after listening to this one I'll give her another shot. She did a really good job with Lavender and I thought that her voice was the perfect pitch for Lavender's character. Teddy Hamilton has always been a favorite of mine and while I always pictured Kodiak's voice as a little deeper, Teddy is just such an amazing voice actor that he was able to pull it off.

This book was heartbreakingly beautiful. A really amazing insight into this type of mental illness. I hope it helps others who do not much about this disorder to understand it a little better. Helena Hunting clearly researched this topic like crazy. Overall, I definitely recommend reading this one. It's a bit darker than her usual rom coms, but if you liked Pucked Off (Lance's book) you will absolutely love this one.

1 person found this helpful

One of my top reads and listens of 2020!

"We were equally complicit in our fall. Sometimes we have to break so we can recreate a stronger version of ourselves."

H. Hunting created a masterpiece with this story about Lavender Waters and Kodiak Bowman. This is one of those books you want to read slowly and savor, but can not put down. I really really tried to take my time and read this slowly but the angst would not let me go and I basically read this book in one sitting.

This story was EVERYTHING. I mean, holy smokes the raw honest emotion of Lavender as a child, teen and adult was heartbreaking and relatable. Lavender and Kodiak both live with anxiety disorders and H.Hunting describes them so clearly. You can feel how they feel at that age, and the descriptions change over time. How 6 year old Lavender describes her anxiety is not how 11 year old Lavender describes it. And the both feel so much and so deeply that I had goosebumps while reading this book. Fans who have read all the books set in this world will remember getting introduced to Lavender in A Secret for a Secret. In this book she finds her confidence

I love a damaged hero and Kodiak, sweet Kodiak, is split open and in pain and trying to hide it, and it makes my heart beat for him. I loved the chapters narrated from his perspective because his internal monologue and external persona were so polarized. I truly feel that his perspective is what made their story so emotional and exposed

Now this story wasn't just emotional it was also sexy, like OMG sexy. H.Hunting brought it to these scenes Kodiak and Lavender are kinky in a way you won't expect and their first intimate encounter is unlike anything I have ever read and beyond H-O-T! You will understand when you read it but I am fanning myself just thinking about it.

I love revisiting characters that I have developed these deep attachments with and seeing them grow over time. Lavender and Kodiak are children of Alex and Violet from Pucked and Rook and Lainey from A Lie for a Lie. You get cameos from other characters in these series and it feels like visiting old friends.

This is my top read of 2020 so far and will be greatly loved by fans of previous series and as a stand alone for first time readers.

I received an ARC of this book and voluntarily give my review.

In December 2020 I listened to the audiobook for Little Lies and the performances by Teddy Hamilton and Stella Bloom amplified my love of this story. They perform as Lavender and Kodiak as kids, teens and young adults and each version of the characters is expertly performed. This is one of my favorite reads of this year it is fantastic in Ebook or Audio.

So Sweet: not a rom-com

This book is more rom-dram than Hunting’s other series. So be warned, even though there are funny scenes or funny characters, the mood is intense love and how to deal with it through childhood trauma and co-dependency. The story is sweet and I could totally read another book about these two. Their love is just so freaking cute. I’ve never personally known someone who ended up with their childhood friend-turned-lover as their matured, but there is a certain level of sweetness you feel for them its so dang warm and cozy. Your heart breaks for what the two had to go through to get to their HEA and it’s sad at times.

I would agree the first half of the book is much different than the second half. First half is emotional and sad and the second half is them figuring it out, truths being told, and sexy time. I will say there are 2 sexy scenes which were the kinkiest of all of Hunting’s books. Like damn, Duck tape and GG spice up “pennants for bad behavior”. Two thumbs up.