I’m a huge fan of Lynn Painter. I read all of her YA books, and they are the only books that truly makes me feel the same way as watching a good romcom (especially the « All the Boys I’ve loved before » experience as a teenager).
When I saw the upcoming book « Trust Fall » with NY and Fall moods, I was SO EXCITED !
But the reading experience was kind of disappointing, and I don’t see anyone getting the same opinions about it as me. Don’t get me wrong, Lynn knows how to write a good romance, the woman creates green flag men in her sleep. That’s why I was so so so confused by the character of Damion.
Damion already has a huge fandom on booktok and bookstagram, as the best mmc written by Lynn so far, dethroning Wes and Alec (DETHRONING WES SERIOUSLY?). Did we read the same book?
The boy hates an entire family just for the fact that they live in the house he wanted. I mean I get that his uncle’s death must be hard for him, and everyone mourns differently, but there is a difference between mourning and being an absolute ass to a girl and her entire family, LITERAL STRANGERS! It’s so immature to hate on some people you don’t know a single thing about just because he didn’t inherit his uncle house.
Confusion and anger after learning his uncle’s trust? I get it. No problem. But his behavior was simply all about ego, power and control.
And can we talk about the fact that the boy was literally SO MEAN to Julia? I don’t talk about the parts he messed with her just because he found it funny. I won’t say he bullied her exactly, but he witnessed the entire school bullying her and did nothing, and FELT nothing, not an ounce of empathy. And it’s this particular detail that makes me hate this character. Because yeah, by the end of the book he became a decent man, but before falling for Julia he didn’t feel any sympathy towards her, and I don’t see any good person being so neutral witnessing this amount of hate toward a person.
Also Julia is supposed to have trust issues after her relationship with Will and decides to trust the man the minute he gives her a sincere smile instead of a cocky grin even though he spent weeks to be so mean to her.
And why no one talks about Liam, who obviously knows about her twin’s school bullying and does NOTHING? But then at the end, when the truth comes out concerning Damion and his family plan to sue them, he becomes all protective and lesson giver all of a sudden ?
Well that’s it, I hope I’ll find some people who think the same way because I feel kind of alone in front of the Damion’s fan club 😂