Azu is Reading Lub Dub Love by Blanche Maze
Forbidden to go outside because of her mother’s fear for her health, Aelia spends her days alone in a huge, empty house.
Flynn is being bullied at school because of her so-called “difference”. Without the courage to fight back, she suffers from the violence in silence.
Trying once again to escape her bullies, Flynn breaks into a garden and falls right into Aelia.
What if meeting one another was the wakeup call they both needed to take control over their lives?
Review
⚠️ Warning: On this review appears eighteen times the word ‘love’. Proceed with loviness. ⚠️
Note: For the first time since I started reviewing, I decided to not edit or revise my words to avoid repetition because I’m sure that word is the only one enough to help me express the emotion I want to release. Please, take that into consideration while reading.
I have to start by saying that I have loved the brief time in which I have been part of Blanche Maze’s ARC reader team. Since before starting to read her lovely, sapphic, wholesome, romantic story, I knew I would love to be in contact with her and that increased the probability of me loving her stories. This is just the first one I had touched on (for now) and I’m giving this review in exchange for so an amazingly opportunity.
If you’re after those words I said before (lovely, sapphic, wholesome, romantic), you’re already on board. But if you’re not and are still waiting for something to convince you, unless you totally despise the romantic genre, you will love this book. I love this book. Though it says romance everywhere, it not only shows the romantic love, you get to see lots of filial and friendly love. I loved to see the relationship between some parents and their children. I am totally in for the one between best friends (like, I would do everything to have something like that). I wasn’t fond of more than one, but I loved the progress of going to a healthy relationship and I’m not loving anything more than healthy things lately. Give me something healthy (or on the way to being healthy) and I’m already sold off.
It’s not angst-free, and I panicked for my romantic love due to that. Everything was great, and suddenly, everything was wrong! And in its way to worse! For too much time that I was growing desperate, but I have to say that in those tumultuous times, I found my favorite character, aside for the protagonists. The details that were showing, what that meant… I loved all of it.
Honestly, though, this book accompanied me for a little time during a bad month. When everything was feeling wrong and suffocating, the book filled me with wholesomeness and love. With all the attraction symptoms (which I still feel from time to time and I simply adore the feelings). Being giggly and hopeful and nervous and also confused, with all the expectations and opportunities, I like being like this because I feel powerful and inspired. And I was able to have that for a while, even if it only lasted the time I had the book in my hands (and the time it wasn’t angsty, of course). But that time was enough, and I love the book for it.
Phrases that I liked so much that I marked them while reading
«She can’t be dangerous, right? She probably just climbed the gate to escape these boys, whatever their problem is.
However, I’d rather be prepared just in case. I look around for a potential weapon. I can’t run because my heart is already beating too fast from the adrenaline. So if something goes wrong, I can’t rely on a potential escape. I need a plan of attack.
I may not have gone out much, but I’ve read a lot of books. I know how to defend myself.
In theory.»
— 2.«I’m invisible.
Maybe if I truly believe it, then it will be true. Maybe then I’ll disappear and no one will see me.
That’s my greatest wish right now.»
— 7.«The only thing I’m certain of right now is that I don’t want to go home. Everything else is secondary.»
— 11.«Her smile fades. It’s as if ice replaced the blood in my veins.
Why do I always have to say the wrong thing?»
— 11.«Warmth floods back in my body at her touch.»
— 11.«“I was gonna say that it was illegal and dangerous, but sure, cool works too.”»
— 15.«“Spend my weekend watching over your little brother when I could be relaxing at home? Of course I’ll be there.”»
— 15.«What should I do now? Text her? Yes, but what? Just a normal reply, without mentioning the tardiness of it? Or should I apologize or something?»
— 16.«Well, that’s just great. Universe, you didn’t have to test my new confidence right away, you know?»
— 17.«Of course, my mother was pissed. Not at me, obviously, but at Ben. And the school. And me too actually.»
— 19.«The only problem with high hopes, is that it can disappoint pretty badly.»
— 19.«Then why am I so disappointed?»
— 21.«and by the time I’m done, I don’t feel like working anymore. I’ve had enough.»
— 21.«“I’m going to teach you an easy one for this first lesson.”
“Wait, there are gonna be others?”»
— 34.«For some reason, that puts a bit of pressure on me, but the good kind. The kind that makes me want to show them what I can do, even if I’m not sure what I can actually do.»
— 46.«He remained standing and his tall frame is reassuring before us, it’s as if he’s shielding us from the rest of the world.»
— 47.«but he stays calm and composed despite my state.»
— 49.«I wasn’t born with a broken heart. I shattered it myself.»
— 51.«It’s even worse than before because now I know what is like. I can’t unknow that.»
— 52.«I’ve cried a lot recently and I don’t even know why. But do you really need a reason to cry?»
— 52.«It’s the worst feeling I’ve ever experienced. […] is a void inside my chest and the thing growing in its place is like an insatiable monster that’s devouring everything I am.
I can do nothing to stop it.
I’m not even sure I want to.»
— 53.«Joe has a sixth sense to know when I’m here, always have, and today isn’t any different. As soon as I spot him, he turns his head toward me and smiles, despite the way I look.»
— 53.«Why does it feel like I’m not trying to get better? Why does it feel like I’m self-sabotaging my own life?»
— 53.«I recognize this as stress behavior and it makes my heart ache. I’m stressing him up, forcing him to wake me up from the well of misery I’ve fallen into.»
— 53.«Maybe the universe is with me today. It’s about time.»
— 54.«Stop it! A voice in me scolds. The only way to know for sure is to ask, right?
Right.»
— 54.
