I’m sad to say I’m… disappointed with Bad Romeo. I had such HIGH expectations for it – I mean just look at that blurb! And that cover! I was dying to read Bad Romeo ever since I heard about it, and plus, so many people were loving it. But when I read it, everything just felt flat – I enjoyed it, but I didn’t LOVE it as much as I was expecting too. I just couldn’t connect with the characters, and they annoyed me more often than not. And I’m such a HUGE fan of the second chance romance trope that Bad Romeo should have been easy to love, but it wasn’t. It was entertaining enough some of the time that I wanted to finish it, but once I did, I just felt sad that I didn’t end up loving it as much as I wanted to.

I don’t often read books that are set in the theater, so it’s always nice to read about something different. Leisa Rayven did an incredible job drawing me into the world of acting and theater. Honestly, the writing was the best part about this book. The characters, on the other hand…. Not so great.

At first, I was really looking forward to getting to know Cassie and Ethan, to knowing how their love grew and fell apart. The book is written in a way that past and present are intertwined. In present day, Cassie holds a fierce hate for the boy who broke her heart three years ago. When Ethan comes back into her life wanting to win her back, she wants nothing to do with him, of course. I admired how Cassie held her own against him, but then the more I started reading, the less I ended up liking her. She was just way too bitter and wishy-washy about her feelings for Ethan. I mean, I get that they still have chemistry together even though he broke her heart and she hates him for it, but the whole back-and-forth thing between hating him and wanting him got tiring real fast. I liked present-day Ethan a whole lot better than present-day Cassie, but his past self tainted him in my eyes because I absolutely HATED past-Ethan. I honestly couldn’t see anything good or redeeming about him. He was a total dick to Cassie and not at all hero-worthy. And his reasons for being a dick? They were so eye-roll worthy and clichéd. Past-Cassie was even worse than past-Ethan. Ethan was an asshole, yes, but she let him walk all over her, all so she could have his dick. I’m oversimplifying, of course, but thinking about past-Cassie just angers me. I didn’t feel a spark between Cassie and Ethan when they first met and I just couldn’t see how they fell in love.

Another thing that annoyed the hell out of me was that plot-wise, NOTHING happened until the very end. I felt like there was no progression in the plot or character development (at least until the very, very end). When I reached the end, I just felt like there was no point to this book. Overall, I was unimpressed with Bad Romeo. It didn’t meet my expectations, but the writing was good enough that I enjoyed some parts of the book. I didn’t HATE this book, but I definitely didn’t love it either. Will I read the sequel? …I think I will. Despite not liking Cassie or Ethan, I still do want to know how their story will end. And hopefully, book two will be more engaging than this first book was.

Reading Order: Starcrossed series

#1 ~ Bad Romeo: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Broken Juliet: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3 ~ Wicked Heart: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads

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