Purity: A Friends-to-Lovers College Romance

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Mariana is everything I shouldn’t crave—free-spirited, unapologetically atheist, and way too young for me. And yet I want her with a fevered obsession, even if it means betraying the trust of my best friend. They have some major relationship struggles, with Logan feeling ignored. He desperately needs Leilani’s full attention, however he just cannot get it. He handles his struggles the way that any player would. He cheats on her. While I had pretty hotly anticipated the next book in this series, I don’t think this one totally lived up to the premise for me. Hot priest? Fiery atheist who is the priest’s best friend’s daughter? It would normally be catnip for me. A big thank you to @authorskymason for the ARC. I've been patiently waiting for Pastor Brandon and Mariana's story, and it did not disappoint.

Brandon was conflicted most of the book. I understood where he was coming from in a sense, but I also felt that he was kind of a doormat when it came to Mari's dad. Like dude your a grown man, just tell him no. I did like how obsessed he was with Mari but was not a fan of him waiting for the dad to give his blessing to actually go after her. Honestly, this book just makes me feel seen. Seriously, reading this story was therapeutic because it reflects many of my own experiences being raised in an evangelical home and the journey I found myself on during college to unlearn those toxic beliefs and form my own. I honestly am so happy Skyler wrote this story because so many of us women have been negatively affected by purity culture and it’s lovely seeing Livvy embark on her own path to healing and discovery. 💕

Table of Contents

And one should certainly never celebrate a heroine who, in the process of trying to prove she wasn't "weak", acts in a toxic manner towards the person she supposedly loves. I understand not wanting to cave to another person's will. I understand wanting to make them earn your love. But when a person is clearly going through hell, and has laid their heart wide open for you, and you know good and well what you want from them, it is not okay for you to make them jump through hoops.

Travel and tell no one, live a true love story and tell no one, live happily and tell no one, people ruin beautiful things.

I'm not Christian nor religious and I think the whole purity thing is horrid. The way her dad cried and said she was not a 'little girl' anymore - I wanted to vomit I know this will be a popular book when it releases (Sept 30) due to the tab00 element, but the story is deeper than that and can resonate to those who grew up in any sort of organized religion. Plus, who doesn't like a tattooed preacher demanding you call him "Daddy?" I understand that her character was supposed to find herself, and grow- but I just didn't care enough about her? I couldn't relate to her, and just disliked the majority of her interactions with everyone. Because it's so easy to say that these characters have undeniable chemistry, and state that they're attracted to each other, but I wanted to SEE it.

The one thing this book has going for it is that it’s NOT a “she was a bet!” plot (even though, confusingly, it seems like it’s setting that up). From the start, the heroine is aware of the bet. So, there’s no angst or tension about “when will she find out?!” But….there’s also not much angst or stakes about anything! Early in the story, they mutually agree that he’ll be her choice to sleep with. So, the entire flow of the story is odd– no tension, and not much plot. Just the characters awkwardly orbiting around each other, after they’ve agreed that they’ll have sex. There is some alright dirty talk, but it feels sudden and random, like this story threw it in Just Because. This is the sister from the book in purity. She's trying to break away from The church's purity culture aka the church wanting wo!Enzo to stay chaste and virginal til marriage, not have sexual thoughts, etc. This book should be used as a how-to on taking all heat and spontaneity from sex and intimacy in a romance. Straight cringe.What happens when a virgin raised in purity culture asks her gorgeous, player best friend to take her V-card? I’ve seen you with women you want. You’re touchy. You can’t keep your hands off them, and you never touch me. At least, not normally.” The side characters.... I wasn't a fan of most of them in this book. Because most of them were Mari's family and I'm irritated with them and think Mari should have said "f" you all and left. Lets just say that. I won't say more because I don't want to spoil it. But ultimately I felt the dating her sister bit didn’t feel necessary to me, and I grew tired of Brandon’s constant self-flagellating, martyrdom brand of Christianity, and the way he robbed Mariana of any agency in the dynamic between them by saying she’s too young to understand the stakes. I also sometimes struggled with the pacing - sometimes I felt pulled along too fast and then too slow through the text. And then when they finally had sex, she throw to his face that she loves him and they should had a relationship, and when he said no because it wont work, She just tell him they couldn't be friends anymore! because he broke her heart! And leave the house! ¡Ten minutes after telling him she loved him! Naked! Yes naked!!

Now.. if H would NOT had romantic or lust feelings for h for years, or would have been celibate or SUPER discrete about it.. i would have liked him .. maybe. Why does he has to be so open and in everybody face about his manho ways?I know I need to resist her, but every time her eyes twinkle with mischief, every time that teasing smile tugs at her full lips, I forget my devotion to my church. I forget the promises I made to God. I forget everything but the woman who might be my undoing. Livy has been in love with her best friend Cole for years, but he’s never looked at her that way. So, she decides to ask him to take her V-card with no strings attached. It’s time to move on and start living my life. This summer, I’m going to ask him to take my V-card with no strings attached. After Livvy and Cole have sex he says some of the worst shit and when they talk about it a few days later his dumb ass blames his parent's marriage and thinks he could never be her for his stupid actions and for sleeping around and bringing girls around her. Give me a break.