Two words: Tom Valeska. Hubba hubba! Here's the thing -- Sally Thorne's writing style is dreamy and perfect and I love how natural and personal her characters are. They are always so relatable. Since reading this, I cannot stop thinking about what word I would put on my UnderSwears! Thank you, Netgalley!

I couldn't stand this one, the writing just doesn't inspire at all. I forced myself to keep reading hoping it would improve, it never happened.

Review of "99% Mine" by Sally Thorne

5 Fabulous Stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

ARC kindly provided by publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

When everything in the universe aligned just so, so that I would go on to discover Sally Thorne's "The Hating Game" (my review: https://simzcity.wordpress.com/?s=The+Hating+Game), I thought to myself. I have finally found a contemporary romance author that I adore. Being a lover of historical romances, I only ever veer out to explore contemporary romance if the book is amazing. Sally Thorne's style of writing - her pacing of witty dialogue, her fleshing out of the characters, her unique voice with a turn of a certain phrase, and of course creating tension-filled slow-burn romance - all of that shone through with her second book as fabulously as it had with her first.

But there ends the similarities between these two stories. If you are going to compare these two books and the H and h, I will stop you right there and say, "Please don't"... These two stories and their protagonists are completely different and completely amazing in their own right. Which only goes to show how versatile Sally can be.

The author has created a H that every girl in the world dreams of while the h, I took more time to actually warm up to. And that actually felt right in its own way. Do we ever truly know a person from the get go? Or is it that as time goes by, through timelines and circumstances, we get to see all these different sides of the same person and come to appreciate all of them? By the time I finished the last chapter and went on to devour the epilogue, I had come to appreciate Darcy as much as I did Tom.

All in all, it was a wonderful story that I would re-read again.

Also, the epilogue of both 99% Mine and THG at the end of this book, made me melt into a puddle. So worth it!

4/5 STARS - Mini Review for NetGalley.

This book was such a great read with some minor flaws (like the protagonist). I wasn't super disappointed at all, as always Sally Thorne's writing is cohesive, conscious and creates characters with such depth. The Hating Game being one of my favourite romance reads of all time gave me some bias towards Sally's writing, and although 99% Mine wasn't as great as its predecessor, it was still a really enjoyable read.

Tom is one of the sweetest characters and his personality resonated so well as the perfect love interest for feisty and determined Darcy, who is so used to quite literally running away from her problems whenever they arise. Her flawed character and the well-built tension between both of them, I thought was written extremely well although because she's such a different type of character, it was initially quite hard for me to connect with her as a protagonist. Their romance was definitely a unique one, Tom was so mysterious while Darcy was like a roasted marshmallow; tough on the outside and soft on the inside, and how she showed her soft side to Tom was so endearing.

However, I wasn't too big on the emphasis on masculinity in this novel, and the ending to do with certain side characters I won't mention (spoilers) actually made me pretty angry. A good and bad thing because 1. it was written well enough that I felt a degree of connection that allowed me to get emotional and angry about this but also, 2. that I did not like the direction it took whatsoever (look at me dodging spoilers lol). I thought Darcy's twin, Jamie was an extremely unlikeable character and he was just getting in the way, so half the time I wished he wasn't there but there again, another great piece of writing to create tension and add depth to the story.

Overall, really enjoyed this read! I hope to get my hands on a physical copy one day to reread it without hurting my eyes. Would recommend it to all romance book lovers, and looking forward to reading more new releases by Sally Thorne!

PS: I read this ages ago so it was a little hard to review, apologies for such a late mini-review instead. If I re-read, a full review will be up on my blog and The Nerd Daily :)

I have heard nothing but positive things regarding this author's other writing, The Hating Game. So, I had very high expectations for 99% Mine. Sadly, it go as expected or anticipated. I couldn't connect with the main characters. And the relationship they have is such a bore.

Envious as hell. I want myself someone like Tom Valeski and I want him now... all 100% to myself.
I loved this book. The suspense, the sexual and emotional tension and even wrapping it all up with a bow was highly enjoyable.
I have to admit I even cried in a few places. It was all to relatable and emotional.
Darcy and Tom were meant to be together from the day they met when they were kids... But life interfered. life and people. Thankfully, they realised...
Anyhow, this kind of romance novel is just my load of sugar. This story sounded and felt just a tiny bit supernatural. Emotions, passions, secret feelings and desires were told with just a bit of tooth and claw. I even felt at some point that main characters were about to shape shift... It was so intense.
Loved it.

3.5 stars

I think I may be the only person on the planet (well, at least the only person on Goodreads) who hasn’t read The Hating Game. It’s definitely one I want to read, I just haven’t been able to get to it yet. But when I was given the opportunity to read this book, I jumped on it, knowing the love that SO many people have for Sally Thorne.

First off, I have to say that the cover is quite deceptive. I was expecting light, fluffy and comedic, and while it is definitely on the lighter side, this book has an edginess to it that was unexpected - mostly due to badass heroine, Darcy, and the semi-mess that is this her life, and the complicated love story.

The book is written entirely from the POV of Darcy Barrett. She is wild, raw and edgy, and a little bit lost. Once a successful photographer, she has lost her enthusiasm for what was once her passion, and now she works in a dingy biker bar and works hard at keeping a mostly solitary life – she has a best friend, she has a ‘friend with benefits’ and she has a twin brother that she’s currently not speaking to after one of their frequent arguments. At the first sign of trouble or stress in her life she usually takes off traveling overseas, leaving her worries behind her, but she’s stuck in town temporarily following the death of her grandmother. She and her twin, Jamie, have inherited their grandmother’s cottage, and the plan is to renovate it and sell it, and then she plans to be gone again. And then Tom Valeska lands on Darcy’s doorstep.

Tom grew up alongside Darcy and Jamie. He was a neighbour who had a rough life, so he was pretty much adopted into her family. He and Jamie quickly became best of friends, and while Darcy was often a part of their fun, she always felt more for Tom. But Jamie was always there, stealing his time and attention, and she never felt like she got enough of him. Now, Tom is the contractor hired by her brother to renovate their grandmother’s house – where Darcy is living – and she is thrilled that she’s finally going to spend time with the man has always been perfect in her eyes.

From the very beginning we can see the special bond between these two. It’s clear they have a great friendship, but it’s so much more than that, and the chemistry is fantastic! You can feel the simmering attraction and it's a gorgeous slow burn, and while Darcy is filterless and all-in with her feelings, Tom is not so forward, ramping up the sexual tension and bringing a great sense of anticipation to everything that has been brewing between them for years.


“If you were mine, I’d be careful with you. I bet that’s something you haven’t had much of.”
“What else would you do?”
“Everything. If you were mine, I’d do everything.” Our gold bubble locks shut, and a little universe fills it. The possibilities are infinite.
“I have a big imagination. Could you be more specific?” I put my hand on the side of his neck and stroke down to the hard bar of his collarbone. His skin is hot satin. His pulse nudges me.
Mine, mine, mine. One thousand percent mine until the end of time. He looks like he agrees.
“Everything you wanted or needed, I’d do it.” Amazing how he can keep it clean, but it feels so dirty. That’s the thing about good boys.
“I want and need a lot.”
A big white smile now. “No kidding. Well, I’m a hard worker.”


It’s hot and intense, and all of that build up is worth it because it’s all kinds of sexy with a lot of emotion as they finally cross that line, and I loved them together.


“I need your hands more than I’ve ever needed anything.”


Darcy is such a great character. I love her uniqueness, I love that she is flawed and she knows it, and I love her vulnerabilities that make her so interesting. And Tom… well, he just may be the perfect man that Darcy has always seen him as. He is an absolute sweetheart, but his upbringing has left him with some issues and though he hates the label of ‘perfection’ that Darcy has slapped on him, he’s always tried to be there for his friends, to never let them down or disappoint them, and his vulnerability is so sweet. He gets Darcy in a way that nobody else seems to, and his clear devotion to her is just beautiful.


I’m a scary bitch. He’s a bashful sweetheart with pink cheeks.


But when Jamie comes along, things get a little strange, and I found the Darcy/Tom/Jamie dynamic to be a bit weird. The relationship between the siblings ranges from stubborn silence to sweetly supportive to violently combative, and they have a strange habit of over-sharing when it comes to their sex lives. Throw Tom in the mix, and it gets even stranger as the twins fight over him like he’s a possession, which I found bizarre. And it leads to heartache and drama as they all finally confront their feelings and issues from the past, forcing a whole lot of soul-searching which will leave them all forever changed.

The story unfolds right alongside the house renovation, and we get to see a lot of that happening, tying in to the story well and adding to the characters’ individual journeys as they slowly start to piece together their lives, overcome past pain and hurt, and figure out what they want and where they want to be.

I enjoyed this book. Like I said, it’s edgier and messier than I was expecting, but I love the way Sally Thorne writes. She has a gift for storytelling and she creates wonderful chemistry between her characters, with really intriguing dynamics. I’m definitely looking forward to reading more of her work.

3.5 stars – rated up for Tom!

***This review is based on ARC generously provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion. No compensation was paid to the reviewer nor is there any affiliation between the reviewer and author/publisher***
I think my brain almost exploded with the amount of squealing that happened internally when I saw the Netgalley email to say I had received an eARC of this book.
99 Percent Mine is author Sally Thorne’s second book, released a year after the smashing success of her debut romance novel “The Hating Game”.
99 Percent Mine was not like the Hating Game but definitely smashing success within its own right!
The book follows the story of Darcy Barret, who is sort of a mess of a complex heroine with a ??annoyingly elusive cardiac arrhythmia, who has been in love with her brother’s best friend Tom Valeska since they were kids.
The story takes place in Darcy’s grandmother’s home, who has recently bequeathed it’s ownership and restoration to Darcy and her twin brother Jamie. Darcy is attempting to renovate the home herself, which is where Tom comes into help as the builder.
It’s clear from the beginning to readers, but obviously evades Darcy, that Tom really does love her, and that he probably has always looked out for her.
I say Darcy is a mess because she is both tough, which is established in the first chapters when she works part time as a bartender, but also very soft when it comes to Tom and expressing her feelings for him outright.
Tom isn’t so much broody as he is mysterious and really pulled between the loyalities he feels for both of the twins. It was funny to read him deal with the banter and somewhat kookiness of Darcy but also generate so much chemistry.
To readers who LOVED “The Hating Game” – don’t go into 99 percent Mine with the same expectations, for the simple reason that these are different books and follow different tropes.
As a lover of all things enemies to lovers – I will willingly admit it is an easy trope to fall in love with. A ‘gateway’ romantic trope if you will for new readers of romance fiction. Enemies to lovers ensures you have the push and pull and burning tension between characters whilst making readers watch the inevitable love story blossom. It’s a difficult trope to find fault with, and I think for that reason, and given the accolades “The Hating Game” so rightfully received during its debut, it would be understandable that there is likely a large subsection of readers of “99percent Mine” who will have unrealistic expectations of what Ms Thorne’s second novel will be like.
99 Percent Mine is full of heart and wit and yet also touches on shows the depth in its hero / heroine and their own struggles.
To Sally Thorne, you did a brilliant job with this book, and from following your twitter account, the struggle was definitely real! I cannot wait to read what you have in store for us next, will definitely always be an autobuy for me!

This book had a good premise but somehow I found myself feeling as though the biggest mistake that was made was in having this main character be a first person PoV storyteller.

Darcy is a mess. There are no if's or but's about it. The thing is, I know many people who are very much like her. And I hear their mental diatribes about themselves, and I know them well enough to be able to refute them. Because Darcy was the first person POV character, however, her self deprecation came across in such an all consuming and overwhelming way as I couldn't see anything that was redeeming about her.

Most particularly this hurt the story because I couldn't see why Tom, the love interest, would have any interest in her at all.

It's clear straight away that Darcy is head over heels for him, even as she self destructively downs a bunch of wine in their first meeting together after a physically violent altercation at her work that never quite gets a satisfying resolution or revisit.

We also find in this scene that Darcy is not on speaking terms with her twin brother Jamie. Like Darcy, Jamie comes across as a class A butt hole without redeeming qualities and, in this case, it's just incredibly difficult to see why Darcy would miss him so much at all. He doesn't seem to have an ability to share, to say sorry, to do anything other than argue until he gets what he wants, screw everyone else.

In short, I started off with this story almost putting it down because there wasn't a single likeable character.

For me, the story started to get going once the house renovations began. Jamie was sticking his nose in it and I still couldn't understand why either Darcy or Tom cared what he thought, but Darcy and Tom started interacting with each other in a better way, they were nostalgic in a way I could identify, and at least some of Darcy's self destructive behaviours took a bit of a back seat, enough for me to be able to enjoy the majority of this story.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ out of 5
Ohmygod this book was SO good! I enjoyed every second of reading it! It was different to the Hating Game but you still saw ST unique writing style shine through. The characters were unique and quirky and damn if I didn’t wish it would never end (but also yes I need that HEA).
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Our heroine has a twin brother and as children they kind of adopted the boy across the road. He became her brother’s best friend but also her secret crush. Fast forward 20 years later and our hero is helping remodel the house left to the twins. Our heroine decides to help with construction and sparks fly when the two are forced together without her brother as a buffer.
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The heroine is quirky and yep totally mean and yet I’m rooting for her to get the guy the whole time! The hero is this gentle giant and even though we don’t get to see anything from his POV he still has personality. Are there absolutely crazy moments? Yes! And I couldn’t get enough! I know some people weren’t able to connect to the main characters but I could and I fell in love with both of them! The ending was almost a bit too flowery but I don’t even frickin care!

Author Sally Thorne creates some entertaining characters and this stands in 99% Mine.
Another great read from the author.
Review copy received via Netgalley

Dear Sally Thorne,

This is an actual DM I sent to a friend last night: “I need you to read 99 Percent Mine and tell me what I think of it. I’m 82% in and I don’t know!”

Well, I’ve now finished the book but I can’t say my thoughts are much clearer. It’s very possible I’m an outlier so make of this review what you will.

There were things I liked, things I didn’t like and things which confused me. In the end, 99 Percent Mine was a mixed bag and I’m not quite sure how I feel about it.

Darcy Barrett has had a crush on her neighbour and brother’s best friend, Tom Valeska, since they met when she was eight years old. It is almost her raison d’etre and it terrifies her at the same time. Darcy and her twin brother Jamie “shared” Tom as children but Tom was mainly Jamie’s friend. Darcy often felt on the periphery. She was born with a heart arrhythmia and cannot do strenuous activities. She was left out of various family activities as a child and Tom took her place within the family for those trips. It is a curious relationship the twins and Tom have. There seem to be many potential causes for resentment but they were mostly not addressed. Darcy blames her dodgy heart and thinks of herself as being a bother and an inconvenience rather than being resentful her family took off without her for fun trips she couldn’t join in with.

Darcy spent a lot of time with her grandmother, Loretta, when the others were off doing things. As a result, they were very close. Now, Loretta has died. She left her cottage jointly to Darcy and Jamie with strict instructions that it be restored and sold. Tom, a builder, is going to do the renovation.

Rest of the review is here: https://dearauthor.com/book-reviews/overall-c-reviews/c-plus-reviews/review-99-percent-mine-by-sally-thorne/

This is my first Sally Thorne book, I didn’t read The Hating Game although it is one my TBR pile and I will read it, I found it a bit hard to get into this book the heroine Darcy and I didn’t gel I found her hard to like, but there will be lots of people that will like her, she is feisty and out there and has been in love with the hero Tom forever and I did love Tom.

Darcy Barrett has travelled the world settling down is not for her, but when her and her twin brother are left their grandmother’s house with strict instructions to renovate and sell, Darcy is home and fighting with her twin brother Jamie and then enters Tom Valeska, who really has been part of the family since they were all eight years old, and the sparks fly in so many ways because for Darcy Tom must be off limits to her, or will working together change all of that?

Tom was practically taken in by the Barrett family when he was eight years old and Jamie is his best friend, he has been engaged for years but is now running his own renovation company and is starting work for Darcy and Jamie, keeping his mind on the job and not Darcy is going to be hard for him, and he is keeping secrets from Darcy but his heart is beating for her and her only.

This is a fast paced story with a lot going on, not just renovations Darcy and Tom are having a hard time keeping their feelings from each other and Tom is so protective of her that they are pushing each other’s buttons, but when they open up about their love they fall into each other’s arms spectacularly. There are a lot of characters in this story that are really good and added a lot to the story and if you love a good romance then this one will be for you.

99 Percent Mine is Sally Thorne’s latest release and is a vibrant, hilarious romantic comedy perfect for fans of Alice Clayton and Penny Reid with an electric chemistry and sharp, witty interactions that will have you smiling from start to finish.

A talented photographer, Darcy Barret has travelled the world and can easily say that no man is as perfect as Tom Valeska. He’s kind, funny and so good-looking he puts others to shame. His only flaw? Darcy’s twin brother saw him first and claimed him as his best friend when they were eight years old. Which means Tom is off limits to Darcy…..even if he has always been the one she wanted. Determined to restore her late grandmothers beloved cottage to its former glory Darcy hire’s Tom new construction business to complete the renovations. Despite planning to be hundreds of miles away during construction, Darcy’s plans are derailed when her passport cannot be located and she finds herself working alongside a sweaty, determined Tom who is single for the first time in nearly a decade. Sparks are soon flying and as Darcy begins to realise that a future with Tom may be what she wants, she is more determined than ever to make Tom hers….

Sally Thorne’s debut novel The Hating Game is one of my all-time favourite romantic comedies, so I was beyond excited to get my hands on her follow up novel 99 Percent Mine as soon as it hit Netgalley. Diving into the story it was clear that 99 Percent Mine featured the same wit, humour and chemistry between the main character and her love interest that I adored about Thorne’s first novel.

99 Percent Mine is told through the crazy and often hilarious eyes of protagonist Darcy Bennett. Though she suffers from a weakened heart, and has since birth, Darce refuses to let it stop her. I quite liked Darcy. She was funny and determined even if she was also over the top and kooky at times too.

As Darcy’s love interest and the object of her affection, Tom Valeska was pretty darn perfect. He was the whole package and seemed to truly get Darcy. A result of having known someone since you were children, Tom and Darcy seemed effortless together. They bantered non stop while Darcy constantly made sassy innuendos that Tom took in stride good naturedly and with the ease of someone knowing the other person deeply.

Romantic and fun with a great cast of supporting characters and an endearing storyline, 99 Percent Mine will capture your attention 100 percent and leave you smiling all the way to the very end.

Two and a half years ago, or thereabouts, I read Sally Thorne’s debut novel, The Hating Game and it became an absolute favourite. I re-read it obsessively – I absolutely adored those characters. I’ve been waiting quite eagerly for her next book although I know it obviously won’t be another The Hating Game. However the weight of expectations plays a role in how we feel about books, so I’m stating upfront that quite possibly that has contributed here.

I didn’t love this. I actually really struggled with it and considered DNF’ing it more than once. It’s not the writing per se, I think for me the biggest problem I had was just the characters. I didn’t connect with either of them (the main two, Darcy and Tom). I found Darcy very abrasive and overly, deliberately quirky, which is something I never enjoy in a character. So much is made of how ‘different’ she is – her hair, her dress, her jobs, her inability to settle down, her free spirit. She’s also very forward and a lot of the way she thinks/talks/acts towards Tom made me think vaguely of sexual harassment and objectification. I tried role switching, making it like Darcy was a man, thinking/saying etc these things towards a female character and it made me pretty uncomfortable. Darcy also has a heart condition, which is referred to every other page or so but don’t ask me what it is because the book never makes it clear because Darcy mostly ignores it. It’s serious enough that she should be having regular visits to her cardiologist but she doesn’t bother because she doesn’t want to know, and she’s a free spirit etc. Everyone keeps talking about how this heart condition could literally kill her but she just pretends it isn’t there for almost the entire book and then at the end it’s fixed mostly off page almost as a by-the-way type of thing, which was a bit weird.

Tom is mostly pleasant, although sometimes his character seems inconsistent. At first he’s this super nice, shy, blushes-at-everything-Darcy-says sort of guy but at some stage he Hulks out into some possessive, over-protective Alpha male when the book tries to make it super obvious that Darcy can handle herself (she works in a bar frequented by types that need handling) except when she can’t and needs help. There’s a lot of unnecessary drama surrounding Tom’s quote on the renovation and how he’s Darcy’s twin brother’s best friend and the whole ‘my sister is off limits’ thing has never really done it for me. Darcy’s brother is mostly a jerk until suddenly he’s completely not and the random way he turns out to have a relationship with someone is really bizarre. In fact, if I had to think of one word to describe this book, it’d probably be random. Things just happen randomly, things are randomly not explained, the entire conflict for the last part of the book makes no sense and I found the resolution very weak.

There were parts of this that I did enjoy – some of the banter was funny, I liked the home renovation stuff (I enjoy reading books set around that sort of thing) and I really loved Darcy’s friend and her underwear business. That was amazing. But I think for me the book needed more scenes to share the background of Darcy, Jamie and Tom, flesh out their childhood and teenage connection. It didn’t really seem to translate well to the current day setting without that and I just wanted a bit more. I didn’t really feel much chemistry between Darcy and Tom unfortunately and they just weren’t a couple that I felt myself passionately behind. This just wasn’t my sort of story.

6/10

99% Mine is the maturer, edgier older sister to The Hating Game. On the surface both are stories about quirky, quick witted young women and the men who love them. And that’s true, they are- but if anything, 99% Mine is a story of about self love.

Darcy Bennet is an onslaught of emotions. A tough girl-nothing can touch me veneer hides a woman who is grieving the loss of her grandma (the only person in the world who understood her and was firmly on her side) and suffocating from the expectations and worries of her family.

Her family who wishes she were more like her twin Jamie (golden child, but kinda comes of as sleazy, FYI Jamie a flaming asshole, who unfortunately does not get the ass kicking he deserves), and not travel so much to take care of her heart condition.

The renovation project is just the background for Darcy and Tom to reconnect and finally realise their crazy-for-each other feelings are mutual.

99% Mine is 4 stars of heart warming self discovery and self love.

ARC provided by netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

99 Percent Mine is another emotion-packed tale by Australian author Sally Thorne. I found it to be an addictive page-turner, and I would recommend you set aside some time to read it, otherwise, like me, you may find yourself distracted when attempting to do anything else!
Sally Thorne has a writing style that I find hard to describe but absolutely love. It always gives me the impression of a hot summer day in rural Australia. One where you grab any shade you can to escape the sweltering heat and just laze around until the cool of the evening. It feels slow paced, but never dull or dragging, hazy, and a bit dreamy. I find her books to be an intense emotional experience, not because her stories are over the top angsty, or drama filled, but because this writing style keeps your heart engaged, so you feel everything!

99 Percent Mine is a bit darker than her previous book, The Hating Game. Primarily because our female lead, Darcy, is a bit damaged, emotionally, as well as physically. As always, the characters are well developed, not just the two primaries, Darcy and Tom, but the secondary characters too. I'll admit, I had very strong feelings of dislike for Jamie, Darcy's twin brother, for the first two-thirds of the book. He came across as a grade A jerk, especially after a particularly cruel phone call he has with Darcy early in the story, and his behaviour during much of the story was childish, but it was nice to see some changes towards the end.

Similarly, this book is, in part, about Darcy's love for her grandmother and the fond memories she has of the house. Personally, I really didn't like the old biddy. I understand why she did what she did to Darcy and Tom. Even in his early twenties, it is obvious that due to his own personal experiences, Tom was the type to want to settle down straight away, and Darcy needed to mature and experience life a bit. When taken into account with her grandmother's own experiences, it is perfectly understandable. It's how she went about it. Not only encouraging Darcy to run but by making her feel that she wasn't good enough for Tom. In fact, her whole family made her feel like that, as not quite a part of the family, as a liability. Even if that wasn't their intention, it's how it impacted Darcy. And that feeling haunted her throughout her life.

99 Percent Mine is, at its most basic, a complex tale of miscommunication. Both Darcy and Tom feel unworthy of each other, and a single incident when Darcy was 18 is a catalyst for a chain of events that leads them both to this place where they are forced to confront each other and resolve their feelings.

With this, her second book, Sally Thorne has cemented herself as a writing talent, and is firmly on my ‘must read’ author list. 99 Percent Mine was in a word, unputdownable. The writing style, the characters, and the storyline kept me hooked and didn’t let go until well after the last page was finished.

If you read and enjoyed, The Hating Game or you enjoy a story that will tug on the heartstrings, then I can't recommend 99 Percent Mine highly enough.

I hated this book, like it was so so poorly told. I didn't care for the characters and the writing style. I didn't like the way the main character acted, i just found it really bad all over. Its a shame because i didn't mind her debut book the hating game.

I've read the Hating Game and enjoyed it a lot.
With this I had a few issues with Darcy's characterization. I get that a woman can be aggressive or be jealous, but I don't want to read constantly how she wants to bash, kill or mess up other women/Megan. That really annoyed me and I expected better from the author. It wasn't necessary in any way for the story.
This is why I can give this 3 stars only.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an eARC.

The Hating Game, Sally Thorne’s debut, is one of my favourite books ever. It was pretty much perfection. It’s a hard act to follow.

There was a three year gap between The Hating Game and this book, and in between a different book was announced and later scrapped. Like many other authors before her who had spectacular debuts, I think Thorne has struggled with Second Book Syndrome and it shows with 99 Percent Mine.

There are similarities between the two books. Thorne again does not specify a setting for the book. The terms the characters use are mostly American so, although Thorne is Australian, I would assume the US is the setting. I would love to know why she doesn’t just go down the conventional path of specifying a place setting. I hope her publisher/editors suggest she avoids this idea with her next book as, by then, I think it will simply be annoying (it went close to being annoying this time).

As in The Hating Game, the two lead characters have loads of chemistry. Thorne can write UST like no one else. Her characters practically sizzle on the page. Every look, every touch, every word is laced with lust. But whereas in The Hating Game there was a good reason for the characters to hold back and not give in to their lust, in 99 Percent Mine, the reason was weak at best.

In the beginning of the book, we’re presented Darcy as a bit of a screw up -- dead end job, bad attitude and a revolving door for a bedroom. Darcy and her twin brother, Jamie, have had a falling out over the house their grandmother has bequeathed them upon her death. One thing they do agree on, however, is that Tom and his newly formed construction company will renovate the house. Tom is their pseudo brother who has been brought up as one of their family almost. Tom and Darcy getting together would make everything nice and tidy, unless Darcy breaks his heart.

The book shows flashes of depth but really that’s the story in a nutshell. It’s not very original, nor very complicated, and I think this is my biggest issue with the book. It needed more plot. I don’t think the limited conflict and misunderstandings between the characters were enough to sustain an almost 400 page book.

Written in Darcy’s first person point of view, we get quite a lot of internal thoughts. The ones regarding Tom’s physical perfection are tiring after a while, I must admit. Darcy’s tough girl act is only temporary (in fact, I don't get the point of her working in the bar) and Jamie is a bit of a nothing character until the last few chapters where, thankfully, he redeems himself spectacularly.

The style and language choices make this very modern; a contemporary romance which could prove to be a winner with the new adult population. Maybe (*gasp*) I’m getting too old.

The Hating Game has probably given me unreal expectations about this follow up and one thing I am probably doing is not comparing apples with apples. If I compared this book to a lot of other books in this genre, 99 Percent Mine would come out as quite superior. As I said, Thorne’s talent for writing sexy scenes is almost unprecedented. But if I'm comparing it to the big ripe orange that is The Hating Game, it doesn’t even come 1% close, let alone 99.

It pains me, but 3 out of 5.