I throughly enjoyed reading this. I do have to way though that Mariahs brother was my favorite character. I’d love to read more about them; wonder if this is a series I could purchase. This was my first book from ari Reavis and I’ll say I did enjoy her writing.

Mariah meets Damir when he saves her from an awful date, this leads them to start their own wonderful relationship. This does not come without trouble though; Damir's past is determined to interfere with this couple's future.

This was a nice lil read, I had a good time. Both of our main characters were likable and I enjoyed following them throughout this book. I will say though, while the romance was definitely there, that wasn't really the part I was invested in with this book. It wasn't exactly a profound love story that got my heart racing and my stomach fluttering, but I still liked it well enough (even if there were sooo many boring and same-y sex scenes). What I liked most was learning about how Damir's past was still affecting his life, it was quite heart breaking at some points.

I definitely think this book is worth a read!

I volunteered to review an ARC of this book for NetGalley

The premise:
This romance follows Damir and Mariah who meet when the former saves the latter from a horrible date. They instantly hit it off and start a wonderful relationship where they have to face hard challenges, but never stop fighting for their love.

The positives:
↣ Damir and Mariah are a wonderful example of what a healthy relationship looks like. They treat each other with respect, they have no misunderstandings because they know how to communicate, they tell each other the truth even if it’s difficult and are always there for each other.
↣ At the 50% mark the book takes a turn that I did not expect, but it made the story so much more interesting. A suspenseful element was added and the rest of the book had me on the edge of my seat because of it.
↣ The characterization in this book was very refreshing. We had a half-Dominican heroine and a black hero. Mariah had faced many hardships in her childhood because of her abusive parents, but she came out even stronger and kinder because of it. Damir got caught up with the wrong people when he was younger, but with the help of his loving parents he managed to turn his life around and now he help others who are struggling find their way. They were both such loveable characters and together they made such a wholesome couple.

The negatives:
↣ I have come to realize that a story about a couple that is just happy and in love with no angst, no struggles and no drama is boring for me. The first half of the book was only about Damir and Mariah falling in love with not much else going on and the plot dragged because of it. I also felt like it was a bit insta-lovey with how fast they fell for each other.

Trigger warnings: talk of child abuse, police brutality, talk of drug dealing and drug abuse, stalking and harassment by a police officer

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was surprising. I enjoyed it. The book was fast-paced and kept me from wanting to put it down until the end. I like the fact it was more than just your normal HEA’s but incorporated real-life scenarios and need to look beyond what it seems. The relationship between Mariah and Damir was smile-worthy. But what I think played a big part in this is the strength of relationships of friends and family members. I liked that this story included hard topics in the real world and the POV’s. This story has diversity, laughter, and hope and has you rooting for Damir. I like the artwork on the cover of the book. I received an ARC of this book. This is my 1st book by this author and will look to see what else she has written. I would recommend it.

4 stars

This book was a beautiful story not only about the romance but about real world situations.
I adored how the author managed to show all this very hard topics in a real and relatable way and not made it over the top or not realistic.
The main characters were relatable and their chemistry was amazing.
The side characters were perfect for the story and I'd love to read more of them, especially from Liam and John.
Overall a wonderful book.

*Thank you to Netgalley and the author for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review*

Firstly wow what a cover! That alone made me want to pick up the book and read it!
This book was great for diversity. This was a compelling and thoroughly enjoyable read from start to finish with a great storyline, interesting cast of characters and all capped off by skilful writing.

A story of suspense, injustice, hope and unrelenting love...

In Imperfect by Ari Reavis, Damir, our dashing hero who works with his hands rescues Mariah, our bold heroine with a heart of gold, from a horrible blind date by pretending to be her brother. He then promises her a much better date and that is the beginning of the beautiful relationship that they build. Both Mariah and Damir have had a tough past. They have come out of it as better and stronger individuals. Imperfect is the story of how two people fall in love and fight for that love in the direst of circumstances, as people from Damir’s past cause trouble for them.

The plot of the story is pretty fast paced. There is some suspense aspect involved which really keeps you glued to the book. The beginning of the story deals with the build in the relationship between Damir and Mariah. This is the first book that I have read in a while where the MCs do not develop feelings for each other after being somehow forced to spend time together. There aren’t too many out-of-the-way scenarios that throw these two together often. Sure, the meet cute is pretty rom-com-esque. But apart from that, we see them put in some real effort so as to meet and get to know each other better. It is a small thing, I know. But this one bit of realistic story telling had me love this book just a tad more. This beginning portion of the story has loads of sweet, swoony dates and steamy, sexy scenes.

Moving further into the story, we see some people from Damir’s past refuse to believe that he has turned a new leaf. They incessantly turn up to cause problems for him. When this criminal injustice reaches its peak and leads to some distance between him and Mariah, we see the steadfast love that they harbor for each other. In these trying times, we see the love and support that Mariah receives from Damir, his parents, her brother and the love she gives Damir. We bear evidence to their iron will when they refuse to give up and continue to plan for the future they are determined to have together.

I loved Damir so much. He is the perfect hard working, strong, reliable and swoony hero. I loved his quiet confidence. I adored that he loved his parents. The fact that he ran an outreach program for ex-cons just added more points in his favor. I loved the list he makes at the end of the book. That was so sweet that he remembered Mariah’s wishes.
Mariah is a bold and caring grade school teacher who really wants to make a difference in her students’ lives. I enjoyed reading about her interactions with her students. I loved the relationship she had with her brother. I mostly admired her for the considerate and respectable human she had become despite all the trouble she had in her childhood.

I have to mention the masterpiece that is the cover. What a beauty guys!!!! I know we’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover and all that. But seriously, I think 50% of my willingness to download the book was due to the sexy cover.

This story made me realize how easy it is for young people to go down a bad path and how hard it is to rehabilitate them even when they are willing to change. This story gives a gruesome account of how power can be misused when in the wrong hands. It made me believe in second chances when I read about how Damir had changed and how he was helping others change. It made me take a closer look at how hard it is for ex-cons to get re-acquainted with the world when they finally get out. In short, this book had me look into a lot of topics that are often overlooked.

One thing that I would have liked to see is more emotional connection to have been built between the MCs in the first half of the book. They went on quite a few dates and had their fun. But I felt that maybe the author could have gone deeper into their feelings or emotional bond. Nonetheless, this does not take away from the sentiment of the story as a whole.

Ari Reavis has, yet again, written a beautiful and poignant story for our unconventional hero and heroine. I strongly recommend you to add Imperfect to your tbr if you like stories that are a little dark, deal with some serious issues but also make you believe in unwavering love.

My review on instagram : https://www.instagram.com/p/CQQoP8bthTW/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
My review on Goodreads : https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4049710965?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

Unfortunately I didn’t enjoy this book. It felt very scattered and like it jumped bits when it shouldn’t. The writing style was good, but the story itself was lacking.

Rating: 3.5/5

Imperfect was much more than a love story. It's also a story of racism, corruption, and injustice.

After being set up on a blind date gone wrong, Mariah is suddenly rescued by Damir, a stranger pretending to be her brother with a family emergency. The two instantly hit it off, sparking a new connection that would eventually lead to a relationship forming.

The main thing I wasn't a huge fan of was how fast paced this book was. I mean like two chapters in and they're basically in love. It kind of threw me off how quickly things happened. However, I do have to give props because Mariah and Damir were adorable together.

The author incorporates real life issues into the book which I loved because it's not something you see often in romance books. It gives us an insight into how unfair the justice system can truly be and how poorly many people are treated because of corrupt systems.

I hate writing negative reviews, but I wasn’t into this one for a few reasons. The first was that I was very bored after the first date. It started out exciting and fun, but quickly I just wasn’t interested in them or what was going on. I didn’t feel like I was being pushed to find out what happens next. I also didn’t love the sex scenes. I normally skip them anyways, but this one was a bit cringy and didn’t have any build-up to it. It just happened and was weird. I feel like it was all happening too fast. I think those two things combined just didn’t make the story interesting for me.

Damir has his life on track he has a fantastic career, amazing parents, and the woman of his dreams. Unfortunately for him his past always seems to creep up on him and ruin things when he least expects. As a young boy, he had more than his fair share of arrests and even though he has turned his life around, the cops who knew him still find a way to harass and threaten him because of his past records.

This was a fast read for me and I loved that the author addressed police brutality as well as the lack of justice in the justice system. I love romance novels that are able to intertwine other issues into their story and this book did that perfectly. However, the romance was not really there for me, although it was a steamy ready, I did not believe in their love, I felt that the two characters did not know each other that well and things happened quite fast between them. Even if the romance element was removed from the story I still think it would have been a good read because the issues that were addressed stands well on its own to make an amazing story.

*I received this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

Imperfect was my first experience reading this author's work and it was more than I expected from reading the blurb. This isn't your typical contemporary romance and I say that in a good way. I absolutely loved how Damir and Mariah met and their feelings for each other throughout the book were palpable -- these two really adored each other and it was refreshing to read a love story that didn't have any miscommunications between the main couple. That's not saying they didn't have their problems throughout their journey! Without ruining the plot for anyone who reads it, their problems come in the form of criminal injustice. Ari Reavis does an excellent job in interweaving the topic of police brutality into the storyline without it feeling like you're watching a public service announcement. The legal aspects were also written really well. I loved Damir's parents and Mariah's brother -- every character was well-developed and added to the storyline. A suspenseful and thought-provoking read. I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC for NetGalley.

*3.5/5 stars

I have so many mixed feelings about this story that I need to share!

The synopsis tells of a story of a guy and a girl who work their way through a new relationship despite all of their struggles and pasts coming back to haunt them. This book is a lot more than that! Honestly this story is a conversation starter.

With all that is going on in society today, police brutality is a huge topic of conversation and this book touches very highly on that. No matter what anyone feels on the subject, this story gives an example of someone who gets unfairly treated by police because of his past and shows how it effects every aspect of his life.

3 Things I loved about the story:
-We need more diversity in our stories and this definitely brought that!
-the love between Mariah and Damir will make your heart melt
-I loved the alternating point of views between Damir and Mariah! It brought great insight to the story.

2 Things That Weren’t My Favorite:
-it was all very fast. The relationship between them felt like it went from 0-100 in about 3 chapters!
-the point of view switches, but it doesn’t indicate whose point of view it is at the head of the chapter and that would be nice to have!

Overall, it was a very interesting read and I am happy with how it all ended!




I received this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley

A beautiful stand-alone love story offering so much more than the usual boy meets girl, falls in love and live happily ever after.

The synopsis published online for this book is a great teaser, but the story offers so much more. Reavis is skilfully mixing love, suspense and criminal injustice. The characters, especially Damir and Mariah, but also Damir's parents, Mariah's brother and Terry the lawyer, are well developed and I was cheering for them all, whilst at the same time hoping Miller and Higgins would rot in jail.

I am looking forward to the next book in the Unwavering Love series.