Okay! I have a lot of thoughts about this so time to unpack it all.

I'll start with the good things:

Overall the plot line was engaging, and I wanted to see where it went, I had a hard time putting this book down! The world building was also interesting and I'm really curious as to where it goes, since the author hinted at having plans to explore other characters' stories! This read definitely has me more intrigued by shifter romances (usually I am a vampire guy).

Now, the not as good things:

When I read the description of this, I kind of assumed it would be like childhood friends, slow burn to lovers, with like a time skip dealio. This was not that. It starts off just before(?) the main characters' freshman year of high school, and then time skips to their senior year. If I'm going to read a romance novel that I know is going to have explicit content, I would prefer to not read about high schoolers, even if they happen to be 18, so it that's something you also want to stay clear of, definitely avoid this.

Voice wise, I had a hard time connecting with Nat and Caleb, and although I was invested enough in their characters to keep reading, I didn't really have any strong feelings about them. It made sense for them to sound more immature at the beginning of the story, but they still felt about the same post time skip, despite several years having passed.

I felt like Nat and Caleb were both pretty static, and it felt like really the most development that happened was whether or not Caleb could get hard.

The most interesting character in this (to me) at least was Preston. I was very excited to see the author hinting at a story following Ethan and Preston because I Was actually invested in them.

All of those things being said, I still enjoyed the book and if you like coming of age and shifter romances, then you'll probably enjoy this.

There was a disclaimer at the beginning of the book in regards to the shifter romance stuff, so I knew what I was getting into there, but other content warnings include: bullying, sa/rape (not on page, but it happened in the past and is brought up a lot), drugs (use not on page), and abusive parents (also not on page). (I think that covers it, but I have a bad memory)

I can see the premise behind the book and why it would be successful in its little niche, however, for me it was quite a dark read outside of the ‘spicy’ components that I wasn’t overly prepared for. I think that the obvious trigger warning is expressed well with the reader before the book starts, but there’s no mention of there being sexual abuse, parental neglect, physical abuse, drug use, etc. I think these kind of warnings are becoming really important to readers because some of this content can be confronting.

The story itself was a little long winded in my opinion. There really wasn’t so much as an overarching goal the character had, the story was predominantly about the main characters relationship.

I debated for quite a while how to rate this.
I even consulted a friend because of how conflicted I felt.
The closest parallel I had was for the book All the Ugly and Wonderful things in that it was so well written it made me question myself and some strong feelings I have on taboo topics.
But damn when you get down to it, is that not the sign of some EXCELLENT writing? If an author can take a questionable topic and write it so damn well that you start questioning things, even if only in a fantastical and hypothetical sense, then I find that to be a sign of some hella good writing.
Plenty of people are going to judge me for giving this five stars, but idk what else to say because it was a damn good book. I will gladly blindly pick up anything else this author writes because even if I don't like the topic, I know they'll do it well enough to make me enjoy myself anyway.

Well wow. I am pleasantly surprised of how much I loved this story. When I saw this on netgalley I was instantly catch  by the title, fated mates is one of my favourite tropes in fantasy romance, but when every book contains fated mates it can get tiresome. So the Unfated mates premise was very appealing.
If you are a fan of teen wolf  you are certainly gonna love this too.
The story is addictive from the first page. I read this in a day I couldn't put it down. It is a mix of YA and NA, the first part is very YA with the second, more explicit  tending more to NA. All is Very sweet and full of love.
I felt in love with the characters they are variate well developed and lovable. I specially like Preston, if only because the guy that bullied me in high school ended up being one of my best friends. So I can really understand their relationship.
After reading the trigger warnings at the beginning I expected  more explicit sex scenes, there are a few, both in human and wolf form, but if you are a usual erotica reader of all things  crazy it won't be much for you. It wasn't for me, although it was hard to warm up to the idea of sex with a werewolf in wolf from, (more than dragon or demon erotica, because wolfs  are actual animals in our world) but you warm to it slowly with the MC, it is a werewolf after all not an actual wolf . To be honest I am happy to read almost anything if there is consent.

This read like YA, other than a few explicit scenes. Caleb and Nat are very much high school students, with all the attendant coming-of-age issues and angst. They just also happen to be a wolf shifter and human couple who are trying to navigate first love and not get discovered or murdered. An interesting twist on the fated mates trope, as Caleb attempts to reject his supposedly destined mate and be with the girl he loves instead. Talionis also sets up the couple for the next book, and I'm intrigued to see how she's going to resolve some major issues.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

This is the second book I have read now by this author, and after the first, I was prepared to have some boundaries pushed! This definitely did that!! But at the same time, the story is super sweet with two kids (at first) who grow together in some really tragic circumstances. Like the first book, this one doesn't follow standard expectations. I really think after scanning some of the other reviews that this author should only be read by those who appreciate being surprised/shocked/horrified--maybe even challenged a bit with their thinking. If you're super bored with what's out there these days, this offers an unusual alternative. And it's much, much softer than Flames of Lethe!

I will say a reader definitely needs to heed the author's warning. This book is pretty "out there" and several parts did have me cringing. But even beyond that - I was bothered by the main female character's complete lack of confidence, and by the main male character's complete lack of awareness. It wasn't for me.

I have very mixed opinions about this book. I liked it...and I really didn't like it. I love that it turns the fated mates trope on its head (its one of my least favorite tropes), and I found Caleb an excellent hero. I read this book in one day, so clearly it draws the reader in. I wanted to know how everything was going to work out, but at the same time I REALLY did not want to see how it would work out. I read the trigger warnings, so I had a vague idea of what was in store, and while I am not here to yuck anyone's yum (and I applaud the author for pushing the boundaries of romance)...the main event was just very much not for me. It was well written, and managed to toe the line well, but at the same time it wasn't very unique. I'm really on the fence about this one, but I almost certainly will read Ethan and Preston's story, and Victoria's.

My ‘Hot Pepper Romance’ challenge led my down an interesting route with this book. The prompt ‘Monsters, Demons, Aliens… oh my!’ had me on the lookout for some… interesting romance books and I ended up at NetGalley where I found Unfated Mates.

Unfortunately, this book made me super uncomfortable and I do blame myself a bit for that. Somehow it didn’t click for me that ‘coming of age’ would have them so young.

Still, what made this book sooooo uncomfortable for me is that couple are actual teenagers and not only actual teenagers- VERY INEXPERIENCED AND NAIVE teenagers. Both of them act and think, IMO younger than they are. That makes this particularly squicky for me and earned this book a DNF at 35%.

The writing was lackluster and often awkward in parts so there wasn’t much to encourage me to continue reading.

For NetGalley purposes I’m giving this book 2 based on the likelihood of me recommending this.

What a strange concept, but I can say I have not read a book quite like this one. Their dynamic is interesting. Although I do not quite understand why they stayed. They stayed with her mom, going to high school, and trying to live normally. But why would you do that when you have a werewolf! It doesn’t make any sense. I like how loyal Caleb is though.

I was given a digital copy of Unfated Mates through Netgalley for my honest review. This was my first Lexie Talionis read. It was fantastic. I loved it!
This book was not at all what I was expecting, though I did go in a bite blind by not reading the description ahead of time. It is a coming of age story about a girl, Natalie, who is struggling with life. She is very relatable to others as she experiences real life experiences such as abuse and bullying, thoughts of self loathing and pity, and feelings of being unloved and even abandoned. But the fates would have her intertwined with Caleb, half human, half wolf. This book touches on the same old taboo things, but in a way that captures you and just wont let go. I found myself with all of the feels! There are some not so popular/even triggering/borderline grotesque scenes if that bothers you... just say no. I mean he is a werewolf, she is a human... it is a love story... of course it is going to push boundaries. .. dare I say the dreaded "B" word... BUT I will say it was delivered very carefully and IT WAS HOT.
Characters were developed just enough to love and hate them. Sentence structures flowed surprisingly well for me. I will definitely be reading more from this author.

I thought the story was sweet and I like that it took direct aim at such a common trope. The author did a great job of portraying the angst and frustration that comes with a lack of autonomy, which isn't often effectively tackled. That said, the story starts when the characters are young and their relationship doesn't;t particularly seem like it helps them grow, so much as become codependent. While I loved the concept of the book, I was a little disappointed that the characters became a place for each other to hide rather than a safe place to grow.

While the story had an interesting plot about shifters and rejecting the fated mate bond, I found it to be underwhelming and not very interesting. There was a lot of writing and description, which was well done, but not a lot actually happened. The taboo stuff and spiciness was rather "mild" considering that I found this shelved in erotic romance, and the characters seemed rather juvenile.