The first book in the All Saints High series by author L.J Shen, this is a new adult, high school, sports dark romance that can be read as a standalone. I originally read this back in 2019 when it was originally published but needed to do another re-read when this was picked up by Soucebook Bloom publishers as I needed to get reacquainted with Daria and Penn's story.
This story is filled with pain, heartache, undeniable attraction and chemistry, secrets, betrayal, twists and turns and so much more. You will be taken through a rollercoaster of emotions but let me just say that it will be well worth it.
Definitely 5 stars all the way, and once you have read this book, go and read the others in the All Saints series as L.J. Shen definitely knows how to deliver on high school dark romance. You won't be disappointed.

High school rivals. Enough said! You know it's going to be good when those are my immediate thoughts. LJ Shen delivered with a baddie FMC who portrays her confidence but also understands her inner conflicts. Not a fan of "cheating" tropes but the rest makes up for it.

This book was amazing and I wasn't able to put it down once I started reading it. The chemistry between these two were amazing that you can't help but fall in love with these two. Add this book to your TBR and you won't be disappointed.

Good story that keeps the reader engaged and wanting to read more. I really enjoyed the whole book and how well it was written.

I really loved Pretty Reckless (a reverse grumpy/sunshine stepbrother romance)! Filled with that young drama and a ton of angst, you will not be disappointed when you read this one. There is chemistry. There is insecurity and vulnerability. There is friendship. Best part, though, is that there are secrets. And when those are uncovered, you know the story gets interesting!

Probably my favorite in this series!

I loved this new version and the indie one as well. The book is good and the MC couple is really, really hot!!

The FMC was so different from what I'm used too that I was mesmerized by her!

Definitly continuing this series

This was a decent read but probably not something I would read again. While I loved the passion between Penn and Daria, the sheer amount of lasting childhood trauma was a bit too heavy for me and I didn't necessarily enjoy that it kept being brought up every time I turned the page. I did like that Daria made the decision to step up and try to heal herself, though it didn't come until the book was almost over. The main saving grace was that I really enjoyed the push and pull and the obsession between Penn and Daria. I did enjoy the emphasis on that fine line between love and hate and that they can bleed into each other.

I loved this book!! It was fabulous and well done. The characters were on point and I thought the plot was well developed. I would recommend this book to others.

I could NOT put my kindle down. This story was so freaking angsty and amazing. UGH I couldn’t get enough! Daria and Penn are just the most perfect enemies to lovers combo. And all the other characters too! I love the mean girls vibe!! But seeing these characters evolve was so enlightening and just...perfect! You’ve gotta read this!

You can always count LJ Shen for a page turner full of angst and drama. She definitely has a style, and her writing is good, but I find that I'm preferring her imperfect adults, the teenagers are bit depressing.

The narrative weaves a compelling story of two individuals, scarred by past mistakes and misjudgments, as they navigate the close quarters of their shared living space. The chemistry between Penn and Daria is palpable, fueled by a desire for retribution on one side and a yearning for genuine connection on the other.

I'm pretty sure me not liking this book is a me thing and not a book thing! I normally love all the angst, but I didn't love the actions of the MCs as I'm not super into bully romances, so I just a had a hard time connecting.

Very much appreciate the advance read!

*DNF @ 55%*
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.
I'm late on reading this ARC like most what's new. XD But I'm making it a goal of mine to get to my ARC's and physical TBR this year and with that this is the first of many ARC's I'll be reading. With that being said we are starting this one a little sad. I am DNFing this book 204 pages in. When I requested this book I was super exited to one try out a new author and also try my first ever bully romance and let's just say I was hoping these two 18 year old's acted like me when I was 18 but they aren't they are instead acting like 14 year old's like the day they met and they annoy the shit out of me. I also was not expecting on page SA not even 40 pages into the story with no warning. (Yes can be my fault for not checking tw but it's not something that bothers me much being in a book but does bother me that the publishers didn't make a tw list at the beginning of the book.) But over all the half that I did read I feel like the author did a good job at making the unlikeable character unlikeable but I feel like I'm at the age where I haven't been out of high school long enough to be reading book that take place at one and the character's act not their age. I'm hoping that I will like a different book in this series down the line.

Shel: My first foray into the novels of LJ Shen started with the #hotholes series (Sinners of Saint) and I thoroughly enjoyed each book in that series so it’s surprising to no one that I’d be all over the first #tothole book, Pretty Reckless. Equally not surprising—I enjoyed every angsty moment of it. Court: Girl...you are so right. We absolutely LOVE LJ Shen, and this delicious world she has created...but yo...I declared it via text the other night - I love Leigh Shen. Her books evoke a lot of emotions in us, and it is the best.

Shel: This novel had me all up in my feelings. From the first page I was wrapped up in the messed up love story of Daria + Penn—a story that felt momentarily hopeful and then completely doomed. Their enemies to barely tolerating each other to dysfunctional friendship to real feelings was so much angsty fun to read. I was totally caught up in my feelings --of understanding the betrayal and hurt they felt (especially Daria—god was she suffering)-- and LJ Shen had me wanting to comfort them, face palm them, or rage at them/for them. I loved Penn and his protective nature and how loyal he was—especially since that loyalty turned out to be not always returned. And, I felt very strongly about Via—LJ Shen knows how to write so extremely unlikeable characters. Court: I relate to Daria so much. So, so, so much. And I really loved how well written her character is. She seemingly has the perfect life, but inside...she is anything but. The book was quite an emotional journey for her, and I really loved Penn too. Their meeting was interesting, and how things came back around when they were older. Stories of kids who are ran through the ringer by a parent can be hard, but I really felt like this one was so very genuine and gave us all of the feels! Jamie is still hilarious and great. And...wow...Via, Via, Via. She is something else...she invoked a lot of feelings in me, for certain!

Shel: I also enjoyed the quick looks we had into the #hotholes as grown ups. Getting a look at them parenting their own teens was interesting and amusing, to say the least. Court: FOr sure, they're still trying to control the universe, but I love that their mini-me's are making them work for it...hard core.

Shel: Pretty Reckless was a fun-tastic start to what I’m hoping is a other series with these characters..a series bound to have me glued to my kindle with each new angsty twisty-turny intense love story. Court: I cannot wait! I am obsessed, and will definitely be looking for any and all information about when we will get our next taste of this world!

LJ Shen never disappoints. This author is one of my automatic buys, I love this series! I’m so glad it is getting the recognition it deserves because I recommend it to all my book buddies.

⤷‧₊˚ ⭑
I’m sorry but this book is just a huge no for me. Definitely not for me.

💌- still a huge thank you for giving me this arc

Daria is the best girl!! I loved the dynamic of a “mean” girl ending up with the guy. Penn has to be my fave hero from All Saints High (after Vaughn of course). The twists and turns and the entire story had me hooked all the way. I just cannot get enough of this universe!

i love lj shen but this one was perhaps too dark for me...i couldn't really get behind a lot of the people's actions and i also didn't really love the relationship between the MCs. sadly i couldn't get into it but I'll give the other books in the series a shot!

⭐️⭐️.5

𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙨𝙖𝙮 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙝 𝙗𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙙…

📍 Read if you like:
• Bully Romances
• Forced Proximity
• Rivals To Lovers
• Mean Girls

Ahh, this was such a bummer. I was looking forward to reading this book as it had me so intrigued.

This is the first book in the All Saints High series. It follows Penn Scully and Daria Followhill and I honestly didn’t care for either of them. I didn’t know beforehand how a bully romance was going to be played out, but I’m starting to think it might not be a subgenre I’ll like.

The characters were so toxic and the drama in this was absolutely ridiculous, it felt very juvenile and OTT (similar to Mean Girls, Pretty Little Liars, etc). The whole story basically began with a betrayal and it just felt ridiculous.

I’m so bummed out as I was looking forward to reading this book, but it unfortunately wasn’t my cup of tea. The audiobook was fantastic, but the story was underwhelming. I’m still undecided if I should continue the series, but this book wasn’t for me.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Bloom Books for the review copy in exchange for my honest review!

•𝗧𝗪/𝗖𝗪: Bullying, Sexual Content, Addiction, Rape, Sexual Assault, Child Abuse

Initially, breaking into this book was a real struggle for me. It took a while, but eventually, it started to click. However, I couldn't shake the feeling that there were just way too many side characters, and it gave me serious Gossip Girl vibes. Now, don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the show, but dealing with that level of chaos in a book setting was a bit overwhelming.

Despite the rocky start, I must admit that the story did throw in some unexpected twists, which managed to grab my attention. As I pushed through, particularly towards the end, the narrative took a turn, and I found myself appreciating the more heartfelt moments. It's like the book hit its stride, and the emotional depth became more palpable. Overall, a mixed bag for me, with a bumpy beginning but some redeeming qualities as the story unfolded.