sadly i am DNFing this at 64%… after still beating and being obsessed with that book i was super excited to get to hear oliver’s story so i’m really bummed that this story wasnt at all what i was expecting it to be.

controversial opinion but -

sydney is so unbearable to me that i feel like finishing this is more of a chore than anything, i was really disappointed to find that she seem to only care about two things. herself & having sex with oliver. this man went through one of the most horrific things a person can go through and yet it was always all about her and what HE could do to fix her traumatic experience of losing him and never trying to help him cope? while also simultaneously treating him like hes not good enough for her?

i really adored oliver. i think he deserves much better than sydney. im still really hopeful that tabitha and gabe’s story will be better and cant wait to read that.

Any time a book gets republished by a big publisher, it sends a message that it has enough love and following to do so. So I had high hopes going into this book. Unfortunately, I am not in that majority. Lotus has a unique plot, so unique in fact that it hindered the story. It relied on the shock factor to keep you going. But something about it feels wrong, uncomfortable. Maybe even insensitive? I don’t know how to feel about it but I know I don’t feel good.

Brief summary: Oliver is 30 years old and has been missing since he was 7. The book starts with him escaping (although he does not even know he was taken, he thinks the world was destroyed by nukes….. sure okay). He now returns home to live with his step brother, next door to his childhood best friend, Sydney. Basically the entire book is him trying to learn about life and our modern world (again, he thought nukes had destroyed everything, so he does not even know what a “cellular device” is. The amount of times he refers to a phone that way drove me crazy. And “electronic messages”, agh) and a friends-to-lovers romance.

Something about reading this kind of trauma in a romance novel made me feel uncomfy, is this insensitive? Could it be bringing awareness to hard topics? Well not that it matters, because his trauma quickly takes a backseat to the romance. And of course everyone deserves love and healing, but this was executed in a way that just brushed it aside and definitely felt insensitive and ridiculous. And he never goes to see a therapist; we get his inner dialogue saying he does not want to and no one ever brings it up… in fact the only advice he is given is to have sex… Are we on the same page here? Because I am clusterfucked. So with that being said, the majority of this book is about him being a 30 year old virgin and forming a physical relationship with Sydney. There is hardly any realistic focus on him acclimating to life.

The romance was problematic, especially considering his history. Sydney is wishy-washy and gives mixed signals, only wants a physical relationship and runs away because she is scared of commitment. And he becomes her knight in shiny armor, both physically and emotionally. Um, what. A lot of the conflict is about Sydney. Her trauma over her best friend being missing, how that has shaped her as an adult. And that is valid, but it is what fills the whole book. In comparison to Oliver’s history, I don’t have more descriptions, it is ridiculous.

I really wanted to DNF this book but pushed through, to be rewarded with twists at the end that were also traumatic yet predictable. This was just not worth my time.

I received both an audio arc and ebook arc for the rerelease of Lotus. I have a really nitpicky opinion of the audio version; the female narrator whistled with every s sound. I feel pretentious even complaining about something like that but it hurt my ears and definitely hindered my listening experience.

~Thank you to Sourcebooks, Bloom Books, RB Media and NetGalley for this digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

Lotus by Jennifer Hartmann has been on my TBR for quite some time, so I was so excited to be selected to listen to this ALC! Wow, what an incredible story filled with so much emotion. Oliver and Sidney are so easy to root for as a couple, and have come a long way both individually and together once reunited.
Tropes of childhood best friends, romantic suspense/thriller, in addition to a sweet and quirky MMC had me binge listening to this book in less than 2 days! Trigger warnings should be noted. Like other reviews, I wasn't the biggest fan of Sidney, but it wasn't enough to dock my review - the story was so good.
The narration was well done, especially Oliver's character. The awkward reentry to society comes through the narrator's voice.

Thank you to Tantor Audio and NetGalley for this ALC!

Oh my goodness, what an AMAZING story filled with trauma and anguish - and incredible love and understanding! I was blown away by the loved shared between each of the characters, and of course between "LOTUS" :D
This story is so much more than "a love story" - with rooted family plots, deep suffering, and an incredible ending that gave me goosebumps!
Trigger warnings aplenty. Spicy scenes that'll make you blush. And some gorgeous voices that I adored listening to with the audiobook! Highly recommend!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the opportunity to read this advanced reader's e-copy in exchange for my honest opinion!

Is there a book you hold off reading because you’ve only heard phenomenal reviews about it? Allow me to present mine - LOTUS by @author.jenniferhartmann 🪷
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5⭐️, 3🌶️
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“Screw this. I waited twenty-two years to get Oliver Lynch back, and I refuse to go another day with awkward interactions and superficial conversation. We've come too far. He's come too far.”
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I was granted an ALC audiobook from @netgalley and I BINGED THIS BOOK in less than 24 hours! Oliver & Sydney go through SO MUCH together and separately in this book and it just emotionally tethers you to the both of them. Oliver is an incredible man not defined by his story, and Sydney has never given up on their connection! The suspense at the end of the book was incredibly exciting, and all the mystery components of Oliver’s abduction just truly keeps you gripped.
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"Because.. my willpower is hanging by a flimsy thread, and I swear in only one longing look, one touch, one more fucked-up, glorious truth away from throwing logic out the window and never looking back"
"There is no logic in the way our hearts beat, Sydney. Only magic"
"Oliver.”
"Tell me how to break that thread."
My willpower turns to dust when his tongue pokes out to trace my lips.”
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Also don’t get me started on the tears I ahead when we find out what LOTUS stands for. 🪷🩷 but the emotion is also perfectly balanced by what I found as humor - Oliver proves just cause ya girl reads filthy smut doesn’t mean that’s how she expects to be treated 😂 Poor O had to learn that lesson.
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Tropes:
🪷Childhood Best Friends
🪷Romantic Suspense/ Mystery
⚠️ Make sure to check content warnings!⚠️

5/5 ⭐️
3/5 🌶️
5/5 🎧

This is a 5 star read for me. Jennifer is just such an amazing author. I loved Oliver and Sydney’s story. I was captivated from the start and couldn’t put the book down.

The audio was just amazing. I seriously loved Marie Hawkins and TJ Clark in these roles and how they portrayed these characters.

Oliver is such a quirky and sweet guy and I genuinely loved his character. His past and his trauma made my heart ache for him and I just kept rooting for him to find his joy. Syndeys character is so sincere and genuine. My heart hurt for her losses and how broken she really is. I loved seeing her and Oliver be exactly what the other one needed. Their relationship developed so beautifully.

The story had so many twists and turns and I just was in awe of these characters from start to finish. I can’t recommend this book enough!

1.5 stars.

Romance novels are not typically my cup of tea, but I decided to give this one a chance because I was intrigued by the psychological thriller component of this book. The plot focuses on two main characters who were best friends as children. The male MC (Oliver) was kidnapped as a child, and his female bff (Sydney) never got over the loss. When Oliver suddenly becomes free after 22 years in captivity, he returns to his hometown to begin anew. Obviously romance ensues between the former best friends, but the plot also becomes convoluted by an ongoing mystery/suspense theme that I will not reveal due to spoilers. I feel this book had a lot of potential, but I found the characters and the plot to be unbelievable, unrelatable, and unlikable.

I received e-book and audiobook versions of this novel and I vacillated between both, as neither were able to hold my attention. It was to the point that I wanted to DNF, but chose not to on principle. What should have been an exciting and captivating story was quite boring and I honestly did not care about the characters getting their happy endings.

Appreciation to NetGalley, Bloom Books and the author for the ARCs for me to review!

Narrated by Marie Hawkins ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐; TJ Clark ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

by Jennifer Hartmann ⭐⭐
**please note due to low rating I will not be leaving a public review for this book as I have not paid for it.**

I absolutely HATED Sydney's character. I have nothing nice to say about her.

Loved Oliver however, I would be so absorbed in his POV but when it switched narrators I was so checked out. This had nothing to do with the narrator and everything to do with the character.

I don't even know if I can put into words how much I loved this book. What a tragically beautiful story. Jennifer Hartmann, I will read anything you write.

Oliver Lynch has been missing for 22 years. He has no clue how to navigate the outside world now that he's free from his captor. His only solace in captivity was the girl he concocted in his mind... but when he discovers that she's real and they're childhood best friends, how will he react?

This book was a thriller and a romance all wrapped into one. It had everything I love about the genres in it! The suspense, love, humor and the spice! Oliver was so damn cute and made me swoon.

I cannot recommend the audiobook enough! The narrators were perfect and do a great job of bringing Oliver's reentry awkwardness to love. 10/10 recommend this title. You will not regret it.

Beautifully moving and absolutely captivating story that had me in a chokehold from the start! I loved the narration and the writing!

I loved this book so much. I have read it when it first released but to hear the narrators being it to life made the story that much better. Highly recommend it.

I really don't think I can put into words just how much I loved this book! Oliver and Sydney were everything.

“𝑫𝒂𝒚 𝒃𝒚 𝒅𝒂𝒚, 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒔 𝒘𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒖𝒑, 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒌 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒆𝒍 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖. 𝑰 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅𝒏’𝒕 𝒍𝒆𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝑰 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅𝒏’𝒕 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒕𝒐 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝑰 𝒇𝒆𝒍𝒕 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒅. 𝑵𝒐𝒕 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏… 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓. 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒏𝒐 𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒂 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒆. 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒆.”

I am a wreck after finishing Lotus. It was utterly captivating, brutally heartbreaking and damn perfection. From start to finish I was hooked and on the edge of my seat needing to see this pan out and know that Oliver and Sydney were going to be OK and get to a HEA. Oliver... omg where do I start. What he had been through and how he came out of it all broke me. He made me laugh and he made me cry. I was so happy that he got his chance with his Queen of the Lotus. The suspense in this story really was brilliant. I couldn't predict how it was going to pan out and I love being kept guessing untill the end. It was great having Cora and Tabitha back. I am so excited now for Gabes story. After everything him and his leading lady have been through I know I'm going to be put through the wringer but I can't wait. If all Jennifer Hartmanns books are of a similar standard to Still Beating and Lotus I know she's going to end up as a definite auto buy author for me. This book consumed me and will stay with me 🩷
I listened to the audio version of this one. The story is dual narrated and both did a brillaint job of captuing Oliver and Sydney. I dont think ive heard these 2 before now but i will definitely keep my ears open for more of their work.

“𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵—𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵. 𝘐𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘵. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴, 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘴, 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯, 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦.”

Wow, this book was gut-wrenching at times. Poor Oliver literally went through hell. He still came out the sweetest and such an amazing person.

Now Sydney drove me a little batty. Along with the back and forth of their relationship. But Oliver had so much to work through and learn instead of being a constant people pleaser.

What a beautiful story or finding yourself after such horrific events.

A well done audio narrated by Marie Hawkins; TJ Clark!

Thank you @netgalley @author.jenniferhartmann @tantoraudio for the ALC!

This was my first book by Jennifer Hartmann and I was completely blown away. I love childhood friends to lovers however this had a darkly unique twist full of suspense and romance that I couldn't put this down. Although Lotus is a slow burn I was completely absorbed with this mix or thriller and romance and I truly think this is going to be a massive hit. I highly recommend to any dark romance fans as this won't be like anything you've ever read before.

“I loved you then, I love you now, and I’ll love you until my dying day.”

I don't know what took me so long to get to this book! It did NOT disappoint!

I was lucky enough to grab the audio from NetGalley. I will say I didn't 100% love the male narration of it but it obviously didn't take away anything from my final rating.

I was invested in the story from beginning to end and boy what a great ending that was. A little bit of mystery and a lot of love involved with this one!

4.5 ⭐️

Absolutely loved this story. There was a great slow build with backstory, along with some twists and turns that really surprised me in the end. The narrators voices fit these characters perfectly and kept my attention for the entire book. An inexperienced MMC is uncommon in romance books, and this one was specifically unique. I 100% recommend!

🌺🌺 I started this book knowing that @author.jenniferhartmann was known for her dark angsty romances. Even knowing that, I still wasn't prepared for this book. This is a friends to lovers romance that contains dark themes, but the romance itself is not dark. It is sweet and gentle, and I absolutely loved Oliver and Sydney.

Lotus is the story of Oliver Lynch's return to the world after going missing for twenty-two years. His best friend Sydney Neville hasn't been the same since he disappeared, but she has managed to construct a life around the hole he left. When Oliver escapes his underground prison, he faces the daunting task of becoming familiar with a strange new world. But it doesn't matter how much the world, Oliver, or Sydney have changed, they can't deny the deep connection that still runs between them. As they begin to rebuild their friendship, they have to overcome the walls Sydney has built up and Oliver's missing memories, and in doing so, realize that Oliver's ordeal isn't over yet.

This book was full of twists and turns. I started this listening to the audiobook, which was absolutely amazing! A huge shout out to Marie Hawkins and TJ Clark for the amazing narration. I did end up switching to the book because I just couldn't listen fast enough! So many thanks to @netgalley and @read_bloom for allowing me to listen AND read this book. Told in a dual POV, it really worked for the story because so much of Oliver was an internal dialogue. I loved that there was a juxtaposition between the sweet and gentle romance that Oliver and Sydney were cultivating and the dark and deep violence of the truth behind why everything happened. 🌺🌺

This book is out now everywhere!

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 on goodreads

I have been hearing about Lotus since I got back into reading again a year and half ago. I have been wanting to read it ever since. I recently read Still Beating and have been dying to read more from Jennifer Hartmann, so when I saw that Bloom was republishing Lotus, I hopped on it.

Lotus is about Oliver who has escaped captivity after being locked up for decades, and Sydney, his best friend who has been waiting for his return since his abduction. This storyline is absolutely unique! I have never read or heard of another book like it. It's a beautiful tale of the undying bonds of friendship, loss, and rediscovering yourself. With all that being said, I was a little disappointed because Lotus just did not hit me the same way that Still Beating did. However, what I loved was being back in this town that Jennifer has crafted. I love how Still Beating, Lotus, and her soon to be released The Stars Are on Our Side are all intertwined. I am bumping this up half a star for the comic at the end of the book. It was a nice and cute touch.

The audiobook was your standard audiobook. I think the narrators did a good job. Their voices were clear and easy to understand.

If you loved Archer's Voice and you've been looking for a book to give you a similar feeling, you might enjoy Lotus. I would recommend this book to those who like darker themes, but still sweet, friends to lovers, and soulmates.

*Search up trigger warnings. *

Thank you Netgalley, Tantor Audio, and Jennifer Hartmann for the advanced listening copy.

Publication Date: TODAY 9/5/2023

First, I enjoyed the narrators. I think that is key to any audiobook.
Second, the is my second book by Jennifer Hartmann and I am hooked. She is such an amazing storyteller. I feel like no detail is overlooked. She is consistent and exact.
This book gave me all the feels. I can't express how much Ioved it.

Thank you for the opportunity!

This was my very first audiobook and I LOVED it! This was out of my preferred genre (fantasy/romantasy) but holy cow what a good pick! Kidnapped as a young child, Oliver is suddenly returned to the world after 22(!!!) years of being held captive by a man who had told him some sort of nuclear event made it impossible for him to leave his survival bunker. Sydney, childhood best friends with Oliver, has her whole world rocked when Oliver returns. Watching their love story unfold as they try to wade through the decades of trauma they both experienced due to Oliver’s abduction was heart wrenching. In addition, there is a larger mystery surrounding the abduction that they are initially unaware of, but that adds an extra element of heartache to their budding relationship. There was a fair amount of humor to this book that surprised me but that I thoroughly enjoyed. I found myself relating to Sydney’s awkwardness many times. Oliver’s voice was somewhat monotone, but that made sense when you think of the lack of companionship he would have experienced with only his captor and his books to keep him company (aside from what he could glean from a crappy tv set provided for him.) he had no give and take with anyone but Bradford, much less anyone his own age.
Do you need to suspend belief for it to make sense that this man was held for 22 years and never got suspicious about it? Yes, for sure. However, when you consider that he was an impressionable child and that his captor never mistreated him, it makes more sense. Oliver trusted Bradford. In fact, the only reason he even left the bunker was to try to get help for an injured Bradford.
The female narrator was really good, but I did feel like the male narrator’s voice didn’t fit 100% with my mental version of Oliver’s voice. However, since I found I preferred to set the audio speed at 1.5x, perhaps my perception was a bit skewed.
I really loved this book!