book was archived beofre I had a chance to read it. Rating is based on the blurb and the cover. I will be getting this from my local library

I'll say this: dark romance is usually not my thing, so this is on me and feel free to ignore my review if you'd like because I seem to be in the minority.

As I said, I rarely read dark romance, but the blurb reminded me of Bait by Jade West which also had prey/predator dynamic. Of course it was consensual in that one, but I decided to give this a chance thinking that the sex will be good. And don't get me wrong. The spicy scenes were so good. I loved the concept of the Hunt as well.

But my main problem with this book was the characterization. The actions were inconsistent with what they thought/felt. Also the MMC annoyed me so much with their constant "I'm a monster" monologue. I don't think I've ever rolled my eyes more. The dialogues felt a little forced to me, as well.

Usually I love bully romance. A good enemies to lovers, possessive MMC, morally grey character, dubious con is right up my alley. J.L. Beck is also one of my favorite authors and I was extremely excited to read this latest story.

But this book just felt really forced to me. The main characters are in college and participate in “The Hunt” where Drew hunts down Bel and basically takes her virginity forcibly and acts like it’s just another Tuesday. He then proceeds to basically stalk and harass her at every turn and obsess about her despite his friends and family telling him to stay away. She acts like this is normal and as much as she says she doesn’t want him she goes feral every time he touches her.

The actions of these characters just did not align with their inner monologue/words and went from a 0 to 100 on the intensity scale pretty much from the start with very little build up or reasonable amount of time for any kind of emotional connection.

Yes the ending ends on a cliffhanger and there’s some twists at the end that were exciting. But overall this book just did not do it for me. While I don’t usually require much plots to enjoy these types of books this one could have benefited from a bit more substance.

**3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

Whew... that was a lot to digest. I just finished and I honestly still don't exactly know what to think.

First of all, this is not a love story. If that's what you're looking for then The Wallflower is not for you. Even if you think you have no triggers, I recommend checking the TWs. I am not easy to frazzle and there were a couple of scenes in this one that made me say WTF?!

I love a dark MMC and Drew, football captain/god on campus is dark as night. As The Wallflower plot unfolds we do find out how Drew became this version of himself, but I still didn't find it enough to redeem his bad behaviour. I basically just wanted Maybel to kick his @$$ and show him who the real boss was.

Maybel has a lot going on, and is more similar to Drew than she thinks. Her mom is sick, the bills are piling up and she's just trying to stay a float. I liked that she fought back with Drew and gave him sass, but didn't love when she pushed her mom to do a treatment that she obvs didn't want to. I found Maybel to be a bit selfish too.

The narrators Renee Thorn and Ryan Stone were SO good. Ryan perfectly captured the severe level of unhinged that was Drew Marshall and Renee Thorn nailed the matter of fact/naïveté of Mabelle.

Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media and J.L. Beck for an early review copy. These are my honest thoughts.

The Wallflower by J. L. Beck, narrated by Renee Thorn and Ryan Stone, is a phenomenal audiobook that will captivate fans of dark romance with power struggles and suspense. The story and narration are top-notch, drawing listeners in with its compelling dynamics. The author skillfully weaves a tale of an unexpected meeting between the protagonist and her worst nightmare, a popular football star with a dark side. As their paths intertwine, the story takes thrilling twists and turns, keeping listeners on the edge of their seats. The chemistry between the characters is a power play, making it impossible to resist rooting for their complicated relationship. With its seamless blend of intrigue, suspense, and a touch of darkness, The Wallflower is a must-listen for those who crave intense stories. Be prepared for triggers as this enemies-to-lovers romance delves into the depths of the human psyche. Stay tuned for Book Two as the story unfolds and leaves listeners eagerly anticipating what comes next. As a reader who received an advance copy, I offer this review voluntarily.

Thank you @netgalley and @dreamscape_media for early access to this audiobook.

Firstly the narration is fire!

Secondly check the trigger warnings yall. This one be for everyone but it def was for me. I devoured this!

Thirdly I cannot wait for books two!!! I immediately went to look and see if I could preorder it.

Dark rom
Dub con
Chase
Cliffy
Stalking (light)
Good girl
Swallow
And so so many more

I listened to the audio of this the other day and here are my thoughts.

It was very well performed; however, the male narrator was a little too... creepy? I'm sorry, I don't know another way to say it. There was just something about the performance that felt a bit off. I got into it eventually. The female narrator was excellent. She did all voices very well.

This book was not quite for me. I like the psychopath and the edgy manboy who wants to dominate and play with a new toy. But this one lacked the softening that I need to see to make me want to stay with him. Maybe it's because it was only part 1, but by the end of this one, I didn't see WHY she would even want him back. Is it only their physical connection?

This is always the issue for me with bully style dark romances. I have to still see what the heroine might want. Honestly it only felt like the physical by the end of this.

I was intrigued by some of the plot points enough that I am curious about The Wildflower, I just don't know when I'll get to it because I don't feel the urge.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced listener copy in exchange for an honest review.

According to NetGalley, this is “It is a complete standalone that contains a happily ever after.” No it is not. It ends in a cliffhanger

Synopsis: Maybell needs money to help pay for her mother’s medical bills. Her roommate brings her to what they call “The Hunt” The goal of the hunt is to make it without being caught with the grand prize being $25,000. Only no one ever wins and when they get caught they are basically forced to have sex with their captor. Drew becomes obsessed with Maybell because she is different from the other girls. She isn’t looking to get caught she is a virgin who just wants the money.

Review: For me there is difference between a dominant/possessive/whips and chains male who utilizes safe words and a male who does all these things without consent. No means no or else it’s called rape. Maybell especially in the beginning continuously tells him no when he’s there forcing her and spoiler (he still does it anyway)
The storyline itself was nothing unique. I felt that it was very similar to many other dark college romance. The Ritual being the main one that came to mind throughout. It also left many questions unanswered. The illness of the mothers is never explained just that they are basically bedridden. I also didn’t care for how Drew had such douche father, you’d think he learned to be better but no he treats Maybell the same way. I will say the cliffhanger was not exactly what I thought it would be and it left me intrigued for book 2 but I don’t think I will remember to continue.

Narration review: The narrators are good but I felt that their voices simply did not work for the characters, which I feel is a casting thing and not the narrators fault. They did manage to keep me listening.

This narrators were absolutely great! But unfortunately this book just wasn’t for me.
Drew has ZERO redeemable characteristics. And I felt like all throughout the book. There were statements that were contradictory to one another. Just a small example was a moment where Drew was quickly scanning a set of text messages while simultaneously reading each each individual one. And that just kept happening and I couldn’t really get past it. Drew‘s character was just awful.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! This book was DARK! I was shocked by how dark and twisted Drew was and the relationship between Drew and Bel started off as very cringeworthy. I was hoping he would become a better man for her, but maybe the next book will have him explore a better side of himself. I am looking forward to where this story will go next.

What’s it about?

Let’s get this out there first: this is a dark romance with a lot of intense content, like abuse and dub-con.

Belle is at college on a scholarship, tutoring and taking odd jobs to help pay for her ill mother’s exorbitant medical care.

When her friend secures an invite to the “Hunt” she goes because the winner can nab $25k.

But the Hunt is run by rich boy Drew and his cronies. And anything and everything is allowed on that chase through the woods.

Soon Drew becomes obsessed and possessive over Belle, in a way he’s never done before.

But Belle’s mom is getting sicker, and Drew is at the mercy of his father’s desires and abuse.

My thoughts:
This book is intense and Drew is a walking red flag—the kind of guy that is only acceptable in fiction. He’s demanding and possessive and generally kind of awful.

But I couldn’t stop listening either. I was so invested with what Drew would do next and how innocent Belle would cope with it all.

Also the stakes are high and the drama constantly ratchets up with each chapter.

My one complaint is that a lot of the dialogue is repetitive, many phrases and sentences repeated in certain scenes.

Still though, I’m invested in the story and can’t wait to see what happens next.

🎧 The narration on this audiobook is exceptional. Renee Thorn and Ryan Stone are so believable and knock it out of the park. They made it easy to get sucked into the story.

I received an advanced listener copy of this audiobook, and the narration was great! Both narrators seemed to portray the emotions and tone of each moment well with their inflection.

I wish I could say I felt the same about the story.

The premise was interesting, and this book seemingly sets us up for some interesting twists in book two, but it just wasn't enough to hook me in this one. There's no romance or even a moment of real emotional connection here, and I was really missing it. I couldn't suspend disbelief enough to accept that the MCs kept allowing things to play out as they did.

That being said, if you're a big fan of college age, secret society-esque dark romances, and don't necessarily look for the rhyme/reason for two characters to be together, this may be a hit for you. Just was not for me.

It's the book one of the series and I had an amazing time reading this. I absolutely love the writing style of the author and also the flow of the plotline. Eagerly waiting for the next instalments in this series.

I’m going to start this one talking about the narration. Both narrators were new to me which was one of the main reasons I requested the book. I think Ryan Stone did an excellent job and loved his narration style. Renee Thorn on the other hand made me think the whole time I was listening to a book that was with an older fmc. For this character a younger voice would’ve sound better. This was a virgin heroine who was a young college student but listening to the narrator was like listening to a 30-something woman. I think she’s a great narrator but she definitely could be used for other roles rather than these.

Now on to the book. Honestly it just wasn’t for me. I don’t mind dark romance, I actually enjoy it. But this one just left a sour taste for me. There were times I wanted to stop listening but because I wanted to know what happened next, I ended up finishing. I would read the next one just so I can find out what happens with the MCs considering that plot twist at the end was crazy.

"I want you to scream for me because of me. I want you gasping for breath. I want you crying, your eyes shimmering with tears. I want you running, doing everything you can to escape me, while knowing deep down inside you’ll never get away. I want all of it. So I'll give you one more chance to get away."

This book was H O T!! I am beyond grateful I was able to receive the audio arc for this book.
Their relationship was spicy, your typical bad boy x good girl with a bit of bully romance(my favorite tbh)
I will happily reread this sometime and will most definitely be rec. others to read

4.5⭐️
The Wallflower is the first book of the Oakmount Elite series and can’t be read as a standalone…that cliffhanger is a doozy as well as the twists at the end! Holy moly I don’t even know what to say about this book! First of all, Drew is a douche canoe and I really didn’t like him the first half of the book. But the further I read, the more I understood why he is the way that he is. My heart was breaking for him and the way his father treats him. Bel is a sweet and innocent book nerd who steps in when she sees someone in trouble and catches the eye of Drew. He is obsessed with her from the beginning and the fire between these two just grew hotter throughout the book! By the last chapter I was thrown through the wringer of emotions and didn’t know how to feel. I can’t wait for the next book to come out and need some answers!

I listened to the audiobook while annotating my paperback and Renee Thorn and Ryan Stone both did an excellent job of bringing these characters and story alive for me. They brought out all of the emotions of Drew and Bel. Highly recommend the audiobook!

Lawd have mercy!! 🥵

The Wallflower is a dark, sexy, toxic college romance, so be sure to check those trigger warnings (there’s quite a few).

Bel is the quiet “nerdy” girl. Drew is the school “jock”, and he knows what, how, and who he wants. 😜
It started as a game to win $25k, and ends with the most brutally breathtaking CLIFFHANGER.

The scenes in this are 🔥🔥🔥!!
“Even villains need to be loved.”

I listened to the audio which was exceptionally done with 2 narrators.

Now can we get book 2 PLEASE?!

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this advanced audio in return for my honest review.

Pub date: 16 April 2024

If you like dark bully romance you are in for a sexy emotional toxic treat!

There is so much going on in this book beyond the romance. There are complex family dynamics at play for both the FMC Maybel and the MMC Drew. I'm not quite sure who Drew's father is, but he blackmails and abuses his son into doing his bidding. He has created an "angry God" that unleashes his desires on sweet bookworm Maybel.

Maybel and Drew's "relationship" is also complex. It's blackmail, coercive, noncon/dubcon, highly sexual, toxic and confusing for the both of them.

It all makes perfect sense - it actually makes no sense. Yet it is compulsively listenable because it is still really hot, spicy and intense.

There are some major twists thrown in at the end just to make you gasp, throw your eReader and curse that you have to wait for the next book because it ends on a doozy of a cliffy!

The narration was good but it would have been knocked out of the park if it was duet instead of dual.

Listen to The Wallflower if you are into dark, sexy dubious, toxic reads like me. Be mindful of the triggers: child abuse, noncon/dubcon coercive sexual situations.

“Even villains need to be loved.”

If you don’t like bully romances – RUN, this book isn’t for you. If you’re still here, The Wallflower contains: secret society, touch her and die, primal play, secret society, rich and elite psycho jocks, and many, many more tropes.

Drew, a jock, and Maybell, a nerdy girl are two very interesting characters. These two are vastly different from one another but they seem to work well together. I’ll be honest, though, on her own, I didn’t find that Maybell was all that enjoyable. She’s supposed to be an extremely smart person; however, I found that she wasn’t the brightest when it came to Drew. He’d tell her one thing or try to hint at something and it’d totally go over Maybell’s head, which was very frustrating. And maybe it’s a case of just being book smart, but I dunno… it just felt off. And it made it hard to connect with her, on top of the fact that we’re constantly told her mother is sick, but no major details are told about it. She’s not my favorite character that I’ve read, but I enjoyed the moments of when she was with Drew.

Drew’s backstory is pretty messed up and even though he’s a total psycho, it makes you feel sad for him and the things he’s gone through.

The twists in The Wallflower were absolutely insane.. I found myself gasping multiple times while trying to listen as fast as my ears would allow. You’re left on an extremely wild cliffhanger, which absolutely makes me want – no, need – the next book like NOW.

The audiobook quality was great; however, I wasn’t crazy over Maybell’s voice (Renee Thorn). Don’t get me wrong, her voice grew on me over time, but it just wasn’t what I expected. Drew’s voice – Ryan Stone – was spot on, at least for me.

I went into this book mostly blind (minus checking out the trigger warnings!).
In life, some people are dealt an obvious shit hand. And then there's people who are dealt a shit hand dressed as a golden hand. One is Maybell; one is Drew.
Maybell, while naïve at times (but who isn't for a hot guy who can play you like a fiddle), was likeable. She works hard, loves and supports her mom, and isn't a complete idiot over Drew.
Drew... I kept trying to find reasons to like him, and all I got is he's a great son. He obeys his father - after some backtalking - just to keep his mom safe, even when his father forces him to do things he doesn't want to. Though, he does know how to hunt well...
I love primal, and this had a whole "group" primal scene.

This whole book is a trigger warning, from CNC to abuse to attempted SA to cancer to violence. Definitely check those out before picking this book up!

Now to wait for book 2 of the series...