Revenge Cake

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced e-copy of Revenge Cake!!

This is a love story but the people in this story are not perfect and that is what makes it so compelling. There is panic, anxiety and a number of other problems that are dealt with in this book to show that everyone has their own problems that they are dealing with. Leilani and Logan let their problems get in the way of their relationship and once Logan says he needs a break Leilani decides to get revenge by writing out a list and completing it in order to hurt him as much as she thinks that he has hurt her.

The cover is what grabbed my attention right away and the drama is what I stayed for. I liked the way it switched back and forth from the past to the present. It was easy to follow and the writing style was great.

Super angsty read. I did enjoy this. Everything felt real and authentic. I thought the author did a great job of making me feel the emotions

This was such a true story about how love can be. I fell in love with how it all played out and just adored the characters. Once you start you won't be able to put it down! The cover is what I first saw and I am so glad that I picked it up! If you are looking for a great read with a lot of angst then check this one out!

I got this stupid story from Netgalley and I fell in love with it.

It actually starts kinda confusing yet SO good and angsty. The story goes from past to present during the whole story, explain the couple's relationship. We get to know that something bad happened but we don't have confirmation, so it's a guess-only there.

Lani is a problematic yet awesome and strong woman. She has lows and ups and it got to me how Logan wasn't all there for her. It's probably due to the narrator not being trustworthy at those chapters, but I still felt her.

I tried to hate Logan for what I thought he had done, but it's kinda difficult. He has such a kind vibes coming from him, even if he also fvcks up quite big. I liked him and I liked him with Leilani. I'm feeling off because I want more but this book is not even out, imagine a next one *sobs into spoiled-reader own hands*

I can't recommend it enough. I see lots of people talking sh1t about this story, but I got the message that nobody is perfect. No relationship is a sea of good times and laughter. There are tears and the important thing is that you learn from mistakes. I loved how it was shown here. Read it!

When I seen this was available I hurried and clicked request!
So this was a thrilling, quick, can't stop reading book!
Packed with thrills. It started a bit slow..... But picked up quickly.
Great book. Wonderfully written!

Revenge cake was the most perfect mix of romance and mental health.

It lured you in from the start and took you on an emotional rollercoaster you won’t forget in a hurry.

Lani and Logan’s journey together through mental health and narcotics abuse was so beautiful written while hitting home just how serious it is and how easily you can lose yourself or the person you love if you dont get the help you need.

I adored every single part of this book and don’t have a bad word to say about it. It was, in my opinion, perfect.

Okay so. This novel is relatable in so many ways which makes it quite hard hitting to read. I can't relate the the anxiety related issues but I appreciate the struggles of dealing with it. What I can relate to is dealing with an ex that has issues such as what he had. I don't know if it should have a content warning because of this because I did have a few flashbacks but nothing major. I enjoyed the plot and it was well written but the switching between past and present at the start is something I wasn't a fan of. Good read, finished in a day.

Posted on goodreads

So cute!

I loved this book from start to finish, It had fun, romance and friendship. I like the way it dealt with the anxiety of the main character. She really did seem like a mess in the beginning, and I love her transformation and self discovery.

I want to thank the author, the publisher and #netgalley for the advance copy, which did not impact my review.

An angsty, steamy, emotional rollercoaster of a second chance romance, Revenge Cake is the debut novel of one of my new favorite romance authors, Skyler Mason. Revenge Cake follows the story of Leilani and Logan's relationship before, and after Leilani's addiction to her anti-anxiety medication. It doesn't romanticize the reality of addiction and mental health issues, instead it depicts the darker realities of living with mental illness. You'll root for revenge, and you'll root for reconciliation, either way you won't be able to put it down. I highly recommend this book.

I was pleasantly surprised by this debut novel. It is a heartbreaking and thought provoking second chance romance, dealing with mental health issues and pills addiction.
Told from dual POV, it is very character driven, raw and honest and a breath of fresh air for me, after reading a lot of dark romance.
Leilani and Logan are seniors in college and have been together for over 1 year. From the start, you can see this is an imperfect, sometimes toxic relationship. Logan is used to jumping from one relationship to another when things get hard and Leilani is battling with anxiety and panic disorders.
The book opens with Logan asking Leilani for a break as she has developed Ativan addiction and it has taken a big toll on their relationship. As the story unfolds, jumping back and forth between the start of their relationship and the present, you get to piece together how they got to this point and how they get to their happy ending.
I found the pace a bit slow at times and the jumping back and forth made it a bit difficult for me to stay focused all the time but, looking back, what I am left with is an eye opening, painfully raw story that I will be thinking about for quite some time.
.

As someone who struggles with anxiety and panic attacks, it was interesting to see someone else’s take on what they feel and experience. Kudos to Skyler for that!

This book sucked me in from the beginning. Both Lani and Logan had some major flaws, but they were somehow still likable characters. Logan, the guy obsessed with relationships and love, was refreshing to see in a story line, especially when typically we see men portrayed completely opposite. Lani, struggling with her mental health and prescription drug dependency. The two were sometimes perfect together, but also sometimes a perfect hot mess.

Something I would have liked to have seen more of was Lani’s journey through her Ativan recovery. I felt like it was very short lived and kind of glossed over.

The book was great and I am definitely recommending checking it out.

I really don't know how to think or feel about this book, or how to rate it.
Because I skimmed the synopsis, I didn't realize it would be so heavy on mental illness, and I definitely think this book could be triggering for some people.
TW include: substance addiction, anxiety disorder, emotional and physical cheating.

This book is told in dual POV of both the main characters, and alternates between past and present. I really liked this aspect of the book. I liked that I learned what was going on in both characters heads. It was fun that the chapters alternated into the past, which was the start and downfall of their relationship, and the present, which was after their break up. Both the main characters were unlikeable. Logan was a needy, "relationship whore" who jumped from girlfriend to girlfriend. Lani was cold, distant, and suffered from severe anxiety. Because I too have anxiety and panic attacks, I related and understood some of her fears. Her fears of a partner never being able to understand the mental illness and leaving her because of it. I understood her reservations about being with Logan because I would have done the exact same thing. I really can't decide if I am happy or not that they ended up back together in the end. On the one hand, their relationship was extremely toxic on both their ends. I don't know if I would've been able to get over the broken trust. On the other hand, I feel like what they went through could really strengthen their relationship and Logan just "gets* Lani now. He understands why she did what she did. So I am very torn. Part of me wanted Lani to go off to graduate school and continue living her life for h e r. But I really do think that Logan can be good for her.

As I stated at the beginning of this review, this book could be very triggering for some people. If you have any reservations about reading a book with cheating, panic attacks, and substance abuse, then I would say this book isn't for you. All the relationships in this book are toxic and unhealthy, even down to the side characters. I don't think there is a single likeable character in this book. I really don't have any triggers and can pretty much read anything, even it if makes me uncomfortable. As someone who struggles with mental illness, I felt seen in some of the thoughts that Lani had and made me feel not so alone. Yes, some of the things she thought and did were toxic, but when you have a mental illness, sometimes you can't think rationally or see things how they really are. I understood her Ativan addiction and loving the way it made her not feel anything anymore. Sometimes, the world is too much to bare and your thoughts are your own worst enemy. I relate to wanting to shut off your brain and not feel for awhile.

I'm sure many people will read this book and give it a low rating because of the toxicity in it. However, I love when authors make readers feel uncomfortable and write outside of the box. Relationships like Logan and Lani happen all the time. I'm sure most of us have even been in something similar or know of people who are in this exact relationship. I know people who have the exact toxic relationship of Brenna and Aarman. Why do we rate books low just because it goes against our moral compass? It is a work of fiction. It's a story. And for many people, it's relatable. This is one of the more unique reads I have ever read because of the dark, mental illness nature that I feel like a lot of authors are afraid to write about because of the negative reviews they will receive. Writing this as a debut novel takes guts and I love that the author took us on this journey. I read this book in one sitting because I literally couldn't stop and needed to know how it would resolve.

I was given this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book was so good. All the drama. I loved it. I loved Logan and Lani. I enjoyed getting to see both sides of the story. I would recommend this book.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Relationships have their ups and downs but known more so Being in a relationship and having anxiety can be tough and this book did a good job of dealing with it.

I was quite surprised by this novel, it's quite a strong romance, it's full of heartbreaking phases, it makes me have quite a few mixed feelings.
Told from both points of view, it is quite raw and realistic. It touches on issues of mental health, addictions, etc.
It tells the story of Leilani and Logan, who are seniors in college and have been dating for over a year. From the beginning you can tell it's a toxic couple, Logan is practically a fuckboy who is always in and out of a relationship, and this is mostly when things start to get a little more difficult. On the other side we have Leilani, she suffers from anxiety and panic issues, which brings her some problems. Our story begins when Logan asks Leilani to take some time off, as she is now suffering from an addiction. And he tells us how his whole story went until he reached the end point.
I think it was a good book, although the plot advanced a bit slowly for my taste and the jumps in time confused me a bit. I almost don't like books with a double perspective, but in this case I liked it, so I could get to know the story of both protagonists.
It was a complete trip to mental health, the truth is that there are few books that touch on this type of subject, and many times they only do it superficially, but with this book we go a little deeper into the subject. And the truth is that to a certain extent I understand Leilani, I also suffer from anxiety and panic attacks, so for that part I did understand, and I feel understood at the same time.
One thing that I should point out is that this book is full of toxic couples, from the main characters to the secondary characters, they were so toxic that they brought me to the point where I felt quite uncomfortable. This is something I don't like at all in the books, because many times instead of saying "don't do this" it's as if they encourage people to do it. I know that many people who read this book will give it a low grade because of this. But you still have to look at the other side of the story and the other issues it addresses. Not just the toxicity.
I must admit that, in spite of everything, it's quite a peculiar novel, I liked the way it developed the different themes. If you have any kind of problem with any of these topics, either you don't like them or you are against them, I suggest you don't read this book. It might go against what you think. But if you are open-minded, I recommend that you read it. It touches on some pretty interesting topics, and may even be helpful to you or someone you know.

I really enjoyed this book. I received an advanced readers copy. This is a little more angsty than my typical read but I enjoyed it. As someone with anxiety, I felt there were many ways in which I related to Lani. Skylet Mason did a great job creating well thought out characters that actually seemed believable in their actions. I'd recommend this book to anyone who likes 'chick lit' and romcom type books as this kind of falls into both categories.

Rating: 5/5

Amazing! A diamond in the rough of mental disorders! Ms. Mason does a superb job of encompassing anxiety and all that’s tied with it - the pain, drug addiction, suffering - not only for the victim but for their loved ones as well. I had a lot of moments where I cried, laughed and shouted in anger. Although I don’t suffer from any mental disorder, I sympathized 1000% with the characters and their journey towards healing and acceptance. They aren’t perfect - they f**k up A LOT. But that’s what I appreciate here. The realistic storyline and raw emotions she drags out of you makes for an intense ride. Plus the steamy romance doesn’t harm anyone!

Release Date: Expected 6th December 2020
Genre: New Adult / Romance

TW: This book deals with issues including mental health / anxiety / gaslighting / cheating / sexual content / drug abuse / alchohol misuse. There are minor spoilers in this review.

Can I just start out by saying - how pretty is the cover art for this book?

Logan is a serial relationship junkie, but he was a damn good boyfriend. At least that's what Leilani thought anyway. He was romantic, understanding, a feminist, and he was pretty hot which definitely helped.

Until he wasn't anymore. After Leilani's panic disorder and mental health takes a rapid decline, she's struggling with not only panic attacks but trying to combat her reliance on prescription medication. However, Logan isn't okay with this - he decides if they want to be together, she needs to 'get her act together in the next month' or it's done. So what should Leilani do? Of course she wants to get better, but now she has an even better reason to - to prove she's fine without him and his judgemental attitude.

But maybe revenge isn't all it's cracked up to be?

This was not your typical break-up story, from the very first interaction between the two main characters, I'd already formed strong opinions on them both and was instantly sucked into the conflict between them. I really expected this to be a standard woman-scorned situation but there was much more to it. This is a story about self-worth, about anger, about judgement and being a woman.

Leilani was the girl that I've been dying to see written about. She is a mess sometimes. She's flawed. She is outspoken and vulgar and loud and she is a real, angry woman. She is the very epitome of what men like to call the crazy ex-girlfriend - the girl they couldn't control.
Logan made me every bit as uncomfortable as he was supposed to; he was a jerk. Yes, maybe there were reasons behind his behaviour but I hated him within an instant of meeting him.

This rang so true to life, painfully at times, about the treatment that people recieve when they live with mental health disorders and how differently people act around them. And especially, how to deal with issues that may arise in relationships because of them. This was very uncomfortable to read in places, espeically when dealing with delicate subjects so if you're not able to read sensitive content this book is not for you.

Admittedly, there were some issues I had with this story that left me slightly conflicted - Leilani's kindness towards Logan in places made me furious to say the least. Someone who trivialises suffering like that should not be redeemed in any way - in my opinion of course.

All in all, this book was a beautiful, bitchy read that let me live in that petty revenge fantasy that every woman has harboured at least once in their lives - I definitely reccommend it.


RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐


Thank you to NetGalley and Skyler Mason for providing with this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Please note that all opinions contained within are my own.

(This review is also published at bethanys-bookshelf.blogpot.com)

Revenge is a cake best served after a bad breakup. Or such is the theory of Lelani, the heroine of the book I'm about to review: Revenge Cake, by Skyler Mason. I've been able to obtain an advanced reader copy of this novel on NetGalley, for which I am incredibly grateful.

First of all, I feel the need to say that this book includes possible trigger warnings such as drugs and alcohol abuse, and several sex scenes. That said, let's begin!

Revenge Cake gave me a lot of the same vibes of Normal People by Sally Rooney, but even if I could see many similarities between Marianne and Leilani, there are also a lot of differences, the most important being that Marianne swipes through life apparently uncaring, while Leilani is in fact terribly afraid of living and, most importantly, of failure. She is a control freak because of her anxiety, and when things escape from her tight grip, she spirals down. Hard. Ativan and alcohol are her poison of choice, and they are indeed a quick and extremely unhealthy way to cope with life. As the book shows though, there is no way to keep the addiction under control: sooner or later it will be too strong and it will ruin your life.

As someone who struggles with anxiety, I relate to Lani. In particular, I relate to not being able to move forward because things get scary or overwhelming, or with the awful feeling of being dead/not wanting to die but feeling my departure is imminent. What I definitely don't relate to is how mean she is. We're not talking about your average social ineptitude here; she's borderline abusive toward her boyfriend, from telling him he looks dumb to making him feel small most of the time. As Logan points out in one of their conversations, she often gaslights him, pretending to know him better than he knows himself.

On his part, Logan is clearly someone who gets a high from being mistreated. Moreover, he falls in love all the time and is always ready to replace the old girl with a new one, sometimes even when he is still in a relationship. He might be kind and caring, but he has so much relationship baggage at such a young age that I'm not sure I would even poke him with a stick from afar. Looks aside, what is to like about him? What interesting personality traits does he have, looks and big package aside? And why does he fall for Lani if not for the challenge of pushing her boundaries further and further away until he gets the whole package? Or, as he says, her with a ring on the finger and a pregnant belly.

Interesting characters? Check. I can see them having this unhealthy on-again, off-again relationship for years, despite the sugar-coated ending and the promise of change on both parts. They could easily have one of those unhealthy love stories à la Catherine and Heatcliff, where they tear each other down way more than they lift each other up. They both are toxic people, and I love it. Give me more characters in love despite how wrong they are for one another. In my opinion, this is the kind of stuff that creates nice and compelling conflicts, if you haven't noticed until now. It generates food for thought and strong opinions, which is part of what makes a story not easy to forget.

Did you know that there are two schools of thought in dentistry? Some dentists strongly believe that teeth tend to move back to their original spot, and others think that they keep moving all our life. In both cases the end result is exactly the same: once you've fixed your crooked teeth, you'll have to wear a retainer to keep them in place. Basically, no matter how strong the opinions are, the outcome remains unchanged. This is incredibly similar to how storytellers view the plot vs characters issue: we have those who believe a story needs to be fresh and original at all cost --and nope, unpronounceable names don't make a story original-- and those who'd rather work with fresh ways to twist already existing plots. Hey, that's the reason why tropes and archetypes exist, after all.

My take on this issue is that we only get a limited number of possible plot combinations, and what matters the most is how a writer uses them. This is why characterization is so important to me, and this is why I liked Revenge Cake so much. This novel explores a failed relationship and the need for revenge it causes. Not the most uncommon plot ever, but the characters and their decisions make more than up for it. I liked how focused Lani was on making Logan hurt for his misdeeds. I mean, this girl's dedication is admirable. I enjoyed how thick Logan was, and how it took a lot for him to admit he was freaking wrong. And a jerk. And I liked the corollary of characters around them, from Logan's sister to the sweet (and definitely better suited for Lani, but hey, who am I to complain) Dean.

I liked Skyler Mason's writing style: the book has a great flow, and not once I felt like I could get bored of what I was reading. I didn't even hate either the multiple POVs nor the time jumps, both of which generally are a big no for me. The plot was linear enough that I always had a general idea on where we were and where we were heading. At about 65% of the book I got so curious to know what was going to happen next that it took me a lot of willpower not to jump to the last pages and spoiler myself the ending.

To sum it up, Revenge Cake is worth 4/5 stars in my opinion. Despite the heavy topics addressed in this novel, this is a light and yet interesting read, indeed the kind of book I would give as a present to my friends. Maybe not after a breakup though.

Wow. I was expecting a standard, light romance but instead got a surprisingly insightful exploration of love for someone living with anxiety. I admire the author’s sensitive and frank exploration of this often debilitating condition which can prevent people developing meaningful relationships. It helps, too, that the book is often very funny. Great dialogue, appealing characters - a definite win.

This book was so different then what I was expecting and I’m still processing everything that happened. I chose this book off NetGalley honestly because of the main character having anxiety and it’s reference to baking. Having anxiety and sometimes panic attacks, I thought it would be an interesting read and the character might be relatable since she shared a mental health struggle and a hobby of mine. Yeah, I kinda missed the whole point of this book... The book centers around a break-up and a character wanting revenge. The time line was super tricky to follow, and with the changing points of view, it was tricky to follow who was in which part of the timeline. Also this book could really have used some lighter points - it is very dark, even the humor in the story was pretty dark. I had to set this book down multiple times to take a breather from the mood and while I am not often triggered by a book this one definitely did.

The author’s portrayal of the main characters mental illness is very real. You can tell Skyler Mason has struggled with panic disorder just like Leilani does in the story. This portion of the story is so honest and heartbreaking and important to feel what she is feeling. I was so incredibly frustrated with Logan. I remember how vulnerable it was the first time I had a panic attack in front of my husband (then boyfriend at the time) and how understanding but scared he was. Logan was incredibly selfish and horrible. I was not rooting for this couple at all. He was not a likable character. I would’ve loved to see Lani move on to someone much better but instead the circle just keeps going round and round about the relationship and the breakup. This book left me with mixed feelings but the writing was very good and the story honest and eye opening.

They meet under unusual circumstances. He's hooked from the first moment yet she fights him at every move he makes. He refuses to take no for an answer which wears her down, but still worries her. Her crippling social anxiety is her burden and given that he can't be without a girlfriend seem like red flags for them both looking at anything long term.
A real and authentic look at her personal struggle of anxiety and his views on relationships give a fresh look at the good, the bad and the misunderstood. Loved it!!
I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley for my honest review.

Thank you for the advanced copy.

This book was not what I was expecting it to be furthermore, even during the book, the plot twists kept on coming and made the book engaging.

As a person who deals with anxiety and panic attacks as well, this book took me on a journey of emotions.

Logan and Lani - both had issues and touching on both their character development was a great addition. The characters were realistic and relatable, creating a connection between the readers and the characters.

Although I liked how the book talked about the reality of Mental Health issues, trigger warnings should've been mentioned.

I also loved how the book had POV's from both characters, the constant break between the past and present threw me a little, but, the format does make sense when it comes to the storyline.

Congrats to Skyler Mason on the debut novel!

Although I wasn't a big fan of the in-details of the explicit scenes, besides that, I thoroughly enjoyed the book.

This book is filled with the angst. Both characters start out as likeable characters. She suffers from panic attacks and social anxiety, but her quirkiness (mostly due to those issues) is one of the things that he first finds attractive about her. With her mental illness always in the back of her head, she builds a wall around her to protect herself from hurt, and doesn't completely trust anyone, including him. He is patient though and doesn't give up on her. Just when they finally get to a good place in their relationship, all hell breaks loose. This is where she starts losing some of her likeability. She changes, and not for the better. Some of her feelings are warranted, and some not so much. She gets quite verdictive in her revenge plan for getting back at him for how he wronged her (even though we don't really find out exactly how he had wronged her until near the end.) And while he remains likeable throughout, there are things that take place that don't put him in the best of light, and he has his own personal issues as well. No matter their behaviors, you do still root for them and want to see them be together, and you want to see her get help and become the person she once was. There is a lot of feelings involved. Mostly sad and anger. There is some light humor, but it is mostly a heavy heart read. The timeline bounces between the past and present and takes place over the course of a year. In addition to the mental illness issue, there is also addiction involved. There is some sexual content. Due to the subject matter, I would recommend this for mature readers. Great book for a authors debut.

*I received an ARC copy of this book from Netgalley.

Thank you NatGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Honestly, I have no idea how this book doesn't have a five star rating. It gripped me with the first Closure Cake. I mean what a concept; break-up, make a cake, write the ex's name on it, enjoy. Bye bye ex-lover. If I wasn't already married, I think this would be my new ritual. LOL

I appreciate that Lani owns her anxiety disorder, even though she had a spiral and the one person she finally let in failed her. Broke her heart and didn't truly understand why. They way she speaks about her mental illness is probably the most genuinely open I have ever read. I fell like mental illness is attempted in a lot of books but falls flat with little to no real examples, or explanation. Lani, while being an adult, is still learning to navigate the waters of a relationship and even though she does some childish and immature things you can really see the growth in her from page one to the ending. I especially love the fact that she pursues actual help when needed instead of seeking a band-aid to appease herself.

Logan, oh Logan. How can you be so charismatic and lovely? Logan's character is beautifully written, he is your typical serial dater, but what he really wants us love and affection. He just can't seem to make it last. I think Logan had more to overcome than Lani, even though he doesn't have a mental illness. His clingy, needy, behavior drives him to make some questionable decisions. His constant need to push a relationship, while genuine, came off as stereotypically manipulative. But ultimately I think he recognizes it and grows from the experience.

This book was a wonderful read, if you also have an anxiety disorder this kind of puts a perspective on a character that you can finally relate too on a deeper level. I love that the author included this and made it relatable instead of crippling. I read this book in one sitting, I just had to know what was going to happen to the characters.

I am so behind on my reading, apologies.

I chose this book because the title and the description intrigued me.

Can I just say BRAVO! ENCORE!

I give this 4 stars based on the epic ness of Lani alone. She did what every girl (well ok me) wishes they could do, but is too scared/honorable to do so. She took back her power and made it her b*****!

Was the ending realistic? Not at all. Hahaha. This book was straight toxic (in a good way), but damn if it didn’t give some of us vindication. I truly enjoyed reading this.

The beginning was kind of slow, but when it picked up. I could not stop.

Also as someone who deals with anxiety as well I connected with Lani. Her mode of self preservation I can totally relate to. It’s not right, but sometimes it’s all you have when you don’t want to be hurt.

One last tidbit, the naughty scenes, A+.