TITLE: DAMAGED GOODS
SERIES: ALL SAINTS #4
AUTHOR: L.J. SHEN
GENRE: CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
PUBLICATION: JANUARY 23RD, 2024
Synopsis
Underneath the goody two-shoes persona is damaged goods…but can the bad boy across the street save her?
Bailey Followhill is the perfect daughter. Sweet. Charitable. Pretty. Control freak. Not a hair out of place, not an inch out of line, she is everything her troublemaking sister Daria isn't. But when her A game turns out to be a lukewarm C- at Juilliard, Bailey's picture-ready life starts fraying faster than the worn satin ribbons of her pointe shoes. She's becoming a piece of gossip. The Troubled Child. A drug abuser. No longer the girl her best friend once knew.
Lev Cole is so golden, he's got the Midas Touch. Prized quarterback. Football captain. Hottest guy in SoCal. A textbook cliché. But with a girlfriend he doesn't love and a career path he doesn't value, Lev is coasting.
The only two things he cares about, Bailey and becoming a pilot, are out of reach.
But Lev is done being satisfied with the life others have chosen for him. He wants to pick his own cards. To demolish the seamless kingdom of lies his family stitched together on the ruins his mother left behind.
The question is, can he save his best friend and his dream before too much damage is done?
Bailey Followhill is the perfect daughter. Sweet. Charitable. Pretty. Control freak. Not a hair out of place, not an inch out of line, she is everything her troublemaking sister Daria isn't. But when her A game turns out to be a lukewarm C- at Juilliard, Bailey's picture-ready life starts fraying faster than the worn satin ribbons of her pointe shoes. She's becoming a piece of gossip. The Troubled Child. A drug abuser. No longer the girl her best friend once knew.
Lev Cole is so golden, he's got the Midas Touch. Prized quarterback. Football captain. Hottest guy in SoCal. A textbook cliché. But with a girlfriend he doesn't love and a career path he doesn't value, Lev is coasting.
The only two things he cares about, Bailey and becoming a pilot, are out of reach.
But Lev is done being satisfied with the life others have chosen for him. He wants to pick his own cards. To demolish the seamless kingdom of lies his family stitched together on the ruins his mother left behind.
The question is, can he save his best friend and his dream before too much damage is done?
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My Review
❀ 𝐃𝐀𝐌𝐀𝐆𝐄𝐃 𝐆𝐎𝐎𝐃𝐒 ❀
Is the fourth full length romance book within the (All Saints High) series by author L.J. Shen.
Spoken in 'dual perspectives.' ❥ Bailey & Lev ❥ Be aware that this may have triggers for some.
𝘿𝙖𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙙 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙𝙨.
𝙄𝙩'𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡.
𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢. 𝙎𝙪𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙫𝙤𝙧𝙨.'
I could feel all the hurt that was going to come my way as it was building up in the background, careening towards me, knowing that I'd be riding a wave of emotional angst that I knew was going to wipe me out was exactly what I was experiencing chapter by chapter.
'𝑩𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒔𝒖𝒆 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒅𝒂𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒓𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒚.
𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒂𝒍 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏'𝒕 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎𝒔.
𝑩𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏 𝑨𝒍𝒍 𝑺𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝑯𝒊𝒈𝒉 𝒇𝒐𝒐𝒕𝒃𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒄𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝒇𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒅𝒊𝒅𝒏'𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒌 𝒊𝒕, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒊𝒕 𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒊𝒕 𝒃𝒓𝒐𝒌𝒆 𝒎𝒆.'
This one burnt, like a double sworded jagged knife, either way your going to hurt as you stumble down a emotional hole as these two fought tooth and nail to be there for the other through their most darkest times, the push and pull felt like my heart was getting stabbed over and over again.
He had my heart in his hands from the get go
She put my heart through the wringer in the very first chapters.
'𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙧𝙪𝙜𝙨 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙚𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙨𝙢.
𝙄𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩.
𝙃𝙤𝙣𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩. 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙙𝙞𝙜𝙮 𝙗𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙖.
𝙋𝙧𝙞𝙯𝙚𝙙 𝙙𝙖𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙚𝙧.
𝙄 𝙛𝙚𝙡𝙩 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙄 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣'𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙖𝙞𝙡.
𝘼𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜. 𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙧.'
Where addiction grabs you by the throat and doesn't let you go
The lies
The cravings
Like an hourglass both their dreams were slipping through their fingers.
This is definitely one series that I could happily read from front to back, book to book, to feel all those first feels again, to get lost in the sorrow, the angst, the healing. The love I've felt for all these characters.
* Teaser used is off the authors facebook page *
Spoken in 'dual perspectives.' ❥ Bailey & Lev ❥ Be aware that this may have triggers for some.
𝘿𝙖𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙙 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙𝙨.
𝙄𝙩'𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡.
𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢. 𝙎𝙪𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙫𝙤𝙧𝙨.'
I could feel all the hurt that was going to come my way as it was building up in the background, careening towards me, knowing that I'd be riding a wave of emotional angst that I knew was going to wipe me out was exactly what I was experiencing chapter by chapter.
'𝑩𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒔𝒖𝒆 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒅𝒂𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒓𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒚.
𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒂𝒍 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏'𝒕 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎𝒔.
𝑩𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏 𝑨𝒍𝒍 𝑺𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝑯𝒊𝒈𝒉 𝒇𝒐𝒐𝒕𝒃𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒄𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝒇𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒅𝒊𝒅𝒏'𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒌 𝒊𝒕, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒊𝒕 𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒊𝒕 𝒃𝒓𝒐𝒌𝒆 𝒎𝒆.'
This one burnt, like a double sworded jagged knife, either way your going to hurt as you stumble down a emotional hole as these two fought tooth and nail to be there for the other through their most darkest times, the push and pull felt like my heart was getting stabbed over and over again.
He had my heart in his hands from the get go
She put my heart through the wringer in the very first chapters.
'𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙧𝙪𝙜𝙨 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙚𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙨𝙢.
𝙄𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩.
𝙃𝙤𝙣𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩. 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙙𝙞𝙜𝙮 𝙗𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙖.
𝙋𝙧𝙞𝙯𝙚𝙙 𝙙𝙖𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙚𝙧.
𝙄 𝙛𝙚𝙡𝙩 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙄 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣'𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙖𝙞𝙡.
𝘼𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜. 𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙧.'
Where addiction grabs you by the throat and doesn't let you go
The lies
The cravings
Like an hourglass both their dreams were slipping through their fingers.
This is definitely one series that I could happily read from front to back, book to book, to feel all those first feels again, to get lost in the sorrow, the angst, the healing. The love I've felt for all these characters.
* Teaser used is off the authors facebook page *
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Oooh an emotional read. Great review, Kat! xo
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