Step Bully by Willow Dixon Review
When I learned Julian was called Jules, I immediately thought
of Jules from Euphoria. Despite the book's description of Jules’s character, I
couldn’t stop picturing him as Euphoria Jules. Which was funny because they
were nothing alike.
Jules and Ash were stepbrothers, who hated each other because
of the situation they were forced into. By God, I hated their parents. Even to
the end. I was like ‘flip them the middle finger and move the heck on’ but to
my dismay, they didn’t. Which kind of pissed me off. Gosh, I am a monster.
Anywhos, the boys were thrust into sharing an apartment for
their senior year of college. This was where the lines got blurred. I loved the
bantering. It was amazing to read. Then other things came in and I was not
liking them. At parts where I should have shown sympathy or empathy, I didn’t.
Maybe it’s because I’m a monster in the making but the emotional connection
never hit me. I couldn’t help but cringe at other moments. This annoyed me a
bit because the book started off so great.
The chemistry between the two was off the charts. I loved
that the couple was able to sit down or in their case hang out and clear the
air about their feelings and how the situation back at home affected them.
Willow Dixon did a freaking great job of showing me what actual progress looked
like. Communication is the key to every successful relationship, and I loved
how it was portrayed here. Even if it was a bit cringy at times.
Then, there was the nickname calling. Like Jesus, if I were a
guy and another man called me ‘kitten’ I would run the other way. Maybe I’d
give him a good ole’ beat down first---even if I can’t fight. Like one of those
hit-and-run scenarios. I would give him a coward hit and run off because it’s
just… I don’t even know---not fitting the character or the book. There were so
many nicknames we could have come up with. Why didn’t we choose one of those? I
don’t know, something original. I pitted Jules every time the word ‘kitten’
came into play. If only characters could come to life. I’m sure they would have
disliked some of their creators.
Either way, Step Bully had mild bullying---in my eyes---and
was more of a steamy romance. Yes, it took place in a college setting. There
was romance. The cute kind. Steamy as hell. So, if you are interested in the
enemies-to-lovers trope, then this one is a good read.
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