Book Review | Playing with Fire by L.J. Shen

 

   

 ❝ As I watched him there, I didn’t see the most popular guy in college. The sex god. The illegal fighter. I saw the loneliest boy I’d ever laid eyes on. Sweet, confused, and lost. And I thought, bitterly, he didn’t even know that across the parking lot sat a girl just like him.❞

If I'm being honest, the last few LJ Shen books didn't work out for me. Maybe I could not connect with the story or the characters, or it was that the timing wasn't right and I wasn't in the headspace, so it was completely anxious to pick this one up. Heck, I didn't almost one-click this one, but I am so glad I did! I can happily say that Playing with Fire hit the mark for me! I loved Grace and West and their story!


This is the LJ Shen I have missed and had been waiting for. I was waiting for her to come out with a book like this. I loved the characters and their baggage, their sarcastically funny relationship with their ups, downs and roadblocks, but, most of all, I loved how they came together in this emotional journey.


Another little thing I am ecstatic about is West St. Claire! This man... My God! He is your usual Shen hero, but so so so much better! He is poles apart from the male leads before him. He stands and shines on his own and I am so thankful to LJ for giving us something different from her previous male leads and one with all the aspects that I know I love.


Grace was a beautiful person, inside and out. I loved her mettle and the way she dealt with the hand life had thrown at her. She was the perfect depiction of a phoenix rises from its ashes, a theme that runs throughout the novel. It was such a joy to watch her "come out" to the world and own who she was.

Playing with Fire was Shen at her best. The story is engaging and entertaining from start to finish and I loved every minute that I read this book.

❝ I embrace it. Throw myself into happiness headfirst. Give myself the permission to be in this moment. Because once upon a time, a boy who gave me a ride on his motorcycle told me you can take care of someone else without blaming yourself for all their problems.❞