It's been a while since I posted book-related content here, as I've been in a reading slump since the start of the year. So, I think today's post will make for a nice comeback. I might come across as a bit aggressive in this book review, but I believe I have every right to be frustrated—especially after staying up all night, not sleeping until 6 a.m., just to finish this book.
I wasn't in the mood to pick up a physical book from my TBR, so I decided to check my TikTok Favorites for a recommendation. Don't get me wrong; I'm grateful to the BookTok community because, without them, I wouldn't have discovered the wide variety of stories that have become some of my favorites. Unfortunately, there are also stories that have failed miserably, and one of those is Failure to Thrive by Elle Rivers.
I should have hinted to myself that I wouldn’t love it when the story was written in the third person. Even so, I always convince myself to give every story a chance because I don't want to miss out on a great story just because of something trivial.
Anyway, this review may contain mild spoilers, so read on at your own discretion.
The story follows the female lead, Riley, who thought she had life all figured out with her boyfriend by her side. But what happens when, after a tiring night at work, she comes home to find her best friend (who hates her boyfriend) and her boyfriend in the same bed? Of course, everything crumbles. She feels lost and unsure of what to do, ultimately succumbing to alcohol, especially since her mother, sister, and the best friend who was in bed with her boyfriend had already warned her about how he would ruin her.
She didn't have much choice but to go home to her mother's house, even though she felt unwelcome. Her growing alcoholism was starting to worry her family even more. However, when Riley's sister was looking for a nanny for her boss's 4-year-old daughter, she had little choice but to offer the position to Riley. Little did they know that Riley was surprisingly good with kids. In fact, she did such a good job that the child grew attached to her.
While she was looking after the adorable Zoe, she also became friends with her dad, Oliver. However, they became unsure of their relationship label, especially after spending a steamy night together.
I don't want to give away too many spoilers, so you can read it if you want, but I don't really recommend it. I tried my best to like the story, even getting invested in how it would end, so I made an effort to finish it in one go. Unfortunately, it was poorly written; the story was quite predictable, and there were numerous grammatical errors. Did I mention the miscommunication between the main characters throughout the entire story? I just can't. What’s worse is the unnecessary cliffhanger in the last chapter. Apparently, the author decided to create a sequel, which I found very unnecessary. Overall, I would rate this book a 3.4.
Since I had already wasted my time, I was planning to read the sequel titled Under Any Conditions just to give it another chance. However, when I was updating my reading list on Goodreads, I decided to check the sequel's reviews, and apparently, it was much worse. One reviewer even noted that the second book could have fit into the first book or served as an epilogue. So, I didn't want to waste my time anymore and decided to read another book instead.
Cover Photo from Goodreads
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