Title: ⟫ Consumed (Black Diamond Unlucky 13 #7)
Author: ⟫ Bailey Nicole
Rating: ⟫ 4/5
Blurb: ⟫ Welcome to Black Diamond Resort and Spa…
Growing up in a small town in Georgia, I never dreamed of starting a band that would blow up from a viral video or that I’d live in a mansion on the beach in Miami, Florida.
Since we were seven years old, my best friend Percy had dreamed big enough for both of us. He’d always known this would be our future.
But he’s been slowly killing me for years, and yet he’s the only reason I’m still alive. He needs me. He needs me for comfort. He needs me to hold him and love him. Percy wants to live in my skin, and even that wouldn’t be close enough.
But he doesn’t want me the way I want him.
Money. Fame. Medications. Therapy.
None of that could’ve prevented what transpired that night, and even though it put me in a mental health facility, I don’t regret it. Not one bit.
Because without him, there is no me.
Consumed is an M/M romance between two highly codependent childhood best friends. Please read the content warning at the beginning of the book as there are themes that might be triggering for some readers.
Review: ⟫ This is actually a really difficult book to review for several reasons. The main reason is that the depiction of the mental struggles of the main character felt so personal that commenting on them feels wrong.
The relationship between Percy and Junesy is so incredibly co-dependent that I kinda wondered how they managed to breathe when other person wasn’t in the room. Their relationship was – well, strange – and part of my difficulty in reviewing is that I struggled to understand the miscommuncation. I fully understood Winston’s feelings – he didn’t feel good enough for Percy, and that along with the issues with his mother and father meant that he tried to pull away. But I didn’t get why Percy didn’t tell Winston how he felt – like, outright just say it. Mind you, it wasn’t like he wasn’t giving HUGE clues with the physical aspect of things that were happening.
I feel that this has quite a different vibe to the other books in the series and therefore it’s difficult to review it on the same level. Who am I to say whether or not this is an accurate depiction of the mental disorders that Winston was struggling with? The ‘romance’ was intense, troubling, complicated but also heart-warming and rewarding, with both men well aware of who/what they are to each other.
Winston’s method of handling the management issue was brilliant and I admit, I welled up a little reading the letter.
I would say take any author warnings seriously, consider whether this is a good book for you to read, but if you are not triggered, I think a lot of people will find this book enjoyable.
I received an ARC from Indie Author Creative.
