Pretty Reckless is my favorite Lj Shen book. Actually, it’s one of my all-time favorite books, period. We fell in love with the HotHoles in the Sinners of Saint series. Now we head into All Saints High for the next generation - the totholes. Who are just as hot, just as popular and have just as much baggage. This book is a bit different from other Lj books. She starts each chapter with a quote, in reference to the chapter. It’s quite beautiful & simultaneously witty. Lj has a love & understanding for poetry and art. The way she writes can be quite poetic. We see glimpses of this in Vicious. And even more so in Bane - with that beautiful Pushkin poem, that becomes somewhat of a minor focal point in the book. And it becomes quite regular in most of he books. But in Pretty Reckless it’s even more apparent. And it’s not quoting a poem or starting each chapter with a beautiful poem, like she often does. But she starts each chapter with a witty quote, that come from the characters, from her. And I LOVE it! Enemies to Lovers is my favorite trope. And Lj does this trope effortlessly, like a pro! She was meant for it. And so does Penn & Daria. From childhood crushes, to enemies, to foster siblings, to lust, to love. Penn & Daria are the definition of Enemies to Lovers & Bully Romance. The sexual tension between them, throughout the book, is off the charts. It’s like they both know deep down that they love each other, but they have no idea how to show it, or allow themselves to even feel it. They put up walls by being a bully or an unfeeling ice-princess - but that’s not who they truly are. It’s a defense mechanism. They are scarred from their past and scared of being vulnerable, for different reasons. So they turn all their good emotions off. And only see the bad in themselves. Though they can’t fight the sexual tension. Even when they supposedly “hate each other” they love each other. These two go through and have endured a lot. From loss, to abuse, to bullying, abandonment, neglect, poor self image, to betrayal, and more. But eventually they figure out who they really are, who they really want to be and what they want in life - their true selves. It takes a lot of time & effort for each of them to reach this point. But the results are swoon worthy and sweet young romance at it’s finest. What they want is each other. And to just be better people, overall. They are both dealing with familial issues. Penn’s centers around his sister and loss of his family. And Daria, the relationship with her family. I loved seeing Jaime as a father and their deep bond. They are very close. His protectiveness and insight with her made him even more lovable. And that was a very positive part in this book. But, not so much with her mother. They have a very strained relationship that becomes the catalyst for many of Daria’s main issues. But as everything else evolves, heals & redeems throughout this book - so does their relationship. There’s a lot of depth to this book & it delivers All The Feels! Lj is one of my favorite authors and always a one-click author. I will read anything she releases and already know I will love it.