Purity Paperback – July 9, 2022

This is not my normal style of book. I wouldn’t have picked it up if not for Christina, so thanks Christina. Your response to her so impressed me, I HAD to read some of your works.I loved how your main character was so thoughtful and good at setting healthy boundaries. This lady is strong in an unconventionally way! My experience is that people are not this aware about how to have healthy relationships/self-regulating thought processes unless they have done a LOT of research (aka therapy). I wish this was mentioned because we really cannot work on normalizing therapy as a positive thing enough.You did an amazing job of balancing respect for a culture with disagreeing on certain aspects like body shaming. As an athlete in a family of athletes, I never experienced any of this, so I had a hard time understanding others when they mentioned this. You did a good job explaining the mentality behind it. I learned a lot, thanks.Your book also had a good balance between storyline and sexuality. I got sucked into the characters and was fully engaged the whole book….which unfortunately wasn’t very long because I could not put this book down, and finished it in a day. Whoops I guess I’ll have to find something else to read…..Oh good, you wrote more books! I’ll just grab these, thanks!Hugs,Shan

This was a really good read. It was just enticing the way that they touched on specific topics of Christianity,purity culture and the dynamic of a woman and male friendship. there were some holes in the story that i feel like should’ve been touched on more, her sense of self and power got a tad lost once cole’s feelings were more clear and she realizes “it wasn’t just about letting lose”. My only setback Is it built up so much of her being a strong, powerful, independent woman, but when she was put in the positions to show that I feel like she still allowed what he wanted to hold so much say. other than that the characters the plot the storyline the romance and the sexual parts were all perfectly balanced and i am 100% interested in their story for what’s next/after

I like the characters but I was expecting more spice and better described sex scenes. The scenes aren’t bad but there’s not enough feeling in them. It’s really like you’re watching someone who doesn’t know how to describe sex to describe sex. And I was expecting the guy to be more dominant during the sex scenes when he tries to make a big ploy that he’s so rough during sex. But it’s very vanilla.But I do like the characters. I think they’re all very well flushed out. It was very heartwarming.

This is a great story that leads you on a merry chase between two friends who want more. They don't want to run their friendship.But it's the same time they want to see where it. She is innocent. He is a little bit dark and mysterious. When you put the two together , it makes for great story and I can't wait to see what happens next.

The writing is really easy to get into but the substance of this story was barely even touched on. The story feels more like wish fulfillment, and with the premise being what it is, I was hoping for something a bit deeper and not so surface level.

Spoilers:First of all, I think the list is a very fun and funny idea. I too am a list maker and after seeing what was on the main character's list of things to check off, decided to make a list of my own with slightly different categories. Admittedly, I am reading this book as a form of therapy and desensitization in a way that resonates with my own lore. I have more subliminal issues with purity culture having been adjacent to it but not in a family that imposed it as law (Lutheran/Episcopal).I really appreciated the fact that it really addressed the realities of the anxiety and fear around sex. I too am absolutely terrified of things that are unfamiliar and vulnerable and I really felt seen. The horrible anxiety about ruining your life by doing actions that are frankly normal and expected for people your age, but you've wrapped so much of your identity around being perfect and pure that you can't move on to the next life stage.I appreciate the twist of mirroring of the male lead with his father. It's nice for him to absorb the fact that he really has been treating the female lead unfairly and been possessive in a way that isn't sexy just unhealthy. The male lead really should go to therapy before pursuing a relationship, but that'd make the book boring.The strongest part of the book is when they're getting hot and heavy. The male lead is caring attentive and definitely thinks he's a lot naughtier than he really is. The book really does capture the way that kink and trauma intertwine and honestly it was very cathartic to me to recognize that I am not alone in how my trauma influences my sexual preferences. It's really nice to have a depiction of what wanting sex is when the whole topic for the main character and for me is so coated in taboo and shame from multiple directions. Kinda gives me my own framework for it and sets expectations for what's going to happen. Knowing that trauma, kink and a healthy relationship can coexist is very reassuring and having a depiction of what those first steps could look like is helpful.The biggest drawback of the book is how it gets a little heavy handed trying to differentiate purity culture from Christianity as a whole. While there's a lot to be said there about the connections between purity culture vs culture overall, I understand why it got reiterated so many times that the main character was still devoutly Christian. I am not the exact audience.For the next book I think it would be interesting to have a little more indictment of evangelism as a whole. It felt like it was inching there and dipping its toe in the water but was a tad too shy to come out and actually do it, which is totally understandable. There is a depiction of the main character's father getting abusive and controlling and it bears fruit with the main character comforting her own father which is gross and still an absolute violation of healthy boundaries. The scene of the abuse is a little over-narrated and downplays the realities of purity culture and I'd be interested in a book that laid it bare without remorse. Maybe I'm just mentally ill, but the main character was so calm and collected and I really wanted her to have a breakdown at some point. Let her lose control of herself and her resentment ya know? Let her loose her faith if that's where she wants to go.Overall, it's good for working through trauma and is very grounded in how it addresses the main character's reactions to the actual act of sex. A lot of the underlying issues with the families remain unaddressed at the end in a way that I'm not sure if the author perceives them as issues, but that's honest to family life I guess. It's decently well structured, and while could have used a little more complications outside of romance in the second act, is pretty satisfying nonetheless

Adorei o livro apesar do plot do final não me agradar tanto , adorei principalmente a mari adorei que tem um livro sobre ela

The feith aspect was really good. How the author managed to put It was excelent. And the story of the parents was good too.

I really loved this story SO MUCH. Livvy is an amazing young woman with such a firm grasp of what she wants in her determination to grow past the controlling and repressive way she was raised. Cole’s relationship with her is platonic but possessive too, but really they’re in love with each other and neither knows the depth of the others feelings. Livvy is a very conservative Christian girl when they meet so Cole believes he can never have her, just as Livvy believes she can never have him because she could never be with someone that didn’t share her passion for her faith. While Livvy is in collage she decides she is done with purity culture and decides she wants to become a regular collage student, doing all the things her peers are doing and she makes a list of all the things she wants to do. She is very astute and methodical about rebuilding herself and it’s really quite admirable how she handles herself as she breaks the mold she was raised in while constantly and very patiently explaining to everyone her choices. But Cole’s head is spinning with how fast she is changing, he’s not used to her being so bold and demanding and he’s especially blown away when she asks him to help her go through her list. He’s spent so many years telling himself that he can never be the man she wants he can’t keep up when she is suddenly pursuing him so hard he can’t seem to keep his head above water, especially as he simultaneously deals with his parents divorcing and learns things about them and their toxic relationship and how it’s shaped his perception of relationships.

I went into this book fairly blind. New author, didn’t know plot, I was looking for a lighter book after finishing a series and too exhausted to dive into another one. I couldn’t help but binge this book it was so good and lifted me up just as I needed.It’s a little different from the books I normally read as there is a heavier religious aspect to it, however, I feel like the aspects that the book is trying to overcome with this theme is relatable to all.We’ve all grown up with judgements, insecurities, blame or ideals that have been placed on us by family, friends, society and have all tried to navigate that inherit need to ‘follow’ or ‘please’ while trying to work out who we are, I still am!The FMC Livy has been brought up in a very strict Christian family, as she’s matured she’s questioned her own beliefs and has made a way for her own relationship with God and not every aspect her parents have instilled into her is what she wishes to follow. Especially when it comes to ‘chastity’Her best friend the MMC Cole has been her other half for the last 5 years, although she is madly in love with him from afar she doesn’t ever believe he will feel for her more than friends. So when she’s looking to pop her C, who better to ask than her playboy best friend who she trusts implicitly with making sure she feels comfortable with such a big step forward in her ‘new life’This book was sweet, honest, it made me smile and laugh. I loved the innocence of the FMC while at the same time loved the banter between her and Cole when she knew full well what she was saying or doing to him and his reactions were priceless.This truly was a joyful read and I’d highly recommend5⭐️2🌶️

Das Buch ist schnell angekommen und war ein sehr gute überraschung für meine Schwester. 😊