Book Review: Sinful Like Us by Krista & Becca Ritchie

Sorry I fell off the face of the earth, but after I finished reading this book, I fell into a reading slump, knowing I’d have to review it. This book really was that disappointing. Three months later, and I’ve finally decided to kick myself into just doing this review, so it shouldn’t be that long. Scroll to the bottom for my overall thoughts!

There is no protocol for love. No orders passed down to me, and I’m walking through this blindfolded and with my hands tied behind my back.

— i.

“We’re preparing for a wedding, might as well have a funeral too.”

I knew that I would have a lot of problems with this book as soon as I found out that one of the throuples was going to be Banks/Sulli/Akara. This series has become so problematic in so many ways, but that really was the final straw. I was so tired of the fetishization going on here, so I knew this would be my last book. I at least hoped it would be somewhat satisfying for Jane and Thatcher. Spoiler alert: Not really.

Basically, Jane and Thatcher have to navigate their relationship now that the families & bodyguards know. And Thatcher has to prove himself to the Cobalts (the actual only good part of the book). Along the way, there was lots of focus on Marrow (big surprise), even though it was Cobaretti’s book. Oh well. I’m used to the fetishization by now. Anyway, since the only thing I really liked about this book was the Cobalt dynamics, I’m going to talk about everything I didn’t like (or what I didn’t like the most—there may be too many to count).

— ii.

There’s always a way out. You don’t have to fall on a sword because it’s sitting in front of you, waiting. You put together the team that’s going to find the right exit.

The fetishization was probably what I hated the most. As usual, it was over the top, to the point where there were some really gross incest vibes between Jane and Moffy. Jane literally walks in on Moffy and can’t look away. Then she offers to give her egg if Marrow wants to have kids. Obviously they would use Farrow’s sperm, but still… this isn’t the Daisy/Rose situation, that was completely different. This is just downright weird. It would be one thing if Jane were to carry, but actually offering her eggs, like… please. This is too much.

I’m also really sick of the demonization of Charlie, and maybe even Beckett, to an extent, just to prop up Moffy. Like, Moffy is by far the blandest, most annoying character of the second generation, and he’s constantly thrown on a pedestal. We’re five books into this series, and I can’t handle this anymore. It’s just too much.

— iii.

Being a voyeur to love is easier than being in love, I think.

The other things I didn’t like about the book were more of the same. How unrealistic and blown out of proportion the fame gets, especially for the bodyguards.

Something new I didn’t like was how disappointed I was with Cobaretti. I still like them, but this book really brought it down for me. By the end it was better, but like, I just can’t get the car scene out of my head where once they make up, they literally cannot stop themselves from having sex like, seven times in the span of a few hours. It became animalistic. Fetishized, even, and they’re a heterosexual couple, for heaven’s sake. I thought they were building something far beyond sex in Tangled Like Us, but this book really brought it back down to just the physical part of the relationship. How utterly one dimensional, boring, and disappointing.

— iv.

“I belong here,” I say again, “because I love deeply and I’m learning to feel deeply too, and I make no apologies for who I am.”
Jane is beaming, glassy-eyed with hands to her lips.
I continue, “And at the end of the day, the people I care about are the ones I would die for. No questions asked. I’m standing at the battle line.” Say more. Say what you feel, and I just go. “You’re a family of warriors—I’m a warrior too. We just have different weapons. You use words. I use a gun. And ever since I was a young kid, I wanted to be that Spartan hero for someone. I belong here. Not anywhere else.”
Not because of Jane. But because when it comes down to it, I’m a fucking lion.
I’m a shark.
For the first time, I really believe I’m the same as them.

Overall, I really hate giving harsh reviews, but I simply just couldn’t take it anymore. I’ll always love these characters (and of course, the original six), but my time with the Like Us series has officially ended. From here on out, the only canon is when I play with these characters on the Sims 4 (because I absolutely have them all set up and thriving already).

It’s such a shame, because this series had so much potential, but I think KB were just so excited about this generation, that they didn’t stop to think. They just started a routine of writing, publishing. Writing, publishing. Without seriously going over anything or thinking of the consequences of future plot holes and character storylines. I hope they avoid this in any future series they write.

Did you read any of the Like Us books? If so, are you still reading them, or have you stopped? And where did you stop? Let me know in the comments below!

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Rating: ★☆ | GoodReads