Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the free copy of this book.
The story is enjoyable for sure, and I felt myself affectionated to the main characters. That said, I think that we find lots of elements and tropes that we can also see in a great amount of other books, so it was a little bit predictable, maybe?
I'm sure the author can do even better.

Loved this read! Couldn't put it down and decided to read it all in one sitting, definatly did not disapoint! Thankyou author!

This is undoubtedly a dark romance, and it is certainly full of triggers in which people should be fully aware.
I think the premise of this story was good, but for me personally, I just didn't find the execution of the story as good as i had hoped it would be. The pacing wasn't great, and at times it felt rather rushed.
The characters seemed to recover from what can only be described as traumatic events in an unrealistic amount of time, which just took away from the story for me.

The ending left me wanting, and i felt you weren't given ample answers to the mysteries that took place throughout the book.

Although I am sure this book will appeal to others, unfortunately it just wasn't to my liking.

* I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in return for my honest review.*

Firstly, a big thank you to NetGalley who spoil me with so many quality stories that my expectations are really high. I'm afraid this wasn't my favourite.

Blesk is starting university but arrives with a lot of emotional baggage which goes out the window when she sets eyes on Konnor who has everything going for him except he cant stop drinking because he too has a traumatic past. They have an instant connection until they realise its more than that.

A few years ago I would have loved every second of this book, but now I was left disappointed with the sensationalist topics. Gorgeous girl, charismatic boy, hot attraction on the one side, rape, neglect, kidnapping, abuse, alcoholism, self mutilation on the other. It was just too much. That said, the characters themselves were appealing, the Australian context really interesting and it was well written. I expected more from the story, to evoke emotion without throwing out every trick in the book.

3/5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Nicci Harris for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Let me preface this by saying I love dark romance but this book has a lot of triggers and definitely won't be for everybody so proceed with caution.

I think this novel had an amazing premise but it just wasn't executed as well as I wanted it to. While it was very fast and I read it in a single sitting, I think that was also one of the downfalls of this book. The pacing felt off to me and often rushed. There was no buffer time for different experiences. It took characters almost no time to recover from traumatic experiences which felt unrealistic to me. I also didn't enjoy the end too much because there weren't many answers to the mystery.

I also had issues with the mystery in general and felt like it was lackluster. There wasn't a good balance between the romance and the mystery and I feel like the romance was just a cope out for an underdeveloped mystery plot line. I did really LOVE the angst in here though. It slowed the plot a little bit but I do love a bit of toxic angst in all my romance books.

Lastly, I had some issues with the characters. I did really enjoy what I actually saw of them but to keep up this whole mystery they were often quite vague and didn't feel like real people. Sometimes they felt extremely flat and like they didn't have a personality but the two main characters were definitely more interesting when they were together. Seeing their interactions made me enjoy them a lot more.

I do plan on continuing on in the series even though the ending/cliffhanger didn't really give me that pow I expect from a dark mystery romance. I think Nicci Harris definitely has potential and I'm excited to see her grow as an author.

Wowzers! This book was not what I thought it would be but I’m so glad I requested to read it. Let’s dive in, shall we? Note: This book has some serious trigger warnings so keep that in mind if any of the below makes you want to read it 👇🏼

Liked:
🔸Storyline: The entire storyline was super interesting to me. I flew through this book because I kept wanting to see what happens next and was really into the direction it headed.
🔸Characters: I liked all of the characters a lot (except for a few, for obvious reasons). They were unique and weird and funny and somewhat broken yet still so strong and I enjoyed that. I also really loved the friendships they had or formed new.
🔸Surprises: I went into this thinking it was going to be some sort of damaged romance, which it was, but I wasn’t expecting the mystery and plot twists too.

Disliked:
🔸Cliffhanger: I was absolutely not expecting this to end when it did. If you’re the type of person who needs resolution in a book (like me), you won’t find it here.
🔸Insta-Love: I’m hit or miss with romances where they fall in love immediately. I like these two together, but thought they needed a little more time, despite their backgrounds.
🔸Writing: I’m not a professional writer, so who am I to critique, but it’s a minor pet-peeve of mine when I find typos in books and this one had a few. However, kudos to Nicci Harris for publishing this book herself and going for it 👌🏼

🧡🧡🧡🧡 / 3.75 stars! Is that a thing? I’m a sucker for a series and did like a lot of this book, so I’ll probably read the next book when it comes out.

Thank you NetGalley for my copy of the book in exchange for this honest review!

Blesk and Konnor meet at college and feel and instant, mutual and intense attraction. It is not long before they realise that the dark and terrifying secrets in their respective pasts are ones they share.

I would love to see more quiet moments between the characters and more consequence of certain events.

The author states at the end that this is her first full length novel and that she looks forward to improving as an author as the series continues and I really look forward to seeing that. I am also eagerly anticipating the next in the series.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review

I had good hopes for this book and while I think the bones of the story may be there, this book still needs a LOT of work in my mind. I understand that this is an advanced copy, but there are a ton of spelling, grammatical and just vocabulary (i.e. socialist should be socialite) issues that need to be worked out. Along with that, the plot kinda jumps around a bit and isn't cohesive, irregardless of the flashbacks that are added in. I had a hard time following and keeping up with the main plot line. I ended up DNF'ing the book a little over halfway as my brain just couldn't take anymore and I didn't want to force myself to finish. I'm hoping that with some clean-up and some minor changes to the plot this book will be back out and a much better read.

Thanks to the author and NetGalley for the chance to review this advanced reading copy!

3,5 stars, rounding it to 4 stars
Facing us is the first book in the series "the kids of the district"
Blesk had just started her first year at university. As much as she is excited about her new life, she's still apprehensive, fearing that her past resurfaces and ruin her future. Her only solace is in her music and the fact that she is enrolled in the same university as her big brother.

Konnor is her senior. he's outgoing, confident, and more than anything gorgeous! During their first encounter, there is no doubt that they're attracted to each other. But Konnor can't help feeling that their chemistry is ancient and more profound than anything he ever felt.

I have mixed feelings about this one.
well first, let me tell you this book got all the elements for an epic love story, the love at first sight, the angst, the dark past, AND the kidnapping! but this is not a simple lighthearted story. There are many layers to it and definitely some dark surprises on the line.
The storyline is catching and got unpredictable twists. it genuinely got me wondering. but I had some problems with some details, majorly the rape part. Well, more precisely the way the MCs dealt with the situation afterward. It felt unrealistic in my opinion. I just couldn't grasp how the victim just decided to go back to see her raper and didn't report him to the police! it just left me frustrated and angry. and her boyfriend was actually questioning if she loved that guy?
I really liked the writing and the characters were great in the like the 2/3 of the book. But the last part was not my favorite. The story was dragging out a little bit, and I really couldn't stand Konnor anymore. His macho and protective character sounded more overbearing and possessive than anything else.

All in all, I liked the general idea of the series.
I wish the author the best of luck in her writing, and I just can't wait to read book number 2. I'm really interested in finding out what will happen next with Blesk and Konnor.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my review copy

It was confusing and I was left with so many questions in my head that should've been answered. I don't think I'll continue with the series.

This book was fast-paced and held my attention. However, some of Blesk’s choices, like why she maintains contact with a certain person, was baffling to me. I didn’t really understand her thought process and her reasoning for her choices regarding that person. Other than that stumbling block, the book was an interesting read and start to the series.

All my dark romance lovers, where you at?
Facing Us-Kids of The District Series BOOK 1, is the first of a series.

This book is a sexy, dark and absolutely unputdownable! I like a book when it can grip me right from Page 1 and this book did that for me and continued till the end. This book has well satisfied the elements in a dark romance whether it is jealousy, rage, passion and longing.
The story revolves around the dark romance between Blesk and Konnor. Both of mysterious , painful pasts where one is trying to forget and another is trying to remember and hold on to it.
I liked the series of twist and turns in this book and I am glad to have picked this one.

Thank you NetGalley and Nick Harris for providing me with an ARC of this book.

3/5 stars

The writing was good. I always enjoy reading darker books. I thought this book was amazing. I’m definitely looking forward to reading the next book.

Blesk and Konnor meet at college and feel and instant, mutual and intense attraction. It is not long before they realise that the dark and terrifying secrets in their respective pasts are ones they share.

I read this book in one sitting and thoroughly enjoyed the story. The concept is quite frankly, brilliant and thrilling.

However, I feel like it was over edited down. As such it felt kind of rushed and I really wanted to stay longer. The fact that I couldn't took a lot of wind out of the sails of this story for me.

I would love to see more quiet moments between the characters and more consequence of certain events.
An example of this is when a character is raped, and in next to no time at all she is ready for hanky-panky with her boyfriend and I just don't find that believable. This book touches on some really dark subject matters and it feels like the author is not comfortable with them so she keeps it as brief as possible and jumps to the next moment.

The author states at the end that this is her first full length novel and that she looks forward to improving as an author as the series continues and I really look forward to seeing that. I am also eagerly anticipating the next in the series.

Not a bad start for a series...

Most likely, the prologue is a foretaste of the following books in this series. However, at times during this read, when the past is revealed, I perhaps can see a connection...

Konnor and Blesk are two college-age kids that fall in love at first sight. Konnor is a grad student - Blesk - a new student at 21 years old .Things are not as wonderful as they seem - it is not an easy relationship for the two of them. Both of their families may have shady pasts that may make things rough - if not dangerous - for the two of them...

A good start to this series!!! And, yes, I do intend to join Nicci Harris on the continuing journey!

Many Thanks to Nicci Harris and NetGalley for a very good story.

This was very scattered and did not really spell things out. There seemed like there was always something I was missing. I really could not get into the story. The beginning confused the heck out of me and I didn’t get how it connected to the story at all. There should be a trigger warning too. There is no ending and lots of unanswered questions. I will not be continuing.

Received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley for a honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Nicci Harris for gifting me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
Starting at the very beginning the writing felt cheesy. Turns out that first chapter may as well have been written by a different author. The story telling style was so different that it really just confused me more than intrigued me.
I’m not a fan of instant love so my opinion was automatically (no pun intended) biased. I just felt like this storyline was unbelievable.
Also the big incident that happens is strange. I see what the author was attempting but I just really didn’t care for this one!

Despite I couldn't connect with the characters or the story I can appreciate how the author created such a complicated story line specially at the beginning when everything was so confusing which only make me wanna know more,
Thank you netgalley for give me a digital copy.

“This is the kind of book that gives you goosebumps in the best and worst way”

Holy mother of a cliffhanger! Nicci Harris is either pure evil or pure genius or maybe pure evil genius because just when I thought I was getting my happy ending and the stars were aligning and love was blooming in the air and all that jazz, she yanked everything (very violently) away from me and left me WANTING!

Before I begin, I feel I must issue a disclaimer so you can choose for yourself: “ The beginning has nothing to do with the end but the end may have something to do with the beginning, none of the characters are who they say they are, but are also not pretending to be something they are not, and this story will crush you on the inside.”

Now that we have gotten that out of the way, let us begin with the District, commonly described as “A beating heart and claws” where an emotionally dark story is about to be played out about a beautiful girl and a lost boy who lives in a nightmare with no way out. Their world is fraught with emotional blackmail, love, courage, rape, kidnap and worst of all “Memories.”

Their story provides a beautiful reminder to laugh without consideration and that it’s ok to skip if you don't want to walk.

Thank you to NetGalley and Nicci for providing me with this amazing arc in exchange for my honest review. This review will be live on my blog from 16th June 2020 here: https://jesreadsit.wordpress.com/

This book was definitely something. The author is new to me and I received a copy through Netgalley.
I read this book in a single day; not quite a single sitting. It was fast-paced and the story was intriguing, but also a tad confusing.

The characters were all very beautiful and charming university kids, which was not surprising since this came up as dark romance. That's apt, but certainly not all. I feel like there should be a trigger warning on this though. The story has twists and turns and a dark undertone. It kept me engaged for sure.

The major reasons I only gave it three stars were:
1. It doesn't really end. It feels like the ending is only 75% of the story and there's a little, "to be continued...". If I felt like I'd at least gotten some answers to the mystery, that would be ok, but this was barely a stand alone and it doesn't make me want to read the next volume. It was so dark and tortured that I want to know there's a reward at the end if I'm going to subject myself to that again. As it is, I feel like I only got half a story that relied on the romance to make up for what we lacked in mystery. The romance was love at first sight, which I can get behind, but also got in the way of the story. That's so confusing, because it is the story too. Again, confusing. It took up too much time and slowed the pace.

2. The major reveals all lead to the need for more major reveals and only some are forthcoming. Just like I said above, it doesn't really end; the major revelations don't really end. You get this major "aha!", which doesn't feel all that major considering the earlier ones, and then it's "to be continued...". It was kind of mean and at least it ought to have made me want to read the rest, but it didn't.

The Prologue ought to connect with the rest of the story and it barely hangs on by a split thread. There's obviously a reason it was included and there is one character that is pertinent to this story, but on the fringes only. Without giving away any spoilers: that information may connect in the larger story arc this author seems to be planning, but it feels disjointed and confusing while reading this novel.

3. There is some major, not quite believable angst that clogs up the middle of this story. I realize this is a romance, but it just slowed the pace to include all the angsty "does she love me?", "does he love me?", "will we be together?" in the middle of the book. It was boring; It felt like it lasted ages and then it turned out it was only 2 weeks? Nah. Pass. I was far more interested in the actual mystery and the story than in the weird angsty, "we still need major therapy, but we'll be together anyway" bits.

4. The main characters are really wishy-washy. To preserve the cool twists and turns at the beginning of the book, the characters are super vague and don't really act like themselves even when you are in their POV. I get the necessity, but it made the characters feel inauthentic and flat. The firsts twists and turns leading to the first major reveal were a bit confusing. I found myself re-reading a lot there and then cycling back to the prologue to see what I missed and why it was there. Didn't get an answer to that last. The characters don't seem to be super into following the clues and revealing more of the story either; if they wanted closure, I feel like it should have felt more urgent, but it didn't.

Also, Elise and Jax steal the show and I want to read about them.

It felt like a lot of build up for a lot of "wait and see!" It was disappointing. I hate when an ending is disappointing. I did enjoy reading it and I wished it had a real ending.