An addictive romance, that contains secrets and grief. The Post-it notes is grips your attention immediately. This story contains family drama, mystery and a slow-burn romance. Cannot wait for the next one.

⚠️📚 OBSESSED. UNWELL. QUESTIONING EVERYONE. 📚⚠️

Almost Honest by Almost Honest had me spiraling in the BEST way possible 😭🖤

The dark academia vibes? Elite campus secrets? Morally gray billionaire heir? SIGN. ME. UP. 🥀✨

Prin had me STRESSED the entire book because girl was carrying trauma, secrets, and sticky-note lies like her life depended on it 😩📝 And honestly… it kinda did. Every chapter felt like peeling back another layer of something dangerous.

And QUINN OZLER??? 🥵🚩
That man is walking red flag energy wrapped in expensive suits and emotional damage. The tension between Quinn and Prin was INSANE. The slow burn had me kicking my feet one second and yelling “DON’T TRUST HIM” the next 😭🔥

The mystery surrounding Prin’s mother kept me hooked from beginning to end. Every clue made me question EVERYONE. I swear I highlighted half this book because the suspense was THAT GOOD 👀🖤

✨ Tropes & Vibes ✨
🖤 Enemies to lovers
📚 Dark academia
💰 Morally gray billionaire heir
🕵️‍♀️ Family secrets & mystery
🔥 Slow burn romance
⚡ Elite university setting
😭 Emotional tension for DAYS

This book feels like:
☕ Late-night library stalking
🌧 Rain on gothic campus windows
🖤 Rich families hiding deadly secrets
📖 Highlighting suspicious lines at 2 AM

And that ending?!?!?!
EXCUSE ME AVA ARDYNE??? I need book 2 immediately because I am NOT okay 😭👏

★ 4.5 stars ★

This book felt like walking through a storm in expensive clothes — dark academia shadows, dangerous attraction, grief stitched into every page, and a romance so slow-burn it hurts.

“Almost Honest” completely consumed me. Ava Ardyne created a world filled with elite universities, family secrets, anonymous threats, and the kind of emotional tension that keeps you reading just one more chapter until suddenly it’s 3am and your heart is racing.

Prin is the kind of heroine that feels painfully real — sharp-tongued, emotionally bruised, carrying grief like it’s stitched into her skin. Watching her unravel the mystery surrounding her mother’s death while trying not to fall apart herself made this feel deeper than a typical romance. She’s messy, reckless, funny, vulnerable — and impossible not to root for.

And Quinn Ozler???
That man is literally dark academia personified.

Rich heir. Morally gray. Cold hands, sharp suits, devastating tension. Every scene between him and Prin felt electrically charged. The banter? Addictive. The chemistry? INSANE. The slow burn nearly killed me in the best way because every interaction felt loaded with things unsaid.

This book feels like:
☕ highlighted library books at midnight
🌧 rain against gothic windows
🖤 rich families hiding ugly secrets
📖 sticky notes filled with lies
🔥 tension so thick it feels dangerous

What I loved most was the atmosphere. Everything feels cinematic and eerie, like there’s always something lurking just beneath the surface. Every clue about Prin’s mother had me questioning everyone. And the suspense genuinely worked — creepy notes, threats, secrets buried under wealth and power… it was giving “trust nobody” energy the entire time.

The only reason this wasn’t a full 5 stars for me is because the pacing felt slightly uneven in parts, and I desperately wanted more answers by the end. But honestly? That ending still left me staring at the wall needing book two immediately.

If you love:
🖤 dark academia
🖤 enemies to lovers
🖤 emotionally damaged rich boys
🖤 mystery + romance
🖤 slow burn tension that makes you feral

…then this book will absolutely own you.

Loved this! I consumed this book in just a few hours. Fast paced, mysterious, keeps you turning the page. Quinn and Prin are both full of secrets both past and present. The fire between them is undeniable in this slow burn novel. I cannot wait to read more of The Ozler Legacy. I need to know all the things that are coming and I look forward to hopefully some spice to keep things even more interesting ;)

Bravo Ava Ardyne, I'm excited to read more of your work!

Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing for this ARC of Almost Honest.

I loved this one and can absolutely see this one making the rounds on social media! This was really engaging from start to finish. I would absolutely check out more from this author. I would recommend this one to my followers.

Angst, yearning and complex feelings make this book practically hummmmmm. and Prin and Quinn are at the centre of it. they almost have their own current throughout this novel one that all else either magnets too, apart, pushes them together or towards. its all about them. but being them means there is so much more to their story and the people they come from have way more to tell. can they survive it? should they?
Prin instantly has that fierce but vulnerable echo around her. shes been through so much and yet is striving for answers. there is so much she needs to find out, especially around her mothers death that she just cant settle. like she wont find peace until she knows the truths.
there is that instant pull towards Quin. hes that morally grey millionaire with bells on. his own family have more to tell and perhaps way more to hide. but do they link to what Prin has been trying ti find out, and could this put her, them in danger?
because someone is definitely out to get her. and they are being rather obvious about it.
the character building in this book was fantastic. the story was so much about getting to the bottom of things for Prin. but the energy was dark and eerie so there always felt like there could be more or anything going on or to come next. the world building is definitely built so more could come from it. some more in the series?
the energy between Prin and Quin always feels heightened. i wasn't quite sure whether i wanted them to work it out or not simply because with all that involved with them, him, his family seemed like it could just end up with hurt. and i need my HEA to be HEA'S! i wanted them almost to step outside the world, ride away and be happy. getting to know them both was excellent though. you can feel their energy and also how they fit into a book that was far more than a romance.
this was a brilliant read. intense though. definitely a younger new adult angst kind of read which is no bad thing. the cover holds a wonderful captured image of whats to come.

Almost Honest pulled me in with its emotional tension, secrets, and undeniable chemistry from the very beginning. Ava Ardyne created a romance that feels raw, complicated, and beautifully messy in all the best ways. The connection between the characters was intense, filled with longing, trust issues, and moments that had me completely invested in their journey.

The slow unraveling of truths kept the story engaging, while the emotional depth gave the romance real weight. I loved how the characters weren’t perfect they felt flawed, guarded, and human, which made their relationship even more believable. The push and pull between honesty and fear added so much tension throughout the story.