Off Limits by Riley Hart ⭐️ 4,25/5 stars Boyyy, what should I even say about this book? It had me giggling, crying, clutching my Kindle, and muttering “nooo, don’t do that” like it would help. The emotional rollercoaster was wild — and Riley Hart just sat there in her author chair going, yes, let’s hurt them a little more. Hutch and Ryder? Pure magic. The chemistry was that good. The kind of slow burn that makes you want to yell “just kiss already!” but also makes you scared for when they finally do because you know it’s gonna break you. Their connection had depth — the pain, the healing, the humor — everything just clicked. And can we talk about character growth? Especially Hutch — my man started off with walls higher than my TBR pile and ended up emotionally available (mostly). I wanted to hug him and shake him at the same time. Like, “yes, babe, we love self-improvement, but could you stop being such a disaster for two seconds?” The writing? Smooth. The pacing? Just right. The emotional damage? 10/10 would experience again. Okay but… the side characters. Did we need them? Did we really? Some of them had the personality of wet cardboard. I didn’t hate them, I just… forgot they existed whenever Hutch and Ryder were on the page. And honestly? That’s fine. I came for the angst and the love story, not the background noise. So yeah. Emotional, romantic, occasionally frustrating, but overall? So worth it. Riley Hart once again proving she’s the queen of breaking your heart and stitching it back together — just not all the way.

Ryder und Hutch haben es mir sehr angetan und insbesondere die Tiefgründigkeit mit der Familie von Hutch hat mir auch richtig gut gefallen! Die Einbindung krebskranker Kinder war zuckersüß und gar nicht von Schwere gezeichnet, und wie toll sind Leyla und Luke bitte?! Die kleine Einbindung von der Atlanta Lighting Dilogie hat mein Buch-Universen-Herz höher schlagen lassen und der Schreibstil war wie immer flüssig! Ich hatte ein bisschen Angst vor dem Sister's Ex-Husband Trope, aber das war SO süß und relativ low angst, das war einfach richtig gut umgesetzt.

I didn't really have high expectations for this one, and had never read a book with that premise, but was positively surprised at how much I liked it and how well it was done. It wasn't a big highlight, and a quick read, but exactly what I wanted right now. I liked the characters and really enjoyed their dynamic ❤️ The parents of our main characters were friends, and they all grew up together. It felt natural that Ryder and Madison got together and married later, but then Ryder realizes that he is gay and the love he felt for her wasn't romantic, and they get divorced. The parents have a huge falling out because of it and he moves away but comes back 5 years later. Mads brother Hutch meanwhile also came out (as bi), and one night, he chats with someone (of course, it's Ryder) on a hook-up app. They instantly feel comfortable with each other and slowly fall in love without meeting or knowing who the other is, and don't know what to do after they find out. They don't want Mads to get hurt again... I loved their chats and cocky flirting 😂 They are pretty similar, and it was nice seeing them fighting for dominance, but in a playful way. It's the first time they both are really in love and they are so cute together. Also, the cover and description give off a wrong vibe. It's not a sensational and sexy story about someone screwing his sister's ex, but a rather sweet story about allowing yourself to be happy with the person you love despite their past. Of course, there are also spicy scenes, but they are really not the focus. A big part of the story is also that Mads had cancer, and that is why their parents are overprotective of her and put all their expectations on Hutch, who even is a doctor, but that's still not good enough for his dad. He also volunteers at a center for kids with cancer. I thought the topic was well handled in the story without getting too heavy. I also liked the characterization of the sister. With a setup like this, I was scared the character might not be handled well, but the opposite was the case. She was important to the story, and I liked her development. The other side characters weren't that important, but I am curious about Isaac, whose story will be in volume 2, which I also want to read. Now for the things I have to criticize, which isn't a lot. There were just many parts that felt repetitive. Things like "we don't want to hurt Mads," "Hutch is never good enough for his father," etc. were repeated in similar phrases quite often. Another thing was when the characters were talking about their, or others, feelings they sometimes did it in a way that felt more like the author explaining them to the reader and not like the characters themselves. So, I guess overexplaining emotions in an unnatural way 🤔 But none of these things bothered me much. I just noticed it. All in all, a nice book I enjoyed reading. Will definitely pick up more from this author (like vol. 2 with Isaac's story) 😊

Ryder und Hutch haben es mir sehr angetan und insbesondere die Tiefgründigkeit mit der Familie von Hutch hat mir auch richtig gut gefallen! Die Einbindung krebskranker Kinder war zuckersüß und gar nicht von Schwere gezeichnet, und wie toll sind Leyla und Luke bitte?! Die kleine Einbindung von der Atlanta Lighting Dilogie hat mein Buch-Universen-Herz höher schlagen lassen und der Schreibstil war wie immer flüssig! Ich hatte ein bisschen Angst vor dem Sister's Ex-Husband Trope, aber das war SO süß und relativ low angst, das war einfach richtig gut umgesetzt.