Name: Magda Silva's review of Up in Flames by Abbi Glines
Item: Up in Flames
Rating: 3
Author: Magda Silva

Abbi Glines

#1 New York Times bestselling author Abbi Glines returns to Rosemary Beach one last time in this highly anticipated finale. Spoiled. Selfish. Rich girl. Villain. Slut. As the Prada-clad bad girl of Rosemary Beach, Nan Dillon has been called every vile name under the hot summer sun. Some of her reputation is deserved—she’s never had to worry about anything but maintaining her perfect figure and splitting Daddy’s private jet with her brother, Rush. But Nan is far from happy. Rush has another kid on the way and doesn’t have time to catch up with his sister. Grant, the last guy she truly cared about, chose to be with her half-sister, Harlow, instead of her. And Harlow, who has never gotten over the way Nan treated her when she first moved to town, remains distant. So when Major asks her out, she jumps at the chance to date the gorgeous charmer. Though she doesn’t know much about the sweet-talking Texan, and though it’s clear he doesn’t want to be exclusive, dating him beats hanging out with vapid socialites or watching Netflix alone at home. For a while, Nan deals with Major’s playboy ways, but after he burns her one too many times, she takes off for an impromptu wild weekend in Vegas. There, she meets Gannon, a darkly seductive and oh-so-dangerous businessman who knows exactly how to handle her. With Major asking for a second chance and Gannon haunting her dreams, Nan has to decide who to give her heart to. But what she doesn’t realize is that these players are involved in a much bigger game—and they’re already two moves ahead of her.

A Rosemary Beach Novel

Up in Flames

Magda Silva

"The villain of Rosemary Beach finally gets her own happy ending in the long-awaited final novel of the #1 New York Times bestselling new adult romance series by Abbi Glines"--

Sven Test

This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews.

No idea what I just read... I'm dumb-founded. First of all, there's no romance here at all! This is just a Dom/Sub relationship and Nan falls for him but it's so hard to believe. There is no connection at all. I expected the fierce, sassy, and bitchy Nan, but all I got was a weak Nan. I understand the author wanting the reader to like her now, but this isn't how it's done.

This book lacked so much depth! I mean, this is Nan's book. We are supposed to learn about her, right? Um... Yeah, that doesn't happen. If you were hoping to understand her and sympathize, you won't. The few "explanations" given were already mentioned in the series.

The male characters had me so frustrated. They were so awful! Major has a back-and-forth, push-and-pull thing going on and doesn't appreciate Nan. He "dates" her but sleeps around with anything that has a vagina and Nan knows this but she still stays with him.



Nan decides to head off to Vegas to get away from Major. Finally, I think some sense went into her brain... Yeah, no. There she meets Gannon, who is... Mysterious, to say the least. The reader doesn't really know Gannon, and Nan doesn't know Gannon at all. But yes, she sleeps with him. This was just bad. Their relationship wasn't romantic—it was physical, only sex, but Nan was "loving" Gannon. I couldn't buy any of it. I will mention one thing that left me completely stupid. After Nan returns from Vegas, Nan starts having these "dreams" about Gannon and her having sex for a few nights. Newsflash: they weren't dreams because they were actually happening. How can you not know someone is having rough sex with you and calling you his "evil bitch"? Ugh, completely disgusted here. Oh and yes, he was entering her home without her knowing.



So many other things that happened frustrated me to no end. I even put the book down and tried to understand the situation, but came up empty. I feel like the author could have written an incredible story on Nan to make the reader finally love her or understand her, but it went to waste.

Overall, I'm beyond disappointed and disgusted with this novel. I left like it degraded Nan so much.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews.

** spoiler alert **
           Find this review and more at 
  kimberlyfaye reads.


I have a lot of thoughts about this book. I'll probably get into some light spoilers, so consider yourself warned.

I wouldn't say that I've been waiting for Nan's book, necessarily. She's always been a character I loathed because of the way she behaved and how she treated characters I did like in the Rosemary Beach series. That said, I was still interested in reading her book. Would my opinion of her be the same after this book as it was before I went in? Would there be any amount of redemption for past wrongs? Would I understand her better? Like her more? Yes and no. I do feel like I have a better understanding of her character and I do like her... just a little bit. But that still doesn't excuse the way she behaved earlier in the series. A rough past isn't a license to be an utter asshole. I do, however, feel like she's on a better path after this book. But I could go on and on about that forever. I won't though. 

So, this book. I had high hopes and, while it was an entertaining read that I couldn't put down, I was disappointed. Why, you ask? Well, here are a few of the things that bothered me. (Spoilers likely.) I loathed Major. Like, hugely loathed him. I wasn't a fan when he was in earlier books and, for awhile I was afraid Abbi was going to try to have these two characters fix each other in this book. She didn't and I'm more than ok with that. But, I still didn't like him. He's the worst of the worst of men in new adult books. He thinks he has feelings for Nan, yet he quite literally screws any woman that crosses his path. I just can't with that. Even though I wasn't rooting for him and Nan to wind up together, it still pissed me off something fierce. I really liked Cope and, in the end, I think he's good for Nan... but the roughness of their sex life bothered me. I'm all for some BDSM play, but this was too much for me for some reason. I can't pinpoint exactly why except that he almost felt vicious when they were having sex. It raised my hackles, yet it seemed to be what Nan wanted/needed so I can't say a whole lot about it. One of my biggest WTFs was the decision Nan made at about the 80% mark of the book. I ... didn't respect that at all and I was ready for outrage from Cope. But, there again, he seemed ok with it. So what can I really say? There was TOO MUCH DRAMA in this book. It felt rushed at times and I'm still not entirely sure I understand everything that went down in the secondary storyline. And perhaps the biggest disappointment of all for me? There was very little follow up with previous characters from the series. That made me sad because I really did like some of the early couples in the series so much better than some of the latter ones. That said, I am glad we got to see more from Blaire and Rush. They're where the series started so it would've been so very weird if they weren't a part of the end. 

I know I just laid out a lot of flaws about this book, but I have to say ... it was an entertaining read. Maybe if I would've just read it with low expectations and not overthought parts of it I would've liked it more. It wasn't a bad read. At all. It just wasn't what I expected/wanted from the last book in this LONG series. It did fit Nan though. I don't think I would've believed it at all if she came out of this a TOTALLY different, Blaire-type person. She is who she is, but I understand and like her a little better now than I did before I started. I thought I'd be really sad to see the Rosemary Beach series come to an end, but I really think it's time. And this was a pretty good way for it to go out. 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

FAVORITE QUOTES
All men were liars. Even the bighearted, pretty ones.

Anger, self-loathing, and feelings of inadequacy can make a person hateful. Bitter. A monster. That's exactly what I didn't want to become. 

Girls were powerless when it came to pretty things.

It was me and my stupid need to be wanted. To belong to someone. For one man on this earth to believe I was worth it.

I wanted to be someone's Harlowe. Or Blaire. But I'd always just be Nan. And Nan wasn't enough. I never had been, and I was done trying to be.

You want me because you think you can't have me. When I was yours to take, you treated me as an option. I was there when you were bored. I was there when you wanted company and there wasn't a better choice. You liked knowing that I wanted you. That I waited for your calls. That I was there when you crooked your finger my way.

"You are real, Nan. More real than any person I've ever met. So when I say I love you, know that I do. I love it all."

Magda Silva &
Up in Flames by Abbi Glines

Reviews

Join the club

Magda Silva &Up in Flames by Abbi Glines

Reviews

Join the club

Magda Silva &
Up in Flames by Abbi Glines