Lizardo94

Reviewed for Sara at www.HarlequinJunkie.com

Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley

Revealing Us is Book 3 in the Inside Out series. Yes, it brings me great pain to say that it appears that these awful characters aren't finished irritating us. This installment was even more painful than the last one. I hated it. If I could figure out how to give zero stars, I would. As it is, I'm giving 1/2 star because the writing isn't too bad. But from the story to the characters, it was just plain awful.

I'm going to start with the male character, Chris, because he's going to be faster to discuss. You may notice that I didn't call him a hero. This is because he does nothing heroic. Nothing even coming close to heroic. Every time the female character, Sara, gets into trouble, which is often, he always shows up late and with a scowl on his face. This isn't necessarily his fault since Sara is Too Stupid To Live (TSTL) but we'll get to her idiocy in a minute. So, Chris is showing up a day late and a dollar short, or riding to Sara's rescue on a Harley... in the pouring down rain... when he expects her to ride back with him. Genius. Also in this installment, we're supposed to be anticipating the discovery of Chris's Deep Dark Secret. Ha! As if. This secret is neither deep, nor dark and to anyone with a 10-year old's computer skills, not that secret either. Just like Sara's secret in Book 2, Chris's secret was a huge letdown. I mean, don't get me wrong. Chris's secret is a huge tragedy and it's very sad but to think that it's going to change Sara's opinion of him is just juvenile at best, stupid at worst. If I had been Sara, I would have been royally pissed at the build-up of something that didn't deserve it. And that's before I realized what it would mean Chris thought about me. But Sara, she's not so bright so her thoughts (as they are) don't go that way. I guess Chris is handsome and rich so that makes him easier to tolerate. But he essentially bullies her into going to Paris with him and then he agrees to go to meetings all day long, leaving Sara to fend for herself... in a place she's not familiar with and doesn't know the language! Hello?! Rude much? Wait, I changed my mind. Chris is just as awful as Sara... they're perfect for each other.

And now Sara. Holy crap, where to start with her? One of the first things Sara thinks upon her arrival in Paris is along the lines of What Could Possibly Go Wrong? Seriously?! Her supposed best friend has disappeared in Paris so I'd say a hell of a lot could go effing wrong in Paris!! While we're talking about Ella, as usual, Sara forgets all about finding Ella for most of the time. Then, when someone reminds Sara that Ella's missing by stating that there is no new news, Sara literally goes into a blind panic. I mean, really! With friends like Sara, who needs strangers?!? Plus, Sara's creepy obsession with Rebecca continues. It was okay when there was a chance that Rebecca was alive and when Sara was worried about her (for a couple mins every few days). But now that she knows Rebecca's fate? It's just beyond creepy. Then, one minute Sara's all about how Chris is NOT her Master but literally one page later, she claims that she's his to command! For real, this chick is seriously bi-polar. She also continues with her pattern of getting mad at Chris until Chris gives her a smoldering look and tweaks her nipple, at which time, she drops trou (along with the rest of her clothes). I was wishing and praying that she would stick to her convictions or to her anger for just 5 full minutes. Just once. But no dice. Finally, Sara proves once and for all that she is truly Too Stupid To Live when she's lead like a lamb to the slaughter by a friend of Chris's named Amber. Sara knows that Amber doesn't like her and can't be trusted but she falls for her trap when Amber calls and acts like she needs help getting home from a BDSM club. Once at this club, Sara realizes even more that its been a ruse but when she's given TWO separate opportunities to leave, she doesn't. Then, on top of that, SHE PROCEEDS TO GET SHITFACED on tequilla!! All alone!! With Amber pawing all over her! I mean, you have GOT to be kidding me, right? If the author had any heart, she'd kill Sara off and do all of us a favor while making things right with the Fiction Gods.

Overall, this book is pretty much just Sara begging with her eyes and vagina for Chris to tell her his Deep Dark Secret and Chris putting her off and then Sara running off without any security guys and then getting into trouble until Chris shows up too late to do anything but glower and complain. The rest of the book is filled with Sara crashing through Chris's past like an overly emotional bull in a China Shop and making assumptions that a hormonal 16-year old wouldn't be dumb enough to make. To make things worse, this book ends in a cliffhanger. We see Ella, on the run from an unknown entity. So it sounds like we're going to hear more from this band of halfwits. I for one, will not be checking out the next installment. I think I've had all I can handle of these mundane characters.

If you aren't going to read the book, click below to see the secrets... But don't say I didn't warn you. Seriously major huge spoilers below.

[spoiler]

Yeah, so Rebecca's dead... or is she? Sara makes a half hearted statement about is she really dead because no one has found a body even though Ava admitted to killing her before Ava's lawyer stepped in and said that Sara killed Rebecca. Ugh, right? So we may see in the next one that Rebecca was never really dead but then again, I'd hate for Rebecca to see what these people have done to her life with letting everyone and their brother read her diaries. But it always felt wrong that Rebecca died so it wouldn't surprise me if she wasn't dead. Oh and Chris's secret is that when he was younger or a kid, he killed a young guy (16 years old) who had mugged him and his group that included his family, his female friend and her parents and had killed his friend's parents right there in front of them. It was kind of a knee jerk reaction but it's his big secret because he doesn't regret shooting and killing that guy. I don't know what the big deal is but maybe I'm kind of bloodthirsty like that. Eye for an eye and all that, you know. So I thought that reveal was almost as much of a letdown as Sara's, "Oh dear my fiancee forced me to have sex with him even though I didn't say no but I didn't really want to so I must be a slut" bullshit. I never understood what the big deal was as far as why she thought Chris would hate her. If she was raped, yeah, that's awful but to make it like a big secret that's going to ruin her relationship? Meh, I don't think so.[/spoiler]