Bad Things Feel Best

by Ivy Smoak

A young writer searching for inspiration instead finds danger, betrayal, and romance in a spellbinding novel by USA Today bestselling author Ivy Smoak. It’s almost like he wants her to think he is a monster. Hazel Fox arrives at her new job on a private island hoping to get inspiration from a renowned novelist, only to discover she won’t be working with the author after all. She won’t even get to meet her. Instead, she’ll be assisting the handsome—and infuriating—Mr. Remington. Mr. Remington unnerves Hazel from the moment they meet. Not only because he’s cold and strict and seems hell-bent on getting her to quit…but because his eyes are the same color of the ocean in their backyard. And his intense gaze always seems to be trained on her. Mr. Remington refuses to share any personal information about himself—not even his first name. But if there’s one thing Hazel is certain of in this beautiful, isolated estate, it’s that Mr. Remington has secrets. And those secrets are dangerous. Something sinister is going on, and Hazel is determined to discover the truth…no matter how close she has to get to Mr. Remington. After all, it’s the things that are bad for us that feel best.

Genres: Romance, Thriller, Romantic Suspense, Contemporary, Audiobook, Suspense, Enemies To Lovers

279 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 8, 2023

About the author

Ivy Smoak is the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Amazon #1 bestselling author of The Hunted Series. Her books have sold over 4 million copies worldwide.

When she's not writing, you can find Ivy binge watching too many TV shows, taking long walks, playing outside, and generally refusing to act like an adult. She lives with her husband in Delaware.

Learn more about Ivy on:
Amazon ➜ http://bit.ly/IvySmoakAMZ
Facebook ➜ http://bit.ly/IvySmoakFacebook
Instagram ➜ http://bit.ly/IvySmoakInsta
TikTok ➜ https://bit.ly/3F6QML7
BookBub ➜ https://bit.ly/2VOZycg
Website ➜ bit.ly/IvySmoakWebsite
Reader Group ➜ bit.ly/IvySmoakGroup
Join Ivy Smoak's newsletter for a sexy FREE story and exclusive material: https://www.ivysmoak.com/newsletter

Empire High


The Hunted & Light to My Darkness



Made of Steel

Reviews

[rae ✿ · Rating 1 out of 5]

i read this book so you don't have to

Thank you Netgalley for the e-arc!

Let's just say I suffered to finish this book.

Ok, so this began with Hazel Fox, who just got a new job as an assistant for an author, and after she moved to this author's house that was located on a private island, instead of meeting her, she met a guy named Mr. Remington.

Mr.Remington is giving off a weird vibe. He has very strict rules, such as not calling him by his first name which I don't understand why, and not wearing shoes inside the house, which my asian mom would appreciate.
And even knowing all of that, Hazel still decided to stay.

And here goes my headache. Hazel is a horny, annoying, immature, and generally dislikeable. I feel like she needs to get laid instead of getting a job.

I was so unimpressed by the plot. The author attempted to portray Mr. Remington as a morally gray character, but it fell flat.

There's no chemistry, no character development. The nonexistence of the "thriller". The whole story is a mess and just lost it's direction. I found the writing was cringeworthy and ridiculous. I tried so hard to find a single thing I liked about this book, but, sorry, there was none.

1⭐

[Laura · Rating 1 out of 5]

what?

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review coming soon.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ivy Smoak is a new author for me, but I see she has written quite a number of books previously. This one was a lot of fun, and I would classify it as both a thriller and a romance novel.

Description:
Hazel Fox arrives at her new job on a private island hoping to get inspiration from a renowned novelist, only to discover she won’t be working with the author after all. She won’t even get to meet her. Instead, she’ll be assisting the handsome—and infuriating—Mr. Remington.

Mr. Remington unnerves Hazel from the moment they meet. Not only because he’s cold and strict and seems hell-bent on getting her to quit…but because his eyes are the same color of the ocean in their backyard. And his intense gaze always seems to be trained on her. Mr. Remington refuses to share any personal information about himself—not even his first name. But if there’s one thing Hazel is certain of in this beautiful, isolated estate, it’s that Mr. Remington has secrets. And those secrets are dangerous.

Something sinister is going on, and Hazel is determined to discover the truth…no matter how close she has to get to Mr. Remington. After all, it’s the things that are bad for us that feel best.

My thoughts:
I think I would have quit on the first day of the job when Hazel found out that she was not going to be the author's assistant, but the assistant to the assistant. I enjoyed the back and forth banter between Hazel and Mr. Remington. The book was a fun read and there were a couple of times I laughed out loud. There was just enough spookiness to make you wonder. Loved the setting of the creepy old house with the secret passageways and all the locked doors.

Thanks to Montlake through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on August 8, 2023.

[Tracie Gutknecht · Rating 2 out of 5]

Romance

This book suffered from an identity crisis. The author had us going in one direction with a creepy kind of mystery while also developing a romantic storyline. Neither was successful.

Hazel Fox accepts a job as a famous writer's assistant, but when she arrives it turns out that she is the assistant to the writer's assistant. Her workplace is a gigantic house on the beach. From the beginning something seems off. The assistant insists she call him Mr. Remington, not wear shoes to dinner and tells her that she most likely won't ever meet the author she is supposed to be working for.

Hazel's imagination goes into overdrive and all of the clues indicate that Mr. Remington could be some kind of monster, yet she cannot help but be attracted to him. Smoak does a great job with the creepy storyline and I was kind of hoping the plot would go in the direction of a modern day Beauty and the Beast. It doesn't. The author isn't successful in making the relationship that develops between Mr. Remington and Hazel very believable. Mr. Remington's character isn't developed enough and his interactions with Hazel are mostly odd, so by the time they get together the relationship doesn't feel fully realized.

This book is really short and I think it would have benefitted by adding some meat to the bones - round out the characters, have the relationship go through some different ups and downs.

I do so appreciate receiving the ARC and want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for my copy.

[SheWhoReads · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rating: 2.5
-There aren’t actual spoilers but I did go into extensive details with quotes and all so you’ve been warned. Basically once I start trashing the main character I use some quotes etc. So proceed at your own risk, though I haven’t spoiled the plot. Happy Reading!

I went into this book without knowing much about the plot or even genre. Nevertheless I was excited to get into it. The plot was okay, if a little inconclusive. In the end secrets were uncovered, however the answers to the many questions the main character obsessed over for the last half of the book were never found. Worse, there was a poorly conceived love triangle which really wasn’t one and it was so thoroughly boring that I’m at a loss of words. But fine, the love triangle was a part of the plot in hindsight.

If I were to talk about the characters, none of them were particularly riveting. The main characters are Mr Remington and Hazel. Her best friend Kehlani and the pool boy Hudson are the important secondary characters.

-Remington was meant to give off a morally gray vibe I suppose, but to be honest he was boring. Nothing about him was especially different nor did he have anything that would land him in the hall of book boyfriends. And he was the best character in my opinion.

-Hudson was the typical buffer dude who likes the main character, just to create a sense of wow she can pull guys. Or whatever. I never really understood why so many books had the one guy who would like the main character but was sweet and accept that they won’t be endgame.

-Kehlani was the typical best friend. Hazel complains about her job/ boss and Kehlani automatically starts calling him hot and encourages Hazel to get with him. She does the same with Hudson- go out have fun, sleep with him yada yada. Then she does the customary don’t you mess with MY bestie, I know people. So again nothing new.

You can probably guess why I left Hazel for last. She is honestly infuriating, boring, entitled, delusional and plain stupid. She dreams of being an author and takes up a job as an assistant to a famous author. She then finds out that she was misled and that she’s actually the assistant to the author’s assistant. Bummer, I understand. But there’s something she doesn’t understand and that’s boundaries. It’s like they don’t even exist.
She’s told to use last names only but finds that rude and offensive and just doesn’t seem to understand that if someone’s curt or doesn’t wish to share personal information with you they probably don’t like you very much and are NOT looking for a non professional relationship with you.

———
Mr. Remington had stopped coming to the formal dinners. But I still saw him every morning. He'd say one curt thing to me at breakfast to pretend to be polite, quickly followed by one rude thing after I asked him a personal question.
———

Yeah well, get a hint.

———
“When's your birthday?” It wasn’t my most subtle question, but he’d evaded all my others. How long have you been working for Athena Quinn? Where did you grow up? What’s really behind all the closed doors in Athena Quinn’s wing? Are sitting and drawing rooms a southern thing or a you thing?
———

Clearly she did not get a hint. It’s honestly tiresome to think of how annoying and nosy someone needs to be to not even see a fault with making a person uncomfortable with constantly forcing them to talk to you and tell you about their life when they clearly don’t like you. And then she has the audacity to be offended that he’s curt, or evades her questions or acts rude to her. Like the entitlement is strong with this one.

Another thing that irked me to no end was her need to make a big deal about secrets. Oh no, your two coworkers don’t talk to you? One of them is mute? *Gasp* no way, she must talk, the rude man must have scared her!
He must have a secret!
I’m not allowed to enter someone’s personal rooms? What?! There is a mystery there. Why would someone keep a total stranger, their new employee out of their private space? (And this is the same person who doesn’t do interviews or anything. So, very private.) I must invade everyone’s privacy at once!
This weird obsession with uncovering secrets like sure it’s for the plot but couldn’t there have been something more that could have encouraged her to look for things? Something more than why am I not allowed in my boss’s bedrooms even though she hasn’t even bothered to meet me? I mean sure anyone would be curious about locked doors but also anyone with a bit of self preservation and common sense would refrain from sneaking into other peoples bed rooms and basically snooping in someone’s house, especially the one who is your EMPLOYER.

———
“What’s in those rooms?” I asked.
“All locked doors are off-limits.”
“Okay but what’s …in them?”
“Those are Athena Quinn’s personal rooms.”
“What kind of personal rooms?”
“Rooms you’re not allowed in.”
———

Again, infuriating.

———
All I wanted to do was go open one of the doors I wasn't supposed to. But I was pretty sure that trying to get Mr. Remington to tell me his first name was already offensive enough for my first day on the job.
———

And yet.

———
But if I knew one thing about Athena Quinn, it was that she wrote bold
female leads. If I was going to get close to her, I'd have to be bold too. It was best if I took this opportunity into my own hands. And if I was lucky, she'd be behind one of those locked doors.
———

I’m sure the author didn’t mean that snooping was bold but sure go on.
And this is the moment she arrives and the first moment she’s left alone, specifically asked to stay in the sitting room and not touch anything till Remington comes back from his phone call or whatever.

———
I’d already almost gotten caught snooping once. For a few minutes last night, I’d thought Mr. Remington had known what I’d done. But he hadn’t fired me. Instead, he’d left for the day. He was practically begging me to snoop again.
———

Yes, because knowing you’ve been caught twice, confronted once and still not fired isn’t enough to make you be responsible and cherish this second chance you’ve gotten at not screwing up. Of course, the take away is to try to do the wrong thing again.

———
I pulled two bobby pins out of my hair and looked behind me once more
before crouching in front of Mr. Remington’s door. Last night I’d researched lockpicking. And, honestly, it didn’t seem that hard. He’d given me inspiration for the hero of my novel, but I still hadn’t learned a single thing about the man. Without knowing more, I was afraid my inspiration would run dry.
———

Just look at how nonchalant she acts even though she’s most definitely doing something illegal. And look at how she’s justified it all in her head.
You need privacy? B-but my book? Whatever will I do without knowing what your bedroom looks like? I want to be an author but it all entirely depends on me getting inspired by the contents of your sock drawer! You can’t do this to me!

———
But it was impossible to not piss off the man. And I’d been as well behaved as I possibly could be, given the fact that I was literally standing in a haunted house.
———

Her definition of well-behaved is very questionable. Like the bar is in the ground. And just because the electricity of an old house went out during a thunderstorm and you heard a few creaks which you now know were alive human made, how do you still consider it haunted? Like there is no evidence. What is she even on?

———
When I’d first arrived at the mansion, I’d been dying to know more about
Athena Quinn. Desperate for just one conversation. Somewhere in the past few days, though, my thoughts had shifted. I understood Athena Quinn even without meeting her face-to-face. She ostracized herself from the world because the world was hateful to her. So she brought museums to her. Libraries to her. The whole world to her. She never left her estate. Hell, she never even left her private wing. All for good reason.
———

She idolises this woman so much and then also calls her a mediocre author then says oh but I’m not even an author how can I criticise her then starts feeling connected to her and her characters and makes hate mail about herself then says it’s not about me. The roller coaster.

———
Suddenly it made sense how annoyed he’d gotten when I’d criticized her latest novels. Because it wasn’t just a working relationship. It was way more than that. He was protective of her.
———

Or he was just smart and didn’t bad mouth his boss and her work with others. I think it’s part of professional etiquette. The jumping to conclusions is laughable. She really pulled a Bella Swan in here somewhere. Like that’s the kind of conclusions she was jumping at.

———
My imagination went haywire whenever I felt alone.
———

No shit, Sherlock. Also there’s apparently also a slight tragic angle the author tried to play into. I would still suggest therapy for her. Not because she is particularly traumatised but because she is traumatising. And she just needs help in general. Her justifications for her behaviour, if you can even call it that, are stupid.

The writing was smooth and the time skips were not abrupt, so I would say that overall it wasn’t a terrible read. I read it in one sitting just because I had more stuff to do and I didn’t think I would find it in me to return to it, but I didn’t have to force myself to read it either. I did want to know how things were going to end. There wasn’t much in terms of suspense, it was simply a delusional wild goose chase which incidentally happened to have substance. Meaning Hazel was just crazy but she was onto something (purely accidentally imo this could all be normal tbh).
As I’ve said before, the ending was inconclusive. The Bella Swan type assumption I spoke of? Yeah I think the author forgot to clarify that. Maybe she intended for it seem like a thriller ending but this book just didn’t have what it takes to end on a confusing note. Especially since it seemed more romance centric than anything else. There was also a grovelling trope which completely overlooked all the huge wrong things. Like if someone lies to you and manipulates you it’s kind of stupid just to take their word for it after they were forced to come clean because you already found out most of the truth. That’s a terrible beginning to a relationship. This was supposed to be a slow burn maybe but I just don’t know where either of the characters fell in love. I get that there were time skips but you have to show us how a relationship blossomed from distaste to love. There was absolutely no chemistry between the two characters and the author simply thought that sexual tension was going to suffice. But it didn’t. I skimmed , more like skipped, the smut. Their ‘encounters’ were embarrassing and awkward and did not make me feel anything. Like absolutely nothing.
Moreover, the conservation between Hazel and Kehlani were so cringey. I can’t even with this stuff. (In case you can’t tell, my eloquence only goes so far when I’m cringing and at a loss of words.)

———
“Wait.” she said. “I have a brilliant solution.”
“You want me to seduce Little Remington?” Seriously, stop calling him that!
“Well, duh. But I meant about the stairs. Use your phone’s flashlight.”
———

I mean what a tube light. How do you even survive to be twenty something if you don’t have like two brain cells which would tell you to use your flashlight in the dark? The interactions and her inner monologue are so hopeless I mean I feel bad for her. I’m not even gonna talk about her drunk flirting. Because that was a true tragedy. I don’t think booping guys on the nose while calling them little anything is gonna win you any points.

Other than that, the book wasn’t actually that bad. Like if you suffered through all this, it’s not that bad. It’s only 225 pages and I’m only flabbergasted by the horrible things after finishing the book. While reading it I don’t think I was nit picking as much as I am now.
Oh and one last disturbing thing I read:

———
She looked up at the huge house, her doe eyes wide with wonder.
———

I’m not even going to say anything.
(If you need a hint it’s doe eyes.)

[Yolanda | yolandaannmarie.reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Bad Things Feel Best releases August 8, 2023

*contains spoilers*

This was the most ridiculously predictable thing I’ve read. Yet it also wasn’t? What the fuck was this…
The only good takeaway here was that it was a really fast and easy read.

Bad Things Feel Best spans just over one month, from August 28 - October 1.
Hazel Fox is an aspiring author from New York and has applied to be the assistant to best selling author, Athena Quinn. This position lands her with a live-in situation in a gated mansion overlooking the beach on an island off the coast of South Carolina. Except, instead of Athena Quinn, Hazel is faced with a man named Mr. Remington who insists on only using surnames, is always cold to the touch, is hardly ever present during the day or night, and speaks with phrases that are not at all modern.

Hazel spends her time being “the assistant to the assistant”, sifting through copious amounts of hate mail, while also trying to weasel her way into every crevice of this house that she so clearly was told not to enter.

It truly baffled me how freaking clueless Hazel was. Despite “living with Athena”, Athena never actually made an appearance, and that should have set off some alarms or red flags, but nope!! Apparently not!
And the way she never once clued in or recognized that the manuscript she stumbled across was an exact replica of her arrival to the mansion?! PLS YOU ARE HIS MUSE, how can you be so blind to something that is right in front of your face!?


TLDR: I really didn’t like how for 99% of this book I was convinced that this was some vampire story, and then apparently in the last 1% it wasn’t?? Like?? Might as well just run with it because there were so many freaking plot points that made this a glaringly cliché vampire story — the cold hands, jars of bulk “tomato sauce”, no bed in his bedroom, seemingly never eating any meals, avoiding sunlight, all of the portraits from the 1600’s that made him look like he hasn’t aged a single day, all of the old language, being allergic to garlic… I could go on and on.

Were all of the neighbours, cops, and security guard in on Remington’s ruse as an author? It just seemed like so much work to involve all of those people, and for what? It makes no sense.

The romance was not believable in the slightest. Remington was so absent throughout this story, and you’re telling me she somehow was able to fall in love with him? How? Every interaction between them had Hazel at the receiving end of curt answers.
That one intimate scene in the ocean was so unnecessary, and I was cringing so hard reading the part when Hazel was drunk and he had her bent over the table in her thong.


I might comp this to Verity by Colleen Hoover just for the creepy vibes of the house and the author characters.

[Kursed Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

A budding author, Hazel Fox uproots her life in New York and accepts a position as the personal assistant to Athena Quinn’s personal assistant.

Atlas Remington, Athena’s PA is quirky and standoffish. Yet Hazel is inextricably drawn to him.

Definitely some laugh-our-loud moments between the twists and tension.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Burn: 🔥
Darkness: 🤍
Heat: 🌶️
Range of Emotions: 🤔😬🙄😠😍
Ending: 💗 {HEA}
POV: 🧍🏻‍♀️ {Single}

🗂 Genre: Contemporary Romance

✨ Tropes: Enemies-to-Lovers, Forbidden, Forced Proximity, Workplace

💋 Kinks: n/a

⚠️ Warning: The angst in this slow-burn will edge you to the point of combustion!

🚩 Safety Squad: n/a

📣 Type: Bad Things Feel Best is a standalone.

🛑 Be Advised: My Goodreads shelves are … explicit in both senses. As such, they could be considered spoiler-y.

[Gayane♡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

OH MY LANTA, 😤😬I am very angry with this book! 😡🤬 I read the plot and it sounded very interesting which for the most part it was but getting close to the end I was just reading to see what the dam secrets were. 🙄


‼️‼️‼️‼️SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️

Hazel was getting on my last nerve, like the moment she came into that house she didn’t know what dick to climb on. 😑 She dragged her poor friend into all these conclusions and then randomly left her on read, by not calling her back or texting her like wtf!? What kind of friend are you?? 😡 Selfish that’s what you are! Once we find out what Atlas did I was so mad, also the cameras how is that okay? Especially having a camera in her room near her bed? That’s definitely taking it too far and invading someone’s privacy! THAT IS NOT OKAY 🤬

Also how can you say “I love you” to a person you’re afraid of? Or don’t even know??? Like WTF HAZEL? 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄 I hated how Hazel just gave in at the end like she just didn’t just get used as a puppet, this could have been an amazing story, the suspense kept me for the most part but at the end it just became very lame!

I was so disappointed I wasted my time on this book. I’m giving this a 2⭐️ only because the first 20% was actually interesting.

[Olivia Wildenstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

God, this book had some very very funny moments, and then some very very creepy moments. It reminded me a lot of Verity, Although I kept flipping those pages, curious where Smoak was taking her story, I would've loved more romance. I was expecting an adult romance, but it was more romantic thriller with fade-to-black scenes.

Thanks for the advanced copy. And for creating Kehlani who really stole the show.

[Romancing the Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

A complete fever dream of a book…

I kind of don’t have words for this book.

📔 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗼: Bad Things Feel Best by Ivy Smoak

📚𝗧𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲: Romantic suspense

📖 𝗦𝘆𝗻𝗼𝗽𝘀𝗶𝘀: Hazel takes a job working for the elusive author, Athena Quinn, only to find herself working with the grumpy and mysterious Atlas Remington. As the mysteries pile up, she must choose if she stays at the sprawling estate or escapes home.

🌟 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄: This book was a literal fever dream. It made little to no sense, featured maybe a top 5 most unlikeable female main character, and the two leads fell in love with each other for absolutely no reason.

I’m face, the FMC spent a good amount of time believing the man she was “in love” with was a vampire. Yep. You read that right.

I picked this up because it was it was a KU read-and-listen and I always need a good audio book for when I can’t sit down and read. And I’m sad to say the narrator made it worse.

All around, this was the kind of book that makes you not want to read an author again, so I’m probably out on Ivy Smoak.

𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 2.5/5 ⭐⭐

𝗦𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 2/5 🌶🌶

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗱: Master of Salt and Bone by Kerri Lake or Private Property by Skye Warren.

🆓️ on KU

[constance · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 "If she weren't so naive, she would have run... it would have been brave if she weren't so foolish". This book was so incredibly beautiful and one that I would definitely read again to pick up more clues on what was happening.

The book follows Hazel who is starting a job as an assistant to a famous author, Athena Quinn. The author lives on an island where Hazel is hoping to receive inspiration in order to write her book. However, when she arrives at the house, it turns out she is working as the assistant to the assistant, Mr Remington. The more time Hazel spends in the house the more she notices how peculiar and haunted the estate is. Secrets begin to become uncovered and Hazel wonders if she should have ever moved to the estate in the first place.

I really am determined not to spoil this book for anyone wishing to read, so this is going to be quite difficult to write. I'll start by saying how gorgeous the writing is, it is so incredibly descriptive and quite frightening in some parts. The characters were also all very charming; at some points I found Hazel to be quite childish in her reactions and her determination to meet Athena, despite being warned by all to do the opposite. Mr Remington was possibly my favourite character, charming and, seemingly, very bizarre.

The plot I found to be extremely enjoyable read and just when you thought you knew what was going on, it was all suddenly turn around. My only issue is, that I instantly guessed one of the plot twists, so in that respect was a waiting game for me. There were also several pretty obvious hints towards this twist to I just wish there was more of an illusion towards the unknown rather than the seemingly obvious. But I really didn't mind this at all due to the second major twist (which I shall not spoil on here). I will just say, I wish so much that it was stuck with. You'll understand what I mean once you read it. It honestly kept me reading all night as I absolutely adored this twist and I was determined to give it five stars right up until the ending! Despite this, I was so attached to this book as I really didn't know where it was going to go.

I really would recommend this book to everyone it is such a short and thrilling read with so many twists. Thank you netgalley for the arc!

[Jocie C · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75⭐️
1-1.5🌶️
It was so anticlimactic. The whole story made the secrets seem way more than they are. I figured out the real secret within minutes of reading it well most of it anyway the rest clicked in a little later. But the secrets were just so overhyped and i just felt really let down in the end. I expected more romance to be honest. It was just little pieces of their love story thrown in there from time to time.

[Jessica {Litnoob}]

DNF @ 31%

I did skip to the last chapter to check if my suspicions were correct. I was right and it was so stupid and sloppy I’m glad I skipped the other like 65% between where I stopped reading and that last chapter. Hard pass on this one.

[Kimmie Hall · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m just not sure how I feel about this one

[Marisela vidalperez · Rating 5 out of 5]

The plot twist omg I saw it coming it keep you on your toes that I felt like they need to be more to this story I need more answer I’m so use to Ivy Smoak series I want a story about the other character in the book their no cliffhanger.

Mr Remington was a mystery went hazel come to the mansion he the one that let her know how is going to be but she does the opposite because she want to meet the famous author and the author doesn’t want to be seen by any one and Hazel is getting obsessed to meeting her.

I really would recommend this book to everyone it is such a short and thrilling read with so many twists. Thank you netgalley for the arc! And Ivy Smoak for letting us have this opportunity to read it. Once the book come out I’ll write more of the book their so much more to say that I can’t give any spoilers.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would totally recommend this book. I stayed on the edge of my seat the entire time trying to figure out the plot twist. It was captivating and at times humorous how the mind of the main characters worked. The story line was quirky and flowed easily. An easy, fun read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free book and the opportunity to share my review.

[Carla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a twist of a story. I'm a little disappointed that we don't get more answers. But I also know Ivy Smoak is a mastermind at weaving together the truths we want. So I'm fully expecting more. Or at the very least another book that adds bits and pieces of Mr. Remingtons story. The one thing that stands out above all, is that it's in our nature to be curious about the things that should terrify us. I love that Ivy has captured that essence here!

[constance · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 "If she weren't so naive, she would have run... it would have been brave if she weren't so foolish". This book was so incredibly beautiful and one that I would definitely read again to pick up more clues on what was happening.

The book follows Hazel who is starting a job as an assistant to a famous author, Athena Quinn. The author lives on an island where Hazel is hoping to receive inspiration in order to write her book. However, when she arrives at the house, it turns out she is working as the assistant to the assistant, Mr Remington. The more time Hazel spends in the house the more she notices how peculiar and haunted the estate is. Secrets begin to become uncovered and Hazel wonders if she should have ever moved to the estate in the first place.

I really am determined not to spoil this book for anyone wishing to read, so this is going to be quite difficult to write. I'll start by saying how gorgeous the writing is, it is so incredibly descriptive and quite frightening in some parts. The characters were also all very charming; at some points I found Hazel to be quite childish in her reactions and her determination to meet Athena, despite being warned by all to do the opposite. Mr Remington was possibly my favourite character, charming and, seemingly, very bizarre.

The plot I found to be extremely enjoyable read and just when you thought you knew what was going on, it was all suddenly turn around. My only issue is, that I instantly guessed one of the plot twists, so in that respect was a waiting game for me. There were also several pretty obvious hints towards this twist to I just wish there was more of an illusion towards the unknown rather than the seemingly obvious. But I really didn't mind this at all due to the second major twist (which I shall not spoil on here). I will just say, I wish so much that it was stuck with. You'll understand what I mean once you read it. It honestly kept me reading all night as I absolutely adored this twist and I was determined to give it five stars right up until the ending! Despite this, I was so attached to this book as I really didn't know where it was going to go.

I really would recommend this book to everyone it is such a short and thrilling read with so many twists. Thank you netgalley for the arc!

[Cordelia Lalone · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC Review
Title: Bas Things Feel Best
Publishing date: August 8th, 2o23
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

"I opened up the french doors and stepped onto the wet balcony. The ocean air swirled around me, and the flame of my candle went out. It was the perfect view of the ocean"

We follow the story of Hazel Fox who accepts a new job working with Athena Quinn, when she gets to this estate, she is greeted with the unexpected. She is tasked to be the assistant to Mr. Remington, who is already Athena Quinn's assistant. In this estate there a lot of secrets and creepy things happening. We get introduced to a few secondary characters in the story like Hazel's friend form New York Kehlani, and Hudson who is the pool boy. We go on a journey of Hazel getting to know the area and trying to uncover secrets hidden in this estate.

I really enjoyed the imagery throughout the book (highlighted in quote above). This really helped me stay engaged withe the story and feel like I am inside the book. The story was well-paced which made it a fast read since I enjoyed it so much. I enjoyed how all of the characters were introduced and focussed on throughout the story. I liked all of the characters and felt connected to them all. They worked together in unison. I also enjoyed the relationship between Kehlani and Hazel, they were very connected and had many scenes which I liked. I also really liked the mystery aspect of the story. It gave me anxiety when every I thought Hazel was going to caught, I felt like I was in her body. I also liked how Kehlani was involved even though she was far away. liked that Hudson was brought into the story, it added more mystery surrounding Mr. Remington. I don't think he needed to be in the few ending scenes but his presence felt like it dropped off near the end. I thought Hazel's prediction about Mr. Remington was going to be true, I think it would have been cool if it was. But overall I really liked how the end of the book played out, and that is was a happy ending as well. I would recommend this for everyone to read!

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC

[Shay · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well this was an odd read for me and has left me thinking...what the hell did I just read? It wasn't bad but it wasn't great either. There were moments were Hazel and Kehlani would make me laugh, their friendship was really cute and supportive. From the beginning Hazel was a little naïve and a lot immature for her age. After arriving at the mansion, noticing stuff is weirdly off, you still decide to stay. Right then I knew she didn't have good sense. Actually the only one in the whole book who seemed to have some sense was Kehlani! Of course in my mind I had an idea of who Athena was especially since Hazel was never able to meet her from the start. Once everything came to light I was left rolling my eyes and laughing looking back on all that had happened. The extent that Atlas went through to carry out this was a lot creepy and deceptive, but hey at least he found his muse and got his mojo back. I don't see how Atlas was able to keep a straight face through the whole charade. This was different and not at all what I was expecting. In the end, it did have a good premise if not but a little over the top!

Arc provided by publisher via Netgalley.

[Grace · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the premise of this book was intriguing, it fell way short on delivery. I enjoyed the dark, atmospheric backdrop that Smoak tried to create, but having a female MC being whiny and overall unlikeable (to me) was just something I could not handle. I found myself internally yelling at her the entire time and wanted to throw my iPad (book) at her.

For an Ivy Smoak novel, this was nothing like what I was expecting, and was disappointed to say the least. I expected there to be more romance and spice and there was very little of it. I think some may enjoy this, but unfortunately, I was just not one of them.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

[Kandice Reynolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW! I had no idea what I was in for when I started this book…. I had read the blurb and that was about it. To say it had me on the edge of my seat is an understatement. I had to force myself to put it down to do day to day things and once I was able to pick it back up I was flying through the chapters! Ivy Smoak is one of my absolute favorite authors and she did not disappoint with this one!

[Jodie | GeauxGetLit · Rating 2 out of 5]

It felt disconnected from the beginning and around the 60% mark, I skimmed the rest and didn’t feel I missed anything.
Not for me.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an interesting read!

Bad Things Feel Best intrigued me from the very first page. The creepy and gothic vibes pulled me into the story, leaving me wondering what Hazel had gotten herself into. This opportunity of a lifetime filled Hazel with more questions and a ton of confusion. And when you add Atlas into the story all bets are off.

Bad Things Feel Great is filled with mystery, intrigue, delicious tension, and creepy vibes that kept me on my toes. I had a feeling what the plot twist was going to be almost from the beginning, but there were enough moments that had me questioning whether or not I was on the right track.

I enjoyed the banter with Hazel and Atlas. Atlas was definitely hard to figure out. He was the kind of character that you love to hate. Together, I thought Hazel and Atlas had great chemistry but thought the romance between them was quite tame.

If I had to make one complaint it would be that I felt like the ending was rushed. There was all this wonderful buildup and intrigue and then when the climax of the story happened, it was over far too quickly. I think one more chapter or two would have made things feel more finished.

Otherwise, I really enjoyed this book and had a great time getting lost in this story.

*Thank you so much to the publisher & NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title*

[Trish Benson · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up to 4 stars.

Hazel Fox takes a job as an assistant to a famous novelist hoping to get insight and inspiration for her own writing career. Instead, she arrives to the remote, oceanfront mansion to find she'll be working with the infuriating and of course, handsome, Mr. Remington, the author's personal assistant. He refuses to divulge anything personal about himself and is determined to keep Hazel at a distance, almost like he's trying to get her to quit. It's obvious he's harboring some dark, possibly dangerous secrets, and Hazel is determined to find out what he's hiding.

The story was an enjoyable, quick read, even if a couple of the plotlines were predictable. Without any spoilers, one of the plot lines was glaringly obvious so it was more of a waiting game as to when it would be revealed. I wish there had been a little more mystery about it but it was still enjoyable.

Hazel herself was a good spunky FMC, although she was a little immature in her reactions to some events. The tension between herself and Mr. Remington was a hot enough to keep you wanting more and excited to see their development.

The punctuation and grammar was ...not good. There were so many instances of starting a sentence with "and" and "but" when those words could've been used as intended and joined the previous sentence. It was a bit distracting and kept removing me from the story. There were also at least two instances where Hazel is texting but it took an additional read over because there was no punctuation between the text and her stream of consciousness.

I think this was a good quick read and with another pass through by an editor, I think would be really good. I loved the story and the intrigue so that keeps my review positive.

Thank you so much to Ivy and Montlake for the ARC.

[Denise Stragazzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gave me thrills, chills, and laughs. I was confused for most of the time.. in fact still have theories even after the ending. I WANT MORE. But this was a great balance of thriller and romance in one book. Loved it

[krista | kristas_bookshelf · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining audiobook for the most part, was even laughing out loud sometimes, but I still have so many questions…

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bad things feel best

I listen to the audiobook, It was an easy listen to while working. You could see the ending coming but still enjoyable.

[Heather Ecklund · Rating 1 out of 5]

Fever dream.