The Manchineel by Jessica Carrasquillo

How weird is it that I've read two books this year where people got murdered with manchineel fruits this year? I had literally never heard of this plant before and now I feel like I'm seeing it EVERYWHERE.

Anyway, THE MANCHINEEL was exactly what I look for in a spicy romantic suspense book: I love books that have this inevitable, claustrophobic feeling of doom hanging suspended over the characters like the sword of Damocles. And Elyse, with her history of trauma and her newfound obsession in the talent agency lawyer who's supposed to help grow her social media presence, is like a match in the powderkeg that is this book. You know there's going to be an explosion and that it's going to be BIG.

I think this book reminded me a lot of WATCH THE GIRLS by Jennifer Wolfe and PRETTY THINGS by Janelle Brown-- not because the plots were similar but because all three books are about beautiful, dangerous women who are willing to do anything to get what they want. While reading, I kept asking myself if Elyse was a sociopath. There's a belief that sociopaths can't feel love but they do-- just in a different way, and usually because they feel an affinity for their love interest that reminds them of themselves. Ben, with his similar background of poverty, abuse, and being "othered" was a kindred spirit to Elyse, just more successful-- as if he were a reflection of what she could have been herself.

Whether or not you like Elyse, or think that she's a sociopath or just incredibly warped and made desperate by trauma, this is a fascinating read with a compellingly toxic romance. I don't normally like cheating romances at all but if I am going to read one, I like it like this-- where everyone is flawed and toxic and desperate and none of the ugliness is swept under the rug. When I wasn't reading this book, I was thinking about it, and the characters. I imagine I'll be thinking about them for a while. Jessica is such a talented author and I can't wait to read more of her work, if this is what I can expect from her.

5 out of 5 stars