Hothouse Flower

Rating: 3.5 stars."We chose this because nothing else felt right.Nothing else felt as good.Our greatest happiness has always been with each other."I’ve been meaning to read Hothouse Flower for a while now, and I finally did, and honestly, it left me feeling a whirlwind of emotions. It’s one of those stories that sneaks up on you, makes you feel deeply, and leaves you sitting there thinking about love and the people who see you for who you really are. Daisy and Ryke’s story isn’t simple or soft, it’s raw, forbidden, and achingly human. But it wasn’t good as much as I wanted it to be.This book honestly has two sides for me, and I still don’t know which one I lean toward more. There were moments when I thought, oh my god, this is so good, the story, the setup, the dynamic between the characters, it all just clicked. But then there were other times when I found myself cringing, especially at their thoughts or certain perspectives.➛ Daisy Calloway:“You’re a hothouse flower,” I tell her. “You can’t grow under natural conditions. You need adventure. And security and love in order to stay alive.”Daisy is such a fascinating character to me. She’s wild and brave on the surface, but underneath that carefree energy is a girl who’s been forced to grow up too fast, a girl just trying to find herself in a world that keeps trying to control her. But her point of view, in particular, was a rollercoaster for me. Sometimes she’d say or do something that made me think, yes, this is the woman everyone needs to be, and then other times I’d just sit there like, girl… what are you even doing?➛ Ryke Meadows:“I want to be the one to protect daisy. I want to be the one to hold her in my arms. I want to comfort her until she reanimated in pure fucking happiness.I don’t want to miss a day with her. I don’t want to be here when she’s there.”And then we have Ryke Meadows… god, Ryke. He’s sharp and stubborn and has this fierce, protective energy that’s both frustrating and beautiful. The way he loves Daisy, silently, selflessly, and against every possible rule, it just hurts. Another thing I absolutely loved was how protective Ryke is of Daisy. It made me so happy to see her finally find someone who truly sees her, someone who helps quiet her nightmares, her negative thoughts, and all the chaos in her mind. The way he supports her, grounds her, and stays patient through her struggles honestly melted my heart. Their connection might not be perfect, but that kind of steady love, the kind that makes someone feel safe again, hit me so hard.And the wild part? The person I least expected to win me over completely did, Ryke. I’ll admit it, I didn’t like him much before, especially in Lily and Lo’s story. But wow… in this one, he showed so much growth and heart. He’s become the most caring, loyal, and selfless person in the entire series so far, and I wasn’t ready for how much that would hit me.➛ Their dynamic:“I fucking love you.”I smile, my lips tingling. “Guess what?”“What?”“I love you more than chocolate cake.”I won’t lie, there were moments where it dragged a bit for me, or where I wished for more balance between their relationship and their personal growth. But even then, I couldn’t put it down. Daisy and Ryke’s story feels like a journey, wild, imperfect, and deeply human.➛ Points that really got on my nerves in this book:1. I will never got over the fact that Rose and Lily didn’t come to see Daisy in the hospital, after everything she went through, after how badly she was hurt. It honestly broke my heart. All that chaos happened because Rose was too focused on hiding something from Connor, which was bound to come out eventually anyway. Daisy needed them, and they weren’t there. That moment really changed how I saw their dynamic, it showed just how flawed and messy their relationships can be, even when there’s love underneath it all.2. Lo honestly drove me crazy in this book. Every time he opened his mouth or reacted to something, I found myself getting so frustrated. Like, okay, we get it, you don’t want your brother dating your girlfriend’s sister. Fine. But seriously, how would that possibly ruin your life if they did? It made no sense, and the way he kept repeating it over and over again just made me want to scream. I loved Lo in earlier books, but here… he tested my patience.3. This book could’ve easily wrapped up in 200 pages, but instead, here we are, 400 pages deep, filled with endless flirting and long conversations that don’t really go anywhere. At some point, I just started wondering if the story was actually progressing or if it was all just for the characters’ sake. Don’t get me wrong, I love them, but it started to feel a little dragged out, like the heart of the story got lost somewhere in all the banter.________"Ryke Meadows, meet Daisy Calloway ... she’s all grown up."⋆.˚✨⋆ So, I’m here because I randomly thought about this series today, and curiosity got the better of me, I just had to see how Daisy and Ryke’s story goes. I’m not going into it with high expectations or anything; I don’t think it’ll be a 5-star or even a 4-star read for me. But honestly, I just want to finally know their story.

Ryke and daisy got me out of the reading slump!!!