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Petals of Blue: Part One
My home life was shit, but I made up for my aunt’s lack of care with popularity. I was friends with everyone, did well in school, and played sports. Life outside of my neglectful home got even better when four boys made me the center of their universe.
Then I moved, and they stopped talking to me. Declan, Roman, Felix, and Jared abandoned me when I needed them most. It took a while, but I soon lost hope of them coming to my rescue.
Until one of them waltzes into the club I work at eleven years later and has the audacity to look happy to see me.
Little do they know, their sweet Erica died a long ass time ago. Maybe it’s time they meet Blue. This new me has an edge and a whole ton of baggage to throw in their faces.
Hold my drink, I have some smiles to smear.
Author's
This is book 1 of the Wilted Duet. You’ll find MPOV, MM content, and dark themes in this contemporary MMFMM why-choose. This is a slow-burn duet that focuses more on emotional content.
Trigger
Each book is recommended for those 18+ due to sexual content, violence, and trauma. A further detailed list will be included in the forward.
Then I moved, and they stopped talking to me. Declan, Roman, Felix, and Jared abandoned me when I needed them most. It took a while, but I soon lost hope of them coming to my rescue.
Until one of them waltzes into the club I work at eleven years later and has the audacity to look happy to see me.
Little do they know, their sweet Erica died a long ass time ago. Maybe it’s time they meet Blue. This new me has an edge and a whole ton of baggage to throw in their faces.
Hold my drink, I have some smiles to smear.
Author's
This is book 1 of the Wilted Duet. You’ll find MPOV, MM content, and dark themes in this contemporary MMFMM why-choose. This is a slow-burn duet that focuses more on emotional content.
Trigger
Each book is recommended for those 18+ due to sexual content, violence, and trauma. A further detailed list will be included in the forward.
276 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 11, 2025
789 people are currently reading
301 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 108 reviews
November 10, 2025
Just Can’t.
**SPOILERS**
Erica/Blue had a horrible home life and the only bright spot was the group of guys she called best friends. But when she was 17 going on 18 they told her off in TEXT MESSAGES! Yup then they ghosted her. These guys said they’d always be there for her but allowed her to be abused and sexually assaulted.
Years later Erica has reinvented herself. She calls herself Blue and her life is going pretty well. But sh*t hits the fan when the guys move back to the city and run into her. They act as if no time has passed and are happy to see her. Blue is pissed (rightly so) and tells them off. But they’re persistent. They explain that they let their parents words about her being trailer trash get into their heads and moved onto college and beyond, but they didn’t forget about her (yeah right). Blue holds onto her anger for like half a second, and the next thing you know she’s making out with these horrible guys. Oh, and two of the guys are going through a bi awakening that sort of comes outta of nowhere. Not to mention the guys all but admitted they put their group first over Blue…chose each other.
**THOUGHTS/OPINIONS**
Gross! What happened to the kickass heroine we were promised. These guys broke her heart, kicked her to the curb, ghosted her and then waltz back into her life as if nothing happened. Not to mention they don’t even have a good excuse for what they did. They admit they allowed their parents talk about her being trailer trash get into their heads. WTF! What total spineless, losers!! All the while two of the guys are going through a bi-awakening, they had one another and put their group ahead of Blue’s well-being. Then they walk into her life, explain their crappy reasoning for ghosting her, buy her lattes and expect all to be forgiven?! The worst part was blue was set up to be a strong FMC, but after two weeks of stupid lattes she’s making out with them again. And saying stupid sh*t like “my pussy flutters” Heck no!! YUCK, YUCK, YUCK! There is no groveling. There is not real apology. Just a “we shouldn’t have let our parents sway our decision.” And frankly it’s unbelievable that they’d dump her completely then eleven years later Walz back into her life like no time has passed and expect to just pick up where things left off. Did this author suffer a brain aneurism while writing this duet???? In what life does any of this make sense?! I’m frankly disgusted by the main male characters - they can take their sh*tty attitudes and shove it. And I’ve lost all respect for blue.
**SPOILERS**
Erica/Blue had a horrible home life and the only bright spot was the group of guys she called best friends. But when she was 17 going on 18 they told her off in TEXT MESSAGES! Yup then they ghosted her. These guys said they’d always be there for her but allowed her to be abused and sexually assaulted.
Years later Erica has reinvented herself. She calls herself Blue and her life is going pretty well. But sh*t hits the fan when the guys move back to the city and run into her. They act as if no time has passed and are happy to see her. Blue is pissed (rightly so) and tells them off. But they’re persistent. They explain that they let their parents words about her being trailer trash get into their heads and moved onto college and beyond, but they didn’t forget about her (yeah right). Blue holds onto her anger for like half a second, and the next thing you know she’s making out with these horrible guys. Oh, and two of the guys are going through a bi awakening that sort of comes outta of nowhere. Not to mention the guys all but admitted they put their group first over Blue…chose each other.
**THOUGHTS/OPINIONS**
Gross! What happened to the kickass heroine we were promised. These guys broke her heart, kicked her to the curb, ghosted her and then waltz back into her life as if nothing happened. Not to mention they don’t even have a good excuse for what they did. They admit they allowed their parents talk about her being trailer trash get into their heads. WTF! What total spineless, losers!! All the while two of the guys are going through a bi-awakening, they had one another and put their group ahead of Blue’s well-being. Then they walk into her life, explain their crappy reasoning for ghosting her, buy her lattes and expect all to be forgiven?! The worst part was blue was set up to be a strong FMC, but after two weeks of stupid lattes she’s making out with them again. And saying stupid sh*t like “my pussy flutters” Heck no!! YUCK, YUCK, YUCK! There is no groveling. There is not real apology. Just a “we shouldn’t have let our parents sway our decision.” And frankly it’s unbelievable that they’d dump her completely then eleven years later Walz back into her life like no time has passed and expect to just pick up where things left off. Did this author suffer a brain aneurism while writing this duet???? In what life does any of this make sense?! I’m frankly disgusted by the main male characters - they can take their sh*tty attitudes and shove it. And I’ve lost all respect for blue.
October 11, 2025
3 stars is generous.
This is a quick read that is dark-lite. While dark themes exist, there are in the past or we're told about them, but never shown.
In fact, that is common for this book: told things are happening (like the groveling), but rarely shown the acts.
FMC is supposed to have a TON of self-defense and physical strength, but she has never shown that. She keeps freezing and getting taken advantage of all awhile lamenting about her lack of decision making.
One day, we'll get an FMC that doesn't crumble under a touch, a good word or a coffee. Today is not that day.
I am so very disappointed with the fact that the FMC lacked ANY kind of spine. She crumbles with the promise of wine and chocolate almonds. She's that pathetic.
Nicknames/terms of endearments for the FMC:
doll, baby, petal, Bee, sweetheart and babe.
This is a quick read that is dark-lite. While dark themes exist, there are in the past or we're told about them, but never shown.
In fact, that is common for this book: told things are happening (like the groveling), but rarely shown the acts.
FMC is supposed to have a TON of self-defense and physical strength, but she has never shown that. She keeps freezing and getting taken advantage of all awhile lamenting about her lack of decision making.
One day, we'll get an FMC that doesn't crumble under a touch, a good word or a coffee. Today is not that day.
I am so very disappointed with the fact that the FMC lacked ANY kind of spine. She crumbles with the promise of wine and chocolate almonds. She's that pathetic.
Nicknames/terms of endearments for the FMC:
doll, baby, petal, Bee, sweetheart and babe.
October 11, 2025
This book started off strong but the repetition about halfway through the book bored me. I had to keep going back to the chapter titles because I'd forget which mmc pov I was reading. Nothing really happened throughout the book. I skimmed to the end to see if anything interesting happened but nothing did.
December 1, 2025
3.5⭐️
IMO this book started off on the wrong foot. I enjoyed how the ghosting played out at the beginning was written, but it took forever to get invested in the guys because we were told they were close beforehand, not shown any of it 😐.
The entire plot was about her forgiving them. Without letting us get to know them before they cut her off, it really didn’t resonate that much. While it was an awful thing to do, they were just boys at the time as well. Let astray by the parents they trusted.
There were a few things that were a little hard to believe. The almost instalove they had for their childhood friend that they had not seen in over a decade. Also the people they both unknowingly had in common.
By the end of this book I was starting to get to know the guys, and liking them, and was less annoyed by Blue.
Cliffhanger happened, now onto book 2.
IMO this book started off on the wrong foot. I enjoyed how the ghosting played out at the beginning was written, but it took forever to get invested in the guys because we were told they were close beforehand, not shown any of it 😐.
The entire plot was about her forgiving them. Without letting us get to know them before they cut her off, it really didn’t resonate that much. While it was an awful thing to do, they were just boys at the time as well. Let astray by the parents they trusted.
There were a few things that were a little hard to believe. The almost instalove they had for their childhood friend that they had not seen in over a decade. Also the people they both unknowingly had in common.
By the end of this book I was starting to get to know the guys, and liking them, and was less annoyed by Blue.
Cliffhanger happened, now onto book 2.
September 20, 2025
Did I get the ARC for this book this morning? Yes. Have I already finished the book? Also Yes. 🤣 But hear me out.
YV Larson is one of my favorite authors in the world. I love all her books so deeply. I was lucky to be picked for the ARC team for this book but I would have been the first person to get the book anyway.
Right. Blue Blue Blue. My sweet girl 😭💖 I fell in love with her for being so strong but her trauma really makes me so sad. She deserves the world 😭 The boys really have a long way to earn my forgiveness.
YV Larson is one of my favorite authors in the world. I love all her books so deeply. I was lucky to be picked for the ARC team for this book but I would have been the first person to get the book anyway.
Right. Blue Blue Blue. My sweet girl 😭💖 I fell in love with her for being so strong but her trauma really makes me so sad. She deserves the world 😭 The boys really have a long way to earn my forgiveness.
January 3, 2026
2.5⭐️ I didn’t enjoy this at all. We didn’t get any real good insight to Erica’s relationship with the guys before everything happened at the end of high school and then there’s a 11 year time jump and I’m sorry, I just don’t think you’d still be THAT hurt over what happened, like sure it’s shitty but come on.
Blue just kinda sucked in my opinion. For someone who was supposed to be almost 30, she was speaking like a 19 year old! And was so so whiny about all the stuff she went through, I feel bad but I don’t want to hear it every other page.
Blue just kinda sucked in my opinion. For someone who was supposed to be almost 30, she was speaking like a 19 year old! And was so so whiny about all the stuff she went through, I feel bad but I don’t want to hear it every other page.
November 19, 2025
I’m going to be more blunt than I usually am because I think that not enough people have this author constructive feedback.
This book has nothing it promised. The FMC is not a bad ass. She did have a rough upbringing and a lot of responsibilities as a young adult but it was not to unheard of levels. The author does a lot of telling you how the FMC was and not showing you any of it. They say she use to be sunshine in a bottle but because the story starts when she was already ghosted, we have not reference for that so her current behavior isn’t surprising. Everyone says she is strong but every scene we see of Blue is her interaction with the boys when she is at her most vulnerable and traumatized.
The boys are hard to like or enjoy because we only know them through the lens of ghosting a closer friend and then ignoring her pain to chase her.
Finally, I was expecting a dramatic emotionally moving reason they ghosted their dear friend. NOPE. One guys parent’s basically convinced him that she was from a bad family and he convinced his brother to stop being friends with her. Same thing with the other one except the fourth one didn’t have parental pressure he just dropped her because his friends did. At every point they acknowledge that she was a good person and friend and that they knew that but didn’t want to deal with the pressure from their parents so it was easier to cut her off.
I already feel like this book stole my precious time or I’d go more into depth about how pointless and undeveloped the book really is.
This book has nothing it promised. The FMC is not a bad ass. She did have a rough upbringing and a lot of responsibilities as a young adult but it was not to unheard of levels. The author does a lot of telling you how the FMC was and not showing you any of it. They say she use to be sunshine in a bottle but because the story starts when she was already ghosted, we have not reference for that so her current behavior isn’t surprising. Everyone says she is strong but every scene we see of Blue is her interaction with the boys when she is at her most vulnerable and traumatized.
The boys are hard to like or enjoy because we only know them through the lens of ghosting a closer friend and then ignoring her pain to chase her.
Finally, I was expecting a dramatic emotionally moving reason they ghosted their dear friend. NOPE. One guys parent’s basically convinced him that she was from a bad family and he convinced his brother to stop being friends with her. Same thing with the other one except the fourth one didn’t have parental pressure he just dropped her because his friends did. At every point they acknowledge that she was a good person and friend and that they knew that but didn’t want to deal with the pressure from their parents so it was easier to cut her off.
I already feel like this book stole my precious time or I’d go more into depth about how pointless and undeveloped the book really is.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 27, 2025
Not for me
Blue got on my nerves to the point that I couldn't even finish the book. ALL of the guys were weak and then also had the audacity to be demanding. Thats a pathetic combo if I ever heard of one. They made an eff'd up decision then tried to blame it on their parents as if they were incapable of making decisions for themselves. Then they just expected Blue to be ok with whatever it was they had to say. Blue was weak. 11 years she worked to build strength to overcome whatever she had to love with, but one look and all of a sudden she just couldn't do anything. She was wishy washy and honestly by the time I reached 42% I was over her as a whole. There was literally nothing redeeming about this book for me. The only good characters were her friends from the bar. Das it. Everyone else could jump off a bridge with no parachute. 😒
Blue got on my nerves to the point that I couldn't even finish the book. ALL of the guys were weak and then also had the audacity to be demanding. Thats a pathetic combo if I ever heard of one. They made an eff'd up decision then tried to blame it on their parents as if they were incapable of making decisions for themselves. Then they just expected Blue to be ok with whatever it was they had to say. Blue was weak. 11 years she worked to build strength to overcome whatever she had to love with, but one look and all of a sudden she just couldn't do anything. She was wishy washy and honestly by the time I reached 42% I was over her as a whole. There was literally nothing redeeming about this book for me. The only good characters were her friends from the bar. Das it. Everyone else could jump off a bridge with no parachute. 😒
October 29, 2025
Quickly went from read to skim. Struggled to connect with the characters.
The book came across as a rough draft vs well rounded novel. Author tells the reader, vs show. Plot points don’t feel fully flushed out.
The book came across as a rough draft vs well rounded novel. Author tells the reader, vs show. Plot points don’t feel fully flushed out.
October 11, 2025
Another emotional beginning to a Y.V. Larson duet and she never disappoints. Petals of Blue is her latest story about Erica. Erica has had a hard life with seemingly one trauma after another. When she is suddenly pulled away from the only men she could truly trust and the only people she felt safe with, her life is changed forever. Erica thought her friends would be there for her even after her move, but when they ghosted her and left her alone with her trauma, Erika became Blue and Blue doesn’t look back. When she is finally able to escape the control of her horrible guardians, she swears to take control of her life and never let anyone hurt her that way again.
I have said this before but I love the way Y.V writes about trauma and healing. Her words always resonate with me in such a special way and it always affects me on a very personal level. Watching Blue come to terms with her past, and how to live the rest of her life is a beautiful story. But as always Y.V. loves to leave me with a brutal cliffhanger to carry me into part two! In the midst of all this drama is a beautifully developing love story and some top notch yearning from the men who have a lot to make up for. I can’t wait for part two of Petals of Blue.
I have said this before but I love the way Y.V writes about trauma and healing. Her words always resonate with me in such a special way and it always affects me on a very personal level. Watching Blue come to terms with her past, and how to live the rest of her life is a beautiful story. But as always Y.V. loves to leave me with a brutal cliffhanger to carry me into part two! In the midst of all this drama is a beautifully developing love story and some top notch yearning from the men who have a lot to make up for. I can’t wait for part two of Petals of Blue.
September 23, 2025
I loved this book! For sure check your triggers in the beginning of the book, your mental health matters!
We start being dropped headfirst into Blues abandonment with little snippets of text messages then move to present day. From here the story moves smoothly through Blue's new life, meeting new friends and then running into old ones. This story goes through a lot of Blue learning to accept friendship, love, support and healing. I adore books with a good grovel and YV Larson delivers. I will say I never expected that ending, I really thought it would be a completely different direction but I'm not disappointed. All in all, this was a great hurt/comfort, slow burn RH story and I can't wait to see what happens in the next book!
We start being dropped headfirst into Blues abandonment with little snippets of text messages then move to present day. From here the story moves smoothly through Blue's new life, meeting new friends and then running into old ones. This story goes through a lot of Blue learning to accept friendship, love, support and healing. I adore books with a good grovel and YV Larson delivers. I will say I never expected that ending, I really thought it would be a completely different direction but I'm not disappointed. All in all, this was a great hurt/comfort, slow burn RH story and I can't wait to see what happens in the next book!
October 24, 2025
Plot: 3/5 • Smut: 1/5 ———-> If you’re looking for a SLOW burn, with lots of yearning and drama… this is for you. She moves away in high school thinking she’ll still have her guys as friends, but shortly after she moved they cut her out of their lives. Years later they all run into each other in Chicago. They’re intertwined in multiple ways. Very inescapable.
This is a very slow burn. There’s no smut until the very end, and it only leads to 2nd base with one of the guys. There is though some fun MM action. We do get a couple scenes of that. Love that for us.
Idk if I want to continue or give up the duet. It ends on a cliffy. Setting you up for the next book, but it was a little too slow for my liking. Too much back and forth.
This is a very slow burn. There’s no smut until the very end, and it only leads to 2nd base with one of the guys. There is though some fun MM action. We do get a couple scenes of that. Love that for us.
Idk if I want to continue or give up the duet. It ends on a cliffy. Setting you up for the next book, but it was a little too slow for my liking. Too much back and forth.
September 26, 2025
I loved everything about this book minus the huge cliffhanger. BUT Y.V.Larson never leaves us hanging for too long. I quickly fell in love with Blue and the way she carries herself. I’m also falling in love with the 4 guys that are fighting for her love. Can’t wait to finish the rest of this story.
November 18, 2025
DNF 45%
I just couldn't do it anymore. The writing did not flow at all and seem so immature . I felt like it was so disjointed ted and for 100 pages it was the same conversation over and over again.
I just couldn't do it anymore. The writing did not flow at all and seem so immature . I felt like it was so disjointed ted and for 100 pages it was the same conversation over and over again.
October 13, 2025
Thank you so much for allowing me to be on the ARC team. This was an amazing read from the absolute beginning. Blue is so resilient. The boys are groveling their everloving pants off. I loved that the members of the poly-cule are all established adults (late 20s/early 30s).
I am so excited for part 2 because that cliffhanger was 😱😱😱😱
I am so excited for part 2 because that cliffhanger was 😱😱😱😱
Read
August 25, 2025🔴 This is a poly romance, not a RH 🔴
January 6, 2026
This book was horrible in my opinion! The ML’s were SOOO annoying especially in the beginning. When they knew that what they did was spineless and wrong, and instead of saying sorry they try to hug her/act like it’s a happy reunion. I was giving them the benefit of the doubt and maybe like someone else was texting from their phone, but no they just ghosted her because of their parents/parents friends/their other friends were ghosting her. The FMC was right to be mad, but she caved in like a month or two I think. Her friends also caved too under no pressure! Like if I was her friend I would be indignant FOR her and never be able to look at the dudes the same. Especially the “daughter” too! Also the bi-awakening couple was unnecessary in my opinion, and take that from someone that reads MM religiously and WAYY more than MF books. It was also weird how they tried to make Felix, the bad guy in a way (I am in no way defending Felix though I hate Felix, and I say why later in my review), because he did not know about Declan’s feelings. Well of course he did not, Declan did not say anything! Declan was really annoying, when he got attitudes with Felix like a little kid who acts out and not a man in his 30s. Even Declan said he should have communicated way better with Felix and the FMC. Him also demanding to know about her “child” and the baby dad like he had the right to know and practically screaming at her in the coffee shop. Like you have seen this woman maybe 2 times, after ghosting her, calm the f down. And he never apologized for that either! But this goes to the other dudes too, they were too demanding of her time, explanations from her, and her just in general after it being 11 years (with no apology btw). I was getting sooo irritated with them, because they could see she was physically and mentally unstable with them and they did not care, they would rather put her in a car with the child locks on and keep on touching her (after she said leave her alone) after she dropped things because she was so startled huge men were surrounding her and touching her (WHILE KNOWING SHE WAS ABUSED BY HER PARENTS) and never ask what she wanted once. They never genuinely asked if she wanted to be in a relationship with them. They just assumed that after a couple lattes that they would be able to be in a relationship. Also random but claiming her and saying our/my woman after maybe seeing her 2-3 times after ghosting HER is an extra kind of audacity that not everyone has. But if barring everything else, one thing that I have not seen anyone else talk about in a review is that when the FMC asked if Felix could help her with her parents abuse, he said something like “you can take a punch.” I was flabbergasted, that was such a DISGUSTING text to send to someone you KNOW is being abused and violated in their home. So to send that, knowing she said she got punched or something to that effect, made me think that someone else was texting those texts to her. But to read that it was them texting all of that, and they never addressed Felix’s text is so weird and dismissive to me. I don’t know if the author addresses it in book 2, but I am not making it that far to see if they do. And if they do they should have done it in book 1, because how am I supposed to root and ship them knowing what he texted her. The others actually just ghosted, but Felix was a horrible human being for sending that. And there are things I could say about Jared (don’t like him either, especially the scenes with his family, but I won’t get into that). Roman wasn’t that bad, not that I think about it (but he’s not that memorable either, pretty boring). All of the bulldozing and weirdness of the book, makes me want to recommend someone to get FARR away from this book. (Sorry for the bad grammar and run on sentences, it is 2am right now, and I just finished this book but I had to post my review of this waste of a space book :) )
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 10, 2025
DNF at 40% which is approx page 111.
There are spoilers below:
First off, the story started off with a lot of promise and great expectations. A story about a sweet girl with a rough home life who only finds solace in the company of her four best guy friends, who is later completely abandoned by those friends the moment she moves an hour away, and then being left in the hands of a monster. The FMC grows into a strong, kickass, baddie woman. 11 years later she runs into the guys again so you expect lots of top tier grovel and etc.
Well, our strong FMC acts like a brat with zero emotional maturity towards the guys… yet she forgives them with little effort.
Turns out the four guys ghosted her all those years ago because they come from important families and their parents convinced them that the FMC is “trash”. With zero thought, zero fight, and zero time to even contemplate, they agree and ditch the FMC. First, that’s not a good enough reason to justify their actions even if the groveling is top tier (it’s not but even if it was). With this type of plot-line you would expect the guys to be rich, important, etc. Nope! One is a teacher, one is interviewing to work at the club the FMC works, one runs a coffee shop his family owns, and another “might” become a personal trainer. These jobs are barely middle class… so wtf?
Also her cousin Violet, who calls the FMC “mama”, who the FMC talks about having raised as her own for the past 11 years. Up until the 40% mark the way she talks about Violet makes it sound like she’s a little girl. She complains about working long and late hours and not getting sleep because Violet wakes her up and needs her up early every morning… well Violet is around 18 years old! Doing the math, they are 11 years apart and the FMC is 29 now.
Non sensical and weak plots drive me crazy but can POSSIBLY be forgiven if it has decent spice… there’s no spice with the FMC and from reading reviews on book two, the spice doesn’t happen until way late in the book and it doesn’t happen with all the MC’s. And apparently the FMC doesn’t decide to be in a relationship with all of them until the last like 13% of the duet. Why the hell would you even make this a RH at this point???????????????????
There are spoilers below:
First off, the story started off with a lot of promise and great expectations. A story about a sweet girl with a rough home life who only finds solace in the company of her four best guy friends, who is later completely abandoned by those friends the moment she moves an hour away, and then being left in the hands of a monster. The FMC grows into a strong, kickass, baddie woman. 11 years later she runs into the guys again so you expect lots of top tier grovel and etc.
Well, our strong FMC acts like a brat with zero emotional maturity towards the guys… yet she forgives them with little effort.
Turns out the four guys ghosted her all those years ago because they come from important families and their parents convinced them that the FMC is “trash”. With zero thought, zero fight, and zero time to even contemplate, they agree and ditch the FMC. First, that’s not a good enough reason to justify their actions even if the groveling is top tier (it’s not but even if it was). With this type of plot-line you would expect the guys to be rich, important, etc. Nope! One is a teacher, one is interviewing to work at the club the FMC works, one runs a coffee shop his family owns, and another “might” become a personal trainer. These jobs are barely middle class… so wtf?
Also her cousin Violet, who calls the FMC “mama”, who the FMC talks about having raised as her own for the past 11 years. Up until the 40% mark the way she talks about Violet makes it sound like she’s a little girl. She complains about working long and late hours and not getting sleep because Violet wakes her up and needs her up early every morning… well Violet is around 18 years old! Doing the math, they are 11 years apart and the FMC is 29 now.
Non sensical and weak plots drive me crazy but can POSSIBLY be forgiven if it has decent spice… there’s no spice with the FMC and from reading reviews on book two, the spice doesn’t happen until way late in the book and it doesn’t happen with all the MC’s. And apparently the FMC doesn’t decide to be in a relationship with all of them until the last like 13% of the duet. Why the hell would you even make this a RH at this point???????????????????
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 29, 2025
The FMC carries in this.
While the fmc comes from a somewhat abusive family (her aunt), not a lot of it is described on page. We get a few tid bits, but overall, it hasn't gone in depth of it. We mostly focus on the present, making the triggers not very heavy (at least in my opinion).
"I'm twenty-nine years old; I shouldn't feel this weighted down by life already. Does anyone else feel this way?" Yes. Yes, they do. Far out, I'm over this, too, haha.
Blue 'adopted' her cousin, Violet, who was sent to live with her mother after her father died. (Whoever thought it was a good idea for this woman to be a guardian needs a reality check, lol. We aren't given age until a good ways into the book, so I had no idea how old she was for a while, leaving me a little confused. She is eighteen in present day for those wondering before you dive in. Which makes leaving her 'kid' at home while she bartends till 2am without worry make more sense, aha.
Now, with that out of the way, let's get into the guys. Eleven years ago, they ghosted their best friend when she was forced to move away. Their reasoning sucked and I'm glad Jared's parents read them the riot act when they found out too.
These guys go with 'exposure therapy' to get Blue to accept them back into their lives. They show up EVERYWHERE 😅 They win over her friends and Violet. One gets a job at her workplace (he had the interview before he knew she was living in town, much less working there), another works at the gym she goes to. One gets her coffees every morning. Another frequents places he knows she will be to 'accidentally' run into her. There's some real funny moments in this, some sweet 'aww' moments and some frustrating moments too.
That cliffhanger came out of nowhere, I'm really keen to see what happends next, get more relationship building (this time intimate, not foundational which I love that this one was focused on) and to just see where the story goes from here.
While the fmc comes from a somewhat abusive family (her aunt), not a lot of it is described on page. We get a few tid bits, but overall, it hasn't gone in depth of it. We mostly focus on the present, making the triggers not very heavy (at least in my opinion).
"I'm twenty-nine years old; I shouldn't feel this weighted down by life already. Does anyone else feel this way?" Yes. Yes, they do. Far out, I'm over this, too, haha.
Blue 'adopted' her cousin, Violet, who was sent to live with her mother after her father died. (Whoever thought it was a good idea for this woman to be a guardian needs a reality check, lol. We aren't given age until a good ways into the book, so I had no idea how old she was for a while, leaving me a little confused. She is eighteen in present day for those wondering before you dive in. Which makes leaving her 'kid' at home while she bartends till 2am without worry make more sense, aha.
Now, with that out of the way, let's get into the guys. Eleven years ago, they ghosted their best friend when she was forced to move away. Their reasoning sucked and I'm glad Jared's parents read them the riot act when they found out too.
These guys go with 'exposure therapy' to get Blue to accept them back into their lives. They show up EVERYWHERE 😅 They win over her friends and Violet. One gets a job at her workplace (he had the interview before he knew she was living in town, much less working there), another works at the gym she goes to. One gets her coffees every morning. Another frequents places he knows she will be to 'accidentally' run into her. There's some real funny moments in this, some sweet 'aww' moments and some frustrating moments too.
That cliffhanger came out of nowhere, I'm really keen to see what happends next, get more relationship building (this time intimate, not foundational which I love that this one was focused on) and to just see where the story goes from here.
October 10, 2025
This was such a good, quick read and totally up my street. It’s character first, in the best way, and honestly… Blue carries the whole story. She’s sunshine with scars — rage and strength in one — and you feel every bit of her trauma. The plot isn’t the most forward-driven, but the relationships and how they connect (past and present) are what hooked me. I do wish we’d had more time with the men, but the glimpses we get (and the side characters) were tasty. And that cliffhanger? Absolutely floored me. I need book two now 😅
What I Loved About This Book
· Blue, Blue, Blue 💙 — Her personality lifts every page. She’s a breath of fresh air for everyone around her, even while she’s still drowning inside.
· Character-driven goodness 👥 — Multiple POVs and that past/present flow show exactly how they ended up here and how things could grow.
· Big feelings, big themes ✨ — Loyalty and trust vs. abandonment; feminine rage turning into power; party-girl sheen with real hurt underneath.
· Bi-awakening handled with heart 🌈 — Soft, messy, very human.
· Pacy and bingeable ⏱️ — Proper quick-read energy.
The Tropes
Hurt/Trauma
Badass FMC
MMFMM / Why-choose
Bi-awakening
Multiple POVs
Loyalty & trust vs. abandonment
Feminine rage → power
Second chance
Grovel
Found Family
If you want a character-heavy, feelings-forward why-choose with a sunshine-through-the-storm FMC, this absolutely hits. Blue shines, the emotions land, and the cliffhanger slapped. Roll on Part Two! 💫
What I Loved About This Book
· Blue, Blue, Blue 💙 — Her personality lifts every page. She’s a breath of fresh air for everyone around her, even while she’s still drowning inside.
· Character-driven goodness 👥 — Multiple POVs and that past/present flow show exactly how they ended up here and how things could grow.
· Big feelings, big themes ✨ — Loyalty and trust vs. abandonment; feminine rage turning into power; party-girl sheen with real hurt underneath.
· Bi-awakening handled with heart 🌈 — Soft, messy, very human.
· Pacy and bingeable ⏱️ — Proper quick-read energy.
The Tropes
Hurt/Trauma
Badass FMC
MMFMM / Why-choose
Bi-awakening
Multiple POVs
Loyalty & trust vs. abandonment
Feminine rage → power
Second chance
Grovel
Found Family
If you want a character-heavy, feelings-forward why-choose with a sunshine-through-the-storm FMC, this absolutely hits. Blue shines, the emotions land, and the cliffhanger slapped. Roll on Part Two! 💫
October 2, 2025
Petals of Blue is the first book of the Wilted Duet, a why choose contemporary romance about a woman who refuses to be sweet anymore and aims to take back her power. I received an advance review copy and my thoughts are my own. Thank you to the author for my eArc.
Tropes and themes include:
✨ Why choose (mmfmm)
✨ Multiple POVs
✨ Bi-awakening
✨ Loyalty and trust vs. abandonment
✨ Feminine rage to power
✨Party girl with trauma
✨ They need to grovel
✨ Second chance romance
Rating: 4/5 Stars 2/5 Flames
Nickname: Petal, Bee
The Lovely: Blue, the FMC, is rage and power, strong and vulnerable, and authentically herself. I absolutely love how she was portrayed. Her traumatic past is heartbreaking and yet she tries to hard to be what everyone else needs. And I totally respect her for seeing that the guys need to AND SHOULD grovel to her.
The Mundane: I would have liked to have spent more time with each of the guys in order to get to know them better. I think this would have better differentiated them from each other.
Recommendation: Talk about a dramatic cliffhanger of an ending! Although, having read several duets from this author, I’ve come to expect the mid-duet cliff. Book two of the duet is expected to be released in November 2025. If you like a contemporary why choose romance heavy on the angst and exploration of loyalty and trust, I think you would like this book.
Tropes and themes include:
✨ Why choose (mmfmm)
✨ Multiple POVs
✨ Bi-awakening
✨ Loyalty and trust vs. abandonment
✨ Feminine rage to power
✨Party girl with trauma
✨ They need to grovel
✨ Second chance romance
Rating: 4/5 Stars 2/5 Flames
Nickname: Petal, Bee
The Lovely: Blue, the FMC, is rage and power, strong and vulnerable, and authentically herself. I absolutely love how she was portrayed. Her traumatic past is heartbreaking and yet she tries to hard to be what everyone else needs. And I totally respect her for seeing that the guys need to AND SHOULD grovel to her.
The Mundane: I would have liked to have spent more time with each of the guys in order to get to know them better. I think this would have better differentiated them from each other.
Recommendation: Talk about a dramatic cliffhanger of an ending! Although, having read several duets from this author, I’ve come to expect the mid-duet cliff. Book two of the duet is expected to be released in November 2025. If you like a contemporary why choose romance heavy on the angst and exploration of loyalty and trust, I think you would like this book.
October 15, 2025
I have devoured everything this author has written so far and this was no exception. I read the whole book in one go and could not put it down. I love Blue and the struggle she goes through internally on the daily really hit me right in the heart. I identified with her struggle of masking everything inside by making other people happy. She lives for everyone but herself and never deals with the pain inside.
The author has a way of making you feel the emotions the characters feel through her writing. The attacks and breakdowns the characters have are very relatable and feel authentic, like you are experiencing it with them. Mind your triggers.
There was A LOT of angst in this book and some spice. With how it is set up it I just know the next book is going to be on fire with the spice scenes. I am here for it and all the sword crossing. I do not have a favorite character yet as I love each mmc for their own reasons. I do want to see more grovel and I would LOVE to see blue open up more about her previous trauma to them in the next book. I also loved that we got little snippits from violet’s pov.
Now this book ended on a cliffhanger, and I wanted to throw my kindle across the room. I cannot wait to find out what happens (we are in a fight ma’am bc that was just mean jk) I will be sprinting when the next book comes out. This is one you should read if you like prior trauma, trauma healing, dark themes, mm, why choose and found family vibes.
The author has a way of making you feel the emotions the characters feel through her writing. The attacks and breakdowns the characters have are very relatable and feel authentic, like you are experiencing it with them. Mind your triggers.
There was A LOT of angst in this book and some spice. With how it is set up it I just know the next book is going to be on fire with the spice scenes. I am here for it and all the sword crossing. I do not have a favorite character yet as I love each mmc for their own reasons. I do want to see more grovel and I would LOVE to see blue open up more about her previous trauma to them in the next book. I also loved that we got little snippits from violet’s pov.
Now this book ended on a cliffhanger, and I wanted to throw my kindle across the room. I cannot wait to find out what happens (we are in a fight ma’am bc that was just mean jk) I will be sprinting when the next book comes out. This is one you should read if you like prior trauma, trauma healing, dark themes, mm, why choose and found family vibes.
September 21, 2025
“Beautiful, dark, chaotic, scary, wonderful, maybe even a little unpredictable? And you know what? No matter how unbalanced the scales can get sometimes between the good and bad, you still fucking crave it. Want more of it. Beg for more time with it. Worship it.” ~ Felix
A lot of us readers want that epic groveling heartbreak story. Where the guys mess up and she makes them work for it throughout the book and doesn't give in until the end. Honestly though, that's not how life is for most. When the groveling happens the victim can go through a whiplash of emotions. It's not always easy keeping the people who hurt us at arms length. To me, this wonderful book really shows us how those emotions come into play. Blue is strong, loyal, and vulnerable with her emotions. Roman, Declan, Jared and Felix all hurt her when she really needed someone. She used her past to grow into the person she now is. One thing Blue didn't account for is that when you grow up trying to protect those closest to you, along with your heart by trying to turn your own feelings off, is that when you're forced to face everything those feelings will push to consume you. Y.V Larson has definitely written a book for the ages with Petals of Blue, and I, for one, can not wait to jump into book 2. The cliffhanger we get slipped at the end is one that will ruin you and have you begging for more.
A lot of us readers want that epic groveling heartbreak story. Where the guys mess up and she makes them work for it throughout the book and doesn't give in until the end. Honestly though, that's not how life is for most. When the groveling happens the victim can go through a whiplash of emotions. It's not always easy keeping the people who hurt us at arms length. To me, this wonderful book really shows us how those emotions come into play. Blue is strong, loyal, and vulnerable with her emotions. Roman, Declan, Jared and Felix all hurt her when she really needed someone. She used her past to grow into the person she now is. One thing Blue didn't account for is that when you grow up trying to protect those closest to you, along with your heart by trying to turn your own feelings off, is that when you're forced to face everything those feelings will push to consume you. Y.V Larson has definitely written a book for the ages with Petals of Blue, and I, for one, can not wait to jump into book 2. The cliffhanger we get slipped at the end is one that will ruin you and have you begging for more.
October 6, 2025
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
MMCs: 4
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
This was my first time reading an ARC. I am so happy that it got to be a YV Larson book because I am already a huge fan of her work! This had everything I look for in a book: Strong FMC✅ FMC with traumatic past✅ Second Chance✅ Time Lapse✅ Character development✅ Loveable MMCs✅ Grovel✅ Good friend group✅ Shocking Cliffhanger✅ I really loved the FMC Blue. I’m generally pretty harsh and picky about my main characters mainly because I often think they are unrealistic, however, that is not the case with Blue.
The story starts out with Blue when she is 17 years old. She lives with her awful aunt and is being forced to move away from her 4 best friends (the MMCs). They drop her for reason unknown to her then you skip ahead 11 years which is where the story officially takes place.
My favorite quotes would be:
“Blue is the color of a bruise after a day or two. Blue means sadness. Blue relates to detachment and distance.”
And
“‘Oh, and Blue!’ I jump up, shouting for her. ‘The banana bread and flower tattoos on my neck are a reminder of that girl we still love.’”
Let me tell you that second quote gave me heart eyes and had me giggling.
I just want to say that I absolutely loved this book and can’t wait for book two. I appreciate getting an ARC and I cannot wait for book 2!
MMCs: 4
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
This was my first time reading an ARC. I am so happy that it got to be a YV Larson book because I am already a huge fan of her work! This had everything I look for in a book: Strong FMC✅ FMC with traumatic past✅ Second Chance✅ Time Lapse✅ Character development✅ Loveable MMCs✅ Grovel✅ Good friend group✅ Shocking Cliffhanger✅ I really loved the FMC Blue. I’m generally pretty harsh and picky about my main characters mainly because I often think they are unrealistic, however, that is not the case with Blue.
The story starts out with Blue when she is 17 years old. She lives with her awful aunt and is being forced to move away from her 4 best friends (the MMCs). They drop her for reason unknown to her then you skip ahead 11 years which is where the story officially takes place.
My favorite quotes would be:
“Blue is the color of a bruise after a day or two. Blue means sadness. Blue relates to detachment and distance.”
And
“‘Oh, and Blue!’ I jump up, shouting for her. ‘The banana bread and flower tattoos on my neck are a reminder of that girl we still love.’”
Let me tell you that second quote gave me heart eyes and had me giggling.
I just want to say that I absolutely loved this book and can’t wait for book two. I appreciate getting an ARC and I cannot wait for book 2!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 11, 2025
When the past returns begging for another chance
"Without them, in a scary home of uncertainty and hostility, Erica became Blue.
Here shows the slow death of Erica Bennett."
This was a great story of rebuilding yourself because someone else needed you. This is trauma, loss, fear, and growing up too fast. However, it's also hope, healing, friendship, and family. It's being forced to face the past without warning.
These guys messed up big time. I understand the initial part but when they were older they could and should have tried to find her. They did not get away unmarked but what happened but they got off way easier.
I loved how real and raw Blue was with them. "I only have so many pages...I won't fill them with excuses that only serve to invalidate the pain I survived." This hit so hard.
The guys never forgot her and now that she is here they will do anything to be part of her life again. They are not expecting things to be easy but they promise to be there.
This healing is raw, chaotic and absolutely real. The thoughts and feelings ebb and flow and some days will be good and others bad.
That cliffhanger though was out of left field and I can't wait to see what happens next.
"Without them, in a scary home of uncertainty and hostility, Erica became Blue.
Here shows the slow death of Erica Bennett."
This was a great story of rebuilding yourself because someone else needed you. This is trauma, loss, fear, and growing up too fast. However, it's also hope, healing, friendship, and family. It's being forced to face the past without warning.
These guys messed up big time. I understand the initial part but when they were older they could and should have tried to find her. They did not get away unmarked but what happened but they got off way easier.
I loved how real and raw Blue was with them. "I only have so many pages...I won't fill them with excuses that only serve to invalidate the pain I survived." This hit so hard.
The guys never forgot her and now that she is here they will do anything to be part of her life again. They are not expecting things to be easy but they promise to be there.
This healing is raw, chaotic and absolutely real. The thoughts and feelings ebb and flow and some days will be good and others bad.
That cliffhanger though was out of left field and I can't wait to see what happens next.
November 4, 2025
A Beautifully Broken Beginning
I devoured the first half of the Wilted Duet and now I’m left absolutely empty waiting for book two. Y.V. Larson knows how to hook a reader, and this story had me glued to my screen from the start.
Blue/Erica is one BAMF. She’s endured so much and sacrificed even more to get where she is today. Her friend group is incredible, fiercely protective, and loyal to the core. And her relationship with Violet? I adore it. Blue stepped into the role of parent and raised her with so much love and strength.
Her history with the four boys, (Roman, Felix, Declan, and Jared) adds so much emotion to the story. Roman is the quiet, tortured soul who finds comfort in baking. Felix is the alpha jerk who is possessive, dominant, and impossible to ignore. Declan gives full bratty golden retriever energy with a knack for stirring up trouble. And Jared is the golden-retriever-hearted high school math teacher who adds sweetness to the mix. They ghosted her senior year, leaving her to fend for herself and grow up far too fast in ways no child should ever have to. Watching them grovel and fight to earn even a sliver of her trust is deeply satisfying.
And that cliffhanger? Absolutely brutal, but I have no doubt the wait for part two will be so worth it.
I devoured the first half of the Wilted Duet and now I’m left absolutely empty waiting for book two. Y.V. Larson knows how to hook a reader, and this story had me glued to my screen from the start.
Blue/Erica is one BAMF. She’s endured so much and sacrificed even more to get where she is today. Her friend group is incredible, fiercely protective, and loyal to the core. And her relationship with Violet? I adore it. Blue stepped into the role of parent and raised her with so much love and strength.
Her history with the four boys, (Roman, Felix, Declan, and Jared) adds so much emotion to the story. Roman is the quiet, tortured soul who finds comfort in baking. Felix is the alpha jerk who is possessive, dominant, and impossible to ignore. Declan gives full bratty golden retriever energy with a knack for stirring up trouble. And Jared is the golden-retriever-hearted high school math teacher who adds sweetness to the mix. They ghosted her senior year, leaving her to fend for herself and grow up far too fast in ways no child should ever have to. Watching them grovel and fight to earn even a sliver of her trust is deeply satisfying.
And that cliffhanger? Absolutely brutal, but I have no doubt the wait for part two will be so worth it.
January 8, 2026
Am I missing something?
These men suck. This whole thing is wildly misogynistic and coercive. The FMC folds like a cheap card table after they basically strong-arm her repeatedly with tactics that scream, "We don't give a flying fuck about your feelings, our feelings are what matter."
What are we even doing here? This FMC has been living without these losers longer than she was ever friends with them. She has a whole life she's built for herself with a supportive found family and she just what... crumples under a single "nice" gesture, that is far more *undeservingly possessive, controlling asshole* than nice? She goes from "No, I don't want to be here" to "Ooo chocolate and wine" in zero seconds flat.
Ew. Just ew. I thought this was going to be about her being this strong woman who grew into herself in their absence, not some token damsel whose pretense of resistance is so flimsy a stiff breeze would do it in.
Meanwhile, we also have to choke down this awkward secondary romance between buddies that makes the whole story feel even more fragmented and uneven. And their explanation!! Their dumb af explanation as to why they did what they did literally makes none of it better... if anything it just makes them look worse.
I frickin can't. DNF
These men suck. This whole thing is wildly misogynistic and coercive. The FMC folds like a cheap card table after they basically strong-arm her repeatedly with tactics that scream, "We don't give a flying fuck about your feelings, our feelings are what matter."
What are we even doing here? This FMC has been living without these losers longer than she was ever friends with them. She has a whole life she's built for herself with a supportive found family and she just what... crumples under a single "nice" gesture, that is far more *undeservingly possessive, controlling asshole* than nice? She goes from "No, I don't want to be here" to "Ooo chocolate and wine" in zero seconds flat.
Ew. Just ew. I thought this was going to be about her being this strong woman who grew into herself in their absence, not some token damsel whose pretense of resistance is so flimsy a stiff breeze would do it in.
Meanwhile, we also have to choke down this awkward secondary romance between buddies that makes the whole story feel even more fragmented and uneven. And their explanation!! Their dumb af explanation as to why they did what they did literally makes none of it better... if anything it just makes them look worse.
I frickin can't. DNF
November 17, 2025
New author for me, so it may be that our styles just don't vibe. Lots of telling and not showing. It makes for a super quick read but overall I felt completely disconnected from all the characters. I am actually not sure there was a single physical description of any of the MMCs? Maybe one was blonde? The FMC had blue hair and explicitly described herself as "not curvy" but then one of the MMCs did...
This isn't quite what it's talked up to be. The FMC is not particularly strong of spine, although she certainly gives herself plenty of pep talks. The MMCs have an absolutely shit excuse for ghosting her....hello is there ANY scenario in which four teenage boys will just stop talking to the girl they love?!?!? No. "Just never thought to try reaching out to her again."
Okay then 11 years later they end up back in her life and, don't get your hopes up, there is basically no groveling. In fact one of the MMCs is often yelling at her?? She caves immediately, basically. The plot twist at the end was the most drama of the entire book and it took a couple hundred pages to get there.
I have the second book downloaded and in my library, still torn as to whether I'll read it.
This isn't quite what it's talked up to be. The FMC is not particularly strong of spine, although she certainly gives herself plenty of pep talks. The MMCs have an absolutely shit excuse for ghosting her....hello is there ANY scenario in which four teenage boys will just stop talking to the girl they love?!?!? No. "Just never thought to try reaching out to her again."
Okay then 11 years later they end up back in her life and, don't get your hopes up, there is basically no groveling. In fact one of the MMCs is often yelling at her?? She caves immediately, basically. The plot twist at the end was the most drama of the entire book and it took a couple hundred pages to get there.
I have the second book downloaded and in my library, still torn as to whether I'll read it.
December 11, 2025
This book was terrible. I went into it knowing the premise, but believing that there had to be some way for the male protagonists to make their past abandonment of the female protagonist makes sense. Instead, up to 53% of the way through this book (which is where I DNFed), they blamed everybody but themselves for the choice. They made this choice as teens, but then continued to follow the same path as adults. I completely understand following the counsel of your parents as a teen and not recognizing their true motives until later, but the guys had a decade of adulthood to reflect on their actions and try to find Blue. The fact that only accidentally ending up in the same geographic area as her spurred them into action is rather damning. They say that they were struggling without her but their years of inaction shows they were content to continue living that struggle. Regardless of how the author tries to paint them as tortured, they just come off as lazy and unmotivated. These men are pathetic and I don’t feel like we have a good enough sense of Blue for me to know much about her, but selling herself out for chocolate covered almonds, does not make me think well of her either.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 21, 2025
Just the prologue was enough to have me infuriated and devastated on behalf of our Blue FMC. I adored this entire story and felt like Blue's struggles and doubts were completely relatable and justified and as much as I want her to go a certain way, I'm not sure if I actually would if I were in her shoes! As always with Y.V.'s writing, the expression of trauma and PTSD feels scarily authentic and believable without being OTT. Not only did I devour this book in less than 12 hours, but I also wanted to bookmark nearly every other chapter. Blue's encounters with the guys were always gut wrenching and resulted in a heightened emotional response that had me feeling all the feels. Petals of Blue is riddled with emotional depth as Blue and the guys fight for a second chance, which will require overcoming the loss of trust and safety. A threat that nobody saw coming leaves us dangling precariously from a cliff until Part II comes out! I absolutely loved this book and I can't wait to see what happens next!
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