Purity: A Friends-to-Lovers College Romance

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I’ve been in love with Cole Walker since the first day he walked into class and sat beside me. Who could blame me? Six foot five, gorgeous, and a sweetheart to boot. He’s charming enough to get any girl he wants. I stupidly didn’t expect the theme of christianity to be so pervasive. The characters in the story are a part of a tight community, devoted to their religion. The mmc is a pastor, a very pious and religious man and remains so. But our fmc is not. She is actually a closeted atheist but keeps going to church to please her family. She is also miserable. In my opinion the main focus was the acceptance of atheists by religious individuals and it was intense. I was sensitive to this topic to begin with, so it felt almost triggering. I liked it but I also hated many of the ideas the mmc and the family presented. Brandon was conflicted most of the book. I understood where he was coming from in a sense, but I also felt that he was kind of a doormat when it came to Mari's dad. Like dude your a grown man, just tell him no. I did like how obsessed he was with Mari but was not a fan of him waiting for the dad to give his blessing to actually go after her. You would think, the whole set-up of them being really good friends and him always being protective but no he is so annoying.

The one thing this book has going for it is that it’s NOT a “she was a bet!” plot (even though, confusingly, it seems like it’s setting that up). From the start, the heroine is aware of the bet. So, there’s no angst or tension about “when will she find out?!” But….there’s also not much angst or stakes about anything! Early in the story, they mutually agree that he’ll be her choice to sleep with. So, the entire flow of the story is odd– no tension, and not much plot. Just the characters awkwardly orbiting around each other, after they’ve agreed that they’ll have sex. There is some alright dirty talk, but it feels sudden and random, like this story threw it in Just Because. I’m at 60% and the whole book has just been so repetitive. He wants her. He touches her. He’s sorry. It was a mistake. It won’t happen again. He wants her. He goes a little further this time. He’s sorry. It was a mistake. It won’t happen again. Rinse and repeat. Normally, I’m not an ARC reader, but received this one through a FB giveaway. And was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it, particularly since I avoid anything NA like the plague.It turns out that Cole, aka the manwhore, is traumatized with some family stuff and is afraid of commitment. So he rejects her offer because he don't want to lose their friendship. So we have our herione Mari, which honestly I loved her. She was refreshingly honest and so comfortable in her own skin. Her family really got on my nerves, especially her sister Sofia. She threw so many underhanded insults Mari's way that I was ready to throw down with Livvy for her😅 Vanessa has been brought up within a strict family,were you are taught to feel shame towards sex and your body.Can you imagine how Vanessa must have felt as a young woman still trying to find herself, so she posts her thoughts and feelings on her Tiktok channel. I couldn’t stand Mariana’s family, especially her sister. They pressured her and made her unhappy in the name of a God. Her sister was insufferable. I had such a hard time with her family, they were plainly stupid and extremely self-centered. The purity culture was so profound, thankfully the fmc had some sense. Her povs were a fresh breath.

While some reviewers criticize the book for being too male-gaze-y, the sensitive portrayal of Cole’s protective nature towards Livy adds depth to their relationship. I am the target market here. I love the virgin/manwhore trope. Virginity bets are my thing. College romance is my favorite. I even identify with the Purity culture religious upbringing…. And yet… this was baaaaaaadLivvy is the sweetest, most docile character Mason has ever written. She’s strong and resilient, but most importantly she’s becoming herself, which is all anyone ever hopes to accomplish. And then they on the beach getting sand up their butthole and other places but he slips his eggplant in and she's like OOP! And he's like OOPY-OOP! That be a hymen! The story shows the reality of teenagers and young adults, where sex is casual and loses every romantic meaning- which is quite sad, as it’s sad the emotionless way both characters talk about it. I might be older but where are those fluttering in your belly, where’s the heart ache and the shivering, those emotions that are obvious absent in these people who treat sex as basic corporal function.

Then when he said he loves her, she said it is only because he is afraid of losing her, and leave his house. some days later, after the hero went TikTok - almost- with a video where he cries and asks for her forgiveness, she decides to give him another chance. Poor hero. With such a high maintenance girl I don’t know how happy he can be. His choice though. I really don't like the i-have-loved-you-for-years-but-i-f-everybody-else. h is pure ofc, but dreams about H and marriage to him, but at the same time 4 out of 5 years she thought she could only have Christian husband.A Jane Bennet style FMC whose tragic flaw is that she gives too much of herself and doesn't ask for what she wants. Watching her overcome this is SO satisfying! And one should certainly never celebrate a heroine who, in the process of trying to prove she wasn't "weak", acts in a toxic manner towards the person she supposedly loves. I understand not wanting to cave to another person's will. I understand wanting to make them earn your love. But when a person is clearly going through hell, and has laid their heart wide open for you, and you know good and well what you want from them, it is not okay for you to make them jump through hoops.

He’s an asshole to her after they have sex because he’s feeling vulnerable. He’s caught feelings at this point and she’s trying to make sure he knows she knows it’s just sex which hurts his feelings. He’s not a huge asshole but he’s an asshole all the same. However, He convinces her to keep sleeping together for three weeks so he can try to make her fall for him. It works. They decide to stay together. I looked past the manwhore/virgin combo bc the author was saying what a huge grovel it had.....there was literally no grovel. Half the book the heroine is already aware he is manipulative anyways. It just had no tension or stakes. She forgave the one infraction he did that she didn't know about almost immediately. If this was an epic grovel than romance books are dead to me 😂 Livy has been in love with her best friend Cole for years, but he’s never looked at her that way. So, she decides to ask him to take her V-card with no strings attached. But when I tell Cole my request, his reaction is not what I expect. He’s furious and over-the-top protective. He won’t touch me, but apparently no one else can either. It doesn’t make any sense.Livvy has been in love with Cole Walker since the very first day that he walked into class and sat beside her. Who could even blame her? Six foot five and even a sweetheart. Oh and did she mention how gorgeous he was? He is just charming enough to get any girl that he wants. The plan was to make him fall in love with her, get married, and give him all of her firsts. I don't really know how I feel about the H. I liked his character, but he just wasn't developed enough😭? I genuinely don't know anything about him aside from his daddy issues and weird, unexplainable infatuation with the heroine. Cole is DEFINITELY Mason’s more risqué character, and I LOVE that she wasn’t afraid to showcase sexual desires in this book. (I WISH you could see my highlights, but alas, I will not be sharing them with you 😉) Cole is stubborn and delusional when it comes to his own feelings. He’s had a rough example of what “love” looks like. Which was incredibly relatable for me.