ARC Review: Fishy Riot by Lindsey Black

Blurb:

Most people think riot squad officer Taylor Jameson is an asshole. Little do they know his apparent indifference stems from having a meddlesome family always butting into his business. And little does Taylor know he’s about to stumble into a situation that’ll make indifference impossible.

When everything goes horribly wrong at a political rally on a harbour ferry, Taylor encounters Sietta Salisbury. The son of a wealthy politician, Sietta is a revered—but presumed dead—musician, and an enigma who is so strange, Taylor is compelled to look into his background. What he discovers draws him into a bizarre mess of prisoners, politics, and attempted murder that makes him realise what he’s been missing.

Falling in love isn’t hard. Trying to convince someone else you’re worth loving despite your crazy family and the people trying to kill you? That’s a whole other can of worms.

Dani's rating:

My favorite thing about this book was the warm, loving relationship between the twin brothers: Taylor and Clay. They bantered and argued, but they were incredibly supportive and protective of one another.

Clay has a long-term boyfriend whom he adores, but Tay is single. Supposedly, this is partly because Tay is an asshole. But he really isn't. He's gruff, sure, but an asshole? I didn't get that at all.

When Tay meets Sietta, in the middle of his parents' political rally on board a ferry, he's immediately smitten. But falling in love with Sietta draws Taylor (and his entire family) into a "bizarre mess of prisoners, politics, and attempted murder."

My biggest issue with this story is summed up by the singular quote above.




There was a LOT going on here besides the romance: drive-by shootings (which was really unbelievable, since the story takes place in AUSTRALIA, not Detroit), crazy accidents, several trips to the hospital, abuse (mostly off page), political conspiracy, and that's on top of Tay's meddling OTT family (the 5-year-old niece who acted 18 and called adults "idiots" was particularly ridiculous; there's nothing cute or funny about an obnoxious spoiled brat).

Fishy Riot is a BUSY story and jumps from one idea to the next with nary a breath to spare. The writing gallops along with few scene transitions, which I found confusing and frustrating.

I liked the story best when Sietta and Tay were simply together. Tay was just so sweet to Sietta, and Sietta had the potential to be a fascinating character.

Unfortunately, I think Sietta's suffering was completely downplayed. Not enough attention was given to the abuse and his mental state. No one recovers from something that horrendous so quickly and seemingly easily. Why was there no mention of therapy?

If you like fast-paced stories, low on the steam and relationship development but a big on family dynamics and action, this book might work for you. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy it as much as I'd hoped.

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Read. Read anything. Read the things they say are good for you, and the things they claim are junk. You’ll find what you need to find. Just read.

~Neil Gaiman

An ARC of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Download links are provided as a courtesy and do not constitute an endorsement of or affiliation with the book, author, publisher, or website listed.