Author: Saffron A. Kent
Publication Date: July 13, 2017
Rating: ★★
Synopsis via Goodreads: Layla Robinson is not crazy. She is suffering from unrequited love. But it’s time to move on. No more stalking, no more obsessive calling.The Unrequited by Saffron Kent was a new release that kept popping up all over my Instagram and Goodreads feed. Everyone and they mama was reading this book and screaming about how much they loved it, so naturally I took the bait and I decided to see what all the hype was about. Clearly I never learn when it comes to giving into the hype because no matter how many times I get burned, I still keep going back for more. Just a little warning, this review WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS because I can't discuss my thoughts without them.
What she needs is a distraction. The blue-eyed guy she keeps seeing around campus could be a great one—only he is the new poetry professor—the married poetry professor.
Thomas Abrams is a stereotypical artist—rude, arrogant, and broody—but his glares and taunts don’t scare Layla. She might be bad at poetry, but she is good at reading between the lines. Beneath his prickly façade, Thomas is lonely, and Layla wants to know why. Obsessively.
Sometimes you do get what you want. Sometimes you end up in the storage room of a bar with your professor and you kiss him. Sometimes he kisses you back like the world is ending and he will never get to kiss you again. He kisses you until you forget the years of unrequited love; you forget all the rules, and you dare to reach for something that is not yours.
Let's get this review started, shall we?
This book opens up with our MC, Layla Robinson, in a therapy session with the school's guidance counselor. The two are discussing how Layla spent her winter vacation and about the upcoming semester. During this session we find out that Layla has quiet a few issues, like a lack of impulse control and participating in reckless behavior. Later we find out exactly why...
"Once upon a time, six-year-old Caleb Whitmore smiled at five-year-old Layla Robinson. She didn't know it then, but that was the day she fell in love with him. Then one night, in her desperate, desperate attempt to stop Caleb from going off to Harvard, she kind of, sort of...raped him a little bit."
Can I just ask how does one rape someone "a little bit"? Either the sex was consensual or not, there's no in between. My first thought was "WTF AM I READING?!" and I contemplated if I should continue. But the fact that this was the first book that I've read where a heroine was being labeled as a 'rapist' piqued my interest and I felt like there had to be more to this story. And there is, which I will get to later. After the situation with her stepbrother happened, Layla starts to act out and her mother offers her two choices: Layla could either go to a rehab center to get help or she could go to college. She chose college, which was clearly the better choice (*sarcasm*).
Layla has trouble sleeping and one night she goes on a walk and comes across a mysterious stranger. She watches him from afar, but doesn't make much of it until she sees him again at the campus bookstore. Again she watches him, hoping that he doesn't notice her. And as if they are fated-to-be, Layla once again crosses paths with this mysterious stranger and this time she follows him all the way to a classroom where she learns that he is actually a professor. Not only is Thomas Abrams a professor, but he's also married. Let the love affair begin.
All this took place just within the first 10% of the book so I could only imagine what was coming next.
First off, I really had high hopes for this one and not just because of the hype, but also because I've heard that Saffron Kent's writing is amazing. Let me just say, the woman can write! I may have rated this book two-stars, but the writing was hauntingly beautiful and it's the only reason why I kept reading. But the story itself and these characters were something I just couldn't fuck with.
I honestly felt sorry for Layla. The child clearly needs help and no one is willing to get it for her. Her own mother ships her off because she can't deal with Layla acting out and she ends up spending most of her time alone in her room, stuck in her head with some not so happy thoughts. She blames herself for what went down between her and Caleb and for the first half of the book we spend it thinking that Layla is a rapist. After many years, Caleb finally contacts Layla and lo and behold we find out that the sex was actually consensual. LAYLA IS NOT A RAPIST. But wait, it gets better. Caleb admits that he wanted to have sex with Layla to see what it was like to be with a girl. Thing is, Caleb is gay. Why are we using a character's sexuality as a plot twist?!
That whole confession just rubbed me the wrong way because all this time Layla has been carrying this blame and it's been eating away at her to the point that she believes that she's insane. Caleb didn't even have to come out until he was ready, but he should've at least checked up on Layla the night after to make sure she was okay with what went down between them.
Now let's move on to Layla's new obsession: Professor Thomas Abrams. The man she stalks around campus. The man she openly stares at and spends her days daydreaming about. Thomas is your typical tortured soul who believes that the world revolves around him because of his talent. He's a famous poet who has published many works, but he still feels empty inside. His marriage is barely hanging on by a thread and he feels like his world is falling apart. What do you do when your world is falling apart? You start an affair with your student who admits to stalking you.
Everything about this relationship was so wrong and toxic as hell. Layla told Thomas about what went down between her and her stepbrother and he still decides to pursue her. The girl is not stable, why would you choose to get involved with her instead of getting her help?! Thomas clearly has the upper hand in this relationship and he very much gets off on telling Layla what to do. And because of her obsession with Thomas, she does whatever he wants. He uses her however he wants. It's disgusting. Personally, I felt like this quote summed up this whole book:
"Layla is just...a child. So young and fragile, but brave too—brave enough to be with me, to take my abuse. Her courage floors me. Her courage highlights my own cowardice."
There we have it folks, THOMAS ADMITS THAT HE IS A COWARD. That is truly what he is. He's not a hero in my eyes at all and I don't feel sorry for what he went through. Don't even get me started on Thomas' son because that poor baby deserved better. No one gave a damn about that child except for the nanny. Despite all the fuckery that went down, I'm surprised that there was still a happily-ever-after. Gotta applaud Kent for pulling that off.
The Unrequited is going on my "HELL NO" list. For a book that romanticizes stalking, mental illness and toxic relationships, I cannot for the life of me understand how one can consider this book to be a romance. Both Layla and Thomas need professional help and I'm not even trying to be funny about this. As for me and this review...
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