Thank you. Netgalley for a copy of this novel.

I was really looking for Ivy’s new novel and so iñwhen I got it well.. I went straight to read it.

Unfortunately I didn’t love it as much as I thought I would? I mean, creepy old mansion? Love story? BFFs. Relationship goals? sign me up!

I want to say that I sort of got the plot right away.. I knew what was gonna happened before it did and the ending felt a little flat FOR ME.

Still I was able to finish it and there were many parts that I liked but this was a missed for me.

The plot twist omg I saw it coming it keep you on your toes that felt like they need to be more to this story I need more answer I'm so use to Ivy Smoak series I want a story about the other character in the book their no cliffhanger.
Mr Remington was a mystery went hazel come to the mansion he the one that let her know how is going to be but she does the opposite because she want to meet the famous author and the author doesn't want to be seen by any one and Hazel is getting obsessed to meeting her.
I really would recommend this book to everyone it is such a short and thrilling read with so many twists. Thank you netgalley for the arc! And Ivy Smoak for letting us have this opportunity to read it. Once the book come out I'll write more of the book their so much more to say that I can't give any spoilers.

I enjoyed this book. I thought I had figured out Mr. Remington, and the plot took a surprising turn. I enjoyed this book with all of its twists and turns.

ARC Review: This is the first Ivy book that I was totally in the dark for when the ARC released. No teasers ahead of time, and no idea what the book was about. I absolutely love this side of Ivy’s writing - Ivy has so much talent in writing romance thrillers that have you thinking you’ve solved them half way through, to only be proven wrong at the end. Loved the characters, I hope one day we get more of them!! Also reviewed on good reads, and will review on Amazon when able to do so.

From the start I was excited to read this. Something new for a while that I've been wanting from Ivy! It was a surprise ARC to her street team. A great surprise! The very beginning story starts off so good and it's just exhilarating to be on my tippy toes wanting more and more before I fall in. Towards the middle end the story was kinda stalled and there were sooo soo many different theories swirling in My mind.

Hazel Fox is aspiring to be a writer and she is taking a job to assist a well known author Athena Quinn. When she arrives its different and not at all what she expected. Turns out she's just an assistant to the real real assistant. Lol and it's all a whirlwind from there. Hazel's BFF Kehlani is a ride or die and I love her. She's the best BFF to Hazel in this story. While assisting Hazel AKA Ms. Fox is questioning EVERYTHING and she was correct to do. Nothing is as it seems. Everything is up to no good. Everyone is up to no good. The title is perfect. Hazel is a bit naive and that's why she was chosen I'm sure. In the end will Hazel get through this and make it out alive and happy? I know the ending, and it is wild. This is a standalone. Ivy is a maniac. 😆 Find out for yourself. 👀🖤

This book follows Hazel who accepts a new job working for famous novelist Athena Quinn. As she arrives to Ms. Quinn’s estate she is met with a surprise, she has actually been hired to be assistant to Mr. Remington (who is already Athena Quinn’s assistant). Mysterious and creepy things happen throughout the estate and Hazel tries to get to the bottom of it.

I really loved the imagery in this book but a lot of the other aspects fell short for me. There were so many questions left unanswered and loose ends. The romance aspect was hard for me to believe and I wanted so badly to root for them and love them but I just never did.

And the ending fell flat for me too! The two major “plot twists” were obvious. I have loved some of Ivy’s other books so I’m sad I didn’t love this one. Just not for me.

Very easy to read and enjoyable story. It flowed and was entertaining throughout the whole of the book. The main character worked well together.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC copy of this book to read and review. All of these thoughts and comments are my own.

Hazel gets a job as an author’s assistant’s assistant. She goes in thinking she’s going to get a lot of experience writing wise but she doesn’t understand how much more she just signed up for by working for Mr.Remington.

I really enjoy this novel. I wish it was a bit longer because I didn’t want it to end. I will say I do think the ending was wrapped up way too fast and should’ve been drawn out a little bit more. I think the plot and characters were fantastic. I seen the plot twist coming from a mile away though.

If you like romance and mysteries then I would definitely check this book out. It was a fun and fast read. I read it in one sitting because I just couldn’t put it down.

4 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley, Montlake, & Ivy Smoak for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Hazel Fox gets hired to be the PA to a world famous author, but instead of meeting her she ends up working with Mr. Remington.

He's very old school, very broodish, and very attractive.

Hazel isn't given much information when she moves in to this novelists' home, but she runs with what she's given. She tries to keep her hands to herself *wink wink* but she ends up breaking rules and digging deeper in to something she isn't understanding than maybe she should.

This is a great mystery romance book, but it's got it's faults as well.

Things I liked:

1. The tension between Hazel & Mr. Remington.
2. The mystery, the fact that it keeps you kind of guessing throughout.
3. This story has spice, but that's not all it's about.

Things I didn't like:

1. The fact that it sounds very... Twilight-ish. I can't say much more than that without giving some of the story line away. Just trust me, lol.
2. There's no real resolution? Like.. it feels a bit forced.
3. I want more spice. This is no hit to the author, I just expected more in a romance haha.

All in all, I'd read this again.

Thank you to NetGalley, Ivy Smoak & Montlake for an arc of Bad Things Feel Best in exchange for an honest review. This review is wholly my own & may not be reproduced.

The story centers around Hazel & Mr. Remington who Hazel has to work with when she arrives for her new job on a private island. She thought she’d be working with a famous novelist that she admires. Mr. Remington is very rude & cold to Hazel, acting as if he is trying to get her to quit. He is super secretive and won’t even tell her his first name. But Hazel is still drawn to Mr. Remington because he is just so gorgeous and mysterious. She is determined to find out what he is hiding, not matter the cost.

I was hooked on the synopsis of the book immediately! The title is perfect!!

This book was such an edge of your seat thriller. I sat down and read it in one sitting. Usually in a book, I can get to the end of a chapter that seems like a good stopping point to take a break, but not with this one. There are no good stopping points, you will be dying to keep reading until the very last word. So, make sure you have plenty of time to finish once you start it.

Very fast paced & thrilling. Why is it that most of us get such a thrill out of partaking in the things that we know are bad for us? Man, that element really added to the story.

This book doesn’t publish until August 8, 2023, but I highly suggest picking a copy of up. So, soooooooooo good!
5/5 Stars

I absolutely love Ivy’s writing. She is one of my favorite authors, so when I was able to get this ARC super early, I started it so fast.
There was so much that I loved about this story and some that kind of have me bummed.
I loved the creepy/thriller vibes. I liked the characters. The plot was there and I hated having to put it down before finishing it.
What bummed me out about this book, is that it didn’t give many answers to questions that were asked throughout the book. It leaves you thinking the possibility of what the people on the island could be or why they were the way they were, but you were never actually given an actual answer.
It ended where there is a possibility for a second book to maybe get all the answers and maybe more in depth story/information for the characters.

Bad Things Feel Best is a thrilling story told with a gorgeous writing style. It is the first book I've read by Ivy Smoak and I found it to be highly entertaining. It's not a genre I would usually read but for the most part I really enjoyed it. I was hoping for a little more romance but I really loved the vibes and overall creepiness of the book.

I was so impressed with this book. The twist and turns keeps you guessing until the end. The mystery and secrets keep you in suspense. A young, inspiring author has no idea what she signed up for when taking the job of assistant to a reclusive but famous writer. Can our heroine help the author find her way back after her last few books have been lackluster or will the mystery of who Mr. Remington really is send her running back to New York? So unlike the rest of Ivy’s stories but the incredible story telling did not disappoint, as per expected. It was like finding your favorite author all over again.

This book was one of my favorite books by Ivy!!! She definitely has a way of luring you into her books and keeping you there till the end. Her emotional rollercoaster and heartwarming stories definitely are worth the read.

Just amazing! This story is so well written but I wouldn’t expect anything less from Ivy she is a phenomenal writer and every story captivates you until the very end and Bad Things Feel Best is amazing. I loved the suspense I loved Mr. Remington and Hazel. This story really does captivate you from page one and you just have to know and it keeps you going. Ivy will never disappoint me with her writing and another one for the shelfs it’s such a good book.

As part of Ivy’s ARC team, I was able to read this book early and was provided a copy through NetGalley for my honest opinion. This book releases in August so though it is quite a wait for the rest of the Smoaksters, it is going to get some great hype.

Holy Smoak (see what I did there?)!! This book was so good! It’s definitely not Ivy’s typical book style I’ve grown to love, but I found myself completely obsessed with this story and read 75% of it in one go! Ivy was able to suck me in and take me for a ride as always. I don’t want to include any spoilers, so I’ll try to word this as best as I can.

Hazel, an aspiring author, is doing everything in her power to figure out the mysterious Mr. Remington (her new boss apparently), while also trying to meet Athena Quinn, the author she wants to draw inspiration from to help her write her own thriller novel. He infuriates her at every turn with all the secrets he keeps and why he just does so many weird things. What are you up to Mr. Remington?? It takes meeting the pool boy (name left out for a reason) to discover some interesting facts about him and a sorta love triangle forms. He lets slip what Mr. Remington’s first name is and Hazel can’t wait to use this to pry for more information.

As the story unfolds, we get clues as to who (or what) Mr. Remington is, and I definitely was down the rabbit hole forming my own theory as to what is going on. I loved the strong friendship with Kehlani! They had a ride-or-die relationship and she was gonna have Hazel’s back no matter what. I also loved how Hazel reminded me of Ash with her awkwardness and vulnerability and the familiarity of that character personality drew me in more.

I was able to deduce the mystery of Athena Quinn early on, but there were times I was thrown off slightly and had to question whether I was correct or not. There were a few plot twists and the mystery and thrills kept me turning pages like no other!

Now, I’m not a stranger to Ivy’s books and have read almost all, and this one did not disappoint. It was unexpected coming into the read with what was going to happen in this book. By being a standalone separate from the mingling of other character cameos we are prone to seeing in her books and not something I’m used to from Ivy, it makes it that much more interesting. It left me wanting so much more and I would love to see some more Hazel and Remington later on!

The spice in this book was bare minimal. There was some angst, lust, and desire, but nothing sexual until close to the end, but let me tell you, I was so caught up in the story that I didn’t even miss the spice (coming from a big smut reader). I shocked even myself at that! It has a satisfying finale to the slow slow slow burn and overall, a great, fun read. It gave me a pallet cleansing and was very enjoyable!

Another amazing read from Ivy Smoak! I didn’t have much to go on before starting it, but once I did I could not put it down. I loved that it had mystery and romance but I honestly didn’t know how it was going to end! I loved Mr. Remington and Miss Fox I would definitely read more about their story!

Bad Things Feel Best
by Ivy Smoak
Hazel Fox arrives at her new job on a private island hoping to get inspiration from a renowned novelist, only to discover she won’t be working with the author after all. She won’t even get to meet her. Instead, she’ll be assisting the handsome—and infuriating—Mr. Remington.
Mr. Remington unnerves Hazel from the moment they meet. Not only because he’s cold and strict and seems hell-bent on getting her to quit…but because his eyes are the same color as the ocean in their backyard. And his intense gaze always seems to be trained on her. Mr. Remington refuses to share any personal information about himself—not even his first name. But if there’s one thing Hazel is certain of in this beautiful, isolated estate, it’s that Mr. Remington has secrets. And those secrets are dangerous.


I enjoyed the novel. It did move very slowly though. Hazel was just a mess. She does everything that she can to jeopardize the rules of her job. Something sinister is going on, and Hazel is determined to discover the truth…no matter how close she has to get to Mr. Remington. After all, it’s the things that are bad for us that feel best. Mr. Remington is full of rules, very strange ones, Hazel soon discovers everything is not as it is painted to be. I wanted to scream at Hazel to just leave.

This was my first book by this author, and let me just say, it did not disappoint! I really liked this one!

*I highly recommend going into this story blindly without reading reviews containing spoilers as it will greatly detract from the reading experience*

Bad Things Feel Best is a story with a lot to unpack. Ivy Smoak knows how to hook readers right from the start of every book and this story is no different. It's suspenseful, mysterious, funny, and a bit crazy. Smoak loves to take readers in different directions and this one had quite a few curveballs. And in this story, some were easier to predict than others. When you think you know where the story is going, Smoak jukes one way and then another to try to throw you off balance. The main female character, Hazel is a typical Smoak heroine. She's a bit indecisive, a bit meek, and often confused, constantly second-guessing herself. But she's strong in her own way even while making my head spin. Several times I wanted to smack some sense into her (which often happens with Smoak's female characters) but that only made her more interesting and dare I say endearing. Mr. Remmington is a total enigma. He's brusque, off-putting, and totally eccentric. He was very confusing not only to Hazel but also to me. Just when I thought I had him figured out, he went and did something that had me scratching my head.

Smoak did a great job keeping the mystery and suspense alive throughout the story. It kept me from wanting to put the book down. I found myself totally engrossed, trying to figure out what the heck was going on and what was going to happen next. The ending to me felt slightly rushed though. I thought for sure that the author would end it with one of her typical cliffhangers but I was pleasantly surprised that my theory was wrong and that there was an actual ending to make this a standalone story. I do wish that there was more to the end of the story with these characters which is why I couldn't give it a five-star review. I just needed a bit "more". But, overall I really did like this story and would definitely recommend it. 4 stars