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

Ivy did it again! I'm a HUGE Ivy Smoak fan and loved every second of this book! Thanks to the author and publisher for the ARC

[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Bad Things Feel Best releases August 8, 2023

*contains spoilers*

This was the most ridiculously predictable thing I’ve read. Yet it also wasn’t? What the fuck was this…
The only good takeaway here was that it was a really fast and easy read.

<i>Bad Things Feel Best</i> spans just over one month, from August 28 - October 1.
Hazel Fox is an aspiring author from New York and has applied to be the assistant to best selling author, Athena Quinn. This position lands her with a live-in situation in a gated mansion overlooking the beach on an island off the coast of South Carolina. Except, instead of Athena Quinn, Hazel is faced with a man named Mr. Remington who insists on only using surnames, is always cold to the touch, is hardly ever present during the day or night, and speaks with phrases that are not at all modern.

Hazel spends her time being “the assistant to the assistant”, sifting through copious amounts of hate mail, while also trying to weasel her way into every crevice of this house that she so clearly was told not to enter.

It truly baffled me how freaking clueless Hazel was. Despite “living with Athena”, Athena never actually made an appearance, and that should have set off some alarms or red flags, but nope!! Apparently not!
And the way she never once clued in or recognized that the manuscript she stumbled across was an exact replica of her arrival to the mansion?! PLS YOU ARE HIS MUSE, how can you be so blind to something that is right in front of your face!?


TLDR: I really didn’t like how for 99% of this book I was convinced that this was some vampire story, and then apparently in the last 1% it wasn’t?? Like?? Might as well just run with it because there were so many freaking plot points that made this a glaringly cliché vampire story — the cold hands, jars of bulk “tomato sauce”, no bed in his bedroom, seemingly never eating any meals, avoiding sunlight, all of the portraits from the 1600’s that made him look like he hasn’t aged a single day, all of the old language, being allergic to garlic… I could go on and on.

Were all of the neighbours, cops, and security guard in on Remington’s ruse as an author? It just seemed like so much work to involve all of those people, and for what? It makes no sense.

The romance was not believable in the slightest. Remington was so absent throughout this story, and you’re telling me she somehow was able to fall in love with him? How? Every interaction between them had Hazel at the receiving end of curt answers.
That one intimate scene in the ocean was so unnecessary, and I was cringing so hard reading the part when Hazel was drunk and he had her bent over the table in her thong.


I might comp this to Verity by Colleen Hoover just for the creepy vibes of the house and the author characters.

I’ve never been more confused after reading a book. It’s about a girl writing a book using the characters of this book who also write books about this girl. It’s the inception of books. That’s not a compliment. I've read other books by Ivy Smoak and I liked them but this missed the mark, hard.

There were some random editing notes like using the term 'Spanish moss' 4 times in the first 2 pages and using 'Mr. Remington' 4 or 5 times on the same page, that could be fixed.

Toward the end I was waiting for someone to come out with a camera and yell ‘you’ve been punked’ because this entire story felt satirical in nature.

The only positive is that Ivy is a skilled writer, so while the story is not good, it’s easy to read, which makes it easier to get to the end. And then never think about it again.

1 star. The premise sounded super interesting, but I sadly didn’t enjoy the book at all.

I found the writing to be cringey and bad. The characters weren’t convincing as people and the entire set-up at the house was just ridiculous. All the characters were very flat and the protagonist was incredibly annoying and infuriating. She didn’t understand the meaning of boundaries or privacy.

Nothing about this was in any way suspenseful. It was trying very hard to be “gothic”, which didn’t work in any way for me. It just came off as creepy and it wasn’t put together very well. Everything about it reminded me of bad fanfiction.

Not a fun time.

I thoroughly enjoyed "Bad things feel best" by Ivy Smoak. A spicy, emotional story that will be a great addition to any romance lover's shelf!

This book is night and day compared to Ivy's recent books. It was gripping, full of suspense and I couldn't put it down! The further into the story I got the deeper I got immersed into the twists and secrets and couldn't wait until it all unfolded!

It's night and day whereas it's not a RomCom with laugh out loud moments and full of emotion but still an absolute smasher of a book, superb characters, a storyline that will hook you in and definite 5 stars! Loved it!

Hazel has landed her dream job, assisting a world renown author, but her high hopes for her new job vanish as soon as she arrives at the old southern mansion within a strange gated community. Creepy things start to happen and Hazel feels like she is constantly being watched. This book had a few twists and turns but they were kind of expected so my joy for this book was short-lived. This book was more hallmark mystery vibes than a full on thriller vibes.

**Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review**

I love books with great plot twists and Ivy Smoak did it fantastically. With a mysterious mansion and even more mysterious characters in and around the mansion, wanna be writer, Hazel comes to a southern private island to be an assistant to one of the best writers in the country. But where is she and what are all the secrets and clues Hazel finds? Of course imagination grows right along with our heroine and kept me guessing the entire time. A great book, you don’t want to put down.

I would totally recommend this book. I stayed on the edge of my seat the entire time trying to figure out the plot twist. It was captivating and at times humorous how the mind of the main characters worked. The story line was quirky and flowed easily. An easy, fun read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free book and the opportunity to share my review.

What a great new book from Ivy! This one is completely different from her others and will keep you guessing and wondering if your guesses are correct. Atlas is mysterious and makes Hazel question everything. Hazel is curious and wants all the answers immediately. Toss in some handsome and flirty Hudson and questionable islanders and you have a wonderful romantic mystery. This one is very light on the steamy scale. Lies, love, mystery and vampires????? Grab it quick, you won't be sorry.

Ivy's "The Hunted Series" is what got me hooked on her books. Bad Things Feel Best is definitely different than her other steamy romance books but just as amazing. It's more of a mystery/romance with lots of twists. I love the main character, Hazel's. relationship with her best friend, Kehlani. Their back and forth banter is hilarious. There's no cliff hanger but I feel like there's still so much more to tell and I would love to have another book about Hazel and Atlas (Mr. Remington) and definitely one of Hudson.

Thank you Ivy Smoak, Ryan Hauge Netgalley and Montlake for this ARC.

I am an avid Ivy Smoak fan. Empire High is my favorite series and made me fall in love with her writing. Bad Things Feel Best is the newest Smoak book. We follow Hazel Fox who's been accepted to be the assistant to the assistant of her favorite author, Athena Quinn. There's lots of weirdness, and even some questionable supernatural situations. The MMC, Mr. Remington is the broody, mysterious Adonis I always look forward to in a Smoak novel. The FMC, Hazel, is the nosy, amateur detective hell bound to solve the craziness that's occurring. I loved her interaction with her bestie, Kehlani . Knowing Ivys other works, I got some Tanner/Ash/Chastity vibes from these 3 characters. As for the storyline itself, it kept me guessing or second guessing what was going on. Pretty early on I had my theory which ended up partially correct. But I still enjoyed the ride. The only real criticism I have is I had hoped for a little more explanation of some of questions regarding who/what Mr Remington and family are/were. That's left up in the air a bit. SPOILER-ISH:


Like why was everyone on the island pale and have cold hands? Were they all in on it? Were there truly supernatural things happening or was it all a big rouse? Was Hudson aware of what was going on? He clearly knew who Athena was.

I received an ARC of this novel via Netgalley for my honest review.

This is hard to review without spoilers. Go in with an open mind remembering every book that Ivy writes does not have to be the same. I really liked this. Yes it is different and I think it shows how talented and creative Ivy can be. Full disclosure, I figured it out from the beginning but the read was still captivating and intriguing and made me want to keep reading. Give it a try. It’s a pretty quick read and I feel worth it!

Hazel wants to be a writer and thinks she has found the perfect job; an assistant to a very popular Author.


I received this ARC via NetGalley

ARC Review
Title: Bas Things Feel Best
Publishing date: August 8th, 2o23
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

"I opened up the french doors and stepped onto the wet balcony. The ocean air swirled around me, and the flame of my candle went out. It was the perfect view of the ocean"

We follow the story of Hazel Fox who accepts a new job working with Athena Quinn, when she gets to this estate, she is greeted with the unexpected. She is tasked to be the assistant to Mr. Remington, who is already Athena Quinn's assistant. In this estate there a lot of secrets and creepy things happening. We get introduced to a few secondary characters in the story like Hazel's friend form New York Kehlani, and Hudson who is the pool boy. We go on a journey of Hazel getting to know the area and trying to uncover secrets hidden in this estate.

I really enjoyed the imagery throughout the book (highlighted in quote above). This really helped me stay engaged withe the story and feel like I am inside the book. The story was well-paced which made it a fast read since I enjoyed it so much. I enjoyed how all of the characters were introduced and focussed on throughout the story. I liked all of the characters and felt connected to them all. They worked together in unison. I also enjoyed the relationship between Kehlani and Hazel, they were very connected and had many scenes which I liked. I also really liked the mystery aspect of the story. It gave me anxiety when every I thought Hazel was going to caught, I felt like I was in her body. I also liked how Kehlani was involved even though she was far away. liked that Hudson was brought into the story, it added more mystery surrounding Mr. Remington. I don't think he needed to be in the few ending scenes but his presence felt like it dropped off near the end. I thought Hazel's prediction about Mr. Remington was going to be true, I think it would have been cool if it was. But overall I really liked how the end of the book played out, and that is was a happy ending as well. I would recommend this for everyone to read!

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC

Wow! Ivy Smoak has done it again with this book. First off I love the setting with Hazel who wants to be a writer and gets a dream opportunity to be an assistant to one of her favorite authors Athena Quinn. The house is a huge estate set in South Carolina. When she arrives it’s not exactly what she was expecting. You will also meet other characters like Big and Little Remington. Then strange things start happening that will have Hazel questioning everything. This book is part thriller part romance. The perfect fall read.

This romantic thriller gives me Made of Steel (another of Ivy Smoak’s series) vibes… and I am here for it! It’s mysterious and has you questioning every action, every word, every oddity… just everything. It’s all about the buildup, so, while there is spice, it’s relatively minimal compared to some of Ivy’s other works.

Hazel arrives at a beautiful ocean-side manor, where she’s set to be the assistant to a famous author. When she meets the handsome and gruff (yet gentlemanly) Mr. Remington, she second-guesses her commitment to this new job.

It’s not just Mr. Remington that has her second-guessing everything - strange things keep happening and Hazel’s not sure what it all means. Is her life in danger? Can she escape this island? Does she want to?

I know this book is supposed to be a stand-alone, but I feel like some of the plot lines were left unfinished. Will we get a follow-up book, Ivy?!

Heart pounding thriller that left me on the edge of my seat. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. Definitely one of the best books this year.

One of better recent works of this author. But I would appreciate more of romance in it and not that many speculations about unimportant things this heroine had. Plus it was very easy and it didn’t rock my boat in slightest.