I really enjoyed the first couple of chapters in this book: the beautiful relationship between Oliver and Mina, the early action and the idea put forth that love can help you through the darkest/most painful times. However, it quickly went downhill from here.

Though I loved the dual POV to begin with, this quickly felt like two different books with completely different atmospheres. Furthermore, the shifts in the story were extremely jarring, leading to this book feeling like multiple forced together with no flow from one to another. The story progressively felt more and more bizarre and became less and less believable.

There were long sections where it felt like absolutely nothing was happening

This was an incredibly disappointing read as I had such high hopes from the synopsis and opening chapters.

I will say, however, that the narrators for this audiobook were fantastic, pouring emotion into the words.

The story was absolutely gripping and I didn't want to stop listening. The narrators really helped bring things to life and did a great job at covering the emotions of Mina and Oliver.

I did not know this was the second book in a series, so it may be why I did not enjoy it as I thought I would. I had a hard time keeping up at times. It seemed like there was much more detail than was needed and it took away from the storyline. I may go back and read parts of it again and of I change my opinion, I will update my review.


Thank you net Galley for the ARC of this book

Since finishing the book, I’ve been thinking about it a lot. I keep replaying the story and characters in my head, dying to know what happens next. I’m really glad I read the first book again before diving into this ARC because it gave me some great context for Love and Other Cages but I don't think its necessary per say, like you can totally enjoy Love and Other Cages without reading Love and Other Sins. The book can be intense but it stands out. The writing was solid, it really picked up speed towards the second half. I loved Mina’s relationship with her mom; it’s rare to see such a close bond between teens and their parents in books. Their conversations and certain phrases they use were specific and brought out emotion. The narrators were topnotch, she nailed the Russian, the Brittish accents, everything. The male narrator was pleasant to listen to as well. Cant wait for the story to continue I'll be thinking about this one for a long while I can already tell, it wont leave me anytime soon.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing the book (and audiobook) in exchange for my honest review.

Love and Other Cages is an emotional rollercoaster that pulls you into its dark and twisty world right from the start. The story of Mina, a high school senior, and Oliver, who is desperately clinging to hope after a life of abandonment, is gripping and intense. Mina’s sudden abduction by a criminal organization thrusts her, and the reader, into a world filled with uncertainty and danger.

What really stands out to me is the palpable tension between love and survival that drives the story forward. Mina and Oliver’s connection is portrayed as a shining beacon in a world full of shadows. The juxtaposition of their tender bond against the darker, often violent backdrop makes for a heart-wrenching read. The stakes feel incredibly high — not only for their relationship but for their lives as well.

Emilia Area's writing is both lyrical and sharp. The prose is beautiful yet unrelenting, with a vividness that immerses you into the emotional depth of the characters. At times, the story feels like a thriller, with constant twists and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat, and at other times, it's deeply reflective about the strength of human connections in the most harrowing of circumstances.

There are definitely dark themes here, and it’s not always an easy read. However, for those who enjoy stories where love defies the odds and faces real-world dangers, Love and Other Cages delivers. It’s unpredictable, filled with emotional highs and lows, and leaves you wondering whether destiny can be rewritten or if some paths are set in stone. A powerful, thought-provoking novel that keeps you hooked until the very end.

If you're looking for a read that blends romance with tension, grit, and suspense, this is a book I’d recommend — just be prepared for some twists that will tug at your heartstrings.

Mina and Oliver start their world wind romance when Mena’s mother gets brutally attacked and ends up in the hospital . Oliver(dealing with his own demons from his childhood) makes it his mission to comfort her.

As Mena is visiting her mother in the hospital, a lawyer comes and says the attack has to do with her dad and his connections to some mob organization. The lawyer suggests for no more attacks to happen, Mena should instead allow the mob to kidnap her so her mother can be safe.Mena gets abducted by the mob and Oliver is beside himself losing her love of his life. Oliver makes it his mission to find Mena no matter what it takes.

Will Mena survive the abduction? Will Oliver be successful in finding Mena? Will these young loves be able to reunite and continue their world wind romance?

Thank you NetGalley for the arc audiobook!

4⭐️s. Coming October 15th! I didn’t realize it was the second book. I’d recommend reading Love and Other Sins first. Overall, I really enjoyed Mina’s story. She is incredibly strong despite being forced into a horrible situation. I like Oliver okay. Again, feel like the first book would help me understand him a bit better. LOVED the narration by the author. I knew I was loving Mina, and it makes sense with her creator narrating her parts. @thewillcollyer was excellent too. Can’t wait for the next book.

Mina and Oliver are on cloud nine. Until, Mina’s mother is almost killed and their past comes back to haunt them. Mina must make a very difficult decision to protect her mom. It will break her in a lot of ways, but her strength despite it shines through. Her sudden disappearance causes Oliver to search for two month trying to find her. What will happen when he does? Will they be able to save each other?

Thank you to @netgalley @emiliaares and Sera Press for the advanced listener copy. #netgalley #loveandothercages #loveandothersins #emiliaares #mystrythriller #audiobook #advancelistenerscopy #listeningisreadingtoo

Way too much detail into things that were not necessary. The details of the abduction and how she was kept could have been cut down so much as I didn't feel that they added to the story/plot. There were so many words and not much occurring. This one wasn't for me, but that doesn't mean it isn't for you.

I didn’t realize this was the second of a series when I chose this ARC and that’s on me but I belive it could be an ok standalone book as well!

I received an audiobook arc from NetGalley.

Great production and voice acting. Seriously some of the best work done in an audiobook.
The story itself is a long game of cat and mouse. There are some cool action scenes that make it fun for any action lover to read. It’s a bit light on the love aspect but read it and understand why.

ARC through NetGalley
Overall it was pretty engaging - a lot happenef right away and throughout the whole book, but I feel like so much tragedy happening from beginning to end that no solution or end result really happened in the end.

I started with the audiobook but had issues with a few chapters and then eventually switched to e-book and then return to audio - not sure if it was connection issues or NetGalley, but this isn't the first time Ive had issues with chapters not playing through audio on NetGalley

Another great book in the Love and Other Sins series!
Book two picks up where book one leaves off and jumps right into an action packed storyline that is sure to leave you gripping the edge of your seat.

I found Love and Other Cages to have a different vibe from the first book. Book 2 has a lot more action within the storyline with plenty of twists and turns. The first book, Love and Other Sins was focused more on Mina and Oliver’s romance with a slow burn. Romance tends to be my go to genre but I really enjoyed this book despite the fact it wasn’t romance centered this time around. The author did a really great job entwining the two genres together into one series and I am loving her writing style.

📖🎧: I noticed there was a different audio narrator for Mina in this book and I must say I found her voice to be so much more fitting to play the part of Mina than the previous narrator. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the narration in this book was done by Emilia Ares herself. She truly did a beautiful job and I hope we will see more of her narrations in future audiobooks to come. The audio was very well done, it was recorded in dual narration and her and Will Collyer did a seemless job. There was a great flow from start to finish.

The book is marketed as could be read as a standalone, but (given I haven’t read the first one) there was so many hints at other details that should have been summarized or reiterated to help the storyline progress without having to read the first book. I also think this should be marketed more as new adult than young adult. There was a lot of sexual content that wasn’t all the way blacked out out inferred.

What in the world just happened? This one was pretty twisty. There were a lot of twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. Some parts felt a tad confusing or ominous but overall it was a pretty good tale. Nothing like leaving you hanging though! I’ll be on the lookout for the next one because it can end like this!

4.5 stars. This book carries on from Love and Other Sins and sees our FMC trying to protect her mum who is in ICU after a home robbery gone wrong. Mina will do anything to keep her mother safe but the men who broke into their house have some dangerous links, and Mina is about to find out just how dangerous.
The book is dual-POV, between FMC Mina and MMC Oliver. It is fast-paced, dark, and very captivating. I cannot wait for book 3!

The narrators did an excellent job of displaying the thoughts and emotions of the two MCs and really catch your attention so you can't help but root for them both. Fantastic Audiobook!

I’m obsessed with this series. Young beautiful people in love and stuck in a crumbling world . This author delivers. Fmc is strong and front and center in this book. Mmc was lacking in my mind on standing up and being a man she needs. He was always I want to help but seemed to be chasing his own tail the entire book. I hope he grows up fast in book 3.

The narrators in this audio were top tier. They deserve to continue being the voices.

I tried to finish this book, but just couldn’t. It’s SO unrealistic. First of all, the language used by the main characters doesn’t ring true for teenagers. It sounds much more like adults in their 30s. The story is convoluted. No minor with a mother in the hospital is going to be allowed to just leave and go check into a hotel by herself. A minor is not going to be allowed to make the decision to be used as bait. It was all just so ridiculous that I was miserable trying to make it through the entire story.

It is super emotion invoking story of Mina, who is trying to somehow start a new life with her mother but gets found by the wrong people. It is a story of Oliver, trying to get a new identity, a new chance on life and somehow manages until the paths of Mina and him cross. Until the past comes crashing back to them. And so much more.

It was intense! As in not negatively but in a suspense, “I will fight for you and my fate” and “I want to protect you” way. In a “How do we get out of this?” Way. It is not j u s t a romance book but this offers a lot more than what meets the eye. And I quite enjoyed it.
The narration of Mina is done by the author heraelf while Oliver is spoken by Will Collyer. Honestly, both have a very different way of narrating the chapters of each character but it is so fitting to the character.
Also, I just noticed that this is a series however the parts can be read individually.

Although I didn't read the first book in the series (now interested in reading it), I still enjoyed LaOC.

The audiobook narrators did a wonderful job in portraying the main characters' emotions and I enjoyed the dual POV.

Mina is being tortured the whole time (literally) and Oliver is kept in the dark so he pulls a horrible "spy undercover" move to rescue her, however they were likable enough to follow.

Despite the book cover and title, the plot seemed to be fueled by familial love instead of romantic love, which makes me think Mina's and Oliver's story was better developed in the first book.

A bit long and quite a sad story for my liking, but I'd still recommend it.

Beautiful storytelling and amazing voice actors. The dual POV is executed very well. Often times, I don't particularly enjoy those in more contemporary stories, but Ares manages to do so in a compelling way.
I felt kind of dropped into the story early on and only by going through the reviews realised this is a sequel. That would have been nice to be mentioned in the NetGalley summary. Listening to / reading the first volumen prior to this would probably made me enjoy this book more, but it feels like it's not 100% necessary to read both.

If I could, I would give it a 3.5 stars rating, as it is not quite good enough for a 4 stars rating.