My observations suggest most people who are liking Unbridled now didn't really care about Untameable, and people who enjoyed Untameable can't get into Unbridled. Like, I don't know what it is, but somehow these books appeal to two very different groups of people despite being two parts part of the same series.
‘A year later and I still consider Untamable the worst story on the app (although Surrender comes in pretty close for how much it shoots itself in the foot, and FCL for how overbearingly childish everyone is). At least books like MTFL, Witness, and TNA were an interesting or even a fun kind of bad. They still pissed me off but at least there were enough things in them to hold my attention. Untamable is just nothing. A boring nothing story with a contrived-as-all-fuck plot.’
POST/CONFESSIONS DO NOT REFLECT THE MOD’S PERSONAL OPINIONS!
Welcome to the thirty-fifth official Cadybear's Reviews! Today I'll be talking about Untameable, which I have ranked on the "PooPoo Tier" at 1 star out of a possible 10. My last and only playthrough of this was around March-September 2022.
Holy fuck this one is so bad. It’s so bland it’s so bland it’s so bland.
I think this is the first story in Choices to actively anger me. Well, actually, that would actually be OG HSS 2 because of the basketball game drama, but at least that had an excuse for happening and it didn’t taint the whole book.
Admittedly, this is a weird one to put in the Poopoo Tier along with shit like Surrender and FCL. When you get down to it, it isn’t really offensive or problematic like those two are. There isn’t any glorified toxicity or half-baked resolutions of toxic behaviors or anything like that. But it still had me shouting and ranting at my phone screen with little to no redeeming qualities… so I put it on the tier.
To start, the story isn’t even that charged with smut outside of those CGs, despite it being a “sexy” book. I mean, at least excessive smut would have made it interestingly bad or fun bad. But no, it’s just boring and frustrating bad.
Kit is easily the blandest LI I’ve ever seen. Like, textbook definition of a soulless customizable LI. The story tries to push them as a “player” but all we ever see of that is two scenes where people flock over to Kit and swoon over them. But Kit was completely unresponsive to it, so how am I supposed to buy them as a player and not just a local ranch heartthrob?
The conflict as a whole is super artificial and contrived. I’ll give the affair stories this– as contrived and melodramatic as they are, their “forbidden” attractions actually felt forbidden, by virtue of the LI (or MC in TDA’s case) already being in a relationship with someone else.
With Untameable, they try to push Kit and MC as a forbidden romance, but literally nothing about it is forbidden besides the fact that Austin will throw a baby Caillou temper tantrum once he catches Kit and MC. Like, he straight up claims their relationship affects the ranch but HOW DOES IT DO THAT. HOW. WHAT MENTAL GYMNASTICS DID YOU DO TO GET TO THAT. IN WHAT WORLD DOES THAT MAKE ANY LOGICAL SENSE.
It’s not even one of those “it’s more interesting and refreshing as non-wlm” routes like something like SW, TCH (1), ID (1), DLS, and (presumably) Alpha are, despite the “older brother wants to protect younger sibling MC from player friend LI” trope that was meant more for wlm routes. Because, again, it’s trying to force high stakes and forbidden romance where there is none.
I have no idea why this absolute doodoofart of a book got a sequel. But hey, at least it’s gonna be about a different cast of characters, with Mandy as a LI. Honestly, Mandy was probably the only major recurring character in this book that didn’t bore or annoy me despite leaning very dangerously into the “best friend who talks exclusively about diamond outfits and how you totally deserve to bone the LI” trope.
I have a question. Does anyone have an idea why Pixelberry isn't focusing more on multiple LI books? Is it because it is too much work on developing the story? We get to make choices in the books but in a romantic sense we cannot really make choices. I usually go with one LI among multiple LI's but I just don't think it is fair to others. Choices is still my favorite app but I just feel kinda sad when we don't have multiple LI's to choose from.
But really for god’s sake Pixelberry better rewrite their script because if Untameable 2 truly is about Mandy and Austin I’m going to lose it. I’m going to go feral. I’m so fucking sick of the heterosexual nonsense this series is meant to be MY moment for sucking and fucking cowboys NOT sidelining my gay power bottom mc so the breeding pair can take the spotlight!!!
‘I want the Untameable series to be connected to Crimes of Passion and High School Story. Someone from Crimes of Passion and High School Story needs to make a cameo in Unbridled: An Untameable Story’
POST/CONFESSIONS DO NOT REFLECT THE MOD’S PERSONAL OPINIONS!