Cadybear's Reviews- Untameable
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.
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Sent by @cadybear420
'Chapters 16 and 17 really just reinforce my earlier confession about how weak of a story Untameable is.
Where to start? How about Austin not trusting Kit to be loyal because "they're a player"? The writers clearly never heard of "show don't tell" because Kit being a player is only shown in like 2 scenes ever rather than being a recurring character trait.
And frankly, I do get Austin being infantilizing and overprotective, and I wouldn't mind a plot about the older brother trying to protect his younger sibling from getting their heart broken by a player. The problem is that they try to market this as a "forbidden romance" when there are literally zero stakes to it besides the jerkass of an older brother going apeshit.
Austin quite literally throws a temper tantrum when he catches MC and Kit. He complains that MC "betrayed" him and that MC and Kit being together affects the ranch- but one question: HOW!? Apparently it... distracts from the work they need to do on the ranch? What a weak-ass reason.
Again, TNA works because there are actual stakes that make MC and Sam's relationship actually "forbidden". Sam is an engaged celebrity CEO, said engagement being done for business reasons. Having Sam get caught banging someone else = a loss for the company + Sam gets a bad reputation. People are rightfully shocked and upset when Sam and MC's affair is revealed.
Kit, on the other hand, may be a celebrity, but is not engaged or already in a relationship. Any romance that Kit or MC gets involved has zero inherent connection to the ranch. The only thing in their way is Austin being infantilizing and overprotective and wanting to prevent his little sibling from potentially getting their heart broken by a player- which is not a recurring character trait in the story.
Screw this story. It's either just completely boring, or annoyingly weak and trying to force an overprotective brother story as a forbidden romance. I'd be upset that it's getting a sequel, but on the bright side, it's gonna be on a different romance, so at least there's some hope there.'
POSTS/CONFESSIONS DO NOT REFLECT MOD'S PERSONAL OPINIONS!
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