User blog:Jacked Maverick/J.M's Official Pixelberry Ranking



It’s finally time to give my OFFICIAL ranking on all Choices books I’ve ever read! Now that I’m ready to just close this chapter of my life (Choices and Pixelberry in general), I want to give a ranking to let others know where I stand.

This is going to be different from my other rankings, as I will not go from “worst to best” and talk about each entry briefly. Instead, I will list the books in chronological order (order in which they came out) and talk about them briefly in that way. Then in the end, I will give the official ranking in order from best to worst with no commentary.

Each book mentioned is a standalone book unless mentioned otherwise. And entries with “Book 1” in the title is meant to clarify I only read that first book and not any of it’s sequels.

I kind of wish I would wait until I made my own YouTube channel, but I still don’t know how to edit audio and video. And I don’t want to delay the ranking. I already delayed this ranking enough by finishing up stuff I’ve wanted to. Yep. Even the ones I have expressed disdain for in the past. You’re welcome.

I figure, might as well have the script done before recording audio. If anyone knows how to edit and wants to help me out, let me know! My Twitter is @DoubleDashDown.

=First Thoughts On Books I Have NOT Read=

Before I begin, AS A REMINDER, I have not read the following books:


 * Any VIP Book.
 * A Very Scandalous Proposal.
 * The Unexpected Heiress.
 * Ms. Match.
 * Wolf Bride.
 * Slow Burn.
 * Baby Bump, Book 2.
 * Queen B, Book 1.
 * My Two First Loves.
 * Rising Tides.
 * Hot Couture.
 * Foreign Affairs.
 * With Every Heartbeat.
 * Laws of Attraction.

And so on. Everything that was released before The Nanny Affair, Book 1 is fair game. Everything after I will not read. Ever, ever, ever.

But I feel I should at least give my impressions of them to let you guys know my thoughts on them. Some kind of “first thought” even though I haven’t read them.


 * A Very Scandalous Proposal: How original. *Rolls Eyes*
 * The Unexpected Heiress: Desire & Decorum 2.0. A boring mess.
 * Ms. Match: Pixelberry isn’t even trying to hide it anymore.
 * Wolf Bride: How disgusting by glamorizing rape and incest.
 * Slow Burn: The ONLY book (in over a year!) I have any interest in reading. Yes, the only one out of all of them.
 * Baby Bump, Book 2: More of the same.
 * Queen B, Book 1: I have no doubt I would have liked it! But this was my final nail in the coffin. Yes, even more of a pain than the cancellations blog post.
 * My Two First Loves: It is exactly what it sounds like.
 * Rising Tides: How political.
 * Hot Couture: ☹
 * Foreign Affairs: Lukewarm. No interest in reading it even though it is the first gender of choice book to be released after I quit.
 * With Every Heartbeat: Cute, but wish it wasn’t genderlocked.
 * Laws of Attraction: Not enough meat on it to interest me to read it. I don’t know enough about it.

=2016=

The Freshman. (Fifteen books, August 17, 2016 - December 21, 2018)
Here we are! Choices’ very first book! I know technically the first three books were all pre-installed on Choices’ launch day, but The Freshman gets the first pass as it was the most iconic.

I definitely feel like this franchise overstayed its welcome. But overall, I thought it was pretty good! I liked the little community we had and the bonds we had. Sure, there were some moments that were infuriating, but in my opinion the lows of Freshmen were still more readable than others I’m going to talk about further down the list.

This was the third book I ever read on here, and the gender locked premise threw me off at first, but I got used to it and I liked the books in general. Many iconic moments like Professor Vasquez dying, Kaitlyn coming out, the war on the Alphas, graduation, just to name a few. Our little group felt like actual people and like lifelong friends.

I made a review about all the books except Senior a while ago. Don’t read it. It’s old and doesn’t hold up. I’m a bit embarrassed by my older reviews. Lol.

Even though I liked the Freshman series, I was still waiting for it to be over. Hahahaha!


 * https://choices-stories-you-play.fandom.com/wiki/User_blog:The_Jacked_Maverick/The_Downfall_of_The_Freshman

The Crown & The Flame. (Three books, August 17, 2016-July 19, 2017)
Pixelberry’s first fantasy series! This was the second book I played that fateful Thursday night. I absolutely loved it at first! The artwork was amazing, the Nevrakis family were a good looming force, the point system was pretty nice! Premium weapons and allies were not too bad as most of them were fantastic!!!

…I think it’s a tiny bit overrated. 🙈

Don’t get me wrong! I love re-reading it whenever I’m in the mood! I still get new diamond scenes every time. But it doesn’t hold up.

I think it’s a “me” problem, but I don’t get the same joy I used to get from it.

It’s still great! I like reading Kenna and Dom’s story as they work through struggles.

If I had any story complaints, I felt Azura was a pretty weak written villain. Especially since the first two books seemed to be building up Luther Nevrakis as the prime big bad.

At least her great power made her raid on the castle pretty epic.

Most Wanted. (August 17, 2016)


I hope all the times I mentioned this has been burned into your memory, but this was the very first book I read on Choices’ launch day on August 17, 2016.

I love this book. I admit it’s not one of the more universally beloved ones as it was not as financially successful as Freshman or Crown & Flame. Which in turn led to it’s cancellation of Most Wanted, Book 2 four years later in January 2021.

Some people seem to take issue with John Tull being revealed as the main villain in the opening scene; before we met Dave or Sam. I honestly don’t think it would have made a difference if it was kept a mystery. John Tull wasn’t involved in anything related to the story other than being a secluded serial killer. Plus, his design was pretty fierce meaning if he was not revealed to be evil from the start, I would immediately guess he was evil just based on his appearance alone.

I think he was a great rising threat since he was revealed early on.

I also loved Dave & Sam and their relationship with each other! The thing I liked the most was that the story was not trying to set them up as a main point. I think the only part where romance between them was an option was where Dave was on the balcony and Sam had the option to comfort him or go back to sleep.

If I had any complaints, I hate the fact it’s been 53 months since this book came out when Pixelberry decided to finally ax it officially. I honestly would hated if Sam & Dave had sexual tension but maybe if they at least implied they liked each other romantically, the fanbase who didn’t like Most Wanted would have at least spent more diamonds on setting them up.

Another complaint is on my most recent reading, the police department crew was kind of forgettable. I liked Reza’s spirit, but Mirasol, Captain Beckham, and Nikhil just seemed kind of there. More time about Sam’s backstory with Bill and Evan would have been nice. Maybe that was meant to be part of Book 2.

Does anyone remember the “Goliath Blur” plotline Alyssa informed us of if we helped her? What happened to that?

Other than that, this story treated us like intelligent people using clues we found to allow us to connect the dots. It all pays off in an exhilarating climax when we were trying to detain the Tull family on that plane.

Similar to Bianca Sandoval, Most Wanted deserved so much better.

Rules of Engagement. (Four books, September 22, 2016 - December 6, 2017)
Rules of Engagement still holds up from when I read it, I’m surprised. If it was released today after the recent onslaught of genderlocked romance books, I wouldn’t have given it a chance.

To me, the thing that stole the first book was the family. I loved the four siblings and the cousin. I liked seeing all their struggles after their grandmother’s legacy bestowed onto them.

The setting also made me like it anymore. The Ember of the Sea gives me Suite Life on Deck vibes. The sense that I was living as part of the higher class taking a fantastic vacation around the world. Seeing all those countries in person with your family.

I haven’t even mentioned the main character’s plot point. It was honestly the part I disliked the most. It would have been better if there was no “choose a suitor” and it was about the main character learning to love herself and that she doesn’t need a man to be happy. Just a thought. Also, I was way more interested in everyone else's story except the MC, which is why this book isn't higher. The MC's story was a wet blanket whenever the narration said "Now playing as [MC]...".

But I still liked Rules of Engagement and plan on re-reading it every couple of years. :)

Endless Summer. (Three books, December 15, 2016 - April 13, 2018)
For the longest time, this was my favorite book Choices ever made. It was the fifth book ever released and showed there was something special about this company.

The artwork is amazing, the island was home, the catalysts were actually family, what more can I say?

The time travel aspect was neat to solve puzzles. Time was a theme throughout the island. Time played a part of everyone’s story.

Book 1 displayed how everyone had a bad past. Everyone was unhappy before they came to the island. Book 2 focused on the now. That even though our pasts were down, we put that all aside to live in the now to keep on living. Book 3 proved that we are who we are in spite of our past, not because of it. We each have a chance on this island. The possibility of a possible future.

Rourke was one of the best villains, he posed a looming threat. He felt like he was directly interfering with destiny itself. And given the trippy sections we’ve passed through, abstract thought seems literal here.

If I had any complaints, on my most recent read through, I noticed things moving a bit too fast with the LI’s. That and the ending(s) was… not satisfying enough. I’m sure they had planes for Kele, but because of behind the scenes drama, it was rushed. I felt like the Rourke ending was the “best” ending. It’s not the ending I like the most, but it feels like if you let Rourke win, there’s a chance the MC will make things right in this awful world. That he will get everyone back together in this other life.

I love this book, and the ending is the weakest part.

I should really make reviews on these books, shouldn’t I? Lol.

LoveHacks. (Two books, December 22, 2016 - September 29, 2017)
The jokes to me felt flatter on my most recent read through. I liked Ben more this time around.

Everyone else is pretty unlikable. Similar to Seinfeld, them not being pleasant people slightly helped the humor. But unlike Seinfeld, everyone there is likeable in a certain way.

The humor holds this book back. If I didn’t know this book was a comedy, I wouldn’t have guessed it was meant to be funny. The delivery is the main issue. At least it’s better than a laugh track. Other than that, this book is fine.

=2017=

The Haunting of Braidwood Manor. (January 4, 2017 - February 8, 2017)


Pixelberry’s first “planned” standalone. I haven’t replayed it since 2017, so I was actually looking forward to replaying this for this ranking.

I forgot just how eerie the manor felt! Like we were in a place we didn’t belong. Where we weren’t welcome.

It was interesting to see how the Waverley’s operated in this place frozen in time. Eleanor felt more like a mom than Rose. Eleanor knew about the mother’s actions and chose to take her younger siblings in as if they were her own.

This book is probably the most forgotten in the entire pantheon.

The ending was a bit of a stumbling point. It was more or less obvious that the mom murdered the four kids. But the build up almost made up for the reveal. It was still pretty emotional when they had to move on to the next life. My other issue with the ending was that it was a bit unfair we could only “save” Eleanor and not Thomas, Clarissa, and Simon.

Am I happy it’s a standalone? I’d say so. 😊 But in the same way as Distant Shores. It’s good for what it was and doesn’t need any sequels to be milked.

If you have some time to kill, check it out. It’s only six chapters!

The Royal Romance & Heir. (Seven books, April 13, 2017 - December 25, 2020)
Speaking of overrated… Not a fan of this one. It’s just not my thing. King Liam was too forced in the first book. The entire “royal wedding” feel seemed too much to me. Cordonia feels like every other magical place where an ordinary girl becomes a princess. For context, here are the names of other fictional countries from movies that also follow the “ordinary girl becomes a princess” storyline:

How does Cordonia not get lost in the shuffle? And they all feel from Western Europe!
 * Aldovia.
 * Baltania.
 * Belgravia.
 * Calpurnia.
 * Cardinia.
 * Cordinia. (👀)
 * Genovia.
 * Maldovia.

Even the title tells you exactly what you’re getting. It’s just a royal romance book. I get it’s mostly about character rather than story but it’s so disappointing this is the only one of two franchises to be extended after a trilogy.

I like Maxwell enough, but even people who like this series agree that it overstayed it’s welcome with the Heir franchise. All I know is, I will not be reading The Royal Finale.

Hero. (July 12, 2017 - November 8, 2017)


I read it one final time after it was announced to be cancelled.

I used to not be a fan of it before. I know that sounds weird coming from me since I am heartbroken it got cancelled. Overall, not a fan of this book. But I would still want a sequel to it just because of the cliffhanger and what it promised.

This is my third time reading it overall, and it got slightly better. The actual superheroing was more fun this time around and I forgot how three-dimensional Eva really was.

Poppy & Dax’s romance annoyed me this time for some reason. No chemistry at all and it seemed forced.

The parallels between this book and CW’s The Flash, CW’s Smallville and Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. wasn’t jarring this time around. Except for the Lionel/Silas and the Prescott company. Prescott industries being too similar to Lexcorp was still distracting.

I don’t know why it took me this long, but I finally awoken to my biggest issue with it. It just lacks an identity. It’s just every superhero story ever told before. Pretty paint by the numbers. It being too similar to Smallville and The Flash doesn’t leave a memorable mark.

These days, we have comic book media that offers their own spin on it. Most of the Netflix Marvel stuff, 2019’s Watchmen, Amazon Prime’s The Boys. Choices’ Hero does not have any identity of it’s own, which explains why I never liked it since it came out.

Again, I don’t know why it took me this long to figure out why I didn’t like Hero.

High School Story. (Three books, September 7, 2017 - June 13, 2018)
I was filled with a lot of joy when this was announced. I read the whole first book within two days (because it was released all at once on September 7, 2017) and loved it! It felt like a worthy successor to High School Story Prime with a kid trying his best to keep everyone together when the cliques have gotten worse than ever.

It was a bit disappointing we couldn’t romance any of the Prime characters, nor have we ever met the Prime MC. But I still find Maria to be my favorite love interest in all of Choices! It was so bittersweet the way we said goodbye to the Prime characters in Book 3. They finally grew up.

It was a sense of community. This book really got the theme and the bones of Prime. I’ll go in more detail in the next subheading why I love High School Story.

If I had any complaints, I wish we got a proper send off to this cast. Class Act was a… disaster, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

Also, I wish Book 2 had a different story. More grounded in reality. And as for what we got, Isa’s brother could have been removed and nothing would have changed.

But this is still a neat story about friendships!

High School Story Prime. (APP, August 2013 – June 2018)


I know this doesn’t count as it’s not a Choices book, but might as well mention it here to have a full circle. High School Story Prime and Hollywood U (which I will also give a subheading) were the only other things released under Pixelberry’s name. Surviving High School and Cause of Death were released by EA, even though it’s the same team of writers. High School Story Prime was the first thing to be released under the Pixelberry brand.

High School Story Prime was more interactive. I spent so many hours on this. I built the school from the ground up. I spent so much time reading and rereading the stories and side stories. Whenever I could read the premium side stories, I go to YouTube.

We all felt like actual family. Autumn was so lovely, Julian was a big brother, Payton was our energetic sister.

Like the title implies, the main character was not our character. It wasn’t Kallie or Ace or Julian or Mia or Autumn. It was the school. The school was the main character. It was the sense of community.

This app clicked with me because it made us feel like we meant something. That we were at a place where we belonged. No cliques, no barriers, just one family.

It doesn’t necessarily count for the ranking, but I’ll tell you where I’d rank it if it counted.

I love this story about a little high school in a suburban area so much, I have absolutely no idea if this or Netflix’s Daredevil is my favorite work of art ever made in the history of the world.

It Lives in The Woods. (October 18, 2017 - January 31, 2018)


The character score system from Endless Summer returns! Kind of. Instead of second guessing how your actions will influence your relationships, your instincts now focus on the survival of others, which to me is way more interesting!

I liked the mystery around it as we had to find a way to seal a darkness from when we were mere children. The flashbacks did an excellent job by showing our bond with Jane and how we discovered Redfield’s aura. As naïve children, we decided not to fear Redfield but to play with him. Our little gang had a secret only we knew of. Once Jane dies, we all go our separate ways. As if moving on.

People get mad at Noah for betraying the group, but it was completely natural that he did. Noah still felt angry at losing his sister, the only good thing he had left in his life.

With this, whenever I replay this book, I always let myself take Redfield’s place. I get why other people decided to let Noah die. His home life is a mess, and if Noah lives, he becomes a wanted man. Always looking over his shoulder and never settling down. But that’s what makes great character development! If he lives and goes on the run he will swear to make things right and help our MC out of the Redfield state. A redemption arc.

All this and I didn’t mention my favorite twist in Choices! My mind was BLOWN when Redfield crossed out his name and it was revealed to be Jane the whole time. That’s all Jane is as the shadow creature. A scared playful little girl who never grew up.

Home for the Holidays. (December 13, 2017 - February 14, 2018)


Remember when this book was the most hated? Good times.

To clear my name, I made a *sarcastic* review on it a few years back hailing it as the best thing ever. Apparently some people thought I was being legitimate in the points I brought up. If you don’t take it literally, my sarcastic comments still hold up.

The only thing that changed on my most recent re-read is that Wyatt was more insufferable. I used to like him, but now… :P

Check out the review I made about it if you want the details (you’ll hear me say that a lot in future entries). And yes, I misspelt "review" back then. XD


 * https://choices-stories-you-play.fandom.com/wiki/User_blog:The_Jacked_Maverick/Home_for_the_Holidays_Reveiw

Red Carpet Diaries. (Three books, December 15, 2017 - September 27, 2019)
Well… this one got the dreaming aspect right. I’m yet again disappointed by a decision Choices made. I wanted this to be a direct adaptation to Hollywood U. Instead we more or less got a book with no surprises. It was a straight shot.

To me, the highlight was seeing the cameos of the Hollywood U people. Holly Chang, Addison Sinclair, Ethan Blake, so on. Thomas Hunt being a love interest was not surprisingly something I liked. I still chose Matt Rodriguez. Lmao.

It feels more CW than anything. I feel the “MeToo” storyline in Book 2 wasn’t as good as it could have been. Viktor could have been more two-faced. And the stalker storyline in Book 3 was severely underplayed.

But for what it was I did enjoy reading through it. I liked reading as if we made it to the top with our higher class circle. It may not have had any great themes, but it was at least enjoyable to read through.

Hollywood U: Rising Stars. (APP, December 11, 2014 - April 2017)


Similar to High School Story Prime, this is not really a Choices book, but it WAS released under Pixelberry’s belt.

I liked building our entourage one person at a time. Making alliances in a more fruitful way.

But the reason I don’t put it as high as Prime is because Hollywood U can’t stick to a consistent tone. If you played it, you’d know what I’m talking about. We meet real vampires, superheroes, and spies.

I don’t know if those stories were set in a fantasy inside that world, or if those things really existed. There is no indication it’s all fictional. It’s bad worldbuilding.

But I loved fulfilling my dream of being a director with sleazy companies romancing Addison Sinclair. If you think I love Maria Flores, Addison was my everything back in the day. Hollywood U brings back so many memories.

=2018=

Perfect Match. (Two books, February 28, 2018 - December 12, 2018)
My biggest issue is that the first ten chapters of the first book feels like a completely different book from everything after that. Book 2 was much better, as we had to travel the world to take down a giant company. Even the last six chapters of Book 1 was like that. But with the first ten chapters of Book 1, it felt like it was just another “love at first sight” story.

I get other people loved Hayden as their most favorite love interest, in the first book s/he spend *too much* time on him/her. I never go for customizable (for either gender or just appearance) love interests, so Hayden was a disappointment. S/he was written to be perfect. Our perfect match. By being perfect, s/he was kind of a boring character. S/he gets better in Book 2 as s/he gets more nuanced when Hayden starts reacting when realization sets in on him/her what being an android means.

I still chose Sloane.

Now that I read it for the first time since it ended in December 2018, I noticed some plot points that have never been resolved. What happened to our clone? What happened to Dames? How will Eros’ trial go?

But I still liked the second book! The first one, not so much. It only really starts to get going when we hijack a plane and escape to Berlin.

The only thing this book has my favorite of is the main character. Kai Park was and still is my favorite Choices MC.

Bloodbound. (Four books, March 30, 2018 - March 28, 2020)
I love this franchise! To get it out there, my biggest issue is that it’s genderlocked. That’s really saying something when *that’s* my biggest issue. :D

The world building was done right. Of course vampires with extraordinary power would take over the New York underworld. The portrait fragments were *actually* interesting to read unlike other lore documents…

I actually cared about Adrian and his origins. I even cared about Gaius after we learn he was groomed and manipulated by Rheya.

It’s so enlightening to see Gaius try to be better if you let him live in Book 3. I don’t think Choices has ever done anything other than this where it shows a character’s journey to break bad turn good once again. It’s Shakespearean.

To me, the Book 3 ending the most perfect ending I have EVER seen. Even counting stuff outside of Choices. From Jax or Lily actually dying Rheya’s untimely dying realizing what she has become.

As you will find out later, I will say Mother of the Year was the last new book I for real enjoyed. But Bloodbound, Book 3 is the last one I loved “overall”.

There is just so much to talk about here. Way more than I can cover in a summary. Maybe I should give it a full on review like others, huh?

Bloodbound is just so phenomenal. More than I can express. It is the true best book in my eyes. Objectivity, Bloodbound is the best book Pixelberry made. Subjectively… I just wish it was not genderlocked. There was no reason to.

I spent a lot of time making this list not wanting to make regrets. “Are you sure you want to put this one at number one? Over Endless Summer?” Bloodbound was more consistent in it’s quality. It is for real a masterpiece from beginning to end. Endless Summer couldn’t keep it up and stumbled a bit at the end. It was still great, but there was so much they could have done, like with Kele. Time to look past nostalgia and decided Bloodbound is for real better. Even though I didn’t go for any of the love interests in this one. Haha.

I know Pixelberry is still going, but I wouldn’t mind calling Bloodbound, Book 3 the “series finale” of Choices. Similar to how Endgame was the perfect ending to the Marvel Cinematic Universe or how Crisis of Infinite Earths was “an” ending to the Arrowverse.

Veil of Secrets. (June 1, 2018 - September 7, 2018)


Out of all the reviews I made for these books, my one on Veil of Secrets is not the one I am the proudest of. If I still had access to my previous profile, I would delete it. When I first read Veil of Secrets, sure. Some points I brought up still hold up. Like Kate being revealed to be perfectly fine without a scratch too early.

But on my second reading… I don’t hate it anymore. I feel like my previous review was too angry. I still don’t like Veil of Secrets, but it’s not the trash fire I treated it before.

I don’t know if that’s because worse books came out after this or that I matured.

Something I didn’t mention in that review was that it feels like “just another” mystery in a small town involving a wealthy family. Nothing’s new. This book is not fresh at all.

I still say Veil of Secrets is a textbook example of how NOT to write a mystery.


 * https://choices-stories-you-play.fandom.com/wiki/User_blog:The_Jacked_Maverick/Why_Veil_of_Secrets_Failed

America’s Most Eligible. (Three Books, June 27, 2018 - January 22, 2020)
This was the book that made me engage with the Choices fandom. Even though this franchise itself wasn’t good, it was at least fun to talk about. It was fun to talk about the other contestants and the way the show was like.

The other contestants were more fun than the alliance we had. It’s a shame none of them got the characterization they deserved.

Also, until Bianca was canon, this was the only book ever where I went for a customizable love interest, Mackenzie. Even though I wanted to rather romance any and all other of the females. Teagan, Lina, Eden, so on. The people we got close to were just cookie cutters. Bianca was just done dirty.

It seemed a bit lackluster we had to spend diamonds to boost our relationships with other contestants even though we can just pay all at once in the end to guarantee a win anyway. Odd.

This book is just fine, fun in some areas. I liked how in All Stars everything went wrong, to the reader’s enjoyment.

I haven’t seen anyone talk about this, but in All Stars, they went to Greenland. Not Iceland where they mentioned they did.

Other than that, I liked the Miami settings and the non-love interests contestants (Bianca excluded). But this franchise is just uninspired.

I didn’t even mention how despite it being hyped up, it makes no difference whether you decide to play as a villain, sweetheart or any of the other titles!

Desire & Decorum. (Four books, July 30, 2018 - January 12, 2020)
Sometimes being boring is worse than being straight up laughable. I liked all four love interests, but that’s where the positives end. It’s not a bad book, just pretty mundane and lackluster. At least it doesn’t make me mad or depressed.

I did like this franchise similar to how other people only liked Ride or Die for Mona and the other two love interests.

Really, I liked the characters and our character’s journey. From peasant to not-peasant. I liked the relationship we had with the Earl of Edgewater (your dad) and how we had to learn “manners”. I like feeling classy.

But in terms of plot, there’s not much to it. The characters make up for a scattershot story.

Across the Void. (August 20, 2018 - May 13, 2019)


Speaking of boring sometimes being worse than straight up laughable garbage…

I remember when Across the Void was announced alongside Big Sky Country. I was so excited at the former! I thought for sure a soap opera was going to be the next Endless Summer and Big Sky Country was going to be tragic!

Fast forward to present day… the reverse came true. I loved Big Sky Country way more than I ever imagined and Across the Void was a disgrace.

The only positive things I can say about this is that the visuals and soundtrack was excellent. The top of their game.

This was another book that I didn’t finish before making this rank. I only got up to chapter 13 before. When the hiatus happened, I didn’t bother reading the second half. Now that I did… I am happy I did. I’ve been hearing conflicting opinions about the second half. That it was better or that it stayed the same. I found it to be better. It seems like stakes were finally raised and there was finally purpose.

“Better” does not equal “good” though. I still had story issues that we never knew exactly what the two sides of the war represented or what they stood for. That would have made certain choices on which side to aid easier to make depending on the reader’s views. But even if you do support one side and not the other, it doesn’t make a huge difference until what you decide what to do with the bomb in the last chapter. It feels like nothing really happens in this book.

Plus, there were too many love interests for the three playable characters.

Yeah, Across the Void was a mess, but it was an ambitious mess!

Big Sky Country. (Two books, September 21, 2018 - November 9, 2019)
I like slice of life stories. Big Sky Country didn’t have any robots or explosions. It was nice wholesome storytelling.

It was a joy to help the Oakley’s and meet people around town.

Similar to High School Story Prime, Sweetridge - this little community - is the most important aspect of Big Sky Country. There was no rush to get to point A to B the way in a city. Everyone had their own stories. Kind of like Billy Joel’s Piano Man. Judy the barista. Leo the flower shop owner. Charlie from the hardware store.

I want to live in Sweetridge. Live out my life with Asha or Juliette. I’d help out on the Oakley ranch, breathing that wonderful midwestern air tending to the animals.

I really wish this got a third book. Just to wrap up the story with our love interest. I thought this was going to be a standalone book. With the way the final chapter of Book 1 was going, I was 100% expecting it to turn out like Veil of Secrets where we had to choose to stay with a love interest. But the renewal for a Book 2 was the happiest I have ever been at a renewal!

Big Sky Country is one of the more underrated stories. If you don’t want any heavy stories, give this one a shot. :D

Class Act. (Three books, October 8, 2018 - March 11, 2020)
THIS is the final instalment in the entire High School Story name? You all know how much I love High School Story Prime and the Original Trilogy. So for Class Act to be the final thing to ever be attached to the HSS name is agony. Kind of like how people feel Legacies is the… well, the legacy to The Vampire Diaries and The Originals.

This continuation feels like how The Long Haul was to the original Diary of a Wimpy Kid trilogy. The Class Act cast feels like “Great Value” quality compared to the first two outings! It even gets to the point where I refuse to refer it as “High School Story: Class Act”.

Even though the Class Act cast is around the same age as the previous two casts, they feel younger for some reason! Like they feel more at place in middle school.

In the original trilogy’s third chapter of their first book, we had to find a friend after he ran off in a fit of depression. Once we found him, the people who would become a family had to find a way to cheer him up.

In Class Act’s third chapter of their first book, we were freaking out on how our first kiss will be with Rory on stage. And we were trying to have our first one earlier like a race. Are you starting to see why I hate Class Act? On how juvenile it all is?

All this and I haven’t even mentioned how I am STILL waiting on my apology when the entire drama class wrongfully accused us of sabotage therefor turning us into a pariah.

Really, Skye and her home story were the only things I gave a damn about in this “final chapter” of the High School Story saga.

Did not end on a high note. I haven’t played High School Story Prime’s predecessor, Surviving High School, but from the little I’ve seen, Class Act is not worthy to be talked about in the same manner as what came before. THIS is the last thing we will ever get out of the High School Story name? Pitiful.

Pixelberry, do better.

It Lives Beneath. (October 10, 2018 - January 30, 2019)


THIS is how you do a sequel book with a new MC! Not only that, but it’s a perfect sequel as well.

It takes the “isolated” feeling of a small town of the first book and extends those ideas into the world at large. It doesn’t feel out of left field because it was mentioned by Cora Pritchard in the first book. She mentioned something about the people using The Power for their own gains.

Unlike the Woods gang who were tied together since childhood, the Beneath gang just met and had to make due with each other.

The artifacts this time had more meaning as they were actually crafted by the Power and actually belonged to each member.

Something I didn’t mention in the Woods summary that also applies to Beneath is that it felt that our groups were written as actual characters first and love interests second. I couldn’t choose between Ava & Stacy and Danni & Imogen, and that is a good thing!

I wasn’t that big a fan of Josephine being our grandmother as it felt a bit of a forced connection, but I’ll take it.

Pine Springs felt like such a sleepy little town reserved for the elitists. When you start poking around, there are real consequences.

One thing that popped up recently for me… and I can’t believe I’m saying this… but this sequel didn’t need the Woods gang as a cameo in Chapter 5. I loved seeing them and what they were up to! But it felt like they were there because of fan service.

Another thing I thought was strange was that Kyle was built up to be someone important only to die in the first chapter. Like, what was that all about? Why get a romance point with him? I forgot how built up he was.

I put this over Woods as it had more action and Pine Springs was more of a character than Westbrook.

Anyway, I really wanted an It Lives Three to wrap up this franchise and have a send off to the world of the Power. ☹

The Elementalists. (Three books, October 24, 2018 - December 18, 2019)
I used to be sad that this got cancelled. I still am but after the dust settled, I moved on. Unlike the other stuff that got cancelled, this one actually had an ending. The important stuff was wrapped up. Seeing our mom was all the reward I needed with this story. :)

One thing I didn’t mention in my “Seven Cancelled” blog is that looking at the numbers, I can see why Book 2 was rushed. Less than 22% of the people who played the first book (which was a major success) played the second book. And less than that read Winter’s Past.

On my second playthrough, I actually liked Book 2 more than Book 1! It used to be the other way around. Book 1 had a lot more exposition than I remember. Too much time is dedicated to explaining how this magickal world works.

I thought Kane was a step up from Raife, who was even worse. I used to think Raife was the worst big bad in Choices due to how he was presented and lack of character. Raife was my biggest problem with the first book. He was built up to be this master of evil and he had an actual menacing design! But when we get to meet him, he was not a character. He was an evil machine who says generic evil lines.

Kane was charismatic. Kind of like the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland (Not DC), which I’m sure the writers took inspiration from.

I love the Pend Pals (even though I don’t like Shreya as a love interest) and the close bond the six of us had. It was refreshing to hand out with people of the same gender (Beckett and Griffin in my case) without any underlying romance.

Winter’s Past was… not good. It was unnecessary. We seemed to be dumbed down by not pleasing the ghost kid. Or figuring out it was a ghost kid. Aside from the cat and some spells, it wasn’t that good. But I am at least happy we got at least one more book out of it. To see what we are up to after the main story. I liked seeing the Pend Pals hang out when there isn’t any world ending maniacs.

A Courtesan of Rome. (November 14, 2018 - June 12, 2019)


I don’t usually like period pieces, but this one is okay. I liked how it sacrifices melodrama for the sake of the story. I liked seeing Arin’s struggles from common peasant to the person who would take a part in the assassination of one of the most ruthless dictators in history.

This is one of the few stories where it being genderlocked is justified! But my favorite part was where we could play as other members of the family to get insight on what’s going on with them.

I was not a fan of making real life historical figures love interests. I can kind of understand why since this is a crucial time period, but I do prefer that approach than them creating new people who would make the cast more bloated.

Don’t have much to say about this one, I really like this book and I wish The Royal Masquerade was more like A Courtesan of Rome. Where the story is not taken a backseat to relationships and romance.

The Heist: Monaco. (December 10, 2018 - March 18, 2019)


One of the more underrated titles, The Heist: Monaco is a pleasant treat we don’t get anymore. I surprisingly don’t have a lot to say about this one even though my opinions on it are mostly positive.

I like how different crew options impact the story in large ways. The way you play and treat others determine what your ending will be. To me, the strongest parts were the first and third acts. The part in the middle after we finished recruiting our five rogues felt like the story was droven to a halt. Like “we get it, Ansel is evil and you want to get back at him”. But when it got good, it really got good! The Heist: Monaco to me is what Nightbound is to others. Meaning: of all the standalones that deserved to have sequels, this one to me is begging to have a franchise being made off of it.

=2019=

Ride or Die: A Bad Boy Romance. (January 25, 2019 - May 3, 2019)


Sigh. Where do I even begin here? There’s too much ground to cover.

I hope you all appreciate what I do for my fans. I did not want to finish this one. I really didn’t. I felt like I had to out of necessity to have a more accurate list. That and the blog post Pixelberry made in January 2021 cancelling Book 2.

I didn’t like Ride or Die, if it hasn’t been made clear. To me, the biggest problem is the main character. What a little twerp, she had everything she could have wanted. A family where she was safe and loved. Friends who cared about her. But of course a bad boy came into her life and now she wants to be an ungrateful little brat.

I also didn’t like the Mercy Park Crew. I get other people loved Mona as an end all be all, that’s great. But the entire MPC wasn’t likable to me. They didn’t do anything particularly charming. Nor did they give us reason to root for them. At least the gang in The Heist: Monaco was trying to take down rich jerks. The MPC’s motives are… adrenaline I think?

The only part that had the ability to bring me the slightest bit of joy was when we stole those cars from a moving truck on the side of a mountain.

I also liked the dad, he was the only person I liked unironically. He was the only one I had any sympathy towards! He was trying to do what’s best for his daughter! Especially when things are getting crazier out there.

Riya and Darius I also thought were pretty cool. But not enough time with them was spent. This book should just have been about them. Or told from the dad's point of view.

I am aware the same team that wrote Most Wanted and Endless Summer wrote this abomination. *Shakes head*, if it wasn’t for the unprofessional tweet the head writer made, I wouldn’t have believed it. How the mighty have fallen. You know, that’s another reason I’m done with this app. Writers who have put out great work in the past have devolved to this.

Writers, I want to get serious with you for a minute. I want to ask in all honesty; no jokes, no sarcasm, nothing ironic. Just straight forward writer-to-writer person-to-person… what did you think was going to happen? Did you really think writing a clichéd bad boy young adult car book would display… the… the brilliance of your amazing talent? That this was going to be set on the same standards of the greatest moments on what came before? Ungodly genius, Ride or Die! There are so many levels to which it works! We should hold it up to the standards of the masterpieces!


 * Jane was Redfield.
 * The Freshman MC’s journey to growing.
 * Endless Summer’s puzzles the end of Books 1 & 2.
 * Duffy’s reveal.
 * Most Wanted’s climax on that plane.
 * Bloodbound’s entire finale.
 * …having an unlikable main character ruin her career path and the relationships with the people she loved all her life for someone she met a week ago.

I have a lot more to say, but I want to keep these entries brief.

Open Heart. (Three books, February 22, 2019 - June 4, 2021)
I know I said Bloodbound, Book 3 would have made the perfect “series finale” to Choices, but Open Heart: Third Year feels even more of a closing chapter. The end of franchises that are critically acclaimed. Everything to be released after this (with two exceptions) are completely original now. Open Heart is also the last book “overall” I read from start to finish. At least I liked it enough to finish it.

Ethan Ramsey is a bit of a polarizing figure in the Choices community. You either love him or you hate him. I never understood the hate surrounding him. Yes, I do get he is the fan favorite and he gets a ton of scenes dedicating to him. But to be honest, since I hate Jackie (the only female love interest in the entire franchise), the romance aspect was turned off for me. So yeah, I just didn’t care about the excess amount of Dr. Ramsey since there was no one else. No alternative other than the three other male love interests. I wish Esme or Harper or Sienna were options. After Danny died, I thought for sure Sienna was going to be an option. For some reason the writers didn’t.

And speaking of Esme, I was so certain she was going to be important. Hell, I’m sure everyone thought she was going to be important. After Book 2 where she did play a major role, she became way less important. After her face model was reused in other books, that sealed the deal that she was not going to be a love interest.

Speaking of Book 2, I stopped reading after Chapter 8. The excess hiatuses just turned me away. It was too many and such a long amount of time, the failures of other Choices books at the time (and the Fandom not being what it once was) made me lose even more faith in Pixelberry. But I’m glad I read it! :D I did like Second Year before the hiatuses, but I liked Book 1 more. But the Second Year rewrites made it way more superior.

I like Open Heart the most where we’re doing actual doctor stuff in the hospital. Going to fancy events feels like the story takes a halt. But I do like times like that baseball game between hospitals. Or hanging out with our roommates like movie night at the park.

If it had a better female love interest, I would put this book higher. Maybe even top ten! But it is good for what it is. I’m happy it wasn’t genderlocked and turned into a series. 2019 was a grim year for Choices.

Speaking of it being a franchise… I think this is the most conflicted I’ve ever been about a finished (yes, finished. Not “cancelled”) series not going on. I’m glad it wasn’t cancelled and it actually fulfilled the original three year vision. And a trilogy has always been the case. But looking at what else got an extended treatment like Royal Romance and Freshman, this is one of the better series. There’s so much potential and this series (or Ethan) is popular among the fandom, so why not extend it? But then again, it had a nice ending. We took down Panacea Labs, which was a nice accomplishment. Again, I’m conflicted on a series I have mostly positive feedback on.

Passport to Romance. (March 20, 2019 - June 19, 2019)


Well… at least it is the only book with the word “romance” or “love” in the title that is not genderlocked. But it didn’t make it any less bad.

It was honestly a chore to sit through. I liked our group enough, but Elliott in particular got on my nerves especially.

For the most part, this book was pretty aimless. It was just pointless activities for the sake of fun.

I don’t have much to say about this one either. I liked Sumire & Marisa as love interests and like Big Sky Country and It Lives, I couldn’t choose between those two females.

At least it was fun traveling through Europe!

Wishful Thinking. (April 15, 2019 - July 8, 2019)


Even though I never talked about this one, I enjoyed it a ton.

I found this one to be funnier on my most recent playthrough. Better than LoveHacks, in fact. I surprisingly liked the occupation we had, it works well at establishing character and plot points.

Kind of like a news satire when you have this humor.

The love interests were all great! For the longest time, Aubrey was my most favorite male LI. But I could see that it was cheating in a sense since his development came from us reading his mind, so that disqualifies him and the other two. Speaking of which, I wish Ellen was a love interest.

I liked how the climax was exposing a corrupt politician on live TV. That was pretty nice.

The reason it doesn’t rank higher is because it doesn’t have any themes (that I could think of) and it’s ending felt abrupt. Like they were building up to us forming our own studio.

Nightbound. (April 24, 2019 - July 31, 2019)


Took me around two years, but I finally finished it on May 11th, 2021. I originally was reading through it in real time, but I gave up at Chapter 13 when we touched Lord Elric’s tear. That’s when I realized something was seriously wrong here when the king of the faes riding a dragon across a fantastical land wasn’t interesting at all to me.

Now that I finished it (finally), is there anything new for me to say that I didn’t cover in my original Nightbound review? More or less. I feel like I was too hard on this book in previous essays. I mean, I still stand by everything I said about it in the past! But I still feel I was too harsh on it. I am still not sad it’s a one-shot, but yeah. I’d rather have a sequel to this one than others.

My Louisianan friend stated it even has “horrible inaccuracies of New Orleans, Mardi Gras, and French being downright wrong”. His words, not mine.

Again, if you want the details, check out my Nightbound review from August 2019. I go much more in depth there.

The only thing that needs to be updated is that I said “Nightbound is not a bad book, just a forgettable one.” After reading it a second time… yeah. It got worse for me. The pacing was still too fast, the exposition felt even more forced, our party didn’t feel like they had to be there out of necessity.

But you know what I think it did really well? It was at least new. It told a new story that we haven’t gotten before!

I feel a little sad that this is the standalone book that the most people are upset didn’t get turned into a franchise. I can see why, don’t get me wrong. But I can definitely see the problems with it that make me not sad it’s in the ground now. Don’t get too upset how low I put it.

I won’t make a re-review anymore because I feel my old review still holds up. And I made it when I didn’t even finish it! That’s how bad it is.

Like I said about Blades of Light & Shadow, I didn’t like Nightbound, but I’m happy it at least *exists*!


 * https://choices-stories-you-play.fandom.com/wiki/User_blog:The_Jacked_Maverick/Nightbound:_A_Creative_Dead_End._(Review)

Platinum. (May 30, 2019 - September 19, 2019)


This may not be the most complex story, but it means a lot to me personally.

The choices you make are of actual importance compared to Red Carpet Diaries. Granted, Red Carpet Diaries doesn’t have a “points” system, but at least it gives Platinum more interactivity.

Nothing felt forced. Not your rivalry with Jaylen, to Raleigh’s public romance, nor you having to push Shane away. You have complete reign over your life. The story doesn’t nudge you in any direction. There wasn’t even a twist villain! I was expecting Ellis Knight to be a predator or Jaylen to be a ruthless competitor who was willing to lie, cheat, and sabotage to get ahead. Luckily everyone was super nice. There were no heroes or villains. Only “people”.

My biggest issue was the MC sabotaging Jaylen’s performance. That was infuriating and cringe. Really, that was the only forced moment.

On replay… the soundtrack isn’t as memorable as I remember it being. It’s good for what it is, but it’s not something I’d replay over again.

But otherwise, this is the most relatable book to me. I imagine myself as the MC making it big in New York (which is another advantage to Red Carpet Diaries’ California), loving my film school non-celebrity friend, doing what I love with a team of people I adore. I actually cared about Fiona & Hank and Stepback Three’s little story where he realized age is real and starts being nicer to Micah.

I love this book and see myself replaying it. Even though it’s genderlocked!

I know I just said The Heist: Monaco to me was what Nightbound is to others, but I like Platinum more than The Heist: Monaco and wish Platinum went on. It’s just that the Heist had more “potential” rather than actual substance.

Sunkissed. (June 26, 2019 - October 9, 2019)


This is Big Sky Country, but worse.

I liked the beach town setting and Eliana, but that’s about it.

Our family was a more tolerable version of Winter Haven from Home for the Holidays. And so was the rest of the town. Not good, mind you. Just more tolerable.

Storywise, I liked the presence the dad had even in death. Even though he isn’t with us anymore, he was the glue holding the family together. But even so… Alexis and the mom were annoying at times.

That sums it up, basically. This book is a less awful Home for the Holidays and a worse Big Sky Country.

I don’t have anymore to say about this one. It’s kind of a nothing book as well.

Bachelorette Party. (July 18, 2019 - October 17, 2019)


This is a better Passport to Romance for me. Even though it’s genderlocked!

This book is nothing but fun in a good way. “Whatever happens in Vegas stays in Vegas”. Sure it doesn’t have any themes and it doesn’t make you think. But at least you have a good time going to conventions, magic shows, and hotels.

At least this book gave us Courtney! My favorite character Pixelberry has ever given us period. Yes, more than Maria Flores. She was so over the top and cute and funny…

The Swedish mafia antagonizing us and it’s payoff was pretty funny.

Sure, it could get a little cringe at times, but that’s what gives it charm. Like Full House’s corniness.

The stuff with the briefcase can get really annoying at times. It serves as nothing more as a McGuffin. They payoff was nice, though. I also wish we could have chosen to stay in Las Vegas with one of the three love interests like Veil of Secrets or Nightbound.

Mother of the Year. (August 30, 2019 - December 13, 2019)


I’m going to get so much hate putting this one so high up. 😂

This was the last “new” book I for real enjoyed. Sure, Bloodbound, Book 3 was released after Mother of the Year, but Bloodbound’s third book was from a franchise I already liked.

The build up for Mother of the Year made me apathetic. This was the book that was announced directly after Elementalists and Nightbound ending. “A genderlocked book about being a single mother? Over magickal adventures? Time to delete Choices.” Things got even worse when they kept revealing sneak peeks and gave us little teasers.

I don’t know why I even gave it a chance. I played the first two chapters when they were unleashed on premier date. I thought "Grunt. This isn’t awful. I’ll keep reading it every week.” I kept waiting for things to get bad. Looking back, I wanted an excuse to rage on it and stop reading. But they never did! Things never got bad!!! Granted, I think it’s because my expectations were so low that it ended up being pretty good.

You already know how much I love the love interests. I loved the daughter and really related to the MC and her struggles. It may not be the darkest Choices book, but it felt the most real. The most raw. They never sugarcoated anything. They showed what it was really like raising a child as a single person working minimum wage. That child being a gifted individual while you can’t give her what she needs to succeed.

Really, the only negative thing I could think of was that I still wish it wasn’t genderlocked. If it were just “Parent of the Year” it would be better.

Save the Date. (September 29, 2019 - December 29, 2019)


Save the Date just screams “genderlocked romance” Choices book. This came out at a time where books like this was not surprising. I don’t have much to say about this one. The characters were fun, the story feels the most like a Choices book. As in, this book delivers exactly what you’re expecting from a Choices book about planning weddings. At this point, nothing surprised me at the time.

The fandom used to acknowledge every book being released. Whether good or bad reactions. But now, starting with this book the fandom got sleepy with each book announcement.

I know I spent this book talking about the timing of this book and not the actual book itself, but I feel like the documentary of how this book was made would be more interesting than the actual book.

Look, this book is fine. Harmless.

The planning wedding aspect wasn’t infuriating. If anything, I did like meeting new people and figuring out their life stories before planning their weddings.

As you all know I love Maria Flores and her party planning nature. So now *we* are the party planners!

This book just screams “we don’t have to try anymore” in terms of Choices.

The Royal Masquerade. (October 18, 2019 - February 21, 2020)


Masquerade wasn’t terrible, I’m impressed. I thought it was going to be kind of bad, because The Royal Romance didn’t hit me the way it did with others.

Rezna was an entertaining big bad. She was different from the other rich smug people. She reminded me a ton of Zenobia from The Crown & The Flame.

Cyrus in particular got on my nerves, which I guess isn’t that major since he is a villain.

I may say something controversial… I liked the magical world in this book as opposed to The Elementalists. Masquerade’s magic system had more wonder with the artifacts and the history on the country. Elementalists’ was focused on the elements of the everyday world.

My biggest complaint is that, of course, it’s genderlocked. I liked the Crown Shield (“Kayden”) and King/Queen-Regent (“Hunter”), but I would like them even more if I could play as my own gender.

All in all, I liked it for what it was. I’m not sad nor happy it’s a standalone. I liked “Liam’s” cameo in the end and how it moderately ties in to Royal Romance. Even though it makes no difference what Hogwarts-like-House you belong to.

Baby Bump, Book 1. (December 9, 2019 - March 16, 2020)


This book is a perfect example how to harm your audience. It glamorizes unplanned pregnancy. Not everyone is as lucky as the MC. “I got knocked up by a wealthy CEO and his immediate first reaction was to propose to me! Not only that, I got an internship with the mayor and s/he possibly loves me!”

The most of a “negative” that is presented is keep having to make inconvenient doctor appointments. And this lovely gem from Chapter one: ''“But… I can’t be pregnant! …I can’t be pregnant now. That’s not the plan.”'' That’s it? What about the emotional turmoil it causes on someone? The fact that your whole life changed?

No, the MC just carries on with her life as normal with the pregnancy in the back of her head. That is not the full extent of unplanned pregnancy!

If you like this book, no hate on you. But I’m sorry. The fact that this book is harmful gives me no choice to put it all the way at the bottom.

If I don’t sound mad enough like I did with Ride or Die, believe me when I say I am holding back a tremendous about of restraint. Even though I’m a man, I’ve had my own experience with my mother having unplanned pregnancy. Ride or Die is harmless in comparison.

At least Mother of the Year shows actual struggles a single mother goes through. Plus, it’s just a cute book about your fully fleshed daughter and the community. The MC in Mother of the Year puts in actual effort to do what she can for her kid. Making connections with the higher class people, whether moving to a different town meaning quitting her guaranteed job in her old one, to being there to cheer up the daughter from snobs. The MC in Baby Bump has everything handed to her. Marriage to rich Mr. Covington, a career with the mayor, and perfect health to two perfectly healthy twins.

I’m never having kids.

=2020=

Blades of Light and Shadow, Book 1. (January 29, 2020 - June 3, 2020)


This was my “spiritual ending”. Even though Distant Shores was the last new one I read, Blades of Light & Shadow made me drop the app as a whole. I have never rage quit on a book before! Not just Choices, but any book in general! I’ve “depressed quit” before, but I have never quit a book because of a sense of raging white anger! At least Baby Bump was consistent in my anger for it.

The review I made about it is the one I am the proudest of. Check it out if you want my whole feelings.


 * https://choices-stories-you-play.fandom.com/wiki/User_blog:Jacked_Maverick/Blades_of_Light_%26_Shadow_is_a_Miracle._(With_Review)

Witness: A Bodyguard Romance. (March 16, 2020 - September 14, 2020)


I didn’t hate Witness, but I could see why others certainly did. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still awful, but I was ironically more entertained reading through this than others. I liked how we had to evade the O’Connells. Very dangerous people with only the Marshall watching our backs.

This MC didn’t annoy me because, at least she wasn’t incompetent. She used her mind to outsmart a sadistic pair of mobsters. Sure, she let her “needs” get to her with the Marshall, but at least she wasn’t destroying her relationships.

Again, this is not a good book. The chapters are too short if you don’t cough up diamonds for every little thing.

Don’t get too upset how high I put it. Especially since it’s over Nightbound. It may be the true worst Choices book, but I can’t get that mad about it since everyone else also hates it. At least it was “entertainingly bad”!

Distant Shores. (April 3, 2020 - July 17, 2020)


It’s the end of an era. The last one I read from start to finish.

Did things go out with a bang?!

…meh?

I just thought Distant Shores was… “fine”. It was refreshing to see a book that wasn’t bad in a long time. There is nothing new I can think of that I haven’t said in Distant Shores’ own review. This is still kind of a nothing book. I am still not upset it didn’t get a sequel.

Now that I finished Nightbound for real, I still stand by what I said. That even though Nightbound was a worse book for me, I would at least rather have had a sequel to that one instead. At least there was more to talk about in Nightbound. If you want a more detailed analysis, check out the review I made.


 * https://choices-stories-you-play.fandom.com/wiki/User_blog:Jacked_Maverick/Distant_Shores:_The_Last_%E2%80%9CNew%E2%80%9D_Book_I%E2%80%99ll_Ever_Read._(Review)

The Nanny Affair, Book 1. (May 13, 2020 - September 16, 2020)


This is the only one on the list I didn’t read from start to finish. But I have kept up with it from what other people posted.

The twins, Mickey & Mason, were my favorite part when I was reading through it. And from what I’ve heard, they take a serious backseat later on in favor of Sam.

Speaking of Sam, s/he seems kind of toxic. Fueled by hormones and loves being in control. I’m sure we’re going to get an origin story in Book 2 explaining why s/he is borderline narcistic. If s/he struggles to stay loyal to his/her fiancé, what chance would we have? I would have wanted to pursue Sam’s brother/sister, Robin, instead. Robin seemed nicer.

This book is only for moms who want to get their “frustrations” out.

The main problem I had with this book is that the only adult character I saw that was more or less reasonable was Sofia Russo (yeah, I'm being serious). Others were acting like they were more animals than people. Like they acted purely on instincts/hormones, didn't think at all and couldn't keep it in their pants. Did everyone in Pixelberry just hit the puberty or something? What's with this horny mess? Like... I'm not prude or anything. But then Pixelberry had to ruin Sofia too (since she was reasonable and no one really saw her as a "bad guy" like Pixelberry wanted them to). So they made her have an affair with Robin.

I remember the MC and Sam being angry at Sofia and Robin that they sleeping with each other, but at the same time they were doing the exact same thing we were accusing them of!!! Or where the MC was telling off Sofia that she’s cheating on Sam while the MC was the one with who Sam were cheating. Double standard much?

Great, thank you, Pixelberry. This book was disgusting and laughable.

Some of you will probably say it’s unfair for me to rank this considering I didn’t play it all the way through, but I’m willing to bet I got everything I needed. Similar to Nightbound and Ride or Die, if I finished Nanny Affair, I do not think my opinions on it would change.

=Rank=



0. High School Story Prime. (Favorite Work Of Art Ever Made)

1. Bloodbound.

2. Endless Summer.

3. Mother of the Year.

4. Platinum.

4.5. Hollywood U: Rising Stars.

5. Big Sky Country.

6. It Lives Beneath.

7. It Lives in the Woods.

8. Most Wanted.

9. A Courtesan of Rome.

10. High School Story: Original Trilogy.

11. Open Heart.

12. The Royal Masquerade.

13. The Elementalists.

14. The Crown & The Flame.

15. Rules of Engagement.

16. The Haunting of Braidwood Manor.

17. The Heist: Monaco.

18. Perfect Match.

19. Distant Shores.

20. America’s Most Eligible.

21. Witness.

22. The Freshman Chronicles.

23. Red Carpet Diaries.

24. Wishful Thinking.

25. Hero.

26. Bachelorette Party.

27. Passport to Romance.

28. Nightbound.

29. The Royal Romance/Heir. (Not counting The Royal Finale)

30. LoveHacks.

31. Veil of Secrets.

32. The Nanny Affair, Book 1.

33. Blades of Light & Shadow, Book 1.

34. Save the Date.

35. Sunkissed.

36. Home for the Holidays.

37. Desire & Decorum.

38. Across the Void.

39. Class Act.

40. Ride or Die.

41. Baby Bump.

Wake the Dead (the zombie book), Crimes of Passion, and Shipwrecked are ones I will still not read. I'm just ready to close this chapter of my life. With the exception of making full reviews for some.

Disagree where I put Witness? Was I too harsh on Baby Bump? Should I try Queen B or Crimes of Passion? I would love to hear your comments!!!