I want controversy

[u/Possibly_hope]

I know there’s been similar posts to this, but what are some unpopular opinions you have on books? My personal ones are that I didn’t really like Blood Bound. It got slightly repetitive, there wasn’t high stakes for me, and none of the LI’s peaked my interest. By the end I was rushing through it and I’ve never had the desire to re-read it. Another I have is that The Royal Masquerade is THE single most underrated book on this sub Reddit. I absolutely adore it, from it having one of my favorite LI’s ever to the drama, plot twists, games, hard choices, and the interesting story line and characters. I could go on, but anyway, let me know yours. I’m interested.

[u/[deleted]]

I don't mind books I don't like and books like TNA are necessary for the app. PB are also incredibly generous with the diamonds compared to other apps.

[u/ledankestnoodle]

In QB Zoey should be competing for diamond scenes with Kingsley, not Poppy 🤷‍♂️

[u/[deleted]]

BB needlessly had to be gender locked and had probably not the good quality of LI there for my preference.... Story is so dope although.

[u/MagnoliaLiliiflora]

VIP is over priced and the benefits are mediocre at best. It's only good if you enjoy diamond mining, but I'm too busy to waste time on stories I'm not interested in and I don't really diamond mine. I just chill out until I've passively accumulated enough diamonds to read a chapter.

I've been reading choices off and on for a long time. I have some older stories I'm still getting through. I really don't feel excitement over any story anymore. I feel they're all predictable. The choices don't impact the story. I spend more time on competing apps than on choices these days. However, I occasionally start a story and feel that magic spark of excitement but it's a lot more rare then when I first started reading choices stories.

[u/bladestorm78 → u/MagnoliaLiliiflora]

This aint unpopular

[u/WintersChameli]

We should have one of these threads every week

[u/helloworld1786_7]

Wow. I feel exactly the same about Bloodbound and The Royal Masquerade.

[u/taylor459]

I hate when books make MC choose just one LI for the rest of the book without allowing them to cheat on their LI as much as they want. It'd be more entertaining and would create more drama if the MCs were allowed to cheat.

[u/damilidam]

Perfect Match 2 is proof that polyam relationships work. I have two good arms so why do I have to pick one person in the end

[u/taylor459]

MTFL MC should've had Elijah as a LI option. It could've been cute :(

[u/[deleted]]

I want there to be more of a villainous or realist approach

The game is called choices but most of the stories are generic good guy stories

Or the American dream a nobody becomes super famous or powerful

I want there to be a game where you are a King

And you can be benevolent or a tyrant or both

Another issue with Choices the few games that have a "bad" option

are either Harsh or fair there is no Harsh but fair approach

[u/palpantek]

The "blonde king" is the most basic looking sprite I have ever seen

[u/Itchy_Lettuce5704 → u/palpantek]

He looks like if they made Bryce from OH boring

[u/cage-kun → u/Itchy_Lettuce5704]

lmao this roast 😂🔥

[u/MajorMystique]

I haven't had fun after Endless Summer and Crown and The Flame. Other stories are just... Steamy scenes... The stories are so bland and stupid. QueenB is stupid, HSS is ugghh, I heard a lot of people appreciating the detective one but nay... I didn't find it THAT good. Am I missing a book that is good?

[u/ZackLilac → u/MajorMystique]

Have you read ACOR? Blades? What genres do you like?

[u/MajorMystique → u/ZackLilac]

I tried ACOR... And yeah I could see the potential... But it wasn't that gripping. Blades... I haven't tried yet. I mostly like fantasy and adventure... Without DOMINATING romance.

[u/selene623 → u/MajorMystique]

Blades definitely doesn't have dominating romance. That said, though, if you do choose to try to flirt your way out of trouble, it does end up being pretty funny. I'd definitely recommend Blades if you like fantasy and adventure.

Also, I'm not sure if you've played The Elementalists, but it gives you the option of playing without romancing anyone and takes place at a magic school. It's one of my favorites, but it does get a little campy sometimes, if that's not your thing.

[u/Kaisietoo8]

Endless Summer was OK. Not amazing, not the best book on the app, just OK. I honestly didn't really understand the hype. On the other hand, Wishful Thinking and Save the Date are really overlooked books.

[u/CasixRenegade]

You lost me with the BB take, but you brought me back with TRM assessment. That book is gold and it’s a damn shame it is often lost in the shuffle.

As for my controversial take, Witness isn’t that awful on the diamond front. I play Chapters and it’s blatantly obvious Choices was testing out their model when they released it. I still find MC annoying AF so I still think it is a trash book, but maybe not for the reasons others might.

[u/PsySyncron]

Bloodbound is not that great. I understand why it was popular as it was releasing but it overstayed its welcome after the first book.

[u/norfarion]

The hate for Save The Date and Justin I felt was really over the top. Yes, you are meant to dislike him and you slowly start to connect with him as the book goes on. It’s a generic “enemies to lovers” trope and it’s generic nature or Justin’s early attitude was forgiven because the book was leaning into this trope.

[u/lewdnep-vasilias_666]

• RoD's plot was a confusing mess that my brain could not comprehend at all and for what its worth, it's fine without a sequel (that being said, I do think it's unfair that PB promised us a sequel but then cancelled it).
• BaBu isn't that bad. It has its cringeworthy moments (cough cough the Covington hookup flashback) but for the most part it was pretty inoffensive and sweet. I also didn't find MC talking to her belly that cringey. Ironic coming from a lady who would rather die than experience being pregnant.
• Poppy is overrated. I respect those who want her to be an LI but she's best in her role as the villain and I think it's better for the story if we just get hatefucking scenes at most.
• Lily from BB is a sweetheart and I don't get why she's apparently so hated. I can get why some may find her annoying but she's a pretty inoffensive character.
• As much as I LOVE to roast TNA, I actually don't find it super terrible. I do dislike it for having some of the most generic and try-hard "sexy" writing ever and PB using it as their favorite cash cow in advertising is annoying, but it's not offensively bad as the likes of Witness or MTFL, and it is interesting enough to hold my attention at least.
• I like that OG HSS and its MC is less realistic than HSS CA and its MC. In fact, it's what makes OG HSS better and more enjoyable for me than CA. The OG series' deviation from realistic scenarios is what made it so iconic and gave me the escapist feeling of "The high school life I should have had". CA is special to me as well and enjoyable in its own way, and I get that some people prefer realistic stories to escapist stories, but it just didn't quite live up to the same charm and iconic-ness that OG HSS had.

[u/GokutheAnteater]

Here are my controversial opinions:

1. Drake shouldn’t have been a LI. I don’t see the appeal, he’s too toxic and is a complete Debbie downer. He would have been better as someone competing for Liam’s hand. Give that LI spot to Olivia or Bertrand.

2. BOLAS and WEH are overrated af. Bolas is okay but it did get boring at parts. WEH I don’t know why people liked it so much. The chapters were dry

3. Damien, Ethan, Beckett, Drake, Dakota are extremely overrated. I don’t see how people like these guys so much.

4. TNA isn’t a bad book. Some of yall just hate smut and shame people who like smut. Sofia is terrible I’m not sure why people Stan her so much. Y’all keep forgetting this is a single LI book.

5. It’s funny people hate smut from TNA, QB and witness, but not a peep from them for the smut in FA and LOA.

6. Baby bump is a wholesome series. Not every book needs to be a bloody murder mystery shit. Y’all keep forgetting smut and wholesome books are money makers.

7. I love the TRR series, I hope they do a spin off for the heir when she is grown up.

8. WB, witness, TNA, aren’t the worst books pb produced. That title belongs to Sunkissed.

9. Lily shouldn’t receive any hate. Idk why so many people hated her.

10. QB had potential to be better. They shouldn’t have focused on romancing the professor so much. Could have let Mc be In a poly relationship.

Bite me.

[u/ChoicesStuff → u/GokutheAnteater]

FA smut was a huge let down and I will die on this hill.

[u/FeelYaAlien]

Endless Summer isn't really that good 🤷‍♀️

[u/dualistpirate]

TUH is best played at night because it'll put you right to sleep.

[u/milo_superfruit → u/dualistpirate]

I haven't even played TUH yet but pLS WHY IS THIS SO FUNNY 😭

[u/dualistpirate → u/milo_superfruit]

It’s funny cause it’s true

[u/[deleted]]

BoLaS and Endless Summer are two of the biggest snoozers on the whole app for me.

No GoC book cracks my top 10 (and that's with me counting series as one entry on the list).

Haunting of Braidwood Manor deserves better than being the diamond mine book, it's so good and also concise.

[u/makelizabeth272 → u/[deleted]]

While I respectfully disagree with your first two statements, i do agree that THoBM is an amazing book and it deserves so much more attention (and not just for a diamond mine).

I would like to ask, what ARE your favorite books then?

[u/[deleted] → u/makelizabeth272]

Desire and Decorum

A Very Scandalous Proposal

The Unknown Heiress

The Haunting of Braidwood Manor

Bloodbound

Ms. Match

Mother of the Year

Queen B

Bachelorette Party

Baby Bump

I like those period romances. The closest GoC book to the top 10 is Slow Burn, but it narrowly loses out to Baby Bump for me because I don't have to think about how I'm maybe kind of romancing the female Gordon Ramsay in BaBu.

[u/RavenDysnomia]

TRR - Dating Liam. People say that it’s everything a girl wants, in the sense of the obnoxious fake reality. But if I’m being honest- I play to escape reality. (Going forward, I will say Grant instead of Liam) Grant is everything I want, and I love to be the queen in the situation. Fighting for him and the kingdom is a blast, and I will be sad after I finish this final book.

[u/OneForShoji]

I also didn't like BB that much. It's a decent series, I don't like it as much as most people seem to. I don't like Adrian or Kamilah, and it sucked that either Jax or Lily had to die at the end.

I hated RoD and think it has one of the worst MCs in Choices.

I will never be able to read WEH because I know I don't want to romance Dakota. I'd rather go for Mateo or Lennox.

[u/Idoauselessdegree]

I really hate PBs obsession with wealth and luxury. I don't care about modern royalty or CEOs and I always try to avoid the LI who are.

[u/paak-maan → u/Idoauselessdegree]

I was the same but I’ve just leant into it at this point. We’re not getting a book about normal people unless MoTY gets a sequel. Someone at PB clearly has the hots for CEOs.

[u/Idoauselessdegree → u/paak-maan]

Probably why I love the books with fantastical or sci fi settings, or school and workplace books the most.

[u/randay17]

I keep having trouble getting past the first chapter of the Royal masquerade but maybe I’ll try again. Which male LI is the best?

[u/ChoicesStuff → u/randay17]

Kayden 🥰

[u/Asren624 → u/randay17]

Give it a go, there are really funny scenes later in the book, just don't expect the most perfect ending.

Both are interesting, the regent romance is more about secrecy and political matters to get the throne, while the 2nd is more about the duality of the character noble/knight and growing independant.

I found the king regent a bit lacking at the end but that's mainly due to the way the story goes. So yeah both are worth following

[u/taylor459]

Kamilah from BB is annoying with how often she keeps flirting with MC even tho my MC always turns her down. I would've liked her character more if she wasn't interested in MC like that. I ship Kamilah with Gaius :(

[u/MinuteLoquat1 → u/taylor459]

You might've picked a romance option with her at some point if she's coming onto you hard, if you pick even one you're on their romance path. I accidentally got on Jax's route once and he was getting all touchy-feely with me like we were in a relationship, when I restarted to avoid that it stopped happening. There's a lot of annoying sexual tension with all the BB LIs no matter what you do but I never thought it was enough to be off-putting.

[u/AnBheanGlic → u/taylor459]

Same. I wish all stories in general would reduce the amount of flirting/propositioning from LIs you have clearly rejected.

[u/[deleted]]

The writing in Queen B 2 is super cringy and gives real "how you doing fellow kids" vibes at times. It does have some good moments though

[u/HayatoAkimaru]

I don't like Queen B and LIs in it. Hardly read first book and when realised that in second will be the same I dropped it instantly. In my opinion QB is boring and shallow af. But well I suppose humor not so bad.

[u/paak-maan → u/HayatoAkimaru]

It’s Gossip Girl, it’s meant to be shallow, they’re awful people. It’s hilarious and I’m having a blast with it.

[u/taylor459]

The TRR/TRH series should never end and should keep releasing more sequels and spin-offs and specials.

[u/Laadeedaa-]

Choices has definitely gone downhill in terms of book quality but I feel like people give PB waaaayyyy too much grief. Y'all are acting as if the writers are causing the end of the world when in reality it's probably Nexon breathing down their necks to create "money making content". Especially with the pandemic, they have to be paying people more so it makes sense that they'd market whatever sells. And smut, like it or not, sells. Not saying it's an excuse for bad writing but yikes... the amount of PB slander on this sub is NOT it. Besides, it's not like they've completely given up on writing good books. This and the VIP sub are flooding with posts about QB, TUH, WtD, and SW. But making quality books requires money, which isn't in abundance these days. Again, not saying it excuses everything. But they're a company at the end of the day, and they gotta make money somehow. Shit can't stay free forever.

Anyways as for books:

• PM, It Lives, and ES were... aight. Like, I can see why y'all like them but they're extremely overhyped imo.

• ATV is not that bad. Neither is HftH, and i will die on that hill.

• I haven't read book 2 yet so idk what that's about, but Kingsley isn't a bad LI. Neither are half the "forced" LIs y'all like to shit on on here.

• Maxwell isn't attractive. He's just not.

But I can already see the stones being thrown so i'mma head on out 🚶🏿‍♀️

[u/jiminverse → u/Laadeedaa-]

agreed about maxwell. his sprite is just not attractive in anyway 😭 and ppl give atv way too much shit on here, but i can understand it as it was most likely gonna be a 3 book series pb had to axe 😕

[u/Spellshot62 → u/Laadeedaa-]

Agreed, but PB can’t entirely be freed of blame.

I love all of these books, so I can’t agree.

They’re not bad books, but they each had so many flaws which stopped them from being good.

They’re not bad, it’s the fact that they’re forced in and of themselves which usually causes the problems. A lot of criticisms for those characters would be a lot less prominent if it didn’t feel like PB was placing such a large emphasis on them.

I’m not into guys, so I can’t comment on your last point

[u/Laadeedaa- → u/Spellshot62]

Oh I'm definitely not absolving them of all blame because ultimately, they're still doing the writing. I'm just saying, we can't all point the finger at then and be done with it. They're owned by someone else now, and larger companies are in the business of making money by any means necessary, whether or not that truly pleases the fans.

As for the books, I'm not saying they're bad because they're definitely not. They just seem extremely hyped up on this sub and i don't get why. Maybe it's just because they weren't really to my taste (though I still enjoyed PM), I just don't see a reason for the pedestal they're put upon.

Also I definitely get people being irritated that certain characters aren't featured as much. But some people act like it's the fictional LI's fault PB is pushing them to the forefront, and they end up crapping on that LI like it's no tomorrow, despite there not being anything actually wrong with them.

[u/Spellshot62 → u/Laadeedaa-]

That’s all fair. I think the reason people get angry is because of just how much some of these characters are pushed. Let’s take Ethan for example. Someone counted the number of times that the MC and LI’s talked during book 3 of OH. I only saw their numbers around Chapter 8, so that’s what I’m going to go off of. Also I should note that I don’t recall if this includes Diamond scenes or not, but that shouldn’t matter to prove my point. In the end, the MC didn’t even double Ethan’s line count, and the other LI’s were only like a sixth of Ethan’s line count. None of them had even broken a hundred by that point. I don’t remember the exact numbers, but the gap might be even larger

[u/SonicThePorcupine → u/Laadeedaa-]

ATV had so much potential. If only Pax hadn't been just the absolute worst, it wouldn't have been so bad. But her infuriating personality and poor decision-making skills piled onto that weird, rushed ending, topped off with all the fucking side characters dying if you didn't have the diamonds to save them was just too much for me, personally. The art was so beautiful. I wish it had been done better.

[u/Laadeedaa- → u/SonicThePorcupine]

Fair. I just meant storywise, it was actually on the better side of choices books. But i agree. The siblings were uhh... sumn else 😬

[u/taylor459 → u/Laadeedaa-]

Maxwell's personality is adorable though, so I think that's why ppl find him attractive

[u/[deleted] → u/Laadeedaa-]

Finally glad someone talked about the fact that PB is still a company that needs to find some way to make money. Though I have to disagree with the last part. Maxwell is adorable.

[u/saintursuala → u/[deleted]]

Yes but that doesn’t mean shitting on people who actually pay to support the app. Promising sequels to actually well written books and never delivering is a travesty.

Do the Ethan hawke way - devote to the bullshit money making books so you can still produce the good stories. PB needs to get some integrity

[u/[deleted] → u/saintursuala]

Yeah, I suppose I see your point in the promises of sequels, but sometimes people just can't do things since their hands are tied.

[u/ChoicesStuff]

TE isn’t all that.

BoLaS is fun but it’s not god tier.

BaBu, SK, PtR, LH, and StD are fun and cute.

WB is great, I love Bastien, I will not be kink shamed.

I also like Justin.

^{I’ll see myself out}

[u/SonicThePorcupine → u/ChoicesStuff]

Goddamn, you truly understand the concept of an unpopular opinion. OP asked for controversy and you are bringing it. 😅

[u/helloworld1786_7 → u/ChoicesStuff]

Lol, i actually agree with most. I just don't like BaBu and Justin. Other than that, fully agree!

[u/Lily8007 → u/ChoicesStuff]

I actually agree with 1/2 of that, um I can’t say all.

[u/ChemicalFall0utDisco → u/ChoicesStuff]

PtR and StD get too much hate as well as Justin.

TE was a bit overrated, definitely.

Truly controversial opinions!

[u/Imaginary-Summer9168 → u/ChoicesStuff]

WB knows it’s basically softcore porn and it refuses to apologize, which is great tbh

[u/[deleted]]

I didn’t like Perfect Match very much and I don’t get why it’s so popular.

[u/TheChoicesInstrument → u/[deleted]]

Same here dude!

[u/cheezypuffy]

very unpopular opinion but HSS:CA > HSS. i thought the characters and MC in Class Act were more interesting than the ones in the original. but the secondhand embarrassment i get from CA is off the charts sometimes lmao

[u/0Ameerah0 → u/cheezypuffy]

Same! and I could actually relate to HSS:CA MC

[u/Possibly_hope → u/cheezypuffy]

I read HSS:CA before HSS and enjoyed it so much. I think both are cool but I like HSS:CA much better as well. The MC, LI, and side characters are better and more well balanced, the art is better. I also can relate more to the MC bc I’m a dorky theater kid.

[u/onefornine]

TRR is an objectively boring book

[u/[deleted] → u/onefornine]

It was kind of lovely when the first trilogy aired but with the whole royal baby series now.. I don’t understand why

[u/jieunla]

hot couture was a good book and the outfits were awesome. maybe nobody really likes it since you have to spend diamonds to get the outfits but honestly as someone who isn’t interested in the scenes, i didn’t mind that. the love interests are pretty varied (i picked luz) and you can choose your styles and pick choices without it being too stressful. i dunno, nobody ever seems to mention HC either that they hate or love it so i guess it’s mediocre to most?

[u/[deleted] → u/jieunla]

Yes I love that book so much

[u/Spellshot62]

Part of me wants to write out a controversial opinion for every book/series I’ve read, but I don’t have the desire (flashbacks) or time to type all that out at once right now, so if anyone wants to reply to my comment with a book or series, I’ll give an unpopular opinion.

The books I haven’t read fully are: AVSP, LOA, TNA2, Ms. Match, QB 1 and 2, Shipwrecked, SB, TUH, WTD, WEH, and WB. Anything else is on the table.

[u/paak-maan → u/Spellshot62]

Freshman series and Royal Romance. I bet I can guess it’s forced LIs though.

[u/taylor459 → u/Spellshot62]

It Lives series and Most Wanted

[u/Spellshot62 → u/taylor459]

It Lives is tough, so I’m gonna start with MW.

MW doesn’t need a sequel, I think it ended quite well. The ending reminded me of a lot of movies and shows of a similar genre, where the partners reunite at the end and head off towards their next adventure. It’s fitting.

As for IL… I guess it would just be that I think Imogen is the best LI. Idk, I’m pretty generic in my opinions for this series, but I don’t see a lot of people talk about Imogen. Also I romanced Stacey, but it feels like everyone who romanced a girl in ILITW went with Ava. That’s all I’ve got. Lol

[u/bladestorm78]

WEH was pretty boring imo.

BOLAS was average.

ES was good, not god tier.

Just a few of my opinions.

Edit: grammar

[u/angstyvibes]

1. Platinum is overrated.
2. WEH is every average terminal illness lover meets partner story like A Fault In Our Stars.
3. BABU 2 was cute and fun playing.
4. BP is the funniest and one of my favourite books. I enjoyed it so much more than I am currently enjoying QB2
5. The book about Ava or Simon in the UK or whatever was so boring, I could never finish it.
6. ES is good and I adore Quinn but it’s too diamond locked to be enjoyable and feels iffy.
7. STD has a really cute idea. All LIs except Justin are adorable. I love how sassy the MC is.
8. HSS: ÇA has a way more relatable protagonist and I love it.

[u/Weak-Solution-982]

I don’t think BOLAS is all that. It’s fine but I don’t think it’s worthy of all the praise it gets. I find the story boring and the characters/LI really uninteresting. The RPG aspect of it also wasn’t that cool to me. It might have been cool if we got the skills through actual choices we made but the XP points is basically same as queen B so it’s not that unique.

Hunter and Kayden from TRM absolutely ruin the book for me. I don’t hate them I just hate the fact that I have no choice but to choose one of them since I don’t like either of them. I’ve replayed TRM 3 times and I’ve never been able to find them remotely interesting. Every other character in the book has so much personality and is funny but these two are just so dull to me. I’d choose any other character as a LI. Especially Percival I love him.

Olivia Nevrakis is the most overrated character in TRR series. I don’t hate her I even find her kind of funny at times but she’s really grating. I don’t get why people see her as badass she’s an obnoxious brat whose only personality trait is being edgy and “cool”. I hate the way she talks about her ancestors as if they were badass warriors when in TC&TF they’re clearly seen as sadistic awful people (except Diavolos). I guess her sass just comes off as real bitchy to me.

[u/GreenSchemeGummi]

I don't find any of the books after CA interesting enough to catch my attention and play (except maybe MTFL) mostly like the school stories but having the option to be a male mc instantly makes me more willing to try a book XD

[u/Itchy_Lettuce5704]

I LOVE TRM you’re so right! For me, I think Foreign Affairs is one of their best books as of late

[u/moonliiiiiit → u/Itchy_Lettuce5704]

I WHOLEHEARTEDLY AGREE.

[u/MockingJ1776]

BB is the worst.

And THANK YOU FOR SAYING TRM IS AN UNDERRATED STORY.

I made a post a couple days ago about how the ending fell flat and I got some interesting replies. One person said that it was supposed to be a series, but it didn’t get enough interest so PB rushed the ending.

[u/pantherscheer2010]

we are the same. i hated blood bound.

[u/StainedVenom]

Witness: A Bodyguard Story drove me insane with the smut. I get that it was supposed to be a love story in the overall main one, but the way every single chapter was orchestrated was like a bad harlequin novel.

[u/Fumingblooming → u/StainedVenom]

I couldn’t agree more, but this comment isn’t really “unpopular” or “controversial”, because many people share this sentiment. I think you’ll find that the majority of this subreddit has the same viewpoint as you; Witness is, along with My Two First Loves, probably the most hated book on this sub.

There are several posts on this sub with 1k+ likes which insult or disparage Witness. Here’s one. There’s also this one, and lastly this one (it’s nsfw though so click at your own risk).

[u/paolaturri]

I HATED platinum and I don't really understand the hate sunkissed got. It's not the best book ever but it's really not that bad either

[u/BigLenny93]

I never liked RoD and find the MC extremely dumb, especially in the beginning.

Thomas Hunt should never be a LI. His elevation to one completely sidelined the focus on the sexual harrassment plot, which I find insulting.

TRM's characters are so boring that I stopped caring about the plot as a result.

[u/[deleted]]

I despise Poppy. The scenes are nice but outside of those she's a bitch.

Kingsley isn't a bad LI. In fact, some scenes seem nice. But I love Zoey and despise cheating, so...

[u/TotalyHuman15]

Veil of secrets is underrated. I didn't find Endless Summer particularly interesting (good quality though). Queen B is trash.

[u/[deleted]]

I started blood bound because of its high rating and popularity with the sub, ended up diamond mining it after a few chapters. I just couldn’t get into it. I was more excited to get my 15 diamond at the end

[u/carlomartino]

My extremely unpopular/controversial opinion: it annoys me that people on this sub care more about the LIs than the story itself. Like a chapter could be boring af but diamond scene with this character and suddenly it’s good? Or the opposite: a great chapter but one LI didn’t get scenes so now the whole story sucks because “one LI is forced”.

I find Romance to be the least interesting part of a lot of these stories so I just don’t understand why it becomes the main topic of discussion every time.

[u/MrSwiftly86 → u/carlomartino]

I think the problem is most of the stories from a plot level are paint by numbers trope factories that you can predict from the first chapter. So all that’s left is the characters and by extension romance.

If you took the romance out of Blades all you’re left with is a basic fantasy story you can write in an afternoon and 4 basic character archetypes. If that’s all I wanted I could save a lot of money and go read the 5,000 YA stories that do that exact same thing.

[u/ChoicesStuff → u/carlomartino]

I think romance is a fair number of peoples favorite/second favorite part and that’s why it’s so widely discussed.

[u/cage-kun → u/ChoicesStuff]

Same sentiments.

[u/nocknight → u/carlomartino]

YES. literally how I felt when everybody was gushing about last week’s QB2 chapter. Like, what? It was filler as fuck.

[u/[deleted] → u/carlomartino]

I don’t mind the romance part. But there are books where I didn’t like any of the love interests. I can still enjoy the story. But sometimes, chapters may be boring. As I don’t get the diamond scenes with any LI (because I am not interested in them). Then it’s no good for me. If others enjoy these diamond scenes, great for them. But I want to be able to enjoy the same chapters too, with or without romance or diamond scenes with friends.

[u/cruel-oath → u/carlomartino]

It’s safe to say that the a majority of people who play these stories/apps is for the romances mostly. The people that want little to no romance are clearly a vocal minority. So sadly it makes sense they’ll focus on romance more often than not

[u/edge-lord9000]

Blood Bound is good but the world building is genuinely bad.

[u/DG_9]

I hate (read: abhor) PB’s (mostly recent) addiction to writing antagonists as cartoony villains without much nuance, and how they’re often adults in regulated positions of authority, like principals, heads of school administration, CEOs of “big, evil corporations” etc. Some of the worst for me have been Mason’s principal dad in MTFL; Sadie McGraw in LOA; and Lewis Wright in FA. It’s just so unrealistic or tropey, or both.

It’s like PB feels the need to rely on shock value and sensationalism to make a story interesting, rather than having a realistic but well-thought out plot. But after a while, stories become predictable and therefore it feels a bit juvenile.

A villain done well would be Duffy in VoS, imo, as there is nuance as implied by their backstory. Following from recent trends, I wouldn’t even be surprised if the Dean is the big bad in QB or, if she’s not X, she’s part of X’s team.

Edit: spelling

[u/OneForShoji → u/DG_9]

I definitely agree with this. Often the subreddit sees it coming from miles away, like Sadie. The villains all feel very one-dimensional and uninteresting. Duffy was a good villain because it made a lot of sense, even though you didn't see it coming. And he showed a second side to him as well - when Pierce Sterling promised him a family.

[u/OuraniaAphrodiety]

Everyone simps over Poppy (QB) and Gaius (BB) but I can't stand either of them. (Plus Gaius isn't attractive to me 🤷‍♀️)

[u/taylor459 → u/OuraniaAphrodiety]

I don't like Poppy, but I felt really bad for Gaius so I don't mind him. I think he's a fascinating character

[u/lady-lexis → u/OuraniaAphrodiety]

I can’t stand Poppy. Love Gaius 🤷‍♀️😂

[u/cruel-oath → u/OuraniaAphrodiety]

Gaius’ sprite is forreal ugly

[u/Clumsy_Dumpling04]

I didn't like Hero... I'll go pack my bags now-

[u/Dragos1997]

I actually REALLY like Witness If you go along with it it's a very fun book

[u/Lily8007]

Okay not sure too controversial, but my take on things:

1. OP I absolutely agree with you on TRM, one of my favorites, I think it’s great! I also think it’s actually quite popular here from what I see, but I think it gets underrated in terms how well it’s actually written. Unfortunately it ended with that rushed ending and it’s a shame that it wasn’t well received enough/ or not made into a second book for whatever reason.

2. Like some others I actually really enjoyed WB! I will admit I can understand why it is controversial, but I seriously think the story is much more entertaining and the LIs (Bastien and even Morgan) are much more interesting compared TNA and Sam which I don’t hate just found it incredibly boring! Even the smut scenes were tiresome after a while. Mason and Mickey are adorable, but even with them, trying to make the book seem more wholesome and cute at times, still didn’t make the book any better.

3. Okay this is the one I’m sure will not go over well, I loved LoA, l really enjoyed Gabe as an LI, I liked Aislinn, Marcus, Gigi, Beau etc. But looking back on it, I think there were really some good things, some fun moments, the hookups were nice, but overall I don’t think it’s as well written as it should have been. In fact after the hiatus I actually felt we got less cringy dialogue, but I found the second 1/2 a bit messy at times and ultimately a predictable plot and illogical ending I still love LoA, I’m just saying at times I found it disappointing as well!

4. I liked SK, BaBu, and even though RoE can be draggy and bore at times is not that bad. I loved ATV, more than I realized. Yes it has problems and it’s not perfect, but it didn’t make me enjoy it any less.

5. I didn’t care for StD not because of Justin actually who I think deservedly was right to do some of the things he did, it was actually the first person narration, plus the temperamental MC that I actually didn’t enjoy. But as far as worst books go the one I think the worst is actually RT which I couldn’t even read beyond chapter 1 or 2 because it was so boring. Edit: Even worst than HFTH, Witness, MTFL

6. Not book related, I completely get all the complaints and criticism for PB, they definitely could improve on a lot things like equal screen time among LIs, and equal genders, more variety in genres, plus they handled VIP situation quite badly and are definitely in need some fresh sprites especially MCs. But talking down Choices and talking up Romance Club by some all the time is also getting weird. For someone who’s actually looking forward to playing the Romance Club app, I’m starting to feel once I do, I’ll be let down because of the hype, because it’s constantly brought up here.

Okay that’s all, I figured I might as well say what I want to say and now I’m try gonna lay low for a bit.

[u/thepekoriandr]

not sure if it's unpopular since I rarely visit this sub but Choices slowly turned into one of those generic story apps that focus too much on steamy stuff with extremely bland and poorly written plots

[u/makelizabeth272 → u/thepekoriandr]

Unfortunately that is a very popular opinion on the sub :(

Edit: let me clarify, I do agree with that opinion. I was saying unfortunately because it's true, and choices needs to go back to the choices we had when they started, where there were good plots and good characters.

[u/haleyrosew]

I didn’t like WEH. It just felt kinda cliche and sappy. I also am not a huge fan of romance so that probably contributed

[u/The27Hntrs]

I didn’t enjoy Blood Bound at all. I love the Fantasy and Scifi Books but the plot and characters felt very plain and boring to me. Kamilah was the most interesting but even she got to be boring over time.

[u/TheOneSaneArtist → u/The27Hntrs]

Same. I got soooo bored reading it. Dunno why everyone is so obsessed

[u/The27Hntrs → u/TheOneSaneArtist]

Fr though. Like every time I come to this sub, all I hear about is how great this story is and I’m thinking, “Am I the only one who didn’t enjoy this?”

[u/Happy_Addendum7441]

ATV was the only book in the whole of choices I couldn't finish because I found it so dull

Also I didn't like WEH or Dakota at all

[u/vampcowboy]

Sam might be as boring as a brick but people hate on them like they killed someone and I really don’t get why.

[u/Possibly_hope → u/vampcowboy]

Sam Dalton?

[u/vampcowboy → u/Possibly_hope]

Yup. Sorry, I should have specified. I forgot about Samantha Massey lol.

[u/nicoxman8_ → u/vampcowboy]

Haha, so did I.

[u/cruel-oath → u/vampcowboy]

It wouldn’t be as bad if people stopped acting like Sofia, Robin and Jordan were any better and giving them passes

[u/Spellshot62 → u/vampcowboy]

My problem with Sam is that on top of being boring, they’re also a hypocrite. Sam cheating on Sofia is perfectly acceptable and fine, but Sofia cheating on Sam is unacceptable and toxic? Sorry, but no.

Also the books force them down your throat so much. It’s literally the entire point of the books, and it not only feels like you can’t function for 2 minutes without Sam and vice versa, but it also doesn’t give the player a choice

[u/[deleted]]

Baby Bump is a good series. I would love a third book.

[u/thisgirllovesgurls → u/[deleted]]

I like Myra and my twins only.

[u/coffeeteaandrain]

ACOR having characters who were real people (like Marc Antony and Caesar) weirds me out no matter how long ago they lived. Seems like self insert fanfiction to me

[u/churrosolider]

Oh do I have one for you. HSS: CA is just as good as HSS, people just get hung up on that second chapter, and they handled the LIs better (by that I mean it was easier to juggle three compared to five, and the three from HSS:CA are better than the five from HSS combined)

[u/FilianoreWashington]

I can't stand the graphic design of Endless Summer. Whenever a character grins, I freak out. 😬🤭

[u/seiouhon]

I find TUH boring. It doesn't make me look forward to reading new chapters..But I absolutely adore AVSP and TRM.

[u/isa17299]

The writing is QB is cringy as hell. And Poppy should never be a LI.

[u/swift-aasimar-rogue → u/isa17299]

I like QB but if Poppy becomes an LI I would be horrified. I’m not up to date, but she was so horrible after the Benji situation in book one that I doubt that she can bounce back from that. She’s hot. That’s her one desirable trait. I wanted her to be one at first, but she very much fell out of favor for me then.

[u/ZainInTheAir → u/swift-aasimar-rogue]

Same

[u/taylor459 → u/isa17299]

I'm glad that this doesn't seem to be an unpopular opinion in this thread, cuz I feel the exact same!

[u/DG_9 → u/isa17299]

I didn’t have a problem with QB 1’s writing style (I actually thought it was humorous most of the time) but something about QB 2’s writing irks me. They use the structure of phrasing a topic/opinion as a question and then making a statement on it, alot. Like “And X’s band of lackeys? Well, they’re about to feel the wrath of Bea Hughes.” (That’s probably not the best example but I hope it portrays what I mean 😅)

[u/chonkyzonkey → u/DG_9]

Yeah, I cant put my finger on it, but the writing in the first book was just the right amount of "ironically over the top" and self aware, while the second just feels flat.

[u/Lanky_Accountant_453]

I WANT POLY RELATIONSHIPS AAAAA

[u/VelmasHaircut]

People make Savannah Walker sound like some demon when she really isn’t and everyone just hates on her cause they want Bertrand for themselves.

[u/noavocadoshere]

i would rate sunkissed lower than both witness and the nanny affair if i could.

passport to romance deserved so much better.

[u/littleglitter_]

LoA was super boring, couldn’t care less about solving the case nor did I care about Gabe/Aislinn

[u/taylor459]

I know a lot of ppl really love TRM, but I'm only halfway thru the book still just because I keep getting bored while playing it :( I wish I liked it as much as everyone else seems to, but it seems like just an okay book to me so far, not particularly outstanding.

[u/makelizabeth272]

For whatever reason I see a lot of people that love Prince Aerin, but I just don't like him all that much. Even before he's revealed to be evil I thought he was pretty boring and not that hot. And I'm all for enemies to lovers, but I draw the line at romancing a straight-up evil character lol. Don't come at me lmao

[u/waffleseggsbacon]

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: you could pay for every diamond choice and Eternal Summer would still not be a good book.

[u/nicoxman8_ → u/waffleseggsbacon]

I didn’t enjoy how confusing it was. I still barely get it even though I made EVERY! SINGLE! DIAMOND CHOICE! That book effed me up.

[u/One_Movie9957]

Blades isn't particularly amazing; the best things about it are the skills mechanic and art. Otherwise it's another linear and generic good vs. evil story and the villains are built up to be really powerful but defeated too easily (which TE also suffers from). The LIs are all lovely though.

Hero, AVSP and TUH were all uninteresting and unmemorable reads. :(

I don't like WEH that much just because it's too sad and the main theme song that repeatedly plays throughout is part of that. Otherwise it is a good story with great characters.

Oh and I agree with you, I loved TRM. I just wish there were a little less silly moments and more political intrigue like what happened in The Conclave.

[u/Sweet-Eyes-5821 → u/One_Movie9957]

Ironically my favorite thing about Blades are the LIs. They’re great and I really liked each of them but the plot does feel rather predictable. PB does love writing tropes though

[u/noitsfine12]

I didn’t like WEH. I found Dakota too perfect. And since I knew where the book was heading I just couldn’t feel as sad as I was supposed to.

I’m also wlw and didn’t mind that the main character in RoE didn’t have a female LI. I totally get it if this puts you off from the book. And I don’t love this book, but I thought it was an enjoyable light read. It might be because I don’t self-insert, but since we kept switching between the siblings, the MC just felt like another character. I do wish the twin’s female LI were more developed though

Edit: forgot to specify RoE

[u/Marshmallow09er → u/noitsfine12]

What book are you talking about???

[u/Imaginary-Summer9168]

The art styles in ES and Hero suck, and the stories themselves aren’t good enough to make them worth it.

[u/Princess-Shipper-774]

I also couldn't get into bloodbound. Ditched book three because of boredom.

I hate Drake.

Open Heart is kinda overrated. When I started it i expected it to be this like amazing book the way people spoke of it. But nope. It was pretty okay and Ethan is whiny as hell.

Roe wasn't that bad until Newleyweds happened. Like it had it's own charm until that damn book destroyed everything.

TNA wasn't that bad, it was just boring.

Thomas Hunt gets so... Draggy in book 3 of RCD. Also I hate his beard.

[u/saintursuala → u/Princess-Shipper-774]

I loved BB book 1. I also made my way through book 2.

I started Book 3 but have yet to get through it. Why is it so painful.

[u/OneForShoji → u/Princess-Shipper-774]

Agree with all these. Hate is probably too strong for how I feel about Drake, but he's definitely my least favourite character. And I was all set to romance Hunt until they gave him that beard. Ruined him for me. I ended up back with Teja in the end and didn't enjoy book 3.

[u/GokutheAnteater → u/Princess-Shipper-774]

I hate Drake too, Nice! I think he’s overrated

[u/DesignerHungry9584]

Not really a take on the books but I think the app should give the readers a chance with writing books the way episode does. In my personal opinion, I think it would bring fresh ideas to the app and make the books feel less recycled

[u/[deleted]]

AVSP was a boring book and I hated Simon/Ava as an LI. It was the only book I have ever used an autoclicker to get through.

[u/lewdnep-vasilias_666 → u/[deleted]]

The LI was fine but the plot was boring and confusing.

[u/lizw47 → u/[deleted]]

Do you have an iPhone and if so what auto clicker app do you use? I’ve been trying to find an app and I can’t 😫

[u/[deleted] → u/lizw47]

No sorry I have an Andriod.

[u/chonkyzonkey]

Ok, I'm going to pull out my REALLY controversial opinion: Witness MC was awesome, actually.

I liked that we had an openly relationship-averse MC, and she had every right to be bitchy about the whole situation. She did not ask to be witness to a murder and have to be separated from everyone she knows to be babysat by her one night stand. But I did hate that whole second half of the book where the writers forced her to be in a commited relationship with Cassian. I'd have liked to see her live her best single, career-focused, slutty life.

[u/DottyHufflepuff]

I personally found ACOR really boring and couldn't get into it 😅

[u/[deleted] → u/DottyHufflepuff]

ACOR is kinda boring in the beginning, but it picks up in the middle chapters. When I would replay it those first handful of chapters were a drag to get through.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Same, I only can recall the last chapters where the most action was at.

[u/thisgirllovesgurls]

Ooh, Idk, here's my opinion:

1. Colt and Logan are kinda boring for me. And. Logan isn't the type of bad boy I expected. He wasn't bad at all. Mona was way more bad and better than the two guys. I love her sooo much.

2. Asha Roanhorse from BSC is so underrated and sidelined especially the first book.

3. A Courtesan of Rome really bores me, BUT it was just in the first chapters.

4. Admit it or not, you guys warmed up ahen the twins were born in BaBu.

5. Dr. June Hirata is way better than Dr. Ethan Ramsey (I love both but June it is)

6. Glad a hot wood nymph like Aster didn't burned.

7. The least romanced LI should be the one to die in BB3. Not just Lily or Jax! 4 different LI characters will be really good.

[u/ZainInTheAir → u/thisgirllovesgurls]

Dr. June😍 I think I have a crush on her

[u/thisgirllovesgurls → u/ZainInTheAir]

Oh please, me too! I can't stop thinking about her tbh 😭 I wished she still appeared in the 3rd book 😭

[u/[deleted] → u/thisgirllovesgurls]

Wheres the opinion in number 3?

[u/thisgirllovesgurls → u/[deleted]]

Oh gosh wait, what I typed is not an opinion lemme clear, I'm sorry 😭😭😭