If I could, I would give this 3.8 stars. Off the bat, just as most others said, I don’t like this as much as Lights Out. However, Lights Out got a pretty high score outta me so I’m not saying this is bad. Actually, I really liked it. Nico is not as whimsical as Josh, and at times his depressing attitude either bums me out or makes me roll my eyes with all the stereotypical ‘I've seen so many fucked up things,’ type of talk. Still, he’s very sincere and sweet and has such a silly little side to him as well. This book starting out with him saying he wants out of the mafia is such a perfect place to begin our story and, even though I wanted to smack him upside the head and taze him quite a few times, I was rooting for him the whole way. My issue was unfortunately with Lau, the love interest; which pissed me off because I’m usually a man-hater. Lauren’s advocacy and relationship with sex-work is beautiful, and I love the way she flaunts an aspect of her life that most people have shunned her for because that's what makes her feel free and happy. That being said, I think she’s a little hypocritical toward Nico. On the one hand, I get it. She’s been burned (BADLY) before and he’s a dangerous guy. I also know that he’s the reason she can’t even trust anyone. But she blames him for such extreme reactions when every single reaction she has is just as extreme. She’s jaded from him cutting her off, but that makes her cut him off after even just the assumption that he might be flaking on her. She spent the entire first half thinking that he’s some violent, homophobic, misogynistic thug who will kill her because of his job (reasonable assumption tbh), but then gets mad when she thinks he’s making assumption about her because of her job. People aren’t allowed to assume vulgar things about you, but you can assume them about the man who very obviously doesn’t wanna be a part of the world he was born in?? Like girl, you’re mad at the way he treats you, but look in the mirror a little bit??? I get it if you don’t trust him or if you’re conflicted, but it’s tiring to see her dip her toe in and out every single chapter. I almost just wanted her to leave at some point. It’s reasonable to be scared, but it’s not very fun to read about sometimes lol I don't want to write any spoilers but the decision she makes around the END made no dang sense. That entire situation, I kept saying to myself "why is she even there??? why would she even go there?? what was her plan???" so I feel like (sorry to compare women omg I swear I love them both) Aly in the last book didn't make such nonsensical decisions. I don't see what Lau is trying to accomplish sometimes, even though she seems so determined and even arrogant; I find myself asking "determined to do what???" "confident to achieve what exactly??" That being said, the story was interestingly lower stakes than the first (kinda). Obviously, we got a more explicit view of the mob life but, rather than evading a prison sentence like the previous book, it seemed the plot was evading the bloody hands of father dearest. Still super fun and still super nerve-wracking, but it all revolved around secrets, mistrust, and tension, rather than actual action going down like the first book. Who knew a nurse and hacker would get more field work than a mob heir and a sex worker duo lol but I guess that’s some neat little misdirection on Allen’s part and I’m not mad at it. It also had a lot more sex than the last one, in my opinion, but once you learn more about our lovely FMC Lau that will make sense. I hope I didn’t harp too much about things I didn’t like because, as I said, I really liked this book. If I didn’t, it would’ve gotten a 3. I think I just wasn’t as attached to the characters as I wanted to be because I didn’t understand some of their actions and thought processes. Still, I like them a lot and can’t wait to see their cameos in Game On and any other book she makes next. I think Navessa Allen has become an auto-buy author for me!