At the End of It All

Usually, a good book has me hooked and finished in a day or two. But At the End of It All by Raye Lyse was a struggle—I kept putting it down and picking it back up, unable to get on board with the main character's world. The story follows Ace Williams, a fallen-from-grace college basketball star "nepo baby" relocated to Houston to escape past scandals, battling addiction, and grieving the loss of his mother. He crosses paths with Lourdes (a college freshman and family acquaintance known as "Baby Fat"), and their dynamic forms the core of the romance. Unfortunately, that dynamic is deeply unsettling. Though Ace is only 21 and Lourdes is around 18 or 19, he treats her with the controlling grip of a 40-year-old trying to groom a young naive woman. He constantly demands she fall in line, act like a "lady," and center her entire existence around "Planet Ace." Navigating his heavy obsession and attempts to mold her made it tough to root for them. While the story does ultimately deliver a happily ever after—with Lourdes staying by his side to help him battle his addiction and pull through his darkest moments—the grueling, toxic process of getting there made this a painfully slow read for me personally.

Such a good read 🥰 filled with lots of complexities, depth and emotion 😘 Ason Williams, Jr. aka Ace was a superstar athlete appearing to follow in the footsteps of his NBA legend father. However a nasty scandal assaulted his character, name and reputation. Along with his mom losing her battle with Cancer, Ace had become a functioning alcoholic. His father took a job back home in Houston and became head coach at his deceased best friend Marshall’s alma mater. That’s where he met the 18yr old beauty Lourdes aka Phat. She was young, naive and extremely smitten with him to the point that he gave her hives when he came around because she liked him so much. She was also dealing with a sick mother CeCe who also had Cancer and was good friends with Ace mom and dad. Navigating this new normal coming from LA to Houston dealing with a strained relationship with his Coach/dad and undeniable feelings for this young girl and dealing with unresolved demons. Ace and Phat become obsessed with one another while lifeing. It’s a great read. I loved Planet Ace 🌎