Rating: 🤩

Ok before we begin I’ve got to get the legal thing out of the way: I received an advanced reader’s copy of Exile—which comes out August 15, 2024. And you’re just going to have trust me that I still read and reviewed it honestly, despite getting it for free. ✌🏻

If you’re looking for a low-angst romance novel where the couple gets together, maybe with some hijinks, but without big drama or feels? Exile is not that book. But if you’re looking to get frustrated, cry, and be otherwise emotionally wrecked before you’re sewn back together again for a sweet, well-deserved happy ending? Exile by Poppy Fitzgerald is that book.

Here’s a quick summary, so we’re all on the same page (minor spoilers, but you’d get the same ones from the book’s blurb so whatever): Serena is a college student who’s dealing with the shit end of the trauma stick; her father died in an accident a couple of years ago, and her mom has a neurological condition that requires a lot of care. So she’s working multiple jobs to make ends meet and still get her education, often with the help of her (hot) best friend, Kai. She meets a handsome older cop, Dominick, while at one of her jobs, they hit it off, and begin to date. But, as he takes more and more control of her life, and he turns out to be not what he seemed, maybe the right man for her was in front of her all along.

Having read Fitzgerald’s previous book, Astray, I had an idea of what to expect going into Exile. Namely, that red flags would actually be red flags. And yet, despite knowing that—that Dominick was not end game for Serena, and that he was actually a danger to her—I found myself liking him in the beginning.

He said he wanted to take care of Serena!! He said he could help her with her financial problems so she wouldn’t have to worry about it anymore. He literally said, “I take care of what’s mine” and despite him saying that really goddamn early (like after one date), I wanted that for her. I have several conflicted annotations in my kindle where I highlighted things Dom said that I liked and thought were hot even though I knew they were the breadcrumbs that would lead me to his controlling, violent nature.

Which, of course, they did.

And knowing that I was watching Serena fall in love with a dangerous man (in the bad way) was pretty unsettling, if I’m being honest. Especially considering Fitzgerald so skillfully set us up to fall for Dominick’s charm as well, and in doing so showed us how insidious abusive and controlling behavior can be. But I breathed through my discomfort because I knew that the payoff—her romance with Kai—would be worth it (and it was).

Something I find so special about Exile (and also Astray), is Fitzgerald’s ability to subvert expectations when it comes to the villain. Given I read a lot of dark romance where the morally-fucked man—who often says the exact same things Dominick tells Serena—is the hero, these books are a good reminder that context matters.

I can often root for a fucked power dynamic in a dark romance because of the context of the fantasy the author has developed (for example, a gritty mafia world where there are huge gender dynamics at play, and the hero is still the best choice because at least he hates human trafficking). But Fitzgerald’s Birch Falls universe mimics the real world, so real world rules apply. In that context, Dom’s behavior is terrifying.

I would be remiss if I didn’t at least briefly touch on the racial power dynamics at play in general in Exile. Dom is a white cop. Serena is biracial. Kai is Black. All of which matters a whole hell of a lot in this book. Because I wasn’t only scared for Serena, I was terrified for Kai. I white-knuckled my way through most of the latter half of the book, because of the suspense added by that racial power dynamic.

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I feel like I’ve spent most of this review talking about the scary stuff! But Exile also had really sweet moments. Kai was just so supportive and caring, and without giving away spoilers, did things for Serena that showed he actually loved her (as opposed to loving the idea of possessing her). Watching them realize their feelings for each other felt real (that accidental boob grab, am I right?) and gave me the best kind of gooey feelings. So, yeah, like I said earlier, the payoff was definitely worth it. You just have to get ripped apart a bit first.