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Oleander
A great expectations reimagining
The Blurb
Caspien Deveraux was poison.
It took me years to realise that he hadn’t been born like that. He’d been cultivated and nurtured by a careful hand and a bitter heart.
When I first met him, he was a bud. One primed to bloom beautifully and deadly. One I should have torn out at the root.
I loathed him. I loved him. And until him, I hadn’t known just how completely those two things could exist at once.
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Trigger & Content wARNINGS
Oleander is a contemporary romance with Gothic notes and dark adult themes. Please see below for content warnings. This list has been compiled to the best of my ability to allow you, the reader, to make an informed choice about whether to continue reading. Spoilers below:
The following triggers and content warnings relate to the main characters whilst age 15-18:
- Minors engaging in mild sexual exploration and (potentially) age-inappropriate discussions of sex
- Sex between 16 year olds.
- Sexual relationship of a 15 year old with an adult. (This book will NOT include sex scenes between these characters)
- Underage drinking.
- Suggestions of child neglect (this will not be described on page).
- Loss of a child through miscarriage (this will be mentioned on page).
The following triggers and content warnings relate to the main characters aged 18+:
- Alcohol abuse.
- Drug use.
- One sex scene featuring dubious consent.
- Descriptions of Domestic Violence and SA. (This will not be described on page but will be discussed on page.)
Other possible content which readers may find harmful are listed below:
- Grooming of a minor, sexual assault of a minor (sexual relationship between a 15 year old and a 32 year old)
- Miscarriage (on page, though not detailed, and the grief resulting from it)
- Domestic violence / prolonged abusive relationship (physical abuse not depicted on page, but the consequences (bruises & injuries) are, as well as one violent outburst with hateful language and a resulting physical altercation)
- Cheating (on MCs and other partners)
- Depression (mentioned suicidal ideations)
- Using drugs and alcohol as a coping mechanism
- Taboo relationship (student / professor, aged 19 and 29)
- Emotional neglect / abuse of a child
- Loss of parent/s
Raving reviews
A top book of 2024, easily
Oleander is an absolute knockout, and I can’t recommend it enough, especially if you’re in the mood for a chest crusher. It pulled me straight under and rolled over me like a heavy wave. In fact, I ended up marathoning the book because it was so intense, but I mean that in the best way possible.
This book is fairly different from many romances out today because it reads more like a Greek epic melodrama, spanning years. There’s potent tragedy, malevolence, pain and lessons learned. Every character & interaction is afforded the perfect amount of detail and time.
The story is lush and beautifully fleshed out.
Both boys are lonely, sad and broken in very different ways and couldn't be more opposite in personality. It’s told from Jude’s POV throughout, but this makes Caspian’s life mysterious and lends to a sense of dread. You want resolution for Jude, while at the same time you become more intensely curious about Caspian. They make their separate choices to choose love before they even know what it means or how to show it to each other, and after years of pining, heartache, growth and healing they eventually get their HEA.
Oleander is going to stay with me for a long long time.
An actual MASTERPIECE
This is my absolute favorite book of all time.
Of any genre. Of anything I've EVER read. I don't even know how to put words to the brilliance that is Oleander, but I'll try.
Caspien Deveraux is the most vile, reprehensible boy that Jude Alcott has ever met. Caspien is conniving at worst and intolerable at best, and the two are forced to get along when Jude's uncle is hired to renovate the gardens at Deveraux House, where they will live on the property. Jude can't stand Cas, and yet...he can't seem to stay away from him, either.
This is a "reimagining" of Charles Dickens' Great Expectations, but you certainly do not need to have read this classic to enjoy Oleander. Cas and Jude's story stands wholly on its own as one of the most raw and beautiful love stories I've ever read. This is not a typical romance as we're used to in the genre these days, but pulls heavily from its classic inspiration in the style of the storytelling. These characters are flawed and broken. They make wrong choices for the wrong reasons and for the right reasons. I'm not a big crier, but this book had me ugly crying more than once. The story is told in first person single POV from Jude's perspective, and we get to see him grow from a boy to a man and get to know Caspien entirely through his eyes.
You just need to experience him.
And ohhhh, Caspien. My vile little disaster duckling. I can't talk much about Caspien without spoiling the story (or without crying, let's be honest), but suffice it to say that of the hundreds of books I've read, he is my favorite character ever written, and you just need to experience him - and Jude's love for him - yourself.
If you're looking for a classic retelling with a hard-earned HEA, this book is for you.
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