comments:
If It Had Ever Been Enough deserves a spot here. The MMC gaslights the FMC, rewrites history, avoids accountability, disappears when things get real, and has an incredible talent for making her question her own reality instead of his behavior. What makes him especially frustrating is that he isn’t cruel all the time. He’s charming, funny, and deeply convincing when he wants to be, which makes every broken promise feel like maybe this time will be different. If emotional manipulation is your favorite flavor of red flag, this book will probably make you want to throw it across the room. It’s on KU if you have a subscription to that.
If you’re open to contemporary romance, If It Had Ever Been Enough fits this in a different way than the mafia romances. The MMC isn’t a diagnosed psychopath, but he’s written with a lot of behaviors that readers can “Easter egg hunt” throughout the story. He’s emotionally detached, manipulative, gaslights constantly, and has a talent for giving the FMC just enough hope to keep her hanging on. He also doesn’t suddenly become a soft, protective hero halfway through. The psychological manipulation is really the point of the book, so if you’re looking for an MMC who stays unsettling and morally gray from beginning to end, it’s worth checking out
If it Had Ever Been Enough by JC Yackly MMC Cheats on MFC, she’s suspicious and he gaslights her a lot.Very toxic relationship with trauma bonding.