Darling Venom
By: Parker S. Huntington
Picture by: @AALIYAHSREADS
Book Blurb:
“I wasn’t supposed to be on that roof on Valentine’s Day. Neither was Kellan Marchetti. The schools designated freak. We met on the verge of ending our lives. Somehow, the tattered strings of our tragedies tangled and tightened into an unlikely bond. We decided not to take the plunge and agreed to check on each other every Valentine’s Day until school ended. Same time. One roof. Two restless souls. We kept our promise for three years. On the fourth. Kellan made a decision, and I was left to deal with the consequences. Just when I thought our story ended, another one begun. They say all love stories look the same and taste different. Mine was venomous, disgraceful, and written in scarlet scars. My name is Charlotte Richards, but you can call me Venom.”
Book Review:
Every once in a while, you’ll come across a book that doesn’t just entertain you – it changes you. Darling Venom by Parker S. Huntington was one of those rare reads for me. It wasn’t just a story I read; it was a story I felt. And days after finishing the final page, it still lingers in my heart like a bittersweet melody I’m not quite ready to stop humming.
From the very beginning, this novel grips you with raw emotion. It doesn’t shy away from the tough stuff – grief, trauma, regret, and the crushing weight of unspoken guilt – and yet, it still manages to cradle those heavy moments with tenderness and hope. At its core, Darling Venom is about learning to forgive not just others, but yourself. It’s about untangling the past in order to make peace with the future, and maybe even finding love in the places you’d least expect.
One of the things that stood out to me the most was the emotional depth woven into every chapter. This book had me in tears more than once – not just because of the heartbreak, but because of the healing. Huntington does an incredible job of showing how grief isn’t linear. It’s messy and painful and often times, isolating. But through her characters, she reminds us that there’s no shame in the process, and that the strength to move forward often comes from the most broken places.
The characters were the beating heart of the story, each one was crafted with care and complexity. They weren’t perfect – far from it actually – but their flaws made them all the more real. I appreciated that every main character had their own pain to carry, their own journey to navigate. Watching – or reading rather – their individual growth, their quiet triumphs and setbacks, made me feel deeply connected to each and every one of them. Huntington didn’t gloss over the hard parts of the healing – the relapses, the self doubt, the uncomfortable vulnerability – and that honesty made their arcs all the more powerful.
There’s something so beautiful about the way love is portrayed in this book. It’s not just romantic love – though that thread is passionate and deeply emotional – it’s also the love between siblings, the longing for connection, and the kind of love that demands we show up for ourselves, even when it’s hard. Darling Venom explores the kind of love that holds space for your pain while still challenging you to grow, and it does so with grace.
This is a story that I know i’ll carry with me. It’s the kind of book i’ll return to on days when I need to remember that healing is possible, that forgiveness is freeing, and that even in the darkest chapters of our lives, there’s still light to be found.
If you’re looking for a romance with real emotional weight, unforgettable characters, and a message that will stay with you long after you finish reading, I highly recommend Darling Venom. It’s a soul stirring experience, and I already know I’ll be coming back to it for a re-read!
Final thoughts:
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Steam level: 🌶️🌶️/5
Trigger warnings: Suicide, grief, and depression
Would I recommend? Absolutely!! If you enjoy emotionally intense romance with real life depth and healing arcs, Darling Venom is a must read. (Just maybe keep a tissue nearby if you get emotional while reading lol)
A couple of my favorite Quotes (since I can’t highlight the whole book):
“The thing I’m battling is my mind. And if I lose, they’ll just call me weak.”
“I guess people have two faces: the face the world sees, and the face they see in the mirror.”
“Here’s a life lesson I’d never wanted to learn. Our secrets are nothing but a string of memories we wish to forget.”
“Thats the thing about hope. A little of it goes a long way. Far enough to make you stupid. Far enough to make you try.”
“His eyes told me he knew pain, and pain knew him, and they were in a committed, unbreakable relationship.”
“You said you wished you could find the thing to keep me going. You’re it Charlie. You’re the thing that keeps me going.”
“I love you, Charlotte Richards. I can’t promise you I’ll always be okay, but I can promise you I’ll always love you and I’ll never be ashamed to say it. Over the past five years, I lost myself in grief. But then I found the most precious thing in the world – you.”
You can purchase this book here on amazon! https://a.co/d/etCPCfo
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