”Happy Release Day!
ARC Copy Review
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Taste Like Trouble
Author Luna May
Publication Date August 22, 3026
First, I would like to thank Luna May and Inside Story for sharing this novella with me.
I was looking forward to a dark romance to give my head a break from thrillers. Instead, I got a story that kept my mind racing—but for all the right reasons.
This spunky little novella had me on my toes from beginning to end, flipping pages as quickly as I could digest the words. What I expected to be a break from suspense turned out to have its own delicious tension, pulling me deeper into the story with every page.
“Roman had spent years convincing himself that he was in control, carefully constructing a beautiful but empty life. Yet beneath that carefully controlled exterior was a man who was desperately trying to find a version of himself that didn't feel like a ghost.
He wasn't stepping into the spaces where a husband should have been as some calculated strategy. He was there because he was starving to be seen. He wasn't creating the silence around him; he was drowning in it. Every message felt like another desperate gasp for air.
And then there was her loneliness—deep, quiet, and the kind that seems to settle into your bones. Roman could hear the ache hidden beneath her careful words, the desperate pride of a woman who had slowly become invisible in her own home.
What struck me most was that Roman wasn't simply paying attention to her to manipulate or impress her. He listened because her words made him feel seen, too. For once, he wasn't performing or pretending to be someone he wasn't. He was reaching into the darkness, hoping she would be there to reach back.
Because sometimes the difference between being looked at and truly being seen is enormous. It can be the difference between merely existing and actually feeling alive.”
This novella gave me exactly the kind of escape I was looking for, just not in the way I expected. It was dark, tense, emotional, and surprisingly absorbing. Sometimes the best stories aren't the ones that let you turn your brain off—they're the ones that make you forget everything else exists while you're reading.
Definitely a quick, gripping read for anyone looking for something dark, emotionally charged, and a little bit different.
”

”This was amazing. A marriage that is nothing more than experiment for Madeline. The lengths she went to control everyone that her “subjects” were talked to do was beyond calculating. But it was so mind blowing at the same time. I was completely invested in this and I couldn’t stop reading. I’ve never read anything like this before and I absolutely loved it.”

”First, I would like to thank Luna May and Rachel at Inside Story for sharing an advance copy of this book with me prior to publication!!
She did such an AMAZING job writing it, I could NOT put it down! One of the things I absolutely loved about it is that it is not fast paced and it had me hooked the ENTIRE time! I was COMPLETELY sucked into the story and was CONTINUOUSLY questioning what was going on the entire time!
Honestly this is now my new favorite book of 2026 so far!! It is DEFINITELY worth 5 stars!!
”

””

”★★★★★
What an incredible debut! The writing is a slow burn that pulled me in immediately and never let go. So well-paced, so much tension on every page. You can tell this author has a real gift for storytelling.”

”I genuinely enjoyed reading the chapters. The story has a strong, compelling voice, and the writing is polished and immersive. The characters feel authentic, the relationships are believable, and the atmosphere is vivid enough to make each scene easy to picture. I especially appreciated the emotional depth and the gradual buildup of tension it kept me curious and invested in what would happen next.”

”“The Wife's Experiment” by Luna May was a slow burn for me, but it kept me invested with its web of secrets, deception, and growing tension. I couldn't stop wondering where the experiment was leading, and that curiosity kept the pages turning. If you enjoy domestic thrillers that gradually build suspense before delivering surprising developments, this one is worth picking up.”

”I can honestly say that I have never read a book with this premise, and it was such a fun read. It plays out just like an experiment with all these different factors at play.
There were some parts of it that I did not see coming at all, and I was thrilled to find out that this is part of a trilogy. I can't wait to see what happens next!”