Beyond BookTok: The Saint View High series by Elle Thorpe is reverse harem meets dark romance done right

If there is one thing we have to say about TikTok, it is that the platform has definitely introduced us to some amazing authors. And in a lot of cases, it is because of BookTok that we have found new books and series to fall in love with.

In the case of Elle Thorpe, we were introduced to her work via a BookTok recommendation for her Saint View Psychos trilogy. And after reading the series, I quickly learned that it was the third series in the world. So I had to go back and read the first trilogy to see what I had missed.

I have to say that I am so glad that I went back to read the Saint View High series. Devious Little Liars, Dangerous Little Secrets, and Twisted Little Truths were all brilliant books with a lot of drama, romance, tragedy, and so much more. Not only is this a reverse harem series, but it is also very much a dark romance.

The Saint View High trilogy by Elle Thorpe has it all when it comes to why choose dark romances

Trigger Warnings for the Saint View High trilogy include bullying, murder, sexual assault, drug use, self harm, child abuse, violence, and domestic abuse.

Technically, one could argue that Saint View High isn't quite a dark romance since most of the bad stuff done to the characters isn't really between the main love interests towards each other. However, it is hard to deny there are some seriously dark themes mixed into this romance. And of course, there is the enemies to lovers and bullying themes that need to be taken into account when trying to classify this series.

The magic of Elle Thorpe's writing style is that she knows when to bring the tension and when to add some levity to the story. Every character is well developed and fully fleshed out, with each of them dealing with their own struggles. And while you might think that someone would be left behind or forgotten, that is simply not the case. Even amongst the guys, there is a relationship that helps to make the reverse harem aspect make perfect sense.

There are plenty of twists and turns throughout the entire series and we get plenty of surprises along the way. And we even have some romance between two of the guys in the group, which adds to the overall story and how things play out. Of course, there are also some characters we meet here that we will see down the line in later Saint View books, which makes this a great introduction to this world.

Even for readers who may not love a high school setting, these books are so well written that even the teen angst is done right. There is something to be said about an author who knows how to make you forget that the setting is a high school until there is a scene that makes it obvious again. And while I don't have an issue with the setting, I do understand how it can be a turn-off to some readers. But the reality is that this is a well-crafted series that delivers on storyline, drama, romance, and more. It has it all and it does it well.

While I have BookTok to thank for introducing me to Saint View and Elle Thorpe's books, I am so glad I did a deeper dive into the backlist and went back to read the Saint View High trilogy. This series was so good and worth checking out as a fan of reverse harem romances.

Have you read any of the Saint View books by Elle Thorpe? Do you have a favorite?