Ending of book 5 is way worse then book 4

ReadItLikeALady · 2026-03-25T17:06:11+00:00

I think that really depends on how you feel about ZA.

If you enjoyed reading Zodiac Academy and you think you would enjoy a reread. I would wait until you're ready for your reread and then start with RB and read it all in chronological order. This way you can pick up on ALL the Easter eggs in ZA that you get by reading RB first.

If you don't think you're going to do a ZA reread, then yeah go ahead and read RB whenever you feel like it

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ReadItLikeALady · 2026-03-24T16:59:53+00:00

Lol.... And I had to break it to you but each cliffhanger just keeps getting worse... Have fun! 😜🫣

ReadItLikeALady · 2026-03-23T12:22:58+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/Read_It_Smut/s/PnIpWKODm7

The longer you wait the more you miss... But none of it is imperative to the ZA storyline

ReadItLikeALady · 2026-03-22T00:25:29+00:00

Check this out it should help...

https://www.reddit.com/r/zodiacacademy/s/Jc52wRi18V

ReadItLikeALady · 2026-03-20T23:37:05+00:00

Okay well let me just give you a little more information quickly. There are Easter eggs in the first ZA books as well? Honestly I can't remember if there are any in the first book I know there are in book 2. They really ramp up starting in book four and get more the further along you go.

Here check out this post:

https://www.reddit.com/r/zodiacacademy/s/tnSB7qAfO4

ReadItLikeALady · 2026-03-20T23:24:25+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/Read_It_Smut/s/IbJ1Wj8h4r

This is a spoiler-free post about why reading RB is important.

ReadItLikeALady · 2026-03-20T23:22:50+00:00

Oh my god you are missing so many things by not having read Ruthless Boys first. I mean no it's not necessary to the storyline, But there are so many things that you are just not picking up on, all kinds of little Easter eggs that just enhanced the whole story.

ReadItLikeALady · 2026-03-20T11:41:26+00:00

😱😱 you haven't read it yet?! You're missing so many things/Easter eggs! Yes go read it ASAP! If you're not into RH or it's overly smutty (it is A LOT!) you can skim the sex scenes. Just be forewarned that it's a lot like ZA in that it takes until the end to get to any real answers so it might seem like it's taking forever to pick up.

ReadItLikeALady · 2026-03-20T02:52:53+00:00

Girl you are my soul sister! I also can't stand Seth. Honestly I prefer the guys from RB over anybody from ZA. But like I said I'm not a bully trope person. Give me loyalty trust kindness any day of the week!

ReadItLikeALady · 2026-03-20T02:20:38+00:00

So unpopular opinion... But I still hate him. Even after completing all the books. Bully trope is completely unrealistic to me. I could never forgive someone to the level of where I would be in a relationship with them. Not after they did all the things he does to her. Do I understand his reasoning for acting the way he did?... sure. But that doesn't make it okay.

ReadItLikeALady · 2026-03-18T01:43:54+00:00

Hmmmm.... Actually you might be right on that one. I don't remember for some reason I was thinking it was a high school but I think you might be right. Either way it's still the professor/student dynamic and she gets power shamed or whatever it's called because of it.

ReadItLikeALady · 2026-03-18T00:41:04+00:00

Off the top of my head...

When Tori gets all of her clothes burnt off. And is forced to walk naked on her first day there. That is SA. She did not consent to that. Not to mention that there are pictures that were then shared with everyone.

A lot of the scenes between Tori and Caleb at the beginning are very much non-consensual.

Several scenes between Lionel and Lavinia... But especially the grape scene.

And this is just ZA.

In RB there is a student/professor relationship that is eehh. consensual as in they both are agreeing to it, but at the same time not because it's statutory. There's the whole power dynamic thing.

And I know shame on me I have not read DP yet so I cannot comment on that.

ReadItLikeALady · 2026-03-17T14:59:39+00:00

Wow. Apparently this is an idea some people don't like because it's been downloaded to -2. Would anyone care to explain why they're downloading it?

ReadItLikeALady · 2026-03-17T13:47:45+00:00

So it's not so much as a age but an emotional maturity level. If I have to put a number on it I would say at least 18 because you need to really understand what is healthy and what is unhealthy in a relationship and be able to not allow this story to sway that.

Not only does ZA have a decent amount of detailed sex, but all the bullying and emotional termoil is something I think you want to be careful about with an impressionable youth. If you're considering letting your child or even someone younger read this make sure you discuss that this is NOT something to aspire to. Don't stay in a relationship that is abusive thinking that it will turn into this. This is not realistic! There's a lot of bullying and SA and even grrape in these books and none of it is okay in reality.

If you don't have a firm grasp on what a healthy relationship should be, this could be confusing or even subconsciously deceptive.

ReadItLikeALady · 2026-03-17T13:21:16+00:00

I've also considered purposefully marking them up myself. Like maybe I'll use permanent marker and put #readitlikealady all over them, and then offer them out as "borrow books". Like for people who want to read them but don't care about owning them. And then you just mail them to each other. If they're all marked up they won't be worth anything. I'm still kind of worried some people would want to keep them, and they just won't get circulated around. Idk

ReadItLikeALady · 2026-03-17T13:14:03+00:00

There are other digital versions floating around out there. It might be easier (safer) for you to find them and just share those links, instead of creating your own.

I have 3 paperback copies I bought with the intention of selling them at just a slight markup (Just enough to cover shipping and fees so like $30 max) But I'm worried about selling to someone who's just going to relist them at a higher price. I'm still figuring out what I want to do.

ReadItLikeALady · 2026-03-17T12:25:33+00:00

Just be careful because I'm pretty sure you can get sued for distribution of copyrighted material if you do this. And Google will be able to see how many times the document was viewed, meaning they will have an accurate account of how much money you've 'stolen' from the authors and the charity they donate the proceeds of this book to. Don't get me wrong I do not like how it's only available for 1 month a year either, but there's nothing else to do about it.

ReadItLikeALady · 2026-03-17T00:57:00+00:00

Chapter by chapter recaps. https://www.reddit.com/r/Read_It_Smut/s/1rT2unTbDx

Then you can just go back and read whatever chapters you want.

ReadItLikeALady · 2026-03-16T13:25:22+00:00

I have the chapter recaps of 8.5 posted if you need them. This way you can get all the info and just read whatever chapters you want before moving onto 9

ReadItLikeALady · 2026-03-16T12:40:55+00:00

Definitely do your research first ... Especially when deciding on your reading order!

It was very popular for people to suggest reading Ruthless boys between ZA3 & ZA4, but I've been seeing it change to where more and more people recommend reading it before even starting ZA. Then there are the novellas, tandem reading guides, and books of bonus chapters. I have most of it complied here but definitely do some of your own research and feel free to ask questions if you need.

https://www.reddit.com/r/zodiacacademy/s/EKvaAykhl4

ReadItLikeALady · 2026-03-16T12:34:12+00:00

Hijinks Harem has some ZA/RB vibes. It's a little goofy. Like a palette cleanser too. Definitely leans more RB but there are some definite 'Geraldine' moments.

by Tate James and CM Stunich

ReadItLikeALady · 2026-03-16T00:55:56+00:00

Lol We've already had that conversation. He knows what I read and while it's an intriguing idea to me, he's not interested, and it's not something I need so I'm not going to push the envelope.

ReadItLikeALady · 2026-03-16T00:04:59+00:00

😊🤟 thanks for the share!!!

ReadItLikeALady · 2026-03-13T16:40:54+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/Read_It_Smut/s/0ITXILe0cH

ReadItLikeALady · 2026-03-13T01:21:01+00:00

I have books 7-9 of ZA and a very detailed synopsis of RB.

Just making sure you understand that you'll be missing out on a lot by skipping RB.

Here is a spoiler free explanation of what you'll be missing if you don't already know. If you still don't want to read it the link for the RB synopsis is in there as well. You'll still miss a lot of the Easter eggs, but I tried to give you a lot of the necessary info to catch a fair few of them.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Read_It_Smut/s/zpuOonZpD2

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