First of all, an important premise: this is NOT a post to generate hate. I really want this to be a friendly discussion. This isn’t about hating anyone. Also, I hope people will actually read everything I wrote and not just some parts, rushing into the comments with counterarguments I’ve already addressed here. I’d rather this be a way to share perspectives.
Another point to keep in mind—because I know people will immediately start with long speeches in the comments: yes, I am aware of Libby’s situation, I perfectly understand where her mindset comes from, and I think her character is a perfect representation of how many people react after abuse and toxic relationships.
That said, I’m honestly tired of seeing Libby being mistakenly considered a responsible adult figure. Most of the posts I see, or the people who talk about this character, describe her as the “responsible sister who takes care of Avery.” She is not.
Acknowledging all the issues she has, Libby has never truly taken care of Avery—at least not in a responsible way. She was certainly generous for welcoming her into her home, it's an amazing thing and that’s almost her only role in the plot. But she has never managed to be the adult figure who could actually take care of her.
I’ll repeat this, because I know many will comment otherwise: I am aware that Libby was abused by her mother and witnessed the toxic relationship between her parents, repeating similar patterns in her own relationships and showing a tendency to justify anyone, even those who harm her.
This is behavior we can UNDERSTAND, that helps us see why she does certain things and where her mindset comes from—but this behavior CANNOT be used as a JUSTIFICATION for her lack of responsibility toward a minor she had custody of. Or, even worse, for her attitude to be completely ignored. Trauma helps explain a character’s choices, but trauma or abuse can’t be used to excuse them. All emotions are valid, but not all behaviors are.
As long as it only concerned her, I’d get it. But here, it’s not about Libby—it’s about Avery. And let’s remember: at the beginning of the series, Libby is 24, not 16. This post is not about blaming her for everything , her character is realistic for that, but to talk about the fact that she is considered a responsible parent figure for her, when she is not.
She had Avery live with her toxic, violent boyfriend. It may seem small, but she exposed a minor she was supposed to protect to an unstable man whose reactions she couldn’t predict.
When Avery asked her to choose between him and her, Libby let Avery sleep in her car.
Once Avery inherited everything, Libby caused numerous problems. Drake, Ricky, and Libby’s mother all tried to get close to the inheritance by any means; Avery responsibly cut some people off, while Libby didn’t. As Alisa and Avery argue, Libby would let anyone get close to the inheritance—which they absolutely couldn’t afford. When she was asked to stay in the house because of that(partly for this reason and partly because her black eye was bad press), Libby didn’t take it well.
But what really put Avery in danger was Libby’s attitude toward threats:
Drake tried to use Libby to get closer to Avery and the inheritance. He texted her, even came to the gates. Alisa filed a restraining order against Drake to keep him away, but he violated it and tried to kill Avery. When Avery asked Libby why she hadn’t reported the violation, Libby attacked, “I never asked for a restraining order!” Then, when Avery asked why she hadn’t changed her number (as Avery had), Libby said she didn’t want to because she still had her contacts there—overall their dad’s number. Avery (the 17-year-old minor who should have been told this by her guardian) had to warn her that Ricky was dangerous and only after money. But Libby denied it, saying Ricky was just “worried about them.”
Even when Ricky tried to get custody of Avery to get the money, Libby kept justifying him, telling Avery to understand. Obviously, this didn’t just irritate Avery, it alarmed her.
Alisa, seeing this, decided to remove Libby’s custody and declare Avery an emancipated minor. Avery herself agreed. The 17-year-old girl agreed—because she rightly felt she wasn’t feeling protected.
Libby reacted immaturely about the custody thing: yelling at Nash, being mad at Alisa, and especially blaming Avery. She accused Avery of thinking she was stupid, incapable, Libby accused Avery of believing she was smarter just because she was going to college while Libby hadn’t. She told her that now she could do whatever she wanted since “neither I nor Dad can tell you what to do” (as if Ricky was a real option). The adult figure here (again, a 24-year-old woman) lashed out at a teenager for her own lack of responsibility—making Avery feel guilty for prioritizing her own safety.
This is wrong, but nobody talks about it.
Libby didn’t protect Avery until her own position felt threatened.
Later, Libby decided to dye her hair brown (from blue) to look more serious in front of Ricky and Skye. But that was more just an aesthetic change. When Avery and Max begged Oren and Alisa to let them go to Colorado, BOTH said no. It was objectively dangerous: Avery had already received death threats, the risks were real, and staying longer could cost her the inheritance. Going to Colorado was unsafe in every sense.
But Libby used this as a chance to assert her guardianship over Avery and to fulfill her sister’s wishes. She told Alisa that she and her “stupid team of lawyers” would send Avery if Avery wanted it. Alisa, legally cornered, had to give in. But again—sending Avery there was NOT a responsible choice. Both Oren and Alisa had said no because of real, concrete threats. Libby’s choice was more about proving she still had power over Avery’s life—and taking revenge against Alisa (considering that also Oren said no, but Libby was only against Alisa, holding grudge because she took away the custody) —than about Avery’s safety.
A responsible adult doesn’t just indulge you—they protect you, even if it means saying no. No parent would have sent their child there.
Trusting Ricky wasn’t responsible.
Letting others approach Avery and her inheritance wasn’t responsible.
And in general, it’s Avery—not Libby—who acts protectively. Avery constantly warns and shields Libby.
Even in the new world Avery was thrown into, she tried to adapt with rational decisions. Meanwhile, Libby’s behaviour towards Avery sometimes showed she made things about herself rather than about her sister. And it's not about the fact that she wasn't mentally stable for taking care of her, it's also about how not accepting it, getting mad when people including Avery act on it.
This doesn’t mean Libby and Avery don’t love each other deeply—they absolutely do.
But I don’t think it’s fair to call Libby the responsible sister who takes care of Avery. There’s a huge difference between “care” and “take care.” Libby cares for Avery deeply, but she doesn’t take care of her.
Care = about feelings, affection, concern. Take care = about concrete actions to protect/help/manage. “I care for you” = I want your well-being. “I take care of you” = I actively look after you, protect you, or handle your needs.
Libby should have taken care of Avery, but she just cared.
And no, she’s not Avery’s emotional anchor. That role belongs to Max, not Libby. Max is the one Avery confides in, vents to, and receives advice from. Every time Avery needs emotional support, it’s Max she thinks of. Libby spends time with her and loves her, but she’s not her emotional anchor. Avery herself repeatedly says—and shows—that without Max, she has nobody to talk to. In the first book, she constantly calls Max, and when Max doesn’t answer, Avery feels lost and says she has nobody to talk with. This continues in the second book until Alisa sends Max a new phone to reconnect them. Alisa admits it wasn’t her best move but that she knew Avery needed emotional support. If Libby had been that anchor, Avery wouldn’t have needed Max in that way.
And I find it really forced when people say Libby takes care of Avery the way Nash takes care of his brothers. No—they’re not even close. Avery takes care of Libby the way Nash takes care of the others. Libby can be sweet, generous, naive, genuinely good, even caring—but not adult, mature, and responsible.
I think most people want to see Libby that way because maybe they’re older sisters who want to feel represented—but that’s not really accurate. You don’t need to see only what you want to see.
Moving on, another point I want to bring up: the way people expect everyone to be Nash and Libby shippers. I saw so many people attacking others for saying they don't ship them. Guys, ships—as with love for characters—are subjective opinions. We’re all different people with different tastes, and that’s okay.
Some people like them because they’re cute, simple, comforting.
Others (like me) don’t, because I prefer complex, deeper relationships. Personally, I don’t like instant love; I prefer relationships that bring mutual growth. Nash and Libby give each other peace but stop each other from developing.
Nash has a “savior complex,” unresolved past issues, and is stuck in his role as the older brother who takes care of everyone. Libby fuels this by giving him what he wants (someone to save) but not what he needs (growth). She gives him peace, not depth.
I also think calling them “soulmates” just because they’re endgame is overused. Soulmates are two people who fit and complete each other, helping each other grow (Jameson and Avery are a perfect example). Nash and Libby are more like two people who give each other what they want (someone to save, someone to be saved), not two people who elevate each other. Nash fell for Libby immediately because she needed help, and some people find that romantic—I personally find it shallow. Plus, I personally don’t love that they got together, married, and had kids all within a year and a half.
That said, everyone likes different things—and that’s valid. Some love them, others don’t, and no one should be attacked for their opinion.
Now, about Alisa: I’m tired of seeing all the hate toward her for being “mean” to Libby in, what? Three or four scenes across the whole saga? People need to see the difference between being rude and being mean. Mean = genuinely wanting harm for someone. Rude = being blunt or unfriendly because you don’t have a soft spot for them.
Alisa doesn’t have a soft spot for Libby , because of Nash of course but also considering Libby gave her plenty of issues to deal with, as I’ve mentioned. Libby herself says Alisa sees her as a responsibility. And I think the amount of hate Alisa gets for comments that aren’t even THAT harsh is overblown.
These are the comments I saw people complaining about:
-She once made one comment about a gothic t-shirt Libby suggested for Avery, as if Alisa could let Avery wear it.
People says she constantly mocked Libby’s style, but she DOESN'T. In fact, she told Avery, “As you rightly said, Libby can wear whatever she wants.” She did adjust Avery and Libby’s style because they are public figures—but that was her job as a PR, not out of spite. And even like that she kept Libby gothic style, she just made it look more country Club.
-The “Nash leaves everything he loves” line was about Nash, not Libby. Libby took it personally, but it wasn’t referred to her. Nash himself later admitted Alisa wasn't wrong since how he treated her.
-When Alisa found out Libby and Nash went to Carthage to find Toby, her “They sent Libby!?” reaction was valid. Everyone knew about Toby except the person whose actual job was to fix their problems. Libby had already shown poor judgment in the past, so of course Alisa felt blindsided.
-When she told Libby “don’t get noticed,” she literally meant “don’t draw attention to yourself.”
Alisa is firm with everyone. She doesn’t coddle anyone. She works 24/7 to keep everything under control, and like it or not, Libby does cause problems.
I also just saw people saying Alisa looked up at Libby for not going to college, but when? There is no scene for that.
And people praising Libby for asking “What can we do to save her?” when Alisa was kidnapped (and might’ve been killed) really made me laugh. Of course she asked that—if she hadn’t, it would’ve been absurd. Everybody were worried, Nash was in full panic, she was in a real danger, Avery said she was willing raze the place to the ground to bring Alisa home.
Also when Drake hit Libby, Alisa was the first one to worry, furious, and filed the restraining order. But somehow, no one praises that—because, well, “who wouldn’t be upset if someone got beaten?”
These comments Alisa makes are blunt but they’re not mean.
Hating her whole character for just a few lines is childish. She is not just Nash ex and not the random girl that leaves some comments to the sweet Libby, she is so much more than that, she keeps this empire up. And I don't really like how people point so easily the finger to her for every little thing she does. And I hate how they have a thought of Libby that doesn't really match the reality sometimes.
I think that most of the fandom tends to empathize a lot with some characters and not at all with others, when every single character in this book is not black or white, has different shades and seeing only the good or only the worse in some of them it's not that right. No one is a Saint, no one is always right. Every character has their flaws.
This isn’t to insult Libby’s character—it’s just to debunk certain myths, share my perspective, and maybe get people to think about certain circumstances. I hope no one got offended.
I know I will most probably be hated for this but @leenloveslotsofthings suggested me to share my opinions and I tried to make it.
