Zig abo universe and the Miller Family
After reading more of the ZIG ABO universe novels, especially Desire Me If You Can, I started seeing some characters and family dynamics differently, and I was wondering if other readers felt the same.
I want to clarify first that this is NOT hate toward Chase or Josh. I genuinely loved them while reading Kiss Me If You Can, and I still understand their pain and perspective. But after reading the other novels and getting more context about the Miller family, I found myself questioning a few things.
One thing that stood out to me was how differently the brothers experienced trauma and affection.
Chase often talks and behaves as if he was the least loved or the one who suffered the most, but when I looked at the overall family dynamic, he actually seemed to be the most openly cared for. Ashley was visibly protective of him, emotionally softer toward him, and even punished Grayson whenever Chase got hurt.
Meanwhile, the other brothers were exposed to pheromones and environments from a very young age that clearly affected them psychologically and emotionally. Some of them were left with lasting damage because of it, while Chase was comparatively the “normal” one among them. That contrast made me think a lot while reading the later stories.
What also surprised me was that despite the other brothers often appearing colder or emotionally detached, I still found them caring in their own twisted ways. Their actions toward each other sometimes showed concern beneath all the dysfunction and trauma. But with Chase, even though he was the most emotional among them, I personally struggled to see the same level of empathy or understanding toward his brothers, especially toward Grayson.
Grayson absolutely made mistakes, and I’m not trying to justify all of his actions. But after reading his story, he stopped feeling like a “villain” to me and started feeling more like someone who was emotionally damaged, lonely, and constantly treated as the problematic child of the family. What made it even sadder was that despite everything, he still saved Chase multiple times and continued caring in his own way.
I think what surprised me most was that I rarely saw Chase extend the same level of understanding or sympathy toward his brothers that he himself received from others. And when Josh reacted negatively to people getting close to Grayson, it made me wonder whether Grayson was ever truly seen as a person beyond his mistakes.
Again, this is not meant to attack Chase/Josh or invalidate their suffering. I think one of ZIG’s strengths is that every character feels emotionally biased by their own pain, which makes the family dynamics feel realistic and tragic at the same time.
Maybe I’m interpreting things differently after reading the later novels, but I genuinely started reevaluating the Miller family dynamics after Grayson’s story. I was wondering if anyone else felt the same way.