Reviews with content warning for Suicidal thoughts - Pucking Around

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Pucking Around by Emily Rath

3 reviews

bricorchado's review against another edition

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slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

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allingoodtime's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

For most avid Romance readers, this would be considered a long book. I had initially thought I wouldn’t read this one even though it kept popping up from trusted sources. I finally gave in to give it a go. I’m glad I read this one, but there was bad along with the good.

The novella, That One Night, is a precursor to this story. In the version I read it was included and I think it’s needed to help you understand Rachel. Otherwise, I think she may take some getting to know before you can sympathize with her. With the connection Rachel and Jake have in the novella (basically a long prologue for this main book), I wasn’t sure if I’d like that this was a polyamory story. Once Caleb came into the picture I was fully on board with him being added to the dynamic. It took me longer to feel as though Mars was truly part of the polycule, yet I feel that has more to do with his personality and the difference in his relationship with Rachel. By the end, I think he may have been my favorite.

This story made me laugh quite a bit, and it often gave me that warm-fuzzy feeling I’m always chasing in my reading. It didn’t have a great flow, though. The beginning, after the prologue, was a bit slow. There was a lot to set up, which brings me back to the length of this story. I cannot think of what would be cut to change the length. The relationships Rachel builds with Jake, Caleb, and Mars are truly three separate relationships to start. Although Jake and Caleb are best friends, she has a growing friendship with them each individually before the three of them give in to their pull. Mars is a whole other thread and things need to be established for it all to work in the end. I consumed this book via audio and I honestly cannot say if I’d have had the tenacity to get through the beginning if I had been reading it another way. I’m glad I was able to stick with it as I really did enjoy the story.

One of the things I loved was the building relationship between Jake and Caleb. Jake seemed a bit more clownish overall than he did when he first met Rachel, but his struggle to realize what he was feeling and how that could play out with his career was interesting and touching. Caleb has been through some trauma and his surliness hid a heart of gold that Jake and Rachel could always see, even when he put his walls up. Rachel was an instigator to try to get them to have a real talk with each other, yet she never got too intrusive. She knew they had to come to their own conclusions and discover their love on their own.

Rachel is a hard character to explain. I never hated her, but sometimes I didn’t like her much. I also loved her sometimes. She could be annoying and she could be very perceptive. I guess that means she’s like a real person, but there were times I thought all three guys were way too good for her. To be fair, every single one of these characters had hang-ups that could be frustrating.

As I said, in the end, I enjoyed the journey this story took. The way the HEA happens wasn’t what I expected and I loved it. When all was said and done, I was thinking about this book (in a good way) long after it was over. I’ll be looking for more from this author for sure.

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tab_reads's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I received an ARC and here's my honest review.

5⭐️ 4🌶️
MOOD: lighthearted, funny, emotional
TROPES: instalove, instalust, friends to lovers, lite dom/sub play
FAV QUOTE: I groan. Just slather me with butter and jam because I am so f*cking toast.

I really enjoyed Whiskey & Sin so I figured I'd probably like this MMFM/poly story.
THE GOOD: I could not put this down. I did not read the prequel novella That One Night and was fine navigating the story and characters. There is a lot of character depth and growth and the overall story is interesting. Also, lots of spice.
THE NEUTRAL: It's over 700 pages. Not my length of choice. On the plus side, the story moves along nicely and it doesn't feel that long.
THE MEH: I was sad when I finished cause there wasn't more.

CW: From the author: mentions of addiction, substance abuse, bullying/homophobia, harassment, suicide, and eating disorders. Detailed sex scenes with multiple people including elements of impact play, choking, voyeurism, bondage, double penetration, double vaginal penetration, toy use, degradation, spit play, and breeding kink

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