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anka_trini's review
5.0
Weniger heiße Szenen als im letzten Band der Reihe, allerdings haben mir dir Figuren hier ein kleines bisschen besser gefallen. Nell und Mateo passen so perfekt zusammen, dass mir bei jeder ihrer gemeinsamen Szenen das Herz aufging. Egal, wie kitschig das jetzt klingt.
Mich hat auch der Perspektivwechsel von Mateo und Nell nach jedem Kapitel in keinster Weise gestört. Ganz im Gegenteil, fand ich das in diesem Buch sogar sehr gut.
Am Ende bleiben nur noch zwei Fragen:
Erstens: Wann mache ich endlich mal einen heißen Sportler klar?
Und zweitens: Wieso muss ich so verdammt lange warten, bis der nächste Band erscheint?
Mich hat auch der Perspektivwechsel von Mateo und Nell nach jedem Kapitel in keinster Weise gestört. Ganz im Gegenteil, fand ich das in diesem Buch sogar sehr gut.
Am Ende bleiben nur noch zwei Fragen:
Erstens: Wann mache ich endlich mal einen heißen Sportler klar?
Und zweitens: Wieso muss ich so verdammt lange warten, bis der nächste Band erscheint?
jenniferstrand's review against another edition
4.0
Original review posted at www.fictitiousdelicious.com on 05/08/15:
Guys. I was so worried when I picked this up and realized the synopsis was about Nell completing a college bucket list. I JUST finished another new adult book with this premise and was scared that they'd be so similar that I wouldn't feel this one. Now that I've finished this one: HAHAHAHAHAHA! Turns out that while the two stories shared the bucket list story line, they were very different in their execution. I freaking loved this installment of the Rusk University series!
Let's just talk about Mateo Torres right away. I saw a good dose of myself in him! Torres is the wise-cracking, crude, yet pretty damn sweet one in the group. Anyone who has ever had a conversation with me can attest to those similarities in our personality. I liked him right away. Plus, he's...you know. HOTT.
Nell is the uptight one who needs a list to help her let go of her structured life and experience things she missed out on because she's unable to stop "moving forward". She's the kind of person I would have benefited from GREATLY knowing in my college years. Since I was able to identify with Mateo, it was quite easy to see why he falls for her. Watching Nell experiment with the, uh, fun side of life makes this book so fun!
This series continues to be one of my favorite New Adult series. It's low angst, meaningful sexy times and full of books that you can devour in one sitting. I'll give you a heads up on this one, the first few chapters felt cheesy to me. There were a bunch of cliches thrown in very quickly and it felt very un-Cora Carmack like. It went away quickly, so don't roll your eyes too much. It rights itself. Promise.
You may have heard by now that Carmack is continuing the series! My FAVORITE girl Stella is getting her own book next and you probably know this girl has one hell of a story to tell. You can learn all about Carmack's plan for this series RIGHT HERE. Beware of spoilers if you haven't read book two of this series.
Guys. I was so worried when I picked this up and realized the synopsis was about Nell completing a college bucket list. I JUST finished another new adult book with this premise and was scared that they'd be so similar that I wouldn't feel this one. Now that I've finished this one: HAHAHAHAHAHA! Turns out that while the two stories shared the bucket list story line, they were very different in their execution. I freaking loved this installment of the Rusk University series!
Let's just talk about Mateo Torres right away. I saw a good dose of myself in him! Torres is the wise-cracking, crude, yet pretty damn sweet one in the group. Anyone who has ever had a conversation with me can attest to those similarities in our personality. I liked him right away. Plus, he's...you know. HOTT.
Nell is the uptight one who needs a list to help her let go of her structured life and experience things she missed out on because she's unable to stop "moving forward". She's the kind of person I would have benefited from GREATLY knowing in my college years. Since I was able to identify with Mateo, it was quite easy to see why he falls for her. Watching Nell experiment with the, uh, fun side of life makes this book so fun!
This series continues to be one of my favorite New Adult series. It's low angst, meaningful sexy times and full of books that you can devour in one sitting. I'll give you a heads up on this one, the first few chapters felt cheesy to me. There were a bunch of cliches thrown in very quickly and it felt very un-Cora Carmack like. It went away quickly, so don't roll your eyes too much. It rights itself. Promise.
You may have heard by now that Carmack is continuing the series! My FAVORITE girl Stella is getting her own book next and you probably know this girl has one hell of a story to tell. You can learn all about Carmack's plan for this series RIGHT HERE. Beware of spoilers if you haven't read book two of this series.
snugglyoranges's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
As soon as I heard that All Played Out would be about the studious Nell and hilarious goofball Torres, I was absolutely desperate for this book. I want more humor and hilarity to accompany my sexy NA - and with Cora Carmack, you know she's bringing the sexy. All Played Out was a fun, romantic read, but one that still left me a tiny bit disappointed.
There's no question that my expectations for this book were rather high. And on a lot of counts, Carmack delivered. Torres is a funny, fun guy, for sure, and him falling for the sweet, studious girl was pretty adorable. However, I didn't like that he also had to have a "traumatic" past. His reasons for falling for Nell were called into question, and I felt like it made the ship kind of rocky. Plus, he was on many counts a stereotypical jock, which I'm growing a bit tired of (I'll get to that later).
It was easy for me to find a connection to Nell, because I was also the studious, reserved one in high school and college. I planned for the future and perhaps didn't spend enough time living in the moment. So when Nell is confronted with this fact and decides to make a bucket list of typical college things to do before she graduates, I could definitely see the reasoning behind that. It led to some hilarious escapades, especially when she teams up with Torres, but I did feel like she fell for him and strayed out of her comfort zone just a bit too easily. See, I connected to Nell as a fellow bookish introvert, and, at least in my case, if I do push myself out of my comfort zone to do unexpected things, I may have fun in the moment, but I am exhausted afterwards. It felt like Nell had no trouble at all - which admittedly helps to keep the tone of the book light and fun - but that made me kind of lose the connection that I had to her. Introverts don't just stop being introverts. The character depth was missing and/or didn't feel very genuine.
As much as I absolutely hate to say it, I feel like I'm gradually falling out of love with Cora Carmack. Losing It and Faking It were so near perfect for me that after that I marked her down as an auto-buy author. But every book since then has been straying away from the tropes and character growth that I like, and more towards the NA clichés that I dislike. She seems to be relying more and more on insta-attraction: when the ship lays eyes on each other, it's pretty much a done deal. And I don't like her guys as much. Maybe it's just the football players here in the Rusk University series, but I find myself rolling my eyes at their toughness, their over-the-top masculinity, and all the "dirty talk" that comes on top of it. Seriously, reading male POVs that are constantly commenting on "tits" and "ass" - and how hard they make them - kind of removes like half the swoon factor. These books would work so much better for me if they just had the girl POVs.
I like sex in NA. I like hot scenes. And Cora Carmack can write some of the best ones out there. But I don't like this more coarse and profane vein of sex that she's now leaning towards. It makes it so much more about the physical chemistry between the main characters, and it cheapens the emotional aspect. And maybe it wouldn't bother me so much either if it weren't the same in every book. I thought this one would at least be somewhat different, with a bookish, studious, more prude main character, but it really wasn't. I may just be disillusioned after the massive disappointment of Inspire. But I want more sweeping, romantic, gradual transitions of ships. I want more Cades and less Silases. And I want the focus to still be on character growth. I feel like that's fading out too.
I still enjoyed this, sure - I don't lie or artificially boost my ratings. The thing is, I claim this is one of my favorite authors, but her books haven't been hitting it out of the park for me for quite some time now. There's fun and romance, and certainly with Nell's studious nature, there are parts that I could relate to. It's a quick read, with adventure, swoon, banter, nicknames, some drama, a great budding friendship between Nell and Stella, and some planning-for-the-future NA woes. But it won't be a favorite for me.
Summing Up:
It's hard to express my feelings on All Played Out, because while there was fun and romance like I expect from Cora Carmack, I also came to the greater realization that her books haven't quite been working for me lately. Maybe I'm just in a meh mood. I will focus on the hilarious escapades, the banter, and the nice swoony parts, and try to pretend that the dirty talking, insta-attraction, and typical drama didn't exist. As far as romance novels go, it's still a fun summer read - it just won't be my favorite.
GIF it to me straight!
Recommended To:
Fans of Cora Carmack. (She is sticking to her formula, after all.)
As soon as I heard that All Played Out would be about the studious Nell and hilarious goofball Torres, I was absolutely desperate for this book. I want more humor and hilarity to accompany my sexy NA - and with Cora Carmack, you know she's bringing the sexy. All Played Out was a fun, romantic read, but one that still left me a tiny bit disappointed.
There's no question that my expectations for this book were rather high. And on a lot of counts, Carmack delivered. Torres is a funny, fun guy, for sure, and him falling for the sweet, studious girl was pretty adorable. However, I didn't like that he also had to have a "traumatic" past. His reasons for falling for Nell were called into question, and I felt like it made the ship kind of rocky. Plus, he was on many counts a stereotypical jock, which I'm growing a bit tired of (I'll get to that later).
It was easy for me to find a connection to Nell, because I was also the studious, reserved one in high school and college. I planned for the future and perhaps didn't spend enough time living in the moment. So when Nell is confronted with this fact and decides to make a bucket list of typical college things to do before she graduates, I could definitely see the reasoning behind that. It led to some hilarious escapades, especially when she teams up with Torres, but I did feel like she fell for him and strayed out of her comfort zone just a bit too easily. See, I connected to Nell as a fellow bookish introvert, and, at least in my case, if I do push myself out of my comfort zone to do unexpected things, I may have fun in the moment, but I am exhausted afterwards. It felt like Nell had no trouble at all - which admittedly helps to keep the tone of the book light and fun - but that made me kind of lose the connection that I had to her. Introverts don't just stop being introverts. The character depth was missing and/or didn't feel very genuine.
As much as I absolutely hate to say it, I feel like I'm gradually falling out of love with Cora Carmack. Losing It and Faking It were so near perfect for me that after that I marked her down as an auto-buy author. But every book since then has been straying away from the tropes and character growth that I like, and more towards the NA clichés that I dislike. She seems to be relying more and more on insta-attraction: when the ship lays eyes on each other, it's pretty much a done deal. And I don't like her guys as much. Maybe it's just the football players here in the Rusk University series, but I find myself rolling my eyes at their toughness, their over-the-top masculinity, and all the "dirty talk" that comes on top of it. Seriously, reading male POVs that are constantly commenting on "tits" and "ass" - and how hard they make them - kind of removes like half the swoon factor. These books would work so much better for me if they just had the girl POVs.
I like sex in NA. I like hot scenes. And Cora Carmack can write some of the best ones out there. But I don't like this more coarse and profane vein of sex that she's now leaning towards. It makes it so much more about the physical chemistry between the main characters, and it cheapens the emotional aspect. And maybe it wouldn't bother me so much either if it weren't the same in every book. I thought this one would at least be somewhat different, with a bookish, studious, more prude main character, but it really wasn't. I may just be disillusioned after the massive disappointment of Inspire. But I want more sweeping, romantic, gradual transitions of ships. I want more Cades and less Silases. And I want the focus to still be on character growth. I feel like that's fading out too.
I still enjoyed this, sure - I don't lie or artificially boost my ratings. The thing is, I claim this is one of my favorite authors, but her books haven't been hitting it out of the park for me for quite some time now. There's fun and romance, and certainly with Nell's studious nature, there are parts that I could relate to. It's a quick read, with adventure, swoon, banter, nicknames, some drama, a great budding friendship between Nell and Stella, and some planning-for-the-future NA woes. But it won't be a favorite for me.
Summing Up:
It's hard to express my feelings on All Played Out, because while there was fun and romance like I expect from Cora Carmack, I also came to the greater realization that her books haven't quite been working for me lately. Maybe I'm just in a meh mood. I will focus on the hilarious escapades, the banter, and the nice swoony parts, and try to pretend that the dirty talking, insta-attraction, and typical drama didn't exist. As far as romance novels go, it's still a fun summer read - it just won't be my favorite.
GIF it to me straight!
Recommended To:
Fans of Cora Carmack. (She is sticking to her formula, after all.)
modunk's review against another edition
2.0
Ugh. So bad. But I'll probably still try the other two in the series. Cause apparently I like to punish myself.
morganameridius's review against another edition
4.0
I think it's so cool and the mark of good writing that Cora Carmack makes me fall in love with characters I wasn't even sure that I liked! But as usual, Matteo Torres had hidden depths and sweetness to him, and I really really liked Nell! I wasn't as sheltered as her or as academic/scientific as her, but I can definitely relate a lot to her experiences and wanting to find herself beyond the classroom. The science stuff was a little grating at first but it grew on me as the characters grew on me. And I super love how much we get to see all the friends in each of these books. I love that she bonded with Stella too. I was hoping to see more of their reaction to them as a couple but maybe that'll be in the next one. I can't wait for more in the series! This cover is def my favorite btw.
bookworm_kathy's review against another edition
5.0
I listened to the audiobook version of this novel and it was by far one of my favorite reading experiences in a long while. The narrator more Matteo Torres has one of the sexiest voices I've heard in a long time. Add his voice and the content of the story and I was a puddle of swoon.
Cora Carmack was a new to me author when I started the Rusk series and I have quickly fallen in love with her writing.
I think All Played Out is my favorite New Adult romance, especially in a college setting, that I've read, maybe ever... the writing is effortless and Ms. Carmack really breathes new life into the genre. I felt a deep connection to the characters and felt myself feeling their pain and their joy as they were while reading... and I was devastated as the story ended. I just loved how Nell and Matteo attacked her To Do List with fervor and the heat and chemistry between them as they did... it was off the charts.
Read this book... you will not be disappointed!
Cora Carmack was a new to me author when I started the Rusk series and I have quickly fallen in love with her writing.
I think All Played Out is my favorite New Adult romance, especially in a college setting, that I've read, maybe ever... the writing is effortless and Ms. Carmack really breathes new life into the genre. I felt a deep connection to the characters and felt myself feeling their pain and their joy as they were while reading... and I was devastated as the story ended. I just loved how Nell and Matteo attacked her To Do List with fervor and the heat and chemistry between them as they did... it was off the charts.
Read this book... you will not be disappointed!
whatsbrittreading's review against another edition
4.0
I’m convinced that Cora Carmack has some type of magic wand and every time she begins writing a new book she waves it while saying: “Here be swoony boys and all the feels.” Because, damn, she gets it right every single time.
I didn’t think it was possible that I could love another Rusk guy as much as Silas but then I read All Played Out and Mateo stole my heart. We meet Mateo in the previous books and I liked him in the other books but OH MY GOD. He had me laughing one moment and the next moment he was melting my heart. And Nell, she’s one heroine who I wouldn’t mind hanging out with in real life. Cora has a unique way of really bringing her characters to life and making them feel real.
Opposites attract in All Played Out. Nell is the nerdy, reserved type of girl. She never goes to college parties and Mateo is the life of the party. He’s just a fun guy to be around. Nell begins to wonder about everything that she has missed out on during college and begins stepping out a little more. She makes a list of all the things that she should do and Mateo finds out about the list. He offers to help her strike off the things on the list. Mateo is determined to give Nell the college experience that she has been missing out on. Mateo and Nell have chemistry and are attracted to each other. The more time they spend together, the more that attraction grows. They were so cute together! SO CUTE! I had a grin plastered on my face every freaking time they were together. The banter was just perfect.
All Played Out was such a fun and fast read. It was low on the angst and drama but still sucked me in and kept my attention until the very end. I didn’t feel like I was missing anything. I love this series and I can’t wait for the next book in the series.
I didn’t think it was possible that I could love another Rusk guy as much as Silas but then I read All Played Out and Mateo stole my heart. We meet Mateo in the previous books and I liked him in the other books but OH MY GOD. He had me laughing one moment and the next moment he was melting my heart. And Nell, she’s one heroine who I wouldn’t mind hanging out with in real life. Cora has a unique way of really bringing her characters to life and making them feel real.
Opposites attract in All Played Out. Nell is the nerdy, reserved type of girl. She never goes to college parties and Mateo is the life of the party. He’s just a fun guy to be around. Nell begins to wonder about everything that she has missed out on during college and begins stepping out a little more. She makes a list of all the things that she should do and Mateo finds out about the list. He offers to help her strike off the things on the list. Mateo is determined to give Nell the college experience that she has been missing out on. Mateo and Nell have chemistry and are attracted to each other. The more time they spend together, the more that attraction grows. They were so cute together! SO CUTE! I had a grin plastered on my face every freaking time they were together. The banter was just perfect.
All Played Out was such a fun and fast read. It was low on the angst and drama but still sucked me in and kept my attention until the very end. I didn’t feel like I was missing anything. I love this series and I can’t wait for the next book in the series.
teleana13's review against another edition
5.0
i love this series, It took me awhile to get but once I got it I could not put this book down. I have to say I think this one is my favorite. I also read this one in time to buy and start the next one wich comes out on may 1st. very excited for that and I cannot wait.