Reviews with content warning for Gaslighting - Play With Me

Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

Play With Me by Becka Mack

4 reviews

ambercunningham's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

My obsession with this book is unhealthy. I am unhinged for Garrett and Jennie. Jennie is one of the most relatable and fucking funny heroines on planet earth. Garrett is absolutely in my fictional boyfriend hall of fame forever. And the scene where Carter and Ollie’s daughter’s name is revealed? No, uh uh, I can’t handle it. Had me SOBBING. The emotional depth of this book combined with one of the best found family executions I’ve ever read make this an ultimate fav for me. And the spice? Fan-fucking-tastic.

Content Warnings

amanda_reads13's review against another edition

Go to review page

lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.5

Garrett is one of Carter's best friends and teammates. Everyone knows the rule: Carter's sister is off limits. Carter surprises his sister Jennie with a condo which happens to be 4 floors down from Garrett's. After an awkward interaction (iykyk), they agree to a committed friends with benefits situation. After spending time together they both realize that this is so much more.

GARRETT. OMG Garrett. He is a cinnamon roll. He is so patient, supportive, encouraging, understanding, and sweet. At first he is so intimidated by Jennie that he could barely form a coherent sentence, but once he became more comfortable around her.... Wow did he ever gain his confidence. He leaves space for Jennie to be herself and never holds her back. He becomes her support system, her shoulder to cry on, her number 1 fan. He listens to what she needs and never pushes her beyond her comfort level. Plus he isn't intimated by her box of "toys". We all deserve a Garrett.

Jennie has been through so much. She has lost her father and

her highschool boyfriend betrayed her in a completly unimaginable way. Frankly, he should have been arrested. Plus her dance partner is a total creep.

Her trauma as lead to severe trust issues to the point where she hasn't been intimate with anyone since her highschool boyfriend. She is, understandably, closed off and scared of being hurt. She has always felt like the second Beckett, in the shadow of her brother and that all her friends only were her friends because of him. She suffered from a lack of confidence and withdrew from people. Garrett helped her learn to trust again and let people in. Eventually she realized that being in a relationship with Garrett added to her life, she could still be herself and find love.

The development of this relationship is so cute and fun. Their friendship slowly progressed as they learn to open up to one another and trust each other. They gradually develop feelings for each other, as Jennie said they didn't really "fall" in love.

Again the supporting characters are so much fun! I LOVE Hank and liked that we got Ollie and Carter throughout the book. Unfortunately, Carter continued to be a controlling man-child.

Also NO 3rd act breakup! Win!

I felt the book, like the last in this series, was a bit too long and repetitive. Also the who Toronto storyline was kinda pointless, she was never going to leave, that could have been taken out.

Tropes: hockey romance, secret relationship, "friends"with benefits to friends to lovers, found family, brothers best friend

Content Warnings

amre23's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted tense medium-paced

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

4.25

Content Warnings

heathrinwonderland's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful medium-paced

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

5.0

He's the Vancouver Vipers star right winger, she's the captain's little sister and completely off-limits. But that's kind of hard when your Captain and best friend buys her a condo in your building and asks you to keep an eye on her. After being physically assaulted by Jennie’s expansive adult toy collection, he wants to show her that a real man can really make her vibrate. The relationship starts out very closed off, as Jennie has been through some trauma that she hasn't quite worked through. She doesn't trust, doesn't open herself up to anyone. She slowly begins opening up to Garrett. He makes her feel safe and helps her believe that she is more than just Carter Beckett's little sister.

I loved Consider Me, playing for keeps book one, so I wasted no time digging into Play With Me, book two in the series. Both books carry the same themes, etc are incredibly insecure and closed off to the men. They both have severe trust issues, both not thinking they're good enough. Insert big sexy Hockey player who has a hard exterior and a soft heart to show them that they are so much more than they give themselves credit for.

This book features the same characters and l love now they continue to develop as the storylines draw out. We get a glimpse into everyone's life while still focusing on the main characters' storyline. I love Garrett but have a complicated opinion of Jenny. She comes off as a huge bitch all the time. It's one thing to be strong and independent, it's another to be hatefully mean. She was very whiny and almost always through a temper tantrum over simple misunderstandings.

My overall rating is 5/5 stars. I instantly fell in love with Garrett, he's patient, flirty, and goofy. I loved getting to meet his family and learn about his history. Jennie's story was really slow to come out, but once it did, it was nice to understand why she was so guarded. The secrecy thy had to keep kept me engaged. Would they get caught? When would they get caught? Who would be the one to catch them? How would Carter react?

I give this a spice rating of 4/5, they were intense and the secrecy made them even better. The giant box of toys were put to good use.

Content Warnings

More...