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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A proper, full and fleshed out story.
Not rushed, but it didn't drag.
Isaac and Julien are couple goals.
Not rushed, but it didn't drag.
Isaac and Julien are couple goals.
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Normally I love Anna Zabo books, and there are a few LA Witt books that I also enjoy, and I'm a huge hockey fan, so I was pretty stoked to read this book.
And parts were great! Isaac and Julien were great and well-fleshed out characters, I loved all the assorted secondary characters, but as many other reviews have mentioned, this story is far too long! The first 60% could have been half of what is actually written; it really drags. The story really only takes off from around 65% onwards, and I did skip a few of the earlier chapters.
This could have really done with a ruthless editor to help trim out the unnecessary details in the first half of the book.
Will I still read the second one in this series? Yes. I will.
And parts were great! Isaac and Julien were great and well-fleshed out characters, I loved all the assorted secondary characters, but as many other reviews have mentioned, this story is far too long! The first 60% could have been half of what is actually written; it really drags. The story really only takes off from around 65% onwards, and I did skip a few of the earlier chapters.
This could have really done with a ruthless editor to help trim out the unnecessary details in the first half of the book.
Will I still read the second one in this series? Yes. I will.
Since I love M/M hockey romance and I always enjoy Anna Zabo's books I had a feeling ROOKIE MISTAKE was going to be a good read for me and I was not disappointed! This was such a beautiful, heartfelt, and emotional read and it even earned the rare distinction of making me cry. Isaac Rivera is in his rookie season and playing on the same team as his childhood idol and crush but he never expected veteran Julien Landry to notice him, let alone be attracted to him too. There was so much to love in ROOKIE MISTAKE and there were quite a few things that pleasantly surprised me with the direction Zabo and Witt took the story. It was also a pretty long romance (over 500 pages!) but I loved that we got to see so much of Julien and Isaac's relationship.
When Julien and Isaac first have sex I figured this would be like most other M/M hockey romances where they continue to casually hook up because they simply can't help themselves but I loved loved loved that they actually wanted to date each other and form a relationship. Both of these guys have the absolute biggest hearts, but they're also both inexperienced with relationships. I appreciated that we saw how strong their connection was just as teammates first because it helped set the stage for why they worked so well together sexually, especially with Julien asking the younger and less experienced Isaac to take the lead in the bedroom. As the story progressed I swooned every time Isaac got more confident in his dominant side as he learned to read Julien's needs in every part of the relationship. As sweet and adorable as these two were together they were also incredibly sexy and there was a great balance of steamy moments to hockey moments to sweet relationship moments.
I related strongly to Isaac's nerves and anxiety and his worries about living up to other people's expectations and those moments really resonated with me. And the way Isaac cared for and supported Julien through all the highs and lows was just so beautiful. Julien had such a tragic backstory that was slowly revealed throughout the book and my heart just absolutely twisted for what he went through. He's become stronger and more confident but he can't quite shake off the abuse that he went through and I was so happy in the end to see him not only getting professional help but also getting the closure that finally allowed him to move on.
I won't lie, when I got to the 50% mark and everything was going so perfectly -- they were dating, the team knew about them, they did the holidays together, and met each other's families -- I started to worry we were going to get some really angsty third act breakup. But thankfully Zabo and Witt took things in a different direction. While there is a dark moment for Julien, I loved the way these guys worked through things and supported each other through the painful moments. And I also appreciated that after that dark moment we had plenty more of the story so we could see Julien and Isaac find their center again and get back to a better place in their relationship.
And of course I can't finish this review without mentioning how much I adored the friendships that we saw in ROOKIE MISTAKE as well as how supportive a team these guys had. Nikki and Elias were such great friends and teammates, not only in the way they've been there for Julien all these years but also the way they took Isaac under their wing. I liked that Isaac formed his own friendships with Nikki and Elias outside of the connection to Julien and that he found his own place on the team. I can't wait to see where this series will go.
Content Warning: past sexual assault and mental/verbal abuse which is still affecting Julien
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Favorite Quotes:
Oh God. That smile. A little asymmetrical. A lot sexy. Full of all the reassurance I hadn’t believed I’d deserved until it had come from the beautiful lips of the hottest player ever to touch the ice.
- - - - -
“You really love this, don’t you? Being on your knees for me. Obeying me.” Heat there, but also wonder.
“If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be here.” I paused. “Anything, Isaac. Anything you want from me.”
“Pourquoi?”
I had to chuckle at his pronunciation. “Because I trust you. You’re not going to hurt me.” I gave a small shrug. “Well, not in ways I don’t like, anyway.”
When Julien and Isaac first have sex I figured this would be like most other M/M hockey romances where they continue to casually hook up because they simply can't help themselves but I loved loved loved that they actually wanted to date each other and form a relationship. Both of these guys have the absolute biggest hearts, but they're also both inexperienced with relationships. I appreciated that we saw how strong their connection was just as teammates first because it helped set the stage for why they worked so well together sexually, especially with Julien asking the younger and less experienced Isaac to take the lead in the bedroom. As the story progressed I swooned every time Isaac got more confident in his dominant side as he learned to read Julien's needs in every part of the relationship. As sweet and adorable as these two were together they were also incredibly sexy and there was a great balance of steamy moments to hockey moments to sweet relationship moments.
I related strongly to Isaac's nerves and anxiety and his worries about living up to other people's expectations and those moments really resonated with me. And the way Isaac cared for and supported Julien through all the highs and lows was just so beautiful. Julien had such a tragic backstory that was slowly revealed throughout the book and my heart just absolutely twisted for what he went through. He's become stronger and more confident but he can't quite shake off the abuse that he went through and I was so happy in the end to see him not only getting professional help but also getting the closure that finally allowed him to move on.
I won't lie, when I got to the 50% mark and everything was going so perfectly -- they were dating, the team knew about them, they did the holidays together, and met each other's families -- I started to worry we were going to get some really angsty third act breakup. But thankfully Zabo and Witt took things in a different direction. While there is a dark moment for Julien, I loved the way these guys worked through things and supported each other through the painful moments. And I also appreciated that after that dark moment we had plenty more of the story so we could see Julien and Isaac find their center again and get back to a better place in their relationship.
And of course I can't finish this review without mentioning how much I adored the friendships that we saw in ROOKIE MISTAKE as well as how supportive a team these guys had. Nikki and Elias were such great friends and teammates, not only in the way they've been there for Julien all these years but also the way they took Isaac under their wing. I liked that Isaac formed his own friendships with Nikki and Elias outside of the connection to Julien and that he found his own place on the team. I can't wait to see where this series will go.
Content Warning: past sexual assault and mental/verbal abuse which is still affecting Julien
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Favorite Quotes:
Oh God. That smile. A little asymmetrical. A lot sexy. Full of all the reassurance I hadn’t believed I’d deserved until it had come from the beautiful lips of the hottest player ever to touch the ice.
- - - - -
“You really love this, don’t you? Being on your knees for me. Obeying me.” Heat there, but also wonder.
“If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be here.” I paused. “Anything, Isaac. Anything you want from me.”
“Pourquoi?”
I had to chuckle at his pronunciation. “Because I trust you. You’re not going to hurt me.” I gave a small shrug. “Well, not in ways I don’t like, anyway.”
challenging
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
The way this book handles some extremely heavy topics with grace is perfection. Julian’s healing journey is extremely well done and beautiful. At the same time his relationship with Isaac is so loving and strong. The love these two have for one another is truly amazing. They complement each other in the best of ways. This book has a lot of sadness but it also has even more joy. Just a truly beautiful novel!
DNF @ 25%
Not for me. I thought the relationship between the two MC's was going to be one thing, but the first sex scene gave us something else altogether. And, even this early on, it seems like veteran player Julien was once done dirty by an older player to the extent that his play was affected and he has tattoos to remind him that he'll never be in that situation again, and within the first 20% of the book, he decides to get involved with a young rookie himself? Like, just jumps right in with no hesitations - or none that the reader is made aware of anyway. I dunno. That just felt odd to me. Anyway, this doesn't seem like it's the book for me.
Not for me. I thought the relationship between the two MC's was going to be one thing, but the first sex scene gave us something else altogether. And, even this early on, it seems like veteran player Julien was once done dirty by an older player to the extent that his play was affected and he has tattoos to remind him that he'll never be in that situation again, and within the first 20% of the book, he decides to get involved with a young rookie himself? Like, just jumps right in with no hesitations - or none that the reader is made aware of anyway. I dunno. That just felt odd to me. Anyway, this doesn't seem like it's the book for me.