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karleylc's review
funny
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
eesh25's review
4.0
Winging It is about two NHL players (yup, I read another hockey book). Gabe is gay and in the closet. He has no interest in the shit-fest that would come along with becoming the first out NHL player. He's very focused on his game and he's a serious guy. Dante is opposite of serious. He cares just as much about the game and the team, but he's young and likes to have fun. He's also a lot more adept at balancing the various aspects of his life.
Gabe and Dante aren't two people you'd expect to see together, especially since Dante thought he was straight. But they kinda balance each other out. I use "kinda" because Gabe is pretty bad at relationships.
Part of it isn't his fault. He really likes Dante and he's afraid that if he comes off as clingy or too invested in the relationship, Dante would dump him. He doesn't know where he stands with Dante and he's scared to ask. He's also not the most perceptive of people and lets stressful situations get to him. That doesn't excuse him having basically no contribution to the relationship, but it helps understand him.
Dante is great. He comes off as a "party guy" but he's sweet and considerate. He's also pretty open about stuff and honestly, if it weren't for him taking initiative, him and Gabe would have just remained friends for the next three years until Gabe finally snapped or something due to hiding his feelings for so long. It's an interesting dynamic for sure. A classic introvert-extrovert pair.
But their relationship, as important as it is since this is a romance novel, isn't always the main focus. There's a large part of the book in the middle where we get very few real interactions between Gabe and Dante. The focus is the problems their team is facing and Gabe himself is dealing with as a player. And while, on one hand, I like the shift of attention to hockey and the team, on the other hand, I would've liked to see more of the two main characters together. And I especially would have liked more of Dante, whose presence was scarce in that portion because the book is from Gabe's (third-person) perspective.
Overall, this was good book. There was that lull in the middle but otherwise, I really liked it, and it definitely did not help me get rid of the notion that 'all hockey related, M/M books are good'. That's okay though. I can deal with it as long as I keep getting great reads.
I definitely recommend this one. And if you don't know much about hockey, don't worry, there's an introduction and a hockey-slang guide to help.
Gabe and Dante aren't two people you'd expect to see together, especially since Dante thought he was straight. But they kinda balance each other out. I use "kinda" because Gabe is pretty bad at relationships.
Part of it isn't his fault. He really likes Dante and he's afraid that if he comes off as clingy or too invested in the relationship, Dante would dump him. He doesn't know where he stands with Dante and he's scared to ask. He's also not the most perceptive of people and lets stressful situations get to him. That doesn't excuse him having basically no contribution to the relationship, but it helps understand him.
Dante is great. He comes off as a "party guy" but he's sweet and considerate. He's also pretty open about stuff and honestly, if it weren't for him taking initiative, him and Gabe would have just remained friends for the next three years until Gabe finally snapped or something due to hiding his feelings for so long. It's an interesting dynamic for sure. A classic introvert-extrovert pair.
But their relationship, as important as it is since this is a romance novel, isn't always the main focus. There's a large part of the book in the middle where we get very few real interactions between Gabe and Dante. The focus is the problems their team is facing and Gabe himself is dealing with as a player. And while, on one hand, I like the shift of attention to hockey and the team, on the other hand, I would've liked to see more of the two main characters together. And I especially would have liked more of Dante, whose presence was scarce in that portion because the book is from Gabe's (third-person) perspective.
Overall, this was good book. There was that lull in the middle but otherwise, I really liked it, and it definitely did not help me get rid of the notion that 'all hockey related, M/M books are good'. That's okay though. I can deal with it as long as I keep getting great reads.
I definitely recommend this one. And if you don't know much about hockey, don't worry, there's an introduction and a hockey-slang guide to help.
itsjusterika's review
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
beesneysbooks's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-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? Yes
4.0
i love a silly hockey love story. i love cats being involved. i love friendships and found family.
this series is genuinely SO fun and i cannot wait to keep going with it
this series is genuinely SO fun and i cannot wait to keep going with it
moll_ereads's review against another edition
3.0
3.5~3.75 - i did actually enjoy this but a few things that stopped it being a 4 for me:
No chapters - what in the actual HELL is that about honestly???? This is just written in 3 large sections, cut off at such dramatic episodes that i literally didnt even notice where the book was broken up? Honestly just pressured me to finish it in one go because i couldn't find a break to put it down?
Dual pov in third person, also without chapters meant i sometimes got lost about whos pov i was reading and who was doing/saying what? This may be a me problem though tbh
This is hockey HEAVY, which i didnt mind but i would have liked more weight in the romance to balance it out, but again thats just me
No chapters - what in the actual HELL is that about honestly???? This is just written in 3 large sections, cut off at such dramatic episodes that i literally didnt even notice where the book was broken up? Honestly just pressured me to finish it in one go because i couldn't find a break to put it down?
Dual pov in third person, also without chapters meant i sometimes got lost about whos pov i was reading and who was doing/saying what? This may be a me problem though tbh
This is hockey HEAVY, which i didnt mind but i would have liked more weight in the romance to balance it out, but again thats just me
gillianw's review
3.0
Kinda sweet, skipped over the slower parts and generally felt it was a solid okay.
anytownbooks's review
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
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? Yes
4.0
zaza_bdp's review
4.0
J'ai ce roman dans ma PAL depuis 2018, et c'est finalement la version revue et corrigée en 2022 que j'ai lue.
C'est le genre d'histoire avec laquelle on passe un bon moment, il y a un bel équilibre entre romance et hockey, un bon esprit de camaraderie et de cohésion au sein de l'équipe. Cependant, les personnages sont désignés soit par leur nom, soit par leur surnom (idem pour les équipes), et parfois, j'ai trouvé cela confus. Pas terrible aussi les quelques phrases en français qui sentent bon le google trad, encore moins les prénoms donnés aux personnages québécois (Pierre encore ça passe, mais Jacques, le goal de 34 piges, et sa femme Yvette, y'a comme un problème, non ?).
La romance est charmante, les deux héros sont mignons et vont bien ensemble, c'est plaisant de les voir en tant que couple, cependant, il m'a manqué quelque chose pour me sentir concernée par leur histoire. Finalement, ça va vite entre eux, on enchaîne les scènes où on les voit ensemble, mais pour moi, cela manque d'émotions et de sentiments. On nous dit les choses, mais on ne nous les montre pas suffisamment à mon goût.
Une lecture sympa, mais pour avoir lu des tas de romances de hockey avec plus ou moins les mêmes enjeux (quoique là, pour une fois, la question de l'outing intervient très tôt dans le récit, je ne m'y attendais pas, n'ayant pas lu le résumé), il m'a manqué ce truc en plus qui fait que je m'investis à fond dans un livre et un couple, pour moi, ce n'était juste pas assez abouti et développé. Je trouve dommage aussi le fait d'avoir situé l'intrigue à Québec, et de ne jamais tirer parti de cela au cours de l'intrigue, car au final, le bouquin pourrait se passer dans n'importe quelle ville d'Amérique du Nord. Pour le moment, je ne suis pas sûre de lire la suite, on verra !
C'est le genre d'histoire avec laquelle on passe un bon moment, il y a un bel équilibre entre romance et hockey, un bon esprit de camaraderie et de cohésion au sein de l'équipe. Cependant, les personnages sont désignés soit par leur nom, soit par leur surnom (idem pour les équipes), et parfois, j'ai trouvé cela confus. Pas terrible aussi les quelques phrases en français qui sentent bon le google trad, encore moins les prénoms donnés aux personnages québécois (Pierre encore ça passe, mais Jacques, le goal de 34 piges, et sa femme Yvette, y'a comme un problème, non ?).
La romance est charmante, les deux héros sont mignons et vont bien ensemble, c'est plaisant de les voir en tant que couple, cependant, il m'a manqué quelque chose pour me sentir concernée par leur histoire. Finalement, ça va vite entre eux, on enchaîne les scènes où on les voit ensemble, mais pour moi, cela manque d'émotions et de sentiments. On nous dit les choses, mais on ne nous les montre pas suffisamment à mon goût.
Une lecture sympa, mais pour avoir lu des tas de romances de hockey avec plus ou moins les mêmes enjeux (quoique là, pour une fois, la question de l'outing intervient très tôt dans le récit, je ne m'y attendais pas, n'ayant pas lu le résumé), il m'a manqué ce truc en plus qui fait que je m'investis à fond dans un livre et un couple, pour moi, ce n'était juste pas assez abouti et développé. Je trouve dommage aussi le fait d'avoir situé l'intrigue à Québec, et de ne jamais tirer parti de cela au cours de l'intrigue, car au final, le bouquin pourrait se passer dans n'importe quelle ville d'Amérique du Nord. Pour le moment, je ne suis pas sûre de lire la suite, on verra !