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4.35 AVERAGE
4.35 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I'm glad I finished it because turns out, it has more to give than I expected (mainly making me cry my eyes out).
This book took me a long time to read, I realize it just wasn’t my type of book.
The story was okay, but it felt dragged out. There were too many times where his feelings would be repeated and at some point it just felt too cheesy or overdone.
I kept waiting for something to happen, and it did around the 80% mark. But even after that it felt dragged out.
The story was okay, but it felt dragged out. There were too many times where his feelings would be repeated and at some point it just felt too cheesy or overdone.
I kept waiting for something to happen, and it did around the 80% mark. But even after that it felt dragged out.
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wow this book was a roller coaster. Dark and intense start, then a slow burn and a happy hockey story, then a mushy steamy happy part followed by a really dark part. There are some intense themes in this one, so reader beware, but mixed into that is THR sweetest instalove/slow burn HEA and a decent hockey story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Car accident, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Alcohol
I'm doing something I've only ever done once before with Mr. Tal Bauer's books...and giving this 4 stars.
Only once before have I given a rating below 4.5 for this man's books. That's how much I absolutely adore this author and can't get enough.
Give me two men absolutely, head over heels in love, and they show it, and are so so fucking passionate about each other? I am a GONER for that shit, and Tal does it SO WELL it should be ridiculous. His characters are always so so in love and I LOVE that.
Some reviews, I often see, think it's too cheesy or not angst-y enough or it's too shloopy or there's too much prose, etc etc...
But I never care about that, because are we not here to read Romance? Are we not here to read two people absolutely gone over each other? And sometimes be cheesy with each other? I mean, I sure am.
And I mean, this had the bare bones of what makes a Tal Bauer story a Tal Bauer story, you know?
But I guess, in some small areas, this just didn't hit on all cylinders for me as it does 99% of the time, unfortunately, and I hate to give Mr. Bauer a 4 star rating. He's almost always 4.5 stars and better for me, almost an automatic love of his stories.
And did I still enjoy this? For sure. I still felt chemistry between Morgan and Shea, especially later on.
But I think...I didn't quite connect with these two for quite some time. It took longer than it should have for me to connect to these two as a couple.
Maybe it was because it was all from Morgan's POV? Could have been it. I think generally Tal includes some POV of the other LI, even if it is primarily one of the MC's POV. That could have been it.
But also, I think the basically insta-love element, which Tal can usually pull off so well, didn't quite work here.
I just wasn't, for quite a while, feeling that spark that I usually feel with Tal's couples. This story was also, I admit, slow at times.
There wasn't much happening for long stretches at a time, and I hate to say it, but it didn't hold my attention as well as Tal's writing usually does - as in, I'm usually riveted to the page.
I also didn't 100% get Morgan's self-flagellation at times. I know he was abused and was scared to become like his abusive father, I get that. But his "I don't deserve him" didn't feel quite...earned, I should say? and it got a tad annoying at times, especially when he was pushing Shea away because of it.
Morgan never even gave examples of in the past where he'd hurt someone or fucked up eventually or did shitty things. He was just a great guy from the get go, and was so so kind, and so while I understood his fear of becoming like his dad, I guess to me that didn't translate into "I don't deserve him" because he very much did, or hadn't shown any reason why he was a bad bet, other than maybe his not wanting to commit at first (although that changes quickly, so...)
Like I could see him being weary of himself, which he was, but he's never hurt anyone intentionally and it's not fair to condemn himself for things he hasn't even done yet or ever will. I just got frustrated with it, and especially near the climax when someone happens and he had *absolutely* nothing to do with it and wasn't responsible in the least, and yet he blames himself anyway.
Now, I adored Morgan, I did. He was incredibly kind and a good man, and I really loved his character. This one aspect of his character just annoyed me at times.
But, all this to say that I still very much enjoyed this book. I loved the found family aspect of the team coming together and just being so close, and that closeness allowing them to win so many games and beat the odds by a mile.
I still enjoyed Morgan and Shea overall, especially in the second half of the book, and I eventually picked up on their chemistry.
There are still many good things about this book. I just found more that frustrated me or didn't have me riveted to the page as Tal's books usually do.
So for that reason, I'm giving this 4 stars.
Still very much enjoyable, but it just was weaker in some areas than I would have liked.
Still highly recommend this, it's worth the read. It just could have been better, and I know Mr. Bauer is very much capable of doing better.
Only once before have I given a rating below 4.5 for this man's books. That's how much I absolutely adore this author and can't get enough.
Give me two men absolutely, head over heels in love, and they show it, and are so so fucking passionate about each other? I am a GONER for that shit, and Tal does it SO WELL it should be ridiculous. His characters are always so so in love and I LOVE that.
Some reviews, I often see, think it's too cheesy or not angst-y enough or it's too shloopy or there's too much prose, etc etc...
But I never care about that, because are we not here to read Romance? Are we not here to read two people absolutely gone over each other? And sometimes be cheesy with each other? I mean, I sure am.
And I mean, this had the bare bones of what makes a Tal Bauer story a Tal Bauer story, you know?
But I guess, in some small areas, this just didn't hit on all cylinders for me as it does 99% of the time, unfortunately, and I hate to give Mr. Bauer a 4 star rating. He's almost always 4.5 stars and better for me, almost an automatic love of his stories.
And did I still enjoy this? For sure. I still felt chemistry between Morgan and Shea, especially later on.
But I think...I didn't quite connect with these two for quite some time. It took longer than it should have for me to connect to these two as a couple.
Maybe it was because it was all from Morgan's POV? Could have been it. I think generally Tal includes some POV of the other LI, even if it is primarily one of the MC's POV. That could have been it.
But also, I think the basically insta-love element, which Tal can usually pull off so well, didn't quite work here.
I just wasn't, for quite a while, feeling that spark that I usually feel with Tal's couples. This story was also, I admit, slow at times.
There wasn't much happening for long stretches at a time, and I hate to say it, but it didn't hold my attention as well as Tal's writing usually does - as in, I'm usually riveted to the page.
I also didn't 100% get Morgan's self-flagellation at times. I know he was abused and was scared to become like his abusive father, I get that. But his "I don't deserve him" didn't feel quite...earned, I should say? and it got a tad annoying at times, especially when he was pushing Shea away because of it.
Morgan never even gave examples of in the past where he'd hurt someone or fucked up eventually or did shitty things. He was just a great guy from the get go, and was so so kind, and so while I understood his fear of becoming like his dad, I guess to me that didn't translate into "I don't deserve him" because he very much did, or hadn't shown any reason why he was a bad bet, other than maybe his not wanting to commit at first (although that changes quickly, so...)
Like I could see him being weary of himself, which he was, but he's never hurt anyone intentionally and it's not fair to condemn himself for things he hasn't even done yet or ever will. I just got frustrated with it, and especially near the climax when someone happens and he had *absolutely* nothing to do with it and wasn't responsible in the least, and yet he blames himself anyway.
Now, I adored Morgan, I did. He was incredibly kind and a good man, and I really loved his character. This one aspect of his character just annoyed me at times.
But, all this to say that I still very much enjoyed this book. I loved the found family aspect of the team coming together and just being so close, and that closeness allowing them to win so many games and beat the odds by a mile.
I still enjoyed Morgan and Shea overall, especially in the second half of the book, and I eventually picked up on their chemistry.
There are still many good things about this book. I just found more that frustrated me or didn't have me riveted to the page as Tal's books usually do.
So for that reason, I'm giving this 4 stars.
Still very much enjoyable, but it just was weaker in some areas than I would have liked.
Still highly recommend this, it's worth the read. It just could have been better, and I know Mr. Bauer is very much capable of doing better.
I didn't actually think I could love a book more than I loved You & Me, but I think I might have loved this one more. Tal Bauer is always incredible, and this was him at his very best. Probably one of the most emotionally satisfying romances I've ever read. This one was absolutely incredible.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Let me tell you, the headache I had while I was in a moving car just to read this book was worth it. From "let me read another book by my favorite author (I've only read You & Me but still) so I can avoid boredom" to "I can't cry in the car even though I really want to because I don't want to look like a weirdo crying on their phone" DJXJBEUDD. Tal Bauer books leave an impression, I feel like I could be 100 years old and have the worst memory ever and still think of how the relationship in this book (both romantic and platonic) was so beautifully handled. 4.5 stars because I just felt like some parts dragged on? It's not anything bad, I just saw myself skim some parts. STILL A VERY VERY VERY VERY great read.
ending this with a quote from the book that made me want a few seconds to myself: "You come into the world loving your parents automatically, in that you’re-a-part-of-me way that’s practice for when you go and find your own person to partner up with for the rest of your life. What happens when that kind of love—the trusting kind, the makes-you-vulnerable kind—shears off of your soul?"
Reread - 02/09/24
Tal Bauer's You & Me and The Rest of the Story are those books that you could just never read for fun. You always have to finish it in one sitting... I have things to do and yet I stayed in bed because I started this on a whim.
ending this with a quote from the book that made me want a few seconds to myself: "You come into the world loving your parents automatically, in that you’re-a-part-of-me way that’s practice for when you go and find your own person to partner up with for the rest of your life. What happens when that kind of love—the trusting kind, the makes-you-vulnerable kind—shears off of your soul?"
Reread - 02/09/24
Tal Bauer's You & Me and The Rest of the Story are those books that you could just never read for fun. You always have to finish it in one sitting... I have things to do and yet I stayed in bed because I started this on a whim.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
This book is such a great read! I read Gravity and adored it so this was the next logical read. And now I need a flow up novella or short story where they make good on Morgan and Bryce’s text messages to get both couples together!
There are sooooo many feels in this book. I highlighted so many passages with tear or broken heart emoji comments. The personal traumas, the growth, the relationships, the trust developing. This is not just a romance between two hockey players…it’s a love story of 20 men coming together and healing and finding themselves again after abuse and trauma. I don’t have enough words to say how much this whole book pulled at my heart and my gut.
Shea and Morgan are such wonderful characters, each with their own strengths and insecurities. And I was grateful for the absence of a homophobia or fear of homophobia reaction as a main element of the storyline. While I recognize that of course that would be a concern for professional athletes I like that there is the implication that in this world it’s not as big a deal as it would have been in the past.
I felt the big crisis moments viscerally as I had been anticipating both things and it gutted me when those fears came to fruition. That other-shoe-dropping tension was with me the whole book and I had just started to think “well, maybe not” when kaboom, there it goes.
Fantastic book. Definitely a re-read coming for both Gravity and this one.
There are sooooo many feels in this book. I highlighted so many passages with tear or broken heart emoji comments. The personal traumas, the growth, the relationships, the trust developing. This is not just a romance between two hockey players…it’s a love story of 20 men coming together and healing and finding themselves again after abuse and trauma. I don’t have enough words to say how much this whole book pulled at my heart and my gut.
Shea and Morgan are such wonderful characters, each with their own strengths and insecurities. And I was grateful for the absence of a homophobia or fear of homophobia reaction as a main element of the storyline. While I recognize that of course that would be a concern for professional athletes I like that there is the implication that in this world it’s not as big a deal as it would have been in the past.
I felt the big crisis moments viscerally as I had been anticipating both things and it gutted me when those fears came to fruition. That other-shoe-dropping tension was with me the whole book and I had just started to think “well, maybe not” when kaboom, there it goes.
Fantastic book. Definitely a re-read coming for both Gravity and this one.
This book made me cry. I loved the romance. I love the friendships. I loved the brotherhood. Brody is my son
emotional
hopeful
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:
Complicated