Scan barcode
marysbookinit's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Homophobia, and Sexual content
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Death of parent
prarthana_praveen's review
emotional
reflective
medium-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? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Outing, and Homophobia
Moderate: Death of parent and Suicidal thoughts
mspecht's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I just think they’re neat 😭😭😭😭
I cried, I laughed until I cried, I pterodactyl screeched, I threw the book across the couch many times.
There’s a line in HR where Ilya wants to smash burning campfire embers into his eyes bc he just feels too much when he looks at Shane and that’s how I felt reading this, which is my favorite kind of story.
I would fight the entire NHL with my bare hands for the Centaurs and Shane and especially precious angel baby Ilya 😤
Also the trophy room scene will be living in my head rent-free until the day I die BYYYEEEE
I cried, I laughed until I cried, I pterodactyl screeched, I threw the book across the couch many times.
There’s a line in HR where Ilya wants to smash burning campfire embers into his eyes bc he just feels too much when he looks at Shane and that’s how I felt reading this, which is my favorite kind of story.
I would fight the entire NHL with my bare hands for the Centaurs and Shane and especially precious angel baby Ilya 😤
Also the trophy room scene will be living in my head rent-free until the day I die BYYYEEEE
Content Warnings
Graphic: Outing, Mental illness, Sexual content, and Homophobia
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Death of parent
Minor: Eating disorder
calcifowl's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Mental illness, and Outing
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, and Suicide
tabear's review
emotional
hopeful
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? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Cursing, Grief, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Bullying, Homophobia, Outing, and Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Child abuse, and Transphobia
readingtotravel's review
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
tense
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? It's complicated
5.0
One of my favorite series, a favorite couples! I love Shane and Ilya so much and am so happy Rachel Reid gave us more of their story. Honestly, I hope she circles back to them again and maybe gives them and the other couples some short stories. Reid truly knows who to create loveable characters and delivers HEAs that make all the tension and turmoil worth it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Outing and Homophobia
Moderate: Death of parent and Mental illness
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
bookedinsideout's review
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
1.5
“I’ve been mad at the game for a while, and I needed this.”
That’s how I felt after reading the last book, Role Model, but pretty much the opposite after reading this. I’m really upsetfor Ilya and Shane that they were publicly outed, and that the commissioner was so awful as well as Shane’s teammates. Hayden, who inadvertently outed them, was apologetic and it was an accident, but I didn’t think the way he told them was very comforting, that he really gave them as much support as he could have, and Shane’s friend JJ was awful to him — not to mention his teammates. It just left an extremely bad taste in my mouth. Role Model was a comfort book, but this felt like one big downer.
I think if I had been more aware of content warnings it might have helped, or if I hadn’t read it at a particularly low period, but there was just so much heavy in this book. The disordered eating and shaming of other people (with no real resolution or countering of it); the homomisia; the depression that was being treated by a therapist but then kind of left off; theforced outing and treatment of that . There were a lot of cute and funny moments in the book, but the heavy lines and moments made it feel heavier for me than it was probably meant to. I don’t even think it’s that I had high expectations for the book, it’s just how it was. And a little anger too that now that we know what’s going on concurrently with the events of Role Model, I’m not sure I’ll be able to take comfort in it in the same way anymore.
I didn’t mind the pacing in the beginning, but everything happened really quickly at the end and I’m sure a few of the many (many) sex scenes could have been cut to make room for a more rounded and satisfying conclusion. (I’m not usually one to complain about that, but there were a lot, especially noticeable when they’re not doing a lot of communicating outside of that and developing their relationships in other ways.) I can definitely see how there were parts of the book that others will focus on and love, but unfortunately I could only focus on the parts that dragged me down.
That’s how I felt after reading the last book, Role Model, but pretty much the opposite after reading this. I’m really upset
I think if I had been more aware of content warnings it might have helped, or if I hadn’t read it at a particularly low period, but there was just so much heavy in this book. The disordered eating and shaming of other people (with no real resolution or countering of it); the homomisia; the depression that was being treated by a therapist but then kind of left off; the
I didn’t mind the pacing in the beginning, but everything happened really quickly at the end and I’m sure a few of the many (many) sex scenes could have been cut to make room for a more rounded and satisfying conclusion. (I’m not usually one to complain about that, but there were a lot, especially noticeable when they’re not doing a lot of communicating outside of that and developing their relationships in other ways.) I can definitely see how there were parts of the book that others will focus on and love, but unfortunately I could only focus on the parts that dragged me down.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Outing, Homophobia, Mental illness, and Eating disorder
Moderate: Death of parent and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Suicide
anil's review against another edition
emotional
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? It's complicated
3.75
Having a hard time rating this bc I'm like 'its ok I guess' but also I still have tears in my eyes and I cried like three separate times. I don't know. I don't think it really works as a story exactly but it works on my FEELINGS.
We start before the beginning of Role Model, run parallel to Role Model for a lot of this book (and boy does reading the plane crash from ilyas pov hurt) and then go until several months later. If I thought I knew what was going on with Ilya during that book: no I did not.
Mostly this is a book about Ilya Rozanov dealing with depression. This makes him significantly less fun to read than we've been used to. Please do not read that as a criticism, I honestly think this makes it even more interesting that Role Model is some of the most fun we've ever seen Ilya be. I'm not just told Ilya tries to hide his issues and fools most people *he fooled me*.
But unfortunately he's dealing with depression by just not doing a lot. Things keep happening and sometimes he tries to do something and it helps for a little while and sometimes he tries to do something and it doesn't help and nothing about it ever feels really resolved to me. And that's honestly most of the story. There is the making the relationship public yes/no thing but that (vague spoiler)doesn't get resolved by anyone making an actual decision. Which imo works to kick off a story but not to resolve it.
I am also leaving this book incredibly bitter about that one Thing on Shane's behalf and I can't even demand that get resolved better, I understand that this is the best case scenario once that Thing happened but I hate it and the book didn't give me nearly enough time to process that because suddenly it was all over.
We start before the beginning of Role Model, run parallel to Role Model for a lot of this book (and boy does reading the plane crash from ilyas pov hurt) and then go until several months later. If I thought I knew what was going on with Ilya during that book: no I did not.
Mostly this is a book about Ilya Rozanov dealing with depression. This makes him significantly less fun to read than we've been used to. Please do not read that as a criticism, I honestly think this makes it even more interesting that Role Model is some of the most fun we've ever seen Ilya be. I'm not just told Ilya tries to hide his issues and fools most people *he fooled me*.
But unfortunately he's dealing with depression by just not doing a lot. Things keep happening and sometimes he tries to do something and it helps for a little while and sometimes he tries to do something and it doesn't help and nothing about it ever feels really resolved to me. And that's honestly most of the story. There is the making the relationship public yes/no thing but that (vague spoiler)
I am also leaving this book incredibly bitter about that one Thing on Shane's behalf and I can't even demand that get resolved better, I understand that this is the best case scenario once that Thing happened but I hate it and the book didn't give me nearly enough time to process that because suddenly it was all over.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Death of parent, Outing, Eating disorder, and Suicidal thoughts
More...