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3.16 AVERAGE
3.16 AVERAGE
Ice skating. Romance. Two best friends destined to be with each other. Fear. Adrenaline. What could be better, I mean ice skating, c'mon that sounds like something you don't read every day. Am I hyping you up for this book, well this is what we were all like, including me for February's chosen book of The Reader's Lounge. It sparked interest, but sadly lacked potential.
Gabe and Maddy have been best friends, ice-skating partners and neighbours for as long as they can remember. Maddy has been Gabe's friend but she also has much deeper feelings for him, however Gabe has a hard time acknowledging his feelings when he knows he can have a girlfriend for two weeks before he gets bored. So when Igor, their coach tells them to do a new routine,coincidentally named of the classic tragedy, Romeo and Juliet. When they they both have an opportunity to see, feel, touch what it's like to be in love through one of their sets and routines on the ice everything spirals out of control for the both of them. Whilst you had everything that creates a perfect winter romance, the potential was certainly there it just sadly lacked the follow through. I was disappointed, I really was, like I said before, the description, the cover sounded just what you needed, but I found myself very confuddled at the end of the book. It kept you wondering til the end but it wasn't necessarily a good wondering, it just left me feeling rather downhearted sadly.
Through a dual perspective, we see both Gabe and Maddy characters unfold. Gabe, how can you describe him, well has the red Viper, girls lining up to date him. He's the one night stand or the two-week relationship status. If I'm brutally honest, he's rather a plain and little boring in places, I hate to say. Gabe was quite an awkward to character to get to know, I felt that he way too literal and didn't really have that depth of character or emotion for us as readers to really get to know. Now Maddy, well, she is fearless, if she falls she gets back up, she is determined and passionate. I really liked Maddy in the beginning, she had potential, purpose on the ice, drive...but throughout the book, I felt her character was withering around edges, I felt she was changing and wasn't her true self and I don't know why I feel like that. I felt sorry for her.
As a relationship there were so many mixed messages from Gabe that I felt that their whole relationship or lack of during the book was so hot n' cold. It certainly felt like a reader whiplash of emotions as I wasn't sure what they were doing, or what Gabe was even thinking of. Everything a skater should be, on ice they are this perfect couple, off ice they really don't know what they are. I think what got me the most was the way Gabe was acting especially to their extra training, I felt that Maddy was totally being used and then the rest of the hours, Gabe brushes her off. I mean who does that if ultimately they really do feel for them. Whilst there was some great moments, I also felt that their were moments of YA bonded with NA, so in itself it's quite a unusual and trying novel to contend with.
As one of my anticipated reads of this year, the cover, the description sounded almost perfect, and this certainly did remind me of one of my favourite Rom-com films, Chalet Girl. But the difference is, the film is a brilliant, funny, toe-curling romance film you can snuggle into. It's sad to see a book for your club being a disappointment, but it's nice to see what we thought and we alike felt the same away about the book. Whilst it was a cute read, I think it really needed to be developed a lot more and the characters to really be thought out and fulfilled more.
Rating - (Undecided) 2.5-3
This review can be found on my blog
Gabe and Maddy have been best friends, ice-skating partners and neighbours for as long as they can remember. Maddy has been Gabe's friend but she also has much deeper feelings for him, however Gabe has a hard time acknowledging his feelings when he knows he can have a girlfriend for two weeks before he gets bored. So when Igor, their coach tells them to do a new routine,coincidentally named of the classic tragedy, Romeo and Juliet. When they they both have an opportunity to see, feel, touch what it's like to be in love through one of their sets and routines on the ice everything spirals out of control for the both of them. Whilst you had everything that creates a perfect winter romance, the potential was certainly there it just sadly lacked the follow through. I was disappointed, I really was, like I said before, the description, the cover sounded just what you needed, but I found myself very confuddled at the end of the book. It kept you wondering til the end but it wasn't necessarily a good wondering, it just left me feeling rather downhearted sadly.
Through a dual perspective, we see both Gabe and Maddy characters unfold. Gabe, how can you describe him, well has the red Viper, girls lining up to date him. He's the one night stand or the two-week relationship status. If I'm brutally honest, he's rather a plain and little boring in places, I hate to say. Gabe was quite an awkward to character to get to know, I felt that he way too literal and didn't really have that depth of character or emotion for us as readers to really get to know. Now Maddy, well, she is fearless, if she falls she gets back up, she is determined and passionate. I really liked Maddy in the beginning, she had potential, purpose on the ice, drive...but throughout the book, I felt her character was withering around edges, I felt she was changing and wasn't her true self and I don't know why I feel like that. I felt sorry for her.
As a relationship there were so many mixed messages from Gabe that I felt that their whole relationship or lack of during the book was so hot n' cold. It certainly felt like a reader whiplash of emotions as I wasn't sure what they were doing, or what Gabe was even thinking of. Everything a skater should be, on ice they are this perfect couple, off ice they really don't know what they are. I think what got me the most was the way Gabe was acting especially to their extra training, I felt that Maddy was totally being used and then the rest of the hours, Gabe brushes her off. I mean who does that if ultimately they really do feel for them. Whilst there was some great moments, I also felt that their were moments of YA bonded with NA, so in itself it's quite a unusual and trying novel to contend with.
As one of my anticipated reads of this year, the cover, the description sounded almost perfect, and this certainly did remind me of one of my favourite Rom-com films, Chalet Girl. But the difference is, the film is a brilliant, funny, toe-curling romance film you can snuggle into. It's sad to see a book for your club being a disappointment, but it's nice to see what we thought and we alike felt the same away about the book. Whilst it was a cute read, I think it really needed to be developed a lot more and the characters to really be thought out and fulfilled more.
Rating - (Undecided) 2.5-3
This review can be found on my blog
2.5 stars
I was expecting to absolutely ADORE this. I love books about best friends who fall in love, and this one sounded like it would be so sweet and cute.
In the end, I only ended up liking the book. I thought it was pretty good, but nothing like I expected it to be.
For one, I thought the romance would come on gradually, as Gabe realized his feelings for Maddy, but in actuality, they start dating to bring them closer so their skating improves....but they keep it a secret from everyone around them. It wasn’t clear to me WHY they did this and it made very little sense. I guess I could see keeping it a secret from their coach, who frowned on skating partners dating, but why would anyone else care? A bunch of miscommunications between the two of them ensue as a result of the secrecy. Most of their issues could have been resolved with a 2 minute conversation but they didn’t talk about their issues and the problems grew worse. The constant relationship drama got a bit irritating after a while, especially since an honest conversation would clear most of their issues up.
For another, Gabe wasn’t much, in my opinion. He was kind of a playboy type, and spent most of the book thinking that he didn’t know “how” to be in a relationship. It’s not that complicated to be in a relationship with someone, but Gabe constantly overcomplicated it. I couldn’t really see what Maddy saw in him; he was kind of a tool.
I did enjoy the relationships that the two families had together. They were always there for each other and that was nice. I felt bad for what Maddy went through with her family, and I did like that Gabe was there for her through that. Also, their kiss on New Year’s Eve was really sweet.
The skating elements were really well done. The author’s passion for skating definitely came through in her writing.
I was expecting to absolutely ADORE this. I love books about best friends who fall in love, and this one sounded like it would be so sweet and cute.
In the end, I only ended up liking the book. I thought it was pretty good, but nothing like I expected it to be.
For one, I thought the romance would come on gradually, as Gabe realized his feelings for Maddy, but in actuality, they start dating to bring them closer so their skating improves....but they keep it a secret from everyone around them. It wasn’t clear to me WHY they did this and it made very little sense. I guess I could see keeping it a secret from their coach, who frowned on skating partners dating, but why would anyone else care? A bunch of miscommunications between the two of them ensue as a result of the secrecy. Most of their issues could have been resolved with a 2 minute conversation but they didn’t talk about their issues and the problems grew worse. The constant relationship drama got a bit irritating after a while, especially since an honest conversation would clear most of their issues up.
For another, Gabe wasn’t much, in my opinion. He was kind of a playboy type, and spent most of the book thinking that he didn’t know “how” to be in a relationship. It’s not that complicated to be in a relationship with someone, but Gabe constantly overcomplicated it. I couldn’t really see what Maddy saw in him; he was kind of a tool.
I did enjoy the relationships that the two families had together. They were always there for each other and that was nice. I felt bad for what Maddy went through with her family, and I did like that Gabe was there for her through that. Also, their kiss on New Year’s Eve was really sweet.
The skating elements were really well done. The author’s passion for skating definitely came through in her writing.
Received from publisher in exchange for an honest review
Originally at The Secret Life of a Bookworm
The Boy Next Door was an on a whim read because I was looking for a bit of romance, and going by the cover alone, I knew this one was probably going to be a perfect choice. While I didn't love it, I still enjoyed it and it's definitely a cutesy love story.
Maddy has been in love with the boy next door for as long as she can remember. She spends every day with him, but only as his skating partner. Gabe can't imagine skating without Maddy, because with her they have a chance of winning Gold. Gabe is determined to keep his romantic feelings for Maddy bottled up, but when their coach assigns them a romantic skating routine, everything changes. It becomes apparent that they both have feelings for each other, but Gabe doesn't want to ruin his friendship with Maddy by taking the next step.
Maddy is a sweet character. She's a bit naive and completely lovestruck that she would honestly do anything for Gabe - like break off with his current girlfriend by pretending to be another girl he was with. I seriously wanted to smack some sense into this girl.
Gabe is an asshole. There's nothing remotely redeeming about him. He has feelings for Maddy, bottles them up and then when he decides to act on them, he makes her keep it a secret and constantly hides his relationship with her from everyone. What. An. Asshole.
I did really love that The Boy Next Door centered around Ice Skating. It's such a graceful sport that requires a lot of determination, strength and bravery, and I adored reading about all the different moves and lifts.
The romance between Maddy and Gabe was sugary sweet. It was extremely cutesy and adorable, but also annoying due to Gabe being a complete asshole about their relationship. But he eventually grew some balls.
The Boy Next Door is a light and cute read that I'd recommend if you're in the mood for some adorable romance. It's a quick and easy, and I really liked it (minus Gabe).
Originally at The Secret Life of a Bookworm
The Boy Next Door was an on a whim read because I was looking for a bit of romance, and going by the cover alone, I knew this one was probably going to be a perfect choice. While I didn't love it, I still enjoyed it and it's definitely a cutesy love story.
Maddy has been in love with the boy next door for as long as she can remember. She spends every day with him, but only as his skating partner. Gabe can't imagine skating without Maddy, because with her they have a chance of winning Gold. Gabe is determined to keep his romantic feelings for Maddy bottled up, but when their coach assigns them a romantic skating routine, everything changes. It becomes apparent that they both have feelings for each other, but Gabe doesn't want to ruin his friendship with Maddy by taking the next step.
Maddy is a sweet character. She's a bit naive and completely lovestruck that she would honestly do anything for Gabe - like break off with his current girlfriend by pretending to be another girl he was with. I seriously wanted to smack some sense into this girl.
Gabe is an asshole. There's nothing remotely redeeming about him. He has feelings for Maddy, bottles them up and then when he decides to act on them, he makes her keep it a secret and constantly hides his relationship with her from everyone. What. An. Asshole.
I did really love that The Boy Next Door centered around Ice Skating. It's such a graceful sport that requires a lot of determination, strength and bravery, and I adored reading about all the different moves and lifts.
The romance between Maddy and Gabe was sugary sweet. It was extremely cutesy and adorable, but also annoying due to Gabe being a complete asshole about their relationship. But he eventually grew some balls.
The Boy Next Door is a light and cute read that I'd recommend if you're in the mood for some adorable romance. It's a quick and easy, and I really liked it (minus Gabe).
This book was bad. Everything was just too drawn out, it probably could have made halfway-decent should it have simply been a hundred pages, because everything was simply way to strecthed out. The characters were beyond stupid and I hated just about all of this book. I literally wanted to shoot myself throughout this book. The last ten pages were actually good and if everything written to that standard the book might have gotten three stores, alas it was not so
.
.
I read this book because, honestly the blurb , it made me think of Ronnie and Julie that movie that starred a young Joshua Jackson--so right off the bat I was disappointed that Gabe doesn't look like Joshua Jackson. Its possible that's a personal problem.
This was some hard core cheese. I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the cheese. I like cheese but some things were really, really predictable and
This was some hard core cheese. I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the cheese. I like cheese but some things were really, really predictable and
Spoiler
the fake wedding? Really? Seriously? For reals that's a thing that happened? Nooooooo
Blog|Instagram
I really enjoyed this book.
I'm always thrilled to read anything that involves an artistic sport. They are kind of rare in Spanish and the big concentration is on the other side of the world so... I don't know.
-------
He disfrutado mucho de este libro.
Seguimos a Maddie y Gabriel, dos mejores amigos desde la infancia que patinan juntos desde que pisaron una pista de hielo. A pesar de complementarse el uno al otro y anticiparse a las necesidades del otro en la pista, fuera de ella sus mundos son completamente opuestos. Cuando finalmente se sucumban a su amor, ¿podrán sus dos mundos encajar con la misma facilidad que sus cuerpos en el hielo?
Un YA fácil de leer pero con mucho quebraderos de cabeza. El drama destiñe las palabras en cada capítulo. Malentendidos, tramas secundarias y mucho romance. Mad es una protagonista fuerte pero algo frágil. Y Gabe necesita algo más de rodaje dentro de todo lo que esta pasando.
Algunas tramas se quedan muy aniñadas para la historia que se narra. Casi podíamos decir que se necesita un poco de balance entre los personajes y la madurez que se necesita para sobrevivir a esta historia. Es un YA de los que tiran a adultos.
A parte de esto ha sido una lectura fácil y entretenida que me ha sacado de mi resaca de lectura.
Blog|Instagram
I really enjoyed this book.
I'm always thrilled to read anything that involves an artistic sport. They are kind of rare in Spanish and the big concentration is on the other side of the world so... I don't know.
-------
He disfrutado mucho de este libro.
Seguimos a Maddie y Gabriel, dos mejores amigos desde la infancia que patinan juntos desde que pisaron una pista de hielo. A pesar de complementarse el uno al otro y anticiparse a las necesidades del otro en la pista, fuera de ella sus mundos son completamente opuestos. Cuando finalmente se sucumban a su amor, ¿podrán sus dos mundos encajar con la misma facilidad que sus cuerpos en el hielo?
Un YA fácil de leer pero con mucho quebraderos de cabeza. El drama destiñe las palabras en cada capítulo. Malentendidos, tramas secundarias y mucho romance. Mad es una protagonista fuerte pero algo frágil. Y Gabe necesita algo más de rodaje dentro de todo lo que esta pasando.
Algunas tramas se quedan muy aniñadas para la historia que se narra. Casi podíamos decir que se necesita un poco de balance entre los personajes y la madurez que se necesita para sobrevivir a esta historia. Es un YA de los que tiran a adultos.
A parte de esto ha sido una lectura fácil y entretenida que me ha sacado de mi resaca de lectura.
Blog|Instagram
OMG...
This was so disappointing, the only thing I actually like were the scenes talking about ice-skating.
I really want to like this because I used to do ice-skating and I was really excited to get to know this world.
I really thing that Maddy was the worst character, she was so paranoid and intense all the time, I really hate the way she thinks and the way she reacts to different circunstancies.
I wouldn’t recommend this book.
maddy was super annoying. i thought the relationship was just thrown in there and it somehow worked. there was no connection whatsoever.