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emotional
lighthearted
fast-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cancer, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail
emotional
funny
hopeful
relaxing
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cancer, Death of parent
Minor: Blood
Thanks, Wattpadbooks, for the arc!
I’m in my sports romance era, so the cover of PLAYMAKER by Deanna Faison 100% called to me with its cuteness. Maddie and Cameron staring at one another gives me all the feels of the moments they stare at each other in the book. And the book has a lot of teasing and sensual eye contact!
I was invited to the Wattpad Webtoon Book Group 2024 Influencer Preview in August, and Faison was a special guest! She spoke about the novel and answered questions from those of us in attendance. I loved hearing how PLAYMAKER went from being set initially with the characters in high school on Wattpad to having the characters aged up to college in the novel published by Wattpadbooks. You can tell that Faison put a lot of work into editing her story to age the characters and tweak the plot points to make sense. I think there were a few times that language or actions seemed a little high schoolish. Still, when I was in my first few years of college, I wasn’t suddenly a sophisticated colligate speaking eloquently with the obscure words from the Oxford dictionary.
Spoiler warning: The virgin trope is not one of my favorites. I’ll read them, but I don’t actively search for them. I like how it was handled in this book and how patient Cameron was with Maddie. But I HATED how it was after the fact, and it became this big thing, “but I took your virginity,” over and over again.
A significant content warning is a cancer death off the page; the grief aspect from it is handled in an excellent way. Faison really shows how grief can affect people differently and how grief is not linear - one person’s ride with grief can cover all sorts of pathways.
I liked PLAYMAKER. It entertained me, and I look forward to more from Faison. There weren't a lot of sportsball, but there was a lot of spice, which I’m okay with!
Content warnings: cancer, familial death, gaslighting, emotional abuse,
PS—On a personal note, this took me from 8/19 to 9/28 to read. It should have never taken me that long. I liked it way more than letting it take over a month to read. I’m not a fan of MMC’s name, so I just had to pace myself.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Gaslighting
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Thank you to NetGalley and Wattpad WEBTOON Book Group for the ARC of “Playmaker” by Deanna Faison.
I like a good college romance novel and when I saw the cover and read the description, I thought I was getting a sports romance novel. Unfortunately, aside from the fact that the MMC Cam is a football player, there is no mention of sports (aside from when he goes to work out or goes on a run).
This story follows the classic trope of childhood friends-to-lovers and the brother’s best friend. Given that they grew up together, I can understand how quickly they end up falling in love with one another. However, I did find the timeline for this story a bit absurdly tight. It’s supposed to take place over a few weeks on spring break and the sheer volume of outings and activities that take place over this time period seems implausible.
I feel like the flashbacks that were written into the story did a nice job of adding a bit of backstory to the characters and their motivations, but I would have liked to see a bit more of these sooner.
There are major flaws with both characters - it’s clear that Cameron really needs to go to therapy. The fact that he hasn’t spoken to a therapist after his mother died and he’s using alcohol and sex as coping mechanisms are major red flags. Maddie is also not without her faults - she is delusional when it comes to Cam and refuses to acknowledge any of the glaring red flags he’s giving off. She also needs therapy if she’s truly as “breathtaking” as Cam consistently claims she is and yet she doesn’t seem to have any real life aside from pining over him. She definitely gives off low-key stalker girl vibes with Cam.
Overall, it was a cute story and it had some good points, and if you’re looking for a bit of fun, you can give it a read. If you’re into sports college romances, however, I definitely would suggest looking for another book, because this one isn’t it.
I like a good college romance novel and when I saw the cover and read the description, I thought I was getting a sports romance novel. Unfortunately, aside from the fact that the MMC Cam is a football player, there is no mention of sports (aside from when he goes to work out or goes on a run).
This story follows the classic trope of childhood friends-to-lovers and the brother’s best friend. Given that they grew up together, I can understand how quickly they end up falling in love with one another. However, I did find the timeline for this story a bit absurdly tight. It’s supposed to take place over a few weeks on spring break and the sheer volume of outings and activities that take place over this time period seems implausible.
I feel like the flashbacks that were written into the story did a nice job of adding a bit of backstory to the characters and their motivations, but I would have liked to see a bit more of these sooner.
There are major flaws with both characters -
Overall, it was a cute story and it had some good points, and if you’re looking for a bit of fun, you can give it a read. If you’re into sports college romances, however, I definitely would suggest looking for another book, because this one isn’t it.
Content Warnings
Minor: Cancer, Sexual content, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Alcohol