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galleytrot's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
READ: Sep 2023
FORMAT: Audio
BRIEF SUMMARY:
In this contemporary romance, Dex has once again been pushed to the side by his girlfriend for not getting what she wants out of their relationship, and he has once again sought his comfort at the hands of his best friend Tripp, whose support is as endless as it is unconditional. For Tripp, however, it’s getting harder and harder to watch the very straight love of his life get constantly torn down, kicked around, and criticized by his girl. He knows encouraging Dex’s hare-brained idea to get fake-married to each other to see if he could handle getting real-married to Jessica is probably going to bite him in the ass, but in the long list of things that Tripp can never say to Dex, “no” might just take first place.
ENTERTAINMENT VALUE: 4.5 / 5⭐
Alright, I get it. I understand why this series gets the acclaim that it does. It’s such a good time with such a fun cast of characters, and comes with such an excellent performance by the narrators. I cannot help but admit I’ve been completely taken in now, too.
Dex is an absolutely sweet and precious Golden Retriever of a himbo and he must be protected at all costs (I adore him with every fibre of my being, in case that was not clear). He is honest, sincere, vibrant, energetic, trusting, and endlessly positive, but he also has no sense of boundaries or personal space, particularly where Tripp is concerned. An instantaneous bond of brotherly-love solidified between the two from the moment they met, and nothing is private between them.
The Queer Collective want to protect Tripp from what they see as self-destructive habits, torturing himself with the one thing he wants more than anything in the world but can never have. Tripp doesn’t see it that way; as long as Dex is there beside him, as long as they have their friendship, as long as they can exist in each other’s space, he will be happy. The only thing actually keeping Tripp down is his choice to keep Dex in the dark about his feelings, because he knows that Dex would assume Tripp is unhappy, and would shoulder the blame for it on himself. There are no secrets between them, except for this.
TECHNICAL / PRODUCTION: 4.5 / 5⭐
I don’t know what to say, I think my only critical thought about this book is that Tripp’s character feels less flashed-out or memorable than Dex’s does. He’s more... just along for the ride in this book, while Dex goes through a grand journey of self-discovery and consequences for his actions. Tripp feels more like a supporting role than a lead. It might be that his own journey is far more internal than Dex’s, making his personal growth less measurable. Mostly, it just feels like this book is happening to him instead of with him.
Everything I said back in my review for the previous book still holds true for this one where production is concerned. The writing is top notch, the cross-series cameos are a bit tiresome, and most importantly, Cendese and Toma are rocking their narrations. There is no doubt that Cendese’s performance as Dex plays a huge part in making him a strong contender as my favourite character in the series so far; as it is, it’s Ezra who’s tied up for that title, and it's for the exact same reason.
FINAL THOUGHTS - OVERALL: 4.5 / 5⭐
My god, what a blast, though. I can’t wait to dig in to the next books in the series, although I’m presently capped at book three due to library availability, which is a crime. A temporary problem, I’m sure, but a crime all the same. It’s also worth mentioning that, while this is technically a sports romance, the majority of it takes place in the off-season hand there isn’t a whole lot of hockeying until the book’s final act.
This book has representation for gays, queers, lesbians, bisexuals and pansexuals. There is otherwise little in the way of diversity.
The following elaborates on my content warnings. These may be interpreted as spoilers, but I do not go into deep detail.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Alcohol, Biphobia, Homophobia, and Cursing
Minor: Toxic relationship
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