Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
This review was originally posted at https://freadomlibrary.wordpress.com/
Critically
Plot – 3.5 out of 5 stars
I found this story to be really entertaining. I liked that there was some drama and some angst, but neither of them were incredibly overpowering which I appreciate. The romance developed slowly and the book was really emotional. It talked about the struggles of college, hockey and disability.
Writing Style – 4 out of 5 stars
The writing style was fast paced and easy to read. There were multiple POVs and each one had a distinct voice which I appreciated. I would’ve liked it to be much more emotional and intense but it was entertaining and kind of serious at times.
Characters – 4 out of 5 stars
I really liked getting to know the characters in this series. I’ve been hearing a lot of great things about it for a long time and I’m glad to say that I liked them overall.
Corey was a tough chick. She’s really smart and determined. However, at the same time, she was sometimes insecure with herself. She’s really strong and I loved her tenacity. I would’ve liked to see her be more open but I loved her growth throughout the story.
Hartley got on my nerves a little bit. He’s really charming and fun loving. But also kind of oblivious to what he does and how he’s acting and how that’s hurting people. However, he’s vulnerable and insecure at times. His stubborn streak makes it hard for him to get his act together but I’m glad it happened.
I really loved the great side characters in this book. They were such sweet and supportive friends to the main characters though I would’ve liked to have seen more of their development as individuals.
Emotionally
The plot was honest. We follow Corey, a freshmen in college who is adjusting to a new life after being in an accident that left her partially paralyzed. She meets Hartley, a hockey player with a broken leg who lives in the handicapped-accessible dorm across the hall from her. I was honestly quite surprised with how much I ended up enjoying this book. It’s a new adult romance but the story talks about much more than that. I appreciated how the author made some of the harder themes a big part of the story. She didn’t shy away from sharing the realities of college or of disabilities. Corey is dealing with a big physical change and she has to learn how to do everything with these new limitations on her body. Her growth and her struggles with this are a huge part of the story which I loved. One of my favorite parts of this story was being able to see Corey developing into a more confident and powerful woman. She finally gets space from her parents and the life she had before her accident and she finds her own place within the college and within the student body. However, the story is still predominantly a romance between the two main characters. I liked it well enough. I wish there hadn’t been an infidelity angle. I am not the biggest fan of cheating, fictional or in real life, and I would’ve liked for Hartley to have been more self-aware and conscious of the affect he was having on Corey. It made me dislike him a little bit because he was naive and self-absorbed. He took just a little bit too long to get it together for my opinion. However, I really liked the ending and how everything turned out for everyone.
Corey is beautiful. I really loved her personality and her strength as well as her determination. Her attitude was great and it didn’t seem like she was just that way because of her situation, she just had a tenacious spirit. Not only when it came to her disability but to her heart. She did her best to keep her relationship with Hartley platonic when he had a girlfriend and when she realized her feelings ran deeper, she made the effort to try and get space from him. That shows so much integrity and self-love. I really, really loved her character. I need more from her honestly.
As for the side characters, I had mixed feelings for some of them. Hartley got on my nerves. He was really sweet and charming and all, but totally clueless about a lot of things. He took way too long to get his shit together in my opinion and I’m glad Corey gave him a little bit of a hard time to win her over. I felt like cheating was unnecessary. Hartley’s relationship with his girlfriend was kind of open, but I don’t think it excused his behavior towards her. If you’re unhappy in a relationship (whatever kind that is), get out of it and find something or someone else that makes you happy. I don’t agree with cheating and I don’t agree with the way it happened in this book either, but I liked how they got together in the end. Dana was one of my favorite characters in this book. She was Corey’s roommate and she was so sweet to her and in general! I liked her supportive attitude and how she also pursued her dreams and her goals.
Overall, this was a good book. For a new adult contemporary romance, it was well rounded. There was some drama, some angst, some seriousness but also some lighthearted moments and laughter. I liked the characters and really enjoyed their development as individuals. The romance was cute though I had some issues with parts of the way it developed. However, I want to see more of Corey and her attitude! She’s my favorite.
Critically
Plot – 3.5 out of 5 stars
I found this story to be really entertaining. I liked that there was some drama and some angst, but neither of them were incredibly overpowering which I appreciate. The romance developed slowly and the book was really emotional. It talked about the struggles of college, hockey and disability.
Writing Style – 4 out of 5 stars
The writing style was fast paced and easy to read. There were multiple POVs and each one had a distinct voice which I appreciated. I would’ve liked it to be much more emotional and intense but it was entertaining and kind of serious at times.
Characters – 4 out of 5 stars
I really liked getting to know the characters in this series. I’ve been hearing a lot of great things about it for a long time and I’m glad to say that I liked them overall.
Corey was a tough chick. She’s really smart and determined. However, at the same time, she was sometimes insecure with herself. She’s really strong and I loved her tenacity. I would’ve liked to see her be more open but I loved her growth throughout the story.
Hartley got on my nerves a little bit. He’s really charming and fun loving. But also kind of oblivious to what he does and how he’s acting and how that’s hurting people. However, he’s vulnerable and insecure at times. His stubborn streak makes it hard for him to get his act together but I’m glad it happened.
I really loved the great side characters in this book. They were such sweet and supportive friends to the main characters though I would’ve liked to have seen more of their development as individuals.
Emotionally
Spoiler
I’ve been recommended this book for a long time and I’m glad that I finally managed to sit down and read it because I enjoyed it a whole lot.The plot was honest. We follow Corey, a freshmen in college who is adjusting to a new life after being in an accident that left her partially paralyzed. She meets Hartley, a hockey player with a broken leg who lives in the handicapped-accessible dorm across the hall from her. I was honestly quite surprised with how much I ended up enjoying this book. It’s a new adult romance but the story talks about much more than that. I appreciated how the author made some of the harder themes a big part of the story. She didn’t shy away from sharing the realities of college or of disabilities. Corey is dealing with a big physical change and she has to learn how to do everything with these new limitations on her body. Her growth and her struggles with this are a huge part of the story which I loved. One of my favorite parts of this story was being able to see Corey developing into a more confident and powerful woman. She finally gets space from her parents and the life she had before her accident and she finds her own place within the college and within the student body. However, the story is still predominantly a romance between the two main characters. I liked it well enough. I wish there hadn’t been an infidelity angle. I am not the biggest fan of cheating, fictional or in real life, and I would’ve liked for Hartley to have been more self-aware and conscious of the affect he was having on Corey. It made me dislike him a little bit because he was naive and self-absorbed. He took just a little bit too long to get it together for my opinion. However, I really liked the ending and how everything turned out for everyone.
Corey is beautiful. I really loved her personality and her strength as well as her determination. Her attitude was great and it didn’t seem like she was just that way because of her situation, she just had a tenacious spirit. Not only when it came to her disability but to her heart. She did her best to keep her relationship with Hartley platonic when he had a girlfriend and when she realized her feelings ran deeper, she made the effort to try and get space from him. That shows so much integrity and self-love. I really, really loved her character. I need more from her honestly.
As for the side characters, I had mixed feelings for some of them. Hartley got on my nerves. He was really sweet and charming and all, but totally clueless about a lot of things. He took way too long to get his shit together in my opinion and I’m glad Corey gave him a little bit of a hard time to win her over. I felt like cheating was unnecessary. Hartley’s relationship with his girlfriend was kind of open, but I don’t think it excused his behavior towards her. If you’re unhappy in a relationship (whatever kind that is), get out of it and find something or someone else that makes you happy. I don’t agree with cheating and I don’t agree with the way it happened in this book either, but I liked how they got together in the end. Dana was one of my favorite characters in this book. She was Corey’s roommate and she was so sweet to her and in general! I liked her supportive attitude and how she also pursued her dreams and her goals.
Overall, this was a good book. For a new adult contemporary romance, it was well rounded. There was some drama, some angst, some seriousness but also some lighthearted moments and laughter. I liked the characters and really enjoyed their development as individuals. The romance was cute though I had some issues with parts of the way it developed. However, I want to see more of Corey and her attitude! She’s my favorite.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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:
Yes
3.5 Solid Stars
I admit I read romance mainly because of the male protagonists. I want to know their thoughts and feelings, their experiences and motivations - hence my almost complete immersion into the wonderful world of M/M for the last 3 years. However, this is the rare moment where the female was actually the gem of the story and where the male sorta kinda drove me nuts in regards to his unbelievable denial and cluelessness.
Basically, Corey is handicapped. A crazy incident on the ice has left her partially paralyzed, but she’s determined to not let that get her down and off she goes to college as planned, despite her parents’ overbearing worry. There she meets Hartley, who’s laid up from the hockey season having broken his leg, and they immediately hit it off, commiserating in their joint lack of easy mobility. There's just one problem. Hartley has a girlfriend, and Corey believes her disabilities are quite the insurmountable roadblock to any sort of potential romantic relationship, especially with a heartthrob such as Hartley.
Bowen apparently has some hoodoo voodoo working on me as she creates likeable and relatable characters who are thankfully not frustrating or annoying. Corey was definitely a heroine to root for. She wasn’t perfect. She had realistic fears and insecurities. She didn't do everything right, nor did she do much wrong. Despite her shit situation Corey still wins through her strength and determination. Though she comes to love Hartley, she wasn’t going to be anyone’s doormat (not that he ever treated her badly) but she knew what she wanted and ultimately, made choices that were good for her emotional well being. I totally admire and respect that. Hartley’s desire for the hottest girlfriend around overshadowed the blatant obviousness of just how wrong she was for him. Over and over and over again. He does eventually get his stoopid head out of his ass, and of course, he and Corey deservedly and presumably live happily every after.
This was definitely a sweet sexy, coming of age tale that was easy on my heart and nerves with no unnecessary crazy melodrama or petty plot contrivances. Thank you again, Ms Bowen. Such tricks are not needed for a good story to be, and I only wish more M/F writers would take that to heart.
I admit I read romance mainly because of the male protagonists. I want to know their thoughts and feelings, their experiences and motivations - hence my almost complete immersion into the wonderful world of M/M for the last 3 years. However, this is the rare moment where the female was actually the gem of the story and where the male sorta kinda drove me nuts in regards to his unbelievable denial and cluelessness.
Basically, Corey is handicapped. A crazy incident on the ice has left her partially paralyzed, but she’s determined to not let that get her down and off she goes to college as planned, despite her parents’ overbearing worry. There she meets Hartley, who’s laid up from the hockey season having broken his leg, and they immediately hit it off, commiserating in their joint lack of easy mobility. There's just one problem. Hartley has a girlfriend, and Corey believes her disabilities are quite the insurmountable roadblock to any sort of potential romantic relationship, especially with a heartthrob such as Hartley.
Bowen apparently has some hoodoo voodoo working on me as she creates likeable and relatable characters who are thankfully not frustrating or annoying. Corey was definitely a heroine to root for. She wasn’t perfect. She had realistic fears and insecurities. She didn't do everything right, nor did she do much wrong. Despite her shit situation Corey still wins through her strength and determination. Though she comes to love Hartley, she wasn’t going to be anyone’s doormat (not that he ever treated her badly) but she knew what she wanted and ultimately, made choices that were good for her emotional well being. I totally admire and respect that. Hartley’s desire for the hottest girlfriend around overshadowed the blatant obviousness of just how wrong she was for him. Over and over and over again. He does eventually get his stoopid head out of his ass, and of course, he and Corey deservedly and presumably live happily every after.
This was definitely a sweet sexy, coming of age tale that was easy on my heart and nerves with no unnecessary crazy melodrama or petty plot contrivances. Thank you again, Ms Bowen. Such tricks are not needed for a good story to be, and I only wish more M/F writers would take that to heart.
DNF 50%
I could not buy into this romance. As a result of that, I was quite bored.
I could not buy into this romance. As a result of that, I was quite bored.
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Fun and easy to get into. I feel like the disability rep in my opinion was well done and I really enjoyed that aspect of this romance. The beginning felt a little to insta love for me but the further I got into the book it didn’t bother me any more.
Kinda pretty ableist at times. It was hard to root for the romance when it starts off with
Spoiler
cheating since he has a girlfriend at the time. Even if the girlfriend is cheating on him at the time, it's not the best way to start out.
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
There are some moments of ableism, but they are probably realistic thoughts that a person in the FMC’s position would think and feel. Overall, I loved their foundation of friendship and that they had strong friendships outside of each other as well. The infidelity mentioned in my content warning section is not one of the MCs cheating on the other.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity
Moderate: Ableism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Medical trauma
Minor: Cursing, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail
You know those authors that can write a freaking grocery list, and you’d still read it.
That is officially Sarina Bowen for me.
That is officially Sarina Bowen for me.
Very enjoyable. Cute and lighthearted with just the right amount of drama.