Reviews with content warning for Racism - All Hail the Underdogs

Reviews tagging 'Racism'

All Hail the Underdogs by E.L. Massey

8 reviews

smasson13's review against another edition

inspiring lighthearted 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? It's complicated

4.5

I really liked this one! I think, both E. L. Massey is growing as a writer, but also I just really liked the characters in this.

I will say the one issue that can arise in their writing that makes if difficult to always get through, is that they continue to add and add more issues. As a result, the endings can rush the conclusion of so many little plot points. I think the desire to add depth to characters comes from fanfiction writing where readers already have this huge wealth of knowledge about characters, but that is built up over series/books/movies etc. sometimes less is more, and different issues to be fleshed out into their own book with the same characters. It's just that 3rd part lull that can impacts the pace.

But characters are lovely as always and the writing just felt more confident!

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fanboyriot's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted 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

5.0

♡ Found Family

♡ Wholesome Friendships

♡ Queer Hockey Romance

I loved this book since chapter one, the characters and plot were so good! It was so easy to fall in love with the characters and be cheering for them the whole time.

The character development was everything. I can’t get over the friendships and relationships in this book, it was so good. It was so easy to love all the characters—they were all literally so amazing!

The sense of humor in this book was so great as always and while this book was super wholesome and cute it also touched on some topics like: white privilege, racism and discrimination. There are mentions to child neglect and abuse that leads the one main character to get emancipated.

This gives the grumpy x sunshine vibe all the while both characters are a bit broken. The sunshine needing just as much comfort as the grumpy one. Rome dealing with a bad home life growing up with years of abuse from a parent. They both do a good job at comforting the other even if it starts out as a slight enemies to lovers moment. And Damien dealing with abandonment issues that only get worse with misunderstandings with his parents until he finally says something.

This lived up to the hype I had for it! I could talk about this for hours, I adored this so much. Rome and Damien had such a trusting relationship and it had a nice slow burn vibe at the beginning. And can I just say all the hand holding—and the not being allowed to talk about the hand holding was absolutely amazing. The level of vulnerability they let each other see was so good! Being able to see them trust each other, Rome especially.

And don’t get me started on the whole Finley thing, especially in the epilogue. It was so wholesome it nearly took me out.

Safe to say I adored this book.

Spice Level: 🌶️ (1/5)

Angst Level: 💧💧💧 (3/5)

POV: Duel, Third Person

Release Date: 26, August 2023

Rep: Bisexual (Main Character), Gay (Main Character), Transfem (Side Character), LGBTQIA+ (Main and Side Characters), BIPOC (Main and Side Characters)

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12dejamoo's review

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emotional tense 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

5.0

Best one in this series. I couldn't put it down.

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frantic_vampire's review

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted slow-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

God. This was such a good book. It was heartwarming and sweet and messy and filled with love. I honestly don’t know how I’m supposed to wait for the next book to come out. This series just keeps getting better with every book!

I loved this so much, because it felt with so many different issues in ways that I don’t see often in books. I loved that Rome and Damien got to learn and grow, both together and as individuals. I loved that they both got to be messy teenagers but also they had the maturity to think about their future together and what that would look like. Especially when that future included more than just them. Also? The side characters are top notch! I loved them and I would love to see them again in another book.

I just don’t have anymore words. This book was so fucking good and I want to read the whole series again as soon as possible. All Hail The Underdogs is getting a solid five stars. 😭❤️

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