Reviews with content warning for Infertility - Well Played

Reviews tagging 'Infertility'

Well Played by Jen DeLuca

9 reviews

beckyyreadss's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

The first book was gifted to me by Michael Joseph Penguin Publishing and I enjoyed it and I especially loved Stacey. I am a compulsive series finisher, so even if I didn’t like the first book or had no interest in carrying it on, if I find out it’s a series, I've got to read the series. When I found out the second book was from Stacey’s point of view, I was so pumped and . . . well, this book just sort of flopped and I was disappointed.

This book follows Stacey, who put her life on hold when she stayed in Willow Creek to care for her sick mother. But it’s been years now and she is still here. Even the local Renaissance Faire, where she spends her summer pouring drinks and flirting with patrons, is losing its attraction. She has vowed to have her life figured out by next summer’s Faire. It's about time she found The One. Her friends-with-Benefits Dex MacLean, does not fit the bill. Yes, he’s easy on the eye with is band The Dueling Kilts, but Stacey doesn’t love him. Then she receives a tender email from her hunk and she wonders whether she got him wrong. So when Faire finally returns to Willow Creek, Stacey hopes to at last come face-to-face with the man to whom she’s been exchanging hundreds of loving online messages.

I liked Stacey, she was amazing in the first book and getting to know her more and her struggles, I just wanted to hug her or drink with her. I love her mum; her mum saved this book from this book being two stars. Her mum was adorable but you could tell where Stacey got her fierceness from that we saw in the first book. I liked how Jen gets into the Ren Faire and how she describes it in so much detail that it feels like you are there. I liked Daniel but he wasn’t making me all hot and bothered and that’s not because he’s a redhead - I just didn’t connect with him, I get he was shy but he was very bland and had no personality expect for getting compared to his cousin.

Two tropes were in this book that I cannot stand, if it’s done for the right reason or done well then maybe. But this book has the miscommunication trope, which considering this whole storyline was set up on lies, just drove me nuts and Stacey forgave him way to quick for my liking – there was no grovelling, and third-act break up – which wasn’t needing considering they spent the whole story either avoiding each other or sleeping together. I just wanted more chemistry, more sexiness, more fierceness and I just didn’t get it.

I think Jen DeLuca is good at leading and setting up the new story and making you want more, but I think she just struggles to get an actual storyline once it’s set up. I was just wanted and waiting for more throughout this book.

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mycatnorbert's review

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funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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oldladysadie's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

Overall a delightful read! I’ll admit I remember enjoying Book #1 a little more, and I was a little disappointed the book’s back cover spoils some of the story outright. The book moves past those details at about the halfway mark, though, and from there it was more immersive and enjoyable for me. YMMV

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blackveilbeccy's review

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emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I've rounded this one up a little because it picked up towards the end, but I definitely think the first one was stronger. Part of that is I just didn't care at all for the main character. I liked her in the first book, but in this one she was whiny and spent a good deal of the plot wallowing in self-pity. It slowed the plot right down, especially in the middle, which was very repetitive.

The love interest for me was much more interesting - his motivations and backstory were more fleshed out compared to the MC and he was also more sympathetic - despite the twist in the story which some other reviewers have said turned them off. For me, the twist was not something I predicted, which actually made the plot have a little more interest.

I think this is likely to be a bridge between 1 and 3, and I'm hoping the third in the series will be better. It wasn't awful, but was let down by a female lead I just didn't like.

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jackiepreston's review

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emotional funny lighthearted 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? No

4.0

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avidreaderandgeekgirl's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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sami_leigh's review

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funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

⭐️⭐️⭐️.75/5
🌶️🌶️/5

“I love it. The travel. Meeting new people, and basically living out of a couple duffel bags and a backpack. But it’s sort of one of those blessing-and-a-curse situations. Sometimes I miss home. And what’s weird is that I’m not sure that I know where home IS.”

💬 First Person POV (Stacey)
💬 Misunderstanding/mistaken identity
💬 Renaissance Faire; explores the pros & cons of nomadic life.
💬 Small town vibes
💬 Emails & texts
💬 Well established secondary characters; we still love Mitch.
💬 MC growth; history of insecurities, unhealthy relationships, and lack of body respect.

⚠️ Parent with chronic illness (medical content), body shaming, mention of parents’ struggles with fertility (MC is named a ‘miracle baby’).

Content Warnings

andmaggie's review against another edition

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hopeful lighthearted reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Content Warnings

allyhoo811's review

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funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I'm really enjoying Jen Deluca's Renaissance Faire love stories, and Well Played was no exception. I quite liked this one, and feel like (unpopular opinion) that it actually better written in a lot of ways than Deluca's debut novel Well Met. It isn't perfect by any means, but I love it when I see an author improving their craft, so I rounded this one up from 3.5 stars to 4 stars.

Why I liked it:

1. Stacy -- The main character was a hoot. I loved her in Well Met and still think she's great.

2. Cyrano de Bergerac with a modern (catfishing) twist.

3. Benedick the cat -- Where can I get one.

What I didn't care for:

1. The Mid-Book Slog -- The story slows down toward the middle of the book and it was almost painful to get through for quite awhile.

2. The Emily/Simon Plot Rehash -- The whole plotline for Well Met is spoiled by this book. And recapping the plot of the first book was in large part what bogged the middle section down. I get that Simon and Emily's wedding was a major plot point, but I don't think it should have been. I didn't want to see their wedding from Stacy's POV -- I wanted to see it from Emily's. Releasing a short eBook would have been a better (less tiresome) way of handling that. Plus it wouldn't have spoiled the whole first book for those who hadn't read it yet. These serial romance novels typically don't give that much detail about other books in the series.

3. I wanted Daniel to step up more. Daniel made some major mistakes and he needed to fight for Stacy more, not the other way around. I get he didn't feel good enough for her, but his actions made him seem not good enough for her when he kept walking away.

P.S. I am super hyped for Well Matched -- I have been wanting a Mitch-centric book since I first read Well Met. I need more kilt!

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