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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
3.5 stars
The conflicts between them as a couple seemed a bit trite, but their individual struggles were pretty compelling. Overall I enjoyed it!
The conflicts between them as a couple seemed a bit trite, but their individual struggles were pretty compelling. Overall I enjoyed it!
This was better thank the first.
After reading the serious this is my fave couple. Had the least problematic love interest.
After reading the serious this is my fave couple. Had the least problematic love interest.
slow-paced
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
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:
Complicated
This book has lne of the healthiest romantic relationships I've ever read!
The Dating Playbook follows Taylor Powell, a personal fitness instructor who struggles financially after several slip-ups, and Jamar Dixon, aka Diesel Dixon - former NFL star of Chicago Bears who had to stop playing in the field after suffering a season-ending knee injury.
If you put the careers of the main characters together, you'll know why their paths is destined to cross over. And what made this book fun is it's main trope is fake dating!
Why? Because Jamar is secretly planning to re-enter NFL without gaining traction from media after experiencing how vicious they can be after he busted his knee & Taylor entered the scene because he came across her viral video where she (together with Samiah and London) attacked pervert Craig, a notorious scammer who dates girls at the same time under different names.
TL; DR. Taylor became Jamar's personal trainer & since it needs to be a secret, the two agreed to pretend-date with rules set by the two in what they call The Dating Playbook.
Again,Taylor and Jamar instantly hit my favorite couples list as they have the cutest banter and exchanges right from their first meeting at her pop-up session. The two are both competitive in nature hence the remarks don't die down easily.
I also tend to enjoy romance or contemporary books that includes discussion of characters' personal dilemma which in this case are: Taylor with her financial struggle + her fear of earning a degree to back her up if ever her fitness biz didn't go as expected; Jamar with his guilt over the death of his bestfriend several years ago. Love how the author maneuver this narrative about these topics without overshadowing the chemistry of them together.
And yes to girlfriend support! Samiah is the MC of The Boyfriend Project while London will be the star in the upcoming 2022 book, The Hookup Plan. And I love this trend where characters in a contemporary setting share the same universe because it gives a bit of nostalgia that is always present in fantasy series.
Overall, I enjoy the book and I highly-recommend this!
What's in this book: Black rep, Neurodivergent MC (latter part); Fake dating, Lowkey sports romance, "There are two tents but they chose to squeeze in one to share body heat" trope (which I totally invented)
I highly recommend if you enjoy: Modern Love series, The Kiss Quotient, A Lot Like Adios
Trigger warnings: Trauma, mention of death of a loved one, racism
RATING: 5stars
The Dating Playbook follows Taylor Powell, a personal fitness instructor who struggles financially after several slip-ups, and Jamar Dixon, aka Diesel Dixon - former NFL star of Chicago Bears who had to stop playing in the field after suffering a season-ending knee injury.
If you put the careers of the main characters together, you'll know why their paths is destined to cross over. And what made this book fun is it's main trope is fake dating!
Why? Because Jamar is secretly planning to re-enter NFL without gaining traction from media after experiencing how vicious they can be after he busted his knee & Taylor entered the scene because he came across her viral video where she (together with Samiah and London) attacked pervert Craig, a notorious scammer who dates girls at the same time under different names.
TL; DR. Taylor became Jamar's personal trainer & since it needs to be a secret, the two agreed to pretend-date with rules set by the two in what they call The Dating Playbook.
Again,Taylor and Jamar instantly hit my favorite couples list as they have the cutest banter and exchanges right from their first meeting at her pop-up session. The two are both competitive in nature hence the remarks don't die down easily.
I also tend to enjoy romance or contemporary books that includes discussion of characters' personal dilemma which in this case are: Taylor with her financial struggle + her fear of earning a degree to back her up if ever her fitness biz didn't go as expected; Jamar with his guilt over the death of his bestfriend several years ago. Love how the author maneuver this narrative about these topics without overshadowing the chemistry of them together.
And yes to girlfriend support! Samiah is the MC of The Boyfriend Project while London will be the star in the upcoming 2022 book, The Hookup Plan. And I love this trend where characters in a contemporary setting share the same universe because it gives a bit of nostalgia that is always present in fantasy series.
Overall, I enjoy the book and I highly-recommend this!
What's in this book: Black rep, Neurodivergent MC (latter part); Fake dating, Lowkey sports romance, "There are two tents but they chose to squeeze in one to share body heat" trope (which I totally invented)
I highly recommend if you enjoy: Modern Love series, The Kiss Quotient, A Lot Like Adios
Trigger warnings: Trauma, mention of death of a loved one, racism
RATING: 5stars
After reading The Boyfriend Project last year, I couldn't wait to read the next one in the series, The Dating Playbook!
Taylor, who runs her own fitness training business, is trying to get her business off the ground and have enough money to put some food on the table. When Jamar Dixon, a NFL player who is currently out because of an injury, seeks Taylor out hoping for some training to get himself in top shape to return to the NFL it seems like he could be the answer to all of Taylor's problems. He's offering her a large steady paycheck, a consistent client, and he's willing to full endorse her business when he finally gets back in the league. With some fake dating and serious chemistry, this book is one you don't want to miss.
I love the friendship that Samiah, London, and Taylor have and that they can talk and work on the hard things. I do feel like there was a lot going on in this book and wished that more was expanded on, I kind of felt like we got a little bit of everything and not a ton of anything but I loved all the background and goals these characters have. Taylor is a smart woman and it's nice to see her start to advocate for herself and not to be ashamed that she might need some more help than she's currently receiving. Jamar is smart, tough, and has a good heart, and it's nice to see that he is willing to listen to other people's perspectives, and to try to work on healing and moving forward. Overall, I really liked this story. It was a quick, easy read and I enjoyed it even more than The Boyfriend Project!
Thank you Netgalley and Forever for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review!
Taylor, who runs her own fitness training business, is trying to get her business off the ground and have enough money to put some food on the table. When Jamar Dixon, a NFL player who is currently out because of an injury, seeks Taylor out hoping for some training to get himself in top shape to return to the NFL it seems like he could be the answer to all of Taylor's problems. He's offering her a large steady paycheck, a consistent client, and he's willing to full endorse her business when he finally gets back in the league. With some fake dating and serious chemistry, this book is one you don't want to miss.
I love the friendship that Samiah, London, and Taylor have and that they can talk and work on the hard things. I do feel like there was a lot going on in this book and wished that more was expanded on, I kind of felt like we got a little bit of everything and not a ton of anything but I loved all the background and goals these characters have. Taylor is a smart woman and it's nice to see her start to advocate for herself and not to be ashamed that she might need some more help than she's currently receiving. Jamar is smart, tough, and has a good heart, and it's nice to see that he is willing to listen to other people's perspectives, and to try to work on healing and moving forward. Overall, I really liked this story. It was a quick, easy read and I enjoyed it even more than The Boyfriend Project!
Thank you Netgalley and Forever for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review!
Cute! Some things happened kind of quick and randomly? But overall it was a cute.
If I'm being completely honest...I was a smidge disappointed by this book. It's not bad, I just had high expectations after how much I enjoyed 'The Boyfriend Project' last year.
'The Dating Playbook' is a sort-of sequel, in that it takes place in the same world, but this time follows Taylor, one of the other 'Craig Girls'. Taylor, a fitness coach, is hired by a pro football player to help him get ready to rejoin a professional team.
Some things I liked - I thought the additional grief aspect to Jamar's character was really interesting. We got to spend a lot of time in his head and, from reading the author's note, you can see just how personal this storyline was to them. Jamar, overall, was a really great character. He had depth and shades of light and grey, which made him that much more interesting to read about. Obviously, the book is a little steamy - a bit 'avoid-y' for my tastes, but the scenes are always a great addition to the story. I also loved that we got to see old characters return again and I'm looking forward to London's book (which I imagine is next in the series...?).
Some things I didn't like. There were shoots of great ideas in this book but they never fully got a chance to bloom. Taylor's learning disorder is a wonderful addition, but it comes so late it doesn't get a chance to be used as part of the wider narrative. Also the conflict with her brother felt entirely unnecessary and made her come off as mean and a bit of a steam-roller (that happens multiple times in the book). I didn't understand WHY this problem happened. With a bit more development, I feel it could have been better executed as a wider part of the narrative. Also - the book is sold on a 'fake dating trope' thing and that...just kind of happens for a couple of chapters and then it stops. Another thing that I feel, with a bit more time, could have made the plot really sparkle.
'The Dating Playbook' is a sort-of sequel, in that it takes place in the same world, but this time follows Taylor, one of the other 'Craig Girls'. Taylor, a fitness coach, is hired by a pro football player to help him get ready to rejoin a professional team.
Some things I liked - I thought the additional grief aspect to Jamar's character was really interesting. We got to spend a lot of time in his head and, from reading the author's note, you can see just how personal this storyline was to them. Jamar, overall, was a really great character. He had depth and shades of light and grey, which made him that much more interesting to read about. Obviously, the book is a little steamy - a bit 'avoid-y' for my tastes, but the scenes are always a great addition to the story. I also loved that we got to see old characters return again and I'm looking forward to London's book (which I imagine is next in the series...?).
Some things I didn't like. There were shoots of great ideas in this book but they never fully got a chance to bloom. Taylor's learning disorder is a wonderful addition, but it comes so late it doesn't get a chance to be used as part of the wider narrative. Also the conflict with her brother felt entirely unnecessary and made her come off as mean and a bit of a steam-roller (that happens multiple times in the book). I didn't understand WHY this problem happened. With a bit more development, I feel it could have been better executed as a wider part of the narrative. Also - the book is sold on a 'fake dating trope' thing and that...just kind of happens for a couple of chapters and then it stops. Another thing that I feel, with a bit more time, could have made the plot really sparkle.
I enjoyed this book so much more than the first book in the series, I really enjoyed the two main characters, the fake dating, their chemistry, and the way their relationship develops. I also really appreciated the friendship between women and the way learning disabilities were addressed. This book is definitely not very plot-heavy but I didn't mind that too much. The one thing that I will say is that the steamy scenes are not that steamy.
DNF. I really really really wanted to enjoy this book but couldn't as the constant discussion of exercise and diet started triggering my body dysmorphia. I made it 22% and was absolutely miserable. I get that Taylor's job is being a personal trainer and nutritionist but it didn't need to be so heavily on page for her competence in her career to be apparent (there are entire sports romances without a sport ever actually being played). It was just a lot for me and I needed to stop reading. The book itself is well written and I may return to it in the future when I'm in a better head space.
Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the ARC.
Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the ARC.