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sasukekun's review against another edition
2.0
This started out interesting at first. And funny. The dialogue was hilarious, but once or twice, the humor went overboard and just seemed corny. I finished the whole book, but after they have gotten together, which was around the middle of the book...I lost a bit of interest. There wasn't enough depth. The chemistry between Katie and Paul was good. I thought it was well-tempered. The sex was alright. It was more of a fade-out, but the tension was entertaining enough. The romance factor was good. They didn't fall in love all of a sudden, so I would say that the pace wasn't bad. An okay read.
I'd give it a 2 < x < 3 rating.
I'd give it a 2 < x < 3 rating.
meghansio's review against another edition
3.0
I love nerd/jock stories. I'm a sucker for them. Although I had decided last year to skip any more of this series, when I ran across this one, i had to read it. And I am glad that I did, it was enjoyable.
Although Katie also lived in a world of Denial (I've only read two books this year and both have Katherine's that live in a world of denial), I enjoyed her much more because she admits to her mistakes and accepts the consequences without doing a complete 180. I loved the nerd and the sociology angle. To be honest, that would be a sociology book I would be interested in reading. I loved that there was hockey in the novel-as it should (one of my issues with a prior-read book) but I liked that it wasn't necessarily the Blades hockey team. I enjoyed that there are flawed characters-something that Martin does well and not all of them find tidy closure.
I liked Paul although I didn't like that his real interest in Katie didn't occur until she was 'hot' and only that brief 'he'd always liked Katie...' bit. But I liked that he made bad decisions (one night stand with Liz) as well as good ones (SPOILER; breaking up with Katie to save himself the pain but not being a dick to her about it or after END SPOILER).
I also liked that the relationship kept growing even when they were not actually together and that the "love" wasn't instant. I liked that it was allowed to grow in normal time like a normal relationship.
Although Katie also lived in a world of Denial (I've only read two books this year and both have Katherine's that live in a world of denial), I enjoyed her much more because she admits to her mistakes and accepts the consequences without doing a complete 180. I loved the nerd and the sociology angle. To be honest, that would be a sociology book I would be interested in reading. I loved that there was hockey in the novel-as it should (one of my issues with a prior-read book) but I liked that it wasn't necessarily the Blades hockey team. I enjoyed that there are flawed characters-something that Martin does well and not all of them find tidy closure.
I liked Paul although I didn't like that his real interest in Katie didn't occur until she was 'hot' and only that brief 'he'd always liked Katie...' bit. But I liked that he made bad decisions (one night stand with Liz) as well as good ones (SPOILER; breaking up with Katie to save himself the pain but not being a dick to her about it or after END SPOILER).
I also liked that the relationship kept growing even when they were not actually together and that the "love" wasn't instant. I liked that it was allowed to grow in normal time like a normal relationship.
avid_read's review
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
cawier's review against another edition
2.0
When you're fat, you're miserable; when you're thin, things go your way. Katie was fat in high school and everyone picked on her. At her 10-year reunion, she's thin and people like her, including the hottie former hockey star (who tormented her in high school but only did it because his girlfriend made him, so it's pretty easy for Katie to forgive him) and the formerly thin, currently fat (karma?), popular girl. Katie, in my opinion, is nothing more than a MarySue, a stand-in for the author. This book is hooey and the only reasons I gave it 2 stars are these: 1) it's got a slight hockey theme, and 2) the story of Katie's sister and nephew rings very true.
meeks3's review against another edition
2.0
The Penalty Box has a very promising premise: The nerdy overweight girl from high school has returned to town for the 10 year reunion and she's now this super hot chick with a fabulous job. After running into the most popular guy/jock who used to torment her in school hijinks ensue. A predictable outline, but not bad.
Unfortunately for The Penalty Box the characters start to wear on the reader after about a third of the book. There's only so much of listening to Katie discuss how much she wants to not repeat her past and how much Paul wishes he were still living his before you get bored. Then there is Mina, Katie's sister, who is just a complete bitch the entire book. Regardless of the fact that she is going through rehab and then trying to sort her life out, she had absolutely no redeeming qualities. I found myself thinking that if she died everybody in the story would be better off without her. The flow of the book was felt very jilted at times too. I felt like sometimes the story went from A to D without every explaining B and C.
Overall, I doubt that I would ever read this again and I'd be very hesitant to read anything else from Deirdre Martin if this is how she normally writes.
Unfortunately for The Penalty Box the characters start to wear on the reader after about a third of the book. There's only so much of listening to Katie discuss how much she wants to not repeat her past and how much Paul wishes he were still living his before you get bored. Then there is Mina, Katie's sister, who is just a complete bitch the entire book. Regardless of the fact that she is going through rehab and then trying to sort her life out, she had absolutely no redeeming qualities. I found myself thinking that if she died everybody in the story would be better off without her. The flow of the book was felt very jilted at times too. I felt like sometimes the story went from A to D without every explaining B and C.
Overall, I doubt that I would ever read this again and I'd be very hesitant to read anything else from Deirdre Martin if this is how she normally writes.
lydiaewinters's review against another edition
2.0
DNF'd after four chapters. The fatphobia was unreal. And other reviewers confirmed that it would only get worse. I'd try another book from this author though, based on reviews this one was a dud.
kayleigh_reads_romance's review against another edition
3.0
This used to be a four star for me but I had to bring it down to a 3. While I still like the characters and the story, there are a lot of problematic things I didn’t notice the first times I read it. Like the whole ‘fat fighters’ premise.
whiskeyinthejar's review against another edition
5.0
What is it about a Deirdre Martin book that I get giddy excited just reading the first sentence of the book? The character of Katie and Paul are classic Deirdre Martin, real- with all their flaws and insecurities.
I was a little astonished at how soon Katie gets over her embarrassment and nervousness around Paul; they end up sleeping together on their second date, the first date she ended up throwing up.
Have I mentioned I love the humor Deirdre Martin writes in her books, because I do, I really do. I laughed myself silly when Katie and Paul are busted having an afternoon sleepover by Katie's mom, really great comedic scenes. The situations she puts her characters into could be taken right out of everyday life and the way they react is so normal and real. Well real if every lady had an ex-NHLer drooling after them as is the case in this book.
Oh God, a big thank-you to the character "Snake" for giving one of the best lines I have read in 2009: "Sports ain’t macho unless something dies.” Anyway I like how Martin always pairs hilarious situations with a side storyline which involves a deep emotional real-life problem. In this case Katie's sister is a recovering druggie who is in rehab while her son is staying with their mom and Katie is helping to take care of him. Emotional stuff which somewhat steals the spotlight from the romance storyline of the book, but done so well I didn't really mind.
This book is all about if you can go home again, family dynamics, coming to terms with your past and future, and what you really want out of life. Sometimes the romance aspect of the story takes a backseat, but I didn't mind, well ok I started to mind when the last 30 pages or so had basically no interaction between Katie and Paul. The ending was a bit abrupt and a tad unsatisfactory, give me a little more here Martin! However, I love books which make you feel, think, and question what is important in your own life; this book certainly does all that. The first 90% of the book was really great and even though the last 10% of the book started to drag with its lack of romance, I am still going to make this book a personal keeper. (My love for the NHL absolutely didn't influence this decision at all, really....ok maybe a little)
A-
I was a little astonished at how soon Katie gets over her embarrassment and nervousness around Paul; they end up sleeping together on their second date, the first date she ended up throwing up.
Have I mentioned I love the humor Deirdre Martin writes in her books, because I do, I really do. I laughed myself silly when Katie and Paul are busted having an afternoon sleepover by Katie's mom, really great comedic scenes. The situations she puts her characters into could be taken right out of everyday life and the way they react is so normal and real. Well real if every lady had an ex-NHLer drooling after them as is the case in this book.
Oh God, a big thank-you to the character "Snake" for giving one of the best lines I have read in 2009: "Sports ain’t macho unless something dies.” Anyway I like how Martin always pairs hilarious situations with a side storyline which involves a deep emotional real-life problem. In this case Katie's sister is a recovering druggie who is in rehab while her son is staying with their mom and Katie is helping to take care of him. Emotional stuff which somewhat steals the spotlight from the romance storyline of the book, but done so well I didn't really mind.
This book is all about if you can go home again, family dynamics, coming to terms with your past and future, and what you really want out of life. Sometimes the romance aspect of the story takes a backseat, but I didn't mind, well ok I started to mind when the last 30 pages or so had basically no interaction between Katie and Paul. The ending was a bit abrupt and a tad unsatisfactory, give me a little more here Martin! However, I love books which make you feel, think, and question what is important in your own life; this book certainly does all that. The first 90% of the book was really great and even though the last 10% of the book started to drag with its lack of romance, I am still going to make this book a personal keeper. (My love for the NHL absolutely didn't influence this decision at all, really....ok maybe a little)
A-
island_reader's review against another edition
2.0
Unfortunately, I'm going to have to DNF this one on page 145 (42%). I don't like the characters and don't like the story. Rating it 2 stars because I enjoyed the book in the beginning and I'm basing off my ratings for the other books in the series. I don't think I'll continue with the series though as it's just not my thing anymore.