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alwaysaclicheneveratrope's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
tense
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? Yes
4.25
emilyrpf's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
badhorsebinks's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
arinreads's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
that was so good, what the HELL
second chance romances are quite tricky to write, in my opinion, but i believe kit oliver has certainly managed to pull it off. gil's pov was actually heart-wrenching, and it somehow doesn't get any less so, as the book progresses.
my usual problem with contemporary romances is that everything around the characters isn't as three-dimensional as i'd like it to be, but in this case, it was perfect — family dynamics, gil's mental struggles, sebastian with his own life. i admit, i'm not really that much into hockey, so i don't know much about the specifics of that in the book, but i do truly think the book was fucking great
second chance romances are quite tricky to write, in my opinion, but i believe kit oliver has certainly managed to pull it off. gil's pov was actually heart-wrenching, and it somehow doesn't get any less so, as the book progresses.
my usual problem with contemporary romances is that everything around the characters isn't as three-dimensional as i'd like it to be, but in this case, it was perfect — family dynamics, gil's mental struggles, sebastian with his own life. i admit, i'm not really that much into hockey, so i don't know much about the specifics of that in the book, but i do truly think the book was fucking great
dpit's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
cjsimpson234's review against another edition
3.0
If I could do a half star I would. Sebastian was why I loved the majority of this book. Gil felt...almost absurd at times. Maybe it's because I have never played a sport but.
kberry513's review against another edition
3.0
I had high hopes for this one, but there was just too much that didn't make sense for me.
An NHL team, no matter how down on its luck, wouldn't be able to play in a rink that's in an old warehouse - other teams would refuse to play there - at the very least because if the ice isn't upkept properly it could lead to injuries and there's no way the other teams would allow it. Even if you can suspend disbelief that the home team would allow there to be virtually no staff, you'd need at least minimal security for when the truly famous teams are in town - people would drive/fly to see the opposing teams. Even college teams have security and upkept ice.
Sebastian ghosting Gil when they are teenagers is dumb since he knew Gil was being drafted, but fine. Sebastian ten years later being mad when he never communicated his feelings is annoying. If he took any kind of responsibility for it, I would feel differently. And maybe if it was a dual POV book and we saw his thought process the way we do Gil's, that would also make a difference. But why is he being so mysterious I about his kid and his life? Also someone who has created and sold two tech startups in ten years absolutely has less time for you and your family than a professional athlete bc at least athletes have an off season. It would have been more believable if he and his ex husband split up because of that rather than bc he never really loved him. Also, their kid is two and was presumably either adopted or born through surrogacy. Did they try to save their marriage with a kid? I just found it annoying that Gil gives Sebastian the power the entire time, respecting it when Sebastian shuts him down and basically lets Seb toy with him while he figures himself out, and then Sebastian gets mad when Gil can't read his mind. The whole time, Gil has been transparent about wanting to be traded, Sebastian has not asked him to stay, and then he gets mad when Gil mentions being traded.
Not only that, but players are traded all the time. It's the initial plot point. Someone coaching an NHL team would know that it's always a possibility.
Rounding my 2.5 to a 3 because it was a quick fluffy read. I received a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
An NHL team, no matter how down on its luck, wouldn't be able to play in a rink that's in an old warehouse - other teams would refuse to play there - at the very least because if the ice isn't upkept properly it could lead to injuries and there's no way the other teams would allow it. Even if you can suspend disbelief that the home team would allow there to be virtually no staff, you'd need at least minimal security for when the truly famous teams are in town - people would drive/fly to see the opposing teams. Even college teams have security and upkept ice.
Sebastian ghosting Gil when they are teenagers is dumb since he knew Gil was being drafted, but fine. Sebastian ten years later being mad when he never communicated his feelings is annoying. If he took any kind of responsibility for it, I would feel differently. And maybe if it was a dual POV book and we saw his thought process the way we do Gil's, that would also make a difference. But why is he being so mysterious I about his kid and his life? Also someone who has created and sold two tech startups in ten years absolutely has less time for you and your family than a professional athlete bc at least athletes have an off season. It would have been more believable if he and his ex husband split up because of that rather than bc he never really loved him. Also, their kid is two and was presumably either adopted or born through surrogacy. Did they try to save their marriage with a kid? I just found it annoying that Gil gives Sebastian the power the entire time, respecting it when Sebastian shuts him down and basically lets Seb toy with him while he figures himself out, and then Sebastian gets mad when Gil can't read his mind. The whole time, Gil has been transparent about wanting to be traded, Sebastian has not asked him to stay, and then he gets mad when Gil mentions being traded.
Not only that, but players are traded all the time. It's the initial plot point. Someone coaching an NHL team would know that it's always a possibility.
Rounding my 2.5 to a 3 because it was a quick fluffy read. I received a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
kay_kris's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-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? Yes
4.75
michaelamaher's review against another edition
The book and the story line aren’t bad, it’s actually interesting. I’m just not immersed or invested in the characters. And I have no urge to continue to pick the book up. I read another book by this author and I enjoyed it but this one just isn’t for me