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wellreadandhalfdead's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
There were so many times I wanted to stop reading this book because I disliked it so much, but I continued because I was almost done. I wish I had stopped reading because I liked the end about the same as the rest, which is to say I didn't like it much. I'll start with what I did like:
The main character is a survivor of rape. The rape is discussed but happens before the book begins and it has consequences for her life. However, she is not a broken person, as many rape survivors are portrayed. It deeply affected her but she is able to get treatment and continue on to a promising life. I thought this was wonderful because it's so rare to see a portrayal like that. I also thought the banter between the two leads was pretty cute.
The banter, though, was also part of my problem: every character had the same voice. They had the same sense of humor, and they even used the same slang. My other problem with the banter and the attitudes of the characters in general was the rampant misogyny. It's standard mid-2010's misogyny, i.e. girls are overemotional and willing to sleep with guys for status, and men are driven by primal urges instead of their brains. It's stuff that's aged like milk and left a similar bad taste in my mouth. The heroine, Hannah, has an overwhelming "not like other girls" quality that is obnoxious. The story thinks that because she's not blonde and skinny, she is a rarity, which really speaks to the author's limited imagination more than anything else. I found that the trope that the story is based on, the "fake dating" trope, was all that made the story interesting, and that was resolved halfway through the book; after that, there wasn't a lot that was interesting. I was bored and annoyed, and mostly just wished I could rewind time to before I started the book.
The main character is a survivor of rape. The rape is discussed but happens before the book begins and it has consequences for her life. However, she is not a broken person, as many rape survivors are portrayed. It deeply affected her but she is able to get treatment and continue on to a promising life. I thought this was wonderful because it's so rare to see a portrayal like that. I also thought the banter between the two leads was pretty cute.
The banter, though, was also part of my problem: every character had the same voice. They had the same sense of humor, and they even used the same slang. My other problem with the banter and the attitudes of the characters in general was the rampant misogyny. It's standard mid-2010's misogyny, i.e. girls are overemotional and willing to sleep with guys for status, and men are driven by primal urges instead of their brains. It's stuff that's aged like milk and left a similar bad taste in my mouth. The heroine, Hannah, has an overwhelming "not like other girls" quality that is obnoxious. The story thinks that because she's not blonde and skinny, she is a rarity, which really speaks to the author's limited imagination more than anything else. I found that the trope that the story is based on, the "fake dating" trope, was all that made the story interesting, and that was resolved halfway through the book; after that, there wasn't a lot that was interesting. I was bored and annoyed, and mostly just wished I could rewind time to before I started the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Alcohol, and Sexual content
Moderate: Rape and Child abuse
girlgetsbook's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
This is the worst book I've ever read and I feel like I lost all my brain cells reading it, it's just full to the brim with misogyny and sexism and there's even a sprinkle of homophobia there as well, and to make matters worse most of the misogyny comes from the main female character, she just constantly is putting other women down, being a not like other girls girl and playing into harmful and sexist stereotypes. Aside from that the writing was like the worst wattpad fanfiction you could find, I'm convinced people who recommend this are joking about liking it because there's no way this book is so beloved by so many people, let alone by women. It has some heavy topics sprinkled out that no one warned me about and it really is jarring to see them in the story in juxtaposition with the silly writing that tries to be sexy all the time. Overall I had more fun reading through my notes (because I've spent three months reading this book) than actually reading the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Sexism, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Homophobia
mariarose0523's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
MEH. The writing style and references were quite dated at times. It oddly enough felt like a man wrote this book at certain points. Some of the FMC's perspectives and internal dialogue was borderline misogynistic, and at times felt like it was written more for the male gaze.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny
missgarceau's review
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I think if a book is going to contain details of SA/Domestic Abuse & Mental Health Disorders- an author TW forward would be appreciated.
This is a “pool book” & maybe 2/5 spice or about medium spice.
It’s about what you’d expect for a college sports romance. It’s was a quick read.
This is a “pool book” & maybe 2/5 spice or about medium spice.
It’s about what you’d expect for a college sports romance. It’s was a quick read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Rape, and Sexual assault
adinadragos's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
A colossal waste of time full of casual misogyny, slut-shaming and flat characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexism, Physical abuse, Body shaming, and Misogyny
jelavision's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.25
Certain parts of the book I enjoyed while other parts I disliked. I think the author did a well enough job with the heavier topics in the book. Other parts, like the constant sexist comments, I hated. Hannah and Garrett had great bantering chemistry, which made me root for them. I felt the book had a stronger start and middle but ended lacklusterly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Misogyny, Rape, and Sexism
Moderate: Child abuse and Domestic abuse
infectiousreading's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
tense
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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, and Physical abuse
kaykaysbookshelf's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
After learning that this author is harmful when it comes to wlw (women loving women) I do not feel comfortable rating this book. If you are unsure of what I am referencing, the TLDR version is that Elle Kennedy fetishizes wlw but says that she has no interest in writing a wlw story (keep in mind that she has written MM).
I was told that this book is popular among younger people on TikTok, which is fucking baffling to me. This book is NOT a good example of how women should be treated, and I hope that anyone reading this realizes that. You deserve better and if you think your partner is anything like Garrett or his friends, please just take a moment to really look at that relationship and make sure you are being treated fairly and respectfully.
The blatant misogyny throughout this book was so painful, that at times I thought this was a book written by a man. Women were treated as nothing but objects, only there to have sex with these hockey players. Even Hannah looked down on the women that they talked about, and acted like she was better then them. She was even rude to MJ when she got asked out because she just wasn't that pretty. What the fuck? On top of that, Garrett also refused to take no for an answer, forcing Hannah to tutor him and drink, which is not cool.
CW: Sexual Assault
My biggest problem with this book is how sexual assault and rape were portrayed. First off, Garrett compares having sex with a virgin to having sex with a rape survivor (he says victim which is not also not okay - you can google victim vs survivor mentality on that one), but anyways, he says the approach to sleeping with both are the same thing. After that quote, I was just fuming the rest of the book, it upset me so much because that is not even true and it belittles what she went through. She also constantly says that she needs to be fixed, which is not true. There's nothing wrong with her, and it was a perfect opportunity to open up a dialogue to that in the book, which didn't happen.
This book left such a sour taste in my mouth and ruined my entire day, and honestly, probably my whole week. There is no way I will be continuing this series, or reading anything else by her.
I was told that this book is popular among younger people on TikTok, which is fucking baffling to me. This book is NOT a good example of how women should be treated, and I hope that anyone reading this realizes that. You deserve better and if you think your partner is anything like Garrett or his friends, please just take a moment to really look at that relationship and make sure you are being treated fairly and respectfully.
The blatant misogyny throughout this book was so painful, that at times I thought this was a book written by a man. Women were treated as nothing but objects, only there to have sex with these hockey players. Even Hannah looked down on the women that they talked about, and acted like she was better then them. She was even rude to MJ when she got asked out because she just wasn't that pretty. What the fuck? On top of that, Garrett also refused to take no for an answer, forcing Hannah to tutor him and drink, which is not cool.
CW: Sexual Assault
My biggest problem with this book is how sexual assault and rape were portrayed. First off, Garrett compares having sex with a virgin to having sex with a rape survivor (he says victim which is not also not okay - you can google victim vs survivor mentality on that one), but anyways, he says the approach to sleeping with both are the same thing. After that quote, I was just fuming the rest of the book, it upset me so much because that is not even true and it belittles what she went through. She also constantly says that she needs to be fixed, which is not true. There's nothing wrong with her, and it was a perfect opportunity to open up a dialogue to that in the book, which didn't happen.
This book left such a sour taste in my mouth and ruined my entire day, and honestly, probably my whole week. There is no way I will be continuing this series, or reading anything else by her.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Body shaming, Misogyny, Bullying, and Child abuse
lifeofchrstnlvly's review
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Sometimes people sneak up on you and suddenly you don't know how you ever lived without them.
I started reading an e-book copy of this book around a year ago. Around the 80% mark, I couldn't finish it since I was enjoying it too much I wanted to read a physical copy. So I stopped. Last Christmas, my husband gifted me the entire off-campus series so I was really excited to read (and finish) it again.
I still love Garrett. He's still my book boyfriend even after reading a lot of romance books last year. You can't deny he had some character improvement (or at least he was on his way to becoming a better man) by the end of the book. As for Hannah, she was still a meh character for me mainly because she was a pushover.
It was a refreshing and enjoyable read. You can breeze through this book since the writing was easy to understand (perfect for those whose English is not their first language). EK knows how to make you swoon... and she definitely knows how to write smut.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual content, Sexism, and Rape
Moderate: Sexual assault
leonormsousa's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Grief, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual harassment, Addiction, Injury/Injury detail, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Stalking, and Violence