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accal1a's review
4.0
I read this book in one sitting. It was fantastic. Roly and Heath are both brilliant characters and the worldbuilding is really coming into its own now.
Can't wait for the next one!
Can't wait for the next one!
vj1990's review
1.0
DNF at 47%
I try really hard to finish books because I absolutely hate quitting at anything and I try to give all books a real chance to improve later on, but something about the way this was written just got in the way. It felt like I was dropped into the middle of a story with no way of understanding the context. To be fair, I only realized afterwards that this was the third book in the series, but it also didn't seem to be advertised as not being a stand-alone. Nevertheless, there was an insanely large cast of secondary characters who were impossible to keep straight for me. Sometimes, this works, but here it felt like I couldn't connect to anyone. (While I will say that part of the problem was me starting in the middle of the series, a whole lot of characters were external to the whole series, so it's not all on me I think.)
Also, for whatever reason, I really disliked Roly. I'm not entirely sure why, but something about him just got to me in a bad way, and it was hard to recover from that. The writing was also really choppy, and I found it difficult to stay engaged as I read. I started skimming about 30% of the way in and then eventually skipped to the end before putting it down. All in all, this book just wasn't for me, though others have clearly felt differently.
I try really hard to finish books because I absolutely hate quitting at anything and I try to give all books a real chance to improve later on, but something about the way this was written just got in the way. It felt like I was dropped into the middle of a story with no way of understanding the context. To be fair, I only realized afterwards that this was the third book in the series, but it also didn't seem to be advertised as not being a stand-alone. Nevertheless, there was an insanely large cast of secondary characters who were impossible to keep straight for me. Sometimes, this works, but here it felt like I couldn't connect to anyone. (While I will say that part of the problem was me starting in the middle of the series, a whole lot of characters were external to the whole series, so it's not all on me I think.)
Also, for whatever reason, I really disliked Roly. I'm not entirely sure why, but something about him just got to me in a bad way, and it was hard to recover from that. The writing was also really choppy, and I found it difficult to stay engaged as I read. I started skimming about 30% of the way in and then eventually skipped to the end before putting it down. All in all, this book just wasn't for me, though others have clearly felt differently.
isalaur's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this third book in the Wrecked series. It has all the feels and I spent a good deal of the time either with a heartache or with tears flowing. Fox knows just how to write to get you wrapped up completely in her characters’ emotions.
The MCs this time around are Roly, the co-owner of the gym Wrecked and Heath, a man who despises Roly for the way he treated him when they were all in high school. Of course, Roly has always had a crush on Heath and now Heath fits the perfect mold of the men (bears) that Roly is interested in. Roly has made significant changes in his life as a result of an awful incident suffered while he was a Navy SEAL in Iraq. He has tried to be a better person and it kills him that Heath doesn’t like him. He tries a number of times to make things up to him, with awful results.
As the story progresses, we learn much more about the backgrounds of the MCs and while Roly’s high school behavior isn’t excused it is explained as are the incidents that led to his reformation. I’m not sure I quite get the connect between his actions at a party in Iraq and the subsequent horrendous event and I don’t see why Roly is punishing himself the way he is but I do get that Roly feels it and that is what is most important. The crisis moments are raw and emotionally gutting. The issue that comes to a head related to Roly’s war experience is a bit harder for me to wrap my head around. Maybe it needed more background from the other character’s perspective as it seems to undercut the previous versions of the story that we’ve heard. (Why would that character have that opinion or information if the other person involved did not hold a grudge?)
Those are minor issues and possibly just my own brain cells not connecting the dots as well as someone else’s might. There are also several editing issues and proofreading issues which I always find bothersome but even more so when there are specific author notes thanking someone for their editing and proofreading services.
None of those things are enough to take away the emotional impact of this story and the important message it sends, like the previous books in the series, about the plight of so many veterans. I was completely sucked in by the story, staying up all night to finish it as I didn’t want to put it down. These kinds of next-day book hangovers are the best kind.
I highly recommend this book, in fact the whole series. I’d recommend reading the books in order in order to fully appreciate the role of the other characters in this book’s storyline.
**I voluntarily read an ARC and this is my objective review.**
The MCs this time around are Roly, the co-owner of the gym Wrecked and Heath, a man who despises Roly for the way he treated him when they were all in high school. Of course, Roly has always had a crush on Heath and now Heath fits the perfect mold of the men (bears) that Roly is interested in. Roly has made significant changes in his life as a result of an awful incident suffered while he was a Navy SEAL in Iraq. He has tried to be a better person and it kills him that Heath doesn’t like him. He tries a number of times to make things up to him, with awful results.
As the story progresses, we learn much more about the backgrounds of the MCs and while Roly’s high school behavior isn’t excused it is explained as are the incidents that led to his reformation. I’m not sure I quite get the connect between his actions at a party in Iraq and the subsequent horrendous event and I don’t see why Roly is punishing himself the way he is but I do get that Roly feels it and that is what is most important. The crisis moments are raw and emotionally gutting. The issue that comes to a head related to Roly’s war experience is a bit harder for me to wrap my head around. Maybe it needed more background from the other character’s perspective as it seems to undercut the previous versions of the story that we’ve heard. (Why would that character have that opinion or information if the other person involved did not hold a grudge?)
Those are minor issues and possibly just my own brain cells not connecting the dots as well as someone else’s might. There are also several editing issues and proofreading issues which I always find bothersome but even more so when there are specific author notes thanking someone for their editing and proofreading services.
None of those things are enough to take away the emotional impact of this story and the important message it sends, like the previous books in the series, about the plight of so many veterans. I was completely sucked in by the story, staying up all night to finish it as I didn’t want to put it down. These kinds of next-day book hangovers are the best kind.
I highly recommend this book, in fact the whole series. I’d recommend reading the books in order in order to fully appreciate the role of the other characters in this book’s storyline.
**I voluntarily read an ARC and this is my objective review.**