Reviews with content warning for Panic attacks/disorders - Tough Guy

Reviews tagging 'Panic attacks/disorders'

Tough Guy by Rachel Reid

17 reviews

levilore_'s review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This might have been my favorite book so far. I LOVED both these characters and the exploration of hockey as a system of violence was so well done. The other books had very pro hockey characters, which worked well for those stories, but it was an compelling story to follow a character who didn't like hockey anymore.

I loved how queer this book was, not just gay but truly queer and that was awesome to read in a sports romance. The exploration of anxiety, addition, and sexual intimacy was so well done!

Also

the ending where Shane and Illya were caught making out was so awesome and I loved seeing how Ryan and other players saw their relationshipfrom the outside.

I really appreciate how this series builds upon the previous books because it establishes how many different queer relationships are happening at the same time and how separate they all are.

I didn't expect to be so invested in this world building of a hockey romance series, but I'm eagerly awaiting for everyone to find out about Ilya and Shane.

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crystalmackey's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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thef1bookishgirlie's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny 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? Yes

3.75

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apolen's review against another edition

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5.0

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fuzzywilson's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

Content Warnings

zoiejanelle's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

this is straight up pornography.
like i’ve said before, this series can be hit or miss. i had mixed feelings about this one. i thought Ryan’s body issues and sexual dysfunction were really realistic, and the treatment of sex and intimacy was very healthy and realistic. Rachel Reid was definitely experimenting here with all the sex toys and sexual positions… and i wasn’t mad about it.
Ryan’s character arc flew by quickly, and i didn’t think he got the believable development he deserved. Fabian also had some inconsistent character traits, and the third act breakup felt like it was really out of the blue.
i did really like the exploration of anxiety and mental health, as that is apparently a big, important issue for the author. i felt like the depictions of social anxiety were really authentic, and i really empathized with Ryan throughout.
i totally understood the message here: don’t let your “dream” destroy you in the process. i liked THIS as a central conflict more than the outing/coming out plots that are way too common in this series. but i still think it needed some developmental work. i believe in my girl Rachel, though. she’ll get there!
i would maybe read this one again as a comfort read, but it’s not the best in the series.

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