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theb00kelf's review against another edition
2.0
I-am dat o șansă, pentru că simțeam nevoia de un romance în perioada respectivă. Am ales romanul greșit, din câte se pare.
Romanul urmărește povestea unei fete "invizibile" celor din jur, dar viața ei ia o turnură neașteptată când West se infiltrează în spațiul ei. Cu toate astea, West este "băiatul rău", participând la lupte ilegale după ce apare misterios în orașul ei.
Vreau să încep prin a spune că, dacă mai trebuia să citesc fie și o singură dată despre cât de diferită este Grace față de alte fete abandonam cartea. Având în vedere că s-a îndrăgostit de băiatul pe care toate fetele din facultatea respectivă îl plac, nu e prea diferită, nu-i așa?
Povestea în sine avea un mare potențial, datorită poveștii de viață a lui Grace, dar mi s-a părut că povestea de dragoste dintre ea și West nu a mers în direcția în care voiam eu să meargă. Aș fi vrut o poveste mai diferită, în sensul că erau detalii acolo care nu mi s-au părut necesare.
Nu m-a dat pe spate nici West, sinceră să fiu. Tipicul băiat "rău" de care se îndrăgostește tipica fată "invizibilă". Nu că ar fi ceva rău cu asta, dar West mi s-a părut toxic, indiferent că acțiunile lui aveau sau nu intenția de a o răni pe Grace. Finalul a fost ceea ce te așteptai să fie, dată fiind povestea.
Este o carte potrivită celor ce iubesc ideea de bad boy-good girl, dar modul în care s-a desfășurat povestea nu a fost pentru mine.
Romanul urmărește povestea unei fete "invizibile" celor din jur, dar viața ei ia o turnură neașteptată când West se infiltrează în spațiul ei. Cu toate astea, West este "băiatul rău", participând la lupte ilegale după ce apare misterios în orașul ei.
Vreau să încep prin a spune că, dacă mai trebuia să citesc fie și o singură dată despre cât de diferită este Grace față de alte fete abandonam cartea. Având în vedere că s-a îndrăgostit de băiatul pe care toate fetele din facultatea respectivă îl plac, nu e prea diferită, nu-i așa?
Povestea în sine avea un mare potențial, datorită poveștii de viață a lui Grace, dar mi s-a părut că povestea de dragoste dintre ea și West nu a mers în direcția în care voiam eu să meargă. Aș fi vrut o poveste mai diferită, în sensul că erau detalii acolo care nu mi s-au părut necesare.
Nu m-a dat pe spate nici West, sinceră să fiu. Tipicul băiat "rău" de care se îndrăgostește tipica fată "invizibilă". Nu că ar fi ceva rău cu asta, dar West mi s-a părut toxic, indiferent că acțiunile lui aveau sau nu intenția de a o răni pe Grace. Finalul a fost ceea ce te așteptai să fie, dată fiind povestea.
Este o carte potrivită celor ce iubesc ideea de bad boy-good girl, dar modul în care s-a desfășurat povestea nu a fost pentru mine.
bookishreverie's review against another edition
5.0
Best of 2020
Playing with Fire has just hit one of my top books of 2020. This story gave me so much more than I could have imagined I needed. I went on an emotional roller coaster as I read this and I couldn’t be happier with where I ended up.
Grace is a strong and sassy heroine and West has a depth that I always look for in a hero. LJ Shen showcased an unexpected couple that I was a bit hesitant of at first, but blew me out of the water by the end.
Grace is living in a small college town, working at a Food truck and trying to keep to herself. Her past traumas define who she is and she doesn’t let others in. West is the school bad boy- unattainable, cruel, and a loner putting on appearances. Neither of these characters knew they needed someone to help them out of their pasts so they could live in the day and for the future, but they end up being that for each other.
Great read - get this book now!
Playing with Fire has just hit one of my top books of 2020. This story gave me so much more than I could have imagined I needed. I went on an emotional roller coaster as I read this and I couldn’t be happier with where I ended up.
Grace is a strong and sassy heroine and West has a depth that I always look for in a hero. LJ Shen showcased an unexpected couple that I was a bit hesitant of at first, but blew me out of the water by the end.
Grace is living in a small college town, working at a Food truck and trying to keep to herself. Her past traumas define who she is and she doesn’t let others in. West is the school bad boy- unattainable, cruel, and a loner putting on appearances. Neither of these characters knew they needed someone to help them out of their pasts so they could live in the day and for the future, but they end up being that for each other.
Great read - get this book now!
encore_un_chapitre_et_dodo's review against another edition
4.0
Quand je suis en panne de lecture, rien de tel qu’une romance avec des personnages qui souffrent et qui vont (re)trouver la paix pour m’en sortir.
Je suis une adepte des happy-endings, on se refait pas.
Comme dans toutes ces romances (le trope est hyper classique, mais je ne m’en lasse pas encore), ce n’est pas dans la destination que réside l’intérêt mais dans le chemin.
J’ai trouvé que Tex s’apitoyer un peu sur son sort mais je n’ai pas pu lui en vouloir. Elle a subi un drame terrible et à essayer de tout mener de front par la suite.
Mais j’ai beaucoup apprécié son évolution, quand elle se rend compte qu’accepter l’aide qui lui est offert n’est pas une faiblesse mais une force. Le retour de sa confiance en elle, bien qu’il passe par le regard de West, est un processus lent mais certain.
West, le Garçon en Colère, quant à lui, saigne et éclabousse tout le monde de son sang au passage. La ressemblance de son histoire avec celle de Tex fair qu’il va être attiré, malgré lui, par elle et qu’il va aussi apprendre à continuer à vivre, comme elle le fait.
Playing with fire est un page turner que j’ai dévoré, même si certains rebondissements sont convenus (et d’autres un peu surprenants).
Cependant, j’aimerais que le « tout est bien qui finit bien » de ces histoires se traduisent par autre chose que « mariage » et « bébé ». Y a d’autres moyens d’avoir un happy ending
Je suis une adepte des happy-endings, on se refait pas.
Comme dans toutes ces romances (le trope est hyper classique, mais je ne m’en lasse pas encore), ce n’est pas dans la destination que réside l’intérêt mais dans le chemin.
J’ai trouvé que Tex s’apitoyer un peu sur son sort mais je n’ai pas pu lui en vouloir. Elle a subi un drame terrible et à essayer de tout mener de front par la suite.
Mais j’ai beaucoup apprécié son évolution, quand elle se rend compte qu’accepter l’aide qui lui est offert n’est pas une faiblesse mais une force. Le retour de sa confiance en elle, bien qu’il passe par le regard de West, est un processus lent mais certain.
West, le Garçon en Colère, quant à lui, saigne et éclabousse tout le monde de son sang au passage. La ressemblance de son histoire avec celle de Tex fair qu’il va être attiré, malgré lui, par elle et qu’il va aussi apprendre à continuer à vivre, comme elle le fait.
Playing with fire est un page turner que j’ai dévoré, même si certains rebondissements sont convenus (et d’autres un peu surprenants).
Cependant, j’aimerais que le « tout est bien qui finit bien » de ces histoires se traduisent par autre chose que « mariage » et « bébé ». Y a d’autres moyens d’avoir un happy ending
beckyrendon's review against another edition
5.0
You will be burned!
I would love to feign surprise that LJ Shen made me cry but I'm not that good an actress. I am an emotional reader. I always have been. I have to assume in order to make a reader feel it, the author does too. I honestly don't know if LJ cries, throws tantrums/rages, or sits primly at her desk and types 9-5 until she is done and I don't want to. I want to believe that she felt every hurt, every tear, every lash of disappointment/heartache/painful memories because that is how I experienced Playing with Fire. I said experienced, because I did. I didn't read it and go on my merry way. This book is a live action movie playing in your mind. The words the script. Your emotions the proof that its a blockbuster.
The title, Playing with Fire, is undoubtedly the most apt title ever. I completely understand why LJ Shen sat on it for what seemed like forever. Even the title evokes feelings and emotions...the most difficult part is that they change, morph, and adapt throughout the book. Just when you think you know...you have no idea.
Grace and West are a dream, a goal, and an ideal. Their paths are chaotic, crumbled, and filled with shadows but when they merge and become one- it is breathtaking.
Prepare yourself for waterworks, overly emotional responses, and a need for chocolate/wine/or whatever your soothing method of choice is because it may take awhile before your smile becomes a megawatt grin you can't contain. Also, please use food trucks responsibly some of us are in fear of our next taco!
I would love to feign surprise that LJ Shen made me cry but I'm not that good an actress. I am an emotional reader. I always have been. I have to assume in order to make a reader feel it, the author does too. I honestly don't know if LJ cries, throws tantrums/rages, or sits primly at her desk and types 9-5 until she is done and I don't want to. I want to believe that she felt every hurt, every tear, every lash of disappointment/heartache/painful memories because that is how I experienced Playing with Fire. I said experienced, because I did. I didn't read it and go on my merry way. This book is a live action movie playing in your mind. The words the script. Your emotions the proof that its a blockbuster.
The title, Playing with Fire, is undoubtedly the most apt title ever. I completely understand why LJ Shen sat on it for what seemed like forever. Even the title evokes feelings and emotions...the most difficult part is that they change, morph, and adapt throughout the book. Just when you think you know...you have no idea.
Grace and West are a dream, a goal, and an ideal. Their paths are chaotic, crumbled, and filled with shadows but when they merge and become one- it is breathtaking.
Prepare yourself for waterworks, overly emotional responses, and a need for chocolate/wine/or whatever your soothing method of choice is because it may take awhile before your smile becomes a megawatt grin you can't contain. Also, please use food trucks responsibly some of us are in fear of our next taco!
dinx219's review against another edition
4.0
This was different and refreshing. I love that the main character, Grace, was not a picture perfect Barbie doll. She was physically flawed in appearance, her skin having been marred by fire when she was young, but more than that, she was still so strong, intelligent, funny, and beautiful.
She had been through a lot in her young life. Not only did she lose her mother as a toddler, but she also suffered the physical damage of a house fire, and was caring for her grandmother, who had Alzheimers. Life was not kind to her, but she never gave up. She really was a spitfire and the perfect match for the hero of the story, West. He was hard and unattached from the world, having a past and secrets of his own. He shut everyone out, feeling unworthy of love and kindness. That is until he met Grace (a.k.a. Tex). She changed everything for him. They changed everything for each other.
There are definitely up and downs in their story, and you will feel lots of emotions while reading. You'll laugh, cry and swoon. L.J. never lets you down. This was such a good book. So happy I got it in my Bookworm Box subscription.
She had been through a lot in her young life. Not only did she lose her mother as a toddler, but she also suffered the physical damage of a house fire, and was caring for her grandmother, who had Alzheimers. Life was not kind to her, but she never gave up. She really was a spitfire and the perfect match for the hero of the story, West. He was hard and unattached from the world, having a past and secrets of his own. He shut everyone out, feeling unworthy of love and kindness. That is until he met Grace (a.k.a. Tex). She changed everything for him. They changed everything for each other.
There are definitely up and downs in their story, and you will feel lots of emotions while reading. You'll laugh, cry and swoon. L.J. never lets you down. This was such a good book. So happy I got it in my Bookworm Box subscription.
jane_kelsey's review against another edition
4.0
Actually really enjoyed this. I would've given it 5 stars, but sometimes the characters grated on me, but it was a good read overall. Good plot and the writing was well done.
toddie09's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
literaryheartstrings's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0