Reviews with content warning for Misogyny - Him

Reviews tagging 'Misogyny'

Him by Elle Kennedy, Sarina Bowen

6 reviews

laurensalisbury's review against another edition

The main character made a joke about STDs and called a woman a crazy bitch in the first four pages. Noped right out of there

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iamamyyyyy's review against another edition

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medium-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

2.0

I had high hopes for this book after seeing it recommended so much so I was blindsided by all the misogyny. I'm never happy to read misogyny in a romance, but there are books where it is at least somewhat related to the plot or something directed at a main character to make the reader root for them, something the main character has to overcome, whatever. Not great, but make it matter. But to just have our two male "heros" be the ones saying it and for none of those comments to serve the plot in anyway whatsoever? Took me out of the story every time (and there were so many!) and just left a bad taste in my mouth. Was it just to try to build personalities for the characters? Young hockey bros will be bros? I will not be checking out the sequel and will proceed with caution for both of these authors in the future.

On a lighter note, overall pretty steamy, but some of those scenes included some hilariously cringe lines.

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frantic_vampire's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted 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? It's complicated

4.0

I’ve fallen in love with yet another lgbtq+ hockey series and I’m not mad about it. I loved Jamie and Wes together. They were funny and sweet and still managed to be total sports dude-bros (in a good way😂).

One of the things that I absolutely loved about this book was the care that the authors took with Jamie figuring out his sexuality. We got to see him questioning what he thought he knew about himself and doing researching and finding a label that works for him. It was really nice, and it was refreshing to see someone going through that process. I feel like that piece is often left out of books were someone is figuring out they aren’t as straight as they thought they were. I also really appreciated Jamie’s family support structure. I loved that the only objection they had to Wes was the football team he was a fan of.

And I can’t forget about Wes! He was just the sweetest, angsty-est, goofball. I loved that he had this golden retriever energy about him and was willing to do literally anything for Jamie.

I think my only objections about this book were some of the wording/phrasing choices. Sometimes they took me out of the story, but otherwise I loved this book so much! I’m giving Him four stars and I can’t wait to get my grubby little hands on the next one.

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kaitlyng's review

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funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.0

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parasolcrafter's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted 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

2.5

this book was definitely...fine. its nothing groundbreaking, its nothing spectacular, but its not horrible either. its just...a fine book. i didnt know it would be so sex-heavy when i got into it so it was a little jarring - it really does turn out to be more porn that substance near the halfway mark - which is fine, i just wish everything else would have been developed more. like there should have been more tension and angst before there was any relationship development, but for what this book is, its okay. i guess the other books in the series can go more into depth on the two characters, but i dont have much hope bc this book was quite shallow :/

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wardenred's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted slow-paced

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

3.0

I’m comfortable with him. I have fun with him. I’m not trying to impress anyone. It’s…easy. Like splashing in the lake. But with orgasms.

This was firmly an okay book for me! I had a few fun evenings with hit, laughed at plenty of lines, got a big helping of The Feels, and overall enjoyed the characters, the banter, and the relationship. I liked how all the misunderstandings between Wes and Jamie were firmly grounded into the experiences that shaped each of their personalities and it was very clear why they couldn't immediately see things each other's way. At the same time, at some point I got a little tired of how much effort it kept costing them to actually talk things out instead of sweeping them under the rug and hoping for whatever. Especially because it was so clear that whenever they did let each other in, they worked wonderfully together.

I also liked how the main story intersected with the characters' memories of their shared teenage year—not just the event that pushed them apart for a long while, but also all the little things that brought them together in the first place. The side plots with the teenagers they were coaching and all the little moments around the camp were nice additions: entertaining and adding to the central storyline instead of distracting from it. I liked how the sex scenes were written—fun and hot and ultimately pushing the character arcs along instead of just existing for the hotness. Oh, and one more thin: I really liked Holly, even though she was supposed to be a bit of a threat to the MCs' relationship. :D

I appreciated how the story made a point of how homophobia sucks and how people can and should do better, even/especially in the competitive masculine sports environments, though I did feel it got a bit preachy on at least one occasion. At the same time, there was some oddness about how Wes treated Jamie's bi awakening that made me uncomfortable, and sometimes I felt the vibe there bordered on biphobic. "OMG, I hoped he might be bi, but I saw him about to enthusiastically have sex with a girl!" — well, how does that prove he's not bi? Having romantic and sexual relationships with the opposite gender is PART of the bi experience, not a contradiction! There was also a lot of small bits casual misogyny. Like, did you know there are two approaches to confusing mornings after: the chick way, where you actually talk things out with words, and the dude way, where you stew in your own feelings and act like nothing happened and maybe actually hurt yourself and the other person by all the extra confusion? And "the chick way" is somehow supposed to be worse. Ugh. Toxic masculinity makes so little sense when you look at it closely!

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