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silverhill's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
A really sweet romance with a respectful MMC and some good spice.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Alcohol, Cancer, Chronic illness, and Toxic relationship
caitythekitten's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing
Moderate: Sexual content and Alcohol
Minor: Body shaming, Toxic relationship, Cancer, and Death of parent
amateur_bookworm's review against another edition
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
4.0
My summary: Pacey Lawes is the star goalie of the Vancouver Agitators. He and his teammates are staying at a cabin near Banff and licking their wounded pride after a tough playoff loss. During an epic rainstorm, a knock on their door brings in Winnie Berlin, whose car got stuck near their house. With nowhere else to stay, Winnie stays with them as a series of storms keeps her car stuck. As Winnie and Pacey hit it off, there’s an undeniable sense of being familiar to each other that they can’t place, when Pacey soon realizes that Winnie is the ex-girlfriend of his estranged half-brother. Despite falling for each other quickly, there are bumps in the road as Pacey is still working through a head injury suffered during the previous season and Winnie is reeling from a tragic loss.
My thoughts: The first book of the Vancouver Agitators is both a little cheesy and a lot adorable. This is a (mostly) lighthearted romance with some spice sprinkled in. The wittiness is cute, if not a little cringey, at times. It’s nice to see Winnie get some redemption after the sad events she’s lived through. I started this series out of order by reading the third book first, so I already knew how Winnie and Pacey’s story turned out, but it was fun to go back and read the story to see how it all started.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing
Moderate: Death of parent, Cancer, Grief, and Sexual content
Minor: Toxic relationship
bobbeym's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Misogyny
sarahholliday's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
On the whole, a fun and flirty read with lots of tropes to enjoy! You've got a mild "who hurt you?" alongside plenty of forced proximity.
The writing, while not *good* also wasn't bad enough to take me out of the story too much. I will say that the guys' dialogue (and Pacey's interior voice) very much read as being written by a woman. There was a lot of swinging back and forth between caricatures of athletic "bros" and over-the-top therapy talk.
I don't know if I'll pick up any other books in this series, but Kiss and Don't Tell was enjoyable enough as an escapist and steamy read.
EDIT: Okay, so after some further though I downgraded my rating from 3 stars to 2.5. Here are the main reasons why:
The writing, while not *good* also wasn't bad enough to take me out of the story too much. I will say that the guys' dialogue (and Pacey's interior voice) very much read as being written by a woman. There was a lot of swinging back and forth between caricatures of athletic "bros" and over-the-top therapy talk.
I don't know if I'll pick up any other books in this series, but Kiss and Don't Tell was enjoyable enough as an escapist and steamy read.
EDIT: Okay, so after some further though I downgraded my rating from 3 stars to 2.5. Here are the main reasons why:
- At 414 pages this book was WAY too long.
- There were so many weird decisions when it came to plot points and dialogue choices. The whole trophy thing? Half of Winnie's "I don't know what to say so I'll go with the most random, non-sensical thought that comes to mind" statements. One of the guys' obsession with bologna? Weird.
- Katherine's whole character. Completely unbelievable and another caricature instead of a nuanced character.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Cursing, Death of parent, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Cancer
jamiejanae_6's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
sad
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Sexual content, and Death of parent
Minor: Body shaming, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Toxic relationship
linnea_tornblom's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent
amanda_reads13's review
funny
lighthearted
fast-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
4.0
Yet another super cute and hilarious book by Meghan Quinn! There were so many moments that had me in stitches. I loved Winnie and Pacey together, they are absolutely adorable!
Winnie is going through a rough patch so she decides to go on a solo adventure to Banff. Unfortunately, her tiny car is not made for the mountainous dirt roads and she gets stuck in the mud. Stranded, she follows the only light she sees to a nearby house which happens to be occupied by 5 gorgeous hockey players.
I loved the dynamic of the 5 men. The witty banter and hilarious exchanges between them were perfection. I liked the variety of personalities, they weren't your stereotypical egotistical jocks. I adored the relationship the 5 men had with each other. They had each other's backs and were so honest with each other. When Pacey fucked up and when he needed them most, these men come to his rescue and are his support system.
Winnie has lost so much and has dealt with so much grief. She is head strong and has a hard time trusting (thanks Josh). She is working on building herself back up and healing. Being around these men brought some ease to her life, they helped her start to heal and helped her learn to trust again. Her friends add another funny edge to this book!
Pacey is so charming and adorable. He is a golden retriever at heart. He falls for Winnie fast and hard. There were times when I was so frustrated with the decisions he made, if only he had been 100% honest with Winnie and communicated with her. I understand why he didn't want to tell her when he figured out who she was, but he ended up handling that situation horribly. That said, does he ever come back with a BANG. He is able to slowly work toward winning back her trust and takes things at the pace she dictated. THE. ACTS. OF. SERVICE. He is so endearing, thoughtful, and caring.
Tropes: found family, hockey, forced proximity, he falls first, instalove-ish
Winnie is going through a rough patch so she decides to go on a solo adventure to Banff. Unfortunately, her tiny car is not made for the mountainous dirt roads and she gets stuck in the mud. Stranded, she follows the only light she sees to a nearby house which happens to be occupied by 5 gorgeous hockey players.
I loved the dynamic of the 5 men. The witty banter and hilarious exchanges between them were perfection. I liked the variety of personalities, they weren't your stereotypical egotistical jocks. I adored the relationship the 5 men had with each other. They had each other's backs and were so honest with each other. When Pacey fucked up and when he needed them most, these men come to his rescue and are his support system.
Winnie has lost so much and has dealt with so much grief. She is head strong and has a hard time trusting (thanks Josh). She is working on building herself back up and healing. Being around these men brought some ease to her life, they helped her start to heal and helped her learn to trust again. Her friends add another funny edge to this book!
Pacey is so charming and adorable. He is a golden retriever at heart. He falls for Winnie fast and hard. There were times when I was so frustrated with the decisions he made, if only he had been 100% honest with Winnie and communicated with her. I understand why he didn't want to tell her when he figured out who she was, but he ended up handling that situation horribly. That said, does he ever come back with a BANG. He is able to slowly work toward winning back her trust and takes things at the pace she dictated. THE. ACTS. OF. SERVICE. He is so endearing, thoughtful, and caring.
Tropes: found family, hockey, forced proximity, he falls first, instalove-ish
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Grief, Sexual content, Cancer, and Death of parent
circe813's review against another edition
emotional
funny
fast-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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Cursing, Terminal illness, and Body shaming
Moderate: Abandonment, Chronic illness, and Cancer
andeng's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Medical content, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Sexual content