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chocoholicwriter's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
ashleystory's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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? No
4.0
haletostilinski1's review
2.0
2.5 stars
This was disappointing. I gave it 2.5 stars instead of 2 stars for the first half, which was mostly enjoyable. I didn't think Noah and Adrian had the most amazing chemistry, but they were nice together and cute.
Also it's funny that the title of this about boxing when boxing is not a big part of this story. It's mainly about the fact that Adrian is a student at the same university that Noah is a professor at, only they're so shit at communicating - or getting to know each other, honestly - that Noah thinks Adrian is a professor as well - because he's older than Noah even - and Adrian thinks Noah is a student because he looks young enough to be one.
They misconstrue things and when things come up that make them confused - like Noah talking about another teacher like he's a friend, like that - they don't ask the other to clarify and just let it go - conveniently.
But then there's one of Noah's coworkers who has been trying to get with Noah for years and Noah has always come up with an excuse, and when Noah starts dating Adrian, the guy doesn't like it and is actually horrible enough to start stalking Noah and using the fact that Adrian is a student and Noah a teacher as blackmail.
For a guy who is supposedly so gone on Noah, he's fucking nasty and horrible to him. Then it becomes, of course, just about being rejected and not really about Noah. And I know men who get rejected can go to extremes, but this is the most ridiculous and outlandish and unrealistic way to go extreme.
I was also angry at the book making the fact that Adrian was a 30-something year old student - two years older than Noah, the book said - into a huge deal when Noah isn't even Adrian's teacher, at all. He's not even his department! They can't even assume that Noah is able to help Adrian with his homework because it's not his expertise - and also even if he did help, that's not cheating either. So the whole thing was ridiculous.
Then near the end, maybe 60 to 70% in, I started skimming a lot. It just got boring and drawn out. I didn't care about cartoon villain Charlie and I didn't care for how seriously these two took it and how they followed what Charlie wanted to help each other - which, while noble if they had no choice....they definitely had a choice - and other characters even pointed out that they weren't even int he same department, but that did nothing to change their minds.
Then Adrian and Noah just became boring, and their sex scenes weren't that well written, and after awhile I didn't come to care for the secondary characters that much, although I didn't mind Ryan, Noah's ex-boyfriend and friend. Other than that though, I didn't really care.
One other good thing though that made me give this 2.5 stars aside from the somewhat entertaining first half was how well it dealt with disabilities and how it shined a lot on disabilities and just how much abled people don't think about disabled people, or if they do how horrible it about they are and what stereotypes they have. But this firmly showed that no matter your disability, you can have someone you love in your life or others around you who love you - if you don't want a romantic relationship - and that those relationships life you up. So, big plus for that.
But other than a good - but not great - first half and what I just said, this wasn't a very good book and I didn't enjoy it much and it deviated completely from what I thought this was going to be about. Some blackmail, sure, but not this.
Overall just not a fun or great read for me. Thumbs down.
This was disappointing. I gave it 2.5 stars instead of 2 stars for the first half, which was mostly enjoyable. I didn't think Noah and Adrian had the most amazing chemistry, but they were nice together and cute.
Also it's funny that the title of this about boxing when boxing is not a big part of this story. It's mainly about the fact that Adrian is a student at the same university that Noah is a professor at, only they're so shit at communicating - or getting to know each other, honestly - that Noah thinks Adrian is a professor as well - because he's older than Noah even - and Adrian thinks Noah is a student because he looks young enough to be one.
They misconstrue things and when things come up that make them confused - like Noah talking about another teacher like he's a friend, like that - they don't ask the other to clarify and just let it go - conveniently.
But then there's one of Noah's coworkers who has been trying to get with Noah for years and Noah has always come up with an excuse, and when Noah starts dating Adrian, the guy doesn't like it and is actually horrible enough to start stalking Noah and using the fact that Adrian is a student and Noah a teacher as blackmail.
For a guy who is supposedly so gone on Noah, he's fucking nasty and horrible to him. Then it becomes, of course, just about being rejected and not really about Noah. And I know men who get rejected can go to extremes, but this is the most ridiculous and outlandish and unrealistic way to go extreme.
I was also angry at the book making the fact that Adrian was a 30-something year old student - two years older than Noah, the book said - into a huge deal when Noah isn't even Adrian's teacher, at all. He's not even his department! They can't even assume that Noah is able to help Adrian with his homework because it's not his expertise - and also even if he did help, that's not cheating either. So the whole thing was ridiculous.
Then near the end, maybe 60 to 70% in, I started skimming a lot. It just got boring and drawn out. I didn't care about cartoon villain Charlie and I didn't care for how seriously these two took it and how they followed what Charlie wanted to help each other - which, while noble if they had no choice....they definitely had a choice - and other characters even pointed out that they weren't even int he same department, but that did nothing to change their minds.
Then Adrian and Noah just became boring, and their sex scenes weren't that well written, and after awhile I didn't come to care for the secondary characters that much, although I didn't mind Ryan, Noah's ex-boyfriend and friend. Other than that though, I didn't really care.
One other good thing though that made me give this 2.5 stars aside from the somewhat entertaining first half was how well it dealt with disabilities and how it shined a lot on disabilities and just how much abled people don't think about disabled people, or if they do how horrible it about they are and what stereotypes they have. But this firmly showed that no matter your disability, you can have someone you love in your life or others around you who love you - if you don't want a romantic relationship - and that those relationships life you up. So, big plus for that.
But other than a good - but not great - first half and what I just said, this wasn't a very good book and I didn't enjoy it much and it deviated completely from what I thought this was going to be about. Some blackmail, sure, but not this.
Overall just not a fun or great read for me. Thumbs down.
georgiewhoissarahdrew's review
3.0
3.5 stars
Enjoyable CR with evil evil OM, and a most refreshing pair of MCs falling in love and negotiating their own and each other's disabilities.
Enjoyable CR with evil evil OM, and a most refreshing pair of MCs falling in love and negotiating their own and each other's disabilities.
disloyalorderof's review
4.0
Very sweet, very romantic, I really liked that BOTH protagonists were disabled. More boxing content would not have been amiss!!!!
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