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4.29 AVERAGE
4.29 AVERAGE
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is my first heterosexual hockey romance, and the main reason I wanted to give it a chance is because the fmc is a woman of color. There is some sweetness here, but overall this was a truly disappointing read.
Starting with the good: there are entertaining moments between the main characters. Their back and forth is, at times, funny and heartfelt, and I do believe there’s some decent chemistry written into their interactions. The middle third of the book had the best moments, and I think the love Jaxon felt for Lennon was portrayed nicely enough.
Unfortunately the issues heavily outweigh the successes. My first impression following the opening chapters: “It’s trashy, hyper-sexual in a way that doesn’t translate to sexy. There’s no subtlety, no dimension to the characters or the world they inhabit. I’m entertained by the haphazard chaos of these interactions, but I can’t imagine what needs to be said about these people that will take over 500 pages.” And this impression pretty much held up to the end.
Lennon reads very much like a woman of color written by a white woman. I wonder if this author realizes how odd it is to write a half black woman whose only identifying racial characteristic is her hair texture, and have her discover her perfect found family in an all-white group of people. There are no other non-white characters in this book aside from Lennon’s few blood relatives. Yes she’s described as having brown skin, but there’s nothing to distinguish her from any other white, Taylor Swift loving, self-insert, booktok-girlie fmc. It gives heavy tokenism as opposed to genuine diverse representation. The author also made her bisexual but it’s written as an accessory, not an identity. Lennon only flirts with men (and there are several instances of this), her prominent relationships are with men, and not once does any inclination of attraction to women enter the scene. Her arc with her ex is something straight from wattpad, I don’t even know how to critique the absurdity of it.
Jaxon is your typical reformed slut with a sad past. Parts of it are decently done, but it’s nothing specifically engaging. His characterization vacillates from rude, childish, and over-sexualized to kind, thoughtful, and doting.
Aside from our main characters, a lot of the book’s exorbitant length is spent on the found family of side characters, and I was extremely disinterested in the way they’re written. The women don’t appear to have personalities outside of the men they’re obsessed with, and I can only almost distinguish them by the number of times they mention cock (somewhere between too often and constantly). They call their friend group the “coochie gang” and they honestly don’t read as real, grown, interesting women. It’s like the author typed the words “girl power,” “fierce pussy,” and “Taylor Swift” into an AI generator and this god-awful depiction of womanhood is what it bore. The men are written as the strangest combination of “quirky” traits that create a picture so far from the image of an actual, human man it’s baffling (Adam is the only exemption here). In the first half of the book they’re depicted as horny, idiotic mischiefs. In the second half they’re all giving soppy, therapeutic speeches to our mmc. The interactions between the group are, for the most part, painfully, embarrassingly juvenile. Almost nothing about these characters reads as adult. The one thing I really enjoyed about this group is how freely they expressed their love for each other, but the relationships are incredibly shallow.
Starting with the good: there are entertaining moments between the main characters. Their back and forth is, at times, funny and heartfelt, and I do believe there’s some decent chemistry written into their interactions. The middle third of the book had the best moments, and I think the love Jaxon felt for Lennon was portrayed nicely enough.
Unfortunately the issues heavily outweigh the successes. My first impression following the opening chapters: “It’s trashy, hyper-sexual in a way that doesn’t translate to sexy. There’s no subtlety, no dimension to the characters or the world they inhabit. I’m entertained by the haphazard chaos of these interactions, but I can’t imagine what needs to be said about these people that will take over 500 pages.” And this impression pretty much held up to the end.
Lennon reads very much like a woman of color written by a white woman. I wonder if this author realizes how odd it is to write a half black woman whose only identifying racial characteristic is her hair texture, and have her discover her perfect found family in an all-white group of people. There are no other non-white characters in this book aside from Lennon’s few blood relatives. Yes she’s described as having brown skin, but there’s nothing to distinguish her from any other white, Taylor Swift loving, self-insert, booktok-girlie fmc. It gives heavy tokenism as opposed to genuine diverse representation. The author also made her bisexual but it’s written as an accessory, not an identity. Lennon only flirts with men (and there are several instances of this), her prominent relationships are with men, and not once does any inclination of attraction to women enter the scene. Her arc with her ex is something straight from wattpad, I don’t even know how to critique the absurdity of it.
Jaxon is your typical reformed slut with a sad past. Parts of it are decently done, but it’s nothing specifically engaging. His characterization vacillates from rude, childish, and over-sexualized to kind, thoughtful, and doting.
Aside from our main characters, a lot of the book’s exorbitant length is spent on the found family of side characters, and I was extremely disinterested in the way they’re written. The women don’t appear to have personalities outside of the men they’re obsessed with, and I can only almost distinguish them by the number of times they mention cock (somewhere between too often and constantly). They call their friend group the “coochie gang” and they honestly don’t read as real, grown, interesting women. It’s like the author typed the words “girl power,” “fierce pussy,” and “Taylor Swift” into an AI generator and this god-awful depiction of womanhood is what it bore. The men are written as the strangest combination of “quirky” traits that create a picture so far from the image of an actual, human man it’s baffling (Adam is the only exemption here). In the first half of the book they’re depicted as horny, idiotic mischiefs. In the second half they’re all giving soppy, therapeutic speeches to our mmc. The interactions between the group are, for the most part, painfully, embarrassingly juvenile. Almost nothing about these characters reads as adult. The one thing I really enjoyed about this group is how freely they expressed their love for each other, but the relationships are incredibly shallow.
Because of the way this book presents its characters, themes, and conflicts, it often feels like it was written for teenagers despite its sexually explicit nature. The sex scenes are… something. Parts of them are decently written, entertaining though not at all unique. But other parts of them are full of the worst possible choice of words/phrasing. It often reads like the author has a lack of awareness of the connotative implications of language, and it ends up making a lot of the dialogue and description range from horribly awkward to repulsive.
The third act draws on for what feels like forever, and I ended up skimming to the end. Because each of the main character’s central conflicts are fairly one dimensional, the excavation and resolution of their issues becomes repetitive and boring. The length doesn’t lend itself well to a conflict that doesn’t progress beyond “I have/had low self-worth.” We end up reading some form of the phrase “he/she is worth it,” “am I worth it?,” “I/she/he deserves it/better/more” every few pages, but there isn’t much being said outside of this plucky “know your worth” mantra. I think there are nice sentiments here, but no depth or originality in addressing the themes. The love declarations at the end are so wordy, and their attempts at poeticism don’t ring true to the character’s voices. There’s also so much repetitious listing of the things Jaxon has done for Lennon, a tally of his positive actions that we hear over and over as if we need to be constantly reminded that he’s capable of kindness.
Overall, I would not recommend this unless you’re a fan of romances that feature adults but have extremely juvenile arcs and antics paired with repetitive sex scenes for the sake of sex scenes. I want more depth of development and grounded, engaging depictions in every area of my contemporary romances.
Overall, I would not recommend this unless you’re a fan of romances that feature adults but have extremely juvenile arcs and antics paired with repetitive sex scenes for the sake of sex scenes. I want more depth of development and grounded, engaging depictions in every area of my contemporary romances.
I thought Unravel Me was my favorite, but Fall with Me completely stole the spotlight. Jaxon and Lennon’s story hit every emotional note—it had me laughing out loud for most of the book, then absolutely wrecked when Jaxon finally opened up about his insecurities and pain. His vulnerability was so raw and deeply connected to what Lennon was going through—it made their bond feel even more powerful.
The way Becca Mack explored emotional healing, love, and trust was beautiful. I cried, I laughed, and I fell hard for these characters. The growth of the found family throughout this series has been incredible to witness, and if this is the final book, it’s a perfect send-off. I listened to this on audio and both narrators did a fantastic job, but the female narrator truly stood out—she brought Lennon to life in such a heartfelt way.
This book is emotional, hilarious, tender, and unforgettable. One of Becca Mack’s best.
The way Becca Mack explored emotional healing, love, and trust was beautiful. I cried, I laughed, and I fell hard for these characters. The growth of the found family throughout this series has been incredible to witness, and if this is the final book, it’s a perfect send-off. I listened to this on audio and both narrators did a fantastic job, but the female narrator truly stood out—she brought Lennon to life in such a heartfelt way.
This book is emotional, hilarious, tender, and unforgettable. One of Becca Mack’s best.
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
funny
lighthearted
So in love with this world Becka has created and I never want it to end
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
funny
medium-paced
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
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:
Complicated
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
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