A review by 12dejamoo
Like You've Nothing Left to Prove by E.L. Massey

emotional lighthearted reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Lads if this book is the question, the answer is yes.

I didn't give the first book 5 stars because I felt like a lot of it did move quite quickly, but with this one it was just perfect. We don't have to faff around questioning this relationship, we just get to see the world which happens around them and because of them.

I loved all the soft moments with them together, just being happy. And I still loved all of the hockey guys. Honestly, the whole reason I picked up the second book was for Kuzy.

I think also the points of conflict and upset in this book felt very natural, and they fit nicely into the world of this book. They haven't solved homophobia by the end, but you definitely are left with a sense of nice resolution.

Literally the tiniest flaw is that in the first book we spend next to no time with Eli and his skating. Like when I wrote my review of it, I didn't even mention how little it was touched on because I literally forgot that was something he did. So, and this is a spoiler,
when he gets his second injury and can't skate competitively again, I'm not actually that sad about it because I never got to know him as a skater
. This also applies to characters like the Morgans who literally aren't even characters. When they're introduced in book one, you think they'll be Eli's friends, but they never come back except in passing mention. I do wish Eli could have some friends outside of Alex. Even Cody isn't really outside of Alex.

Anyway, I'm definitely gonna read book three once my library finally gets it in.
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