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A review by lenoreo
Victor by Brenda Rothert
4.0
https://celebrityreaders.com/2020/05/15/victor-by-brenda-rothert/
3.5 stars — This is a case of a book being almost perfect for me, but failing to get out of its own way in certain areas. Like seriously, I know lots of people are tired of this trope, but I still gravitate towards it — so the book didn’t need to work very hard. And so many aspects were just spot on and I loved them!! BUT…then there were some little things.
Let’s start off with the good! In general I thought Lindy was pretty sweet, and someone I could easily connect with. I know that won’t be the case for most people, but I understood her need to please and not make waves. I loved how she was there for people, and how 99% of the time she wasn’t judgey (we’ll get to the 1%). I thought her friendship with Ari was a bit odd, but eh…it was nice to see her have a girlfriend to hang with.
Victor was actually pretty sweet too. I know the blurb gives him a manwhore vibe, but honestly? For the stereotype of a hockey player, he was actually pretty mild. I mean, maybe it was because of everything he had going on with him, but I just didn’t feel it that hard. He had a lot of work to do in the self-reflecting zone, but he got there with some help from his teammates. One thing that I absolutely ADORED about him is that he proactively confided in Lindy about his secret…I really loved that.
And I ADORED their meet-cute! That whole scene where they’re talking in the arena just made my heart tippy tap. I didn’t even completely mind that he friend-zoned her…he was pretty confused. And I enjoyed them hanging out and getting to know one another. I feel like I missed out a bit on their make out sessions — it was mentioned in passing, and sometimes I find those first kissing scenes more fun than the actual steamy scenes, but oh well.
So what went wrong? A bunch of little things.
1. They were both HORRIBLE when they got jealous. Just not attractive at all. Lindy behaved very out of character when she girl shamed the beauty contestants (implying they weren’t smart, etc). And Victor…*shakes head* He was almost controlling.
2. There was also Victor’s implication that Lindy is too good and is *worth* more in terms of sex/relationships than other girls.
3. There were some very serious moments/topics in this book that would have been great if they’d been explored in depth. As it stands though, they were super glossed over and felt thrown in for…shock value? I don’t know. Either give them their due and importance, or leave them out.
4. Lindy’s Dad and his friends were dicks. And not just dicks, homophobic dicks. I get that perhaps Ms. Rothert was supposed to be showcasing South Side Chicago blue collar folks or something, but I was not impressed. Especially since Lindy wasn’t internally cringing over the things they were saying. That group could have been endearing, but it completely fell flat.
*sigh* Those were the biggest. It’s *super* too bad, because without those things, I bet this would have been my fave in the series. As it is, I’m not sure if I’m going to round up or down. *womp womp*
3.5 stars — This is a case of a book being almost perfect for me, but failing to get out of its own way in certain areas. Like seriously, I know lots of people are tired of this trope, but I still gravitate towards it — so the book didn’t need to work very hard. And so many aspects were just spot on and I loved them!! BUT…then there were some little things.
Let’s start off with the good! In general I thought Lindy was pretty sweet, and someone I could easily connect with. I know that won’t be the case for most people, but I understood her need to please and not make waves. I loved how she was there for people, and how 99% of the time she wasn’t judgey (we’ll get to the 1%). I thought her friendship with Ari was a bit odd, but eh…it was nice to see her have a girlfriend to hang with.
Victor was actually pretty sweet too. I know the blurb gives him a manwhore vibe, but honestly? For the stereotype of a hockey player, he was actually pretty mild. I mean, maybe it was because of everything he had going on with him, but I just didn’t feel it that hard. He had a lot of work to do in the self-reflecting zone, but he got there with some help from his teammates. One thing that I absolutely ADORED about him is that he proactively confided in Lindy about his secret…I really loved that.
And I ADORED their meet-cute! That whole scene where they’re talking in the arena just made my heart tippy tap. I didn’t even completely mind that he friend-zoned her…he was pretty confused. And I enjoyed them hanging out and getting to know one another. I feel like I missed out a bit on their make out sessions — it was mentioned in passing, and sometimes I find those first kissing scenes more fun than the actual steamy scenes, but oh well.
So what went wrong? A bunch of little things.
1. They were both HORRIBLE when they got jealous. Just not attractive at all. Lindy behaved very out of character when she girl shamed the beauty contestants (implying they weren’t smart, etc). And Victor…*shakes head* He was almost controlling.
2. There was also Victor’s implication that Lindy is too good and is *worth* more in terms of sex/relationships than other girls.
3. There were some very serious moments/topics in this book that would have been great if they’d been explored in depth. As it stands though, they were super glossed over and felt thrown in for…shock value? I don’t know. Either give them their due and importance, or leave them out.
4. Lindy’s Dad and his friends were dicks. And not just dicks, homophobic dicks. I get that perhaps Ms. Rothert was supposed to be showcasing South Side Chicago blue collar folks or something, but I was not impressed. Especially since Lindy wasn’t internally cringing over the things they were saying. That group could have been endearing, but it completely fell flat.
*sigh* Those were the biggest. It’s *super* too bad, because without those things, I bet this would have been my fave in the series. As it is, I’m not sure if I’m going to round up or down. *womp womp*