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A review by karaisreading
The Goal by Elle Kennedy
5.0
the goal.
okay, spoilers in this one. but if you read the score, you would already know what happens. continue.
i had known this was going to be a pregnancy trope story from day one. i have read a lot of books (mainly wattpad, fanfiction) that were the pregnancy trope in it, so i would say i am somewhat experted (yes, experted, i just made that word now;) in knowing how a good pregnancy trope is written. namely, anything OTHER than the main characters getting knocked up in the second chapter is...good.
i had seen a lot of mixed reviews for the goal, so i was a bit hesitant heading in. comments from people saying sabrina was too bitchy, too perfect for tucker, or that pregnancy is bad, yada yada yada.
i am here to say all of that is falsehood.
starting off with the bomb in the room: the pregnancy. now, i feel like the biggest issue in books with the pregnancy trope is the pacing. either the author writes them getting pregnant too early, or too late, or they don't show the duration of it, just skipping to the end, or they don't even show the baby being born and turn it into a sequel. that is just the tip of the iceberg. the complaints go on and on.
the pregnancy in this book happens about halfway into the book, maybe a tiny bit earlier. i think this was the best place to put it: tucker and sabrina were (i don't even know how to describe it; causally hooking up?)...if kennedy put it anywhere else the story wouldn't have flowed half as smoothly as it did here.
the first half of this book runs parallel to the score: we do see some repeats of the event's we saw there (e.g-dean and allie getting together, beau's death, etc.) it wasn't unwelcomed for me though, as we got to see these events unfold from a new fresh set of eyes: namely, tucker and sabrina.
the second half continues after tucker and sabrina tell their friends about their pregnancy, and it showed them going through all this "new parents" things together. i really enjoyed (although the things they went through definitely weren't very enjoyable) seeing them do real life things (such as preparing for a baby.)
oh god i apologize i am making the plot seem so boring. to rephrase: this book is ever much as hot as the previous books. the sex is very smutty and explosive between the two, and i loved seeing their very present attraction to each other staying consistent through the whole thing. while there is no lack of sex, what i really liked (really, really liked) was the substance of real things. not saying sex isn't real BUT: we get to see sabrina and tucker going on dates together. him going to her class and walking her to the next ones. we get to see them find out they are having a child, and go to menial things such as doctor's appointments and ultrasounds. and it sounded INTERESTING.
they took a breathing class for labour, for gods sakes. how can anyone ever top that?
sabrina and tucker felt so real for me because of all the real life things they did. they connected with me the most with all their backstories and current lives! sabrina has a super shitty homelife! she works her ass off to be on the same playing field as everyone else. she knows she is perceived as a bitch, but to her the only opinions that mattered were the people who cared. and i loved her for it.
talking more about sabrina: i never once disliked her. i don't like to judge people until we get to learn more about them (except for tucker's mom because, if she was saying those things to me...i would not be as strong or set as sabrina was.) i felt bad for sabrina, but all of her faults made me relate to her so much more. sabrina's character was definitely the character i felt for the most, especially when we are seeing and observing her from tucker's perspective. FLUFF.
speaking of the man of the hour, tucker. god, do good boys even exist anymore? anyone who says nice guys don't get enough love has clearly not met john tucker. he is the type of person that is still friends, genuine friends! with all of his exes.
tucker was quiet in all of the other books, so i was really looking forward to seeing how kennedy developed him here. and all i have to say is: she did a phenomenal job.
he is that old fashioned lover boy everybody wants. for butterflies sakes: he followed sabrina home the first time they hooked up, because he wanted to make sure she got home safe! how noble is that.
he also opens and closes her truck door, loves his mother, LOVES both his daughter and his girl (insanely much), is fiercely loyal to all his loved ones, smart, tall, ripped, good in bed and wait for it: a ginger.
dean di-laurentis? forget him. john tucker is the perfect dad for any of your kids. and sabrina.
(that being said: dean you are still my favourite please don't hate me!)
i feel like it's so rare to give a pregnancy trope book a 5/5 stars, because there is so much that can go wrong. but in this book, all i felt was right. there's so much i want to say but i just strongly (STRONGLY) encourage you guys to pick up the goal. it's so good.
okay, spoilers in this one. but if you read the score, you would already know what happens. continue.
i had known this was going to be a pregnancy trope story from day one. i have read a lot of books (mainly wattpad, fanfiction) that were the pregnancy trope in it, so i would say i am somewhat experted (yes, experted, i just made that word now;) in knowing how a good pregnancy trope is written. namely, anything OTHER than the main characters getting knocked up in the second chapter is...good.
i had seen a lot of mixed reviews for the goal, so i was a bit hesitant heading in. comments from people saying sabrina was too bitchy, too perfect for tucker, or that pregnancy is bad, yada yada yada.
i am here to say all of that is falsehood.
starting off with the bomb in the room: the pregnancy. now, i feel like the biggest issue in books with the pregnancy trope is the pacing. either the author writes them getting pregnant too early, or too late, or they don't show the duration of it, just skipping to the end, or they don't even show the baby being born and turn it into a sequel. that is just the tip of the iceberg. the complaints go on and on.
the pregnancy in this book happens about halfway into the book, maybe a tiny bit earlier. i think this was the best place to put it: tucker and sabrina were (i don't even know how to describe it; causally hooking up?)...if kennedy put it anywhere else the story wouldn't have flowed half as smoothly as it did here.
the first half of this book runs parallel to the score: we do see some repeats of the event's we saw there (e.g-dean and allie getting together, beau's death, etc.) it wasn't unwelcomed for me though, as we got to see these events unfold from a new fresh set of eyes: namely, tucker and sabrina.
the second half continues after tucker and sabrina tell their friends about their pregnancy, and it showed them going through all this "new parents" things together. i really enjoyed (although the things they went through definitely weren't very enjoyable) seeing them do real life things (such as preparing for a baby.)
oh god i apologize i am making the plot seem so boring. to rephrase: this book is ever much as hot as the previous books. the sex is very smutty and explosive between the two, and i loved seeing their very present attraction to each other staying consistent through the whole thing. while there is no lack of sex, what i really liked (really, really liked) was the substance of real things. not saying sex isn't real BUT: we get to see sabrina and tucker going on dates together. him going to her class and walking her to the next ones. we get to see them find out they are having a child, and go to menial things such as doctor's appointments and ultrasounds. and it sounded INTERESTING.
they took a breathing class for labour, for gods sakes. how can anyone ever top that?
sabrina and tucker felt so real for me because of all the real life things they did. they connected with me the most with all their backstories and current lives! sabrina has a super shitty homelife! she works her ass off to be on the same playing field as everyone else. she knows she is perceived as a bitch, but to her the only opinions that mattered were the people who cared. and i loved her for it.
talking more about sabrina: i never once disliked her. i don't like to judge people until we get to learn more about them (except for tucker's mom because, if she was saying those things to me...i would not be as strong or set as sabrina was.) i felt bad for sabrina, but all of her faults made me relate to her so much more. sabrina's character was definitely the character i felt for the most, especially when we are seeing and observing her from tucker's perspective. FLUFF.
speaking of the man of the hour, tucker. god, do good boys even exist anymore? anyone who says nice guys don't get enough love has clearly not met john tucker. he is the type of person that is still friends, genuine friends! with all of his exes.
tucker was quiet in all of the other books, so i was really looking forward to seeing how kennedy developed him here. and all i have to say is: she did a phenomenal job.
he is that old fashioned lover boy everybody wants. for butterflies sakes: he followed sabrina home the first time they hooked up, because he wanted to make sure she got home safe! how noble is that.
he also opens and closes her truck door, loves his mother, LOVES both his daughter and his girl (insanely much), is fiercely loyal to all his loved ones, smart, tall, ripped, good in bed and wait for it: a ginger.
dean di-laurentis? forget him. john tucker is the perfect dad for any of your kids. and sabrina.
(that being said: dean you are still my favourite please don't hate me!)
i feel like it's so rare to give a pregnancy trope book a 5/5 stars, because there is so much that can go wrong. but in this book, all i felt was right. there's so much i want to say but i just strongly (STRONGLY) encourage you guys to pick up the goal. it's so good.