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A review by madisonreadstoomuch
Playing by the Rules by Monica Murphy
3.0
*sigh*
i really read the first two books back to back didn’t i. just to make it clear too: books 1 and 2 run in tandem timelines. the events of book 1 are happening as book 2 is happening. so for most interconnected standalones you can’t really read them without at least minor spoilers but these two you can read in interchangeable order.
anyways, reviewing.
i enjoyed this one a bit less, which is a shame bc i truly love the brothers best friend/forbidden trope. but it just wasn’t as enjoyable for me.
there were a couple of fundamental issues (the fmc’s name was spelled wrong in one chapter, i’m pretty sure we confused rita and cheyenne at one point, mmc says his fav season is autumn bc football but then when fmc asks him he says summer, minor plot hole type things which is fine in arcs but this is a whole published and released book.)
also, this book gave me flashbacks to situationships i did not want to have. blair is constantly in pursuit of camden, and he’s constantly brushing her off but then giving in but then being like no we can’t then essentially sending a “u up?” text. i mean. i can’t be that mad about it bc FUCK if it’s not accurate to what a college situationship is like. i mean damn monica really knows.
it was still a good time. maybe it just hit a lil too close to home. there IS a third act break up. at first i was like honestly… i just wanna see blair thrive and move on w a new guy who’s all in and obsessed with her. but then it was kinda spun into a men’s mental health thing and i do appreciate seeing men’s mental health rep. going to therapy and working on himself n shit.
however, ladies. if a man ever breaks up with you/ends the situationship bc he needs to “work on himself” please remember we do not live within the confines of a romance novel and LET HIM GO.
i wish blair would’ve been a lil stronger and stood her ground with him. she’d be like lol i’m done and he’d kiss her and she’d fold like a piece of paper.
anyways, i was gonna give this 3 stars until the whole men’s mental health thing and now i’ll be nice and give it 3.5. is it the best book you’ll ever read? likely not. but it was still a good time and a solid football/sports romance.
OH AND ALSO. THE WHOLE REASON THEY COULDNT BE TOGETHER (or at least the way they made it seem for like 60% of the book) IS BC KNOX (fmc’s brother, mmc in book 1) WAS CRAZY OVERPROTECTIVE BUT THEN WHEN HE FINALLY FOUND OUT THE MF DID. NOT. CARE. like he practically shrugged. he was like okay u want toast? THIS WAS A MAJOR CONFLICT GUYS. LIKE THE MAIN CONFLICT AS TO WHY THE RELATIONSHIP WAS SECRET. AND HE LITERALLT WAS JUST LIKE “ok”. nuts.
i really read the first two books back to back didn’t i. just to make it clear too: books 1 and 2 run in tandem timelines. the events of book 1 are happening as book 2 is happening. so for most interconnected standalones you can’t really read them without at least minor spoilers but these two you can read in interchangeable order.
anyways, reviewing.
i enjoyed this one a bit less, which is a shame bc i truly love the brothers best friend/forbidden trope. but it just wasn’t as enjoyable for me.
there were a couple of fundamental issues (the fmc’s name was spelled wrong in one chapter, i’m pretty sure we confused rita and cheyenne at one point, mmc says his fav season is autumn bc football but then when fmc asks him he says summer, minor plot hole type things which is fine in arcs but this is a whole published and released book.)
also, this book gave me flashbacks to situationships i did not want to have. blair is constantly in pursuit of camden, and he’s constantly brushing her off but then giving in but then being like no we can’t then essentially sending a “u up?” text. i mean. i can’t be that mad about it bc FUCK if it’s not accurate to what a college situationship is like. i mean damn monica really knows.
it was still a good time. maybe it just hit a lil too close to home. there IS a third act break up. at first i was like honestly… i just wanna see blair thrive and move on w a new guy who’s all in and obsessed with her. but then it was kinda spun into a men’s mental health thing and i do appreciate seeing men’s mental health rep. going to therapy and working on himself n shit.
however, ladies. if a man ever breaks up with you/ends the situationship bc he needs to “work on himself” please remember we do not live within the confines of a romance novel and LET HIM GO.
i wish blair would’ve been a lil stronger and stood her ground with him. she’d be like lol i’m done and he’d kiss her and she’d fold like a piece of paper.
anyways, i was gonna give this 3 stars until the whole men’s mental health thing and now i’ll be nice and give it 3.5. is it the best book you’ll ever read? likely not. but it was still a good time and a solid football/sports romance.
OH AND ALSO. THE WHOLE REASON THEY COULDNT BE TOGETHER (or at least the way they made it seem for like 60% of the book) IS BC KNOX (fmc’s brother, mmc in book 1) WAS CRAZY OVERPROTECTIVE BUT THEN WHEN HE FINALLY FOUND OUT THE MF DID. NOT. CARE. like he practically shrugged. he was like okay u want toast? THIS WAS A MAJOR CONFLICT GUYS. LIKE THE MAIN CONFLICT AS TO WHY THE RELATIONSHIP WAS SECRET. AND HE LITERALLT WAS JUST LIKE “ok”. nuts.