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A review by ladydewinter
Final Stretch by Alison Hendricks
2.0
That was pretty disappointing. Alison Hendricks tends to have good ideas - intriguing settings and character constellations - but sadly her stories suffer from feeling too rushed, from too much telling and from staying too superficial.
Here, we meet Travis, a successful NFL player whose career is suddenly brought to a stop by a sex tape his fame-hungry boyfriend published. He moves to his estranged brother, who is a teacher in Glen Sprinhs, a small town in Kentucky. That's where he meets Shane, his brother's best friend. Shane used to be a professional jockey until a tragic incident five years ago, and now he runs a farm caring for horses. He and Travis find themselves attracted to each other immediately, but how can they have a future when Travis is only waiting until the waves of his scandal have calmed down?
I really liked the setting, and I didn't even mind them being instantly attracted to each other - except that they move on the attraction too soon and then everything just feels too rushed. There are plenty of things that could've been explored in this story, but all problems are resolved way too easily and thus unconvincingly. I do think her stories have a lot of potential, but so far Alison Hendricks hasn't used that well. She also has a tendency to use synonyms in inappropriate places - like "garment" instead of "jeans" to avoid repetitions, I guess, but it just sounded off.
I previously enjoyed some of her books, but they're never quite as good as they could be, and this one frustrated me more than anything. I will probably still check out her books because damn it, I love the settings. And I think she can do better. Let's hope she will.
Here, we meet Travis, a successful NFL player whose career is suddenly brought to a stop by a sex tape his fame-hungry boyfriend published. He moves to his estranged brother, who is a teacher in Glen Sprinhs, a small town in Kentucky. That's where he meets Shane, his brother's best friend. Shane used to be a professional jockey until a tragic incident five years ago, and now he runs a farm caring for horses. He and Travis find themselves attracted to each other immediately, but how can they have a future when Travis is only waiting until the waves of his scandal have calmed down?
I really liked the setting, and I didn't even mind them being instantly attracted to each other - except that they move on the attraction too soon and then everything just feels too rushed. There are plenty of things that could've been explored in this story, but all problems are resolved way too easily and thus unconvincingly. I do think her stories have a lot of potential, but so far Alison Hendricks hasn't used that well. She also has a tendency to use synonyms in inappropriate places - like "garment" instead of "jeans" to avoid repetitions, I guess, but it just sounded off.
I previously enjoyed some of her books, but they're never quite as good as they could be, and this one frustrated me more than anything. I will probably still check out her books because damn it, I love the settings. And I think she can do better. Let's hope she will.