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10111111111 's review for:
The Shutout
by Dianna Roman
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Rating: 3.5 stars (7/10)
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Tropes: grumpy x sunshine, giant himbo, baseball pitcher, single dad, widower, G4Y
Review:
When I first read this, I was frustrated at how much Max seemed to drag Jack through hell as he dealt with his own problems, and while it is definitely still there, it seemed worse upon first read than it did upon re-read (that typically happens with me...). I enjoyed the voice of Jack, but I found the voice for Max rather strange. Given his grumpy demeanour and age, I found his voice actor almost felt too jovial and young - it might have suited him for when he was still in uni, but it felt like a strange choice. I did get used to it, but the biggest thing that Alexander Cendese brought to that role was that he definitely sold me on the straight boy vibe - I don't know what it was, but he sounded so painfully straight, even when he got to the experimenting part of the book, and I think that was partly how his dialogue was written, but also Alexander's voice too - in that regard, he was a great match. I did find his sex voices a little strange, but it wasn't unpleasant to listen to. I also didn't realise upon first reading that there was some misogynistic and slightly fat phobic language used - it didn't seem to be used with intent, so I'm not sure whether that should have been addressed better, and I don't personally feel affected by those, but I did notice it there at times, mainly used as metaphors in the MC's heads, which felt like they could have been reworked. All of that aside, I enjoyed this listen more than I thought I would, and I was glad to find a new to me voice actor as well!
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Tropes: grumpy x sunshine, giant himbo, baseball pitcher, single dad, widower, G4Y
Review:
When I first read this, I was frustrated at how much Max seemed to drag Jack through hell as he dealt with his own problems, and while it is definitely still there, it seemed worse upon first read than it did upon re-read (that typically happens with me...). I enjoyed the voice of Jack, but I found the voice for Max rather strange. Given his grumpy demeanour and age, I found his voice actor almost felt too jovial and young - it might have suited him for when he was still in uni, but it felt like a strange choice. I did get used to it, but the biggest thing that Alexander Cendese brought to that role was that he definitely sold me on the straight boy vibe - I don't know what it was, but he sounded so painfully straight, even when he got to the experimenting part of the book, and I think that was partly how his dialogue was written, but also Alexander's voice too - in that regard, he was a great match. I did find his sex voices a little strange, but it wasn't unpleasant to listen to. I also didn't realise upon first reading that there was some misogynistic and slightly fat phobic language used - it didn't seem to be used with intent, so I'm not sure whether that should have been addressed better, and I don't personally feel affected by those, but I did notice it there at times, mainly used as metaphors in the MC's heads, which felt like they could have been reworked. All of that aside, I enjoyed this listen more than I thought I would, and I was glad to find a new to me voice actor as well!