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A review by mar_reads7
The Penalty Shot by Maren Moore
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
I enjoyed bits and pieces of this book but 90% of it was terrible. This book is a prime example of telling instead of showing, and that's not the type of writing I lean towards. I almost feel like this was a checklist of tropes more than a book.
My main complaints though, are that there was no hockey in this hockey romance, Asher could have literally had any other job and only one scene in the book have been affected and sorry to say but I didn't feel like Auden was as good a parent as the book made her out to be. Yes what she went through with her parents was awful and the way she managed to pull herself together at such a young age with a newborn is commendable, however her son was literally spending alone time on a rooftop with an adult man she had never met for months and she felt no need to find out anything about this man, that set off so many alarm bells in my head, it's irresponsible and I don't trust her judgement at all. Also while on the topic of Alex, he keeps being removed from the story so Asher and Auden can fuck and honestly half the time it's like she's not even a mother. He's only brought up so she can cry about her parents, and then he conveniently disappears to a neighbour's house, to camp, to this and that and he's barely a part of the story. I thought I was reading a single mom x hockey player romance but it's clear that the author had no intention of actually exploring either of those things in this book. There's definitely better books you can give your time to, this one felt like cardboard cutouts saying preselected dialogue at each other.
(also this is petty but why did all their names start with A? Asher, Auden and Alex and then Auden's mom's name is mentioned and it also starts with an A. There are other letters. It’s important to me that the author knows that.)
My main complaints though, are that there was no hockey in this hockey romance, Asher could have literally had any other job and only one scene in the book have been affected and sorry to say but I didn't feel like Auden was as good a parent as the book made her out to be. Yes what she went through with her parents was awful and the way she managed to pull herself together at such a young age with a newborn is commendable, however her son was literally spending alone time on a rooftop with an adult man she had never met for months and she felt no need to find out anything about this man, that set off so many alarm bells in my head, it's irresponsible and I don't trust her judgement at all. Also while on the topic of Alex, he keeps being removed from the story so Asher and Auden can fuck and honestly half the time it's like she's not even a mother. He's only brought up so she can cry about her parents, and then he conveniently disappears to a neighbour's house, to camp, to this and that and he's barely a part of the story. I thought I was reading a single mom x hockey player romance but it's clear that the author had no intention of actually exploring either of those things in this book. There's definitely better books you can give your time to, this one felt like cardboard cutouts saying preselected dialogue at each other.
(also this is petty but why did all their names start with A? Asher, Auden and Alex and then Auden's mom's name is mentioned and it also starts with an A. There are other letters. It’s important to me that the author knows that.)