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A review by oceaneanagonye
The Long Game by Rachel Reid
3.0
I mostly loved the Game Changers series and really enjoy Rachel Reid's writing style. The characters are unique and complex, and their connections are usually electric. This book however... Buckle up.
I'll be honest, I've never been a Shane Hollander stan. In my opinion, he's always come across as neurotic and egotistical, with a few shining moments of empathy here and there. This book was the nail in the coffin for me. Shane is so incredibly self-obsessed and downright mean to Ilya for most of the book. I was confused because in HR, he at least seemed capable of feeling empathy for Ilya and seemed like he wanted to be a good person. In this book, that all goes out the window from his first scene where he makes the thoughtless comment about Ilya's mom not pestering him like Yuna was. All the way to when he berates him saying that he still wants to win games instead of just getting high with his teammates between losses like Ilya. Does Shane ever atone for his wrongs? Sure. If you consider sex, shallow conversation, and an ill-fitting wedding band to be atonement.
There is also the issue of Shane's orthorexia. It's treated as more of an annoying quirk than the serious eating disorder that it is and is magically cured by the end of the book. I've seen orthorexia ruin relationships and destroy people's self-worth in my own life, so maybe I'm a bit sensitive to how it was handled here. Ilya's depression was a bit jarring after seeing how he was portrayed in HR, but depression is like that sometimes. I don't fault the author for how she portrayed his struggles, and appreciated that HE at least got the help he needed.
Overall the book just felt devoid of depth and heartfelt moments. It had so much potential as a book focused on a decade long relationship between two beautiful characters, but it just didn't deliver.
I'm a Happily Ever After addict, so I'm glad that these characters got to skate off into the sunset together with Anya. I hate being a negative Nancy, but this book really bothered my spirit enough to leave this review.
I'll be honest, I've never been a Shane Hollander stan. In my opinion, he's always come across as neurotic and egotistical, with a few shining moments of empathy here and there. This book was the nail in the coffin for me. Shane is so incredibly self-obsessed and downright mean to Ilya for most of the book. I was confused because in HR, he at least seemed capable of feeling empathy for Ilya and seemed like he wanted to be a good person. In this book, that all goes out the window from his first scene where he makes the thoughtless comment about Ilya's mom not pestering him like Yuna was. All the way to when he berates him saying that he still wants to win games instead of just getting high with his teammates between losses like Ilya. Does Shane ever atone for his wrongs? Sure. If you consider sex, shallow conversation, and an ill-fitting wedding band to be atonement.
There is also the issue of Shane's orthorexia. It's treated as more of an annoying quirk than the serious eating disorder that it is and is magically cured by the end of the book. I've seen orthorexia ruin relationships and destroy people's self-worth in my own life, so maybe I'm a bit sensitive to how it was handled here. Ilya's depression was a bit jarring after seeing how he was portrayed in HR, but depression is like that sometimes. I don't fault the author for how she portrayed his struggles, and appreciated that HE at least got the help he needed.
Overall the book just felt devoid of depth and heartfelt moments. It had so much potential as a book focused on a decade long relationship between two beautiful characters, but it just didn't deliver.
I'm a Happily Ever After addict, so I'm glad that these characters got to skate off into the sunset together with Anya. I hate being a negative Nancy, but this book really bothered my spirit enough to leave this review.