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A review by btwnprintedpgs
The Graham Effect by Elle Kennedy
funny
lighthearted
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I feel like romances that are about 500 pages should either hit it out of the park, or just not be 500 pages, and this landed in the middle.
I feel like this could've been so much shorter. The author could have trimmed some of the extras that didn't add much to the story (I'm looking at you team building exercises that basically did nothing). Some of the team stuff was just a general lack of communication, and a lack of accountability. I liked the overall arc of the story - Ryder and Gigi helping each other grow and accept their own emotions and pasts; the smorgasbord team that's cobbled together becoming one in the end; the dreams realized and shattered. It was all solid, and I enjoyed the characters and the banter, but at the end of the day, I feel like I could've had all that even if the story was tightened up a bit. I'd reread this book in a heartbeat if it didn't have all the superfluous stuff (yes, that's a callback to the book cause that moment made me laugh).
I also hated how much sexism there was. Dumb comments from Ryder about females only being figure skaters, some other comments from other people about "crazy" women, and the fact that half the characters were f-boys who could just get anyone to sleep with them. Idk, it all felt a bit toxic, but I guess sports are generally just a bit toxic at any given time. That part was not for me, but I guess it was to be expected.
As a whole, I enjoyed the cast. I liked all characters and the different personalities they brought to the table, and I loved the romance arc! In the end, it was very much all devotion, and love, and emotion, and that worked very well. It was just some of the other pieces that really fell short for me. I'll likely read on in the series, as I like Gigi's friends enough to be curious about their stories, but it may be more of a skim going forward, because that's entirely too many pages for a romance for me.
TW: death of a parent, incarcerated parent, alcohol consumption, infidelity, sexism, injury detail; mentions cyber bullying, defamation
I feel like this could've been so much shorter. The author could have trimmed some of the extras that didn't add much to the story (I'm looking at you team building exercises that basically did nothing). Some of the team stuff was just a general lack of communication, and a lack of accountability. I liked the overall arc of the story - Ryder and Gigi helping each other grow and accept their own emotions and pasts; the smorgasbord team that's cobbled together becoming one in the end; the dreams realized and shattered. It was all solid, and I enjoyed the characters and the banter, but at the end of the day, I feel like I could've had all that even if the story was tightened up a bit. I'd reread this book in a heartbeat if it didn't have all the superfluous stuff (yes, that's a callback to the book cause that moment made me laugh).
I also hated how much sexism there was. Dumb comments from Ryder about females only being figure skaters, some other comments from other people about "crazy" women, and the fact that half the characters were f-boys who could just get anyone to sleep with them. Idk, it all felt a bit toxic, but I guess sports are generally just a bit toxic at any given time. That part was not for me, but I guess it was to be expected.
As a whole, I enjoyed the cast. I liked all characters and the different personalities they brought to the table, and I loved the romance arc! In the end, it was very much all devotion, and love, and emotion, and that worked very well. It was just some of the other pieces that really fell short for me. I'll likely read on in the series, as I like Gigi's friends enough to be curious about their stories, but it may be more of a skim going forward, because that's entirely too many pages for a romance for me.
TW: death of a parent, incarcerated parent, alcohol consumption, infidelity, sexism, injury detail; mentions cyber bullying, defamation
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Sexism, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death of parent and Alcohol
Minor: Bullying