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ariel_99's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Violence
witcheep's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
The story is good, but I'm still unsure whether I like it or not. I've read better sports romances, and both better and worse Ana Huang's books before.
This is a millionaire romance that wears a mask of a sports romance. The sports play a surprisingly small (but not insignificant!) part in the plot, even though it is the starting point to create forced proximity and the cause of small vonflicts throughout the plot. However, the plot revolves more around the personalities, struggles, and the insta-lust romance of Asher the football superstar and Scarlett the ex-ballerina.
Usually millionaire romance and insta lust are hard tropes to win me over properly, and this book joined that group of reads. It was hard for me to relate to or like the characters much, because their lifestyle and some characteristics feel so unrealistic it jars the reading experience.
Every now and then the MCs showcase how entitled they are in life regardless all the struggles they have gone and are still going through. Asher being a star athlete has made him filthy rich, and his lavish lifestyle of almost thoughtless luxuries feels so foreign – especially when the main couple seems to mostly consider it something normal in life. They have a casually entitled and selfish attitude in life (it seems like money really can fix everything when you don't have to think about it at all). Scarlett goes as far as calling herself a hypocrite who likes rules as long as they are hers.
The couple has many good qualities as well, such as Asher being very thoughtfull towards those he cares about (and seems like he is a mind reader in bed, doing everything just right with barely any communication 🙄) and Scarlett being a stubbornly resilient person who encourages resilience on others too.
This is a millionaire romance that wears a mask of a sports romance. The sports play a surprisingly small (but not insignificant!) part in the plot, even though it is the starting point to create forced proximity and the cause of small vonflicts throughout the plot. However, the plot revolves more around the personalities, struggles, and the insta-lust romance of Asher the football superstar and Scarlett the ex-ballerina.
Usually millionaire romance and insta lust are hard tropes to win me over properly, and this book joined that group of reads. It was hard for me to relate to or like the characters much, because their lifestyle and some characteristics feel so unrealistic it jars the reading experience.
Every now and then the MCs showcase how entitled they are in life regardless all the struggles they have gone and are still going through. Asher being a star athlete has made him filthy rich, and his lavish lifestyle of almost thoughtless luxuries feels so foreign – especially when the main couple seems to mostly consider it something normal in life. They have a casually entitled and selfish attitude in life (it seems like money really can fix everything when you don't have to think about it at all). Scarlett goes as far as calling herself a hypocrite who likes rules as long as they are hers.
The couple has many good qualities as well, such as Asher being very thoughtfull towards those he cares about (
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Ableism, Cursing, Violence, Grief, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
donutfishies's review against another edition
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The plot was good. I was expecting a slow burn throughout the entire book but that was only the case for the first quarter of the book where there was obvious tension between the protagonists. The middle was slightly boring as there weren't many interesting events that happened like the first part of the book. The plot kind of stalled a little and remained there for a couple hundred pages which I'm not a huge fan of. The method of resolving the conflict between the two protagonists caught me off guard and the ending was a little underwhelming. Overall, I really enjoyed the beginning and certain parts of it, but the ending and middle is slightly lacking in depth.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Chronic illness and Car accident
Minor: Violence
dallaslyndlee's review
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I enjoyed this book. I love a good sports romance, and it was also good. I like how the “conflict” wasn't one-sided, where only one character had cons and needed to grow. Both characters had some development by the end of the story and seemed self-aware. The characters were also unique compared to other sports romances I've read. There were layers to the characters, with backstories, making them feel more real. I also love how Ana ties her series together. The mentions of characters from her other series are fun.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Violence
Also wanted to add. Like Ana’s other books there is some mature content included but it doesn’t take away from the plot and if you aren’t big on reading it or feel uncomfortable with it I found it easy to skim until it was over, or skip all together.weelasswithabook's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Cw: chronic pain, car accident, medical content , graphic sexual content, knife violence, murder
🌟 Sports Romance
🌟 Forbidden romance
Ana Huang could write a recipe for buttered toast and I'd savour every word.
I went into this with a little trepidation. Most romance novels are around 300-400 pages. Normally when it's 500+ you're heading towards more fantasy romance territory where you need world building etc to establish the story. So I was thinking, at 600 pages, a contemporary sports romance, I really hope this isn't going to be a ton of filler or drag out the story. But it's Ana, so I trusted the process.
Blissfully, every page was needed. I loooooooved this book. I'm gonna be honest, I was disappointed when I was nearing the end because I could've read these two for forever.
Back to the actual substance of the story. Forbidden romances are always pure gold, there's that little undercurrent of anxiety that I always feel just waiting for that moment they get caught. This didn't disappoint on that front.
It also didn't disappoint on the romance front, Asher was just utterly besotted with Scarlett and I majorly swooned MANY times.
On a more serious front, I really appreciated the representation of chronic pain and how it impacts not only people's daily lives, but mentally as well. It wasn't relied upon as something to feel sorry for, it was just an accurate portrayal of life with chronic pain and the ups and downs that come with it. I also loved that Scarlett allowed Asher in and allowed him to take care of her. She didn't put her pride in front of her comfort (been there, regretted that), and he was so attuned to her and attentive to her pain and limitations. It was so sweet I could throw up.
As for the third act breakup, which AH is so fond of 🤣 The betrayal was disappointing but I KNEW that scenario would happen. Not specifically, but related to his "hobby" and I was screaming NOOOOOOO at the book and ready to throw it across the room when it arose. What I adore the most about Ana's heroines is they don't just shrug off betrayal, lies, or whatever causes the conflict, they take their space and make the H work for it.
You should read this if you think Ted Lasso could've really been doing with a spicy storyline. I was getting Jamie Tartt vibes from Asher. And if you love a forbidden romance (specifically brothers enemy/rival), this is so far up your street it's outside your door.
🌟 Sports Romance
🌟 Forbidden romance
Ana Huang could write a recipe for buttered toast and I'd savour every word.
I went into this with a little trepidation. Most romance novels are around 300-400 pages. Normally when it's 500+ you're heading towards more fantasy romance territory where you need world building etc to establish the story. So I was thinking, at 600 pages, a contemporary sports romance, I really hope this isn't going to be a ton of filler or drag out the story. But it's Ana, so I trusted the process.
Blissfully, every page was needed. I loooooooved this book. I'm gonna be honest, I was disappointed when I was nearing the end because I could've read these two for forever.
Back to the actual substance of the story. Forbidden romances are always pure gold, there's that little undercurrent of anxiety that I always feel just waiting for that moment they get caught. This didn't disappoint on that front.
It also didn't disappoint on the romance front, Asher was just utterly besotted with Scarlett and I majorly swooned MANY times.
On a more serious front, I really appreciated the representation of chronic pain and how it impacts not only people's daily lives, but mentally as well. It wasn't relied upon as something to feel sorry for, it was just an accurate portrayal of life with chronic pain and the ups and downs that come with it. I also loved that Scarlett allowed Asher in and allowed him to take care of her. She didn't put her pride in front of her comfort (been there, regretted that), and he was so attuned to her and attentive to her pain and limitations. It was so sweet I could throw up.
As for the third act breakup, which AH is so fond of 🤣 The betrayal was disappointing but I KNEW that scenario would happen. Not specifically, but related to his "hobby" and I was screaming NOOOOOOO at the book and ready to throw it across the room when it arose. What I adore the most about Ana's heroines is they don't just shrug off betrayal, lies, or whatever causes the conflict, they take their space and make the H work for it.
You should read this if you think Ted Lasso could've really been doing with a spicy storyline. I was getting Jamie Tartt vibes from Asher. And if you love a forbidden romance (specifically brothers enemy/rival), this is so far up your street it's outside your door.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content, and Car accident
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Medical content, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
cdoubet's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Blood, Medical content, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Violence, Grief, and Alcohol
Minor: Child death, Death, and Vomit
honeybeewitched87's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing, Violence, Car accident, and Alcohol
Minor: Death, Toxic relationship, and Injury/Injury detail
erwikka's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
After the shit week I needed a fast trashy romance and this completely fit the bill. I really loved Scarlett and Asher and as a previous soccer player and ballerina this was right up my alley. I thought the author did really well with those aspects and you could tell she looked into the subjects. The banter was fun and my favorite part. The spice was good and even though I think 595 pages is way too long for a romance book it didn’t feel that long at all. Overall it a fun can’t put down romance and it was completely what I needed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness and Sexual content
Moderate: Car accident
Minor: Death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Medical content, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
mayalberg_'s review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I love me a good Ana Huang book. This one was long but it didn’t feel unnecessarily long. Sometimes her chain of events can feel super repetitive but i didn’t feel that way about this one. I loved it, but I didn’t LOVE it like I do Twisted Games or King of Sloth. But the crossovers from other books have me kicking my feet every time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Alcohol
sdupont's review against another edition
emotional
slow-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? Yes
3.75
While I enjoyed this book it was extremely long. The length of this book did not add to the story and did not make the romance more compelling. Truly an equally strong romance could’ve been crafted in less pages. That being said, I did enjoy Asher and Scarlett’s story. We love a little forbidden moment and what better tension than your brother’s rival? Asher and Scarlett’s relationship developed into something deep and meaningful. They both were vulnerable with each other and offered the support the other needed. While I understood the third act conflict, I did find it a little frustrating. While Scarlett had a revelation that she too displayed self destructive behaviors she did not own up to that in the reconciliation. The connections to the Ana Huang universe offered up fun little moments for fans of her work. I recommend this to fans of Throttled by Lauren Asher.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness and Medical content
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, and Car accident
Minor: Blood and Murder