a_novel_ty's review against another edition
4.0
Two Words. FUN READ.
This book is definitely one to read when you're just looking for a mindless romance with a little bit of sarcastic humor sprinkled in.
Ian and his best friend Lex run a company called Wingman Inc., in which they help women land the guys of their dreams. Simply with a little bit of guidance and a little bit of cash. They coach their clients on what they need to do to get a the attention and heart of the men they desire all without disrespecting themselves or changing who they are. Because of the nature of their business, they have very strict and practical rules in place to protect both themselves and their clients, but of course, when Ian takes on his best friend Gabis roommate Blake as a client, the carefully thought out rules Ian put into place, slowly gets broken, one by one as Ian starts to realize that he would much rather have Blake's attention for himself instead of helping her get the attention of someone else.
The Marchmakers Playbook is cute. it's a cute romance, with a cute concept and a cute couple. It is a little cheesy and corny at times but for the most part, I really enjoyed reading this book, about these characters and following them on their journey.
The really unique thing about this book is that it has "media" embedded into it which is actually what drew my eye to the book in the first place. Throughout the book, there are small vignettes of the characters, depicted by actors, playing out portions of the scene you are reading. Now this would be a really fun thing, if they didnt get the depictions of the characters so wrong. I ended up turning the media off about 10% into the book because I didnt want the way the characters were depicted by the actors to affect my enjoyment of the book. To be completely honest, the book says both Ian and Blake are really attractive people and I'm sorry to say that I personally didnt find the actors playing them throughout the book attractive at all. Not only that, but they also didnt fit the description of the characters which was throwing me off.
As usual with many books in this genre, there had to be a conflict in the relationship between Blake and Ian and as usual, that conflict was pretty unnecessary and not at all serious enough to be considered the major conflict of the book. I need for authors to come up with more realistic and dire reasons for people to call off relationships in books, because the whole "you're too good for me, I dont want to ruin your life" thing is and has been old for quite some time...
All in all, an enjoyable and entertaining read. The next book is about Lex and Gabi and I will DEFINITELY be reading that because those two claim to hate eachother...and I want to see what happens to turn that hate into love 😊
This book is definitely one to read when you're just looking for a mindless romance with a little bit of sarcastic humor sprinkled in.
Ian and his best friend Lex run a company called Wingman Inc., in which they help women land the guys of their dreams. Simply with a little bit of guidance and a little bit of cash. They coach their clients on what they need to do to get a the attention and heart of the men they desire all without disrespecting themselves or changing who they are. Because of the nature of their business, they have very strict and practical rules in place to protect both themselves and their clients, but of course, when Ian takes on his best friend Gabis roommate Blake as a client, the carefully thought out rules Ian put into place, slowly gets broken, one by one as Ian starts to realize that he would much rather have Blake's attention for himself instead of helping her get the attention of someone else.
The Marchmakers Playbook is cute. it's a cute romance, with a cute concept and a cute couple. It is a little cheesy and corny at times but for the most part, I really enjoyed reading this book, about these characters and following them on their journey.
The really unique thing about this book is that it has "media" embedded into it which is actually what drew my eye to the book in the first place. Throughout the book, there are small vignettes of the characters, depicted by actors, playing out portions of the scene you are reading. Now this would be a really fun thing, if they didnt get the depictions of the characters so wrong. I ended up turning the media off about 10% into the book because I didnt want the way the characters were depicted by the actors to affect my enjoyment of the book. To be completely honest, the book says both Ian and Blake are really attractive people and I'm sorry to say that I personally didnt find the actors playing them throughout the book attractive at all. Not only that, but they also didnt fit the description of the characters which was throwing me off.
As usual with many books in this genre, there had to be a conflict in the relationship between Blake and Ian and as usual, that conflict was pretty unnecessary and not at all serious enough to be considered the major conflict of the book. I need for authors to come up with more realistic and dire reasons for people to call off relationships in books, because the whole "you're too good for me, I dont want to ruin your life" thing is and has been old for quite some time...
All in all, an enjoyable and entertaining read. The next book is about Lex and Gabi and I will DEFINITELY be reading that because those two claim to hate eachother...and I want to see what happens to turn that hate into love 😊
chrissyp's review against another edition
4.0
Great Book
I really enjoyed this story. It was actually fun to read. The storyline was realistic and it just seemed to flow. The characters seemed like normal college kids, and there wasn't any deep or dark past they had to get past. It was an easy, fun read, and I had no trouble staying engaged with the story. Also, this was my first experience with kindle in motion and I thought it was awesome. It really helped bring the characters to life.
I really enjoyed this story. It was actually fun to read. The storyline was realistic and it just seemed to flow. The characters seemed like normal college kids, and there wasn't any deep or dark past they had to get past. It was an easy, fun read, and I had no trouble staying engaged with the story. Also, this was my first experience with kindle in motion and I thought it was awesome. It really helped bring the characters to life.
akjade11's review against another edition
4.0
This book was hilarious. It took me a little bit to get into, but once I did I couldn't stop reading.
isaiconica's review against another edition
2.0
Mira no. Otro tipejo machista y controlador que encima viene a dar lecciones a las tías. Igual yo estoy en un momento diferente de mi vida, pero esto no es para mí.
Me encantaría decir que lo mejor ha sido lo de los gifs y las imágenes dentro del libro, pero los actores estaban tan sobreactuados que me sacaban de la historia.
Me encantaría decir que lo mejor ha sido lo de los gifs y las imágenes dentro del libro, pero los actores estaban tan sobreactuados que me sacaban de la historia.
mvptp's review against another edition
It was just boring and I didn't feel like the main characters had any chemistry. Maybe I'm finally to old for college books
gabookaholics's review against another edition
4.0
“Was it the caboodle or the sandals?” This may be my favorite line of the whole book. What a fun read. This was exactly what I needed to start 2022. This book, and the second book in this series (which will be read immediately) have been sitting on my (physical) TBR pile FOR YEARS! I don’t know what took me so long to read these but I’m not at all surprised that I loved it considering it’s written by the immensely talented RVD. There’s nothing I’ve read by Rachel Van Dyken that I haven’t loved and she has written so many themes/genres/etc. that that makes that sentence truly special. This is just another shining example of her talent. This book was witty and clever and perfectly written to be made into a movie or show (I’m obviously adding Passionflix now), but also to just take the reader to a time and place that things were a little lighter, a little easier, a little brighter. That’s not to say the characters in this story haven’t gone through hard times, they have. But, the focus of this book isn’t on that. It’s on a couple that deserves all the love in the world. It’s on a friend group that you’d love to be part of. It’s about people making a business out of helping others (but yeah… it’s a profitable business
missmaj's review against another edition
4.0
This is my second read of the book. Last time I read it was in 2016 (wow). Initially, I gave it a five, and added it on my faves list. It’s still on my fave list, but this time, I’m giving it a four.
In the beginning of my reread, I thought Ian’s the most obnoxious asshole I’ve ever read in a book. Made me wonder why I gave it a perfect five the first time. But as I read on, I remembered why I liked him as a character. Idk if this makes sense, but I think his doucheness was ~appropriate for his age? I would’ve flounced his cocky ass if he was older. This book was all written in his POV, and I find it hilarious. Loved the banter between the characters, even the secondary ones. Chemistry between Ian and Blake were off the charts from the get-go.
The angst was unnecessary. It was juvenile and stupid. Good thing it was just a blip in the story, so it’s easy to forget. No graphic smut, but it’s not vanilla either. French vanilla, maybe?
In the beginning of my reread, I thought Ian’s the most obnoxious asshole I’ve ever read in a book. Made me wonder why I gave it a perfect five the first time. But as I read on, I remembered why I liked him as a character. Idk if this makes sense, but I think his doucheness was ~appropriate for his age? I would’ve flounced his cocky ass if he was older. This book was all written in his POV, and I find it hilarious. Loved the banter between the characters, even the secondary ones. Chemistry between Ian and Blake were off the charts from the get-go.
The angst was unnecessary. It was juvenile and stupid. Good thing it was just a blip in the story, so it’s easy to forget. No graphic smut, but it’s not vanilla either. French vanilla, maybe?
maidcc's review against another edition
1.0
There are so many things wrong with this book that I barely know where to start.
But let's start with Ian, our protagonist and, unfortunately, the narrator of this story.
Ian is in the stage before falling in love with himself, like Narcissus. He's so full of himself... and doesn't lose ANY chance to prove his point over and over and over again. Just in case you had any doubt that he's oh-so-sexy, so strong, so cool, so gifted (if you know what I mean *wink, wink - nudge nudge*). And of course he's a sex machine and gets laid with whomever "chick" he wants, just has to snap his fingers. And he continually has to rub it on our faces. One time isn't enough. In fact, he does that throughout the book, even when he's already with Blake. So yeah, he's the stereotypical fuckboy.
Oh, and I almost forgot, he's an ex-NFL because he saved a boy from being run over. So on top of that, he's a hero. And he's rich. Which is totally relevant for the plot. You can't be a poor normal guy to win the girl's heart.
I lost count of how many sexist statements he made. Lost count by chapter 2-3. When he's aiming for girls in order to get laid, he treats them like pieces of meat. What else could they possibly be? Human beings with feelings? Don't worry because he's such a "nice guy" that he only goes for the typical fool and blonde girl. It's just like watching an American movie. One stereotype on top of another.
He's not just plain sexist, he's also reaaally superficial. In case you were unaware, the human psyche is so simple you can just use his "playbook" and foretell all the events to come.
On one occasion he helps a client out. So he orders coffee because the barista (aka the crush of the girl) dislikes coffee, he's more of a tea-guy, so he's biased towards him. ¿Does that make any fucking sense? And it works. I don't know what is actually worse.
Everything action is done according to a "plan" and it works every fucking time. There are no variables. Nothing unexpected. No margin left for free will and improvisation. Non what so ever. Which is actually preposterous. I'm telling you: NOTHING goes wrong. Not even once.
He tells his clients "you do this to catch the attention of your crush and he *will* call you/ask you out/whatever". And it happens exactly that.
Thing is: he's so good because he's a guy and knows how the guys are like. All the male population fits this criteria, just so you know. And so does the female population. He just saved you from majoring in psychology, you don't need that thing.
And talking about Wingmen Inc.,...it's a matchmaking agency where the two guys in control (Ian & Lex, the supporting character who will have his book) will "help" you be in the radar of your crush and everything. They work according to statistics WHICH OF COURSE NEVER FAIL and you can trust them blindfolded. They will touch your body, kiss you and whatever is necessary in order "to help you" and teach you. Mind you, it's absolutely necessary that they teach you how to kiss properly.
By the way, his friend Lex is another fuckboy but nerdy. He also takes about 5-10 min to get into your pants. What? You thought a woman would say no to them? Bah, there's no such woman.
They stick to "facts" because all the girls turn around to look at them, they swoon, they drool, and they fool around. 10/10.
I don't have much to say about the writing style. My only complaint is that Ian is the narrator. So we have a self-centred, sexist, superficial and over-confident narrator.
So...let's get on with the plot.
So Blake wants to get David's attention and he is her childhood friend. So she hires Ian to help her. She wears his dead brother's hoodies and Adidas flip-flops. So apparently THIS was the only "problem". Once she started wearing sexy fitness clothes David started noticing her (and so did Ian). Blake was, if anything, inconsistent. She's supposed to be virgin, an innocent-naif town girl. But after being around Ian for a couple of days she suddenly is different. We think she's in love with David but, boy is that love fickle. Because in a matter of days she's kissing Ian passionately (doesn't matter that is the first kiss she has been saving for David). Same goes for her virginity. Doesn't look like she gave it a second thought. (I'm not saying it's wrong, I'm saying that a naif town girl WOULD think twice about it).
So Ian and Blake start dating (turns out our love for David wasn't so deep after all) what-a-surprise. I'm kidding, we saw that coming. Ian starting to feel less confident because he's never felt that before and blah blah so Lex shows him the stats about his relationship. It's a 50-50 success chance. So Ian, ever the gentleman (note: no way in hell) decides by himself, that he has to dump him because David-Blake stats were 80%. But before he does anything, Blake has a date with David (once she's dating Ian). Ian is so restless that goes spying on her and happens to see how David kisses her and she kisses back. They fight, she says "I love you" (because she just wanted to make sure) but he "doesn't care" because she will eventually be better off with David.
But then we learn that David is not such a nice guy. Because he HAS to be a douche. He just realised Blake is actually hot and wanted to get laid. Period. It pisses me off because it's like Blake can't decide that she loves Ian better. It's because he's a "nicer" guy compared with David the Douche.
After that, Ian goes to Blake says I love you and...that's it? Anger is completely gone. Blake, can you be any more inconsistent?
I've noticed so many things that are wrong with these two... The story may have had some potential, and I can somehow imagine a different scenario where they are less superficial, more developed, less sexist, more romantic (without rainbow pucking), less cringey, etc. And I may have liked them. But Ian doesn't waste a single opportunity to make a bad taste comment. And Blake falling for every breath Ian takes doesn't help.
I believe the "best" part was the sex scenes. It was kind of hot but my detachment with the characters was so big at this point that I couldn't care less. And of course he's SO good, there are so many orgasms coming and going, blah blah. Seen that before. But still, the best part. So you can imagine how was the rest. (Hell, it was).
By the way, there's an epilogue explained from Lex's point of view. And Jesus, he's as bad as Ian. Sexist, superficial, etc, I'm sure you get the idea by now. So not going to read the second part. It's definitely not worth my time.
aboutthatstory's review against another edition
4.0
This was such a fun, light read! Highly entertaining, with a male POV that had me smiling big time.
I really liked Ian and his internal monologue. He was funny and charming as well as a whole lot of cocky. I liked Blake, a bit clueless and inexperienced in the beginning but it was fun watching her come out of her shell and be more comfortable with herself when it came to guys. I liked Ian and Blake’s growing relationship, the animosity between the two, the chemistry, the unspoken fire they both seemed to have for one another. There was nice conflict happening, internal struggles for each, and a bit of angst and heat to round it all out. It was a solid story with a really nice slow burn happening. Not heavy or super in depth but there was a good amount of background info given on each character that pulled me in.
I liked the relationship that Ian had with his roommate Lex. Male banter at its best, they cracked me up. Lex and Gabbie were the king and queen of bicker and while some of that was fun - for a while - it was a bit warring. I'd be interested to read their story in the next book to see how that tension and current hate-hate relationship plays out.
It was a great read that was just outright fun! :-)
I really liked Ian and his internal monologue. He was funny and charming as well as a whole lot of cocky. I liked Blake, a bit clueless and inexperienced in the beginning but it was fun watching her come out of her shell and be more comfortable with herself when it came to guys. I liked Ian and Blake’s growing relationship, the animosity between the two, the chemistry, the unspoken fire they both seemed to have for one another. There was nice conflict happening, internal struggles for each, and a bit of angst and heat to round it all out. It was a solid story with a really nice slow burn happening. Not heavy or super in depth but there was a good amount of background info given on each character that pulled me in.
I liked the relationship that Ian had with his roommate Lex. Male banter at its best, they cracked me up. Lex and Gabbie were the king and queen of bicker and while some of that was fun - for a while - it was a bit warring. I'd be interested to read their story in the next book to see how that tension and current hate-hate relationship plays out.
It was a great read that was just outright fun! :-)