Reviews

Tournament of Losers by Megan Derr

intheend's review against another edition

2.0

2.5 stars

I felt like the challenges were easy and not that interesting. The ending was exactly what I thought it would be.

readingwithhippos's review against another edition

4.0

Sometimes you just need a comforting, predictable story where the nice guy finishes first. Every 75 years, nobles hold a competition among the lowborn, and the prize is marriage into one of the prestigious families. Rath has no interest in marrying some hoity toity jerkface but is convinced to join the competition for the stipend, which he plans to use to pay off his lout of a father’s debts. Then he’ll promptly lose in the next round and return to his normal life. But somehow, without even trying, Rath just keeps winning...and his casual romance with a nobleman is starting to get a bit more complicated. There are virtually no surprises here--you’ll be able to guess the reveal almost immediately--but who needs suspense when you have such warm, charming characters? Michael Stellman narrates the audio book, and I greatly enjoyed his performance.

thenexthing's review against another edition

lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Pure fluff. This is a charming and relaxing read; I especially enjoyed the bits of realism, which ranged from the realistically diverse cast to discussion of living conditions for poor people. Highly recommend.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Murder and Violence

waxponds's review against another edition

3.0

didn’t connect with the characters as much as i thought but it was a cute, kinda cheesy book with a predictable ending. i still enjoyed it enough to finish it though 

oliviak_31's review

adventurous emotional lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

paracosmere's review against another edition

4.0

Aaaah what an adorable read! Can you even describe a book as adorable? I just did. I love how straightforward this one is and all squabbles between the MCs have all seemed minor and resolved instantly. Aside from that incident in front of the sausage shop, I must say this is a pretty laid back read. No unnecessary drama, just straight up cute and wholesome.

I wish we could've explored the world-building tho although that didn't seem to be one of the main driving point of the story. Short and a HEA for the characters is fine by me

chanseiha's review against another edition

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

m_petranoff's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

While some parts of the story fall squarely into tried-and-true tropes and if you look to closely at the world building it might not hold up to scrutiny, this is a well executed story that delivers exactly what it promises to. While I would have loved some more depth for the side characters, I was pleasantly surprised by some of the depth given to the protagonists. A fun read.

nangears's review

adventurous lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

intheblackout's review against another edition

4.0

Picked this up on a whim and I'm so glad I did!

[b:Tournament of Losers|27388497|Tournament of Losers|Megan Derr|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1446132545l/27388497._SY75_.jpg|47432407] takes the fairly common trope of a competition to win the hand of a royal in marriage, and completely makes it unique and fresh.

While it was kind of predictable, that didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book.

I'd really love another book set in this world.