bethbock27's review
dark
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.75
marineb09's review
4.0
Yes It took me 2 days t read this book ... Yes I may have read all afternoon instead of working ... yes I am in love with Rachel and every single one of her books !
I enjoy reading the first Summer Games more than this one but it's still a sold 4 star right here.
I mean ... I fell in love with R.S Grey "Scoring Wilder" last year ... and now I read them all and I want more. I am craving for more actually ...
I have to warn you, once you read any book from her you will become addicted but don't worry it's the best drug on earth ... pinky swear <3
I enjoy reading the first Summer Games more than this one but it's still a sold 4 star right here.
I mean ... I fell in love with R.S Grey "Scoring Wilder" last year ... and now I read them all and I want more. I am craving for more actually ...
I have to warn you, once you read any book from her you will become addicted but don't worry it's the best drug on earth ... pinky swear <3
livingin_ficiton's review
2.0
2.8🌟
I read 50% of the book.
I was really loving it from the beginning. I was hooked from the first page. I however expected something different.
The writing was amazing and flowing through ease. The side characters were amazing.
The problem I had was with the main characters. Especially the guy.
Firstly, there was just tooo much push and pull. And the repeated stress on the age gap and maturity levels really threw me off. I couldn't stand the guys behaviour at times... Sure he's supposed to be an ass but I never expected it to be that intense. I didn't like his point of views at all. They felt demeaning. At a certain point in the book a scene just was the last straw which made me put the book down.
I really wanted to like this book. I love this author and this series but this book was just not for me.
I loved the side characters though ! Hoping for thier books soon!
I read 50% of the book.
I was really loving it from the beginning. I was hooked from the first page. I however expected something different.
The writing was amazing and flowing through ease. The side characters were amazing.
The problem I had was with the main characters. Especially the guy.
Firstly, there was just tooo much push and pull. And the repeated stress on the age gap and maturity levels really threw me off. I couldn't stand the guys behaviour at times... Sure he's supposed to be an ass but I never expected it to be that intense. I didn't like his point of views at all. They felt demeaning. At a certain point in the book a scene just was the last straw which made me put the book down.
I really wanted to like this book. I love this author and this series but this book was just not for me.
I loved the side characters though ! Hoping for thier books soon!
kels434's review
3.0
3.5 stars. Eric is a bloody Jerk! I've been so disappointed by the last 3 R.S Grey books I've read there just meh. There okay nothing special. Scoring wilder is one of my favourites and I loved both Julian & Deans books but both of these books haven't done anything for me I'm not sure why. I prefer the last one to this one. Eric is such an emotional bully it took me days to read it and normally I can read one of her books in a day. Not quite sure how to feel there was something missing for me can't put my finger on it.
booksnunicorns's review against another edition
2.0
Bon. Bon. Bon. Par où commencer avec cette lecture ? Le résumé m'a attirée avec ce milieu sportif et son résumé entre amour-haine. J'ai donc décidé de commencer par le premier tome que j'ai très vite abandonné... pfff, bonne plume mais histoire sans consistance avec une "rencontre" immédiate et des scènes "pré-enregistrées". Oui comme les rires en boites. Je ne parle même pas des phrases en portugais incorrectes, je n'ai pas insisté et je me suis dis que j'allais quand même laisser une chance avec le tome 2.
Jusqu'à la moitié, la lecture était sympa. Surtout le début, l'héroïne a une situation personnelle qui la montre comme quelqu'un de mature, une battante qui veut réussir. Une fois la rencontre avec le bellâtre... OMG, on se retrouve avec des scènes superficielles, de la fausse colère entre eux. Pourtant, ça avait bien commencé, le personnage masculin au départ est excellent, il a ce qu'il faut pour être un prof exigeant et charismatique de sorte à mettre en situation des moments de tension. Mais elle... elle se transforme en harpie jusqu'à devenir une espèce de femme enfant qui le teste, qui l'allume de façon vulgaire et pas du tout sensuel.
On a droit à une scène à trois qui sort de nulle part... ce serait un rêve, j'aurais dis why not pour le fantasme mais là , ça part dans un trip complètement différent du démarrage. On a a faire à deux bouquins en faite : une romance contemporaine et une romance porno-érotique dans la deuxième partie ; à des personnalités changés sans matière, limite skyzo. Il n'est question que de baise, de dialogues par la suite crus ou colériques. Elle est devenue antipathique et tête à claque. Lui à la moitié devient un trou du cul.
Et la fin ? Oh, c'est niais... tant de clichés, tant d'inconstance dans la création de ses personnage... qu'est ce qui s'est passé dans la tête de R.S Grey ! Ce livre plaira si vous êtes amateurs de moments chauds et de personnages en recherche. Il y a aussi de très belles descriptions dans l'entrainement, la dynamique de groupe apportée par le reste du groupe d'amie est sympa et tient ainsi en partie ce tome. Je ne sais pas si je retenterais un de ces livres par contre, j'avoue avoir été déçue parce que le début était prometteur et la plume bien dosée, mais je ne suis pas intéressée par la superficialité.
Jusqu'à la moitié, la lecture était sympa. Surtout le début, l'héroïne a une situation personnelle qui la montre comme quelqu'un de mature, une battante qui veut réussir. Une fois la rencontre avec le bellâtre... OMG, on se retrouve avec des scènes superficielles, de la fausse colère entre eux. Pourtant, ça avait bien commencé, le personnage masculin au départ est excellent, il a ce qu'il faut pour être un prof exigeant et charismatique de sorte à mettre en situation des moments de tension. Mais elle... elle se transforme en harpie jusqu'à devenir une espèce de femme enfant qui le teste, qui l'allume de façon vulgaire et pas du tout sensuel.
On a droit à une scène à trois qui sort de nulle part... ce serait un rêve, j'aurais dis why not pour le fantasme mais là , ça part dans un trip complètement différent du démarrage. On a a faire à deux bouquins en faite : une romance contemporaine et une romance porno-érotique dans la deuxième partie ; à des personnalités changés sans matière, limite skyzo. Il n'est question que de baise, de dialogues par la suite crus ou colériques. Elle est devenue antipathique et tête à claque. Lui à la moitié devient un trou du cul.
Et la fin ? Oh, c'est niais... tant de clichés, tant d'inconstance dans la création de ses personnage... qu'est ce qui s'est passé dans la tête de R.S Grey ! Ce livre plaira si vous êtes amateurs de moments chauds et de personnages en recherche. Il y a aussi de très belles descriptions dans l'entrainement, la dynamique de groupe apportée par le reste du groupe d'amie est sympa et tient ainsi en partie ce tome. Je ne sais pas si je retenterais un de ces livres par contre, j'avoue avoir été déçue parce que le début était prometteur et la plume bien dosée, mais je ne suis pas intéressée par la superficialité.
abinthebooks's review
2.0
DNF @ 55%
I picked this one up on a whim last night after reading the description and finding out it was about a gymnast training for the Olympics. I always gravitate towards stories that have gymnastics at their forefront, mainly because I was a gymnast my entire childhood (fuck you knee injury that made me quit) and I love reading about characters that childhood me can relate to. However, this one was kind of a bust.
I think my main issues with Out of Bounds were both of the MC’s. Our FMC, Brie is literally broke (like $100 in her bank account broke) and she has been training for the Olympics since she was a young kid. But she literally spends her money on so many useless things and fucks around in her training, not at all taking it seriously. She yells at her coach—our MMC, Erik—for correcting her mistakes and gets mad when he doesn’t praise her. She was so irritating. Girl, you are going to the Olympics, at least take it seriously.
I also didn’t like Erik who was a grade A alphahole. He was such an asshole to Brie, and I honestly couldn’t understand why she was so attracted to him? What happened at the 52% mark was also insane??? Mainly one of the reasons I DNF’ed tbh. Anyways, I love the coach/athlete trope so much (as long as it’s legal obviously), mainly for the angst and the silent pining and the will/they won’t/they aspect of it. I love the coach character who keeps telling themselves they have to stay away from their athlete bc they’re teaching them, it’s not right, ect., Literally none of that is present in here. Erik is literally fucking around with Brie the entire book and not even thinking about the consequences. Dude, you are literally an Olympic coach. I’d think that the forbidden aspect of it would double but none of it was present at all.
I thought Brie and Erik had chemistry, don’t get me wrong. Their fighting and Brie defying him at every turn made sense. But honestly because of their respective situations, I found their arguing more annoying than hot? Their relationship just ended up giving the ick tbh, especially Erik and his advances towards Brie. I really think the only aspect of this book I enjoyed was the gymnastics (which I came for so at least I received lmao). Even then, the training scenes were far and few between, covered up Erik and Brie (obviously it’s a romance, so I was expecting that), and Brie’s fellow gymnasts gossiping about her relationship with Erik.
I think I was just too technical reading this book, especially because I was a gymnast as a kid, and I did compete a lot. It’s just, I know how serious training for the Olympics and as a gymnast can be. If I was in Brie’s position today, I wouldn’t be fucking around so much and actually try to focus on my training. I think my main issue with this was just how immature both Erik and Brie were. Anyways, after reading this book, I realized I had read another book by R.S. Grey called Scoring Wilder which I gave 3 stars. My issues were exactly the same from this book and that one, so this will probably be my last book from this author.
I picked this one up on a whim last night after reading the description and finding out it was about a gymnast training for the Olympics. I always gravitate towards stories that have gymnastics at their forefront, mainly because I was a gymnast my entire childhood (fuck you knee injury that made me quit) and I love reading about characters that childhood me can relate to. However, this one was kind of a bust.
I think my main issues with Out of Bounds were both of the MC’s. Our FMC, Brie is literally broke (like $100 in her bank account broke) and she has been training for the Olympics since she was a young kid. But she literally spends her money on so many useless things and fucks around in her training, not at all taking it seriously. She yells at her coach—our MMC, Erik—for correcting her mistakes and gets mad when he doesn’t praise her. She was so irritating. Girl, you are going to the Olympics, at least take it seriously.
I also didn’t like Erik who was a grade A alphahole. He was such an asshole to Brie, and I honestly couldn’t understand why she was so attracted to him? What happened at the 52% mark was also insane??? Mainly one of the reasons I DNF’ed tbh. Anyways, I love the coach/athlete trope so much (as long as it’s legal obviously), mainly for the angst and the silent pining and the will/they won’t/they aspect of it. I love the coach character who keeps telling themselves they have to stay away from their athlete bc they’re teaching them, it’s not right, ect., Literally none of that is present in here. Erik is literally fucking around with Brie the entire book and not even thinking about the consequences. Dude, you are literally an Olympic coach. I’d think that the forbidden aspect of it would double but none of it was present at all.
I thought Brie and Erik had chemistry, don’t get me wrong. Their fighting and Brie defying him at every turn made sense. But honestly because of their respective situations, I found their arguing more annoying than hot? Their relationship just ended up giving the ick tbh, especially Erik and his advances towards Brie. I really think the only aspect of this book I enjoyed was the gymnastics (which I came for so at least I received lmao). Even then, the training scenes were far and few between, covered up Erik and Brie (obviously it’s a romance, so I was expecting that), and Brie’s fellow gymnasts gossiping about her relationship with Erik.
I think I was just too technical reading this book, especially because I was a gymnast as a kid, and I did compete a lot. It’s just, I know how serious training for the Olympics and as a gymnast can be. If I was in Brie’s position today, I wouldn’t be fucking around so much and actually try to focus on my training. I think my main issue with this was just how immature both Erik and Brie were. Anyways, after reading this book, I realized I had read another book by R.S. Grey called Scoring Wilder which I gave 3 stars. My issues were exactly the same from this book and that one, so this will probably be my last book from this author.
icezoot's review
1.75
Spoiler warning.
You know, I really was enjoying this book. At first. Hence the two stars instead of one. But by the time I’d reached the 50% my blood boiling.Â
You know, I really was enjoying this book. At first. Hence the two stars instead of one. But by the time I’d reached the 50% my blood boiling.Â
Get ready for a rant.Â
I’ve never quite felt as violated and disgusted as I did when reading this book, specifically, through the 45-60% portion. Usually there are so early warning signs and red flags that tell me that I’m not going to enjoy this book, or the male lead. But this time the author had hidden those red flag really fcking well, and I made it half-way through before I was so angry I was literally shaking.Â
Not only is this 30-year-old man viewing and treating his 20-year-old female student as a sextoy for him to play with. He also uses her attraction towards him to manipulate her into accepting his treatment, and then lets other JOIN IN ON TREATING HER THE SAME FCKING WAY.Â
He began to grope her during their yoga session and—when she was so worked up and so far gone to even think clearly— HE MADE THE FCKING YOGA INSTRUCTOR JOIN IN ON TOUCHING HER SEXUALLY.Â
Obviously, she felt extremely taken advantage of and disgusted afterwards. But when she confront him about this, her vile coach practically laughs in her face and calls her a “plaything”, and a “little doll”, and then mocks her how “you’re so easy to control, if I pushed you back on this seat right now, you’d spead your legs for me.”Â
Fcking. VILE.Â
🤮🤢🤮🤢🤮🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪
He did this TWO DAYS BEFORE SHE WAS GOING TO COMPETE IN THE OLYMPICS.
I was hoping she’d slap the fck outta him.Â
At the very least, I wish she’d draw a parallel between what he and the yoga instructor did to her, and if she ever made him lay on the floor with her groping him and while her ex-boyfriend gave him a blowjob. I wonder how’d he feel about that after the lust had settled? Surely he’d feel no resentment for the female lead when she laughed in his face and mocked him, calling him a little boy-toy she could easily control.Â
Did she do that? Did she hit him? Yell at him? Tell him he was disgusting? Be angry that her coach is treating her like a wh*re? Did she at the VERY LEAST ignore him and give him the cold shoulder? Did she manage to conjure up a crumb of self-respect?
Or did she just continue to irrationally lust over this waste of fcking space? Place your bets.Â
… This girl is pathetic.
Despite that he TOLD HER TO HER FACE that he considered her a little fuckdoll, plaything, whatever, and that she was so easy to control, she continues to act JUST like that around him—like an easy wh*re.Â
Literally. He calls her easy. In his head. To her face.Â
And the next day, this is how this desperate b*tch acts during the event:
“He asked me questions as we danced and I mumbled replies, but my attention was on Erik—only Erik.”
“I nodded and spun around, trying to stay facing Erik. I watched him, wanting him to turn from the woman he was chatting with and lock eyes with me. I needed his gaze on my body, his attention on me, even just for a second.”
“Another coach walked up to chat with him and I sighed, fully aware that he was too busy to notice the fact that I was in the same room as him.”
“His hands tightened on my waist and I glanced over his shoulder again, helplessly drawn to Erik.”
“Erik was a foot away from me but he wouldn’t make eye contact, wouldn’t grace me with his gaze.”
BTCH SHUT THE FCK UP.Â
And all of this happens when he is being his usual manwh*re self and chatting up/touching other women.
“He could fuck her if he wanted to and the mere thought made my stomach turn. I wanted to march over there and lay some kind of claim to him; I wanted to scratch my hands down his chest and scar him so every woman that came after me would know he was mine.Â
  When he finally turned to scan the room, I waited for him to find me.Â
  I’m right here.”
“I needed to be closer to him, to catch his scent or hear his voice, something that would connect us. I walked right behind him and held my breath, expecting him to reach out and stop me, to call a fucking spade a spade.Â
  He didn’t falter from his conversation, but one of the other coaches noticed me walking by and reached out to stop me. Â
  “Oh, Erik! Isn’t this one yours?”Â
  My back bristled as the group turned to asses me.Â
  Yes. Tell them I’m yours, Erik.”
It gives… desperation.Â
It gives hoe behavior. It’s gives lack of self-respect.Â
I was so disgusted with her at this point, that I was ready to drop this fcking book. Fck the Olympics competition—you know the main fcking reason for why I even picked up this book to read in the first place, and the only reason I stuck around for as long as I did. I couldn’t stand the female and male lead for another damn second.Â
She is literally about to compete in the Olympics and become a gold medalist and she’s acting like a b*tch in heat for her no-name, despicable coach that gets off on treating her like she’s beneath him. Like this man has no medals or achievements under his belt.Â
Just why.Â
Why do you like him?
Why. The. Fck.
After the event—the same event where he humiliated her, ignored her, told her to go home early—he then proceeds to drag her into an alleyway and pushed her up against the wall and sexually assaults her. When she fights back, he mocks her and once again tells her that she is super easy.Â
She tells him to stop. He doesn’t, and forcefully continues to molest her.Â
“She was fighting me with her words, but she was rolling her hips against me. Even as she continued to push me away, she was getting herself off.”
“Such a good little doll.”
Not only does he force himself onto her, he does it in a manipulate way to make her think it’s consensual, EVEN AFTER SHE TRIED TO PUSH HIM OFF AND SAID NO!Â
He uses her lust against her to demean her. Mock her.Â
Vile, motherfcker.
"I'd been vulnerable and shaking, completely under his thumb. He was destroying me and he loved it.He wanted to rip my heart out for sport, to add it to his collection with all the others. I should have fought him more, but I liked it. I liked the way he ruined me."Â
"I'd been vulnerable and shaking, completely under his thumb. He was destroying me and he loved it.He wanted to rip my heart out for sport, to add it to his collection with all the others. I should have fought him more, but I liked it. I liked the way he ruined me."Â
And then, when she finally sees through his nature, and tries to stay away and hold him accountable for all of his past actions. This is all he had to say. This is his excuse. HisÂ
'apology'. And he says all of this with that stupid, self-serving smirk on his face. Like it's sooo funny to him.Â
"Fine, Brie. I'll play this game. You want me to beg?" His gaze dropped to my body slowly, then he dragged it back up. The mischief there was impossible to ignore. "You want me to chase you? Prove I'm serious about wanting you?"Â
At this point there isn't anything the author could make him do or say to redeem him or make me believe he loves her. Hell, he doesn't even care about her. He only cares about himself. His games. His amusement.Â
His abuse of power.
Through his entire sorry-excuse of a redemption arc he adopted a “I guess I’ll do it if I have to” mentality.
Through his entire sorry-excuse of a redemption arc he adopted a “I guess I’ll do it if I have to” mentality.
To him, her righteous anger is her “playing a game”.
“Here, I’ll sum it up for us: you’re in love with me. You have been for a while.” I narrowed my eyes as he continued. “For the last few days, you’ve been playing a game, too scared to give in to your feelings.” I blushed at how accurate his assessment was. “Am I getting close?”
   “You left out the part about you being an unpredictable and selfish jerk.”
  “I don’t want to be thought of as selfish,” he said as he pulled my panties down my thighs, up over my knees before tossing them off the side of the bed. Any strength to get up and leave disappeared along with them. “I’m sorry you feel that way.”Â
  “No, you aren’t.”Â
  “I don’t want to be thought of as selfish,” he said as he pulled my panties down my thighs, up over my knees before tossing them off the side of the bed. Any strength to get up and leave disappeared along with them. “I’m sorry you feel that way.”Â
  “No, you aren’t.”Â
  He smirked. “You’re right.”
Wow! I’m glad that she finds his “assessment” regarding her little female anger-tantrum-game accurate! I’m also very glad that in the end, he admits to never being sorry at all!
“I wasn’t finished fighting him, and I knew he liked my resistance. It was more fun that way.”
Haha. Woman-female anger over bad treatment very funny!!!Â
I’m just… so tired of reading about men like these. I’m so tired of the author trying to romanticize them, and trying to make ME look past all of their horrific deeds because they’re hot.Â
I’m just so tired of picking up 100 books and 90 of them having a despicable male lead just like this one—but I’m supposed to let them redeem themself and come to love them. I’m so tired.Â
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment
halffast's review against another edition
2.0
A gymnast training for the Olympics doesn't see eye-to-eye with her handsome new coach.
This book had a lot of potential with the characters and setting but ultimately fell flat for me. Brie is woefully immature and she and her teammates often act like a gaggle of teenagers. Erik isn't a great love interest, and an even worse coach. He messes with Brie's head and acts very unprofessionally toward her, and not just in a sexual taboo sense. It felt like he hurt more than helped with Brie's practicing, and Brie achieved her goals at the Olympics despite his interference.
What really sunk the rating for me is that there was barely any conflict outside the main relationship, so the ending did not feel earned. Brie has a crisis of confidence for like 1 page (Erik helps her through it, which is about the only good thing he does the entire book) and then
The main pro for this book is that the details about gymnastics and the Olympics all felt very realistic. The author is either passionate about the sport or did her research. The steamy scenes were pretty decent, too.
This book had a lot of potential with the characters and setting but ultimately fell flat for me. Brie is woefully immature and she and her teammates often act like a gaggle of teenagers. Erik isn't a great love interest, and an even worse coach. He messes with Brie's head and acts very unprofessionally toward her, and not just in a sexual taboo sense. It felt like he hurt more than helped with Brie's practicing, and Brie achieved her goals at the Olympics despite his interference.
What really sunk the rating for me is that there was barely any conflict outside the main relationship, so the ending did not feel earned. Brie has a crisis of confidence for like 1 page (Erik helps her through it, which is about the only good thing he does the entire book) and then
Spoiler
goes on to win literally everything. There was so much potential for June the rude teammate to cause problems, or the media found out they were involved, or something bad happens to Brie's mom, or someone on the team gets injured. The setting was rife with options but nothing like that ever happens, and even weirder is that despite the lack of serious consequences this is still not a fluffy book. It's 400 pages of Brie and Erik fighting. Even worse, Erik tries to give Brie more of a relationship near the end and she STILL fights him and then runs away. Girl is a train wreck but I suppose they deserve each other.The main pro for this book is that the details about gymnastics and the Olympics all felt very realistic. The author is either passionate about the sport or did her research. The steamy scenes were pretty decent, too.
rockchick's review
2.0
Too much back and forth between the H/H.
I didnt see them as a couple and dont believe in the HEA.
Yoga scene: didnt see it coming, had no place in the book, added nothing to the story or character development.
If an author wants to experiment, has has to do in in a believable way.
I didnt see them as a couple and dont believe in the HEA.
Yoga scene: didnt see it coming, had no place in the book, added nothing to the story or character development.
If an author wants to experiment, has has to do in in a believable way.
allioxenfree's review
2.0
DNF 83%
I kinda hate the Hero, Erik, he's a jerk to heroine. I could not tell you a moment where he is truly nice to Brie because he cares about her. I never felt like Erik loved or only wanted Brie and no one else. Erik is always pushing and taking but never giving. He always holds the power and it's frustrating. They hardly know anything about eachother but suddenly she's in love? They are toxic and Brie even says that! I stopped reading because I was so frustrated with this couple that I realized I didn't even want these people together lol.
I kinda hate the Hero, Erik, he's a jerk to heroine. I could not tell you a moment where he is truly nice to Brie because he cares about her. I never felt like Erik loved or only wanted Brie and no one else. Erik is always pushing and taking but never giving. He always holds the power and it's frustrating. They hardly know anything about eachother but suddenly she's in love? They are toxic and Brie even says that! I stopped reading because I was so frustrated with this couple that I realized I didn't even want these people together lol.