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troyennhorse's review against another edition
3.0
As someone who had to stop watching football after I saw Concussion, I really loved that CTE played a role in this story about a neurologist and an okay hockey enforcer. I adored Helen! Her practical way of looking at the world was a nice break from the more emotion-driven heroines that are more popular in contemporary romance. Adam was a great counterpoint and his personal struggle with who he was outside of hockey was interesting. I do wish we'd gotten a more complete character arc for him, but it is realistic for him to still be figuring things out. Their individual arcs were compelling and their personalities fit well together, but the fights between them were hard to sustain and there were a few rushed beats that made it hard to buy in fully to the romance. They've barely started dating, refuse to even call it that, and then they have a massive fight about his future which felt out of place. This conflict is resolved in one conversation where they decide to move in together. I wanted more conversation between the characters about their very real issues before we dove straight for the happy ending. That said, the humor was great and I adored these characters so I plan to re-read it and other books by Ruby Lang in the future.
emmalita's review against another edition
4.0
After enjoying Acute Reactions so much, I quickly moved on to Hard Knocks. I enjoyed Hard Knocks so much I am now 1/3 of the way through Clean Breaks. I forced myself to stop reading and write this review.
There is a lot I like about Ruby Lang. She turns a mean phrase. Her romances are both realistic and romantic. She doesn’t invent bizarre stratagems to keep her MCs apart, she uses completely relatable fears and insecurities to keep them apart and then brings them back together without (so far) grand gestures. Problems are not solved at the end of the book, but they are made manageable.
In this entry to the Practice Perfect series, Helen is a neurologist and Adam is a hockey player. For reasons, they end up on opposite sides of a debate about a hockey arena and the long term affects of head injuries. This is a slow burn romance. They spend much of the book apart, but they have great chemistry and banter.
This isn’t truly an enemies to lovers story. They aren’t ever truly enemies. The roadblocks are their fears about what they might lose in the future and what they don’t have control over. They get together and separate a couple of times, and I wish Lang had lingered on them a little more as a couple.
As a person who has been accused of being complicated many times, I appreciate that Lang’s characters are complicated. They are amazing and a mess all at once.
There is a lot I like about Ruby Lang. She turns a mean phrase. Her romances are both realistic and romantic. She doesn’t invent bizarre stratagems to keep her MCs apart, she uses completely relatable fears and insecurities to keep them apart and then brings them back together without (so far) grand gestures. Problems are not solved at the end of the book, but they are made manageable.
In this entry to the Practice Perfect series, Helen is a neurologist and Adam is a hockey player. For reasons, they end up on opposite sides of a debate about a hockey arena and the long term affects of head injuries. This is a slow burn romance. They spend much of the book apart, but they have great chemistry and banter.
He ignored her. “To sum up, I’m a sophisticated gentleman with urbane and practical tastes and you’re a Pop-Tart.”
Helen sat back and marveled. “You know, the problem with you is that you’re smarter than I’d like you to be.”
“I think that might be your problem, not mine.”
This isn’t truly an enemies to lovers story. They aren’t ever truly enemies. The roadblocks are their fears about what they might lose in the future and what they don’t have control over. They get together and separate a couple of times, and I wish Lang had lingered on them a little more as a couple.
As a person who has been accused of being complicated many times, I appreciate that Lang’s characters are complicated. They are amazing and a mess all at once.
cassandradula's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
wawa_m's review against another edition
5.0
I don't know how to explain why I liked this story so much, but I did. Shrug.
seshathawk's review against another edition
4.0
I had a nine-hour flight from Germany to Atlanta and Ancillary Mercy didn't sound appealing. I bought this book a few weeks ago, after it was reviewed on Reading the End, and a nine-hour flight seemed like a good time to try it out. And although I wasn't entirely enamored of the book, it's much better than some of the romances I've read lately.
There was something about this book that felt really fresh and realistic and honest. It was never cheesy. It was even practical! For starters, even though the hero and heroine hooked up pretty quickly in the book, it was treated as a fun sexy time that they both enjoyed (although some quirks followed that hookup), not as an amazing sexy time that has linked them together for life. Even when they keep crossing paths and continue to be intrigued by each other and attracted to each other, they don't instantly want to commit to each other. Their relationship developed over time, which I love, and it developed in a way that felt realistic to me, which I also love. I loved that Helen dealt with her own problems and that Adam let her.
Something else that I loved about this book was Helen, and how the book in many ways felt more like it was about her journey as a character than about the romance itself. She's full of fears and she's in denial. She's angry at everything. Her father is dying and she, as a neurologist, desperately wants to find a way to fix him, or just keeps hoping that the problem will go away, rather than address it directly. She takes out her fear and anger on the people around her--her family, her friends to some extent, and Adam, the hero.
I read it in its entirety on the plane (with plenty of time leftover) and really enjoyed it. I don't think there was anything in particular I disliked about the book that kept me from giving it five stars; something about it just didn't pack quite the punch I wanted. But it was a sweet, realistic romance, which I am always here for.
There was something about this book that felt really fresh and realistic and honest. It was never cheesy. It was even practical! For starters, even though the hero and heroine hooked up pretty quickly in the book, it was treated as a fun sexy time that they both enjoyed (although some quirks followed that hookup), not as an amazing sexy time that has linked them together for life. Even when they keep crossing paths and continue to be intrigued by each other and attracted to each other, they don't instantly want to commit to each other. Their relationship developed over time, which I love, and it developed in a way that felt realistic to me, which I also love. I loved that Helen dealt with her own problems and that Adam let her.
Something else that I loved about this book was Helen, and how the book in many ways felt more like it was about her journey as a character than about the romance itself. She's full of fears and she's in denial. She's angry at everything. Her father is dying and she, as a neurologist, desperately wants to find a way to fix him, or just keeps hoping that the problem will go away, rather than address it directly. She takes out her fear and anger on the people around her--her family, her friends to some extent, and Adam, the hero.
I read it in its entirety on the plane (with plenty of time leftover) and really enjoyed it. I don't think there was anything in particular I disliked about the book that kept me from giving it five stars; something about it just didn't pack quite the punch I wanted. But it was a sweet, realistic romance, which I am always here for.
oitb's review against another edition
5.0
Oh man <3 This book is my favorite of 2020 so far. It's so smart and so real—the characters are stubborn, sad, anxious, playful and wonderfully ADULT. Ruby Lang is such a funny and thoughtful writer, and I love that she wrote characters that go against type—the athlete who isn't super great at the sport and kinda doesn't want to play it anymore, and a doctor who used to be an athlete. Helen and Adam's banter and chemistry are so wonderful, and the way their personalities and personal situations rub up against each other is delicious and beautiful.
bookedinsideout's review against another edition
5.0
I fell in love with this one and the way the characters navigated change and risk. I thought they had great chemistry and I liked that they were still respectful and tried to understand each other through their public sparring, although I kind of would have liked more of it. I laughed when the NHL had to be explained to an ignorant talk show host (I know what NFL stands for even though I’ve never seen a football game), but overall I thought the hockey aspect was done well.
For awhile I wished that Adam was more in love with the game and had that to bring to the fight (his problem seemed to be more that he makes his living off of playing hockey and wants to make sure he’s financially secure), but then I realized this take was sort of interesting. We don’t usually hear players admit that they’re getting tired of the game, that it’s become just a job to them. And maybe that humanity is something important to highlight. For Helen it was about the risk of CTE, but for Adam it was about feeling stuck in a job he wasn’t enjoying and concern about his worth and his future. It was a great book for the romance, but also for examining faith in the future and being comfortable with uncertainty.
For awhile I wished that Adam was more in love with the game and had that to bring to the fight (his problem seemed to be more that he makes his living off of playing hockey and wants to make sure he’s financially secure), but then I realized this take was sort of interesting. We don’t usually hear players admit that they’re getting tired of the game, that it’s become just a job to them. And maybe that humanity is something important to highlight. For Helen it was about the risk of CTE, but for Adam it was about feeling stuck in a job he wasn’t enjoying and concern about his worth and his future. It was a great book for the romance, but also for examining faith in the future and being comfortable with uncertainty.
robynldouglas's review against another edition
4.0
Very much liked the characters in this and their public sparring.
combledore's review against another edition
4.0
(Disclaimer: the author is a friend.) This book was such a great read - I loved all the characters and wanted more when it ended! I love when both characters need to grow and change to get to the happily-ever-after, and it's not about one person being entirely right or totally wrong. This had that and it was so satisfying to watch these two great characters work their way toward each other. Love love love.
meags's review against another edition
3.0
The problem with reviewing this book, and others like it, is that it wasn't very memorable. Nothing was glaringly awful about it, but it also wasn't so great that all I can do is wax poetic over it. Partly, I think that's because the most interesting parts about it were glossed over as the setting. Writing this review, I can hardly even remember the heroine's name (it was Helen).
The author dances around the topic of her dad's illness and subsequent descent into dementia, and having her try to battle her inward struggle between her attraction to a hockey player who likely could end up with the same time of brain injury from a violent sport. But there are all these reasons for her reluctance to pursue Adam the hockey player that don't seem worth wasting the ink on. Her fear of brain injury should be enough. And then, the subplot where they duke it out in public over whether hockey should be banned and the weird Russian mafia guy who has apparently a cadre of concubines on every continent just made the whole thing weird. All of these little pockets of plot could really have been eliminated because they weren't all that interesting.
I like a enemies-to-lovers trope as much as anyone, but this just seemed way too manufactured. We also get glimpses into Adam's relationship with his own father but barely enough to go on. The author didn't let the characters breathe in amongst the plot.
Also, I feel cheated that the adorable scene of ice skating on the cover was not in the book.
The author dances around the topic of her dad's illness and subsequent descent into dementia, and having her try to battle her inward struggle between her attraction to a hockey player who likely could end up with the same time of brain injury from a violent sport. But there are all these reasons for her reluctance to pursue Adam the hockey player that don't seem worth wasting the ink on. Her fear of brain injury should be enough. And then, the subplot where they duke it out in public over whether hockey should be banned and the weird Russian mafia guy who has apparently a cadre of concubines on every continent just made the whole thing weird. All of these little pockets of plot could really have been eliminated because they weren't all that interesting.
I like a enemies-to-lovers trope as much as anyone, but this just seemed way too manufactured. We also get glimpses into Adam's relationship with his own father but barely enough to go on. The author didn't let the characters breathe in amongst the plot.
Also, I feel cheated that the adorable scene of ice skating on the cover was not in the book.