Reviews with content warning for Fatphobia - The Hook Up

Reviews tagging 'Fatphobia'

The Hook Up by Kristen Callihan

3 reviews

allingoodtime's review

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective tense fast-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

4.5

Once I started reading this author’s VIP series, I knew I needed to read more of her work. Since I’ve read the last available book in that series I asked fellow book blogger Deanna from A Novel Glimpse if there were any particular books she’d suggest I read next and the Game On series was one she recommended. I am so glad I took her advice.

One of the things that stood out to me as a bit different in this football romance is that the MFC, Anna, never got sucked into the football life. For Drew, football is a huge part of his life. He’s level-headed enough to know it cannot be his life’s be-all and end-all. So even though Anna doesn’t even watch his games on tv, let alone attend his games, it doesn’t seem to bother him. Of course, Anna is avoiding his games for more than the typical reason of her not being interested in sports. She avoids the spotlight at all costs, even when it’s costing her the possibility of true love.

While there is a boatload of chemistry in this story, there is also a ton of angst. Both Anna and Drew are going through some growing pains and trying to figure out life, as we all do at different stages of life. Drew is all in with Anna from the moment they meet, Anna is not. She feels the connection but has no interest in dating the star quarterback and having people judge his choice of mate. Anna figures that if she can keep things casual and secret, she won’t fall in love and it won’t hurt so bad when Drew inevitably leaves. Because that’s what people do, they leave.

There is so much to love about this story, but there were also some things that bothered me. For one, the timeline. I had to make myself let that go while reading. While nothing seemed rushed on the page, when I would think of how much time supposedly elapsed I couldn’t help but wonder how it wasn’t Thanksgiving yet. When did this college semester start, in July? It’s a nit-picky thing, but this is how my brain works. I also wasn’t sure about the purpose of Anna’s best friends. I kept waiting for something more to happen with Iris, but when it did I felt Iris just ended up being awful instead of being a friend. George is much better and seemed to be a bit more of a sounding board for Anna but not to the extent that would be expected. It was almost as if the author realized Anna had to have some good friends and threw them in, which is not something I expected after my previous experience with her books.

That being said, I didn’t want to put this book down. I was fully invested in Drew and Anna from the start and my heart soared and broke right along with their hearts. For the majority of this book, I didn’t think I would like Drew’s best friend, Gray. Now I’m happy to discover his story is next because he won me over once I got to know him.

Content Warnings

kb33's review

Go to review page

emotional lighthearted fast-paced

3.5

Good, but not as good as the second in the series.

Content Warnings

ylime620's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny medium-paced

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

5.0

Content Warnings

More...