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eclecticallyreading's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
5.0
This was a re-read, and this book is just as stunningly heartbreaking as it was the first time I read it. I absolutely love getting to spend more time with a couple after their "get together" book, and this one is a DOOZY. Reid handles Ilya's mental health struggles so well, and I think the normalization of therapy and medication (and how a partner cannot fix you if your brain chemistry is fighting you) is so so important. Truly following Shane and Ilya from Heated Rivalry into this book is truly watching them grow up and into amazing men and I absolutely adore their dynamic.
I laughed, I cried, I got turned on (I mean the trophy room scene?? please???), I cried again. Truly a book I will always recommend
I laughed, I cried, I got turned on (I mean the trophy room scene?? please???), I cried again. Truly a book I will always recommend
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Outing
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide
kaydee_reads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I was NOT expecting to be heartbroken by this sequel, but it goes way deeper than I expected in terms of talking about depression, loneliness, homophobia, and it really makes you feel for Ilya the whole way through. I loved it, but once again, the ending was SO ABRUPT. I don’t know if this is just a general theme with this series but it always feels like we need one more chapter to wrap things up!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Mental illness
notfoundyet's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Eating disorder
bea1745's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Mental illness, and Sexual content
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Sexual assault and Death of parent
levilore_'s review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was such a great ending to the series. I was hoping we got some more resolution on Ilya and Shane and I was not disappointed.
As usual, the serious topics were dealt with so well and I really appreciated howIlya wasn't magically fixed once he started going to therapy. The author really took care to explore what therapy is actually like and not make it a magical fix for everyone's issues.
I loved that we actually saw so much of the love between Ilya and Shane which was not something we had seen a lot of before this book. The domestic scenes were so cute and seeing how mushy Ilya is was just amazing. I already believed that they were in love but this book gave actual evidence that they are perfect for each other.
Once again, the book ended on a really inspiring and hopeful note for how hockey could change for the better. I really appreciated that throughout the series. It made me really happy that in this fictional world, people were standing together against the toxic culture of sports.
This book just tied up the series perfectly and filled in all the questions I had about Shane and Ilya. A great ending to a great series.
As usual, the serious topics were dealt with so well and I really appreciated how
I loved that we actually saw so much of the love between Ilya and Shane which was not something we had seen a lot of before this book. The domestic scenes were so cute and seeing how mushy Ilya is was just amazing. I already believed that they were in love but this book gave actual evidence that they are perfect for each other.
This book just tied up the series perfectly and filled in all the questions I had about Shane and Ilya. A great ending to a great series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Homophobia, Sexual content, and Outing
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Transphobia
crystalmackey's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicide, Grief, Death of parent, and Outing
leakoop's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
apolen's review against another edition
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Suicide, Death of parent, and Alcohol
zachzakku's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I liked Ilya going into this book, in a "He's probably my fav, tied with Ryan and Fabian and Harris and Troy and Kyle" way, and now I l o v e Ilya. I just want to hug him. The airplane scene :sob: It's literally the same scene as in Troy/Harris's book and I still cried reading it. Ilya and his stupid big heart and his love for dogs and his very very pure beautiful love for Shane :sob: :sob: :sob:
Now I can't watch hockey, because I know it won't be as good as this...!
Now I can't watch hockey, because I know it won't be as good as this...!
Content Warnings
Minor: Mental illness and Suicidal thoughts
lauraelovesbooks's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
A beautiful end to Shane and Ilya’s story and it was so rewarding to see these two get their hard-won HEA
I’ll admit that it did drag in spots but the emotional payoff was definitely worth it. I also loved the mental health representation and how things aren’t magically fixed by being in a relationship or when life is generally going well
For anyone wondering if they need to read the whole series before reading this book, I read only Heated Rivalry and the Long Game and did not feel lost at all. The universe, side characters, and hockey teams are all easy to follow. I’m sure it is even more rewarding to read the series in order, but I’m impatient and not sad that I could read Shane and Ilya’s full story all at once
I’ll admit that it did drag in spots but the emotional payoff was definitely worth it. I also loved the mental health representation and how things aren’t magically fixed by being in a relationship or when life is generally going well
For anyone wondering if they need to read the whole series before reading this book, I read only Heated Rivalry and the Long Game and did not feel lost at all. The universe, side characters, and hockey teams are all easy to follow. I’m sure it is even more rewarding to read the series in order, but I’m impatient and not sad that I could read Shane and Ilya’s full story all at once
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Mental illness, and Sexual content
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Outing
Minor: Death of parent