Reviews tagging 'Panic attacks/disorders'

Pucking Sweet by Emily Rath

8 reviews

garbage_mcsmutly's review against another edition

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emotional funny 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

5.0

📚 Ugh why is this series so good??? And why isn't there more of it to read yet??? This book did a good job of bringing in events from books 1 and 2 in the series and putting them in a different context, so even if you knew what was happening from the previous books' MCs' perspectives, it felt familiar but still felt fresh.

📙 This was a great story. There was emotional vulnerability, there was rivalry, there was love and discovery and tons of sex. And I really liked all three of the MCs in terms of personality.

🎧 All three of the narrators (1 female, 2 male, all first person POV) did an excellent job with the material.

🌶️ 5/5 it didn't get into like deep/hardcore kink but other than that, this book (like the others in the series) is constantly on.

🏳️‍🌈✊ We of course have the diversity in sexuality involved in a 3 way relationship (and it is truly 3 way). There are also other team members who are queer (some from book 1 and some others). One of the MMCs is biracial: Black and (I think) white. This is a hockey romance, and it does seem like most of the side characters are white. There's diversity in backgrounds: one of the MCs grew up alone and basically on the streets, one had a loving middle class family, and the other comes from a powerful and moneyed (but cold) family.
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waitthisisntproductive's review against another edition

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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

5.0

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nanastradamus's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny fast-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

3.5

gooped and gagged tbh!! in all seriousness i rly need to know more about that
violet and olivia
situation 👀 
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roksyreads's review against another edition

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emotional funny inspiring lighthearted 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

Poppy St. James has landed her dream job. As the Director of Public Relations for the Jacksonville Rays, the NHL’s hottest new team, she’s got twelve months to prove she’s worth keeping. The PR part is easy, but the players themselves are proving to be a handful. Brash, bossy partyboy Lukas Novikov is a PR nightmare who seems to find new and creative ways to drag his teammates—including fellow defenseman Colton Morrow—into trouble that Poppy has to get them out of. But the moniker of PR Barbie doesn’t stop Poppy—poised, powerful, and always professional—from doing her job. Until one phone call from her family knocks Poppy’s carefully balanced life off-kilter. One night—one mistake—leads to a web of tangled feelings, and now she’s staring down at a plus sign with no strategy and no idea what’s next. All she knows is that nothing will ever be the same. 

Diving back into the world of the Jacksonville Rays NHL ice hockey team, Pucking Sweet is a funny, emotional, and engaging story from start to finish. The plot and subplots create a great balance of humour and tension, with some truly epic banter and utterly heartfelt moments. That I wasn’t put off by a plot point that’s a major nope for me
(accidental pregnancy)
speaks to the quality and depth of Rath’s writing, especially the love she inspires for her characters. Featuring a diverse and fascinating cast, I loved seeing my favourite characters again and getting alternative views of events from the previous novels, as well as getting to know FMC Poppy and MMCs Lukas and Colton better. I especially enjoyed Poppy’s character arc. Strong and empowered in her career, it was rewarding to see her further develop her confidence and translate those strengths to face challenges within her personal life and her family dynamics. Lucas’ and Colton’s arcs were equally rewarding to experience as they navigated personal challenges, the complexities of their romance with Poppy and growing feelings for each other, and their NHL careers. 
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tyras_bookshelf's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This book was super long! 

There were two story lines:
1. Poppy getting independence from her old money, politically motivated family. It’s rough and emotional and Poppy hangs on to the idea of a loving family far too long after having proved again and again that her family doesn’t treat her right. 
2. Poppy coming to terms with her attraction to two men while prioritizing her career ambitions. Also rough, also emotional but then it was sexy at times and
they make a baby.
Poppy proves that women can “have it all” though it’s no easy thing. 

While often pretty funny and a decent mix of plot and smut, these characters are hella dramatic and I was over them after a while. I can only take so much cheesiness and melodrama. 

Pros: Poppy’s eventual acceptance that she doesn’t have to take abuse from the people that are supposed to love her is nice to watch. Colton is my favorite, mostly because he’s not self-destructive and mean but Novi just had some growing to do and that’s his own journey. 

In the end, love healed all past wounds (slightly sweet, slightly noxious) but dragging out the story felt like a disservice to it. Does a book ever need to be 85 chapters?! By the time plot one wrapped up, I had nearly forgotten about those characters! It ranks pretty similarly to me as the other two interconnected standalones. 
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ashley_est1988's review against another edition

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

4.75

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tguccione's review against another edition

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emotional funny 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

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brittanylee0302's review against another edition

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emotional fast-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

5.0

Emily Rath does it again! I started this book at 9 am & wrapped up around 10:30 pm. The characters this woman writes just suck you in and don't let go. I've been waiting so long for this release and am not disappointed. Poppy's story was so cute and so emotional and I loved that Emily chose to write it on top of Rachel and Tess' story. I loved the little replays from the first two books and how knowing Rachel's story helped poppy figure out her own. I can't wait for the next book. I'm so obsessed with all of these characters!
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