Reviews

Unsteady by Peyton Corinne

lenxsph's review against another edition

emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-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

3.75

jjulietaa's review against another edition

4.0

this book frustrated me a tiny bit like i completely understand her hesitance but i so so badly wanted her to just fall into his arms

rhys is the absolute love of my life i think he’s one of my favorite hockey boyfriends ive read so far. he’s the sweetest little baby ever and i strive to find my own rhys he deserves the world.

tayynewton's review against another edition

emotional inspiring medium-paced

• Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.0

dhhfjka's review against another edition

funny lighthearted sad 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? No

4.0

lowkeyyalexx's review against another edition

3.0

It’s like ice breaker - just less wattpady and more emotional ig.

lizziereads33's review against another edition

3.0

This book was a lot. There were some parts that I really liked, but some that were just a bit much for me right now. I didn’t realise just how heavy this book was going to be and there weren’t any trigger warnings either. The idea of the mental health representation was great, but I don’t think it was really executed that well. Rhys relying so heavily on Sadie to feel better, instead of going to therapy, just doesn’t seem like the solid foundation of a relationship. Moreover, the pacing felt a bit off and a lot of the storylines felt rushed because there were so many of them. For example, the whole storyline of Sadie’s coach also being abusive, felt a bit unnecessary, as she already had so many other things going on. It also felt like this wasn’t given the attention that it deserves because there were other storylines that the author choose to focus on instead. Furthermore, some of the tonal shifts between the really heavy material and the lighter cutesy stuff felt a bit jarring. In general, I understand what the author was trying to do, but it just didn’t really work for me. (less)

ari4napasiva's review against another edition

3.0

cute

wama's review against another edition

emotional funny inspiring slow-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

agrippinaes's review against another edition

4.0

It took me a while to get into this book but once I did I quite enjoyed it. The romance, and other relationships, were the real highlight. The chemistry between Sadie and Rhys was hot and they had good sexual tension, especially early on. The set up of the dynamic between them is a really fun one and I thought it was written very well.

As their relationship develops, it becomes something truly sweet and touching. I particularly liked how protective they both were of each other – especially Sadie, her protective scenes were really endearing. The sex scenes between them were really hot and well-written.

Other relationships were a highlight, too; Sadie’s relationship with her brothers was lovely, as was Rhys’ with his parents and with his close friends. How Rhys’ family and friends came together to help look after Sadie and her family was a really touching edge to the book.

However, there were a couple of things I wasn’t so keen on. A part of me felt certain scenes (rather than plotlines) would have worked better if the characters were older. This mainly came into play with Rhys’ relationship with Sadie’s brothers;

Spoiler

whilst I thought his relationship with the older brother, Oliver, was very sweet, I couldn’t help but feel scenes where he promised he would be around forever felt very heavy in the context of a new adult novel. Rhys and Sadie were still quite young characters, so this just felt a bit much for me personally.

. I also thought the book suffered a tiny bit from setting up the next books in the series (which I am excited for, but sometimes it felt like it took the focus away). Another thing was Rhys’ parents’ relationship – unless I’ve missed something, the way their relationship and background is presented definitely made this book feel like a second generation novel.

The main problem I had though was one of the major subplots involving Sadie’s skating coach. Personally, this storyline felt like it came out of the blue towards the second half; I didn’t think it was seeded very well in the first half and, honestly, I just didn’t think the book needed it. Both Sadie and Rhys had quite heavy backstories anyway:

Spoiler

Sadie’s mother abandoned her and her brother, her father is an abusive alcoholic, and she’s trying to gain custody of her 2 younger siblings; whilst Rhys suffered a traumatic head injury which nearly cost him his life and has left him with PTSD and panic attacks, most of which is shown on-page and discussed throughout.

I think this was enough for this kind of book. I don’t think an extra subplot involving an abusive sports coach was needed and I thought it caused the ending of the book to drag on considerably. I think if it had been cut out the book as a whole would have been far more concise.

Overall, though, I really liked it. Some plotlines felt out of place and I didn’t think it needed the storyline involving Sadie’s coach at all, but the romance was very sexy and romantic and they were really cute together. I am looking forward to reading more from this series.

Content Notes: College, hockey player x figure skater, friends-with-benefits, opposites attract

Warnings:

Spoiler

Serious head injuries discussed / shown throughout, blood, PTSD, anxiety, mental illness, panic attacks, violence, vomiting, alcoholism, child neglect, child abandonment, attempted sexual assault

Spoiler

An OW takes the MMC into a bathroom when he’s very drunk with the intention of trying to assault him. He’s too drunk to consent and makes it clear to all other characters he did not want any sexual contact with her. The OW claims he started vomiting before she could touch him.

, controlling and coercive behaviour from a romantic partner (side character), abusive behaviour from a sports coach

Spoiler

The FMC’s skating coach is verbally abusive towards her; he belittles and mocks her. He’s also physically abusive, pushing her around and twisting her arm. He also controls and coerces her through the novel.

, verbal abuse from a parent, traffic collision (off-page), references to intimate partner violence (side character).

Other:

Spoiler

On-page sex, oral sex, public sex, OM stuff

Spoiler

The FMC intends to sleep with an OM near the beginning of the book and he touches her non-sexually on-page in front of the MMC. The MMC is jealous but it doesn’t really cause any drama between the FMC and MMC.

.

sydney_urata's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing sad tense slow-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