Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - Game Changer

Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Game Changer by Rachel Reid

10 reviews

cheye13's review

emotional lighthearted fast-paced

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

1.0

This book was wholly not for me.

I didn't vibe with the writing style off the bat, but I kept reading in hopes the characters would grow on me. They did not. The plot is very sparse and also obvious. I usually say insta-love/lust doesn't bother me in a romance, but this style of it absolutely does. The ratio of sex scenes to meaningful conversation (let alone plot and character development) was atrocious for my tastes. The fast pace of plot events and relationship milestones created a lack of gravitas I felt the moments and mood deserved.

This isn't a bad story if it's what you're looking for, but it's more along the line of fanfiction, written as though the characters and situations have been established outside of the work itself.

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negs's review

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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? Yes

3.0

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iamamyyyyy's review

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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

3.75

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taylorvalerie's review

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emotional hopeful 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

4.75

This book gave me all the feels! The characters are so loveable and while the story was simple, I couldn’t put it down. The only reason it doesn’t get 5 stars is because I found the ending to be a little on the cringey side.

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shinysue's review

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emotional hopeful 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

Wow kind of surprised that book 1 isn't as good as book 2. This is still a good read, though more drawn out, and a bit overdone. Your typical hockey romance story, so maybe the issue I have is that I've read this story so many times already.

These two are very adorable together, even if their devotion to each other felt a bit too heavy-handed on the insta-love.

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nickoliver's review

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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? Yes

3.5

Spontaneously, I decided to buy this book as an ebook and then proceeded to read it over two days. It was certainly fun! But I also felt like the romance was developed waaaayyy too quickly, and I sometimes found myself wanting more conversations or a closer look at certain things in their lives - like Kip's job/school search, for example - instead of just smut every other page. It got a bit boring at times. Plus, Kip was a very infuriating character in the second half of the story, refusing to understand what was at stake for Scott and playing the poor victim despite having gone in the relationship knowing it would have to be kept a secret.

But it was a quick read, had (mostly) loveable characters, a surprising little amount of actual homophobia, and I also loved that Scott wasn't outed by anybody but was able to come out when he was ready.

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allingoodtime's review

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emotional hopeful reflective 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? Yes

5.0

Sometimes I actually remember to jot down where I get a book recommendation. This is one of those times. The downfall of this is that I see how long I waited to get around to reading something that I saw a recommendation for. Trust me on this one…if you like romance and hockey, don’t put this book off. Back in January 2020 (yep, almost 2 years ago) I saw a Twitter thread that had me writing this book down. I didn’t take meticulous notes, but it seems like @kkielyauthor had asked for recs and this book was mentioned by @JenReadsRomance. At the time I still hadn’t even started listening to the Fated Mates podcast, of which Jen is one of the hosts. Now, almost 2 years later I know to trust when Jen recommends a book. I’ve read many that were recommendations from the Fated Mates podcast. I figured I need to get to this one since I am most definitely a hockey romance super fan.

Scott and Kip have such wonderful chemistry from the very start. There is something shy and innocent about the way they meet. The way they go about building their relationship is very sweet. Unfortunately, some of that innocence and sweetness has to do with Scott being in the closet due to his career. I think you can imagine where the conflict comes in with this story.

Kip is amazingly calm and understanding with Scott. Not so much because Scott is a sports idol in their city, but because Kip realizes very early on that what they have together is special. He understands how coming out can and will impact Scott’s career. But how much secrecy can Kip handle? After a while, it’s no fun to be someone’s secret.

For Scott’s part, there is an intense inner struggle. He doesn’t seem to be ashamed of being gay, but he’s been without a traditional family his whole adult life. His hockey teams, fellow players and coaches, have been his family since he was a teenager and lost his mom. This has made it extremely hard for Scott to find anyone he can talk to about his sexuality. Kip makes him want to change all that, but there is a lot at risk.

There are parts of this story that are totally heartbreaking. Scott is hurting and not sure how to handle things so he shuts down. Kip is hurting and trying so hard to wait things out, but it’s turning him into an introverted and unsure person when he was always more extroverted and somewhat confident in himself. Of course, this being a romance, there is the guaranteed HEA for this couple. And they both deserve that happiness.

I’m very much looking forward to reading more in this series. The author does a beautiful job in writing the highs and lows both. Plus, I can always do with more hockey romances in my life!

edit 10/4/23
I just finished the audio version of this book and wanted to add a note. I was still engrossed in this story and didn't want it to end. I love listening to this first book after having completed the series. I got excited when I saw certain characters even if they didn't have a real story in this one. A good portion of the story I loved the narrator, but did not really enjoy his voice for Kip. I think it's the same thing as if you see the movie version of a beloved book and the characters don't look how you'd imagine. The voice was very different from what I imagined and it took me quite a few chapters to fall into the characterization. This story has stuck with me for years so I'm changing my rating from 4.5 to 5 stars.

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