A review by tyshaw001
One Pucked Up Pack by Sarah Blue

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

1.5

*Heavy sigh…* 

I've heard of the Omegaverse before and did a lot of research before reading this book. However, even with a basic understanding of the terminology, nothing was explained. As a writer, it's crucial to build the world for your readers instead of assuming they already know the details. The author introduced a character unfamiliar with certain concepts, which was a great opportunity to explain things to the reader, but unfortunately, it wasn’t utilized. 

Furthermore, the use of terms related to wolf culture made the characters sound like werewolves, even though they weren’t. I understand some Omegaverse stories don’t involve shifters, which is fine, but if that’s the case, the world-building needs to be much stronger. It’s essential to explain how characters are assigned roles like alpha or omega, how they control pheromones, and how biting bonds them. Without this, the characters come across as either part of a cult or just unlikable. 

Now, onto the story. If you stripped away the Omegaverse and wolf-related aspects, this book would be significantly better. Take "Pucking Around," for example—it's a similar story but far more coherent. I found the main character frustrating. The boys repeatedly claimed she was special, but I saw nothing to justify that.

She was toxic, especially in how she handled her breakup. After encouraging them to enjoy Vegas, she broke things off when she couldn’t reach them following her mother’s death—without even telling them what had happened. While closure is difficult for some, withholding that kind of information is harmful.

 

Moreover, I wasn’t convinced of any genuine connection between the characters beyond their scent match. It would have been great to see the protagonist grow through her grief and the events in the book, but instead, it felt glossed over. Ultimately, there were just too many issues with the story. 

I give the plot 1 star, but the audiobook narrators did a fantastic job, earning 5 stars. To balance it out, I’ll rate the book 1.5 stars overall. 

The only characters I liked were Eli, Anders, Hank the dog, the mom, and the best friend.