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Playing for Keeps #2
Play with Me
In the sizzling hockey romance that has taken TikTok by storm, a dedicated player struggles with the number one team rule: don’t go near the captain’s sister.
The second book in the globally popular Playing for Keeps series.
He’s found the perfect person—but she’s the only one he can’t be with�
Garrett Andersen knows that playing professional hockey requires absolute dedication to the rules. There’s just one rule he’s finding difficult to follow: stay away from his captain’s younger sister.
As a professional dancer, Jennie Beckett knows what it takes to excel. She prides herself on being every bit as confident and bold as her brother, sassy as hell, and the only person in charge of her pleasure. No wonder Garrett can’t stay away from her—even if he forgets how to form sentences whenever she’s around.
Jennie would rather avoid her brother’s teammate, especially after several embarrassing run-ins, but suddenly they’re neighbors. And as the connection between them grows, Garrett and Jennie decide to have some fun, no strings attached. Between their busy schedules and her brother’s disapproval, they know keeping things casual and low-key is the smartest play.
But what if their feelings get in the way? After all, they’re only supposed to be playing with each other�
The second book in the globally popular Playing for Keeps series.
He’s found the perfect person—but she’s the only one he can’t be with�
Garrett Andersen knows that playing professional hockey requires absolute dedication to the rules. There’s just one rule he’s finding difficult to follow: stay away from his captain’s younger sister.
As a professional dancer, Jennie Beckett knows what it takes to excel. She prides herself on being every bit as confident and bold as her brother, sassy as hell, and the only person in charge of her pleasure. No wonder Garrett can’t stay away from her—even if he forgets how to form sentences whenever she’s around.
Jennie would rather avoid her brother’s teammate, especially after several embarrassing run-ins, but suddenly they’re neighbors. And as the connection between them grows, Garrett and Jennie decide to have some fun, no strings attached. Between their busy schedules and her brother’s disapproval, they know keeping things casual and low-key is the smartest play.
But what if their feelings get in the way? After all, they’re only supposed to be playing with each other�
544 pages, Paperback
First published October 4, 2022
8151 people are currently reading
118045 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 8,709 reviews
November 14, 2022
Oooooof...2 Stars
After really enjoying book one and having high hopes for book two, I feel like a dick for not loving this. Especially since I really do enjoy the characters and friend group that Becka Mack has created here. And, despite not loving this, I do still intend to continue with the series.
That said...here is why this one didn't work for me:
***SPOILERS***
1) Bellvue Bullies, anyone?
While reading this, I couldn't help but be struck by how SERIOUSLY similar this book is to book one in Toni Aleo's Bellvue Bullies series, . They felt oddly alike in many ways.
Both are about hockey.
Both have a heroine involved in dance.
Both have a hero who ghosts the heroine to deal with a family issues later on in the story.
Now, to be clear, I'm not making any nefarious accusations here or anything. I'm simply stating reading this felt...very familiar.
2) No one talks like this.
As a female in a male-dominated work environment, and as someone who has always been heavily involved in sports and dealt with a lot of male athletes, I just can't see a bunch of professional hockey bros saying shit like this to each other:
"Maybe I'm just giving up the dating fight. All it's doing is making me feel lonelier."
"So take a break. You're filling your spare time with the kids at the home, and you're enjoying that, right?"
His smile is instantaneous. "I really am. It's so cool to be a part of the reason some of these kids are coming out of their shells."
"Then focus on doing that for a while. Spend time doing what makes you happy. I know you want to meet someone, but you're not having fun doing it right now. Revisit it in a couple months."
And ALL the characters have constant conversations like this. Almost ALL the time. But really though.
Now, as a heavy romance reader, I am not here for 100% realism in my reading choices. Obviously. But when every single conversation sounds like an over-the-top therapy session with people who apparently know a lot about human psychology? I'm sorry. Regular people just do not have this many heart-to-hearts, all day, every day, in every single conversation.
3) Speaking of every conversation...
I felt like we were having some of the same ones. Over and over again.
Same with the thoughts. We would have the same insecure thoughts, a mage-therapist-like talk with another character about these thoughts, do something reactive anyway...and then repeat.
4) What happened at 75%?
Despite points one through three, I was still enjoying this fairly well until about 75% in. And then points two and three were apparently fed steroids, because holy shit. The last 25% of this took redundancy and friendship therapy plus to a whole new level. Issues and concerns were rehashed to DEATH, folks. Painfully. And the last 25% just draaaaaaaaaagged.
Carter's Reaction
One of the long-running themes of this book was the idea that Carter has made it known to his friends that Jenny (his baby sister) was off-limits. You know, your typical best friend/sister/oh the horror romance stuff. No biggie. I'm on board.
To a degree.
But when you have a grown ass man react the way Carter did when he finds out about it?
You are telling me a professional athlete - a man getting PAID LOTS of money to play a sport - who has contracts and, I don't know, professional ethics, is going to apparently pull captain rank and put a starter on second string because the starter consensually fucked your sister? And the coach supposedly went along with this??????
That would be like Tom Brady telling Bill Belichick, "Uh, hey man, you need to risk our NFL record and, subsequently, the future of every player on this team, and, um, not play Rob Gronkowski the next couple games. Because, yeah, well, he banged my sister. I mean, she was into it and, like, a totally consenting adult and everything, but I mean, I told everyone she off-limits and they were, like, hooking up behind my back, so, yeah. I mean, what the heck, right? And he also stole my Legos at recess."
Never would this happen. NEVER.
All of these things combined to make this just not work for me overall, sadly. As I said though, I enjoyed the characters still and enjoy reading about them. So I'll give this series one more shot with the next one. Fingers crossed.
After really enjoying book one and having high hopes for book two, I feel like a dick for not loving this. Especially since I really do enjoy the characters and friend group that Becka Mack has created here. And, despite not loving this, I do still intend to continue with the series.
That said...here is why this one didn't work for me:
***SPOILERS***
1) Bellvue Bullies, anyone?
While reading this, I couldn't help but be struck by how SERIOUSLY similar this book is to book one in Toni Aleo's Bellvue Bullies series, . They felt oddly alike in many ways.
Both are about hockey.
Both have a heroine involved in dance.
Both have a hero who ghosts the heroine to deal with a family issues later on in the story.
Now, to be clear, I'm not making any nefarious accusations here or anything. I'm simply stating reading this felt...very familiar.
2) No one talks like this.
As a female in a male-dominated work environment, and as someone who has always been heavily involved in sports and dealt with a lot of male athletes, I just can't see a bunch of professional hockey bros saying shit like this to each other:
"Maybe I'm just giving up the dating fight. All it's doing is making me feel lonelier."
"So take a break. You're filling your spare time with the kids at the home, and you're enjoying that, right?"
His smile is instantaneous. "I really am. It's so cool to be a part of the reason some of these kids are coming out of their shells."
"Then focus on doing that for a while. Spend time doing what makes you happy. I know you want to meet someone, but you're not having fun doing it right now. Revisit it in a couple months."
And ALL the characters have constant conversations like this. Almost ALL the time. But really though.
Now, as a heavy romance reader, I am not here for 100% realism in my reading choices. Obviously. But when every single conversation sounds like an over-the-top therapy session with people who apparently know a lot about human psychology? I'm sorry. Regular people just do not have this many heart-to-hearts, all day, every day, in every single conversation.
3) Speaking of every conversation...
I felt like we were having some of the same ones. Over and over again.
Same with the thoughts. We would have the same insecure thoughts, a mage-therapist-like talk with another character about these thoughts, do something reactive anyway...and then repeat.
4) What happened at 75%?
Despite points one through three, I was still enjoying this fairly well until about 75% in. And then points two and three were apparently fed steroids, because holy shit. The last 25% of this took redundancy and friendship therapy plus to a whole new level. Issues and concerns were rehashed to DEATH, folks. Painfully. And the last 25% just draaaaaaaaaagged.
Carter's Reaction
One of the long-running themes of this book was the idea that Carter has made it known to his friends that Jenny (his baby sister) was off-limits. You know, your typical best friend/sister/oh the horror romance stuff. No biggie. I'm on board.
To a degree.
But when you have a grown ass man react the way Carter did when he finds out about it?
You are telling me a professional athlete - a man getting PAID LOTS of money to play a sport - who has contracts and, I don't know, professional ethics, is going to apparently pull captain rank and put a starter on second string because the starter consensually fucked your sister? And the coach supposedly went along with this??????
That would be like Tom Brady telling Bill Belichick, "Uh, hey man, you need to risk our NFL record and, subsequently, the future of every player on this team, and, um, not play Rob Gronkowski the next couple games. Because, yeah, well, he banged my sister. I mean, she was into it and, like, a totally consenting adult and everything, but I mean, I told everyone she off-limits and they were, like, hooking up behind my back, so, yeah. I mean, what the heck, right? And he also stole my Legos at recess."
Never would this happen. NEVER.
All of these things combined to make this just not work for me overall, sadly. As I said though, I enjoyed the characters still and enjoy reading about them. So I'll give this series one more shot with the next one. Fingers crossed.
November 4, 2022
� 3 stars
Garrett (H) and Jennie (h) were likeable characters and cute together, but when I found my top couple in a series, every other couple that follows is white noise.. I have 50 highlights of this book and guess how many of these highlights were about the main couple? one. the rest was Carter Beckett being a supportive, loud, obnoxious husband, father-to-be, brother, friend and father 😌i like you Garrett & Jennie, but at the same time Garrett and Jennie who?
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅� ─────
TOP 10 BEST CARTER BECKETT MOMENTS EVEN THO IT’S NOT HIS BOOK
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅� ─────
𝗡𝗼. 𝟭𝟬 � 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗻’� 𝘄𝗶𝗻 �
𝗡𝗼. 𝟵 � 𝗠𝘆 𝗯𝗶𝗴 𝘁𝗲𝗱𝗱𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝗿 🧸
𝗡𝗼. 𝟴 � ✨𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 �
𝗡𝗼. 𝟳 � 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝘀 𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 💅
𝗡𝗼. 𝟲 � 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗢𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗮 🙏
𝗡𝗼. 𝟱 � 𝗪𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝗱 😌
𝗡𝗼. 𝟰 � 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗱𝗶𝗼𝘁, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗜 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝗺 😩
𝗡𝗼. 𝟯 � 𝗧𝗶𝗸𝗧𝗼𝗸 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗲𝗲𝗻𝘇𝘇𝘇 👯
𝗡𝗼. 𝟮 � 𝗔 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲 🎵
𝗡𝗼. 𝟭 � 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗱 𝗴𝗶𝗿𝗹 𝗱𝗮𝗱 🥺
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅� ─────
CONCLUSION
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅� ─────
i believe in Carter, Olivia and baby girl Ireland supremacy 💯�
┍━━━━━━━━»•� «•«━�
PLAYING FOR KEEPS SERIES
#1 Consider Me � 4.5 stars (Carter x Ollie)
#2 Play With Me –�3 stars (Garrett x Jennie)
#3 Unravel Me � tbr (Adam x ???)
#4 tbd � tbr (Emmett x Cara)
#5 tbd � tbr (Jaxon x ???)
┕━»•� «•«━━━━━━━━┙
Garrett (H) and Jennie (h) were likeable characters and cute together, but when I found my top couple in a series, every other couple that follows is white noise.. I have 50 highlights of this book and guess how many of these highlights were about the main couple? one. the rest was Carter Beckett being a supportive, loud, obnoxious husband, father-to-be, brother, friend and father 😌i like you Garrett & Jennie, but at the same time Garrett and Jennie who?
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅� ─────
TOP 10 BEST CARTER BECKETT MOMENTS EVEN THO IT’S NOT HIS BOOK
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅� ─────
𝗡𝗼. 𝟭𝟬 � 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗻’� 𝘄𝗶𝗻 �
With her brother distracted, Jennie lets the ball fly, sinking it with ease, and poor Carter’s gonna be so drunk by the end of this. He’s apparently decided to try his hand at another distraction tactic for this last round. When Olivia steps up to the table, he drags his shirt up his torso in slow motion, one finger on his lip as he gives her the eyes. “Like what you see, princess? Want me to take you upstairs and�ah, for fuck’s sake!� That, my friends, is the sound of Olivia sinking her last shot, all while looking her husband dead in the eye.
𝗡𝗼. 𝟵 � 𝗠𝘆 𝗯𝗶𝗴 𝘁𝗲𝗱𝗱𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝗿 🧸
Carter’s head swivels in slow motion. I mash my lips together at his expression, mostly to keep from laughing in his face. He may look threatening, but I’m fully aware he’s a giant teddy bear who spends his time singing Disney songs, carrying his dog, and plastering his ear against his wife’s stomach in case today’s the day he can hear the baby.
𝗡𝗼. 𝟴 � ✨𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 �
“What in the sweet fuck are you wearing?�
“What? This?� Carter looks down at his shirt, tugging so the single word is visible, as if it weren’t already large and in charge. DILF. “Ollie got it for me.�
“It was meant to be a joke,� Olivia murmurs, “but it’s his favorite gift. He won’t take it off.�
“Wanna see the best part?� Carter pulls Olivia into his side, beaming proudly. “Show ’em yours, pumpkin.�
Her face flushes. “No, I don’t think I will.�
“C’mon.� He shakes her arm. “Be loud, be proud, Ollie girl.�
She does it, but she sure drags her ass about it, slowly pulling her sweater over her head, and I don’t know whether to laugh at her or cry for her. Because the shirt she wears underneath sports one simple sentence: I HEART DILFs.
𝗡𝗼. 𝟳 � 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝘀 𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 💅
“Excuse me. I’m Arianna.� Carter doesn’t look up from his menu. “I’m married.�
I lift my own menu to hide my snort. Arianna opens her mouth, and Carter cuts her off before she can use it. “Happily.� He looks up with a grin and shows her Olivia’s smiling face on his phone screen. “Isn’t she beautiful?� He flips through his photos. “Here she is on our wedding day. Fucking gorgeous, right? And here’s the baby she’s growing right now. That’s my baby. What do you think? Girl or boy? We’re not finding out. We want to be surprised. I’m trying to convince myself I see a penis, though, ’cause girls are scary.�
Huh. Arianna might be faster than Jennie. She’s back on the other side of the diner before I can blink.
𝗡𝗼. 𝟲 � 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗢𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗮 🙏
“Would you stop looking at me like that?� Jennie finally shouts at her. “I get it, you don’t like the Christmas gift I got Carter! I’m not trying to die today!� Olivia gestures aggressively to where Carter is standing in the center of their living room with a microphone, singing the words that scrawl across their TV. “Two weeks, Jennie! He’s been singing every day for two weeks!�
𝗡𝗼. 𝟱 � 𝗪𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝗱 😌
Hank pats my hand. “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Carter can’t be changed.�
Maybe, but a year ago I would’ve never expected him to be sitting here playing the audio of his unborn baby’s heartbeat on repeat.
“Doc said his heart’s beating at a hundred-and-sixty-two beats per minute. Faster than the rest already.�
“Only you would be competitive about fetal heart rates,� I murmur.
𝗡𝗼. 𝟰 � 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗱𝗶𝗼𝘁, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗜 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝗺 😩
Cara hammers a fist to her chest as she folds forward, choking on her snack. “Please tell me he’s the type of dad who thinks he’ll poke his baby in the eye if he’s not careful.�
“He’s taken to warning the baby every time we’re about to have sex.� Olivia scrubs a hand over her exhausted expression. �Okay, little buddy. Daddy’s coming in. Make sure you move all the way to the back.� Her wide brown eyes are full of disbelief. “It’s the anxious chuckling that really gets me, and every time I move, he stops and asks if I’m okay. I just…I need him to fuck me, you know? Really fuck me.� She shifts in her seat. “This baby’s making me horny as hell.�
𝗡𝗼. 𝟯 � 𝗧𝗶𝗸𝗧𝗼𝗸 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗲𝗲𝗻𝘇𝘇𝘇 👯
He clears his throat, stuffs his hands in his pockets, and ambles over. “So…� He clicks a beat out through his pursed lips, head bobbing. “Thinking of changing my TikTok handle.�
“Oh yeah?� I check my nails. “To what?�
�WorldsHottestDILF.�
“But you’re already so iconic as TheTrophyHusband.�
He sighs. “It’s a tough choice.�
“What does Ollie think?�
He rolls his eyes. “She thinks I should change it to my actual name.�
“Ew. So unoriginal.�
“Right? She wasn’t made for the TikTok world.�
𝗡𝗼. 𝟮 � 𝗔 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲 🎵
“Time for another classic, this one by Elton John and Kiki Dee.� Carter whirls around, cocking one ridiculous eyebrow as he stares out at his six-person audience, microphone at his mouth. “With a one-of-a-kind Carter Beckett twist that, arguably, makes it better than the original.� Music roars from the speakers, lyrics starting to roll across the TV, and Carter stares Olivia dead in the eye. “Don’t Go Bacon My Heart.� He points at his wife. “This one’s for you, Ollie girl!�
“Jesus Christ,� I mutter from behind the palm I’ve buried my face in as Carter explodes into song and dance. It’s not so much dance as it is…gyrating? I don’t fucking know, but Olivia looks like she’s gonna cry. I give her knee a shake. “You okay?�
“Of course she’s not okay,� Emmett retorts. “She’s about to bring a baby into this world that’s gonna be a carbon copy of her husband.�
𝗡𝗼. 𝟭 � 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗱 𝗴𝗶𝗿𝗹 𝗱𝗮𝗱 🥺
Have you ever seen a six-foot-four hulk of a man cradle his tiny, newborn baby girl in his arms while singing “You Are My Sunshine?�
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅� ─────
CONCLUSION
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅� ─────
i believe in Carter, Olivia and baby girl Ireland supremacy 💯�
┍━━━━━━━━»•� «•«━�
PLAYING FOR KEEPS SERIES
#1 Consider Me � 4.5 stars (Carter x Ollie)
#2 Play With Me –�3 stars (Garrett x Jennie)
#3 Unravel Me � tbr (Adam x ???)
#4 tbd � tbr (Emmett x Cara)
#5 tbd � tbr (Jaxon x ???)
┕━»•� «•«━━━━━━━━┙
June 13, 2024
new book boyfriend unlocked <3 this hockey player is the new standard, a huge teddy bear and a walking green flag💚
I loved Carter from the previous book, but Garrett stole my heart. This series is easily becoming one of my favorite sports romance series💗
────── ⋆⋅🦋⋅⋆ ──────
˚˖𓍢ִ� 💚 ·˚ pre-read ˚ · ˖ GARRETT ANDERSEN: I’m coming for you, baby! I’m still in my hockey romance era✨�
Btw, I feel like everyone should read this beautiful dedication: <3
I loved Carter from the previous book, but Garrett stole my heart. This series is easily becoming one of my favorite sports romance series💗
────── ⋆⋅🦋⋅⋆ ──────
˚˖𓍢ִ� 💚 ·˚ pre-read ˚ · ˖ GARRETT ANDERSEN: I’m coming for you, baby! I’m still in my hockey romance era✨�
Btw, I feel like everyone should read this beautiful dedication: <3
🍃“To everyone who has ever felt ready to fold themselves in half to fit somebody else’s idea of who they should be�
Don’t dull your shine for anyone.
The right people will want to bask in your sunshine, not steal it. Until then, soak it all in.
You, exactly as you are, are enough.”�
October 19, 2023
I don’t even have an issue with the plot line because of course every brother’s best friend book has the exact same plot line.
What I do have an issue with is a 26+ year old professional hockey player that acts like a 5 year old and this is considered funny.
Carter in this book was even more annoying than in his own book (which I have not finished btw). How do you act like that? I don’t understand?
There’s this one tiktok audio that goes “he’ll be rewarded for never maturing for never understanding or learning� that is Carter. Wow he annoys me.
What I do have an issue with is a 26+ year old professional hockey player that acts like a 5 year old and this is considered funny.
Carter in this book was even more annoying than in his own book (which I have not finished btw). How do you act like that? I don’t understand?
There’s this one tiktok audio that goes “he’ll be rewarded for never maturing for never understanding or learning� that is Carter. Wow he annoys me.
September 11, 2024
3.5⭐️ i always love becka mack’s stories and characters but the pacing is always so off for me
December 11, 2024
� 5 stars
� 1st. read june 24 - 27, 2023, 📖
� 2nd. read december 11 - 20, 2023 📖
jennie and garrett will forever be my number one cringy couple.
� 1st. read june 24 - 27, 2023, 📖
� 2nd. read december 11 - 20, 2023 📖
jennie and garrett will forever be my number one cringy couple.
January 18, 2023
this book was truly impossible to put down, incredible from start to finish. if i wasn’t in my hockey romance era before, i certainly am now. garrett is a pro hockey player, and he’s secretly been lusting after his best friend’s sister, jennie (seeing him nervous & flustered every time he’s around her is so endearing). when jennie moves in to garrett’s building, they end up spending time together and forming a genuine friendship, while also enjoying other� benefits.
the trust that these two had in each other was just the best. i loved seeing them open up and truly care for each other, despite their initial “no strings� type of arrangement. jennie has a lot of trust issues due to past relationships, and the way they communicated in this was everything i wanted. garrett was so patient and sweet and i could not love him more. and they were SO. DANG. HOT. what starts as a sneaking around, friends with benefits situation turns into something unexpected that neither of them wanted to fight. they are each others� biggest supporters and perfect match and i’m honestly not sure how to move on from this book. i loved that all the characters from book 1 were still a huge part of this book, and i cannot wait for the rest in the series!
the trust that these two had in each other was just the best. i loved seeing them open up and truly care for each other, despite their initial “no strings� type of arrangement. jennie has a lot of trust issues due to past relationships, and the way they communicated in this was everything i wanted. garrett was so patient and sweet and i could not love him more. and they were SO. DANG. HOT. what starts as a sneaking around, friends with benefits situation turns into something unexpected that neither of them wanted to fight. they are each others� biggest supporters and perfect match and i’m honestly not sure how to move on from this book. i loved that all the characters from book 1 were still a huge part of this book, and i cannot wait for the rest in the series!
January 28, 2024
writing: solid | plot: standard for the genre | ending: HEA
my opinion
Yezzzirrr another 500+ pg book done and dusted this month. Who am I??? And yes, I still read this after giving 3 stars because I see the vision. I think Becka Mack can write, and I do think she can be VERY funny. I also think she needs a developmental editor to trim her first drafts and eliminate the butt-cheek clenching cringe scattered throughout.
Overall, I did like this much better than Consider Me despite them both being 3 stars. I just can't give this 4 stars because when the cringe hit, I was questioning everything. Please, I'm begging white authors to stop making sexual jokes that involve their kids. Did we need the following?? No. The only person who needed it was a social worker or a prosecutor as evidence.
"...Your baby does not have a gigantic penis." "His daddy does," is Carter's smug response."
"He's taken to warning the baby every time we're about to have sex... Okay, little buddy, Daddy's coming in. Make sure you move all the way to the back." What makes this more egregious is Olivia was saying all this to Carter's sister, Jennie. I'd projectile vomit immediately.
Also, why was I still subjected to hearing how teensy tiny smol bean Olivia is WHEN IT'S NOT EVEN HER BOOK? LEAVE. US. ALONE.
Anyways, this is your standard brother's little sister/brother's teammate affair with no unique twists on it. Garrett's backstory with his recovered alcoholic father was something different at least, especially given how Jennie's father died. Jennie's backstory was... okay? I did appreciate the attempt to highlight how making female friends can be difficult, her trust issues, and the reasoning behind her hesitancy with sex. But it wasn't quite adding up that she was nervous about not being good enough in bed as she was riding a dildo attached to the floor while giving gawk gawk 3000. Girl you pretty much graduated MIT with that move so I think you'll be fine.
And those scenes with the mean girls? LMFAOOOOOO. This is why the general advice is for authors to write what they know because you could tell homegirl had never been bullied. The dialogue was straight out of a teen show on The CW Network. Absolutely painful and cheesy.
Similar to Consider Me, there were a lot of unrealistic, therapy-speak coded monologues. Every time the dialogue got deep, it didn't matter who was speaking because it all sounded the exact same. Locate me one 26-year-old professional hockey player who's saying things like this to their FWB: "I think it's great you're able to be honest with yourself. That you acknowledge what you want no longer serves you..." No longer serves you? Fr? K.
Anyways, this is getting too long so I'll end it here: Don't microwave your undies to heat them up. A dryer exists. Thank you.
pros & cons
Pros: funny AT TIMES, she's fantastic at writing scenes with continuous motion—makes it very easy to visualize what's happening and feel close to the story, despite being long it's actually easy to get through, Garrett was way more normal than Carter and it made me realize how annoying Carter is lol, interesting backstories
Cons: when the cringe hit—it HIIIITTTTT, weird jokes, inconsistencies with both characters, too much therapy-speak, nothing unique about the plot, dialogue with mean dance girls gave me second hand embarrassment, ya'll just tossing around the term bestie eh?
____
and
my opinion
Yezzzirrr another 500+ pg book done and dusted this month. Who am I??? And yes, I still read this after giving 3 stars because I see the vision. I think Becka Mack can write, and I do think she can be VERY funny. I also think she needs a developmental editor to trim her first drafts and eliminate the butt-cheek clenching cringe scattered throughout.
Overall, I did like this much better than Consider Me despite them both being 3 stars. I just can't give this 4 stars because when the cringe hit, I was questioning everything. Please, I'm begging white authors to stop making sexual jokes that involve their kids. Did we need the following?? No. The only person who needed it was a social worker or a prosecutor as evidence.
"...Your baby does not have a gigantic penis." "His daddy does," is Carter's smug response."
"He's taken to warning the baby every time we're about to have sex... Okay, little buddy, Daddy's coming in. Make sure you move all the way to the back." What makes this more egregious is Olivia was saying all this to Carter's sister, Jennie. I'd projectile vomit immediately.
Also, why was I still subjected to hearing how teensy tiny smol bean Olivia is WHEN IT'S NOT EVEN HER BOOK? LEAVE. US. ALONE.
Anyways, this is your standard brother's little sister/brother's teammate affair with no unique twists on it. Garrett's backstory with his recovered alcoholic father was something different at least, especially given how Jennie's father died. Jennie's backstory was... okay? I did appreciate the attempt to highlight how making female friends can be difficult, her trust issues, and the reasoning behind her hesitancy with sex. But it wasn't quite adding up that she was nervous about not being good enough in bed as she was riding a dildo attached to the floor while giving gawk gawk 3000. Girl you pretty much graduated MIT with that move so I think you'll be fine.
And those scenes with the mean girls? LMFAOOOOOO. This is why the general advice is for authors to write what they know because you could tell homegirl had never been bullied. The dialogue was straight out of a teen show on The CW Network. Absolutely painful and cheesy.
Similar to Consider Me, there were a lot of unrealistic, therapy-speak coded monologues. Every time the dialogue got deep, it didn't matter who was speaking because it all sounded the exact same. Locate me one 26-year-old professional hockey player who's saying things like this to their FWB: "I think it's great you're able to be honest with yourself. That you acknowledge what you want no longer serves you..." No longer serves you? Fr? K.
Anyways, this is getting too long so I'll end it here: Don't microwave your undies to heat them up. A dryer exists. Thank you.
pros & cons
Pros: funny AT TIMES, she's fantastic at writing scenes with continuous motion—makes it very easy to visualize what's happening and feel close to the story, despite being long it's actually easy to get through, Garrett was way more normal than Carter and it made me realize how annoying Carter is lol, interesting backstories
Cons: when the cringe hit—it HIIIITTTTT, weird jokes, inconsistencies with both characters, too much therapy-speak, nothing unique about the plot, dialogue with mean dance girls gave me second hand embarrassment, ya'll just tossing around the term bestie eh?
____
and
November 14, 2022
If booktok and booktwt reccomend same book you know it's especially bad, and my God 460 pages there is literally no reason for that.
March 1, 2023
love love love <3
nothing too deep for me and i was a bit bored throughout but i still had a good time.
nothing too deep for me and i was a bit bored throughout but i still had a good time.
Read
June 19, 2025DNF: 15%⭐️
i tried—i really did but nothing is pulling me to this and the endless books on my physical tbr look a lot more exciting 😭! might come back to it but right now absolutely NOTHING is pulling me to it. i’ll probably just skip this book and go onto adam’s book later in stead of forcing myself through 600+ pages of no plot.
₊˚⊹ � 𝐩𝐫𝐞-𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝:
the first one was actually pretty bad so only reading this to get to cara and emmet’s + adam’s book (the third and fifth books)!! 🏒🫶
i tried—i really did but nothing is pulling me to this and the endless books on my physical tbr look a lot more exciting 😭! might come back to it but right now absolutely NOTHING is pulling me to it. i’ll probably just skip this book and go onto adam’s book later in stead of forcing myself through 600+ pages of no plot.
₊˚⊹ � 𝐩𝐫𝐞-𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝:
the first one was actually pretty bad so only reading this to get to cara and emmet’s + adam’s book (the third and fifth books)!! 🏒🫶
November 21, 2022
dnf at 45%
STOP WITH THE MILLENNIAL HUMOUR AND THE SILLY GOOFY?? QUIRKY FMC PLEASE I AM BEGGING YOU. STOP.
this was a literal copy of the first book but with different characters and more traumatizing scenes�?
IM ALSO ONLY CONTINUING FOR THE ADAM CRUMBS so becca mack PLEASE give me adams book. It’s a need not a want 🙃
STOP WITH THE MILLENNIAL HUMOUR AND THE SILLY GOOFY?? QUIRKY FMC PLEASE I AM BEGGING YOU. STOP.
this was a literal copy of the first book but with different characters and more traumatizing scenes�?
IM ALSO ONLY CONTINUING FOR THE ADAM CRUMBS so becca mack PLEASE give me adams book. It’s a need not a want 🙃
October 20, 2022
”you weren’t made to fit in, jennie. you stand out way too much to hide in the shadows.�
this book was rly cute, but unnecessarily long and lacking a plot as it is more character driven. i adore garrett so much, i love how awkward and shy he would get whenever he was around jennie. she made him so nervous that he would trip over his words—it was so adorable to read. but when they are in the bedroom? a whole other story, bc he is FILTHY!!
� he is the biggest cinnamon roll mmc and just so loveable. i love how he was patient and protective over jennie <33
when he would give her back tickles � SWOONING.
jennie, i love her character so much, she is so well written. she is a loudmouth, but very feisty and independent and KNOWS her worth. she is also very vulnerable from past traumas and feeling like she lives in her older brother’s shadow. jennie and garrett brought out the best in each other and i loved to see that.
i love ollie and carter’s cameos, i was still swooning over him and he still had me giggling.
exhibit a:
“excuse me. i’m arianna.�
carter doesn’t look up from his menu. “i’m married�
arianna opens her mouth, and carter cuts her off before she can use it. “h辱�
� now pls give me adam’s book !!!
tropes:
brothers best friend
hockey romance
forced proximity
found family
friends with benefits
March 7, 2023
PERFECTION !!! Review coming soon
January 19, 2023
3.5*
JennieGarrett were cute as fuck.
𝗦𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲:
ADAM ADAM ADAM (I’m intrigued by Jaxon!!) ADAM ADAM ADAM ADAM ADAM 🤭🦋💞💕💘🥰
𝗙𝗮𝘃 𝗤𝘂𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀:
“Are you having fun playing this little game of yours?�
“Funny you should ask. That’s exactly what I wanna do.� I capture her hands in mine, pinning them on either side of her head. “I want to play.�
“This,� I finally answer. “Right here with you is how I pictured it. Being with someone I love, someone who reminds me I’m already enough.�
“You are enough, Jennie. I used to be scared of how enough you were, unattainable almost. I wasn’t sure I could stack up. But I know now. Everything I was missing was something you brought with you, evening me out. I realized I was never not enough; I was waiting for you so we could be whole together.�
JennieGarrett were cute as fuck.
𝗦𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲:
ADAM ADAM ADAM (I’m intrigued by Jaxon!!) ADAM ADAM ADAM ADAM ADAM 🤭🦋💞💕💘🥰
𝗙𝗮𝘃 𝗤𝘂𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀:
“Are you having fun playing this little game of yours?�
“Funny you should ask. That’s exactly what I wanna do.� I capture her hands in mine, pinning them on either side of her head. “I want to play.�
“This,� I finally answer. “Right here with you is how I pictured it. Being with someone I love, someone who reminds me I’m already enough.�
“You are enough, Jennie. I used to be scared of how enough you were, unattainable almost. I wasn’t sure I could stack up. But I know now. Everything I was missing was something you brought with you, evening me out. I realized I was never not enough; I was waiting for you so we could be whole together.�
Want to read
April 28, 2025guys... im taking this off my CR sadly I got the ick and have other audiobooks I rather listen to :((((
aka i'm soft dnfing it, i'll pick it up later 😔
hello audiobook and hello hockey romance hopefully is a good one!
aka i'm soft dnfing it, i'll pick it up later 😔
hello audiobook and hello hockey romance hopefully is a good one!
Read
February 21, 2023i'm so disappointed. so so so sooooooooooo disappointed. and sad.
jennie was a real pain in the ass who couldn't stop slut-shaming other women. i loved what i saw of her in the previous novel, and absolutely hate what became of her in this one.
garrett was a total angel and definitely too good for jennie, but i'm not interested nor patient enough to keep reading to see if things get better.
too bad this eventually went south so soon, because when i read consider me, i was really hoping the second book would be about them and couldn't wait to read it.
DNFing this at 30%
jennie was a real pain in the ass who couldn't stop slut-shaming other women. i loved what i saw of her in the previous novel, and absolutely hate what became of her in this one.
garrett was a total angel and definitely too good for jennie, but i'm not interested nor patient enough to keep reading to see if things get better.
too bad this eventually went south so soon, because when i read consider me, i was really hoping the second book would be about them and couldn't wait to read it.
DNFing this at 30%
March 8, 2025
I zoned out every time Jennie talked whined
November 14, 2022
3.75 ⭐️
This is one of those books where you just get to hang out with the characters for a very long time� so if you like and connect with them, then you’re good - and since I loved both Jennie and Garrett� I had a good time reading this.
I really loved watching the progression of how they slowly built up their friendship and became each other’s person - I personally love getting to read about all of the small moments that build up a relationship� and Becka Mack does that so well! She puts in funny moments, serious moments, mundane moments� it’s like an overload of interactions� which did lead to the book being longer than it needed to be� but like I said, if you enjoy hanging out with the characters� then it just is what it is.
The thing is� I’ve realized over time that the whole friends with benefits thing isn’t my favorite type of story to read about - mostly because it always has this one trajectory and therefore it’s become too predictable for me � then add on the forbiddenness/secretiveness because of an overbearing brother� and I can lay out the entire story for you without even reading it� and that was definitely the case with this book - buttttt I still enjoyed it for what it was and think that it was done very well - so if you like that type of storyline, then this is a top tier version of that and I would definitely recommend giving it a shot.
I also really enjoyed how much we got to see of Carter and Ollie (previous book couple). I love them so much and this book just made me love them more. And while I’m on the subject of book one� I think I enjoyed it more because it was pushing for a relationship vs this one was a little more sexually driven which ended up with them naturally turning into best friends and therefore falling for each other� and there’s nothing at all wrong with that sort of setup� but as a personal preference, the general plotline of book one worked better for me than this one did.
This is one of those books where you just get to hang out with the characters for a very long time� so if you like and connect with them, then you’re good - and since I loved both Jennie and Garrett� I had a good time reading this.
I really loved watching the progression of how they slowly built up their friendship and became each other’s person - I personally love getting to read about all of the small moments that build up a relationship� and Becka Mack does that so well! She puts in funny moments, serious moments, mundane moments� it’s like an overload of interactions� which did lead to the book being longer than it needed to be� but like I said, if you enjoy hanging out with the characters� then it just is what it is.
The thing is� I’ve realized over time that the whole friends with benefits thing isn’t my favorite type of story to read about - mostly because it always has this one trajectory and therefore it’s become too predictable for me � then add on the forbiddenness/secretiveness because of an overbearing brother� and I can lay out the entire story for you without even reading it� and that was definitely the case with this book - buttttt I still enjoyed it for what it was and think that it was done very well - so if you like that type of storyline, then this is a top tier version of that and I would definitely recommend giving it a shot.
I also really enjoyed how much we got to see of Carter and Ollie (previous book couple). I love them so much and this book just made me love them more. And while I’m on the subject of book one� I think I enjoyed it more because it was pushing for a relationship vs this one was a little more sexually driven which ended up with them naturally turning into best friends and therefore falling for each other� and there’s nothing at all wrong with that sort of setup� but as a personal preference, the general plotline of book one worked better for me than this one did.
October 4, 2022
Fuck this shit i just wanted a cute romance then this fucking asshole takes his neighbor home after being with the heroine (not intimately) even though he knows he likes her and has the hots for her
After all the bullshit stuff i red about how he’s golden retriever and cute and bullllshit .
I mean is this shit necessary it’s the first fucking chapter give me a break wtf is this like it adds nothing nothiiing to the story.
Good luck making me believe this love shorty.
There goes another book i was excited to read thanks authors thanksssss alot.
Oooo wait i just fucking discovered that the girl the hero and the heroine are all neighbors!! Yeppy yeyyy what a nice family.
After all the bullshit stuff i red about how he’s golden retriever and cute and bullllshit .
I mean is this shit necessary it’s the first fucking chapter give me a break wtf is this like it adds nothing nothiiing to the story.
Good luck making me believe this love shorty.
There goes another book i was excited to read thanks authors thanksssss alot.
Oooo wait i just fucking discovered that the girl the hero and the heroine are all neighbors!! Yeppy yeyyy what a nice family.
November 8, 2022
2.5 stars. I loved the first book, it had its issues, but I loved it just the same unfortunately this book missed the mark for me.
First of all, it's too long! It's so repetitive I had to do major skimming just to get through it. But the first one was also too long but I still loved bc I loved the characters, this one not so much.
The FMC was just not it for me, she couldn't decide what her personality was, she was sassy, strong, scary, but then shy, insecure, toddler level emotional IQ. A huge plot point was her feeling like she was living in her brother's shadow, but it was so juvenile! I just could not care about her she grated on my last nerve.
Garret was ok not as endearing as Carter but fine, I guess. I also think that this book went way to heavy on the contemporary references, the TikTok jokes were so cringe!!! And there are so many scenes where characters are talking with their mouths full! That's maybe funny once but definitely not multiple times.
I hung in there bc I love Carter and Olivia and I'm an Adam fan and I really want to read his book, I also love the chosen family dynamic and the scenes that they are all together were the best for me. I also really like the new hockey guy she introduced but hopefully we will get some more mature characters that have some emotional IQ .
First of all, it's too long! It's so repetitive I had to do major skimming just to get through it. But the first one was also too long but I still loved bc I loved the characters, this one not so much.
The FMC was just not it for me, she couldn't decide what her personality was, she was sassy, strong, scary, but then shy, insecure, toddler level emotional IQ. A huge plot point was her feeling like she was living in her brother's shadow, but it was so juvenile! I just could not care about her she grated on my last nerve.
Garret was ok not as endearing as Carter but fine, I guess. I also think that this book went way to heavy on the contemporary references, the TikTok jokes were so cringe!!! And there are so many scenes where characters are talking with their mouths full! That's maybe funny once but definitely not multiple times.
I hung in there bc I love Carter and Olivia and I'm an Adam fan and I really want to read his book, I also love the chosen family dynamic and the scenes that they are all together were the best for me. I also really like the new hockey guy she introduced but hopefully we will get some more mature characters that have some emotional IQ .
April 17, 2024
4⭐️ 4🌶�
This was soooo much better than consider me!!!!
All the best tropes, so Jennie is Carter Becketts younger feisty sister, and Garrett Andersen is Carters best friend, who ends up in a secret, friends with benefits situation with his best friends sister 👀 great story line, and it was super fun reading about these two sneaking round together but also watching them slowly develop and really cute bond, it was even making me laugh too, Garrett was making me laugh out loud at times
Garrett is green flags alllll day long I loved him so much more than I liked Carter (who was insufferable in this book btw)
I loved his awkward personality, but the way he’s a freakkkkk in the bedroom 👀🫣😰 plus the way he handles Jennies insecurities, and the things he does for her 😩🫶🏽
Jennie was so real & relatable, I felt so connected to her character, watching her grow as a person through her connection with Garrett was just 🤌🏼🤌🏼
This was wayyyy spicier than I was expecting 🤯
What I didn’t like, and I felt the same with ‘consider me� is that the book does drag out a bit, it didn’t need to be this long, and it’s pretty slow. Sometimes I have to remind myself the characters are mid 20’s (24 and 26) because they come across so immature at times 😅
Aside from that this was a great hockey romance and it’s giving such strong found family vibes 🥹
This was soooo much better than consider me!!!!
All the best tropes, so Jennie is Carter Becketts younger feisty sister, and Garrett Andersen is Carters best friend, who ends up in a secret, friends with benefits situation with his best friends sister 👀 great story line, and it was super fun reading about these two sneaking round together but also watching them slowly develop and really cute bond, it was even making me laugh too, Garrett was making me laugh out loud at times
Garrett is green flags alllll day long I loved him so much more than I liked Carter (who was insufferable in this book btw)
I loved his awkward personality, but the way he’s a freakkkkk in the bedroom 👀🫣😰 plus the way he handles Jennies insecurities, and the things he does for her 😩🫶🏽
Jennie was so real & relatable, I felt so connected to her character, watching her grow as a person through her connection with Garrett was just 🤌🏼🤌🏼
This was wayyyy spicier than I was expecting 🤯
What I didn’t like, and I felt the same with ‘consider me� is that the book does drag out a bit, it didn’t need to be this long, and it’s pretty slow. Sometimes I have to remind myself the characters are mid 20’s (24 and 26) because they come across so immature at times 😅
Aside from that this was a great hockey romance and it’s giving such strong found family vibes 🥹
December 31, 2023
Hands down my favourite hockey romance , this was sooo good!!!!
Forgot to review this one as well, I’m awful
Forgot to review this one as well, I’m awful
August 14, 2023
REREAD: 1-8 ‘Aukake 2013
Reread as an audiobook and still absolutely LOVED!!! Definitely my favorite of the series so far. Love Garrett and Jennie to the ends of the earth. 💛
—Ĕ�
5⭐️s are not enough. I deem this book, TEN STARS. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I love this book with my whole heart. 💙
Garrett? On the top 5 book boyfriends list. Jennie? One of my favorite FMCs of all time. Garrett & Jennie? Absolute SOUL MATES.
I loved Consider Me, but Play With Me takes the cake. Consider Me was a light, fluffy, cute read that just made my heart extremely happy. Play With Me was all that with just a sprinkle of seriousness that made me fall so hard for these characters.
I love everything about this book. The reverse grumpy x sunshine, the brother's best friend, the fwbs turned more, friends-to-lovers, the found family, EVERY THING. This book was hilarious and SPICY🌶, but also heartwarming and just so incredibly beautiful. Garrett and Jennie were so undeniably made for each other. Their connection made me literally CRY from how beautiful it was. No joke. LITERAL F*CKING TEARS CAME DOWN MY FACE. I love them so much.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!! I will know no peace til the next book comes out.
Reread as an audiobook and still absolutely LOVED!!! Definitely my favorite of the series so far. Love Garrett and Jennie to the ends of the earth. 💛
—Ĕ�
5⭐️s are not enough. I deem this book, TEN STARS. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I love this book with my whole heart. 💙
Garrett? On the top 5 book boyfriends list. Jennie? One of my favorite FMCs of all time. Garrett & Jennie? Absolute SOUL MATES.
I loved Consider Me, but Play With Me takes the cake. Consider Me was a light, fluffy, cute read that just made my heart extremely happy. Play With Me was all that with just a sprinkle of seriousness that made me fall so hard for these characters.
I love everything about this book. The reverse grumpy x sunshine, the brother's best friend, the fwbs turned more, friends-to-lovers, the found family, EVERY THING. This book was hilarious and SPICY🌶, but also heartwarming and just so incredibly beautiful. Garrett and Jennie were so undeniably made for each other. Their connection made me literally CRY from how beautiful it was. No joke. LITERAL F*CKING TEARS CAME DOWN MY FACE. I love them so much.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!! I will know no peace til the next book comes out.
April 20, 2024
3.5 stars
I wasn’t planning on reading this because I DNFed the first one and disliked the third one - but then I saw the ebook was on sale and I was in a specific mood, namely I wanted to read something light which included a group of friends and didn’t have much drama or angst. And this fit the bill perfectly. So if that’s the mood - this is a good book to try.
Now, I didn’t expect to like it. I was gonna give it a few pages and DNF based on the track record with the rest of the series BUT this is actually the best of the bunch. I liked the MCs - sometimes the heroine was a bit annoying but then she did kinda grow, matured and just improved as a character. I loved the hero. He was a sweetie. Very genuine and caring.
What wasn’t really my cup of tea was the humour. I’m not gonna lie, some of it was just ok, but some was so cringe and over the top.. but really it wasn’t a deal breaker - it didn’t happen on every page and I could kinda skate past it.
Overall, it was an ok read, perfect for the right mood.
I wasn’t planning on reading this because I DNFed the first one and disliked the third one - but then I saw the ebook was on sale and I was in a specific mood, namely I wanted to read something light which included a group of friends and didn’t have much drama or angst. And this fit the bill perfectly. So if that’s the mood - this is a good book to try.
Now, I didn’t expect to like it. I was gonna give it a few pages and DNF based on the track record with the rest of the series BUT this is actually the best of the bunch. I liked the MCs - sometimes the heroine was a bit annoying but then she did kinda grow, matured and just improved as a character. I loved the hero. He was a sweetie. Very genuine and caring.
What wasn’t really my cup of tea was the humour. I’m not gonna lie, some of it was just ok, but some was so cringe and over the top.. but really it wasn’t a deal breaker - it didn’t happen on every page and I could kinda skate past it.
Overall, it was an ok read, perfect for the right mood.
June 27, 2023
OMGGG this was so much worse than the first book. 😭😭😭
December 9, 2024
★★★★.25 stars
౨ৎ Tropes
~ brother's best friend
~ forbidden romance
~ hockey romance
౨ৎ Spice Level
~ 3/5
౨ৎ Garett Anderson
He is so big-hearted and I love bus cute gestures towards jennie. It melted my heart when he got her coffee because he thought she would be tired. Then he pretends the things he does aren't a big deal when it's clearly the sweetest thing ever! He also sends the cutest texts and acts obsessed. I also could have just died at his loyalty and love he shows towards his family. And he calls her sunshine??
⁀� ”i’m not gonna just sit by and let someone disrespect you or your boundaries just because we aren't dating. i’m still gonna have your back�
⁀� ”i would do anything for you jennie�
౨ৎ Jennie Beckett
She has an attitude and she is so bold and confident through the whole book. Honestly I think with her bossy, don't-disrespect-me nature she became one of my favourite characters of the series. As Carter's brother she's supposed to be off-limits but I love how she can't stay away from Garrett; it's just adorable.
౨ৎ General
Okay, I love how they couldn't stay away from each other! Throughout the book it was obvious they just kept becoming closer as time went on and their chemistry was gold. Also the characters were all so lovable which meant I couldn't help but get attatched.
౨ৎ Tropes
~ brother's best friend
~ forbidden romance
~ hockey romance
౨ৎ Spice Level
~ 3/5
౨ৎ Garett Anderson
He is so big-hearted and I love bus cute gestures towards jennie. It melted my heart when he got her coffee because he thought she would be tired. Then he pretends the things he does aren't a big deal when it's clearly the sweetest thing ever! He also sends the cutest texts and acts obsessed. I also could have just died at his loyalty and love he shows towards his family. And he calls her sunshine??
⁀� ”i’m not gonna just sit by and let someone disrespect you or your boundaries just because we aren't dating. i’m still gonna have your back�
⁀� ”i would do anything for you jennie�
౨ৎ Jennie Beckett
She has an attitude and she is so bold and confident through the whole book. Honestly I think with her bossy, don't-disrespect-me nature she became one of my favourite characters of the series. As Carter's brother she's supposed to be off-limits but I love how she can't stay away from Garrett; it's just adorable.
౨ৎ General
Okay, I love how they couldn't stay away from each other! Throughout the book it was obvious they just kept becoming closer as time went on and their chemistry was gold. Also the characters were all so lovable which meant I couldn't help but get attatched.
June 22, 2023
Okay so this book.
I have mixed feelings.
On one hand I really liked it. I LOVEDDDD Gare-Bear and his shy, awkward side was AMAZING. I loved the friendships and overall found family sort of vibe. I loved the dynamic and fluff.
Also LOVED ALL THE CARTEROLLIE MOMENTS. They are such cuties.
One the other hand.... there were a few things I did NOT like. Jennie being one of them. She just really was not the FMC for me which is completely fine. No one is going to love every character, but when you dislike one of the main ones, it's hard for the book to be perfect. She had a lot of insecurities which I got but omfg, one chapter she'd be over it and the next she wouldn't. Like girl how many times do you have to be told him loving you has nothing to with Carter. And the girls aren't only your friends because of him. I just obviously got annoyed.
There were also times when I felt Jennie should have been the one to go and apologize or just go to Garrett rather then him to her. I felt like he just sort of overcompensated for some things.
Overall I enjoyed the story just not Jennie 🤣
Oh and when are we getting a Hank death trope?? I do not like that old ass man either.
I have mixed feelings.
On one hand I really liked it. I LOVEDDDD Gare-Bear and his shy, awkward side was AMAZING. I loved the friendships and overall found family sort of vibe. I loved the dynamic and fluff.
Also LOVED ALL THE CARTEROLLIE MOMENTS. They are such cuties.
One the other hand.... there were a few things I did NOT like. Jennie being one of them. She just really was not the FMC for me which is completely fine. No one is going to love every character, but when you dislike one of the main ones, it's hard for the book to be perfect. She had a lot of insecurities which I got but omfg, one chapter she'd be over it and the next she wouldn't. Like girl how many times do you have to be told him loving you has nothing to with Carter. And the girls aren't only your friends because of him. I just obviously got annoyed.
There were also times when I felt Jennie should have been the one to go and apologize or just go to Garrett rather then him to her. I felt like he just sort of overcompensated for some things.
Overall I enjoyed the story just not Jennie 🤣
Oh and when are we getting a Hank death trope?? I do not like that old ass man either.
January 11, 2023
i didn’t think it was possible for this one to be even better than the first but WOW :,) need adam’s book like immediately
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