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My Review:Title: The Locker Room
Author: Amy Lane
Published by: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: April 21st 2011
Format: Kindle Book
Pages: 250
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, LGBT
Reading Challenges: Lenoreo's 2017 Beat the Backlist Challenge, Lenoreo's 2017 Contemporary Romance Reading Challenge, Lenoreo's 2017 Diverse Reading Challenge, Lenoreo's 2017 New Adult Challenge
Find it: Goodreads ✩ Amazon ✩ B&N ✩ Google ✩ Kobo ✩ iBooks ✩ IndieBound
My rating:
Blurb:Xander Karcek has only wanted two things in his life: Christian Edwards and basketball-the man he loves and the game that let him escape a childhood he'd rather forget. His two obsessions have served him well. He and Chris beat the odds and stayed together through high school, college, and right on to the NBA.
But life under fame's microscope isn't easy, especially when two men are pretending to be frat-buddies so the world doesn't know they're the next best thing to married. Their relationship survives the sacrifices they make and the lies they tell to stay together, but when their secret is exposed, the fallout might destroy them when nothing else could.
Chris and basketball are the two things holding Xander together. Now the world is asking Xander to make a choice. Is there an option that includes a future with the man he loves?
ORIGINAL REVIEW:
5 stars — Well, at first I was thinking this review was going to be utterly pointless with just a bunch of gushing b/c I was so overwhelmed after I finished. But then I figured maybe I should sit down and actually figure out what specific things worked for me. B/C I don’t know what works for you, but this book had practically everything I needed to be a successful Lenore rave. Sooooo…. Fabulous lead characters. I honestly can’t say whether they were realistic or not b/c I’m not that kind of reviewer who cares….but I loved them. That’s all that matters to me. They broke my heart. Fabulous side characters — though at times Penny rubbed me the wrong way. Heartbreaking situations and obstacles to overcome. And a small detail that really makes a book over the top for me — enough time in each of the life stages to really feel like you’re living it with them…. I’m the kind of girl that likes the beginning…the middle…and a good extended end (happy of course). I want to see them at different stages in their lives. It just flowed well for me. Oh, and last but not least in this particular book category — HOT. OMG Hot. So yeah. LOVED it. 🙂
ON REREAD:
4.95 stars — This one was still just as good as the first time I read it, it’s why I’ve reread it at least 4 times now. I love that we get to see them right from the beginning, you can feel their friendship chemistry right from the start and how it just naturally turns into more. I love the parts when they are young and trying to navigate some really serious situations (poverty, neglect, abuse, starvation) as well as these feelings that they have for each other.
There were so many things that broke my heart in this story as well, starting from them knowing they had to hide their relationship if they wanted to have a successful basketball career (from college to pros). But the things they felt they had to do to keep the secret, the 3rd home game of the month, broke the camel’s back for me. Their coach was just….horrifyingly bigoted. So I understood how they came to that “solution” for keeping their secret, but I felt their pain and despair right along with them.
I loved all the secondary characters, they really added to the story. From Christian’s parents and Penny to Cliff to Lucia to Mandy & Audrey (Xander’s girls) to “Uncle” Leo.
Honestly, the loss of .05 stars is because of the ending. I’m a need to know it, love to have it spelled out for me kind of girl. I HATE unanswered questions. I totally get why the author went that way, but it doesn’t mean I don’t want to know what happened…I feel like there should be a choose your own adventure thing with this book…like author’s original cut, and the spelled out ending for the whiny babies like me that don’t like to make up their own ending, and HAVE TO KNOW what the ending is. In a perfect world such a thing would exist. 😛
So yeah, worth the reread. I’m pretty sure it’s a book I will reread til the end of time, b/c it just works for me.
Damn the cover looks so hot!!!