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My Review:Title: Playmaker
Author: Sierra Hill
Series: Moo U #8
Published by: Heart Eyes Press
Release Date: June 7, 2021
Format: Audio ALC
Narrator: Emma Wilder, Teddy Hamilton
Length: 7 hours and 9 minutes
Genres: Sports Romance, Contemporary
Source: Heart Eyes Press
Reading Challenges: Lenoreo's 2021 Audiobook Challenge, Lenoreo's 2021 COYER Spring, Lenoreo's 2021 Diversity Reading Challenge
Find it: Goodreads ✩ Amazon
My rating:
Blurb:There’s no faking it in love or hockey...
Transferring to a new school under false pretenses is harder than I expected, especially when my cocky new housemate, Callan Thomas, annoys me at every pass. He’s treated like a god and revered by everyone on campus. Too bad he made me feel like a rejected fool the first night we met.
But that doesn’t stop me from accepting his offer to become his fake girlfriend, because he has skills that I need. Only Callan can help me improve my game and make the USA women’s hockey team.
I try to keep despising him, but he keeps proving my first impression was wrong. And the more time I spend with him, the more complex my feelings become. I need to tell him the truth about who I really am before anyone finds out and things go too far.
Problem is, I think they already have...
I received a free copy through Heart Eyes Press in exchange for an honest and unbiased review/opinion.
3 stars — Well. OK. Hmmm…maybe 3.5? I don’t know. It didn’t end strong for me.
The major problem I had was entirely with Aria. She wasn’t horribly unlikable necessarily, but the choices she made and the way she behaved at times just drove me up the wall. And in the end I feel like she didn’t grow. I’m okay with bad behavior if I see genuine growth. The funny thing is she’s probably very realistic…but I want better from my books I guess. I don’t think she ever really apologized outright. It felt like Callan was always the one approaching her with apologies first, even when she was the one who behaved horribly.
And you know what was never addressed? Her terrible attitude about him not being certain about an NHL career. She was kinda selfish, and while I could get where it stemmed from for her (the inequality in opportunities for male vs female athletes), I needed her to also understand his decisions and thought processes and support him WHATEVER he decided to do. And we never got that. At least not IMO.
Which, again, does not make her unlikable. She was passionate, hardworking, a bit sassy… It was just that her flaws overwhelmed for me.
Callan was okay. He could be a bit arrogant at times, a bit more guy guy than I would like at others. For me he was a bit unremarkable, but not without his fun moments. I appreciated how much thought he put into his future. I appreciated how caring he could be with Aria. And he definitely had some fun moments.
There were definitely moments where I enjoyed them together, but their relationship felt fairly physically focused as far as chemistry. And the whole secrets thing just went on too long, so it was hard to invest.
I will say that I LOVED quite a few of the secondary characters. Sophie was a hoot, Sam was intriguing, and even the little glimpses of the twins were pretty fun.
So yeah. I think it just wasn’t the right fit for me, but I’m sure it’ll hit its mark for others.
Yes! I agree with your review. I had some of the same issues. I think I ended up giving it a 3.5. It made me sad because this was one I was excited for. I have read others of hers that I really liked.