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My Review:Title: Snowballed
Author: Melanie Ting
Series: Moo U #9
Published by: Heart Eyes Press
Release Date: June 7, 2021
Format: Audio ALC
Narrator: C.J. Bloom, Ryan West
Length: 8 hours and 38 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:She needs Prince Farming . . . but she got me instead.
Sure, life’s been easy for me. Growing up in an oceanside house in SoCal, playing top-level college hockey, driving a luxury car with a generous allowance—sounds like the dream, right? Turns out what I didn’t have was freedom. And when I decided to transfer to Moo U for my last year of hockey, my controlling father cut me off.
No money, no car, no friends. I’m just another student struggling to make ends meet. The only place I can afford to live is the Meyers’ farm, where I’ll work in exchange for room and board. Farm work is so exhausting that I don’t even have time to wallow in the crappy turn my life has taken. Zoe Meyers is a hot blonde Amazon with all the energy of a chipmunk on crack. And her positivity is making me realize how lucky I really am, even though I’m broke. Too bad she’s not impressed by a guy who can’t figure out which end of a goat to milk.
Because suddenly I want to impress her. I want to do a lot more with her too . . . if I can get her out of the barn and into my arms.
I received a free copy through Heart Eyes Press in exchange for an honest and unbiased review/opinion.
4 stars — Well this book surprised me with the depth it contained! It also had me ordering Japanese food, but that’s because I’m easily influenced.
This was my first time listening to Ryan West, and he was pretty solid. I will say that with both narrators I had a harder time figuring out dialogue from internal thought…but that seems to just be hard to do. Both were great at emotions and pacing, but in particular Ms. Bloom nailed the emotion and anxiety for Zoe.
It’s funny, b/c I had a harder time warming up to Noah in this one…he was just such a jerk when he first meets Zoe. And while it’s sort of explained, and it kind of fit with his slow moving character, it was too bad he got off to such a poor start. But once he settled in, I kind of enjoyed his fairly mellow straightforward character. I loved the way he helped his teammates, and how he helped Zoe (both on the farm and in hockey). I adored how soft he was with the animals. And I appreciated all that he was going through, and how who his parents were really could affect how people treated him.
On the other hand, I enjoyed Zoe almost right away — she was spunky and forthright and down to earth and hardworking…and pretty sunny. Of course that just made it harder when she got more and more irrational at times. The subjects that Ms. Ting tackled with Zoe were really hard and real, and wow was it difficult to read at times. Because you end up seeing the worst of Zoe in many moments, and it was so hard to watch her resist help. Also, while I enjoy a heroine who has insecurities (because relatable), Zoe’s were a bit out of control. BUT, saying all that, she did end up growing a lot. It came mostly at the end of the book, so at times it felt a bit fast, but I still appreciated seeing that growth. And man…so much crying.
I LOVED the friendship chemistry between Noah and Zoe. I enjoyed the dynamic they had, and how they balanced one another. I didn’t always feel the physical chemistry, though their steamy scenes were definitely hot. I think it was also hard to get into their relationship when there was so much volatility at times.
Lots of fun secondary characters as always, and the family dynamics were interesting for both of them. It was strange because Zoe was a bit of an unreliable narrator with her Mom and brother, and so I wasn’t happy with them for much of the book. And yet…the ending made it work.
And on a side note, not to be a weirdo, but OMG it was so refreshing to have such accurate hockey writing! So many times I find myself critiquing what the author knows about the sport, and while I get sometimes there are liberties taken for drama’s sake, sometimes I just can’t even. This is a book for the true hockey lover — prepare to feel like you’re actually watching it.
All in all this was a solid read with lots of nuance and emotions.
I gave this one 4 stars, too. I didn’t have the same problems with the narration since I read it, but that would be rough!