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A review by thesmutsister_emma
Pucking Around by Emily Rath
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Two Hockey Players, One Puck
Teehee, see what I did there? I quoted the book. I have a lot of thoughts and opinions on this one so strap in everyone. This one is going to be a doozy.
The Characters
Rachel: Girlie pop, holy shit I want to be you when I grow up. that's all I got. No other words. I can't form any more
Jake: Damn fucking golden retriever, with the nothing behind the eyes and everything. Little precious bug that knows nothing but give love. And it's too sweet for my sweet tooth somehow, holy shit.
Caleb: If the man got any grumpier, he'd mirror a villain in terms of personality and we all know how I feel about the villains. They're my favorite ones. I feel bad for it, but Caleb and Ilmari are making the book boyfriend list but not Jake. I just don't think I could take all of Jake all the time. I need the two antisocial ones so that my social battery wouldn't drain.
Ilmari:If I could kidnap a giant, this would bee the one. If y'all catch a man getting kidnapped on Christmas with his or Caleb's description, mind your own business. They're going to a loving home. I also just really want to know what this man reads.
Things I Loved
The smut to plot ratio was perfection. It was probably the reason for my first complaint in the next section, but still. I also just loved the dynamic in general and loved everything we were given about this crew. It was honestly so cozy and I adored it. If I could have read this in a few different books, I would have gotten through them a lot faster I think.
Also, THE HOCKEY ASPECT. This is only my second sport romance about my sport and boy, did Emily deliver. She fedme through these Stanley Cup Playoffs. Postseason is already fun, but this made it so much better because Emily truly knew what she was doing talking about hockey.
Things I Didn't Love
Okay, I have two bones to pick with Emily over this one and that's it. Number one, why the fuck was it so long. 750 pages for a sport romance??? GIRLLLL. That's a hefty boi. Like, I probably could have gotten through it in normal time if it was a normal sized book, but fuck man. I struggled for a minute there.
Bone number two: in the prequel novella, Rachel is mentioned multiple times to be plus size or at least curvy, but not once in this book were we led to believe this. My very first highlight and note were literally talking about how she put on a youth size crop top or made a youth size a shirt a crop top. Y'ALL. That would not be happening for someone who is plus size or curvy. That shit would be riding up wayyyy too much.
The Final Verdict
If you're not scared of the length, do it. I loved it once I got back into it and read the whole second half in the span of 2 days.
Teehee, see what I did there? I quoted the book. I have a lot of thoughts and opinions on this one so strap in everyone. This one is going to be a doozy.
The Characters
Rachel: Girlie pop, holy shit I want to be you when I grow up. that's all I got. No other words. I can't form any more
Jake: Damn fucking golden retriever, with the nothing behind the eyes and everything. Little precious bug that knows nothing but give love. And it's too sweet for my sweet tooth somehow, holy shit.
Caleb: If the man got any grumpier, he'd mirror a villain in terms of personality and we all know how I feel about the villains. They're my favorite ones. I feel bad for it, but Caleb and Ilmari are making the book boyfriend list but not Jake. I just don't think I could take all of Jake all the time. I need the two antisocial ones so that my social battery wouldn't drain.
Ilmari:If I could kidnap a giant, this would bee the one. If y'all catch a man getting kidnapped on Christmas with his or Caleb's description, mind your own business. They're going to a loving home. I also just really want to know what this man reads.
Things I Loved
The smut to plot ratio was perfection. It was probably the reason for my first complaint in the next section, but still. I also just loved the dynamic in general and loved everything we were given about this crew. It was honestly so cozy and I adored it. If I could have read this in a few different books, I would have gotten through them a lot faster I think.
Also, THE HOCKEY ASPECT. This is only my second sport romance about my sport and boy, did Emily deliver. She fedme through these Stanley Cup Playoffs. Postseason is already fun, but this made it so much better because Emily truly knew what she was doing talking about hockey.
Things I Didn't Love
Okay, I have two bones to pick with Emily over this one and that's it. Number one, why the fuck was it so long. 750 pages for a sport romance??? GIRLLLL. That's a hefty boi. Like, I probably could have gotten through it in normal time if it was a normal sized book, but fuck man. I struggled for a minute there.
Bone number two: in the prequel novella, Rachel is mentioned multiple times to be plus size or at least curvy, but not once in this book were we led to believe this. My very first highlight and note were literally talking about how she put on a youth size crop top or made a youth size a shirt a crop top. Y'ALL. That would not be happening for someone who is plus size or curvy. That shit would be riding up wayyyy too much.
The Final Verdict
If you're not scared of the length, do it. I loved it once I got back into it and read the whole second half in the span of 2 days.