Review: Let me just start of by saying that this book is in no way a bad book, it just got off to a really really slow start. For me, it took about 200 pages to actually get interesting, which only left 150 of a really good story. If I could, I would give the last part of the book 5 stars, but since I am judging the book as a whole, I have to give it a 3. I really liked Cade and how sweet he was to Ava (after he was a jerk in high school) but their connection didn't actually come alive in the book until way later, when the story actually became good. I also like Ava and how she embraced her body and tried not to care what other people thought, but I didn't really care about her story like I cared about Poppy's in Bending the Rules, which is the second book in this series. I feel like Anderson's past books were full of so much more chemistry and had a much more interesting storyline than this new one. Playing Dirty just didn't have the same "I want to read more" feeling that Bending the Rules did. So if you have the patience to wait through an okay story until you can get to the good stuff, then try this book out. If you don't think that it's worth the wait and effort, then this book isn't really for you.
Not that real life is super relevant to escapist rocom books, but the theme of going out with/sleeping with/making someone fall for you on a bet thing, is a weird theme to me. Don't get me wrong, I've enjoyed books based on this (I liked One Night that Changes Everything, the Ex-Games had this too, I think). I am also painfully aware that it would be a mistake to put anything past teenage boys in the area of relationships. Still, the idea that a guy would do this, just to be cruel, cool or whatev, seems odd, and a weird basis for a story. Shana Norris's new book, the Boyfriend Thief, has an even weirder bet, "I bet you can't steal my boyfriend while I'm away for the summer." C'mon, I loved Troy High, but what girl would really put that out, and what girl would accept it? Anyway, thanks for the review Jess, honestly I might still try it, because as weird as it is, I admit to liking this theme. Go figure! Hey, now that you have a Nook, I can lend you books if you like. Think about it!
ReplyDeleteHuh, that does sound weird betting someone that they can't steal your boyfriend...but sometimes books like that don't turn out too bad! And it would be awesome if I could borrow nook books, but I've got a ton I have to read already. If I ever have time for some extra books, I'll keep that in mind though! Thanks so much for the offer! You can borrow from me too even though my library isn't all that big yet and I don't really know how to quite yet. But I'm sure I can figure it out! Just let me know!
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