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erinmd156's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Alcohol
Minor: Fatphobia and Kidnapping
jacy_ayers's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
tumblingthroughbooks's review
4.0
Did I read this behemoth of a book (649 pages) in 24 hours? Yes I did.
The dynamic and the pining from both Liam and Gracie are EVERYTHING. They have known each other for a very long time and have had feelings for each other for that long. They both kept them hidden from each other.
The spice between these two is scalding. They both are very vocal and Liam catches on to giving praise very quick. I had to take some time to cool off after some of their scenes. The French *swoon*. I'm a sucker for foreign language pet names.
There's a major family dynamic in this book. There's a new found family, a billet family, and a formerly absent father that's now on the scene. There are a lot of characters, I got a little confused in the beginning honestly. I just took a screen shot of the character list to keep up with everyone.
The beginning of the book is a little dark (which I'm good with), but it plays a major part in the story. As always check your warnings.
Also, I need to find out what the NDA is about with Raimond and Lewis!
Yes, I bought this 100 pages in and I will be continuing the series. That ending was rude, by rude I mean I want more...urgently.
The dynamic and the pining from both Liam and Gracie are EVERYTHING. They have known each other for a very long time and have had feelings for each other for that long. They both kept them hidden from each other.
The spice between these two is scalding. They both are very vocal and Liam catches on to giving praise very quick. I had to take some time to cool off after some of their scenes. The French *swoon*. I'm a sucker for foreign language pet names.
There's a major family dynamic in this book. There's a new found family, a billet family, and a formerly absent father that's now on the scene. There are a lot of characters, I got a little confused in the beginning honestly. I just took a screen shot of the character list to keep up with everyone.
The beginning of the book is a little dark (which I'm good with), but it plays a major part in the story. As always check your warnings.
Also, I need to find out what the NDA is about with Raimond and Lewis!
Yes, I bought this 100 pages in and I will be continuing the series. That ending was rude, by rude I mean I want more...urgently.
natasha2027's review
A bit all over the place and could connect with the characters.
ailishni's review
1.0
Rating: ⭐
Over 600 pages for a contemporary hockey romance and we didn't even get an epilogue!
This was a weak plot with weak characters. There was a ton of potential for Akeroyd to write a satisfying hockey romance.. I wanted to love this, but it simply was not good; it wasn't even passable.
The book was filled to the brim with blog posts, news reports, voicemails and text messages. These were completely unnecessary and disrupted the flow of the story so much that I ended up skipping them completely.
The story is based on two people who grew up together from the time they were teens; yet the reader gets no insight into their past. Now, the romance between these two is based on their past and the feelings they never acted on, so how do we as the reader connect to that?
We can only gleam information from bits and pieces the reader is told by the MCs in the present. If the author had included some chapters from the past, I think it would have helped me understand Liam, Gracie and the Bukowski family a lot more. I felt like I was in the dark when trying to understand the family dynamics and Liam's relationship to Gracie back in the day from the lack of information.
Liam made no sense to me. His lack of awareness around how his adopted family treated the girl he claimed to care for was astonishing. When he does eventually see how people in the family treat her, Liam doesn't do much...the guy has wanted Gracie since they were teens and instead of going after her when he had the chance, he went off and became a fuckboi instead. The guy pissed away a decade of doing nothing until he gets kidnapped and reevaluates life and decides that he wants Gracie and he'll start courting her.
It just rubbed me the wrong way. The writing was simply not convincing enough to persuade me into thinking Liam actually cared enough about Gracie beyond fucking her.
Kow, her brother, gets away with treating his sister like shit and nobody opens their mouth. Hanna, was a typical boy mom, whose only interest were both her blood related sons and her billeted sons. But when it came to her daughter? she simply had no fucks to give about her, except to criticise her at every turn.
The apologies toward the end from Hanna and the brothers were not what someone would consider an actual apology. These people tried to ruin Gracie and Liam's relationship. How were they not cut off for good? that would have been an empowering move on Gracie's part.
There really wasn't much engagement in terms of hockey games, hockey terminology, team dynamics, the families or practices; it was overall, very surface level in terms of background and information on that front. You could have honestly inserted any other sport into this plot and it wouldn't have made much difference.
The whole "35" thing at the lake, which Gracie had no recollection of was underwhelming and her reaction to being told they had slept together was almost non existent.
Verdict: Any other hockey romance would be better than this. Akeroyd is a great story teller but her executions can be way off the mark and that was clearly evident in End Game. I wouldn't recommend this book to fans of the FPs world as I can't see Liam and Gracie being anything more than wallpaper in the next gen books.
Over 600 pages for a contemporary hockey romance and we didn't even get an epilogue!
This was a weak plot with weak characters. There was a ton of potential for Akeroyd to write a satisfying hockey romance.. I wanted to love this, but it simply was not good; it wasn't even passable.
The book was filled to the brim with blog posts, news reports, voicemails and text messages. These were completely unnecessary and disrupted the flow of the story so much that I ended up skipping them completely.
The story is based on two people who grew up together from the time they were teens; yet the reader gets no insight into their past. Now, the romance between these two is based on their past and the feelings they never acted on, so how do we as the reader connect to that?
We can only gleam information from bits and pieces the reader is told by the MCs in the present. If the author had included some chapters from the past, I think it would have helped me understand Liam, Gracie and the Bukowski family a lot more. I felt like I was in the dark when trying to understand the family dynamics and Liam's relationship to Gracie back in the day from the lack of information.
Liam made no sense to me. His lack of awareness around how his adopted family treated the girl he claimed to care for was astonishing. When he does eventually see how people in the family treat her, Liam doesn't do much...the guy has wanted Gracie since they were teens and instead of going after her when he had the chance, he went off and became a fuckboi instead. The guy pissed away a decade of doing nothing until he gets kidnapped and reevaluates life and decides that he wants Gracie and he'll start courting her.
It just rubbed me the wrong way. The writing was simply not convincing enough to persuade me into thinking Liam actually cared enough about Gracie beyond fucking her.
Kow, her brother, gets away with treating his sister like shit and nobody opens their mouth. Hanna, was a typical boy mom, whose only interest were both her blood related sons and her billeted sons. But when it came to her daughter? she simply had no fucks to give about her, except to criticise her at every turn.
The apologies toward the end from Hanna and the brothers were not what someone would consider an actual apology. These people tried to ruin Gracie and Liam's relationship. How were they not cut off for good? that would have been an empowering move on Gracie's part.
There really wasn't much engagement in terms of hockey games, hockey terminology, team dynamics, the families or practices; it was overall, very surface level in terms of background and information on that front. You could have honestly inserted any other sport into this plot and it wouldn't have made much difference.
The whole "35" thing at the lake, which Gracie had no recollection of was underwhelming and her reaction to being told they had slept together was almost non existent.
Verdict: Any other hockey romance would be better than this. Akeroyd is a great story teller but her executions can be way off the mark and that was clearly evident in End Game. I wouldn't recommend this book to fans of the FPs world as I can't see Liam and Gracie being anything more than wallpaper in the next gen books.
amberisalwaysreading86's review
5.0
Old mobsters, meddling mothers, and a load of Pierogi
In true Serena Akeroyd fashion, we’ve been treated to a good time with familiar faces from her trove of beloved previous characters.
This book was so much fun!
I absolutely loved the true mashup of family rivalries, traumatic obstacles being overcome, and a sports romance that was actually heavy on the sport.
Liam and Gracie are fantastic characters who complement each other well. She’s a true badass who offers no apologies for being her authentic self.
Liam is a surprisingly sweet and sensitive athlete, and his text-banter and dirty mouth only added to his appeal.
This book is a long one, but I was so enthralled with the characters, and the fast paced writing that reading didn’t feel like a challenge, in the least.
I can’t wait for Cole’s book!
In true Serena Akeroyd fashion, we’ve been treated to a good time with familiar faces from her trove of beloved previous characters.
This book was so much fun!
I absolutely loved the true mashup of family rivalries, traumatic obstacles being overcome, and a sports romance that was actually heavy on the sport.
Liam and Gracie are fantastic characters who complement each other well. She’s a true badass who offers no apologies for being her authentic self.
Liam is a surprisingly sweet and sensitive athlete, and his text-banter and dirty mouth only added to his appeal.
This book is a long one, but I was so enthralled with the characters, and the fast paced writing that reading didn’t feel like a challenge, in the least.
I can’t wait for Cole’s book!
amme_pyre's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
fnewill1983's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
melireads_'s review
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I liked this book! Romance, hockey, angst - perfect mix! I liked the writing, felt like the main character’s had some depth and character development. The plot kept me intrigued throughout.
I haven’t forgiven Gracie’s family for how they treated her though?! I feel like the mother only apologized because she missed Liam and her apology didn’t feel genuine at all… Not to mention Gracie’s brothers. I audibly gasped when I read what they said to her. Even writing this and thinking about it makes me angry lol, but I like when a book makes me feel things.