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The Lone Stars #1
Perfect Summer
High school teacher Summer Ames is trapped in the nightmare morning from hell. Her alarm clock didn’t go off, she accidentally backed over the rosebush her grandfather gave her grandmother right before he accepted defeat against prostate cancer, she’s wearing clothes she picked up off the floor, and when she opens the door to her classroom, the lights from the TV cameras nearly blind her. She's won Teacher of the Year. But unlike the past winners, she doesn't get a new car or a Hawaiian vacation or even new school supplies, she wins an over privileged quarterback with a bright smile and questionable intentions.
Clint Grayson is an NFL quarterback in need of a reputation makeover. If he has any hope of landing a hundred million dollar endorsement deal, it will take some pretty impressive PR to clean up his bad boy image. In an attempt to polish his tarnished reputation, Clint agrees to be a high school class mentor.
When these two get together all hell breaks loose and they both learn that all is fair in love and football…and winning is just the beginning.
Clint Grayson is an NFL quarterback in need of a reputation makeover. If he has any hope of landing a hundred million dollar endorsement deal, it will take some pretty impressive PR to clean up his bad boy image. In an attempt to polish his tarnished reputation, Clint agrees to be a high school class mentor.
When these two get together all hell breaks loose and they both learn that all is fair in love and football…and winning is just the beginning.
285 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 10, 2013
343 people are currently reading
1035 people want to read
About the author
Katie Graykowski
33 books409 followersKatie Graykowski is an internationally bestselling author of 25 novels.
Her latest release, Texas Rose Happily Ever-After, the 5th book in the Texas Rose Ranch series. It's out 4/11/2023.
Katie's hard at work on the 5th book in her PTO Murder Club mystery. It's called Puzzled Pieces and is out 5/30/2023.
For news about Katie, please visit www.katiegraykowski.com.
Her latest release, Texas Rose Happily Ever-After, the 5th book in the Texas Rose Ranch series. It's out 4/11/2023.
Katie's hard at work on the 5th book in her PTO Murder Club mystery. It's called Puzzled Pieces and is out 5/30/2023.
For news about Katie, please visit www.katiegraykowski.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 188 reviews
March 20, 2014
This was one of the most annoying books I've ever (almost) read. Get ready for me to RAGE-review this because it made me furious. No clue where to even start so I'm just going to break it down:
Lilly:
Why in the world is the Lilly/Davis subplot included? I have zero interest in reading about someone's mom's love life. I feel like I was kind of tricked into this. I read the first couple of "Lilly chapters" and then decided I didn't care enough and completely skipped them. I know I am an asshole, but I am 26 and want to read books about young, attractive people. This book gave me no indication that it would include a subplot about a 50 year old bitch in lingerie and I refuse to be tricked into reading about one.
Clint:
At first, I really liked Clint. Clint was hot. I was imagining this:
(No clue who this person is, but I googled "hot nfl players" and agreed with the internet's assessment of this man's attractiveness.)
Thennnnnnnn Clint is described as tucking his OU tshirt into his jeans and he immediately became this:
(Peyton Manning. DO.NOT.WANT.)
Yuck. Now it's like I'm reading about someone's dad having dirty sex. No thank you. No longer hot.
Summer:
There is not a woman in this world who is actually attractive who is as insecure as Summer is. WHAT. THE. FRACK? She whines and whines and whines about how ugly and fat she is and over and over and over again Clint tells her how beautiful she is and how hot everyone else thinks she is.
Sample conversation:
Summer: Ohh my gawd, Clint. I'm soooo ugly. I look soooo fat.
Clint: Summer, you're so hot. I love your boobs. That guy is eye screwing you and that guy is eye screwing you and that guy is too!
I got so sick of Clint telling her that other men are eye screwing her that I wanted to jump into the book and do this:
She is so unsure that she's attractive that I'M SURE that Summer must actually be a dog and Clint is trolling her. No woman who is supposedly that hot has ZERO idea that she's attractive. Any woman who is even remotely NOT HIDEOUS is shown SOME attention at some point in her life. This book is written as if no one has ever paid Summer a compliment. In fact, it's as if every man she has ever encountered has insulted her appearance. Because that's really the only way I can think of that a woman would be so obnoxiously self-deprecating. Good Lord, at first it was sad and cute, but then it became more and more infuriating. Slowly, I began to hate Summer.
To be honest, I haven't actually finished the book at this point and am hoping that something awful happens to her. Because all of her whining and self-pity and insecurity is no longer worthy of my sympathy. I AM NOW FURIOUS AND FULL OF HATE AND RAGE.
Oh my Morgan Freeman. I CANNOT TAKE ONE MORE SINGLE SECOND OF THIS. Is there a contest for most annoying literary character? Can I nominate Summer Ames? Can the prize be that every book with her written in it is burned in a giant bonfire on live TV?
DNF. DNF. DNF. DNF. DNF. DNF. DNF. DNF. DNF. DNF.
UGHHHHH. I hate myself. I finished it. It didn't get better. Kill me.
Lilly:
Why in the world is the Lilly/Davis subplot included? I have zero interest in reading about someone's mom's love life. I feel like I was kind of tricked into this. I read the first couple of "Lilly chapters" and then decided I didn't care enough and completely skipped them. I know I am an asshole, but I am 26 and want to read books about young, attractive people. This book gave me no indication that it would include a subplot about a 50 year old bitch in lingerie and I refuse to be tricked into reading about one.
Clint:
At first, I really liked Clint. Clint was hot. I was imagining this:
(No clue who this person is, but I googled "hot nfl players" and agreed with the internet's assessment of this man's attractiveness.)
Thennnnnnnn Clint is described as tucking his OU tshirt into his jeans and he immediately became this:
(Peyton Manning. DO.NOT.WANT.)
Yuck. Now it's like I'm reading about someone's dad having dirty sex. No thank you. No longer hot.
Summer:
There is not a woman in this world who is actually attractive who is as insecure as Summer is. WHAT. THE. FRACK? She whines and whines and whines about how ugly and fat she is and over and over and over again Clint tells her how beautiful she is and how hot everyone else thinks she is.
Sample conversation:
Summer: Ohh my gawd, Clint. I'm soooo ugly. I look soooo fat.
Clint: Summer, you're so hot. I love your boobs. That guy is eye screwing you and that guy is eye screwing you and that guy is too!
I got so sick of Clint telling her that other men are eye screwing her that I wanted to jump into the book and do this:
She is so unsure that she's attractive that I'M SURE that Summer must actually be a dog and Clint is trolling her. No woman who is supposedly that hot has ZERO idea that she's attractive. Any woman who is even remotely NOT HIDEOUS is shown SOME attention at some point in her life. This book is written as if no one has ever paid Summer a compliment. In fact, it's as if every man she has ever encountered has insulted her appearance. Because that's really the only way I can think of that a woman would be so obnoxiously self-deprecating. Good Lord, at first it was sad and cute, but then it became more and more infuriating. Slowly, I began to hate Summer.
To be honest, I haven't actually finished the book at this point and am hoping that something awful happens to her. Because all of her whining and self-pity and insecurity is no longer worthy of my sympathy. I AM NOW FURIOUS AND FULL OF HATE AND RAGE.
Oh my Morgan Freeman. I CANNOT TAKE ONE MORE SINGLE SECOND OF THIS. Is there a contest for most annoying literary character? Can I nominate Summer Ames? Can the prize be that every book with her written in it is burned in a giant bonfire on live TV?
DNF. DNF. DNF. DNF. DNF. DNF. DNF. DNF. DNF. DNF.
UGHHHHH. I hate myself. I finished it. It didn't get better. Kill me.
December 31, 2013
Chick-lit. Pure and simple. Fun and froth. Yes, it lacked some decent conflict but when a girl needs chick-lit, this fills the spot.
August 11, 2016
1,5 Stars
While it started quite ok- If you would have asked me around halfway I probably would have given this 2-3Stars. It was very predictable but kinda entertaining. Clint was hot. Summer, kinda witty though her insecurities a bit - well over the top.
But as the story went on, Summer started grating on my nerves more and more.
Every single character was so cliche,that I just was annoyed that I actually read it. But to top that, Summer's insecurities are simply unbelievable and her whining was beyond annoying!
Even Clint's hotness couldn't safe this one, well not only that, his hotness kinda faded as the book went on.
The subplot- was totally uninteresting and unnecessary- the whole thing just added more annoyance that interest.
And the gay neighbors... though fun they were.. well as I said before cliche.
Last chapter was so beyond anything, I wanted to throw my kindle on the wall! I mean it was soooo over the top, but also soooo annoying. All the last minute drama all the whining all the .. just everything! BLEH!!!
Why on earth did I just spend my precious reading time on this?!
So basically this is the love child of Jerry Maguire, dangerous minds, Bridget Jones and some other ridiculous sports hottie falling for the girl next door movie... so total chickflick/chicklit territory. Oh and yes, I am aware that this is a foursome, a meange a quatre (as it was called in Perfect Summer) but this much drama could not have been conceived through normal love making! Really, trust me. It would be completely impossible. IF you do however like this kind of a thing, it has some witty moments and the writing style wasn't bad- so you probably will enjoy Perfect Summer. I on the other hand...
Let's just put it out there: I don't watch chickflicks- cause well, they not my thing- and I will in future steer clear off the chicklits as well.
While it started quite ok- If you would have asked me around halfway I probably would have given this 2-3Stars. It was very predictable but kinda entertaining. Clint was hot. Summer, kinda witty though her insecurities a bit - well over the top.
But as the story went on, Summer started grating on my nerves more and more.
Every single character was so cliche,that I just was annoyed that I actually read it. But to top that, Summer's insecurities are simply unbelievable and her whining was beyond annoying!
Even Clint's hotness couldn't safe this one, well not only that, his hotness kinda faded as the book went on.
The subplot- was totally uninteresting and unnecessary- the whole thing just added more annoyance that interest.
And the gay neighbors... though fun they were.. well as I said before cliche.
Last chapter was so beyond anything, I wanted to throw my kindle on the wall! I mean it was soooo over the top, but also soooo annoying. All the last minute drama all the whining all the .. just everything! BLEH!!!
Why on earth did I just spend my precious reading time on this?!
So basically this is the love child of Jerry Maguire, dangerous minds, Bridget Jones and some other ridiculous sports hottie falling for the girl next door movie... so total chickflick/chicklit territory. Oh and yes, I am aware that this is a foursome, a meange a quatre (as it was called in Perfect Summer) but this much drama could not have been conceived through normal love making! Really, trust me. It would be completely impossible. IF you do however like this kind of a thing, it has some witty moments and the writing style wasn't bad- so you probably will enjoy Perfect Summer. I on the other hand...
Let's just put it out there: I don't watch chickflicks- cause well, they not my thing- and I will in future steer clear off the chicklits as well.
October 6, 2014
I am going to start this review by clarifying a point in the book blurb. The hero did not beat his ex-girlfriend. Yes he is at the school to clean up his image, but he is not a batterer. This is a key thing that should have been noted in the blurb. I almost did not read it because of the way it made him seem like a domestic abuser.
I love the book!! Summer is hysterical, I was laughing out loud all the time. You would not believe all the great lines I bookmarked!! She is spunky and self deprecating in all the best ways. The banter between her and Clint is awesome!! It was a delight watching them fall in love.
There is a bonus romance her too, I love that this author gives twofers!! The supporting romance has just as much growth and depth as the main romance. I loved seeing everything come together and relationships healed.
This is a mixed narrative, which means we get several POV throughout the read. Mostly it is Summer and Clint, but we get Lily and Davis as well. This helps give insight into the intricate dynamics at play. You were also able to see both sides of the relationship with mother and daughter. You might want to hate Lily at first, but it is difficult when you get to know her.
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Pam Dougherty, who is delightful. Her Southern accent is spot on and a soothing melody throughout the read. I enjoyed the tone and texture of her voices, both male and female. She has a great pace in the read and delivers plenty of energy. She is definitely going on my list of narrators to watch for!! She was perfectly suited to this book and its sweet and sassy comedy.
While I was loving this book for the most part, I wasn't keen on how much Summer put herself down. She was mostly not caring about her wight, until it came to this guy. But that is the plight of curvy girls in comtempo romances.
Disclosure - I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts, opinions and ratings are my own.
I love the book!! Summer is hysterical, I was laughing out loud all the time. You would not believe all the great lines I bookmarked!! She is spunky and self deprecating in all the best ways. The banter between her and Clint is awesome!! It was a delight watching them fall in love.
There is a bonus romance her too, I love that this author gives twofers!! The supporting romance has just as much growth and depth as the main romance. I loved seeing everything come together and relationships healed.
This is a mixed narrative, which means we get several POV throughout the read. Mostly it is Summer and Clint, but we get Lily and Davis as well. This helps give insight into the intricate dynamics at play. You were also able to see both sides of the relationship with mother and daughter. You might want to hate Lily at first, but it is difficult when you get to know her.
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Pam Dougherty, who is delightful. Her Southern accent is spot on and a soothing melody throughout the read. I enjoyed the tone and texture of her voices, both male and female. She has a great pace in the read and delivers plenty of energy. She is definitely going on my list of narrators to watch for!! She was perfectly suited to this book and its sweet and sassy comedy.
While I was loving this book for the most part, I wasn't keen on how much Summer put herself down. She was mostly not caring about her wight, until it came to this guy. But that is the plight of curvy girls in comtempo romances.
Disclosure - I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts, opinions and ratings are my own.
December 21, 2015
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I like this book. It had been
on my kindle for a while and I kept overlooking it.
This was such a fun, sweet, well written story. I loved all the characters,
and the situations that they found themselves in. If I had a problem with
this book it would be that Summer had such horribly low self-esteem.
I got tired of reading about it. I get why she felt so down on herself, but
it was too much.
Clint was just delicious. He was sweet, shy, understanding and just so lovable. He
was the perfect hero for Summer.
This was the first book I have read by this author, but it will not be my last!!
on my kindle for a while and I kept overlooking it.
This was such a fun, sweet, well written story. I loved all the characters,
and the situations that they found themselves in. If I had a problem with
this book it would be that Summer had such horribly low self-esteem.
I got tired of reading about it. I get why she felt so down on herself, but
it was too much.
Clint was just delicious. He was sweet, shy, understanding and just so lovable. He
was the perfect hero for Summer.
This was the first book I have read by this author, but it will not be my last!!
December 20, 2013
Perfect Summer by Katie Graykowski was an adorable story about a woman with self-image issues and a man trying to clean up his self-image being thrown together all because of a Teacher of the Year Award.
Summer, the female protagonist, was quite endearing. I loved how she cared for her students and how she outwardly showed the utmost confidence, pretending that she didn’t care what people thought about her. Sure it sucked that she always thought people could careless about her or that they laughed at her appearance, but deep down she really didn’t care all that much, thinking things would blow over and all be forgotten anyways. What annoyed me about her was the way she thought Clint, the male protagonist, saw her. She was constantly doubting him and second guessing his intentions. Seriously, give the guy a break!
Clint was really a sweet guy. He’s this big shot NFL quarterback and may seem arrogant and self-centered at first, but really he’s just insecure. He has a phobia that he has to deal with every day that stems from constantly trying to live up to his father’s image and expectations. Can’t blame him for hiding behind his arrogant facade in order to hide his insecurities. Plus part of all this mayhem is so he could get an endorsement, become secure financially for the rest of his life, and leave the spotlight. A bit selfish, yes. Self centered and arrogant, not really.
The biggest issue I had with this story was the unexpected side story featuring Lily, Summer’s mother. Yes, I know they have a horrible relationship. Sure, it sets up for their interaction at the end. However, I still don’t like her. I could careless about her. I really didn’t need all those chapters about what was happening in her life. It didn’t help me like her anymore than I did at the end.
Overall, I’d give Perfect Summer by Katie Graykowski 4 stars. It was cute and fun. I loved Clint and Summer even though Summer annoyed me at times, especially at towards the end. Also I may have enjoyed it more if I didn’t have to endure Lily’s story that much. Some of the things she thought or said still felt off for me and kind of contradicted what she was supposedly striving for. Regardless, I’d definitely check out Katie Graykowski’s other titles, hopefully finding more fun, quick reads like Perfect Summer.
Summer, the female protagonist, was quite endearing. I loved how she cared for her students and how she outwardly showed the utmost confidence, pretending that she didn’t care what people thought about her. Sure it sucked that she always thought people could careless about her or that they laughed at her appearance, but deep down she really didn’t care all that much, thinking things would blow over and all be forgotten anyways. What annoyed me about her was the way she thought Clint, the male protagonist, saw her. She was constantly doubting him and second guessing his intentions. Seriously, give the guy a break!
Clint was really a sweet guy. He’s this big shot NFL quarterback and may seem arrogant and self-centered at first, but really he’s just insecure. He has a phobia that he has to deal with every day that stems from constantly trying to live up to his father’s image and expectations. Can’t blame him for hiding behind his arrogant facade in order to hide his insecurities. Plus part of all this mayhem is so he could get an endorsement, become secure financially for the rest of his life, and leave the spotlight. A bit selfish, yes. Self centered and arrogant, not really.
The biggest issue I had with this story was the unexpected side story featuring Lily, Summer’s mother. Yes, I know they have a horrible relationship. Sure, it sets up for their interaction at the end. However, I still don’t like her. I could careless about her. I really didn’t need all those chapters about what was happening in her life. It didn’t help me like her anymore than I did at the end.
Overall, I’d give Perfect Summer by Katie Graykowski 4 stars. It was cute and fun. I loved Clint and Summer even though Summer annoyed me at times, especially at towards the end. Also I may have enjoyed it more if I didn’t have to endure Lily’s story that much. Some of the things she thought or said still felt off for me and kind of contradicted what she was supposedly striving for. Regardless, I’d definitely check out Katie Graykowski’s other titles, hopefully finding more fun, quick reads like Perfect Summer.
July 11, 2015
Wish I could give it ten stars. Predictable yes - hilarious, fun, fast and sexy. This book made me laugh and want more.
April 2, 2019
I have been so blessed 2 find such great amazing authors, Katie is one. Have you check out the Texas Rose Ranch Series, must read or listen, which ever you do prefer ... OH MY GOODNESS!! such a great series. I have loved each and every book from that series. must reads for sure. Love them so so much. book covers too. any who ... i found this free ... i think it was from her newsletter ... "Rest In Pieces" and "Perfect Summer" ... how to do i pick a fave??! They are so fun. I love mysteries ...they are my go too for sure. Give me some humor too ... I am just a pig in dirt for sure. LOL!! I look forward to more from each series ... this one has 3 (Murder Club Series) and 6 (Lone Stars series) in the other ... and I think they are on KU as well. so cool!! happy reading. ENJOY!! ( ;
April 13, 2016
Two stories for the price of one, although this is mainly about Summer and Clint. Summer's a teacher; Clint's a football QB who needs an image makeover and Summer's classroom full of at risk teens is the place to do it. Soon a reluctant friendship turns into something more; but both have parental issues; both had emotionally abusive parents.
Speaking of which, Lilly, Summer's mother, is introduced to us through Summer's memories but then we meet her has a 48 yr old woman who is in a relationship with a younger man and is possibly in love with him... if she can just get past herself, and her hoity toity society rules.
The characters here are developed; even the supporting characters (neighbors, friends, kids, other family members) are developed enough to make it interesting. There are plenty of sexy times; plenty of funny moments. There are HEAs all over the place here. And we'll meet Clint and Summer again in book 2.
Speaking of which, Lilly, Summer's mother, is introduced to us through Summer's memories but then we meet her has a 48 yr old woman who is in a relationship with a younger man and is possibly in love with him... if she can just get past herself, and her hoity toity society rules.
The characters here are developed; even the supporting characters (neighbors, friends, kids, other family members) are developed enough to make it interesting. There are plenty of sexy times; plenty of funny moments. There are HEAs all over the place here. And we'll meet Clint and Summer again in book 2.
August 4, 2016
I really enjoyed this book. Summer's belief that she was fat and unloveable was sad, but while it strained credulity a bit (why is there such a massive disconnect between characters about whether she's curvy, fat, or obese?), I found her to be sympathetic and was invested in things working out for her and Clint. I liked that Davis and Lilly's stories were included here as well. It's good that this particular evil Texan mother repented, although there were things that went unexplained that I would have liked to see resolved (like, why is Lilly holding out on giving Summer her money?). I enjoyed this book enough to pick up Place Your Betts by the same author immediately after finishing this novel.
January 29, 2014
A must read!!!!!!!!! Absolute perfection
I'm not sure where to even begin. This book was so incredible. It has all the elements that makeup a masterpiece. A strong heroine, a kind hearted hero, a fun plot had me laughing one minute and in tears the next. I can not recommend this book enough!!! The best book Ive read in awhile!! You will not be sorry you purchased this. I rarely ever read a book more than once, but this one, I am almost certain I will read again. It was just a beautiful story with such strong character development. Such a pleasant surprise! I will be checking out more of Ms. Graykowski's work!
I'm not sure where to even begin. This book was so incredible. It has all the elements that makeup a masterpiece. A strong heroine, a kind hearted hero, a fun plot had me laughing one minute and in tears the next. I can not recommend this book enough!!! The best book Ive read in awhile!! You will not be sorry you purchased this. I rarely ever read a book more than once, but this one, I am almost certain I will read again. It was just a beautiful story with such strong character development. Such a pleasant surprise! I will be checking out more of Ms. Graykowski's work!
June 17, 2014
Had read "Getting Lucky" by Katie and fell in love with her writing. I finished reading Perfect Summer with a smile. Summer is the perfect heroine in this story, she is not model thin but she is amazing woman and teacher that you fall in love with. She doesn't have a very high opinion of herself but she gives all of herself to her students. Clint Grayson the NFL Quarterback is the perfect male lead. He isn't the perfect guy but he is perfect for Summer. Romantic, sweet and sexy read I will keep reading anything by Katie Graykowski.
December 26, 2013
I loved this book! It was a story I could relate to, real people that had real problems! It had me laughing, and crying and falling in love with Clint and Summer! It is one of those books where at the end you would like to keep reading and following the story, but at the same time I know how the story ends, happy ever after:0)
January 6, 2014
I really liked this story. It's an easy, light-hearted romance with two flawed people who each think the other is perfect. There was a lot of humor, as well as romance, and the characters and plot were believable but fantastic. It's a feel-good read from the first page and exactly what I needed after a busy Holiday season.
July 19, 2014
Recommendation: For fans of the Susan Elizabeth Phillips at her best. That should be enough.
We have humor, no drama, and two pairs: Summer and her football player Clint (to crunch ♥) and her mother and a handsome vet.
I read today enabled laptop and should work, but I could not get away.
PS. Remember Michelle Pfeiffer in Dangerous Minds? This is our Summer. The kids are great.
We have humor, no drama, and two pairs: Summer and her football player Clint (to crunch ♥) and her mother and a handsome vet.
I read today enabled laptop and should work, but I could not get away.
PS. Remember Michelle Pfeiffer in Dangerous Minds? This is our Summer. The kids are great.
August 6, 2016
I picked this up as a freebie and LOVED it!!! Maybe it's because I'm imperfect and related to Summer but mostly because all characters in this book were endearing and damaged. It shows that not everyone is perfect but there is always someone that finds you perfect for them.
December 31, 2013
This is the first book I have read by this author and I really really enjoyed it. I liked that it had two different romances going on at the same time as well. The humor was also very enjoyable. very good light romance book that was a great read!
January 3, 2014
It was so funny amd cute, summer was very easy to mingle since she is like any normal girl not the plastic ones, clint was such a sweetie love him and wao with lilly she was unexpectedly inexpected XD
it was a super good read, it made my day to read it, it was super cool
it was a super good read, it made my day to read it, it was super cool
January 2, 2014
First book of the new year. I just wanted something fun to read and I got it. Just coming off of a steady run of difficult reads for book club (Eslanda, The widow Cliquot and Satanic verses) to mention a few this book was easy, fast and fun. A real treat.
December 26, 2013
Enjoyed reading. Liked characters and development of story. Starting the next book by author :)
December 28, 2013
Super cute!! I smiled, laughed & swooned!! Both characters were funny and I enjoyed their banter! And CLint was sexy, a lil alpha and a lil insecure...they were both good for each other!
January 5, 2014
Loved this book. Not only cute but it has relatable characters and a wonderful story line.
March 16, 2014
I thought this was a witty, fun read. I love the main character, she is very witty and I felt an emotional pull with her. Could have used some polishing, but overall a good read.
March 23, 2014
Sweet little story......
November 10, 2013
I loved some parts of this book and hated other parts. It had a lot of potential.
December 30, 2013
Super cute read!!
September 11, 2016
To cut to the chase, I unabashedly adored this book. Bottom line: well written, well edited, actually funny without potty humor. Yes, there is "language" used. If you don't like four-letter words beginning in "f," them move along. But I will say it is not used merely to display "I am cool and I say the eff word repeatedly and with great relish." It fits the story and flows, not a jarring, oh, look, I am tough because I can say that word. And the sex, well, it is hot and fun and I actually read those scenes instead of skipping to the end of the chapter. Yep, the sex scenes, sometimes how they do confuse me. I get caught up in trying to picture if something can physically be done by a human with bones and it just takes away from the experience. This time, I was afraid I would actually miss something so I read every word. And I am glad I did.
The rest of this review, well, it is just some gushing I had to get off my chest.
I will often give myself a challenge, pick a freebie/cheapie that has been on your electronic device forever, start it, realize it is dreck, and then dump it, and go on with your life. Sounds silly, but sometimes I feel the need to accomplish something and this is the easiest thing to do to check something off my list.
Well, this time it bit me in my ever-expanding butt. Started it, and then nothing else got accomplished on my list until it was done, done, done.
Why did I think I wouldn't like it? Well, I had no memory of downloading it so that means it was free or pretty darn close. The cover has "award winning" or something like that on it. This can mean
anything from winning the Booker Prize to winning the Writer with Most Heart at a local writing co-op. Since Ms. Graykowski only has two books on Amazon, my assumption was more toward the Heart and less
towards the Booker. And then there were the shoes. The beautiful red stilettos on the cover. Admittedly shallow, I equal this type of shoe to someone I can't relate to. And then the football. The happiest day of the year passed just a while back, you know, that day where they have the Super Bowl to celebrate the last dang day of that exercise in violence, football. Did I really want to read about it. Well, if you are a sports romance fan, don't look to this book for that fix. It is merely a tool, well used, for the story. It is off season, there are no heated rivalries for the starting QB role in the fall.
I digress. Perfect Summer is about a no-nonsense teacher who has had a lot of pain in her life, emotional pain, taunting, feelings of inadequacy, tests that she failed to gain love and acceptance. And that was
just from her mother. Because of her size, her weight, her appearance, Summer Ames (and yeah, the name is evocative of a Beach Blanket Bingo movie) had come to the conclusion that was reinforced all
of her life that she was too fat, too ugly to get a man and keep him. These experiences are shared in heartbreaking yet humorous ways throughout the book. The good news for readers who hate, hate, hate the
"she is an ugly duckling, but look, we take off her glasses, shake her hair and, BAM, we have ourselves a sex godess," let me assure you that doesn't happen here.
What we have is a woman who views herself as overweight, has unruly hair, and a lifetime of being shown she is not quite good enough. And also what we have is a man who loves her mouth.
Yep. A mouth-loving hero. Enter Clinton Grayson. Now, Mr. Grayson is gorgeous, intelligent, athletic, and oh, yeah, since he is a quarterback, I need to say gorgeous again. A middle linebacker, a safety, yeah,
they aren't required by the rules to be gorgeous. But those dang quarterbacks must be fine of face or what is the point, ya know what I mean?
Mr. Grayson, though, has a bit of an image problem. He has allowed a misunderstanding to be perpetuated about an ex-girlfriend. In order to get that retirement golden ticket, a media position, QB Grayson must
do some damage control. His PR agent, Aunt Bunny, comes up with something that puts our boy Clint in Ms. Ames' classroom as a mentor for at-risk kids.
Let the shenanigans begin.
Suffice it to say hilarity ensues. And I mean hilarity. But there are also some very touching moments, moments that made me think. It is obivous and stated from the beginning of the book that each of our
protags have a burden to bear, and that burden was placed on them squarely by their parental units. Summer's itty bitty mom made Summer feel ugly and huge and made Summer feel as if she had to pass tests
to get that maternal love all girls desperately want but be dismissive of. Flip the story to our male protag, and his paternal parental unit made sure he knew that he would never quite match up. How they deal with these issues is very similar and sometimes painful to see play out. But they are dealt with positively and oh, so humorously.
Anyway, there is not an ugly duckling transformation via weight loss and glasses removal, which was a great relief to me. Guess what, Summer is not as ugly as she thinks she is, surprise! Who saw that coming.
But Clint does make a strategic "let me treat this wonderful woman to a makeover" blunder, but it is handled well and realistically. She doesn't transform into a size 2 with a good haircut and a two-week regime of intense exercise.
You can see the arc of their relationship, you can see it build. You know what he finds attractive, sexy even, in a woman who doesn't see it in herself. It isn't a sudden realization he has two-thirds of the way
through the book. It is something he sees and appreciates from day one. You see the depths of their character emerge in a believable way (all right, a bit of willing suspension of disbelief is required here and
there, but it is so well written and so fun, it seems right).
One of the astounding things about this book was how many relationships are shown and how well they are portrayed. Clint's dad is dead. Clint's mom is barely mentioned. No idea if she is still walking this
mortal plane. Summer's dad died when she was very young so no allusions as to their relationship. But Summer's mom is front and center. You might want to hate her, and you probably do intermittently
throughout the book. But her own issues are highlighted and dealt with. Unbeknownst to Summer, there is a man in her mom's life, too. And oh, my goodness, her humor is as wonderful as her daughter's. As their love stories progress in an almost parallel way, you are shown that these two women could become very, very close if only certain barriers were torn down. And most surprisingly, the evil mom has a fabulous relationship with her smart-mouth maid. Okay, a bit of a stock-character vibe shines through, but still well done and very funny.
Summer, of course, has some wacky neighbors who happen to be gay, again a stock character/couple you often see done poorly, too over the top for words. Not so in this case. Look, they have a killer cat that will act on command. What's not to love. Being a teacher to at-risk kids, again, there was the ubiquitous at-risk kid we all fell in love with. But a light touch, with love, was given to these characters. A bit of sequel bait was smelled with the late intro of a couple of Clint's teammates, but I am amenable to that so it didn't bother me.
Early on there is a scene where Summer and Clint cook together. Over the phone. Trust me. It works. It made me want to lick my Kindle. So fresh, innovative, and just yummy. It was a representation of just how these two people interacted, how they drew on each other, helped each other. Again, I want a spoonful of that.
There is no big MIS in this book. There are a number of misunderstandings, but hey, guess what, they talked them out and they dealt with them. Go figure.
I am not a fan of my Kindle Fire as far as ease of use. When I read a book, I read for me. I don't write notes because it is a PITA and the Kindle Fire just makes it even harder (yes, I am old). But I wrote
note after note. I highlighted passage after passage. Too many of them to choose from, to involved in the weavings of the story to just pull and quote. I often use the highlighting while reading because that is simple enough, but I generally use it just to show yet another editing error or misspelled word. I highlighted twice in this book to point out a typo.
There were two things that kind of disturbed me about the book, but I honestly think there was nothing nefarious about them. Background, I am a huge Jennifer Crusie fan. I am a bigger fan of Bet Me. I have it
on Audible and I literally will fall asleep listening to it at night. I will listen to parts of it through the day if I want background noise. I all but have it memorized. Bet Me has a large-ish female protag and a too-dang-beautiful-to-be-mortal male protag. The female protag in Bet Me has an itty bitty mom, too. That kind of made me go, uh-oh. Then there was a line or two that seemed to be to be straight out of Bet Me. One was "You dress like you hate your body." Now, this line or something very similar to it was a pivotal point in the Bet Me story line. The other line is Summer saying "As my mother says, the world isn't kind to fat people." Again, a very similar line was used in Bet Me. I will admit this made me a little uncomfortable. But my unease was for naught. These are common themes, common messages in a book with a "fat" girl. Nothing else in the book in any way gave a hint of overborrowing of words.
Bottom line part two. I loved it. I wanted to take it out for a walk. I wanted to buy it a chocolate cookie. I wanted to hang out with it by the pool. I just wanted it to be my new BFF.
The rest of this review, well, it is just some gushing I had to get off my chest.
I will often give myself a challenge, pick a freebie/cheapie that has been on your electronic device forever, start it, realize it is dreck, and then dump it, and go on with your life. Sounds silly, but sometimes I feel the need to accomplish something and this is the easiest thing to do to check something off my list.
Well, this time it bit me in my ever-expanding butt. Started it, and then nothing else got accomplished on my list until it was done, done, done.
Why did I think I wouldn't like it? Well, I had no memory of downloading it so that means it was free or pretty darn close. The cover has "award winning" or something like that on it. This can mean
anything from winning the Booker Prize to winning the Writer with Most Heart at a local writing co-op. Since Ms. Graykowski only has two books on Amazon, my assumption was more toward the Heart and less
towards the Booker. And then there were the shoes. The beautiful red stilettos on the cover. Admittedly shallow, I equal this type of shoe to someone I can't relate to. And then the football. The happiest day of the year passed just a while back, you know, that day where they have the Super Bowl to celebrate the last dang day of that exercise in violence, football. Did I really want to read about it. Well, if you are a sports romance fan, don't look to this book for that fix. It is merely a tool, well used, for the story. It is off season, there are no heated rivalries for the starting QB role in the fall.
I digress. Perfect Summer is about a no-nonsense teacher who has had a lot of pain in her life, emotional pain, taunting, feelings of inadequacy, tests that she failed to gain love and acceptance. And that was
just from her mother. Because of her size, her weight, her appearance, Summer Ames (and yeah, the name is evocative of a Beach Blanket Bingo movie) had come to the conclusion that was reinforced all
of her life that she was too fat, too ugly to get a man and keep him. These experiences are shared in heartbreaking yet humorous ways throughout the book. The good news for readers who hate, hate, hate the
"she is an ugly duckling, but look, we take off her glasses, shake her hair and, BAM, we have ourselves a sex godess," let me assure you that doesn't happen here.
What we have is a woman who views herself as overweight, has unruly hair, and a lifetime of being shown she is not quite good enough. And also what we have is a man who loves her mouth.
Yep. A mouth-loving hero. Enter Clinton Grayson. Now, Mr. Grayson is gorgeous, intelligent, athletic, and oh, yeah, since he is a quarterback, I need to say gorgeous again. A middle linebacker, a safety, yeah,
they aren't required by the rules to be gorgeous. But those dang quarterbacks must be fine of face or what is the point, ya know what I mean?
Mr. Grayson, though, has a bit of an image problem. He has allowed a misunderstanding to be perpetuated about an ex-girlfriend. In order to get that retirement golden ticket, a media position, QB Grayson must
do some damage control. His PR agent, Aunt Bunny, comes up with something that puts our boy Clint in Ms. Ames' classroom as a mentor for at-risk kids.
Let the shenanigans begin.
Suffice it to say hilarity ensues. And I mean hilarity. But there are also some very touching moments, moments that made me think. It is obivous and stated from the beginning of the book that each of our
protags have a burden to bear, and that burden was placed on them squarely by their parental units. Summer's itty bitty mom made Summer feel ugly and huge and made Summer feel as if she had to pass tests
to get that maternal love all girls desperately want but be dismissive of. Flip the story to our male protag, and his paternal parental unit made sure he knew that he would never quite match up. How they deal with these issues is very similar and sometimes painful to see play out. But they are dealt with positively and oh, so humorously.
Anyway, there is not an ugly duckling transformation via weight loss and glasses removal, which was a great relief to me. Guess what, Summer is not as ugly as she thinks she is, surprise! Who saw that coming.
But Clint does make a strategic "let me treat this wonderful woman to a makeover" blunder, but it is handled well and realistically. She doesn't transform into a size 2 with a good haircut and a two-week regime of intense exercise.
You can see the arc of their relationship, you can see it build. You know what he finds attractive, sexy even, in a woman who doesn't see it in herself. It isn't a sudden realization he has two-thirds of the way
through the book. It is something he sees and appreciates from day one. You see the depths of their character emerge in a believable way (all right, a bit of willing suspension of disbelief is required here and
there, but it is so well written and so fun, it seems right).
One of the astounding things about this book was how many relationships are shown and how well they are portrayed. Clint's dad is dead. Clint's mom is barely mentioned. No idea if she is still walking this
mortal plane. Summer's dad died when she was very young so no allusions as to their relationship. But Summer's mom is front and center. You might want to hate her, and you probably do intermittently
throughout the book. But her own issues are highlighted and dealt with. Unbeknownst to Summer, there is a man in her mom's life, too. And oh, my goodness, her humor is as wonderful as her daughter's. As their love stories progress in an almost parallel way, you are shown that these two women could become very, very close if only certain barriers were torn down. And most surprisingly, the evil mom has a fabulous relationship with her smart-mouth maid. Okay, a bit of a stock-character vibe shines through, but still well done and very funny.
Summer, of course, has some wacky neighbors who happen to be gay, again a stock character/couple you often see done poorly, too over the top for words. Not so in this case. Look, they have a killer cat that will act on command. What's not to love. Being a teacher to at-risk kids, again, there was the ubiquitous at-risk kid we all fell in love with. But a light touch, with love, was given to these characters. A bit of sequel bait was smelled with the late intro of a couple of Clint's teammates, but I am amenable to that so it didn't bother me.
Early on there is a scene where Summer and Clint cook together. Over the phone. Trust me. It works. It made me want to lick my Kindle. So fresh, innovative, and just yummy. It was a representation of just how these two people interacted, how they drew on each other, helped each other. Again, I want a spoonful of that.
There is no big MIS in this book. There are a number of misunderstandings, but hey, guess what, they talked them out and they dealt with them. Go figure.
I am not a fan of my Kindle Fire as far as ease of use. When I read a book, I read for me. I don't write notes because it is a PITA and the Kindle Fire just makes it even harder (yes, I am old). But I wrote
note after note. I highlighted passage after passage. Too many of them to choose from, to involved in the weavings of the story to just pull and quote. I often use the highlighting while reading because that is simple enough, but I generally use it just to show yet another editing error or misspelled word. I highlighted twice in this book to point out a typo.
There were two things that kind of disturbed me about the book, but I honestly think there was nothing nefarious about them. Background, I am a huge Jennifer Crusie fan. I am a bigger fan of Bet Me. I have it
on Audible and I literally will fall asleep listening to it at night. I will listen to parts of it through the day if I want background noise. I all but have it memorized. Bet Me has a large-ish female protag and a too-dang-beautiful-to-be-mortal male protag. The female protag in Bet Me has an itty bitty mom, too. That kind of made me go, uh-oh. Then there was a line or two that seemed to be to be straight out of Bet Me. One was "You dress like you hate your body." Now, this line or something very similar to it was a pivotal point in the Bet Me story line. The other line is Summer saying "As my mother says, the world isn't kind to fat people." Again, a very similar line was used in Bet Me. I will admit this made me a little uncomfortable. But my unease was for naught. These are common themes, common messages in a book with a "fat" girl. Nothing else in the book in any way gave a hint of overborrowing of words.
Bottom line part two. I loved it. I wanted to take it out for a walk. I wanted to buy it a chocolate cookie. I wanted to hang out with it by the pool. I just wanted it to be my new BFF.
February 19, 2023
Please note, this review was previously published in 2015 under a profile used by multiple people. I am removing those reviews and republishing them on my new, personal profile.
Clint is a QB for the local NFL team, so you know he’s cocky, arrogant and has an ego the size of Texas. But when a man is surrounded by actresses, supermodels and the rich and famous, what do you expect? He’s also very charming and can lay it on thick until he gets what he wants. But there’s more to him than meets the eye, and he really grows up in this book after spending some time with Summer and her students. He sees how much he has and how little they have, the hardships they face every day, and how grateful they are over the littlest of things. By the end, he’s still cocky and charming, but he’s also very sweet and thoughtful and not afraid to stand up for Summer when she needs it.
Summer’s at-risk students are her entire life, doing anything she can to ensure they don’t go down the road full of gangs and drugs. She fights for them because she knows what it’s like to never have anyone in your corner. She’ll forever be the fat kid that people make fun of, that use her and then throw her away. She’s so used to it that it doesn’t bother her anymore…mostly. She’s a strong, independent and funny woman but she has major self-image issues caused mostly by her mother. Her bastard of an ex-fiance didn’t help matters either. But Clint comes in and slowly fixes the damage that others have caused.
PERFECT SUMMER is a lovely read if you’re after something light-hearted and fun. Summer and Clint are both very likeable and their relationship was cute and heartwarming. As an added bonus, there’s a second love story in this book for Summer’s mother, Lilly. There’s also some good humour laced throughout the book that had me literally chuckling out loud. Two words: El Diablo. He’s only in one scene, but it’s definitely a memorable one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 19, 2021
I did, for the most part, enjoy this book. I liked the characters Summer and Clint. I thought they were cute together and I liked how passionate they were about helping other people. I liked many of the side characters, specifically Chuck and Stan, and Mario. I found them to be delightfully informative on Summer's character development.
I did find the romance between Clint and Summer to be fun and a little silly, which always makes things better. I liked that Summer had doubts about herself, but fought through them, for the most part, though she did get a little whiny and repetitious when it came to her insecurities, but overall, it didn't detract enough from the chuckles or the tears.
The only thing stopping a higher rating for this book was the second plotline. Oh. My. Goodness. While I am all for a second chance romance or a romance between people over the age of 40, but for the love of baby goats, Summer's mother Lillian and her DVM Davis nearly overshadowed the main plot of the story. If they had been the comic relief, that would have been great, but no... just, no. Ms. Graykowski would leave you hanging at the end of a chapter with Summer and Clint and then the next two chapters would be about her mother and her mother's boyfriend. Just...no, why are you doing that? They weren't interesting. They were annoying as spit! I mean... yay, love for everyone! Hurray... sigh.
Anyway, it was - for the most part - a fun read. I would recommend it if you aren't looking for anything too heavy.
On to the next!
I did find the romance between Clint and Summer to be fun and a little silly, which always makes things better. I liked that Summer had doubts about herself, but fought through them, for the most part, though she did get a little whiny and repetitious when it came to her insecurities, but overall, it didn't detract enough from the chuckles or the tears.
The only thing stopping a higher rating for this book was the second plotline. Oh. My. Goodness. While I am all for a second chance romance or a romance between people over the age of 40, but for the love of baby goats, Summer's mother Lillian and her DVM Davis nearly overshadowed the main plot of the story. If they had been the comic relief, that would have been great, but no... just, no. Ms. Graykowski would leave you hanging at the end of a chapter with Summer and Clint and then the next two chapters would be about her mother and her mother's boyfriend. Just...no, why are you doing that? They weren't interesting. They were annoying as spit! I mean... yay, love for everyone! Hurray... sigh.
Anyway, it was - for the most part - a fun read. I would recommend it if you aren't looking for anything too heavy.
On to the next!
November 9, 2014
Two stars, for me that's "I didn't like it, but it contained full sentences and correct punctuation", not Goodreads' optimistic "it was okay". It was not.
Tl;dr: Just how huge are these giant t-shirts?!?
Did not finish. Two stars because the prose was okay until it turned into something super weird about body image and I couldn't deal.
I frequently think "Self, you have to just admit that you don't like contemporary romances very much", but then I will eventually get annoyed with historical romances (sometimes you want to read about ladies who have jobs, you know what I mean) and try a contemporary. It rarely works out. It did not work out here.
Heroine is a public school teacher. Hero is a football player. She wins some kind of "Teacher of the Year" thing, and his in-class "mentoring" is her crummy prize.
I've been on a thing of reading sports romances, and... failing to finish them. Man! There is just something about that "Famous/successful man meets normal lady, lays out some BS about how she's not like anybody he's met before" trope that writers of sports romances seem to loooooove that disagrees with me powerfully. I should knock it off.
Okay, this book had the problems the other sports romances have (yes, yes, SOMEHOW this ordinary lady is incredible desirable to you, famous quarterback, because shes Not Like Other Women? Are your standards really that low? Just... exist, and you're in?) but it also has a really, really weird thing about the heroine's body (see below) and I didn't get very far into this before bailing.
What I liked: the heroine seemed relatively smart. She seemed like she tried hard to be a good teacher, and I liked that she treated her (low-income, very disadvantaged) students like people who deserved respect, not just like well-meaning-white-lady-improvement projects waiting to happen. I liked the idea that the hero - a golden-boy quarterback - is actually extremely awkward and shy and has had to teach himself coping strategies to deal with public speaking.
Why I quit: lord, this is going to make me sound shallow, but I just could not cope with how the book pretends that golden-boy NFL quarterbacks do not AT ALL care about what a woman looks like. To begin with, the book seems pretty unclear on how the heroine looks. I know that sounds crazy, but stay with me: early on, I got the impression that the heroine was a tall, slightly plus-sized Valkyrie type. Awesome, I'm into it.
Then the hero comments to himself that she is "small". (? Even to a quarterback-sized man, a woman who's pushing six feet is not going to be "small".) But okay, having some whiplash, but I can deal with it, now she's more petite. Awesome! I'm into it.
But.
There is a lot made of how the heroine wears horrible jeans and horrible jokey t-shirts that are giant. The book thinks the t-shirts are "fun"; I was not fooled. Then later the hero tells her that she dresses like she hates her body. She reveals that she does in fact hate her body. Hero thinks things like "What kind of body is going on under there?" He doesn't even know, guys. He cannot tell what shape her torso is under those horrible giant t-shirts. JUST HOW GIANT ARE THESE SHIRTS???
Then they make out. She is tense and nervous about him touching her, worried that he will touch her back fat, etc. He says something about how she's not a stick like all the other women blah blah blah I stopped reading.
Look, guys. I don't want women to be body-shamed. Zaftig women OR thin women. I am totally pro-books about women who are learning to love their bodies, and heroes who think they are the hottest thing going, no matter the shape or size of the lady's body. But I don't want to read books about a woman who hates her body and shrouds it in enormous jokey T-shirts, because then I'm going to be nervous every time the hero touches her. You know why? Because in real life, that woman is NOT suddenly going to melt in a warm puddle of body confidence just because Hot Quarterback wants to feel her up. Are you kidding? That woman is going to be cringing and nervewracked and oh my lord I do not want to read cringing, nervewracked, body-horror sex, thank you very much. If there's sex, let it be the hero being all "Oh my God your body is so awesome" and the heroine being like "Thank you", not a heroine trying to hide her back fat. Guys, help me out here, I'm reading cheesy romances for relaxation and stress relief.
Anyway, I found it extremely weird to read something where I was just supposed to accept that a dude who can get any woman he wants is suddenly blindingly attracted to a woman whose general physical body geometry HE CANNOT EVEN DISCERN BENEATH HER BILLOWING T-SHIRTS. Look, I don't think men are jerks who can't develop affection based on things besides a specific clothing size, and I am all for books where the heroes are stunned by lust for their heroine's body, no matter the size or shape of that body. (Seriously, all for it.)
And this isn't just about the dudes. I would find a book where a heroine meets a man but can't tell anything about his body underneath his billowing robes (robes he wears for self-loathing body-hiding purposes), but is still mysteriously attracted to him in a physical way, equally odd. It just seems extremely unrealistic to me, especially if you're not going to spend a lot longer explaining the deep, but initially purely mental/emotional connection these people have.
Anyway, it was just not my jam, and I was disappointed, because the sample pages contained totally decent prose, and I liked the idea of a teacher vs. a famous person who is deeply shy, so I was blindsided by the "I have literally no idea if the woman I am allegedly falling in lust with has a body under that jokey shirt" weirdness.
PS, because I was so bothered by the weird issues involving the main couple, I wasn't as appalled by the mom/veterinarian subplot as everyone else. In fact I thought that was more interesting than another weird section where the hot quarterback wonders what the heroine's general body outline is.
PPS, "clumsy heroine" is not actually a thing in this book, it's just where I shelve books about this general type of heroine, written as awkward and not very attractive, but mysteriously magnetic to the hero, who has never seen a woman like here in all his days.
Tl;dr: Just how huge are these giant t-shirts?!?
Did not finish. Two stars because the prose was okay until it turned into something super weird about body image and I couldn't deal.
I frequently think "Self, you have to just admit that you don't like contemporary romances very much", but then I will eventually get annoyed with historical romances (sometimes you want to read about ladies who have jobs, you know what I mean) and try a contemporary. It rarely works out. It did not work out here.
Heroine is a public school teacher. Hero is a football player. She wins some kind of "Teacher of the Year" thing, and his in-class "mentoring" is her crummy prize.
I've been on a thing of reading sports romances, and... failing to finish them. Man! There is just something about that "Famous/successful man meets normal lady, lays out some BS about how she's not like anybody he's met before" trope that writers of sports romances seem to loooooove that disagrees with me powerfully. I should knock it off.
Okay, this book had the problems the other sports romances have (yes, yes, SOMEHOW this ordinary lady is incredible desirable to you, famous quarterback, because shes Not Like Other Women? Are your standards really that low? Just... exist, and you're in?) but it also has a really, really weird thing about the heroine's body (see below) and I didn't get very far into this before bailing.
What I liked: the heroine seemed relatively smart. She seemed like she tried hard to be a good teacher, and I liked that she treated her (low-income, very disadvantaged) students like people who deserved respect, not just like well-meaning-white-lady-improvement projects waiting to happen. I liked the idea that the hero - a golden-boy quarterback - is actually extremely awkward and shy and has had to teach himself coping strategies to deal with public speaking.
Why I quit: lord, this is going to make me sound shallow, but I just could not cope with how the book pretends that golden-boy NFL quarterbacks do not AT ALL care about what a woman looks like. To begin with, the book seems pretty unclear on how the heroine looks. I know that sounds crazy, but stay with me: early on, I got the impression that the heroine was a tall, slightly plus-sized Valkyrie type. Awesome, I'm into it.
Then the hero comments to himself that she is "small". (? Even to a quarterback-sized man, a woman who's pushing six feet is not going to be "small".) But okay, having some whiplash, but I can deal with it, now she's more petite. Awesome! I'm into it.
But.
There is a lot made of how the heroine wears horrible jeans and horrible jokey t-shirts that are giant. The book thinks the t-shirts are "fun"; I was not fooled. Then later the hero tells her that she dresses like she hates her body. She reveals that she does in fact hate her body. Hero thinks things like "What kind of body is going on under there?" He doesn't even know, guys. He cannot tell what shape her torso is under those horrible giant t-shirts. JUST HOW GIANT ARE THESE SHIRTS???
Then they make out. She is tense and nervous about him touching her, worried that he will touch her back fat, etc. He says something about how she's not a stick like all the other women blah blah blah I stopped reading.
Look, guys. I don't want women to be body-shamed. Zaftig women OR thin women. I am totally pro-books about women who are learning to love their bodies, and heroes who think they are the hottest thing going, no matter the shape or size of the lady's body. But I don't want to read books about a woman who hates her body and shrouds it in enormous jokey T-shirts, because then I'm going to be nervous every time the hero touches her. You know why? Because in real life, that woman is NOT suddenly going to melt in a warm puddle of body confidence just because Hot Quarterback wants to feel her up. Are you kidding? That woman is going to be cringing and nervewracked and oh my lord I do not want to read cringing, nervewracked, body-horror sex, thank you very much. If there's sex, let it be the hero being all "Oh my God your body is so awesome" and the heroine being like "Thank you", not a heroine trying to hide her back fat. Guys, help me out here, I'm reading cheesy romances for relaxation and stress relief.
Anyway, I found it extremely weird to read something where I was just supposed to accept that a dude who can get any woman he wants is suddenly blindingly attracted to a woman whose general physical body geometry HE CANNOT EVEN DISCERN BENEATH HER BILLOWING T-SHIRTS. Look, I don't think men are jerks who can't develop affection based on things besides a specific clothing size, and I am all for books where the heroes are stunned by lust for their heroine's body, no matter the size or shape of that body. (Seriously, all for it.)
And this isn't just about the dudes. I would find a book where a heroine meets a man but can't tell anything about his body underneath his billowing robes (robes he wears for self-loathing body-hiding purposes), but is still mysteriously attracted to him in a physical way, equally odd. It just seems extremely unrealistic to me, especially if you're not going to spend a lot longer explaining the deep, but initially purely mental/emotional connection these people have.
Anyway, it was just not my jam, and I was disappointed, because the sample pages contained totally decent prose, and I liked the idea of a teacher vs. a famous person who is deeply shy, so I was blindsided by the "I have literally no idea if the woman I am allegedly falling in lust with has a body under that jokey shirt" weirdness.
PS, because I was so bothered by the weird issues involving the main couple, I wasn't as appalled by the mom/veterinarian subplot as everyone else. In fact I thought that was more interesting than another weird section where the hot quarterback wonders what the heroine's general body outline is.
PPS, "clumsy heroine" is not actually a thing in this book, it's just where I shelve books about this general type of heroine, written as awkward and not very attractive, but mysteriously magnetic to the hero, who has never seen a woman like here in all his days.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 188 reviews