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Aiming for Gold
Roman never thought he’d make it amongst a field of talented athletes in evobe—the sensational sport that combines archery and paintball—and he might not have without his best friend. So, as both are bound for college, he considers quitting…until his friend gets the highly desired scholarship from Roman’s number one school. Out of spite, he commits to Georgia’s Port Vista Dragons.
Now hundreds of miles away, in a new town, with a new team, Roman isn’t quite sure he didn’t make the biggest mistake of his life. Fortunately, it seems his roommates and fellow evobe players Casper and Demi are determined to change that—if only he could figure out what’s going on inside his heart. Overlooked and ignored, finding love never seemed like an option before, but now presented with a famous prodigy and a gruff wall of muscle, how do you choose? And…do you have to?
Roman hasn't always understood his direction in life, but perhaps it doesn’t need to be as straight as an arrow.
Now hundreds of miles away, in a new town, with a new team, Roman isn’t quite sure he didn’t make the biggest mistake of his life. Fortunately, it seems his roommates and fellow evobe players Casper and Demi are determined to change that—if only he could figure out what’s going on inside his heart. Overlooked and ignored, finding love never seemed like an option before, but now presented with a famous prodigy and a gruff wall of muscle, how do you choose? And…do you have to?
Roman hasn't always understood his direction in life, but perhaps it doesn’t need to be as straight as an arrow.
Unknown Binding
Published November 15, 2024
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138 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 18, 2025
*1.5*
i really wanted to like this and i don't want to be mean but this just wasn't good. it read more like a first draft of the plot than a finished book. and i'm not even mentioning that it felt like a bad all for the game fanfic (i get getting inspiration from something you like but some of these similarities were too much). This review got away with me and it’s bit messy because i was trying to put all my thoughts into it. And from my understanding this was self published which is why i’m willing to overlook some editing errors and typos and things like that but the rest is just not excusable.
Overall, i think this was an interesting idea, but it was not well executed. The pacing was bad, the characters were shallow and bland and i didn’t believe most of the relationships between them. The writing was unfortunately not good enough to make this good.
spoilers ahead:
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first what i liked. the story was an interesting idea, i love the idea of making up a sport and building a story around it. but that's not enough.
starting with evobe, it was clearly not thought out enough - i don’t understand how it’s played and because all the games were written from commentators pov who just threw out some random moments. i didn’t really care who won or anything because it looked like nobody else cared either. we didn’t see roman getting better, he messed up his first game and then he was suddenly good.
now the characters, starting with the background ones. and i mean that because they really were barely in it. How can you end a book with the main character calling them his family when he didn’t have any interaction with them. Like genuinely he didn’t even speak with most of his team, it was only said that he was close to them (which is bad writing) and i’m supposed to believe that??
Joss was a horrible friend but i appreciate the development, i just hoped there would be more time spent on it.
Roman’s family i have nothing to say about, his parents were horrible, his sister was a spoiled brat and i’m glad that they’re out of his life.
Demi and Casper. Casper and Demi. What do we know about them? What do we know about their relationship with roman? How is it possible that roman had a more believable and natural scene with a guy who hated him (don’t even get me started on that reveal about why) than with his two love interests? Roman met them and a week later they were best friends - why or how?? You can’t just say something happened and expect me to believe it. Casper’s two personalities were very badly portrayed and i didn’t really cared about him until the last few chapters where he stood on business (he won me over at the family dinner).
I liked roman but it felt like his characterization was all over the place. Which again is mainly because of the writing.
This was a very disappointing read unfortunately.
i really wanted to like this and i don't want to be mean but this just wasn't good. it read more like a first draft of the plot than a finished book. and i'm not even mentioning that it felt like a bad all for the game fanfic (i get getting inspiration from something you like but some of these similarities were too much). This review got away with me and it’s bit messy because i was trying to put all my thoughts into it. And from my understanding this was self published which is why i’m willing to overlook some editing errors and typos and things like that but the rest is just not excusable.
Overall, i think this was an interesting idea, but it was not well executed. The pacing was bad, the characters were shallow and bland and i didn’t believe most of the relationships between them. The writing was unfortunately not good enough to make this good.
spoilers ahead:
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
first what i liked. the story was an interesting idea, i love the idea of making up a sport and building a story around it. but that's not enough.
starting with evobe, it was clearly not thought out enough - i don’t understand how it’s played and because all the games were written from commentators pov who just threw out some random moments. i didn’t really care who won or anything because it looked like nobody else cared either. we didn’t see roman getting better, he messed up his first game and then he was suddenly good.
now the characters, starting with the background ones. and i mean that because they really were barely in it. How can you end a book with the main character calling them his family when he didn’t have any interaction with them. Like genuinely he didn’t even speak with most of his team, it was only said that he was close to them (which is bad writing) and i’m supposed to believe that??
Joss was a horrible friend but i appreciate the development, i just hoped there would be more time spent on it.
Roman’s family i have nothing to say about, his parents were horrible, his sister was a spoiled brat and i’m glad that they’re out of his life.
Demi and Casper. Casper and Demi. What do we know about them? What do we know about their relationship with roman? How is it possible that roman had a more believable and natural scene with a guy who hated him (don’t even get me started on that reveal about why) than with his two love interests? Roman met them and a week later they were best friends - why or how?? You can’t just say something happened and expect me to believe it. Casper’s two personalities were very badly portrayed and i didn’t really cared about him until the last few chapters where he stood on business (he won me over at the family dinner).
I liked roman but it felt like his characterization was all over the place. Which again is mainly because of the writing.
This was a very disappointing read unfortunately.
October 21, 2024
Okay, I loved this. The author did a fantastic job making the reader connect and care about these characters. Roman was so inspiring 🏹. I adored how empathetic he was to everyone around him, especially those who didn’t deserve him. He’s the kind of character that makes you root for him from page one. The way he handled being overlooked and still found the strength to keep pushing forward—it was so touching. 💛
The found family aspect in this book was everything 😍. Casper and Demi were absolutely the best, and I loved how they treated Roman. They brought out the best in him, and their relationship felt so genuine and heartwarming. The dynamic between every character was pure magic. Everyone cared for each other in a way that felt real. You can never judge a book by its cover—or a person by a first impression—and that’s one of the strongest messages here. 💫
The plot was so much more than just sports and competition, though I loved the world of evobe—Clark Guire created such a unique blend of archery and paintball! 🎯🏹 The way Roman struggles to find his place after his best friend wins his dream scholarship hit me hard. It was real, raw, and gave me all the feels 😢. Even though he left everything behind, the support he finds from Casper and Demi is what saves him. And the romance… let’s just say, my heart is still not okay 💘. The tension between Roman and the two love interests (yes, TWO) was intense—who knew choosing between a famous prodigy and a gruff wall of muscle would be so difficult? 🫠
What I also really appreciated was how diverse all the characters were and how accepting they were of each other. In a world where differences can often drive people apart, the way this group of misfits came together was so refreshing and heartwarming. 💕 Thank you, Clark Guire, for writing a story that felt both inclusive and deeply emotional. You made me feel every bit of it.
If you’re into,
👨👩👧👦 Found family
💕 Friends to lovers
🔺💘 Love triangle (or is it?)
🌞🌩️ Grumpy/sunshine
🏙️🏹 New town, new team
🏅 Sports romance
🏳️🌈 Bi/pan rep
🛏️🫂 Roommates-to-besties
🎯 Underdog hero
🔥 Slow-burn romance
Aiming for Gold is going to be your new favorite. It’s perfect for fans of heartfelt friendships, unlikely heroes, and the beauty of choosing your own path. This one’s for the readers who believe that sometimes, love isn’t a straight line—it’s a whole lot more 💘💫.
Thank you so much to Clark Guire for the ARC opportunity. You’ve got a fan for life! 🌟
The found family aspect in this book was everything 😍. Casper and Demi were absolutely the best, and I loved how they treated Roman. They brought out the best in him, and their relationship felt so genuine and heartwarming. The dynamic between every character was pure magic. Everyone cared for each other in a way that felt real. You can never judge a book by its cover—or a person by a first impression—and that’s one of the strongest messages here. 💫
The plot was so much more than just sports and competition, though I loved the world of evobe—Clark Guire created such a unique blend of archery and paintball! 🎯🏹 The way Roman struggles to find his place after his best friend wins his dream scholarship hit me hard. It was real, raw, and gave me all the feels 😢. Even though he left everything behind, the support he finds from Casper and Demi is what saves him. And the romance… let’s just say, my heart is still not okay 💘. The tension between Roman and the two love interests (yes, TWO) was intense—who knew choosing between a famous prodigy and a gruff wall of muscle would be so difficult? 🫠
What I also really appreciated was how diverse all the characters were and how accepting they were of each other. In a world where differences can often drive people apart, the way this group of misfits came together was so refreshing and heartwarming. 💕 Thank you, Clark Guire, for writing a story that felt both inclusive and deeply emotional. You made me feel every bit of it.
If you’re into,
👨👩👧👦 Found family
💕 Friends to lovers
🔺💘 Love triangle (or is it?)
🌞🌩️ Grumpy/sunshine
🏙️🏹 New town, new team
🏅 Sports romance
🏳️🌈 Bi/pan rep
🛏️🫂 Roommates-to-besties
🎯 Underdog hero
🔥 Slow-burn romance
Aiming for Gold is going to be your new favorite. It’s perfect for fans of heartfelt friendships, unlikely heroes, and the beauty of choosing your own path. This one’s for the readers who believe that sometimes, love isn’t a straight line—it’s a whole lot more 💘💫.
Thank you so much to Clark Guire for the ARC opportunity. You’ve got a fan for life! 🌟
January 7, 2025
★☆☆☆☆ (1.25)
juvenile prose, awkward dialogue, too much telling and not enough showing; made-up sport I could not get a sense of at all, scenes that did not flow together, random happenings that did not contribute anything to the plot and seemed thrown in for the sake of unnecessary drama; frustrating mc, ridiculous friendship & family dynamics, shallow characterizations all around & insufficient relationship developments
this came across as trying to be aftg but failing miserably. all of my expectations died away from the first page; appreciated the poly but that's about it
juvenile prose, awkward dialogue, too much telling and not enough showing; made-up sport I could not get a sense of at all, scenes that did not flow together, random happenings that did not contribute anything to the plot and seemed thrown in for the sake of unnecessary drama; frustrating mc, ridiculous friendship & family dynamics, shallow characterizations all around & insufficient relationship developments
this came across as trying to be aftg but failing miserably. all of my expectations died away from the first page; appreciated the poly but that's about it
November 23, 2024
and they were roommates
May 11, 2025
2,5 ⭐
I'm so sorry I really wanted to love this book. At about 30% I loved it, I was so excited to join the fandom, draw fanart etc. But then the story continued with a chain of events that felt like filler episodes, nothing important happend and whenever it got interesting, it got thrown at your feet and then the topic got instantly dropped again? This happened especially with moments of intimacy between the main characters but also with interesting background information about any of the characters. I loved how diverse they were, but it felt like the author wanted to shove too many topics in one book so non got the attention and time it deserved or required. Segments felt either rushed or forced, conversations were so short and cut off at random moments, which was very confusing to read with random sudden time skips and events that led to nothing. It's fine to present quality time between the characters and I loved the ideas for places you could spend a date on (especially those themed bars or DIY creative places) but often the story made a time skip exactly at the moment the characters got closer to each other and I as a reader had started to feel the atmosphere/situation.
And I'm also a bit sad that after reading the book I still don't understand how evobe works? The commentary style to present the game nights just wasn't for me, I struggled to follow and I also feel like the sport wasn't really that important? And it was very confusing to only hear the characters last names in games and only their first names in the rest of the story. With a team of like 10+ players and my low ability to remember names, I just gave up at some point trying to follow who scored when and where. I'd have loved an explanation of how the sport works with rules and background info at the beginning of the book.
I loved the idea of the book, the writing improved throughout the story, the characters were loveable and diverse and there were some great ideas and SO MUCH POTENTIAL. I was just hoping for more commitment.
I'm so sorry I really wanted to love this book. At about 30% I loved it, I was so excited to join the fandom, draw fanart etc. But then the story continued with a chain of events that felt like filler episodes, nothing important happend and whenever it got interesting, it got thrown at your feet and then the topic got instantly dropped again? This happened especially with moments of intimacy between the main characters but also with interesting background information about any of the characters. I loved how diverse they were, but it felt like the author wanted to shove too many topics in one book so non got the attention and time it deserved or required. Segments felt either rushed or forced, conversations were so short and cut off at random moments, which was very confusing to read with random sudden time skips and events that led to nothing. It's fine to present quality time between the characters and I loved the ideas for places you could spend a date on (especially those themed bars or DIY creative places) but often the story made a time skip exactly at the moment the characters got closer to each other and I as a reader had started to feel the atmosphere/situation.
And I'm also a bit sad that after reading the book I still don't understand how evobe works? The commentary style to present the game nights just wasn't for me, I struggled to follow and I also feel like the sport wasn't really that important? And it was very confusing to only hear the characters last names in games and only their first names in the rest of the story. With a team of like 10+ players and my low ability to remember names, I just gave up at some point trying to follow who scored when and where. I'd have loved an explanation of how the sport works with rules and background info at the beginning of the book.
I loved the idea of the book, the writing improved throughout the story, the characters were loveable and diverse and there were some great ideas and SO MUCH POTENTIAL. I was just hoping for more commitment.
December 3, 2024
ha dei difetti? parecchi, ma ho amato tutto il resto dai personaggi, alla found family, alle dinamiche, è arrivato nel momento giusto e mi ha scaldato il cuore quindi non posso che premiarlo per questo <3
September 28, 2025
This is for All for the Game fans
November 9, 2024
I really enjoyed this overall. I had mixed feelings in the beginning because it started a little slow. I really loved Casper and Demi. I didn't like Joss until the end. The sport itself sounds pretty cool. Ultimately my biggest complaint is zero spice. I had a hard time understanding the relationship between the three. Obviously the love and affection was there but anything else was obscure.
October 23, 2025
i think ppl are being a little harsh but generally i agree that there were a lot of improvements that could be made to this book in terms of prose and showing vs telling as well as establishing a clearer plot and motives for dif characters but i enjoyed the characters and would like to see how this author improves in the future
December 26, 2024
Such a wholesome read with a special twist on the sports genre. The characters make this book, especially Casper and Demi, and I'm always a sucker for the roommates-to-lovers trope. If you want a feel-good, sweet take on the MM sports romance genre, check this out!
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January 20, 2025Roman from Aiming for Gold is asexual!
https://www.tumblr.com/aspeccharacter...
https://www.tumblr.com/aspeccharacter...
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews