Epic Game

by William Kowalski

Kat is a tough, independent woman who makes her living as a professional poker player. She is single, childless and happy about it. But when her best friend, Josie, commits suicide, she names Kat as the temporary guardian of her ten-year-old son, David, until his father can come for him. In the few weeks that David is with her, Kat finds herself changed in ways she had never thought imaginable. With the old poker adage “bet with your head, not your heart” ringing in her head like a warning bell, Kat nevertheless finds that all the money and success in the world don’t mean a thing unless you have someone to share it with…and that maybe there is more to life than winning after all.

144 pages, Paperback

First published March 8, 2016

Reviews

[zack !! · Rating 3 out of 5]

This definitely fit the rapid read title it was given because this book literally flew by. I enjoyed it and thought it was a cute heartfelt story but I think I would’ve enjoyed it more as a full length novel!

[Bailey Herrera · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bland and painfully generic, the story feels like it was assembled from a checklist of overused tropes rather than crafted with any originality or heart. The plot is predictable from the first few pages, offering no real surprises or emotional stakes. Characters lack depth and development, making it hard to connect or care about what happens to them. I don’t think I expected much from a 126 page book but even the moments for growth are expected and silly. Overall, this book felt more like a rough draft than a finished novel—uninspired and forgettable.

[Elizabeth Chang · Rating 4 out of 5]

This...was surprisingly good.

I received this book awhile ago...but I put it on hold since I had other books I was in the middle of...and honestly, the blurb on the back didn't sound all that interesting...BUT, as I started reading the first chapter, I found it very easy to get into.

Yes, the book was short and the font was...bigger than what I was used to, but that just made the book go back that much quicker! Also, it was a nice break from reading books where I had to analyze every sentence for double meanings or had to keep track of different characters and their hidden agendas.

DAVID. The poor kid that lost his mom....THIS kid annoyed me. Incredibly so. In the beginning, he was...cocky, and rude, and completely unlikeable...except his dry sense of humour was an unexpected bonus...BUT as the novel unfolded, I DID get attached to him (thank goodness), and dang it, it just made it that much harder for me to read the part when he.......ah wells.

Poker.
My...poker skills, or rather my LACK of poker skills and accompanying knowledge may have hindered my enjoyment of this book slightly, but nowhere near enough to make me seriously consider it as a downside...in fact...I want to learn how to play poker now, it sounds FUN.

I would never have picked up a book like this on my own, so I am incredibly thankful I had it sent to me...which made me feel like I had an obligation to read it...this is actually the first book I read where a person was given responsibility over a child because of parent issues. I usually see this kind of setup in romance novels...you know...where one parent is stuck with a kid and somehow, meets another person...and falls in love, thereby, joining the family...I'm not entirely sure where I'm going with this....

Anyhoos...this was so much fun to read! I would suggest this book to anyone who wants a break from long, intricate books with complex plots they have to over analyse. This book has none of that. It was just pure...fun.

[Jen Sabo · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a quick read with a premise that was interesting. The characters fell somewhat flat and most of the plot seems to happen off the page. The romance was not believable and the relationship because Kat and David felt forced since most of their time together was again, off page. While I appreciate the goal of the publisher is to make books more accessible, I felt that this could have had slightly more details to elicit more of an emotional response from the reader.

[Melissa Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would totally give this a 4.5. I am not normally one for such a short story but this totally nailed it...besides one tiny little part that I think could have used a bit longer of story line. It was a bit instalove. Library read

[Literatures Movies · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a quick read. The story was fast paced, downside is that it doesn't leave a lot of room for character development and the plot to grow. But overall it was a nice short vacation read that doesn't take up too much mental headspace.

[Katie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm not going to bother going into how disappointed I was in this book. The main character was not lifelike, and the story moved unrealistically fast.

[Faith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad, but definitely not spectacular. It was a quick read that worked for a vacation book. The story moves very fast so you never really get attached to the characters.

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute little book. Could have added a few more chapters

[Leila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Josie commits suicide now Kay and David are upset.

[Angela De Groot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this with my ESL class. Learned a lot of poker terms 😊

[Sarah Lois Yong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy to read. Couldn't put it down.

[Becca Goyeau · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the entire thing in under an hour. Entertaining enough but it was a little corny.

[Scott Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice, super fast read. Cosy storyline

[Libby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast-paced, enjoyable hi lo book. Some mature topics.

[PoligirlReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a quick and fun read where I found myself rooting for everyone involved. Plus, I got to learn a little bit about poker!

[Ranie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quick and enjoyable story

[Austin Phadoungsyavong · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think like with this book about epic game and I though something epic game just card game or something for get wining money then how feeling get rich game from win.

[Sheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Epic Game by William Kowalski

Kat is a professional poker player. She is single, has no children or man in her life, she is happy go lucky living life to the fullest. Then her best friend Josie kills herself. Kat finds out that Josie made Kat temporary guardian of her son David. Kat's life is about to change, what she once found (was) a fulfilling life may not actually be.

The plot is original, Kat is not the usual protagonist. She is a hard-core no nonsense poker player, she is content with her solitary life. Then David enters her life, an out spoken lovable young man. The two are as opposite as can be, then Kat finds herself with emotions she never knew she had. Soon Kat starts re-evaluating her life, and does some serious soul searching, questioning what she really wants out of life. Overall I found Epic Game a heart-felt read. I highly recommend to all.

[Steven Buechler · Rating 5 out of 5]

We all have habits and attitudes that makes us act on instinct instead of doing something rational to improve our lives. These may be traits that we learned from our parents or habits we picked up on during our childhood or just something in our internal wiring that makes us do things that in many cases keep us alone or unhappy. So sometimes external events cause us to force us into breaking those patterns we are stuck in doing and lead us down a different path of life. That is the type of story William Kowalski has brilliantly written in Epic Game.

http://tinyurl.com/ht4sar2

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved William Kowalski's strong main character, Kat. She was authentic and modern.

Kowalski also delivers a solid plot that hits all the right points. For example, the 50 percent "all is lost" moment is when little David runs away. With his tight structure, Kowalski delivers a satisfying short read.

The reason I didn't give the novel 5 stars is because of the inclusion of violence (suicide/murder) and drugs. I understand that Kowalski is writing for a YA/younger reader that wouldn't object to this, so this is very subjective rating.

[Jessie · Rating 1 out of 5]

The only good thing about this book is that it is a quick read to help you catch up in your challenge. That's it.