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The Game Plan
Hockey’s bad boy needs to clean up his reputation…
Bennett James has built his career at being the best, on and off the ice, and now it’s come back to bite him. The media has turned against him, and with a near career-ending injury, he needs to clean up his act and prove that he’s serious about the game. For Bennett, working with his old coach at his alma mater feels like a step back, but it might be just what he needs.
…and she’s just the girl to help him do it.
Grace Wentworth has always been the good girl, and she’s tired of that stigma. She wants to prove that she can get down and dirty with the best of them. The problem? She doesn’t know how.
Bennett will teach the good girl how to be bad, if she pretends to be his goody two-shoes girlfriend in front of the media.
But what happens when the game becomes real?
Bennett James has built his career at being the best, on and off the ice, and now it’s come back to bite him. The media has turned against him, and with a near career-ending injury, he needs to clean up his act and prove that he’s serious about the game. For Bennett, working with his old coach at his alma mater feels like a step back, but it might be just what he needs.
…and she’s just the girl to help him do it.
Grace Wentworth has always been the good girl, and she’s tired of that stigma. She wants to prove that she can get down and dirty with the best of them. The problem? She doesn’t know how.
Bennett will teach the good girl how to be bad, if she pretends to be his goody two-shoes girlfriend in front of the media.
But what happens when the game becomes real?
319 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 20, 2022
274 people are currently reading
5372 people want to read
About the author
Micalea Smeltzer
82 books6,688 followersMicalea Smeltzer is an author from Northern Virginia. Her two dogs, Ollie and Remy, are her constant companions. As a kidney transplant recipient she's dedicated to raising awareness around the effects of kidney disease, dialysis, and transplant as well as educating people on living donation. When she's not writing you can catch her with her nose buried in a book.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 315 reviews
January 31, 2024
This was ass bye
October 25, 2022
This is possibly the longest it has taken me to finish a book. I didn’t even want to finish it but I’m not a quitter. The dialogue, pacing & characterisation are so clunky & god awful I felt embarrassed reading this book. There were not redeeming qualities & the fact people have given this 5 stars is unfathomable
June 25, 2023
I would say, without a doubt, the biggest plot twist of this book was finding out it was written in 2022 and not 2014.
September 14, 2023
This was a really shitty book. I don't think I enjoyed a single aspect about this book. If this is on your TBR I strongly recommend that you go take it off and put it on the dnf list. Better yet, put on the dns, do not start. The characters have absolutely no depth to them. Starting with the main character Grace, she's a rich preppy girl who claims to be a girls girl but at the same time will judge people for wearing makeup she doesn't like or for dressing promiscuous. She has absolutely nothing special about her; nothing unique; nothing interesting. She's just annoying and a huge pick me. "im not like other girls". Then you have Bennet who is just as bland. All the side characters were bland it was just all so fucking bland. Then you have the plot itself which was just all over the place. We start with fake dating. fine that's normal. But then we get a drug scandal, and a rape scandal and it was just weird and forced and unrealistic and stupid. The smut scenes were horribly done and weren't sexy at all. They weren't even mildly entertaining. Also Grace can't say cock but has no problem saying he licked my pussy. yea fucking right. There was just so many inconsistencies that it was just bad. This screams wattpad writer never learned how to write. never improved. and will forever write like a 12 year old girl who just learned the difference between come and cum. Seriously save yourself the trauma and don't read. I should've DNFed. It was torture tying to get through the last couple chapters.
I just read through my kindle notes. I totally fucking forgot. Grace is also an abusive piece of shit who hit Bennet for no fucking reason. and then threatened to do it again. On top of that even after dating him for so long she didn't believe him about the rape scandal but after knowing him for a week she believed him about the drug scandal. her priorities are so fucked up especially for a 'good girl'.
I just read through my kindle notes. I totally fucking forgot. Grace is also an abusive piece of shit who hit Bennet for no fucking reason. and then threatened to do it again. On top of that even after dating him for so long she didn't believe him about the rape scandal but after knowing him for a week she believed him about the drug scandal. her priorities are so fucked up especially for a 'good girl'.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 3, 2024
This was on its way to being a perfectly adequate romance, bit corny, bit obvious, but a perfectly decent read.
Then the third act break up entered the building and look I’m not a fan of the whole third act business, but this one? This one enraged me.
The allegations happened and not for a moment did she stand by her man, her love. This ruined it all for me. We always want the man to be there no matter what, have support for his woman otherwise we rip his character to shreds, well it goes both ways.
Then when she dod decide to go back to him, even though she never believed in him, she waited until he was proven innocent, she has the audacity to list off all the reasons she will make his life better, because she’ll put him in his place, she’ll hold his ego back nuh ah - no grovelling? No huge romantic gesture? Nothing? We would have annihilated the males character for that … nope.
Then the third act break up entered the building and look I’m not a fan of the whole third act business, but this one? This one enraged me.
The allegations happened and not for a moment did she stand by her man, her love. This ruined it all for me. We always want the man to be there no matter what, have support for his woman otherwise we rip his character to shreds, well it goes both ways.
Then when she dod decide to go back to him, even though she never believed in him, she waited until he was proven innocent, she has the audacity to list off all the reasons she will make his life better, because she’ll put him in his place, she’ll hold his ego back nuh ah - no grovelling? No huge romantic gesture? Nothing? We would have annihilated the males character for that … nope.
January 17, 2023
this was um a book lol
July 24, 2023
fake dating hockey romance
I really enjoyed this book till the last 10%
This review will include spoilers.
I was so into this book! I absolutely loved the FMC, Grace! She was so confident in who she was as a person and she didn’t make any apologies for being a Barbie coded girl! I really enjoyed that he was a professional hockey player, but since he was on suspension/recovering from an injury, it was a different take on a hockey romance. Bennet’s coach is blackmailing him and trying to keep him off the ice.
What I didn’t like was how she handled the third act breakup. She completely broke up with him, knowing that his coach was blackmailing him, and when his coach comes out with a terrible claim against Bennett, she believes his coach so fast and then breaks up with him. Leaving Bennett by himself to scramble to defend himself. Then, when it comes out to the public that his coach lied and blackmailed him, grace goes back to him, not even with an apology?!?!? And Bennett just takes her back?!?! ❌ not a fan. She needed to grovel.
I really enjoyed this book till the last 10%
This review will include spoilers.
I was so into this book! I absolutely loved the FMC, Grace! She was so confident in who she was as a person and she didn’t make any apologies for being a Barbie coded girl! I really enjoyed that he was a professional hockey player, but since he was on suspension/recovering from an injury, it was a different take on a hockey romance. Bennet’s coach is blackmailing him and trying to keep him off the ice.
What I didn’t like was how she handled the third act breakup. She completely broke up with him, knowing that his coach was blackmailing him, and when his coach comes out with a terrible claim against Bennett, she believes his coach so fast and then breaks up with him. Leaving Bennett by himself to scramble to defend himself. Then, when it comes out to the public that his coach lied and blackmailed him, grace goes back to him, not even with an apology?!?!? And Bennett just takes her back?!?! ❌ not a fan. She needed to grovel.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 22, 2022
Micaela Smeltzer has become one of my favorite authors so when I saw this book, I just knew I had to read it. This book had fake dating, good girl/ bad boy; player trope, sports romance (he’s a hockey player), and more!
Quick side note, I believe this book also stems from other book series that Micalea wrote. While I was pretty sure that other characters from other series and their kids might make an appearance in the book, I just decided to go ahead and read this book, but will go back and read the other series for more context on the other characters. So if you’ve read the “Willow Creek” series and I believe the other series that’s centered on Trace and Olivia, etc will make more sense when reading this book.
Bennett James was the charming, handsome hockey player that dominated the ice rink and had a way with the ladies. Being at the top in the NHL, Bennett got a little to use to living the high life, and became accustomed to everything and it eventually led to him getting a bad perception from the media and his team. Not to mention, with Bennett’s injury he needed to train in order to get back on the ice, and hopefully redeem himself both on and off the rink. Grace on the other hand was the picture perfect daughter. Grace was the “good girl”, and always followed the rules, but now being in college, she wanted to take risks, enjoy her freedom, and be known as something other than being “good” all the time. Both Grace and Bennett had their own things to work on, and what better way to work through them than to help one another, thus came the genius idea of fake dating. Bennett needed Grace to be his girlfriend since she was the goody two shoes that would also help with his reputation, whereas Grace tired of always being the good girl, wanted Bennett to teach her how to be “bad”.
I really liked the chemistry and friendship that Bennett and Grace had right away. Even the way Grace and Bennett met was cute and unexpected, the time they spent together was laid back, and yet also had moments of feeling nervous from both Grace and Bennett. Bennett was use to be the flirty one, but with Grace he sometimes was at a loss for words or couldn’t help admiring Grace for who she was. Grace at times couldn’t help but get frustrated with Bennett’s teasing, but only because it made her blush and she couldn’t help but wonder if there could be more with Bennett. I really liked the humor and teasing comments that Bennett would say to Grace and even Grace had some witty comebacks. In addition, Grace had a way of making Bennett feel at ease and just make him laugh so much. Together, Grace and Bennett were great and I loved seeing the evolution of friends to lovers between them.
While this book initially feel lighthearted, there was that element of trouble that lurked in Bennett’s life. Bennett was focused on training and trying to get back to his team in the NHL, but with his dirt bag of a coach Matthews, it was pretty clear that coach Matthews was doing everything in his power to discredit and get Bennett kicked off the team. With the mystery of what Bennett witnessed and promised he wouldn’t say anything in regards to coach Matthews, it left me questioning what was the truth behind it?
Like most fake dating tropes in books, the moment when things get real, that’s when the REALLY GOOD STUFF STARTS TO HAPPEN! Bennett and Grace fell for each other through all the time they spent together, and feeling that indescribable feeling of happiness and love. Bennett initially just wanted to fix his reputation through his fake dating scheme, but the reformed player fell hard for Grace. Grace may have been inexperienced in the ways of dating, but with Bennett she found that she could explore things she wouldn’t have done before and felt like she found the person she could trust. I felt a sigh of relief when Grace and Bennett finally admitted they wanted more, to make things official because, come on from them finally getting spicy in the bedroom and them constantly thinking about each other, it was clear as day they wouldn’t settle for less without making things official. The spice scenes were pretty good, and I also appreciated seeing how patient and reassuring Bennett was with Grace, always making sure she was in charge of whether or not she wanted things to progress whether in or out of the bedroom. We love a consenting, thoughtful male lead!
Overall, I loved the vibe of this book with the sports romance, fake dating, and romantic moments that Grace and Bennett shared together. I couldn’t put the book down, and I was zooming through the pages wanting to see what would happen next. Grace and Bennett were funny, sweet, and playful together. I found myself enjoying the book a lot, and I could easily see myself reading this book again. The drama that occurred in the book was a bit high stakes for Bennett, but it seemed like it was quickly resolved in the end. I genuinely liked seeing Grace and Bennett go from fake dating to falling in love. If you’re looking for another sports romance, characters that’ll leave you laughing, and smiling then this is the book.
Quick side note, I believe this book also stems from other book series that Micalea wrote. While I was pretty sure that other characters from other series and their kids might make an appearance in the book, I just decided to go ahead and read this book, but will go back and read the other series for more context on the other characters. So if you’ve read the “Willow Creek” series and I believe the other series that’s centered on Trace and Olivia, etc will make more sense when reading this book.
Bennett James was the charming, handsome hockey player that dominated the ice rink and had a way with the ladies. Being at the top in the NHL, Bennett got a little to use to living the high life, and became accustomed to everything and it eventually led to him getting a bad perception from the media and his team. Not to mention, with Bennett’s injury he needed to train in order to get back on the ice, and hopefully redeem himself both on and off the rink. Grace on the other hand was the picture perfect daughter. Grace was the “good girl”, and always followed the rules, but now being in college, she wanted to take risks, enjoy her freedom, and be known as something other than being “good” all the time. Both Grace and Bennett had their own things to work on, and what better way to work through them than to help one another, thus came the genius idea of fake dating. Bennett needed Grace to be his girlfriend since she was the goody two shoes that would also help with his reputation, whereas Grace tired of always being the good girl, wanted Bennett to teach her how to be “bad”.
I really liked the chemistry and friendship that Bennett and Grace had right away. Even the way Grace and Bennett met was cute and unexpected, the time they spent together was laid back, and yet also had moments of feeling nervous from both Grace and Bennett. Bennett was use to be the flirty one, but with Grace he sometimes was at a loss for words or couldn’t help admiring Grace for who she was. Grace at times couldn’t help but get frustrated with Bennett’s teasing, but only because it made her blush and she couldn’t help but wonder if there could be more with Bennett. I really liked the humor and teasing comments that Bennett would say to Grace and even Grace had some witty comebacks. In addition, Grace had a way of making Bennett feel at ease and just make him laugh so much. Together, Grace and Bennett were great and I loved seeing the evolution of friends to lovers between them.
While this book initially feel lighthearted, there was that element of trouble that lurked in Bennett’s life. Bennett was focused on training and trying to get back to his team in the NHL, but with his dirt bag of a coach Matthews, it was pretty clear that coach Matthews was doing everything in his power to discredit and get Bennett kicked off the team. With the mystery of what Bennett witnessed and promised he wouldn’t say anything in regards to coach Matthews, it left me questioning what was the truth behind it?
Like most fake dating tropes in books, the moment when things get real, that’s when the REALLY GOOD STUFF STARTS TO HAPPEN! Bennett and Grace fell for each other through all the time they spent together, and feeling that indescribable feeling of happiness and love. Bennett initially just wanted to fix his reputation through his fake dating scheme, but the reformed player fell hard for Grace. Grace may have been inexperienced in the ways of dating, but with Bennett she found that she could explore things she wouldn’t have done before and felt like she found the person she could trust. I felt a sigh of relief when Grace and Bennett finally admitted they wanted more, to make things official because, come on from them finally getting spicy in the bedroom and them constantly thinking about each other, it was clear as day they wouldn’t settle for less without making things official. The spice scenes were pretty good, and I also appreciated seeing how patient and reassuring Bennett was with Grace, always making sure she was in charge of whether or not she wanted things to progress whether in or out of the bedroom. We love a consenting, thoughtful male lead!
Overall, I loved the vibe of this book with the sports romance, fake dating, and romantic moments that Grace and Bennett shared together. I couldn’t put the book down, and I was zooming through the pages wanting to see what would happen next. Grace and Bennett were funny, sweet, and playful together. I found myself enjoying the book a lot, and I could easily see myself reading this book again. The drama that occurred in the book was a bit high stakes for Bennett, but it seemed like it was quickly resolved in the end. I genuinely liked seeing Grace and Bennett go from fake dating to falling in love. If you’re looking for another sports romance, characters that’ll leave you laughing, and smiling then this is the book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 25, 2025
Bennett & Grace
January 23, 2023
Nope, the setup was just too absurd
March 27, 2024
DNF⭐️
January 23, 2023
I try to write books quite highly, because I know with the amount of effort that goes into them, but I didn’t enjoy this.
To start with the character of Grace, she was the epitome of I’m different from other girls. Like there was constant emphasis on how she was different to all the other girls around and it was shocking. Additionally the amount of misogyny that was veiled in throughout her perspective and her mindset. Her opinions on the women around her, especially the woman from the bar, the bartender who she literally degraded to the term porn star because she’s fluid in her sexuality and not a good girl like grace claims she is. She immediately switches on Bennett as soon as the allegations come out and while I understand, it’s a precarious situation has lack of loyalty with astounding.
Bennett wasn’t the worst character of all time. I thought he was very consistent and he was a lot better than Grace. That’s for sure though something about just a bit off with him. He is nothing wrong with him if anything he was a bit boring.
I didn’t understand the character of Elle I really didn’t. I’ve dealt with mean girls in the past, but like she just shocked me. no one judges as quickly as she did and certainly not openly. Everyone has a basic common decency and she didn’t even have that.
I thought Ryland was gonna be a much more prominent character that he was. He kind of drifted into the background, and I felt that was quite inconsistent.
A few comments
The tattoo shocked me who has that much trust in your partner or anyone
The whole princess nickname when her dad was also calling her, that just gave me the ick and she never addressed it with Bennett.
It felt it was resolved too quickly. There was like it was an unnecessary plot point at the end for Bennett’s accusations, and it just felt too like forced.
It’s not the worst book I’ve read undoubtedly I’ve read worse and I did enjoy the the occasional part. However, it read slightly like a Wattpad book and while some of the sex scenes were average which I prioritise in a book I didn’t enjoy it as much as I usually do a hockey Romance
To start with the character of Grace, she was the epitome of I’m different from other girls. Like there was constant emphasis on how she was different to all the other girls around and it was shocking. Additionally the amount of misogyny that was veiled in throughout her perspective and her mindset. Her opinions on the women around her, especially the woman from the bar, the bartender who she literally degraded to the term porn star because she’s fluid in her sexuality and not a good girl like grace claims she is. She immediately switches on Bennett as soon as the allegations come out and while I understand, it’s a precarious situation has lack of loyalty with astounding.
Bennett wasn’t the worst character of all time. I thought he was very consistent and he was a lot better than Grace. That’s for sure though something about just a bit off with him. He is nothing wrong with him if anything he was a bit boring.
I didn’t understand the character of Elle I really didn’t. I’ve dealt with mean girls in the past, but like she just shocked me. no one judges as quickly as she did and certainly not openly. Everyone has a basic common decency and she didn’t even have that.
I thought Ryland was gonna be a much more prominent character that he was. He kind of drifted into the background, and I felt that was quite inconsistent.
A few comments
The tattoo shocked me who has that much trust in your partner or anyone
The whole princess nickname when her dad was also calling her, that just gave me the ick and she never addressed it with Bennett.
It felt it was resolved too quickly. There was like it was an unnecessary plot point at the end for Bennett’s accusations, and it just felt too like forced.
It’s not the worst book I’ve read undoubtedly I’ve read worse and I did enjoy the the occasional part. However, it read slightly like a Wattpad book and while some of the sex scenes were average which I prioritise in a book I didn’t enjoy it as much as I usually do a hockey Romance
April 16, 2023
I’m currently making my way through Micalea Smeltzer’s backlist and The Game Plan caught my attention and this book recently got a cover upgrade (previously called The Game That Breaks Us). The story was so fantastic and I love this book and more people need to read it.
It’s about Bennett who is a professional hockey player and famous for being a player and a handful. After an injury, he works on getting better and not only physically, but also as a person. At least that’s what he wants the public to think. He is back at his alma mater and meets Grace there. Grace wants to become a stylist and she started studying business. She is just amazing and I loved to follow along her college experience including having a roommate.
And the two immediately have such chemistry. Therefore, they fake date and it was stunning to see them actually falling in love with each other. There were so many stunning and tender moments and you can only fall in love with Bennett and Grace. It was also a great take on the bad boy and good girl aspect and I loved that.
5 stars.
It’s about Bennett who is a professional hockey player and famous for being a player and a handful. After an injury, he works on getting better and not only physically, but also as a person. At least that’s what he wants the public to think. He is back at his alma mater and meets Grace there. Grace wants to become a stylist and she started studying business. She is just amazing and I loved to follow along her college experience including having a roommate.
And the two immediately have such chemistry. Therefore, they fake date and it was stunning to see them actually falling in love with each other. There were so many stunning and tender moments and you can only fall in love with Bennett and Grace. It was also a great take on the bad boy and good girl aspect and I loved that.
5 stars.
January 27, 2024
Blurb…
Hockey's bad boy needs to clean up his reputation and she's just the girl to help him do it.
Tropes
~hockey romance
~fake dating
~good girl x bad boy
Review
I DNF’ed
There was nothing wrong with this book at all but nothing grabbed my attention to want to continue it and I didn’t want to continue and not like it more than I all ready do. The writing really just isn’t for me. I really don’t think it’s a bad book and I’m sure you just need to trust the process but I just don’t feel like reading that. I’ll probably pick it back up later on.
Hockey's bad boy needs to clean up his reputation and she's just the girl to help him do it.
Tropes
~hockey romance
~fake dating
~good girl x bad boy
Review
I DNF’ed
There was nothing wrong with this book at all but nothing grabbed my attention to want to continue it and I didn’t want to continue and not like it more than I all ready do. The writing really just isn’t for me. I really don’t think it’s a bad book and I’m sure you just need to trust the process but I just don’t feel like reading that. I’ll probably pick it back up later on.
August 22, 2023
I liked the book... until..
August 5, 2024
2/5⭐️ 2/5🌶️ 2.5/5🎧
——• 🖤
The whole thing was based on the fake dating and falling in love but the actual story was nonexistent and the ending was grasping at straws🙄🙄🙄.
It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t good either, a little on the bore side but eh it was decent enough💅🏼 Also I don’t know why but I absolutely froth over my beefy men giving their other half the nickname sweetheart 😍
🎧🎧 Do not waste your time on the audiobook because i swear it was like the nerd version of hockey… Bennett was made out to be a “big and buff” hockey player yet the voice was giving book worm vibes all over. Not to mention when he voiced Grace as that… gave old lady vibes😬
——• 🖤
The whole thing was based on the fake dating and falling in love but the actual story was nonexistent and the ending was grasping at straws🙄🙄🙄.
It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t good either, a little on the bore side but eh it was decent enough💅🏼 Also I don’t know why but I absolutely froth over my beefy men giving their other half the nickname sweetheart 😍
🎧🎧 Do not waste your time on the audiobook because i swear it was like the nerd version of hockey… Bennett was made out to be a “big and buff” hockey player yet the voice was giving book worm vibes all over. Not to mention when he voiced Grace as that… gave old lady vibes😬
April 5, 2023
3.85 carrément j’veux pas mettre 4 parce que c’était pas hyper bien écrit mais c’était quand même trop bien 😭
August 4, 2023
I love Micalea but this just wasn't for me. I think at this stage I wouldn't go back to it but it felt very formulaic and just wasn't for me
Read
October 20, 2023go ask Bella.
June 7, 2024
3.5/5 Stars
September 28, 2023
2⭐️ 2🌶️
What the actual fuck was the last 10% of this book 🙈🙈🙈🙈
I overlooked the initial absurdity of a pro hockey player going back to his college (and living in the dorms) to practice and keep up on his skills while sitting out of the actual hockey season (reasons dubious) all because I actually liked the budding friendship and eventual relationship between Bennett and Grace.
Bennett really was a golden retriever. I loved how patient and tender he was Grace given her lack of experience sexually. Their fake dating was fun, they had great banter and chemistry. I also loved Bennett’s POV chapters and that that he actually broached the subject of making their relationship real and they even got to the I love you stage 💕
So that makes the fact that this torpedoed so fast at the end mind boggling. 😵💫
There’s a running subplot regarding Bennet’s pro hockey coach that then blows up into a rape allegation against Bennett. Clearly this coach is unhinged and if that’s the direction the author wanted to go to escalate the situation, ok. I’ve seen this play out where the MMC then does a self sacrifice break so protect the FMC, which I don’t love, but ok. But this went the other direction and Grace just drops Bennett without letting him explain anything 😡 but that’s just a part of it. Everything about the last 10% was rushed, details glossed over and conflicts resolved too easily. Even the dialogue was bad. And THEN when it’s revealed, that guess what he is innocent she’s all “How could I ever how doubted him” 🙄 But what’s worse is he’s all “I wonder if she’ll ever forgive me” (for all the drama) Bitch what???? He wasn’t mad she bailed 🤮 And final straw was that she realized she needed to make an epic grand gesture and you know what it was????
Throwing candy at him DURING a game (he loves sour patch kids) and this is her speech as to why he should be her man: 🤦🏻♀️
“Number one, I’ll always bring you Sour Patch Kids even if I think they’re the grossest thing ever.” I laugh at this. “Two,” she ticks it off on her finger, “I’ll learn to ice skate and maybe even learn to play hockey.” I press my lips together, staving off my smile. “Three, I’ll always tell you when you’re wrong—which you are, a lot.” I shake my head. “Four, when you start to get to cocky, I’ll bring you back down to Earth.” She winks, and fuck it if my stomach doesn’t do a little flip because dammit that’s the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen. “And five, I love you and that’s reason enough.”
And he was happy as a clam,
I finally got the girl.
I finally got it all.
You know what else was missing? An I’M SORRY🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯
To anyone giving this 5 stars and can overlook this travesty of an ending, I have no words.
What the actual fuck was the last 10% of this book 🙈🙈🙈🙈
I overlooked the initial absurdity of a pro hockey player going back to his college (and living in the dorms) to practice and keep up on his skills while sitting out of the actual hockey season (reasons dubious) all because I actually liked the budding friendship and eventual relationship between Bennett and Grace.
Bennett really was a golden retriever. I loved how patient and tender he was Grace given her lack of experience sexually. Their fake dating was fun, they had great banter and chemistry. I also loved Bennett’s POV chapters and that that he actually broached the subject of making their relationship real and they even got to the I love you stage 💕
So that makes the fact that this torpedoed so fast at the end mind boggling. 😵💫
There’s a running subplot regarding Bennet’s pro hockey coach that then blows up into a rape allegation against Bennett. Clearly this coach is unhinged and if that’s the direction the author wanted to go to escalate the situation, ok. I’ve seen this play out where the MMC then does a self sacrifice break so protect the FMC, which I don’t love, but ok. But this went the other direction and Grace just drops Bennett without letting him explain anything 😡 but that’s just a part of it. Everything about the last 10% was rushed, details glossed over and conflicts resolved too easily. Even the dialogue was bad. And THEN when it’s revealed, that guess what he is innocent she’s all “How could I ever how doubted him” 🙄 But what’s worse is he’s all “I wonder if she’ll ever forgive me” (for all the drama) Bitch what???? He wasn’t mad she bailed 🤮 And final straw was that she realized she needed to make an epic grand gesture and you know what it was????
Throwing candy at him DURING a game (he loves sour patch kids) and this is her speech as to why he should be her man: 🤦🏻♀️
“Number one, I’ll always bring you Sour Patch Kids even if I think they’re the grossest thing ever.” I laugh at this. “Two,” she ticks it off on her finger, “I’ll learn to ice skate and maybe even learn to play hockey.” I press my lips together, staving off my smile. “Three, I’ll always tell you when you’re wrong—which you are, a lot.” I shake my head. “Four, when you start to get to cocky, I’ll bring you back down to Earth.” She winks, and fuck it if my stomach doesn’t do a little flip because dammit that’s the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen. “And five, I love you and that’s reason enough.”
And he was happy as a clam,
I finally got the girl.
I finally got it all.
You know what else was missing? An I’M SORRY🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯
To anyone giving this 5 stars and can overlook this travesty of an ending, I have no words.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 28, 2024
Just when I had moved past Grace's annoying immaturity, she gets infinitely worse.
March 1, 2024
where do i begin?? actually i’d wish i’d never began this book. this is just another unrealistic, cringy book that was all over the place. this has as much seasoning as flour.
December 13, 2023
This has potential to be a good fake dating/hockey romance. However, this book was a bit juvenile and had a lot of grammatical and spelling errors. I would have overlooked them if the plot would have been more planned out. I believe that this was one of the authors earlier books, so I may try another before I give up.
November 25, 2023
I loved the couple and the slow burn but the drama/conflict was extra.
December 19, 2022
We're playing a very dangerous game, one where someone gets hurt, but both of us seem helpless to stop it.
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𝙍𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬
The Game Plan is a new adult, college romance between a “good girl” and a professional, hockey player looking for redemption.
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Grace and Bennett meet on campus and there’s instant chemistry between the two. Fate steps in and the two continue to run into each other. After a night of hanging out, photos surface of the two of them. Bennett asks Grace to fake date in hopes that a relationship will help his damaged reputation.
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This is a good read with lots of banter between Bennett and Grace. They had a fast friendship and it was very obvious they enjoyed each others company. I really enjoyed the friendship between Grace and her roommate.
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If you’re looking for a good, new adult hockey romance, this one’s for you. It’s quick and can easily be read in a day.
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𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚:
🏒Hockey
🏒Fake Dating
🏒Smell of Coffee Shops
🏒Red Sour Patch Kids
🏒Tattoos & Coffee
🏒'Bad Boy' x 'Good Girl'
🏒Friends to Lovers
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𝙍𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜: 3.5
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
𝙍𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬
The Game Plan is a new adult, college romance between a “good girl” and a professional, hockey player looking for redemption.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Grace and Bennett meet on campus and there’s instant chemistry between the two. Fate steps in and the two continue to run into each other. After a night of hanging out, photos surface of the two of them. Bennett asks Grace to fake date in hopes that a relationship will help his damaged reputation.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
This is a good read with lots of banter between Bennett and Grace. They had a fast friendship and it was very obvious they enjoyed each others company. I really enjoyed the friendship between Grace and her roommate.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
If you’re looking for a good, new adult hockey romance, this one’s for you. It’s quick and can easily be read in a day.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚:
🏒Hockey
🏒Fake Dating
🏒Smell of Coffee Shops
🏒Red Sour Patch Kids
🏒Tattoos & Coffee
🏒'Bad Boy' x 'Good Girl'
🏒Friends to Lovers
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
𝙍𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜: 3.5
June 12, 2024
Grace is at college, she's the typical good girl type virgin. She has an over protective father and two protective brothers, meaning she didn't really have much of a dating life while in high school.
Bennett is a pro hockey player sporting an injury and back on campus training with his old coach and team. He's a bad boy womaniser...and damn sexy!
A chance meeting throws this pair together and they become sort-of friends.
Bennett wants to clean up his image and Grace wants to learn how to be a bad girl. Queue the fake relationship trope and let the fun begin.
I really enjoyed this book. Grace was easy to relate with Bennett made my heart race. It was great watching both characters evolve and find themselves within this story.
Bennett is a pro hockey player sporting an injury and back on campus training with his old coach and team. He's a bad boy womaniser...and damn sexy!
A chance meeting throws this pair together and they become sort-of friends.
Bennett wants to clean up his image and Grace wants to learn how to be a bad girl. Queue the fake relationship trope and let the fun begin.
I really enjoyed this book. Grace was easy to relate with Bennett made my heart race. It was great watching both characters evolve and find themselves within this story.
August 26, 2023
3⭐️ | 2.5🌶️
This book was sitting at a solid 3.5 until that third act breakup. That was the stupidest crap I have ever read.
The dialogue in this book was cheesy and the characters were kinda weird, but I would have been okay with the story had it not been for that ending. The story itself was overall just okay, but I sat on my couch in shock after finishing this book at how stupid the 3rd act breakup was. I was really hoping to like this one, but unfortunately it was not for me.
This book was sitting at a solid 3.5 until that third act breakup. That was the stupidest crap I have ever read.
The dialogue in this book was cheesy and the characters were kinda weird, but I would have been okay with the story had it not been for that ending. The story itself was overall just okay, but I sat on my couch in shock after finishing this book at how stupid the 3rd act breakup was. I was really hoping to like this one, but unfortunately it was not for me.
December 29, 2022
★ ★ ★ ★ (4/5)
went back to my fave genre: hockey romance, with this one <3
this was a really cute read! Bennett was such a good guy, and you could really tell he cared for Grace. their love was there and you could tell from the very beginning that they would definitely fall hard for each other.
do i recommend: yeah! it was different and really cute!
went back to my fave genre: hockey romance, with this one <3
this was a really cute read! Bennett was such a good guy, and you could really tell he cared for Grace. their love was there and you could tell from the very beginning that they would definitely fall hard for each other.
do i recommend: yeah! it was different and really cute!
September 30, 2024
2.5 Stars
I feel apathetic about this one. It did nothing for me.
There was nothing offensive or egregious, it was just cookie cutter and did nothing new. That wouldn’t be a problem on its own except it was mostly boring. No real conflict, no real character depth or development, and I didn’t care about it.
I feel apathetic about this one. It did nothing for me.
There was nothing offensive or egregious, it was just cookie cutter and did nothing new. That wouldn’t be a problem on its own except it was mostly boring. No real conflict, no real character depth or development, and I didn’t care about it.
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