Another sequel to the popular hockey series, which this time takes us on a romantic and winding journey of a future movie star, Allie, and a gorgeous hockey coach, Dean.
Probably the most well-known and fan-favorite book in the entire series puts us once again face-to-face with the dramatic life choices of the main characters, which don’t go without a short breakup and a dramatic realization that they simply can’t live without their other half.
Maybe these books don’t completely feel like a lineup of traumatized characters if a reader leaves a bigger time gap between the individual books. I read the first three books back-to-back in a single month, and I have to say that almost every single character has a huge tragedy in their life. Don’t get me wrong, people experience all kinds of trauma and loss in life, but having so many of them packed together like in this series is just too much of a coincidence. Hannah had to survive a sexual assault, Garrett was physically abused by his dad, Logan’s dad was a sick alcoholic, Allie’s mom died when she was little and her dad suffered from a serious illness, while Dean had to deal with the sudden death of a close friend. I feel like the only character who doesn’t fit the equation is Grace, who pretty much lives a life without any major struggles. Then again, the plot and storylines have to develop somehow…
And now, straight to our book. At first, Dean doesn’t really fit the basic character trait that the author loves to give her characters. He comes from a very wealthy family, his parents love him and his siblings, and he has a great relationship with everyone. I really appreciate that despite having decent wealth, the parents managed to raise their kids within the bounds of normalcy and modesty. The reality is, when you have the kind of money described in the book, you can’t grow up like middle-class kids. The houses, vacations, and schools they have available are just way beyond ordinary life, but Dean’s parents tried to instill a non-privileged lifestyle in their children.
In my opinion, Dean is great as a friend—he is funny, hardworking, and helps out when needed—but I couldn’t imagine him as a partner. The guy literally slept with anything that moved. At least, that’s how he was portrayed in the book. Garrett and Logan were also written as womanizers, but the author handled it a bit more elegantly. Dean was really pushing the limit for me. Personally, it would bother me to have a partner who has been with half the female population on campus. For this reason, I couldn’t sympathize with him as much as I did with Garrett, for example. I was also surprised by the instant flip in his values. He just stopped sleeping around and shifted to a steady, serious relationship with Allie, never even thinking about another woman. I read a lot of fantasy, but resurrection feels more plausible to me than that. I missed a deeper description of their relationship and him falling in love, just so I could understand why she of all people was so special that she managed to tame and win over the famous Dean. We did get a glimpse into his past, and it was explained to us readers why Dean didn’t want a serious relationship. It’s not hard to get burned.
I don’t have all that much to say about Allie. I’m glad the author pointed out that there are people who have a partner just so they aren’t alone, and not because they can’t imagine living without that person. Allie had always been in some relationship from a pretty early age, even at the cost of her own unhappiness. She never experienced what it’s like to be single and be content and happy. A partner is someone who complements you, helps you, and you spend time with them because you want to, not because you just don’t want to come back to an empty house. I’m glad Allie realized this and decided to spend some time just by herself.
Dean probably went through a bigger life change than Allie. On top of tossing his “friends with benefits” aside, he suddenly had to say goodbye to one of his closest friends. I didn’t really get this whole part. From the three books I’ve read, I never got the feeling that Dean and Beau were actually that inseparable. Losing a loved one is tough, and everyone copes differently, but with Dean, I missed a more detailed description of his state of mind that would at least partly help me understand his feelings and attitude. That whole part just felt wrapped in a haze, much like the weed he was smoking almost the entire time.
On top of that, he changed the life his parents had planned out for him. Instead of going to law school and a prestigious university, he decided to become a teacher and help the younger generation. He and his family get a bonus point from me for that. Not every parent in their position would allow something like that, since these people usually live a pre-scripted life.
I don’t really know how to describe this book. For me, it was pretty meh—it couldn’t pull me into the story as much as the first book in the series. Maybe because the tropes keep repeating, and the author focuses more on personal growth and finding oneself rather than the relationships themselves. Which isn’t a bad thing, but I kind of feel like that wasn’t the main point of the series. Because of this, I think the book doesn’t get as nice of a rating as the first one. But despite that, I’ll gladly read the last romance story from the crew.