Title: Gametime
Author: Jami Davenport, Heart Eyes Press
Series: Moo U #5
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary, Contemporary romance, Sports romance
Pace: Fast
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2021

Even though the beginning of this story is kind of cringe-worthy, Pax and Naomi work beautifully as a couple. I mean, the fact that it’s friends to lovers is always a story that I’m going to get behind. However, I didn’t necessarily love the fact that they first get together because Naomi thinks that Pax is his twin. Or how she handles her faux pas. It was definitely an awkward beginning. But, it very quickly became a story that I just didn’t want to put down. Fun, adorable and with so much angst that I couldn’t wait to see what was going to happen next.

Although throughout the story, I’m entirely on Pax’s side, it is easy to see how blindsided he made his twin, Patrick. I mean, Patrick also didn’t exactly handle things very well. But, they are also new adults who aren’t the most mature people in the world. It definitely shows what a fantastic author Davenport is, I might have entirely been on Pax’s side, but I also could completely understand the motivations behind Patrick’s behaviours. I’m such a fan of stories about contentious sibling relationships that still come from a place of love, and Davenport hit this perfectly.

It took a little longer than I would have liked for Naomi to sort out her nonsense and actually be a kind human being. But, I did enjoy the process. And, when she finally did decide to sort herself out, it was a thoroughly enjoyable and unforgettable journey. Plus, as with Pax and Patrick, you could understand where that trauma came from and why she wasn’t necessarily making the best decisions. Her grand gesture also went a long way to smoothing over the hackles raised at some of her earlier decisions.

Gametime was a fairly simple and fun college romance, with just enough angst throughout to make it interesting. It did touch on some serious issues of abuse and traumatic upbringings, but in a way that didn’t bog me down too much after I turned that final page. What an adventure of mistaken identity, friends to lovers romance, with a whole heap of family pressure and expectations thrown in. And lets not forget the hockey – so much hockey action that made me want to actually, maybe watch this sport…

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Image source: Goodreads