Unabridged Ructions: Pucking Around by Emily Rath

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Book Vibe: I’m too tired for this plotline

Characters: Rachel Price, Caleb Sanford, Jake Compton, Ilmari "Mars" Kinnunen

Big sigh. This book.

Let me preface this with a disclaimer. I like the “reverse harem” / “why choose?” trope. I don’t care about the order of operations: who’s with who first, how they get there, or what creative furniture is involved. I also love stupid, cheesy dialogue and over-the-top lines that make me laugh, even when they’re nowhere near smart or groundbreaking. That is not the problem here.

The problem? Is it the sketchy doctor/patient power dynamic? No. The wet-noodle FMC? Also no. It’s that this thing is nearly 800 pages long when it maybe, maybe, had enough story for 300. The conflict is paper-thin, and the insta-love kills any tension before it starts. If you’re going to have a woman and three men end up together, you need an actual climb to get there. We can’t all just yell "Yay! Let’s do it!" like horny cheerleaders and call it a plot.

Rachel, our wet-noodle, is annoying. I have no idea why these guys are so obsessed with her. Caleb and Jake have the closest thing to a relationship arc, and Ilmari? He’s just a random add-on, like a DLC nobody asked for. If I wanted that experience, I’d just play The Sims and set someone on fire. Instead, my brain is the thing in ashes.

When Rachel asked herself if she should stay or go, I was screaming, GO! Let these men rest in peace! Ugh.

I wanted messy, chaotic fun. What I got was a very long book where the only real journey was how fast my enthusiasm died.

Overall Rating: ★★☆☆☆
Enjoyment Rating: ★☆☆☆☆
Ease of Reading: ★★★☆☆

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