Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Book Review: Don't Hate The Player... Hate the Game by Katie Ashley


Don't Hate the Player...Hate the Game

Synopsis:

For Noah Sullivan being the best friend to a douchebag and player like Jake Nelson has never been easy. It's been a rocky road since kindergarten when Jake duct taped Noah to his chair before recess. With just six weeks to high school graduation, Jake accidentally blows his drunken ass up on his grandfather's tractor, and Noah finds himself immersed not only in a whirlwind of grief, but on a quest to find a mystery girl from Jake's past. 


While cleaning out Jake's room, Noah and Jake's dad make a startling discovery. Instead of the obligatory porn collection or pot stash, they find a ring, but not just any ring. Its half a carat of commitment in a platinum setting-proving even man whores have taste. After Jake's mom pleads with Noah to find the girl who meant so much to Jake, Noah begins a modern day Grail quest to track the girl down.

Since Jake was a notorious player with a legendary collection of trophy panties, Noah finds himself in over his head. There are the usual suspects like Avery, the Ice Princess Jake dated for appearances, or Presley, the school mattress Jake dated for convenience. But the trail begins to point to the most unlikely of suspects: Maddie, the Valedictorian and choir girl who was trying to help the unmotivated jock graduate--the girl who also has surprisingly caught Noah's eye and meddled with his heart. 

Hanging out with Maddie shows Noah a different side of Jake--one that was deeply human and surprisingly douche-free. And the more he tries to solve the mystery of the ring and of Jake, the more Noah starts to discover about himself and of love.




Review:
5 Beautiful STARS

Ok, once again I read a book without fully reading the Synopsis so a lot of things were a shock for me. For instance, how Jake died. I knew going into the book that he'd die, but I just imagined a car accident or something. NOT at all what really happened..

at 3% my heart literally sunk..
at 4% I was teary-eyed..
and at 5% I was full on crying..!!!!!

This was a great book!!! 
Beautifully written!!
Props to Katie Ashley!

I found myself crying most of the book.. so it goes without saying.. 
yes, this is an emotional read. 

My heart broke for all the characters!!! Jake!!! Noah!! Maddie!!! Jake's mom!! Everyone!
Ok maybe I'm also very sentimental, but damn!! Katie Ashley was slowly killing me with this book. 


"Jake is dead. My best friend is dead. I was never going to drink beers with him around a bonfire down by the lake or scope out chicks at the mall. We weren't going to share a dorm room together at Georgia Tech like we'd planned or rush the fraternity that his brother and some of my uncles had been in." - Noah

Everyone thought they "knew" Jake.. but not really.. I mean, not even Noah, his best friend.. 

"I tried hard processing the fact that Jake had bought a ring for a girl. Jake, the ultimate manwhore and player, had bee serious enough about commitment to buy a ring. Jesus."


"Don't you know how hard it was to be two people? The guy everyone expected him to be and the guy he was really deep down?"


"He did everything he could to please others  - even if it was misguided" 

"Two Jakes"

But Noah went on a quest... one that led him not only to discover who truly Jake was, but to something he didn't know he was missing.. 
love.

"I wasn't drowning in sadness anymore. Instead I was drowning in her- her smile, her beauty, her giving heart and beautiful spirit."


"Noah. will you do something for me?" 
Oh, shit. I didn't like the sinfully sing-song tone of her voice. "What?" I croaked. 
"Would you stop acting like a gentleman for five minutes and kiss me?"



"...I need you to let me take care of you.."


"You have been the beacon of light in my storm of grief, and I don't know if I could live without you."


*sigh*

What a beautiful book!! Loved the ending!!!! yes.. it's a happy one!!!

Do yourself a favor and read this book!  

Highly recommend it!



"I knew in that moment I'd found the perfect love, acceptance and happiness I'd be searching for. And I had Jake to thank for it."










About the Author:

Katie Ashley


(From here site)

"These things always sound overly pretentious, don't they? 


*Strokes chin* What to say about me?!!! 

Anyway, I was born and raised in the burbs of Atlanta. I'm an only child with a large extended family much like the one in My Big Fat Greek Wedding...except we're Southerners. 

I have a BA in English, a BS in Secondary English Education, and a Masters in Adolesecent English Education. I've been teaching English for twelve years in both middle and high school. I've also taught adjunct classes at a local college where I had students waaay older than me, and that was a weird one! 

I'm also a former cheerleading coach. Nothing teaches you about life quite like being stuck on a bus with a squad of fifteen year old girls!!"



Contact her:







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