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The Perfect Game
by J. SterlingSeries: The Perfect Game #1
Published by Self-Published on October 1, 2012
SubGenres: New Adult and College Romance
Format: eBook
Pages: 379
Source: Kobo Plus
Audience: 18+/Adult
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He's a game she never intended to play. And she's the game changer he never knew he needed.
The Perfect Game tells the story of college juniors, Cassie Andrews & Jack Carter. When Cassie meets rising baseball hopeful Jack, she is determined to steer clear of him and his typical cocky attitude. But Jack has other things on his mind... like getting Cassie to give him the time of day.
They're both damaged, filled with mistrust and guarded before they find one another (and themselves) in this emotional journey about love and forgiveness. Strap yourselves for a ride that will not only break your heart, but put it back together.
Sometimes life gets ugly before it gets beautiful...
This is a MATURE YOUNG ADULT/NEW ADULT novelSuitable for ages 17+ Contains strong language, sexual situations and references
DNF @ 66%
I think I might have enjoyed The Perfect Game by J. Sterling more if I had read it in my twenties. At this point in my life (in my forties and going through perimenopause), I find myself less patient with certain character decisions, like those made by the characters in this book.
<Warning: Spoilers Ahead>
I personally found it difficult to connect with the MMC, Jack. Jack starts out as a player, and although Cassie is aware of this, she still decides to be with him because she believes he has changed for her and cares about her. However, after being drafted and spending time away from Cassie, Jack gets drunk and reverts to old habits, cheating with someone who was a groupie and wouldn’t stop harassing him until he gave in to her actions.
This was the point where I decided to stop reading the book, which was at 66%. Out of curiosity, I checked some reviews and learned that Jack not only cheats but that another significant event occurs. Jack and Cassie are apart for a while, but eventually Cassie forgives him. There would be no way I could forgive him, especially if he didn’t grovel a lot, and I’m not really interested in finding out if he did or not, which is why I stopped reading.
Looking back, I probably should have stopped reading earlier, as I sensed early on that I might not connect with the story. Cassie and Jack’s relationship moved too quickly, and his reputation as a player made me hesitant. Additionally, when Cassie is mugged, and Jack’s teammates do not step in to help, it becomes clear that these characters might not resonate with me. (At least Jack was pissed off with his teammates, too, for what they did.) The exception was Jack’s brother, Dean, who tried to help Cassie when she was being mugged, but got hurt too.
Unfortunately, this book wasn’t a great fit for me, so I don’t plan on finishing reading it or continuing the series.
This was my first book by J. Sterling, and even though it ticked me off, I do plan on checking out other books that J. Sterling has written. This book/series just isn’t for me. As I stated earlier, I probably would have enjoyed it more in my twenties when I was not going through Perimenopause.
POV: Dual POV (First Person)
Would I recommend this book? I would only recommend this book if you enjoy reading New Adult Romance that has a baseball player who is a playboy and doesn’t mind cheating, then you may enjoy this book. But for me, it’s a hard no.
About J. Sterling
J. (jenn) Sterling is a New York Times and USA Today best selling author of multiple contemporary romances. She lives in California with her only son, Blake. If you can't find her sitting behind a computer screen writing new stories, then there's a good chance she's sitting in the bleachers of a baseball stadium watching him play.
Jenn enjoys traveling to new places, meeting her readers and spending time with the love of her life, the one & only, Jack F'n Carter! Oh yeah, it's true. <3
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