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A review by lenoreo
Snowballed by Melanie Ting
4.0
https://celebrityreaders.com/2021/06/07/snowballed-by-melanie-ting/
I received a free copy through Heart Eyes Press in exchange for an honest and unbiased review/opinion.
4 stars — Well this book surprised me with the depth it contained! It also had me ordering Japanese food, but that’s because I’m easily influenced.
This was my first time listening to Ryan West, and he was pretty solid. I will say that with both narrators I had a harder time figuring out dialogue from internal thought…but that seems to just be hard to do. Both were great at emotions and pacing, but in particular Ms. Bloom nailed the emotion and anxiety for Zoe.
It’s funny, b/c I had a harder time warming up to Noah in this one…he was just such a jerk when he first meets Zoe. And while it’s sort of explained, and it kind of fit with his slow moving character, it was too bad he got off to such a poor start. But once he settled in, I kind of enjoyed his fairly mellow straightforward character. I loved the way he helped his teammates, and how he helped Zoe (both on the farm and in hockey). I adored how soft he was with the animals. And I appreciated all that he was going through, and how who his parents were really could affect how people treated him.
On the other hand, I enjoyed Zoe almost right away — she was spunky and forthright and down to earth and hardworking…and pretty sunny. Of course that just made it harder when she got more and more irrational at times. The subjects that Ms. Ting tackled with Zoe were really hard and real, and wow was it difficult to read at times. Because you end up seeing the worst of Zoe in many moments, and it was so hard to watch her resist help. Also, while I enjoy a heroine who has insecurities (because relatable), Zoe’s were a bit out of control. BUT, saying all that, she did end up growing a lot. It came mostly at the end of the book, so at times it felt a bit fast, but I still appreciated seeing that growth. And man…so much crying.
I LOVED the friendship chemistry between Noah and Zoe. I enjoyed the dynamic they had, and how they balanced one another. I didn’t always feel the physical chemistry, though their steamy scenes were definitely hot. I think it was also hard to get into their relationship when there was so much volatility at times.
Lots of fun secondary characters as always, and the family dynamics were interesting for both of them. It was strange because Zoe was a bit of an unreliable narrator with her Mom and brother, and so I wasn’t happy with them for much of the book. And yet…the ending made it work.
And on a side note, not to be a weirdo, but OMG it was so refreshing to have such accurate hockey writing! So many times I find myself critiquing what the author knows about the sport, and while I get sometimes there are liberties taken for drama’s sake, sometimes I just can’t even. This is a book for the true hockey lover — prepare to feel like you’re actually watching it.
All in all this was a solid read with lots of nuance and emotions.
I received a free copy through Heart Eyes Press in exchange for an honest and unbiased review/opinion.
4 stars — Well this book surprised me with the depth it contained! It also had me ordering Japanese food, but that’s because I’m easily influenced.
This was my first time listening to Ryan West, and he was pretty solid. I will say that with both narrators I had a harder time figuring out dialogue from internal thought…but that seems to just be hard to do. Both were great at emotions and pacing, but in particular Ms. Bloom nailed the emotion and anxiety for Zoe.
It’s funny, b/c I had a harder time warming up to Noah in this one…he was just such a jerk when he first meets Zoe. And while it’s sort of explained, and it kind of fit with his slow moving character, it was too bad he got off to such a poor start. But once he settled in, I kind of enjoyed his fairly mellow straightforward character. I loved the way he helped his teammates, and how he helped Zoe (both on the farm and in hockey). I adored how soft he was with the animals. And I appreciated all that he was going through, and how who his parents were really could affect how people treated him.
On the other hand, I enjoyed Zoe almost right away — she was spunky and forthright and down to earth and hardworking…and pretty sunny. Of course that just made it harder when she got more and more irrational at times. The subjects that Ms. Ting tackled with Zoe were really hard and real, and wow was it difficult to read at times. Because you end up seeing the worst of Zoe in many moments, and it was so hard to watch her resist help. Also, while I enjoy a heroine who has insecurities (because relatable), Zoe’s were a bit out of control. BUT, saying all that, she did end up growing a lot. It came mostly at the end of the book, so at times it felt a bit fast, but I still appreciated seeing that growth. And man…so much crying.
I LOVED the friendship chemistry between Noah and Zoe. I enjoyed the dynamic they had, and how they balanced one another. I didn’t always feel the physical chemistry, though their steamy scenes were definitely hot. I think it was also hard to get into their relationship when there was so much volatility at times.
Lots of fun secondary characters as always, and the family dynamics were interesting for both of them. It was strange because Zoe was a bit of an unreliable narrator with her Mom and brother, and so I wasn’t happy with them for much of the book. And yet…the ending made it work.
And on a side note, not to be a weirdo, but OMG it was so refreshing to have such accurate hockey writing! So many times I find myself critiquing what the author knows about the sport, and while I get sometimes there are liberties taken for drama’s sake, sometimes I just can’t even. This is a book for the true hockey lover — prepare to feel like you’re actually watching it.
All in all this was a solid read with lots of nuance and emotions.