Title: Played
Series: Gridiron #4
Author: Jen Frederick
Release date: October 6, 2017
Cliffhanger: No
REVIEW
Played is the fourth installment of the Gridiron series, bringing us Ty Masters' story, who is Knox's identical twin. Knox is the hero from Sacked, book one, which is quite possibly my favorite of the entire series so far. The Gridiron books have been new adult perfection for me, and the standard for what I look for in the genre. Jen Frederick knows how to deliver the goods that I'm expecting: flirty, witty banter, a delicious amount of angst and steam, and a group of secondary characters who shine equally as much. The notable character development is what really makes these stand apart in an oversaturated genre. Regretfully, for the first time, I just wasn't feeling that same love for Ty's story. I wish I could say I felt that same excitement, but there was something missing here for me. Or several somethings. This is what I would call your typical friends to lovers trope.
I knew when I first met him during freshman orientation that I had two choices. I could date him for a short time and be forgotten. Or I could be his friend. I chose the latter, and four years and countless girlfriends later, Ty and I are best friends.
As you would expect, one of the main conflicts was Ara's fear of ruining their friendship if their romance didn't work out. In addition to this, adding to her hesitancy was the poor relationship record of her father. His inability to maintain a long term relationship because his art career was his first priority taught her a damaging lesson. It was easy to draw a comparison to Ty and her father. Ty, who loves football so much that he couldn't invest any time or interest in making a relationship work throughout college. In her eyes, it was better to push down her deeper feelings, never hinting that her best friend made her desire so much more.
Here's my problem with Ara. She is quite the frustrating people pleaser. And when you're this type of person, you inevitably let others walk all over you. And no, I don't expect a character to be perfect from beginning to end, I like to see character growth. It makes them feel much more realistic. However, in her case, she was her own worst enemy on so many different occasions that I really wanted to knock some sense into her. Trying to make her mother happy and seeking validation, who did nothing but insult her, and disparage her choices. Choosing to endure the abuse of her co-worker to appease his anger over how she got hired. Not just suggesting, but pushing Ty into the arms of a seemingly unhealthy relationship with another girl just to deflect him away from her own feelings. I'll be honest, it got to be a bit much. She was incapable of standing tall and living her truth in her life.
Ara had a lack of maturity for her age, that I couldn't get on board with. Her method of dealing with a problem that arose in her life was to pretend it wasn't there, or to run like the wind. After her first hook up with Ty, she pretended as if it never happened rather than addressing it and clearing it up with him. The second time, she avoided him like a scared child when he tried to have an adult discussion with her over their relationship. I wasn't a fan of how she treated him, especially after the second time. She left him hanging, feeling confused, angry, and hurt. All during a time when he needed her to be there for him.
Ty had his fair share of personal conflicts that dogged him leading to his imminent entry into the draft. A vindictive ex-girlfriend who smeared his character on social media, an agent with questionable morals and methods of doing business, and the supposed weak spot to his image because he didn't have a girlfriend. First of all, his chosen agent was a complete scumbag, and he was so bad, I lost a measure of respect for Ty for not dropping him before he was forced to do so.
His agent after Ty's girlfriend dumped him:
"Dammit," Dana curses but he does is while smiling. He's great at putting on a show. "Why the hell can't you keep one dumb bitch satisfied?(...) Find a dumb bitch, then, and fuck her into submission, okay?"
His advice when Ty's ex trashed him online:
"If she's not bribable, than we threaten her. Give me her number and I'll tell her that if she doesn't take this post down and apologize, we're going to make her into the next college porn star."
And why do you ask, does he STAY with this piece of filth? His pride and stubbornness. His family and friends are telling him left and right that he needs to send him packing, but no. He lets this man manage his career simply because he doesn't want to hire his brother's agent. He wants to do things on his own. I'm sorry, how could you remotely be okay with someone with such glaring character flaws? And then he is somehow surprised when his choice blows up in his face later. Not sure how that is possible.
The whole "you need a girlfriend" thing and his image issues that plagued him were not really that believable to me, and the resolution was surprisingly anti-climatic I thought. Just one throwaway sentence towards the end that everything was smoothed over suddenly, after the drama that ensued throughout the book? It made me sit and go, "Hmm." When it came to Ara, he was very sweet, and I can't say that he was a bad guy overall. But as a couple...I wasn't feeling much excitement for them. There was a definite lack of angst during the period they worked through the barrier of their friendship. I almost felt ambivalent over how they would come together. I didn't see their desperation to be together, it was more lukewarm than anything. So, as a result, I didn't feel that.
Despite the disappointed tone of this review, I didn't hate this one, but unfortunately I didn't feel nearly what I was expecting based on my enjoyment of the series in the past. It was a very fast paced read, and I was never bored or overly angry. But the spark was missing for me personally. Maybe you won't feel the same, and this book sounds right up your alley. I urge you to pick up Played and give it a chance.
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