FROM POPULAR YOUNG ADULT FICTION AUTHOR, JAQUELINE SNOWEBook two in the Cleat Chasers seriesPretending to date your best friend is always a good idea…right? Wrong.Greta Aske has a lot on her mind, and a string of bad dates has her giving up on men, at least for the time being. Her life contains a little too much drama, meaning she needs a break and to save money and get good grades. The perfect … save money and get good grades. The perfect solution presents itself—pretend to date the campus playboy. That’ll keep the guys away for sure.
Aaron Hill is desperate to save his baseball career because, with his dad fighting cancer, he damn well knows he can’t ask for a single penny from his parents. Baseball is his past, present and future, so when a scandal threatens his chance in the MLB, he turns to his best friend for help. A fake relationship will keep him out of trouble. It’s perfect, really. Greta’s taking a break from dating and Aaron needs to focus on training.
Nothing could go wrong…as long as neither falls for the other. But when lines are crossed, what’s real and fake blurs and the two are forced to face their fears. Could Greta be the game changer Aaron needs?
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Fake it until you make it!
The Game Changer by Jaqueline Snowe encompasses what happens when college students are away from home. The story deals with a scholarship student that depends on a scholarship to stay at school and becomes drafted for the MLB. The other student’s parents pay for part of the expense and works while attending classes. This is the story of Greta and Aaron for the first half of their junior year of college.
Greta Aske
Greta Aske is the first point-of-view character that we met, and she is a great character who loves to help everyone. However, that may be a problem for her later on because of an agreement with her best friend, Aaron Hill. Greta is twenty-one years old, works at a bar, and knows she wants to be a teacher when she gets out of college. One of Greta’s coping mechanisms is to help people instead of focusing on herself when she is struggling. She does that a lot in this book.
Likes
• She can take a lot from Aaron and handle it well
• Her big heart
• She can cuss like a sailor
• Smart
Dislikes
• Doesn’t talk to Aaron when she overhears something about him
Aaron Hill
Aaron Hill is the second point-of-view character that we met, and he is struggling with a lot of things throughout the story. He has been dealing with his dad having cancer, baseball practice, and trying not to do anything else that would give a person ammunition against him on the internet. Just like any other college student, Aaron is trying to keep his scholarship together and not fall in love with Greta.
Likes
• His has a foul mouth
• Is scared of rollercoasters
• Smart
• Is loyal to Greta even though he is not one for relationships
Dislikes
• Doesn’t know how to keep his mouth shut.
Four Stars
I am giving The Game Changer by Jaqueline Snowe four stars. The story is a wonderful coming of age story. Greta and Aaron are great characters and I enjoy reading about college life.
It’s different than what I’m used to reading. It had a bit more cussing and sex scenes in it then I usually read. However, I am recommending it to all new adult contemporary romance lovers out there.
Thank you for stopping by. I hope that you enjoyed this review of The Game Changer by Jaqueline Snowe.
Until the next time,
Karen the Baroness
Happy Reading
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from YA Bound Book Tours. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
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The first book in this series, Challenge Accepted, was one that while it had a good story, I had some issues with it overall. So at first I wasn’t sure if I would give this one a try. But man am I glad that I did, because I loved this one! Honestly, I didn’t have any of the issues with this one that I did with the first, and so this was a win-win for me. I couldn’t keep from turning the pages as I read (or tapping the screen I guess on my phone since it was an e-book). I could barely put it down to do anything else, because I was so eager to find out what would happen next. I’d say Aaron was definitely someone I’d want for a book boyfriend, or real boyfriend, because he was so sexy and damn! That’s just it, so much hotness with him. Towards the end I was getting a little frustrated with them just not telling each other, but as I’ve mentioned with romances, I know that’s all part of the drama! It can’t be all perfect, right? But this book is a winner. I also enjoyed spending time with the couple from the first book, because they were a great couple and there were some really good moments in that first book that I enjoyed. I look forward to reading more in this series about the other guys that we get to know in these stories.
“The Game Changer” by Jacqueline Snowe centers around the relationship between best friends Aaron Hill and Greta Aske. Aaron’s hedonistic lifestyle as a star athlete on campus threatens to derail his hopes for a professional career and his desperate attempt at redemption requires a fake romantic relationship with Greta. Both go into the arrangement knowing that it’s fake, and they’re both determined to adhere to the terms they set…or are they?
This contemporary new adult romance is part of the ‘Cleat Chasers’ series and definitely depicts the angst, stress, and joy of dealing with college life, friendships, relationships, and family challenges. Part of the charm of the story is its depiction of the awkwardness that is part of the maturing process as these new adults bump their heads and make unwise choices and hopefully learn from them.
I enjoy the friends-to-lovers trope and thought these two make a cute couple, but there were a few things glossed over that I would have liked to learned about in more detail to get a better sense of their respective backgrounds. I think some things were treated as having been resolved more optimistically than they actually were, and although I understand the need for hope, I thought the reactions were a little unrealistic.
Somehow I think my wince at an impulsive decision or two is due to an age perspective and I’m very relieved that college days are long since past, lol. Those in search of an entertaining tale featuring new adults dealing with the difficult task of adulting should enjoy the antics of these folks. Hopefully some of the charismatic secondary characters will also get their time in the spotlight.
A copy of this title was provided for review.
This book was such an exciting, fun, flirty, entertaining read!
This is the second book I’ve read from the amazing writer, Jaqueline Snowe. Last year, I had the privilege of reading her book, “Take a Chance on Me,” and I absolutely loved it, so I was very excited to read her latest work, “The Game Changer.”
Mrs. Snowe’s writing style and character development continues to impress me! Although her storyline’s may not always be a new concept, she still finds a way to keep the story fresh, entertaining, and exciting! Her ability to consistently establish an instant connection between her characters and her readers is only further proof of her talent.
This book focuses on Greta, a college student, who has given up on men and all their drama. So, she decides she needs to just focus back on schoolwork and forget about guys.
This book focuses on Aaron, a sexy, playboy, college baseball player and Greta’s best friend. Unfortunately, he just had his own social media drama scandal which could jeopardize his MLB chances and have his scholarship pulled. His dad has cancer and family finances are tight. Without his scholarship he would not be able to play baseball or attend college. His coach suggests that he stop partying, hooking up, and causing scenes; and that he needs to get stable and get “off the market” as his coach put it lol.
Aaron asks Greta to be his fake girlfriend so he’ll be “off the market,” and will help clean up his recently trashed reputation so his scholarship and future MLB plans will stay intact. Greta agrees to help Aaron with this PR stunt even though she thinks it’s silly and ridiculous at first, but she’s willing to do whatever it takes for her friend. Will these two be able to pull off this fake relationship? Will this fake relationship turn into something more? Will Aaron be able to stop his partying bad boy ways? Will Aaron lose his scholarship? Will Aaron and Greta end up together? No spoilers here!! But you definitely will want to read this book and find out!!
I really enjoyed reading this book! I experienced so many emotions over the course of just 243 pages! From blushing over those hot and steamy moments; to laughing out loud over silly, witty banter and hilarious nicknames; to excitement and suspense while cheering for Greta and Aaron to be a real couple and make it work! I felt like I was on the journey with Greta and Aaron.
I liked the main characters, Greta and Aaron. They were totally relatable, likable, and realistic. They were typical college students. I think many readers will be able to easily connect with the characters.
I really liked Greta and Aaron together! They were so adorable! Their silly, playful, witty banter was beyond entertaining and led to many real LOL’s!! Plus, their chemistry was just off the charts!!! You could feel the passion leap off the pages!! It was obvious these two were meant to be together – for reals!!
I’ve always loved the friend to lovers’ storyline angle as there is just something so innocent and romantic about it – and this book did not disappoint in that department! I think in many cases when a relationship is first built on a friendship foundation it has a better chance of actually working out in the long-term.
This book also hit a bit close to home for me as my mom has cancer. Having a parent with cancer is – so many things!!! Mostly scary, upsetting (not at her of course; at cancer), and difficult. It’s painful to watch and feel helpless. It’s exhausting going to dozens of doctor’s appointments, treatments, picking up medications, etc. There is just lots of overwhelming emotions and chaoticness and many days it seems hopeless…
I loved that this book was a sports romance book! Two of my favorite things in a book! I loved all the sports excerpts which were fun and entertaining. Even if you’re not a baseball fan, it’s not overwhelming or difficult to follow the sports references.
This book is Book Two in The Cleat Chasers Book Series. I had not read the first book before reading this book, but I wish I had. There are many references to the previous book and the characters significantly overlap. It could technically be read on its own as a standalone. I wasn’t completely confused or lost. I just occasionally felt out of the loop and that I was missing important information about the characters and how they got to the point at where they are when book two starts. So, I personally would recommend reading the first book, before you start book two.
All in all, I really enjoyed reading this book and would absolutely recommend it! I think all NA romance readers will like this book – and this book series too! So, add it to your TBR List and get to reading – you won’t be disappointed!
**Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book and have voluntarily provided an honest, and unbiased review in accordance with FTC regulations.**