Cas is a character within this book which you are either going to love or hate in probably equal measure. Cas works in the television industry, she is a producer on a tv channel that is losing audience figures by the day and needs to find a programme to make it stand out from anything else.Cas hits upon an idea, an idea that will solve everything - a programme which relies on the general public turning up and watching a couple on the brink of marriage and whether they would ever be tempted one last time with an ex. It has elements of every reality tv show you can think of in there - and I think this book reflects the sudden fascination we have sitting on our sofas at home and watching other people's lives fall apart. Cas thinks she is onto a winner, and this will enhance her career even further - it's all she wants because she knows that no one can resist.But then Cas, who uses men as a hobby and manipulates them purely for her own need suddenly meets Darren and she cannot convince him to be part of the television show which is sweeping the nation, and causing the wedding industry to take a financial hit.Darren has something that Cas does not - morals and principles.Cas is convinced that Darren will be easily swayed and sets out to prove something to everyone and herself.How wrong Cas is!And finally just when you think that actually you could hate Cas no more, she suddenly has a side to her that makes you think that all that hurt and bottled up anger and bitterness about the male sex, is just a front, is a protection against the one thing she cannot control - falling in love.Sorry Cas, it looks like it is Game Over for you in this instance.This is a great escapism read, that actually might hit on a reflection of they type of television programmes we watch and actually fill our schedules night after night. It was that which made me cringe slightly, and think how low can the entertainment business go to get viewing figures and reputations. This novel I think reflects that very well, under a basic girl and boy fall in love story, she just makes it that little bit more difficult for Cas but not for Darren, who I happily fell in love, because of his morals and his principles!
Game Over is a stand-alone novel by English author, Adele Parks. Be careful about picking this book up. It sounds much better in the blurb than the actual book is. Jocasta "Cas" Perry is a TV producer who wants nothing to do with love. She prefers one-night stands and casual sex. She even creates a reality show called "Sex With an Ex," in which people in the show are encouraged to cheat on their significant others. Of course, she ends up getting herself into some trouble when she finally does find a man she wants to be with...I did not like Cas at all. I really could not stand her, and I found that she really had no redeeming qualities. I mean, she knowingly sleeps with men who are married. So actually, the only reason I kept reading was to see if she'd screw up big time or MAYBE change her ways. Now, Darren Smith, he is a much better character, who is the complete opposite of Cas. He represents marriage, fidelity, and love.Honestly, I am not sure what category this novel is supposed to fall in. The blurb that made me pick this book up made it sound more like a contemporary romance. I found it more annoying than anything else.I really would say skip this one. There's not a lot of redeeming qualities about it, including the slow pacing and the horrid character of Cas.
What do You think about Game Over (2004)?
I really like Adele Parks and find her novels gripping, fairly light hearted but often with a serious edge. This book was strange in that the main character was completely horrible but this did not make the book any less enjoyable. I think the reality TV show that Cas produced seemed just like the sort of thing we would see on our screens and Cas's friends were also quite convincingly portrayed. At the risk of sounding a bit prudish, sometimes Adele Parks' sex scenes are a bit OTT (just something about the way they're written is a bit "cringey") and I was also mildly irritated that the main character ended up with the lovely, kind hearted leading man. I'm hoping this wouldn't happen in real life, because she was truly vile and didn't deserve him - despite all the 'reasons' given through the book about why she behaved as she did. Looking forward to my next book by Adele!
—Juliana Graham
This wasn't one of my favourite reads. It was actually quite hard to keep reading it. Everything that was portrayed in the beginning of the book is so different from my views and opinions. I'm glad I did carry on with it as the counter point (Darren), is a good character and gives you some hope. Unfortunately I can't see why someone like that would hang around and be hurt so much by the main character.It all ends very tidily and I have to say, it's the ending is unbelieveable. I love a good love story but this is pretty far fetched.It was an ok book.
—Kai
Pride, or so they say, comes before a fall. Unfortunately this book is 90% pride, and the fall, when it eventually comes, is disappointing. 'Cas' was so arrogant, so abhorrent, that the only 'fall' that would've satisfied me would be her getting suffocated by her 'luxury' carpet, or getting bludgeoned by a dumbbell at her 'luxury' gym. She was so unlikeable, so irredeemable, that I didn't want her to have an ending, happy or otherwise, unless it was excruciating and/or involved a trap from one of the Saw movies. Okay, so maybe we weren't supposed to like her, but you have to give the reader something - make me find something about the character, be it humour or whatever. But Cas was a hideous snob, and thought her job as a TV producer was akin to finding the cure for cancer. Yuck. I actually liked Patrick Bateman a whole lot more. And how many times did she have to mention her knickers? Jeez...
—M
