Uuummm...3 stars??I guess...It wasn't epic but it wasn't bad either.... it was just a mix of several things...Though a strong message behind the story....I felt there was something...just something missing...I loved Olivia, Cameron, Ava and Julian. And even Rick grew on me later...But Melody? Seriously? I just don't like her...I mean, shit. Instead of being happy for her bestie...she turns out to be a jealous friend...not really ideal.Most of the time she spends pitying herself and her life which gets really frustrating after some time...I mean...Come on! There's a time to be jealous and self-pitying and a time to be supportive....So I guess...what really ruined this book for me was Melody...Other than that...I liked it. First off, I feel I need to give a little disclaimer: I interact often with the author, Marie Landry, on Twitter and her blog. However, while personally knowing an author can sometimes cloud a reviewers judgement, I found that right off the gate I was looking more critically at what I was reading, perhaps in a subconscious attempt to counter-act any favouritism. Despite that, I quickly found myself falling in love with this book. Anyways, I’d just like to say that this review is my honest opinion - as always. The Game Changer has what appears to be a classic romantic premise -- quiet, reserved woman meets a sexy, charming and confident young man; will they or won’t they? They always do. & it always seems to be the woman that then goes through a transformation, aided by this new man in her life. However, The Game Changer takes a very different approach to this set up, one that I found refreshing and more enjoyable!Melody Cartwright lives in a small Ontario town, is in her late twenties, has a best friend and family that she loves dearly, and is just ending a three year relationship with the man she thought would be her husband. Change is in the air for Melody, although she is a bit hesitant to accept it. Her best friend, Olivia, is determined to help set Melody on a new path. On this new path, Melody meets Julian, the complete opposite of her - sexy, charming and overly confident in himself. Realizing the pre-conceived notions Melody has of him, Julian insists that they become friends, but Melody is unsure if it possible for a man and a woman to remain platonic. The only thing she knows for sure is that she is about to find out. OK, can I just say that I was so happy to see a romance book where the female character 1) doesn’t feel a need to change herself for a man (granted, she had sort of already done this in a previously relationship) and 2) doesn’t feel a need to change the love interest! In this scenario, the man is the one attempting to change, and he had been interested in doing that before meeting our main character. That is what I think I loved most about this book. All of the characters were well developed, and could stand on their own. If I had any complaint it was that sometimes they were a bit too nice, or pleasant, but they all had unique personalities and were complex characters, so it wasn’t a major problem for me. There are so many sides to this story that make it more than “just” a romantic story about a woman and a man -- it is in every sense of the word a love story in that it is about love between family, friends, and romantic partners. I really enjoyed the relationship Melody had with her mother and niece, as well as her friendship with Olivia. None of these were perfect, and all had their challenges, which made them very realistic. Olivia provided a great counter to Melody’s personality, and the banter between them was amazing! Their friendship was one of the highlights of the book for me. When Olivia and Melody had a falling out, it hurt, like you’d lost your own best friend. Oh, and Julian? He was OK I guess… Just kidding! Julian was smart, funny, and sexy, but not so overly perfect as to make him boring. With each encounter he had with Melody he let a little more and more of himself (… ahem, get your mind out of the gutter, I mean, his personality!) show. I really enjoyed the slow build of romance between Julian and Melody, and how they were truly able to start out as friends. They were so adorable together! & from there it just got more and more intense. Readers are also taunted with some frustrating moments. But these helped add to the realism of the story, although I would have liked to see just a teeny bit more romance between Melody and Julian. The one thing I didn’t think worked was the side plot of “her ex and his crazy new girlfriend who has stalker tendencies”. It worked well as a plot device, but that was the thing -- it often felt like a plot device, especially at the end. The stalker girlfriend plot line came and went as convenient, and something happened that I was not expecting at all, and it felt a bit out of place. It all made sense in the end, but it just felt… weird. I can’t explain it anymore than that really. Overall, I loved The Game Changer, which I read all in one day! Looking back, this book reminded me of a Canadian version of Sex & the City mixed with Gilmore Girls. If you are looking for a romantic story that is realistic and relateable for women in their 20s, but still swoon-worthy, then I’d definitely recommend you read The Game Changer!
What do You think about The Game Changer (2000)?
2/5 stars,Good writing style, just too dull for me, nothing exiting
—Estevanluis
I thought I'd like this one, I was wrong. Coz I loved it. :)
—Billie
