Customer Reviews

The Ex Games (Romantic Comedies (Mass Market))

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Since their very public breakup four years ago, Hayden and Nick have been just friends, at best. So what if Hayden's best friends are now with Nick's best friends? So what if Nick has seemed to be flirting with Hayden lately? Hayden will not give in to Nick's hunkiness, no matter how much she enjoys the flirting. When Hayden wins the girls' division of a local snowboarding competition, Nick derides her victoray by declaring she couldn't hold her own against a guy. Oh, it's on now. How Hayden and Nick aren't just exchanging light insults and gibes but heavier taunts and angry exclamations they might not be able to take back. As each prepares for this new snowboarding battle of the sexes, they'll have to break past their own fears and decide what's more important: winning the competition or the relationship neither thought would work out.

I just love the Simon Pulse Romantic Comedies because I can always count on them to make me laugh and smile with a funny, sweet, and heartwarming story. In addition, Echols is one of my favorite RoCom authors, especially after The Ex Games. This novel is all about the chase, four years of chase to be exact, the give and take in complicated relationships, and how the smallest past betrayals can become something larger over time. Hayden and Nick are completely realistic with their stubbornness and difficulty in dealing with all the issues in their lives. I think it was their painful reluctance to apologize that I could relate to most, though, and because of that, I rooted even more for them to work out their problems and get together. Yes, the whole romance of the story is pretty predictable, but that doesn't makes its culmination any less sweet; it anything it's even more so. And for that, I really just thank Echols for this cute and fun-filled story that will brighten up any reader's days.

Fans of any of the other RoComs, particularly The Boys Next Door also be Jennifer Echols, will also enjoy The Ex Games, in addition to fans of Picture Perfect by Catherine Clark.

review
Hayden and Nick were sweethearts for some short weeks when they were 13. Now it's four years later and there is still something special between them. Even though Hayden has been the victim of a lot of jokes from Nick she is still interested in him.
When a banter between them results in a snowboarding contest to find out if Hayden or Nick is the better snowboarder things change. While preparing for the contest they realize that the banter between them is in reality just a way to disguise their true feelings.
Who will win the snowboard contest and even more importantly will they both win in the game called love?

I read this book looking for a light-hearted, entertaining and cute story and that's exactly what I got. All of the main characters are likable and there are a lot of scenes that made me laugh. The love story between Hayden and Nick is predictable but in a good way. The journey to their personal happy end is cute and makes me want to read more by Jennifer Echols. "The Ex Games" is definitely a make you feel happy book. The teasings between Hayden and Nick are my highlight of the book.
I also enjoyed that there is not too much drama in the book and that Hayden's parents are normal and nice.

cover
Bright and fun just like the book. Ok, the boy on the cover should have long hair but that's something I can live with.

final appraisal
Just the right book when you are in need to be entertained and want to laugh and smile a lot. The story is cute and lighthearted and brightened my mood immediately.

After reading "Going too far," and loving it I sought out other books by this author and found this one. It wasn't at all what I expected. This book lacked the depth of the other and I found the "I like you/I hate you" dynamic of the main characters annoying. They never seemed to get through an entire chapter, nor conversation, for that matter, feeling the same way about each other. There were a few comedic moments but they just weren't enough to make me completely like this book and I really did try.

While I agree with previous reviewer's that this book was cute, I just found myself flippin through it to "get to the good parts". There were flashes of darn close to excellent though. The verbal sparring at the beginning was amusing, and while it was clear from even that point that Hayden and Nick would end up together, Jenifer Echols did an pretty good job of creating the sort of romantic friction that make a couple likable from the start.
The main problem for me was that I quickly grew weary of Hayden's flightiness and Nick's constant "flicking back his hair with his pinkie"..really? I even found myself rolling my eyes at some parts of the book.

I cant help but think maybe this was originally a shorter story and the author had to flesh it out to make it longer. Because while the initial misunderstanding that snowballed was handled quite deftly, when it was resolved and Hayden and Nick reconcile, five minutes later another misunderstanding pops up that seems completely out of place and they're angry at each other again and you're left saying "Wha? Where did that come from?"
It grew tiresome to see them flirt, maybe kiss, then one of them gets mad storms off and two pages laters it's like nothing happened.
Drama queens the both of them.
Overall, it was a satisfying bit of literary candy floss. Light, sweet and enjoyable while it lasted, but you dont really savor it so much as just mindless nibble it.

The Ex Games was my first Simon Romantic Comedy, but I definitely plan on reading more. It was a fun, light read, but there were was seriousness as well. Surprisingly the few books I've read about exes I've really enjoyed- Two Way Street by Lauren Barnholdt was another great one. Most books involve a girl trying to get the guy not about exes. This wasn't the only thing I liked about The Ex Games, I learned a lot about "boarding" as well. Snowboarding is something I've never done, so it was really cool to read a book that pretty much revolved around it. The whole plot was building up to the big competition between Hayden and Nick, the exes, to see who was the better boarder. I really liked the great build- up to the competition and the fact that I was really excited to find out who won as well. I was expecting The Ex Games to be a light, summery (well I guess wintery) read, but was pleasantly surprised that it had so much depth and an overall great plot. I've already bought a few more RoComs to get started on soon!

The cover of The Ex Games was really cute as well. I don't usually care for cartoon covers, but the RoCom ones really fit. The pair on the cover look just like how I would picture Hayden and Nick. Also, Hayden was a down to Earth person. She was just a normal high school girl, but with a horrible accident haunting her past. The accident impacted her boarding and it was inspiring to read how Hayden worked on overcoming her fear of heights caused by the accident. I definitely would recommend this book to anyone, and as I said before am looking forward to reading more RoComs and Jennifer Echols' books.

Rating;

Plot: 9.5/10

Characters: 10/10

Ending: 9/5/10

Enjoyment: 10/10

Cover: 9/10

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Overall: 48/50=96%

This book was great and frustrating at the same time. *SPOILERS AHEAD* it was frustrating becuase they makeout then have a huge fight. Also i found Nick a bit annoying personally. Still 5 stars! Buy it!

2 out of 5 stars, because I liked the concept but Nick and Hayden bickered way to much for me to enjoy it. It was like the first time someone said something wrong the other person would chop off the other's head by any means necessary. However, I did like the relationship between Hayden and her younger brother ... their back-and-forth was very entertaining.

Review By: From Me to You ... Book Reviews
(read more of this review and a few teasers on my blog)

I just couldn't get into this book. I guess I'm really just hit or miss with Jennifer Echols' books. The book was too predictable from the beginning for me to be interested in it.

Hayden and Nick have a history. Now that their best friends are all dating, is it only a matter of time before they hook up again too? Hayden half wants to believe this could be true, but the other half thinks Nick is just playing her. One minute he's sweet and then the next minute he's cold. So they flirt and then fight - then repeat. But things change when Nick challenges Hayden to a snowboarding competition after making some snarky remarks about girls snowboarding in comparison to guys. Now the gloves are off as the school parts down the middle. It's no longer about snowboarding, it's the battle of the sexes and everyone's taking sides. Will Hayden and Nick's relationship survive the competition?

I LOVED the battle of the sexes plot. The flirty banter between the duo sizzles in this sporty winter tale. The romance stands out, but the secondary plots of friendship, insecurities, fears, and limits really ring true. Plus the title and the cover are both eye catching.

I went to the library nearest to where we moved, and found the ENTIRE SET of Simon Pulse Romantic Comedies all on a shelf, together, in the series section. How excellent! I have been wanting to read all of them for a long time, but couldn't afford to buy them all!

The first two that I picked up were both of Jenn Echols - Major Crush and The Ex Games.

The main theme of The Ex Games (if you couldn't tell by the cover) is snowboarding. Hayden and Nick used to like each other several years ago, but Hayden found out that Nick had gone out with her because of a bet, and broke it off. They still interacted at school, but had never gotten back together.

The focus (and climax) of the story centers around Hayden and Nick challenging each other to a snowboarding competition. They both love to snowboard, and after Nick says that no girl snowboarder will be better than a guy, the challenge is initiated.

I am a self proclaimed Jenn Echols fan - and while I did like the relationships and characters, I'm not a huge fan of snowboarding, which brought the book down for me a bit. Most of the details and events had to do with snowboarding and snow and the slopes, which really doesn't keep my attention since I don't ski or do much else with snowboarding and other winter sports.

My overall enjoyment factor would have been slightly higher if it were a different topic, but The Ex Games was still an enjoyable, light read. I love the size of the Simon Pulse Romantic Comedies, as they are small enough to carry around and don't take too long to read. I can't wait to read the rest!