Romance

This wasn't bad. I definitely felt as if I'd missed out not having read the first two books of the series. But I wasn't lost. This book explained itself.

I honestly didn't know how to feel about Cade and what he did for a long time. But he ended up being a good enough guy. I think what he did, in combination with Ava's mother, damaged her irreparably. She may try to get over it and put it behind her, but I don't think she'll ever be completely confident in her body, which is sad. Because based on her measurements, she's pretty much right at the normal weight for her height. It was so strange how this book made her out to be so thick, curvy, and almost hefty.

I didn't quite buy the whole business about them being "in love" with each other. But it was sweet they got their happy ending.

This was a good, quick read and I enjoyed it. ( )

I actually liked it quite a bit, loving my BBW heroines as I do, until the author described her as 5'7.5" and 150 lbs. Are you freakin' kidding me? That is not fat. Boo. ( )

Really enjoyed finally reading Ava's story. I enjoyed how she was such a strong person even though she had insecurities. I liked Cade. I especially liked that he had treated her so badly in high school but had not waited the 10 years until this book took place to apologize for his betrayal. He had tried many times over the years. It just took her this long to forgive him. This book was well written, light hearted without being farcical. It moved right along and all made sense. I really wanted to watch the documentary when they were done with it. Too bad it's make believe. ;-)

A solid end to this enjoyable series. ( )

I actually liked it quite a bit, loving my BBW heroines as I do, until the author described her as 5'7.5" and 150 lbs. Are you freakin' kidding me? That is not fat. Boo. ( )

A little too many designer names sprinkled in for me, but other than that it was a good book. ( )

This is the last book in the Sisterhood Diary trilogy and, of the three, it was the one I liked best. (Full disclosure - I did NOT like #2 at all.) Because of the history between the two main characters (Ava and Cade), this one had a bit more depth than the other two.

POTENTIAL SPOILER:

To be honest, I actually liked that Cade didn't have a great excuse for what he did to Ava, although the circumstances for him at the time did provide an explanation that made it less black and white. I also liked that Ava was neither quick to forgive him nor out for revenge. Rather, they both approached their reconnecting as professional adults who wanted to just move on. (And, yes, from my perspective, he had genuine remorse and had made clear attempts to apologize even though he knew what he'd done was pretty awful.) I also liked how they gradually came to understand each other more -- the scene where he is with her at her parents' house still stands out several weeks later as being particularly touching -- and how she was able to come to trust him again. And I also liked that Jane and Poppy (the other two members of the sisterhood) were entirely behind her the whole way.

What I didn't like: Poppy, again. I also didn't like the continual description of Poppy's boyfriend/husband (whatever he is at this point in time) is "swarthy." Is that supposed to sound attractive? Although the term is used in a way that seems like it's intended to be attractive in a mysterious and exotic way, it just sounds demeaning and negative to me. And, finally, I could have done without the Tony subplot. In the first book the danger element contributed even though it was a bit simplistic; by this one, though, it was just annoying. I'd have been happy to just watch the drama between Ava and Cade.

All in all, though, I really did like this book, enough so to give it a solid 4. ( )

I can't tell you how excited I was to finally read this book. I've been waiting years for it to be released. Thankfully it lived up to my expectations.

What Cade did to Ava in high school was pretty unforgivable. High school is such an emotional, trying time anyway - and Ava constantly felt fat and out of step with everyone else. Her mother really fed into that. So his betrayal was even more devastating..because for the first time in her life, she actually felt beautiful. To know it was nothing more than a cruel bet to him was almost more than she could handle. I really felt her pain. Not only on the day it happened, but in the years since, as she tried to overcome her low self-esteem and become comfortable in her body.

She has, for the most part. But she still has flashes of insecurity, especially after she speaks to her mother. That really worked against her and Cade as they tried to work through their past issues. It was hard to read sometimes, knowing how the past shaded everything in the present.

I like that Andersen didn't shy away from that aspect of their relationship. Ava was hurt by Cade and that played a large part in their current story. They had chemistry in spades, but lust isn't everything. They also came to care for each other, but love isn't everything either. They both had to learn to forgive in order to move on from the past.

I really liked that Ava wasn't a stick figure in the present day. She might have been overweight in high school, but now she's a healthy size 12. Which is pretty awesome in a world full of size 2 heroines.

This is a sweet tale with a lot of emotional depth. They're journey from past to present wasn't always easy to read, but it was compelling. I couldn't put it down. ( )

This book didn't work for me. There were two main reasons that I didn't care for it. The first being the love story. I didn't feel any real connection between the hero and heroine. I also didn't find them very likable on their own either. I felt they were both a bit immature and despite the fact that we keep being told how Ava is now a strong, confident woman, she really just seemed insecure the majority of the time.

The second thing that really bothered me was the Tony storyline. This didn't really seem necessary to me. I hated the sections from Tony's POV and in the end he was so bumbling it was almost ridiculous.

This one gets two stars, because while I didn't like most of it, I did think the relationship between Ava and her BFFs was nice.

I won't rule out this author all together but I won't be reading another by her any time soon. ( )

Loved the books in this series. ( )

Fun book, although I figured out near the end it is actually the last of a trilogy. Oh well. ( )

Entertaining story from beginning to end. The H/H are written so well - you feel their pain, regrets, and passion.
Apparently, this book is part of a trilogy; so it probably goes without saying, that this story reads well as a stand-alone. ( )

Note: When first I requested this book I didn't know it was the third book in a trilogy. When I read the summary it didn't seem like I needed to read the other two beforehand, so I thought I would give it a shot. In my opinion, I think this was a good stand alone book. I would still like to read the first two.

Now, onto the story itself. Cade and Ava did not get along. At all. She hated him and she had every right to after what he did to her in high school.

I love that Ava and Cade seemed like a real people. She is a curvy, unlike most characters in books. And they both have real insecurities. They both had a hard time forgiving each other.

The build up to Cade and Ava getting together was slow, but once the documentary was over I felt like it was completely rushed. But then again the two did have a lot of history, so I can understand why and how this worked for this book.

The cover and title suggest the book will be more steamy than it actually is. But I thought it was a very sweet story and I found all the characters extremely likable. ( )

Requested from NetGalley by Me
Overall Rating 3.50
Character Rating 3.75
Romance Rating 3.50
Story Rating 3.25

NOTE: This is part of a trilogy but can be read as a stand alone. I haven't read the first two books (I am going to pick them up though) and didn't feel like I was missing key information at all.

What I Loved: I loved that Ava was a size 12/14, smart, sexy, accomplished, and still vulnerable. I even loved how she handled her insecurities by acknowledging them, giving them a few minutes, and then moving on! That just rang true to me because we all have those conversations in our head. Playing Dirty is the 3rd in the sisterhood diaries and it is the moments when all 3 gals are on the page that I really loved the story! I also really loved Beks and the friendship she developed with Ava. Really, overall the girl power in this book just rocked!

What I liked: Cade was actually likable despite how you are introduced to him in the beginning. I really started feeling for the guy and rooting for everything to work out between him and Ava. I think, in large part, due to the fact that he had been trying to apologize for several years.

Complaints: I really did not like the "Tony" storyline at all and found myself hoping those sections would be over soon.

Why I gave it a 3.50: This was a truly enjoyable summer read that I would recommend to any of my girlfriends! ( )

Playing Dirty is a cute contemporary romance where boy and girl know each other forever, pick at each other, have a high school moment, and one of them jacks things up...royally. If what happened to the female main character, Ava, happened to me, I would have been beyond mortified!

I like Ava as a character. She can handle herself and is quick witted. She displays this quick wit early on with the comeback she makes after her public humiliation. It is so classic, I mentally high-fived her. However, as is the case with so many things that happen to us when we're young, this one incident left a very lasting impression on Ava's self esteem. I don't blame her; weight for a girl is a big issue. This one event was just one more seed in her life of self doubt, yet the character doesn't act all Debbie Downer. In fact, she seems like a great person to hang out with. I appreciate that the author used a fuller figure main character as a love interest and as a sexy woman. She is described as big boned, rounded, hot in an old Hollywood actress way, with ample bosoms and a nice rear. :) The specific size of a 12/14 to be exact.

The person who dealt this blow to her self-esteem has come back into her life and is now in a position to apologize, which he has tried to do for the past 13 years. Cade is the typical romance hunk that most female readers like to read about. He is gorgeous, smart, successful, and completely remorseful for his teenage actions. Cade turns out to be a very likable character and the interactions between him and Ava are quite enjoyable.

The writing style flows well with the dialogue taking the reader effortlessly through the story. I found out later this was the third book in a series, I believe, so the two supporting characters that are Ava's best friends, the reader can learn about their stories prior to Playing Dirty. However, I have not read the series and had no trouble still enjoying this light romance with just enough friction and sex appeal to please any romance fan.. ( )

Let me just start of by saying that this book is in no way a bad book, it just got off to a really really slow start. For me, it took about 200 pages to actually get interesting, which only left 150 of a really good story. If I could, I would give the last part of the book 5 stars, but since I am judging the book as a whole, I have to give it a 3. I really like Ava and how she embraced her body and tried not to care what other people thought, but I didn't really care about her story like I cared about Poppy's in Bending the Rules, which is the second book in this series. I also liked Cade and how sweet he was to Ava (after he was a jerk in high school) but their connection didn't actually come alive in the book until way later, when the story actually became good. So if you have the patience to wait through an okay story until you can get to the good stuff, then try this book out. If you don't think that it's worth the wait and effort, then this book isn't really for you. ( )