Review: Don't Hate the Player... Hate the Game

For Noah Sullivan being the best friend to a douchebag and player like Jake Nelson has never been easy. It's been a rocky road since kindergarten when Jake duct taped Noah to his chair before recess. With just six weeks to high school graduation, Jake accidentally blows his drunken ass up on his grandfather's tractor, and Noah finds himself immersed not only in a whirlwind of grief, but on a quest to find a mystery girl from Jake's past.

While cleaning out Jake's room, Noah and Jake's dad make a startling discovery. Instead of the obligatory porn collection or pot stash, they find a ring, but not just any ring. Its half a carat of commitment in a platinum setting-proving even man whores have taste. After Jake's mom pleads with Noah to find the girl who meant so much to Jake, Noah begins a modern day Grail quest to track the girl down.

Title: Don't Hate the Player... Hate the Game
Author: Katie Ashley | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Website
Publication Date: April 30 2013
Publisher: Self-Published 
Length: 266 Pages
Add it to your TBR Pile: Goodreads
Buy It: Amazon US | Amazon UK

Source: Purchased (Kindle Edition)
Cover Love: Such a cute and perfect cover.
Point of View: 1st person, following Noah

My Rating: 4 Stars

This is the first book of Katie Ashley's that I have read, and I am happy to say I was not in the least bit disappointed.  When I saw she was releasing a young adult book, and from the boy's point of view... I knew I had to buy it as soon as it was released.  I absolutely adore a love story when told from the male perspective, and I can easily say I have fallen in love with Noah.

“The world I'd known had shattered around me in an instant, and now everything seemed so surreal.  People went on doing exactly what they'd done before while I tip-toed through this new reality.”

Don't Hate the Player... Hate the Game is a touching and lovely story.  You fall in love with every single character by the end, even the ones that you start out disliking.  Well... maybe there is one that you continue to dislike, but trust me there is no getting around Mr. Nelson being a jerk.  Everybody hates him, so don't feel bad about that.

“I've never thought Mr. Nelson had much use for me since I wasn't an athlete.  He probably considered me a failure to the male species, and I'm sure he harbored questions about my sexuality.  To him, I was some artsy-fatsy guitar playing fairy.  Like I said, the man was an asshole.”

As I mentioned before, I love Noah.  There is no easier way to describe him than just by saying... he is real.   I mean, yeah I know he isn't really 'real' but Katie has done a brilliant job with his voice.  He speaks and acts exactly how I would assume a teenage boy would.  He is constantly trying to push his emotions away because he thinks others will look down upon him, because that is not how men act.  How he responds to his ever growing feelings for Maddie... it is just all handled exactly how I would assume it would be dealt with by somebody his age.

“Don't be ashamed of your emotions, Noah.  Experience them and embrace them.  They're what make us alive and strong.”

This is really saying a lot about Katie's writing ability.  So many young adult book out there right now are simply too adult.  Yes the characters are described as eighteen and nineteen year olds but there is no way a vast majority of kids this age act the way they are portrayed.  Therefore, I must take my hat off to Katie because I truly feel she has managed to hit the nail on the head with this one.  And in all honestly, this simply enhanced my love for the story because I could easily believe everything that was happening.

“I'm not going anywhere, Maddie.  You mean everything to me-you saved me from the darkness and brought me to the light.  And I can't imagine a future without you in it.  I intend on spending the rest of my life with you.”

There are so many other issues that Noah is faced with, other than the loss of his best friend.  That tragic event is simply the catalyst for the directions that Noah finds himself pulled in.  This is a true coming of age novel with a lovely and happy ending.  It is about always being true to yourself, and letting others see you exactly how you want to be seen.  Life is far too short to build up walls, and to allow others to dictate how you should be acting.

I know this all can sound corny as hell but believe me when I say it is touching and well worth a read, regardless of your age.  I can be in no way classed as a young adult, and I haven't been for many, many years... but that didn't stop me falling in love with the story and characters.

“Sometimes we just have two sides to us, Noah.  One that we're willing to let the world see, and then the other that we hide deep within ourselves.”

I mentioned before that this was my first book by Katie Ashley, but I know it will not be the last.  I am not aware if she has other books in this genre but seeing how well she told this story, and how easy it was for me to fall in love with her characters... I have no doubts in her ability to write.  I will be checking out her other novels very soon.

“The life of one we love is never lost.  Its influence goes through every life it ever touched.”

MORE QUOTES FROM DON'T HATE THE PLAYER... HATE THE GAME