REVIEW: Rush Me by Allison Parr

Rush Me by Allison Parr
Published: 8th April 2013 | Carina Pres
Format: Kindle
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary
Overall: ½
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When post-grad Rachael Hamilton accidentally gatecrashes a pro-athlete party, she ends up face-to-face with Ryan Carter, the NFL’s most beloved quarterback.
While most girls would be thrilled to meet the attractive young millionaire, Rachael would rather spend time with books than at sporting events, and she has more important things to worry about than romance. Like her parents pressuring her to leave her unpaid publishing internship for law school. Or her brother, who’s obliviously dating Rachael’s high school bully. Or that same high school’s upcoming reunion.

Still, when Ryan’s rookie teammate attaches himself to Rachael, she ends up cohosting Friday night dinners for half a dozen football players.
Over pancake brunches, charity galas, and Alexander the Great Rachael realizes all the judgments she’d made about Ryan are wrong. But how can a Midwestern Irish-Catholic jock with commitment problems and an artsy, gun-shy Jewish New Englander ever forge a partnership? Rachael must let down her barriers if she wants real love–even if that opens her up to pain that could send her back into her emotional shell forever.

My thoughts:
I started this book with no hopes--that's been my recent philosophy--and though I didn't love this book, I did enjoy it. So I was pleasantly surprised.

I will admit that the summary is a bit misleading. Specifically; Still, when Ryan’s rookie teammate attaches himself to Rachael, she ends up cohosting Friday night dinners for half a dozen football players. This teammate doesn't really attach himself so much as just find a friendship and want to keep it. Rachael is the one that feels obligated to do the dinners and anything else he invites her to.
--But let's start at the beginning.--

Rachael accidentally walks into a house party and the deeper she gets into the apartment the faster she realizes this is the wrong party. While she tries to leave, the swarm of bodies packed together block her path and she heads upstairs (though there is a sign that tells her not to, first thing that bothered me about her. Does what she wants without thinking.) and decides to wait it out. There she meets Ryan, who is dumbfounded at the fact that she doesn't even know who he is (first thing that bothered me about him. Cocky ass hole.) After having a bit of a tift he manages to get her out of the apartment. But the next day she realizes she left her scarf in the apartment and goes back where she meets Ryan and the rest of his football buddies who happen to be playing poker. For some reason they all invite her to sit down and play... because that's totally normal... and she accepts. My thought? Why...?

I liked the book after the beginning, I felt like any interaction with Ryan and his football teammates seemed too "natural." No one, especially a girl, is just invited into a game of poker with professional football players and then invited to stay and enjoy pizza. And when she  feels awkward, she stays and stews in the awkward tension with Ryan.

Moving past all of that and getting past the friendships and developing relationship, I did enjoy whenever she did hang out with Ryan and his friends because then it seemed more natural and less forced. I felt like she didn't stick up for herself when she needed to and said things she shouldn't have when she felt she was being a strong woman.

Ryan was a bit of a pushover, but he was an ass who had a sweet side and he confused the hell out of me. Yet I found myself loving his character, and any scene with his football buddies more than anything else. I wished that he had his own chapters so I could get in his head. I just wanted to know what he really thought about Rachael.

The writing flowed nicely and I the transition between chapters was smooth. I enjoyed Parr's words and story and would like to read more from her. If there is a sequel, I'd most likely read it if it was written from Ryan's POV. But I hope she continues with the New Adult genre. :)

Plot:
Characters: ½
Ending:
Writing:
Cover:

Author info:

Allison Parr is a twenty-something nomadic writer. She's a chocolate lover & now a coffee lover, too, though she avoided drinking it for twenty-two years (She caved while bartending late nights in Paris).

She grew up in New England and has an incurable case of wanderlust.

Sometimes she is such a city person that she can’t imagine living somewhere that doesn’t have an affectionate name for its subway system, while other months she ends up in villages so small there isn’t even mail delivery, and going to the post office is a social occasion.

Parr currently has a three book deal with Carina Press.
Learn more on her: Goodreads | Website | Twitter | Facebook