Review: Point of No Return by Olivia Luck

Point of No Return by Olivia Luck
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Favorite quote from this book:
"That's what falling in love is, I guess. Hurling yourself at the unknown, unsure if a safety net will catch your fall. The thing is, if you don't fall, you're souring. The chance to soar with Violet is way worth the risk of the unknown."

Let me start this review by saying that this is my first book that I have read set in the hockey world and I was not disappointed. On the surface, this book looks like the classic, player type of guy who finds a really sweet girl to finally make him a 'one woman' type of man. And it is that in a sense, but it also is so much more. This book is about finding your voice in the world, finding meaning and overcoming grief.


The character development in this book is amazing. The two main characters, Violet and Cam, go through SO much growth. Violet has the challenge of overcoming the death of her husband and her strict religious upbringing. Cam, the male lead, has the challenge of learning to overcome his 'love and leave them' type of attitude with women to become the type of man who is devoted to one type of woman, in this case, Violet. The fact that Cameron is a famous hockey player who looks like a male model, doesn't help him in his quest so much because women are always flocking to him because of his fame and athletic status.


My favorite aspect of this book is that there is no insta love here. Cam does spot out Violet early on but at the time she is with someone else and goes through this whole ordeal with her husband who passes away. Because of that Violet has, like, a wall up, it takes her a long time to open herself up to the thought of love. Widow's guilt is what she suffers through and I have never read a book about a young woman becoming a widow and the grieving process and this book did it well. I could feel Violet's trepidation to say yes to Cameron. And though Cameron is an alpha male, he becomes the most patient, caring and sweetest guy with Violet. He respects her SO much and that was great to read about. A man that has pure admiration for a woman who is trying her best to survive the tragedies of life.


I loved that this book had great secondary characters. From Violet's straightforward gay best friend, Felix, to her other bestie, Stella, they were all such well developed characters in their own right. I loved Ben, who was the cousin of Violet's deceased husband, who had down syndrome but was such a fully fleshed out character rather than a caricature of someone with disability. Even down to the characters who were not the greatest of people, this book had great characterization.


My favorite character in this book was Cameron. Totally new book boyfriend material. So protective, so sexy, so everything. Seeing his process of growth was awesome. He really learned with Violet that he could find Miss Right. I also thought it was so funny how he had to fight his sexual thoughts with Violet. This poor man, suffered. He was SO into her in always, but because she was a widow, trying to find her own place in the world, he had to be patient. But when they finally do hook up, HELLO. Cam drops the sweet side and becomes the purest of Alpha males and let's his inner desires flow to the surface. He definitely became the type of man who take the wheel.

Lastly, a really great aspect of this book is that it shows the reader that they must have patience in life and that even when they do fall in love, they can't forget to pursue their dreams and goals. Because YES Violet and Cameron develop feelings for one another and had a rocky journey to find their way back to eachother, but they don't get lost in that. Violet pursues her goals as an event planner, while Cameron stays focused on his career as a goalie on a hockey team.


Overall, this was a really great read. I think there will be a book about Violet's sister, who also has the challenge of overcoming her strict upbringing and facing love, sexuality and life in the big city of Chicago.


My rating: 4.5/5

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