Well, Crap, It's Not Perfect, But I Still Loved It

Yes, just like the characters in the story, the book title is not perfect, it's dorky. Yes, the author changes point of view here and there (and out of blue), but darn it, I really liked the characters and even though there really is nothing very original about the plot and course of the story, I really loved the characters including a neurotic protagonist with his quiet-type lover to be with their friends.The sexual scenes, again, fairly traditional were still very hot and very well done. Narrator Jason Lovett indeed became Cole, bravo!

5 people found this helpful

Strange, funny, and mostly enjoyable

Wow... okay... that wasn't exactly what I expected.

Anyone else expect a really light, fun romance from the cover and the title? That's what I thought it would be. I was expecting another book like Frat Boy and Toppy but this was more serious than I expected. It had a lot of highs and a few lows. I'll break it down for all of you below ;)

First I'll talk about the narrator because the narrator can make or break an audiobook. Jason Lovett did a really nice job with the story. He sounded age-appropriate (KEY for a book about college students!) and was really easy to listen to. He had a nice, even speaking voice that had a lot of expression to it. My one complaint is that all of his characters sounded kind of the same, but other than that, I really liked his narration. (And I checked out his youtube videos and he is adorable so, bonus points!)

Now on to the story. I'll begin with what worked for me. I have a thing for gay first-timers so when I realized that I had a virgin on my hands I was like, ::booty dance, booty shake:: So, major score for me! Also, I think the whole difficulty with beginning a relationship and transitioning from friends to lovers rang true. It felt honest and funny and I liked all of the awkwardness and sexual tension there.

This book is also surprisingly religious in the way that it paints Christian characters in a really good light. The religious character of Rob was a loving, patient, understanding, intuitive friend and I actually liked seeing an example of someone who is religious but also open-minded in M/M. It wasn't heavy handed, but if you don't like any religion in your books, be forewarned.

Now what didn't work for me? Well, I'll be spoiler-tagging below so click at your own discretion.

I didn't like the POV changes, especially how they jumped from 1st to 3rd person. Some were okay, like the POV of Rob or Ellis, but the POV of Mike and Ellis's mom were just terrible. I don't mind characters that are flawed but I hated being in Mike and Ellis's mom's heads and felt like it took away from the story.

On that note, Mike's storyline was just random and sort of over-the-top, and Ellis's mom was annoying to the point that I wanted to skip over her section. I think if Ellis's mom's part was cut completely out of the book it would have been better. She was too self-centered and self-involved for my taste.

Also, I liked most of the characters but I thought that Cole veered a bit towards the whiny side. He was too complain-y and shrill for me at times.

So, yeah... this book was a mixed bag for me. Parts I really liked and parts I didn't so averaging out, this gets three stars.

**Copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

3 people found this helpful

well crap!

Would you consider the audio edition of My Roommate's a Jock? Well, Crap! to be better than the print version?

absolutely not, I've read the book more than once and loved it but I have no desire to listen to the audio version again.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I love cole, he is quirky

Which character – as performed by Jason Lovett – was your favorite?

I think he did a great job but that being said, I didn't like his voice or something, it just got on my nerves

Any additional comments?

I think it's a great story, It's sweet, funny and a tiny bit of angst.

3 people found this helpful

Just OK

This was just an OK audible book; not bad but not really good either. It starts out good as a jock/geek romance. But then it starts to falter in the execution of the story. There are plot holes and leaps that just don't make sense to me. In addition, Cole (the geek) is really annoying after a while. He is suppose to be cynical, but he is so much so, you can't help wondering why Ellis (the jock) loves him so much. I mean at one point, he even turns on Ellis and blames him for the actions of others. I can usually look past that, as it happens sometimes, but then it just got kind of silly and contrived at the end.

In addition, the narrator also does just an OK job. Although there is NO diversity in the voices of the characters, at least he seems to inject some emotion in the voices. They just all sound the same.

If you are looking for just a sweet geek/jock listen, it is probably worth a credit. If not, I'd pass.

2 people found this helpful

A Slap In the Face To Gay Men Everywhere

What disappointed you about My Roommate's a Jock? Well, Crap!?

The main character, Cole, was so whiney and helpless that it was impossible to ever embrace him. He cried every 5 seconds in this book and if this is Kelly's impression of gay men then I have no use for her. Also, random characters became comic book evil at the drop of a hat... Of course, Cole cried and then the "not so gay one" made it all better.

Would you be willing to try another one of Jason Lovett’s performances?

Probably not. He was overly dramatic and that lended to my dislike for Cole.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from My Roommate's a Jock? Well, Crap!?

Oh, so many scenes... but the thing that needs to go first is the ridiculousness between "the jock" (the book was so bad, I don't even remember his name) and his mother. The way his mother took his phone away from him so he could rest and then broke it when she finally decided to give it back to him was just ridiculous and served no purpose since the suddenly evil mother became just one of the many crappy characters in this book and there was no pay off for all of the stupidity of those scenes. The idea that something so stupid would substantiate Cole and him from talking is ridiculous and useless.

I can think of 4 or 5 other parts of the book that should go as well, but I think you get the idea of my thoughts on this book.

Any additional comments?

Save your credit and go buy something else... anything else, really.

3 people found this helpful

Suffers from being forgettable.

I know I listened to this book. I remember snippets, but much more than that escapes me. Pity it's unremarkable.

1 person found this helpful

Love is truly unpredictable!

How a cute hunky jock can fall head over heels for the most uptight pain on campus. I guess anything really is possible after all...

Awesome story, and Lovable characters

Where does My Roommate's a Jock? Well, Crap! rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I would say it is high on the list

What about Jason Lovett’s performance did you like?

He does a great job separating the characters

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes

Any additional comments?

This is a great book, and I would love the rest of the series to be on audible.

A Little Confusing..

This story was a little confusing because it was told from too many people's perspectivea. One minute we were listening to Ellis' thoughts, then Cole's, then Rob, then to top it off Ellis' mom's point of view. I swear I almost felt like Wade wrote this story like that just to make it longer.

Of course once you can get over all the different perspectives you tend to like the story. Cole was pretty funny and told some jokes that could seem dry but still funny at times. I loved the fact that Rob seemed almost like cupid for a little bit in the story. Wade could have made Rob into the type of friend that forced God and his beliefs down his friends' throat ;but he gave him the personality of someone kind and understanding. I absolutely loved him. Ellis' mom had to be my least favorite though. She was almost evil and smothering. I just wanted her to jump off a cliff. I'm glad the book didn't stay in her mind long. Very annoying that I wanted to scream.

The book was pretty good though. it would have been nice if they didn't reference so many jokes to celebrities because on that note I was lost and wasn't about to look up every celebrity.

Patriece

Love

The story is great, the narrator brought this book to life for me. It's a funny read.