Since the popularity of Booktok increases, the same can be said for the romance genre. The genre already proved to be loved by many by delivering us lot of hit titles, which slowly find their way to the bookstores and to the readers’ hearts. One of these titles is Consider Me, the first book in Canadian author Becka Mack’s “Playing For Keeps” series, which is centered around ice hockey players who aren’t planning on settling and finding a relationship. Was this book able to steal my heart, like the main characters try to steal eachother’s?  

About the book

Consider Me by Becka Mack
Series: Playing For Keeps #1
Published by Independently published on March 22, 2022
Pages: 448
ISBN: 9781778133022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Rating: ⭐️⭐️

For a shot at love, he’ll do whatever it takes…

Carter Beckett is the NHL’s best player—both on and off the ice. His career is at its peak, his friends are performing better than ever, and there’s no shortage of women to spend the night with. What more could he want?

Olivia Parker isn’t new to professional hockey players, thanks to her best friend’s boyfriend, but she has no interest in dating one herself—no matter how hot he is. And anyway, she loves working as a teacher and hanging out with her best friend, drama-free. Why would she want to spend her time stroking the ego of an arrogant athlete?

But once Carter meets Olivia, he can’t think of anything else. Too bad for him, Olivia is hellbent on keeping him at arm’s length, with no intention of giving into his charms. Perhaps it’s time for Carter to up his game…after all, nobody said he had to play fair.

Sparks will fly as Carter does whatever it takes for Olivia to consider him.

My review

Before reading

My reading year 2024 was dominated by books within the romance genre and I highly enjoyed it. It was in that same year that I came across Consider Me, but I didn’t pick it up right away. Even though I was convinced I read less romances in 2025, my end of the year statistics depicted otherwise. My goal was to read more diverse and explore other genres, although I wouldn’t fully rule out romance. At the end of the year, I was desperately seeking a book that didn’t require too much brain activity. After all, this time of year is already hectic enough. I remembered I still had this book on my TBR and I had high hopes that this would fulfill my need for an easy reading book to close out my reading year. Unfortunately, these expectations weren’t really met.

Characters

One of the key elements in a romance is the characters. Unfortunately, Mack failed to make Carter and Olivia convincing, although points of view alternate between them both. They stay superficial, lacking personality. The fact that Carter has a backstory that gradually is revealed can’t mask this superficiality. He has a reputation that Olivia can’t really handle. He meaninglessly slept with several women and forgets them as soon as dawn breaks. Olivia is not pleased at all and initially rejects him by trying to avoid him. She creates as much distance as possible. You can see how this will play out from a mile off, this obviously won’t last. Gradually, Carter reveals his true self bit by bit and they eventually grow closer. Unfortunately, the chemistry is lacking. Although their communication is healthy most of the time, they aren’t characters you can’t take to heart. I especially miss some development for Olivia’s character, as she remains largely underdeveloped aside from some feelings. Where is her backstory? It looks like she has none. Developing her character would immediately make this book more interesting as it provides more substence. Right now, this romance is mostly a matter of ticking of boxes without being believable.

Writing

The author’s writing style fits the genre really well. The multiple point of view narrative is a plus, as the reader witnesses how the romance unfolds. The chapters are of average length, and the language isn’t to hard to follow. However, I had a bit of trouble with the English version of the book as it contains a lot of swearing. Usually I don’t really mind this, but even for me it was a bit too excessive. I switched to the Dutch translation for this reason, as it’s much less present there.

Plot

Although romance novels are always character driven, there often is a subplot that supports these characters’ development. In this book, there’s little to no such supporting plot. We follow the characters for about a year, constantly pulling and pushing away. This creates little tension. Furthermore, the author keeps continuously repeating herself which makes this book a slow, plodding story. There is a bit some suspense towards the end, but it’s so minimal that it can’t really save the book. This is primarily a trope-driven novel that won’t appeal to the advanced reader. This does make it digestible for the average Booktok reader however, as it doesn’t require much thought. The story contains a lot of smut, you have to be in for that.

Final thoughts

Becka Mack’s Consider Me unexpectedly had me ending my reading year on a bit of a sour note. Whereas I expected to enjoy this romance as romances often do not require much brain activity, this one failed to captivate me. The characters are pretty underdeveloped, especially Olivia. Carter does have a backstory however, which is gradually revealed. It can’t prevent the chemistry from lacking and the romance from feeling pretty unbelievable though. In fact, this book is very trope-driven. You therefore are able to see how this story unfolds from a mile off. Although romances are always character driven, there often is a subplot to support them in their growth. Well, not this time. There is little to no tension and the author therefore continuously keeps repeating the pulling and pushing of Carter and Olivia. The bit of suspense towards the end just can’t mask the mediocrity of this novel. If you have trouble with swearing and loads of smut, this book definitely isn’t suitable for you either. Whereas I usually don’t mind swearing, this was even a bit too excessive for me. I was hoping to have found another romance series to lose myself in, but I reckon this “Playing for Keeps” series just isn’t for me.