Audio/Book Review: The Perfect Game by J. Sterling

The Perfect Game

Perfect Game #1

Author: J. Sterling

Publisher: Create Space

Publication Date: October 11, 2012

Genre: New Adult

~Synopsis~

He's a game she never intended to play. 
And she's the game changer he never knew he needed.

The Perfect Game tells the story of college juniors, Cassie Andrews & Jack Carter. When Cassie meets rising baseball hopeful Jack, she is determined to steer clear of him and his typical cocky attitude. But Jack has other things on his mind... like getting Cassie to give him the time of day. 

They're both damaged, filled with mistrust and guarded before they find one another (and themselves) in this emotional journey about love and forgiveness. Strap yourselves for a ride that will not only break your heart, but put it back together. 

Sometimes life gets ugly before it gets beautiful...


This is a MATURE YOUNG ADULT/NEW ADULT novel
Suitable for ages 17+ 
Contains strong language, sexual situations and references.

~Review~

I had never heard of The Perfect Game until I went to a book signing in Seattle and J. Sterling was there. She was so fun and awesome and I knew I needed to check out her books. I actually started listening to The Perfect Game on audio before I finished it off by reading it. This wasn’t one where I was so impatient that I had to jump into the book, but rather I actually had a lot of frustration with the audio.

Let’s talk about the audio first. The narrator made this audio absolutely impossible for me to listen to. Unfortunately, I had a lot of issues with her voice and the way she portrayed the characters. She made Cassie and Melissa sound like annoying, brainless valley girls and Cassie seemed to always be yelling and came off as a total bitch. Had I listened to the entire thing instead of stopping to read, I think I would have formed a completely different opinion of Cassie. Also, her voice change for Jack was still too feminine for me. This being said, I stopped listening at 27% and switched over to reading the remainder of the book.

Jack “effing” Carter. Unfortunately, Jack was a clichéd NA male lead. He is the typical man whore who only sleeps around with women but never does serious relationships. This all stems from abandonment issues from his child hood. However, I don’t think he can use that as an excuse since his little brother, Dean, is nothing like that. I do understand that he is older, remembers more, and may have been affected by the situation differently but it doesn’t mean he has to be a player. Of course, he plays baseball and I have heard baseball players are cocky assholes who use women so that could play into it as well.

Cassie is strong-willed and tough. She has been let down by her father throughout her entire life with empty promises and broken dreams. This causes her to put up a wall and she isn’t quick to trust anyone. I liked Cassie but also found her to be a little bratty at times. The audio version may play some role in how I perceive her but she seems to be a little self-involved. She’s quick to judge and she never wants an explanation or to listen to any reason. She forms an opinion and that’s that. However, I did think that she was a loyal and honest person and she would do anything for her friends and the people she loves, even set aside her pride to try and help them.

Considering Jack’s personality and nature, I found it a little hard to believe that after one date, he is ready to go all in with Cassie and forget his playa, playa days. However, he was immediately drawn to Cassie and the fact that she was seemingly impervious to his charms and I think that is why he fell for her. For the first time, a woman wasn’t going to willingly jump into his bed and that made her different. I was also a little perturbed by their first sexual encounter. Cassie tells him she’s not ready, he says “I Love You” and suddenly she needs him inside her? Really? I’m not saying it isn’t realistic, pretty sure that happens all the time but I thought Cassie was smarter than that. Also, I don’t care if you’re on the most reliable birth control known to man. That doesn’t mean you can’t get pregnant if you don’t use a condom. Seriously, some of these NA characters have no common sense.

Probably my biggest peeve with this book was Jack’s holy unforgivable mistake and the way Cassie handled it. Begging is beneath her and she definitely shouldn’t have been the one doing it. She should have been making his life living hell, not trying to help him get out of the situation. He deserved a good kick in the balls, not her love or sympathy. I definitely didn’t think I could ever, ever forgive Jack even as sweet as he was in the end. I did feel bad for Jack and I could see that he was really sorry. He was duped and his stupidity got him into the situation. He has a lot to prove in The Game Changer.

I think my review may sound a little ranty and seems like I didn’t like the book but I actually did. I liked the writing and I was definitely caught up in the story and the plot. I really liked Cassie’s best friend, Melissa and the way she supported Cassie but also told her what was up at the same time. I also loved Dean, Jack’s little brother, and how protective he was over Cassie and Melissa. He is genuinely a sweet guy and he really looks up to Jack, despite his many character flaws. He knows his brother isn’t perfect but he loves and supports him no matter what.

Overall, I did enjoy this book and I was genuinely shocked by Jack’s betrayal and it was certainly something that I haven’t come across in any other NA I’ve previously read. I wanted to like Jack and I wanted to think he could be everything Cassie needed but he ended up being another man who would just let her down. I’m not sure he’s forgivable but I’m told he may be redeemable so I’ll see for myself.

~IPOD Picks~

“Let Me Down” by Kelly Clarkson

“Wasting All These Tears” by Cassadee Pope