Review: Cat and Mouse (The Games We Play Book 1)

Author: Jacquelyn Phillips
Started reading: April 28st 2018
Finished the book: April 30th 2018
Pages: 526
Genres: Fiction, YA, New Adult
Published: August 23rd 2016
Source: Got a signed copy from the author
Goodreads score: Not enough ratings
My score:

Synopsis
My name is Roxanne Vaughn. Most people just call me Roxy. My parents call me a disappointment. I'm not gonna lie--I hate how much they detest me, but I've learned to embrace their skepticism. What better way to write poetry than to feel like an outcast?
Insecure. Ugly. Stupid.
Even writing about my failure in pre-med has earned me some notoriety in my creative writing classes. Although, some people believe I should write fiction, I don't know if I could do that. It would probably end up being some distorted version of my own sick reality. I'm originally from San Diego, the daughter of two well-known doctors, and the younger sister to the perfect God-send of an offspring. I moved to Rohnert Park to attend Sonoma State, to escape the pressures related to living with my parents and to hopefully create some friendships along the way.

My thoughts

First of all; This book only has 1 rating on Goodreads and that's really weird to me, because the writing is GREAT. I was able to slay this 526 page book in two days! There are some cons for me as well, but I do believe this is a pretty good book for a debut and also for a first in a series where a lot of things can improve.

Pros

• Easy read: I was able to read this big book within two days. It was such an easy lighthearted read for me. I loved the writing style and the conversations in the book flowed very easily. I'm happy to have discovered Jacquelyn Phillips, because I do believe she can write bestsellers.
• Witty/snarky character: A witty main character is always something that gets kudos from my side. I love to read about characters who aren't afraid to tell what they think. Roxy sure has it in her and I also like how she is growing during the story. She is coming out of her shell more and able to show more of that clever and funny side of her personality.
• Main characters thoughts: At first it was annoying to me, to read Roxy's thoughts, but it grew on me and I started liking it more and more. You can read big parts of her inner struggle and about the fact that she does know that some of her decisions aren't the right ones at that moment.
• Longer time span: The book is big and long, but also contains a long time span. A whole school year, maybe even 1,5 years. I really think that's a pro for this book, because a lot is happening and it wouldn't be believable if it took place within 3 months or so.

Cons

• Could've been shorter: The book is long. I believe the story would've been more enjoyable if it was shorter. Roxy keeps doubting, she can't make up her mind and she makes the same mistake 50 times. It's too much and the story itself could've been told in a shorter book.
• Drama: I'm too old for this High School/College drama. The drinking, the cheating, the sluttyness (is that a word?), the calling your friends a bitch. Not for me.
• Side characters: All the side characters are assholes, pardon my French. Roxy is used by everybody. Her friends leave her when they go out, her family is treating her like garbage and the people who were awesome in my eyes at first, ditch her like she's nothing. I would've liked some characters to be sweeter and more trustworthy, because now there wasn't even 1 side character that I really liked.

Overall

I would've given this book 3,5 star if I did half ones. The writing is pretty good, the conversations flow easily and I like the witty main character. The story gets more believable because it contains a longer time span. I do believe that the side characters need a bit of work and the drama could tune down a bit for me.

Thanks for reading!

Please let me know what you think about this book/review.