Series Review: G.A.P. by Ingrid Seymour

Series: The G.A.P. Series
Author: Ingrid Seymour
# of Books: 2 (The Guys are Props Club, Girls are Players)
Complete?: Yes
Genre: New Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Drama
Heat Rating: really warm

Thoughts:

I picked up The Guys are Props Club for free on Amazon recently. It sounded like a cute and lighthearted read which was exactly what I needed after reading a particularly dark dystopian romance story.

And that is exactly what I got. I easily read it in 3 hours one morning. The story is predictable but that was ok with me. I hypothesized the reason Maddie was so scorned early on and I was pretty sure I was right by midway through before the “big reveal”. But the story was sweet and I needed something like that between my more action packed reads.

I liked watching Sebastian and Maddie fall in love even though I felt it was a little fast. Sebastian was charming and sweet and I can understand why she fell for him nearly right away, I just didn’t feel like it was her character to be ready to take that next leap with him so soon–especially based on her past.

I wish a little bit that this book had both Sebastian and Maddie’s point of views instead of just Maddie’s. I would like to know more about Sebastian and why he liked Maddie so much right away. I think it just would have added that little bit of depth to the book. Overall though, I really enjoyed it. It moved pretty quickly despite not having too much else to the plot and I smiled throughout reading it.

I picked up Girls are Players because it was only $1 from Amazon and I was really curious to see what would happen next with Jessica. While she was a character that was easy to dislike (she reminded me a lot of Darcy from Something Borrowed actually; though I blame that connection on writing my review for that series right when I was read The Guys are Props Club :P) I really felt like she did have a heart underneath her “bitchy” persona and just couldn’t deal with the loss of her first love.

I was super excited to learn why Taylor and Jessica had broken up and I was a little disappointed that the reason wasn’t as dramatic as I thought it was going to be. That was ok in the end because the book had a few dramatic twists that I didn’t see coming near the end that kept it interesting. I was nice to see Jessica grow up and I think her thoughts and feelings are very realistic. While she isn’t my favourite character ever, I did like her a little bit more by the end of the book. Also, a special shout out to Ms. Seymour for adding the allusion to the classic Great Expectations–those who had read the Dicken’s novel will totally understand and appreciate that addition!

Conclusion:

Both books focus on girls finding themselves after particularly bad breakups and learning to love and trust others again. While nothing overly dramatic, both are a nice break from the tragedy filled New Adult reads that dominate this genre.

Rating: 4/5 Similar Reads: The Love Game by Emma Hart (The Game #1) and After Math by Denise Grover Swank (Off the Subject #1)

Synopsis for The Guys are Props Club (from Goodreads): During her senior year in high school, Maddie Burch promised herself not to ever fall for a cute guy – or any guy – again. Cute guys are players and not to be trusted, a fact she learned the hard way when her first boyfriend ran her heart through a paper shredder. Two years later, her promise is still intact, and she’s determined to make it through college without falling victim to another creep. She has her job, school and The Guys Are Props Club to keep her mind and hormones in check. The club was founded by Jessica, Maddie’s best friend. It is a sisterhood of girls who have fallen prey to heartless jerks and who have vowed to turn the tables. Once a semester, Jessica requires members to “do onto others as they’ve done unto you.” Setting the example, Jessica’s next play is Sebastian Capello, a theater major with heartthrob looks and a flair for Latin dance, whose heart she plans to break the way hers was once broken. What the friends don’t know is that Sebastian is different. Despite his perfect looks and popularity, he’s not a jerk. He doesn’t play games to get his way. Instead, he keeps it real and goes after what he wants with honest intentions. And what he wants is not a bombshell like Jessica, but a down-to-earth girl like Maddie – even if it causes a riff in the girl’s friendship. Even if it means getting Maddie to break her personal vow.