Review: Played (Hooked #2) by Liz Fichera

Title: Played
Author: Liz Fichera
Series: Hooked
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, YA
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publication date: May 27th 2014
Pages: 352 (paperback)
Source: Netgalley





This Game Is Getting All Too Real

He said: I like to keep under the radar and mostly hang out with my friends from the rez. But when i saved Riley Berenger from falling off a mountain, that rich suburban princess decides to try to save me. 

She said: If I can help Sam Tracy win the heart of the girl he can't get over, I'll pay him back for helping me. I promised him I would, no matter what it takes.

- Goodreads -

Played is about a lot of things: wrong first impressions, white lies, misunderstandings, first love and friendship.

Riley has always been the good girl. She got stellar grades, never breaks curfew and doesn’t cause her parents any trouble, after she has an older brother to do that. Everyone knows her as Ryan Berenger’s little sister, besides that no one ever notices her. That’s until she gets stranded in the woods together with Sam Tracy. Suddenly everyone wants to talk to her and all the boys want to know her including the guy she always had a crush on, Jay Hawkins.

Sam only wants two things in his life, get into a good college and a girl named Fred. Getting into college won’t be a problem, but getting Fred will be. She lost her heart to Ryan Berenger, Riley’s older brother. He wants nothing to do with anyone named Berenger, including Riley. Unfortunately you don’t always choose who you get stranded with.

And so there story begins. There is heartache, one or more ruined reputations and a lot of hilarious situations.

I haven’t read Hooked yet, maybe I should have before I read Played. So I didn’t know Riley’s and Sam’s background with both Ryan and Fred.  But I got an idea by reading Played. And without reading a complete book centered around them I already loved Ryan and Fred, so I’m definitely going to pick up Hooked. I got why Riley wanted to help Sam to get Fred, even though I didn’t like it. I mean if my little sister would try to break up my relationship I would be so mad at her for a long time. But I got why she did what she did, certainly at the beginning. But after you saw her feelings change towards Sam you would have thought she would give up her scheming but she didn’t. Even if it was obvious how they felt about each other they were both to stubborn to act upon it. But it did lead to some touching and hilarious situations so I won’t complain about it too much.

What I also loved was that the author tried to stay away from the clichés in YA and NA books. Sam’s relationship with his father was strained but it wasn’t because he’s an alcoholic or abusive or because he’s never around. But just because they just can’t seem to connect anymore.

I would recommend this book to YA readers who like books like “Wild Cards”, "Such a Rush" and “Things I Can’t Forget”.

El