Official Review: Playing With Fire by Jaytoe Anthony Tukan

Stephanie Elizabeth · Post by **Stephanie Elizabeth** » 03 Dec 2019, 10:17

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Playing With Fire" by Jaytoe Anthony Tukan.]

1 out of 4 stars

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Gwen is appalled by her boyfriend Johnny's decision to end their long-term relationship. Convinced that he was her soulmate, she must reevaluate her life. Instead of wallowing in self-pity, she leans on her best friends for support. They take her out for a night on the town and make it their mission to show her a great time. Gwen feels blessed to have a strong support system, but she can't ignore the void in her heart. Will she ever be able to find lasting love?

Playing With Fire by Jaytoe Anthony Tukan is a story about a heartbroken woman who is on a quest to get over her ex and open her heart to new experiences. The book is told in the first-person perspective, but to my dismay, it randomly switches to the third person throughout the book. At just over 200 pages, I expected the book to be average in length, but with the font being so large, it was much shorter.

Upon finishing this book, I took a deep breath and dug deep inside myself to try and find something positive to say. Unfortunately, I came up empty-handed. The main character, Gwen, was supposedly distraught over the termination of her relationship. Still, after the initial grief, there was no further mention of it. In fact, within the span of a few pages, she was throwing herself at her best friend. When she was rejected, she quickly moved on and confessed to readers that she was in love with Antonio, who had not been introduced to the story yet. Gwen's character was one-dimensional and didn't resonate with me.

The author made several comments regarding racial barriers in friendships and relationships, which could have added substance to the story. Gwen's group of friends was multiracial, and she often would point it out to readers, but it didn't seem to serve a purpose. She also focused on the skin color of a potential love interest. She said, "The first vivid problem I see with Peter and me having a relationship is racial. Peter is white, and I am black. What would he ever want with me?" After her initial comment, there was no further mention of it. I was left questioning why the author chose to make such a bold statement if there was no intention of pursuing it.

The thing that I most disliked about Playing With Fire was the lack of expression in writing. I kept waiting for the author to pull me in, but I was perpetually disappointed. The author had a bad habit of using certain words repetitively in a sentence, which became quite annoying. An example of this was when Gwen said, "The couple kissed, and kissed, and kissed, and would not stop kissing." The same type of sentence then followed it. The author wrote, "The audience applauded, and applauded, and applauded, and applauded." It felt as though this repetition only served one purpose—to fill up space.

I had high hopes for this book, but it continually disappointed me. There were loose ends that remained untied, leaving gaping holes in the story. I chose to give the book a rating of 1 out of 4 stars. Playing With Fire is riddled with formatting and grammatical errors. To secure a higher score, it needs several rounds of planning and editing. At this point, I would not recommend the book to readers who are looking for a sweet love story with well-developed characters. The book was about as romantic as doing my taxes, and I would dissuade readers of any age from reading it.

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Playing With Fire
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Cecilia_L · Post by **Cecilia_L** » 09 Dec 2019, 11:22

"The couple kissed, and kissed, and kissed, and would not stop kissing." The same type of sentence then followed it. The author wrote, "The audience applauded, and applauded, and applauded, and applauded." It felt as though this repetition only served one purpose—to fill up space.

This one sounds like a chore. Thanks for your honest review.

Miller56 · Post by **Miller56** » 09 Dec 2019, 17:33

Thanks for the review. This one sounds like it still needs some fine tuning to make it enjoyable. I think I will pass.

Post by **kandscreeley** » 09 Dec 2019, 20:40

I like the thought of this. It's not often you see a woman finding herself after a breakup in a fictional setting. It's just too bad it's not executed well. Sorry you had to plod through this one.

AntonelaMaria · Post by **AntonelaMaria** » 10 Dec 2019, 11:16

So sorry that this book was disappointed to you. It is always hard when you can't find anything positive to say about the book. Thanky you for the honest review.

kdstrack · Post by **kdstrack** » 10 Dec 2019, 19:16

It makes you wonder if this is the author's first book? The repetition would become annoying. Thanks for your perseverance to finish the book and write an honest review. Much appreciated!

Stephanie Elizabeth · Post by **Stephanie Elizabeth** » 12 Dec 2019, 13:29

kdstrack wrote: ↑10 Dec 2019, 19:16 It makes you wonder if this is the author's first book? The repetition would become annoying. Thanks for your perseverance to finish the book and write an honest review. Much appreciated!

I was questioning the same thing! Thanks for your comment.

Stephanie Elizabeth · Post by **Stephanie Elizabeth** » 12 Dec 2019, 13:29

AntonelaMaria wrote: ↑10 Dec 2019, 11:16 So sorry that this book was disappointed to you. It is always hard when you can't find anything positive to say about the book. Thanky you for the honest review.

Thanks!

Stephanie Elizabeth · Post by **Stephanie Elizabeth** » 12 Dec 2019, 13:30

kandscreeley wrote: ↑09 Dec 2019, 20:40 I like the thought of this. It's not often you see a woman finding herself after a breakup in a fictional setting. It's just too bad it's not executed well. Sorry you had to plod through this one.

I was really excited about it when I read the blurb; it could have been so much better! Thanks!

Ria710 · Post by **Ria710** » 17 Jan 2020, 14:23

Thanks for the honest review. The first paragraph in your review made me want to read the book, but as I read on further I am disappointed. This book does have the potential to become a good read.

Nisha Ward · Post by **Nisha Ward** » 21 Jan 2020, 03:17

Stephanie Elizabeth wrote: ↑03 Dec 2019, 10:17The book was about as romantic as doing my taxes, and I would dissuade readers of any age from reading it.

That's quite the damning indictment of the book right there, that is, and one I feel is probably quite warranted. I think there's room for exploring a lot of the topics you mentioned, but it probably wasn't done well, particularly since the two hundred pages appeared to feel shorter. Thanks for the warning.