Book Club Review: Common Goal Part 1: Happy for Now?

Declan is joined by Kirsty from the Book Hashira as we move on to Common Goal, the fourth instalment in Rachel Reid’s Game Changers series. This is one of the most divisive books.

In Part One, we dive into Eric and Kyle’s relationship and ask whether their romance really feels like a happily-ever-after, or whether “happy for now” might be a better fit.

We explore the book’s significant age gap, Eric’s anxieties about retirement and getting older, and whether the story misses an opportunity to dig deeper into what leaving professional hockey might mean for someone whose life has revolved around the sport.

We also unpack Kyle’s lingering feelings for Kip, his difficult past and the unresolved questions surrounding what happened to him at 18. We discuss if Common Goalgives Kyle enough space to work through his own story, and if we are we actually convinced that he wants Eric more than he ever wanted Kip?

There’s plenty of discussion about third-act breakups, miscommunication, the evolution of Rachel Reid’s writing across the series, why alot of poeple love Role Model and how Ilya continues his unofficial second career as the Game Changers resident lurker, matchmaker and dispenser of unsolicited relationship advice.

Find Kirsty:

Instagram: thebookhashira_

Long Game Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/LongGamePodcast?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink

Join our Long Game Podcast Book Club on Fable to read along with us each week.: https://fable.co/club/long-game-pod-book-club-with-long-game-pod-349252537194?invite=fc285de0-86ea-45c4-ab3f-8dcc82b8cad8&referralID=4tVUzsxlCC

Find us on instagram: longgame.heatedrivalry.pod

Write to us: longgamepod2481@gmail.com

Find Declan: