PICK ME! {Book Reviews}

Guarded

Author: Crimsonfred1

Fandom: Haikyuu
Chapters: 7
Status: Incomplete
Mature Content: language/abuse

First and foremost, I know that posting something can sometimes be terrifying and it can be a struggle to have confidence on in one you've written. That being said: wow. In the best possible way. Wow. I won't lie, I was hesitant to start reading Guarded, but I'm so glad I took that leap. There are times where the "badass with a chip on their shoulder" meets "eternal sunshine" and it just works and this is one of them.

Machi is a strong character in so many ways and the way you depict her relationship with her father is both heartbreaking and so realistic. The pressure he puts on her, as well as the pressure she puts on herself in her attempts to make him proud are just...ugh. Yes. The way the weight of her own expectations shape her interactions with her peers is great too.

You do a wonderful job at exposing her insecurities in a raw way, while opening her up and softening her with Yamaguchi's presence. I love that you've added an OC male to compete with Suga for her attention. The fact that you've built up her interactions around more than just the volleyball team is great.

As for her interactions with Suga? You would be appalled to know how many times I've made some unholy sound because I'm cheering that sweet bean on! I do think you could slow down how fast you have her open up, but~ this is also the first person that's described as showing an interest in actually getting to know her outside of her sport/reputation. We know that she was confessed to and Machi turned them down hard, but we don't know what happened behind the scenes with that. Why did she turn him down? Had they misread signals while she was training with them? I'd be interested in learning more about that one, possibly through a conversation where Suga and Machi open up to one another.

While Sugawara is a pretty open book in general, I think it'd be a good opportunity to explore the fact that as happy as he is watching Kageyama grow, he's a little jealous. He didn't get much time as the first string setter before Kageyama was accepted to the team and Sugawara went back to cheering people on from the sides. It would be nice to have him explore those feelings with her.

All of this being said: I don't know how far you're considering taking their story or how many chapters you're considering making your book so keep that in mind when I talk about your pacing. If you're looking for a longer book I would definitely consider spacing out how much they open up at a time.

I'm also interested in finding out how her father feels about her new willingness to be around Suga. Does he consider it a distraction for her?

Overall, I don't think you should second guess what you're doing. I look forward to reading every update you put out. It's certainly among the books that I keep an eye on and will put a pause on my own writing to go enjoy.

~Imnotwhatyouwant