So, I’ve seen The C*ck Down the Block by Amy Award for some time on TikTok and just around goodreads, etc. Every time I thought man, what a cheeky cover and title, too bad I don’t care for football. Honestly, I don’t know why I let that hold me back. This was such a fun and cute read that definitely has me wanting to continue with the Cocky Kingmans series!
I think, in addition to my not caring for football, another aversion I had to starting this was the fear that this would be fatphobic. I don’t know why I thought that. Possibly fear of having been bait-and-switched by other ‘plus-size’ romances before, where the FMC is loved despite her weight or ends up losing weight. I should’ve known better with this book because this was so body and sex positive! It was extremely refreshing to read and I’ve never been happier to be proven wrong. We get a confident woman and a man that isn’t ashamed of who he wants. Sex work and masturbation is mentioned and isn’t made to be taboo or shameful. This was so uplifting and warm to read, it just left me feeling happy!
Trix is a plus-sized, vegan librarian that loves life and herself. Her BFF and neighbor, Chris, is a star football player that has been in love with her since high school. He thinks she doesn’t like him and so he feels terrible for lusting after her. This part was SO refreshing. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book where the MMC feels bad for lusting and loving someone that he thinks isn’t interested in him and we need more of this! It is gross and uncomfortable to constantly have someone panting over you when you’ve made it clear you don’t want them. But, in this occasion, it’s different because Trix thinks he can’t be seriously attracted to her, which is honestly not so much body shame but being a normal kid who thinks no way can this hot funny guy actually like like me. They are both in love with one another, believing the other can’t be, and that’s the extent of the miscommunication because it gets cleared up real quick.
This is a very quick and breezy read. If you go into this expecting in depth anything, you’re going to be disappointed and I thought the tongue-in-cheek title, synopsis, and cute cover made that abundantly clear. We don’t get deep character development. We don’t get a slow burn romance. This is an extremely fast paced beat to beat read that gets us really quickly from friends, to fake dating, to real dating, to external conflict, to resolution. And I was okay with that! It was fun to read and that’s what I wanted when I picked this up.
I think if you’re looking for a palette cleanser, or something fun, lighthearted to read without needing to have a single thought, I’d recommend The C*ck Down the Block by Amy Award. It’s cute and quick and extremely simple to read with a positive message. However, if you can’t handle modern vernacular (despite this being a contemporary romance,) then maybe this might not be for you. I mean, the synopsis has the words douchecanoe and adorkable so you get what you see.
