ARC Book Review: Revive Me by Nikki Castle

Revive Me by Nikki Castle is an inspiring standalone sports romance that explores human vulnerability and acceptance in relationships.

Since starting my book blog, I've read quite a few Nikki Castle romances. The Fight Game series by Nikki is one of my favourite sports romance series, and her spicy novellas are great for a fun, quick read.

It was, therefore, no surprise that I was overjoyed when I received an ARC of Nikki's newest book, Revive Me. This novel comes out on Friday, 16th May and as an avid reader and Nikki Castle fan, I'm going to share my thoughts on Revive Me to convince you to give it a read.

My review of Revive Me by Nikki Castle

Genre: Sports Romance

Tropes:

• Grumpy x sunshine

• Injured athlete x Physical therapist

• Slow burn

• Forbidden romance

• Disability rep

I'm lucky enough to be part of Nikki Castle's ARC team, and I know that when I receive an ARC from her, I won't be disappointed. I haven't read a book by Nikki that I haven't enjoyed, and Revive Me is just the same.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and finished it in two sittings. It is a bit different to Nikki's other books in that it has less spice and explores disabilities, but that, in my opinion, doesn't make it any less good.

In fact, I'd say this is one of my favourite Nikki Castle books so far.

Revive Me is a standalone novel, and the synopsis is:

I've never read a book about an injured athlete before, and I was excited to dive into Revive Me because of this. I love seeing representation of disabilities in fiction, and I think Nikki executed it incredibly well.

So, let's get into what makes Revive Me such a good book.

Character thoughts

Roman and Liliana are opposites. Throughout the book, we get both of their points of view, which provides us as readers with a wider understanding of the characters and the events happening.

The dual POV allows us to see what Roman and Liliana are thinking and feeling, which is important because they are contrasting characters.

Liliana is a physical therapist. She is hopeful, caring and goes the extra mile for her patients. With an adrenaline-hungry family, Liliana likes to take risks, but she provides the best patient care to give them the best chance at recovery.

I liked her character a lot because, whilst she doesn't have some crazy, intriguing backstory, she has a lot of depth. I could see parts of myself in her, especially with how she helps those she cares about.

As an FMC, she is interesting and relatable. Nikki's portrayal of Liliana comes across strongly on the page, and I loved the dynamic between her and Roman.

Whilst Revive Me is an MMA sports romance, like The Fight Game series, it takes a different angle on it. Roman was an MMA fighter, but after an injury, his career ended.

Roman's characterisation is probably one of the more complex that I've read. Having a spinal cord injury isn't relatable for everyone, but despite that, Roman is a relatable MMC. Throughout the book, we see his grumpy side and how he can lash out and be angry because of his injury.

However, we also see his vulnerability and uncertainty over his future because he doesn't know what it holds. I sympathised with Roman and found myself rooting for him throughout the book because Nikki wrote in a way that made me feel as though I was there with Roman, watching his rehabilitation first hand.

As individual characters, Roman and Liliana are strong protagonists. But together, they bring to life the grumpy x sunshine trope, and create emotional scenes, whether it's through humour or sadness.

Edit Credit: WriteWatchWork

Overall narrative thoughts

The protagonists are one of the best aspects of this novel. However, personally, I felt that the storyline and themes explored were even better.

Revive Me by Nikki Castle isn't a fluffy romance that will make you kick your feet and giggle whilst reading. Instead, it will pull on your heartstrings, make you sympathise with the characters, and feel all sorts of emotions.

This book explores human vulnerability and doubt when we're faced with life-altering events. It makes us question how we would move forward and overcome challenges that are out of our control.

It inspires us to find hope and courage to keep on moving, just like Roman did in the end.

The narrative does include flashbacks to when Roman and Liliana first met, which enhances the story. The flashbacks give us a deeper insight into the characters by allowing us to see how they interact and what Roman was like before his injury, which enhances the impact of his injury.

Overall, Nikki Castle has knocked it out of the park once again with Revive Me.

It is an inspiring tale of perseverance and courage, which explores the impact of positive relationships and allowing oneself to be happy.

Revive Me by Nikki Castle comes out this Friday and is available to purchase on Amazon here.

Until next time...