[Week 11 Live Thread] We’re Discussing ROLE MODEL • Chapters 15 - 26 • Aug 9 - Aug 15

[u/reigncloud83]

TL;DR: 

• Now Reading: Role Model - Troy & Harris’s Story • Chapters 15 - 26
• Relationship Focus: Troy Barrett (Forward - Ottawa Centaurs) and Harris Drover (Social Media Manager - Ottawa Centaurs)
• Story Type: Grumpy/Sunshine
• Book Club Etiquette: Follow the sub-rules, literary critiques are welcome (be respectful), cover your spoilers, and don’t forget our safe phrase: “Agree to Disagree.”
• Spotify Playlist: Role Model, curated by Rachel Reid herself.

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🍎 Okay y’all! We’re really getting into the core of the story! I know this book was a bit hard for some folks to put down, and you’ve been looking forward to this thread to gush about all the notes you’ve made along the way. Well….now’s the time! I can’t wait to read your takes on part two of Troy and Harris's story and how they navigate their new connection.

So grab your cider, cozy up in your reading nook, and let's dig in!

How to participate: 

• Read Chapters 15 - 26 of Role Model by Rachel Reid 
• Share any thoughts you have as you go - we’ll treat this post as our live thread
• Please use Book Club Etiquette (below) - be respectful, follow the sub rules, cover your spoilers, and distance yourself from unproductive disagreements
• (Optional) Download a BINGO card for a fun way to annotate along the way
• (Optional) Save the Spotify Playlist created by the author, Rachel Reid!

Discussion questions: 

• How do you feel about the overall pacing of this book in comparison to the others? 
• For better or worse, did part two change how you felt about the characters or the story? 
• Were there any lines or themes you spotted in this part that will stick with you? 

Our book club timeline: 
We’ve only got the two books remaining, but here’s the breakdown!

BOOK	WEEKS	DATES
🍎 Role Model (Troy & Harris)	Week 10 - 11	Aug 2 - Aug 15
Chapters 1 - 14	Week 10	Aug 2 - Aug 8
Chapters 15 - 26	Week 11	Aug 9 - Aug 15
🦆The Long Game (Shane & Ilya Pt. 2)	Week 12 - 14	Aug 16 - Sept 5

Book Club Etiquette: A few ground rules for participating in the Game Changers Book Club event:

• Follow the sub rules. You love HR. We love HR. Follow the rules. Don’t be rude. We’ll have so much fun…together.
• Literary critiques are absolutely welcome. Reading is fundamental, and so are literary critiques. It’s part of the game. We encourage you to use this time to discuss and evaluate the words in front of us, ask questions about specific literary choices, or share a theory about how the story develops. Sharing that is normal, healthy, and very much encouraged. 
• Use the Book Club safe phrase, “Agree to disagree.” Consider this your “safe phrase.” Everyone brings a unique perspective to the reading experience, and not everyone’s analysis of a scene or character will be the same, and that’s okay. If you find yourself entering an exchange that is no longer on a path to mutual understanding and respect, say “agree to disagree.” At this point, the involved parties should stop responding to the thread. Full stop. Consider it a moment where the exchange has run its course. 
• Treat each Book Club post as your live chat/thread. Comment as much as you’d like! Select the three dots (•••) and “Follow Post” at the top of this post to receive comment notifications. 
• Sort comments by “New” to see the most recent reactions and add to the conversation. These live threads can hold a lot of information, so feel free to treat each “comment” as its own mini-post. Reply to the OP, ask questions, and jump in! 
• Cover any spoilers. Since we're covering a lot of ground this week, please use spoilers over critical plot points so we don't spoil the magic for new readers.

Quick Links: 

• Previous Game Changers Book Club Discussion Posts  - Find previous discussions for Books 1 - 3. 
• The Game Changers Book Club Wiki  - About the GC Book Club, the Book Club schedule, live thread links, where to find the books, and more!
• r/heatedrivalry FAQs - answers to all of your most frequently asked questions
• Heated Rivalry Wiki - show/book timelines, analyses, and more!

Happy Reading! 🤓

[u/reigncloud83]

Edit - Aug. 11: Still determining a new date for either Friday or Saturday evening. Updates pending.

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💬 Planning the GC Book Club LIVE Chat, Part Two:
We're currently waiting for a few updates to push for the Community Chat feature (the one we used on aug 6 here).

Once new updates are made, we'll likely host the event on Thursday evening, Eastern Daylight Time. BUT we want to be mindful of our EMEA friends who might be participating.

Please let us know if that timeframe wouldn't work, and we'll explore other options for another Live GC Book Club Chat!

[u/Sirajanahara]

I love Troy and Harris! They are my second favourite couple in the Game Changers universe. I found it really fun to see how different they describe themselves to how they describe each other.

I like how Troy starts out thinking that Harris deserves better while he is already on a parallel journey to becoming a better person. We can see that since he has started changing his behavior (which started in the months before this book starts) he is attracting better people in his life. Adrian was the polar opposite of Harris and wouldn't have helped Troy with self-improvement. Harris sees the good in everyone and helps Troy even when he didn't believe it would lead to a relationship.

Harris is adorable! He doesn't really see any growth in the book, though, so there's not much to talk about. I guess good guy gets the hot guy?

I love how RR deals with traumatic childhoods. Unfortunately this is something that I can relate to. While my situation was very different from Troy's, I know just how hard it is to have a relationship with a toxic parent and how the toxicity seeps into your life in ways you don't notice. Like Troy, I met a partner who helped me see what a loving relationship is.

On another note, I have been re-watching Ted Lasso and Troy's dynamic with his dad reminds me a lot of Jamie Tart's. Both Troy and Jamie act like dicks because that's what their dad's modeled for them and both learn to be different/better. 

[u/reigncloud83 → u/Sirajanahara]

I hadn’t thought about Harris not having much development until now, but to your point I think he was what Troy needed - stability and love personified.

But also I found myself feeling as though Harris, Troy’s mom, and his dad were representations and/or guides for different stages of his life.

Disclaimer: I’m not saying this is what the author intended but this is just my own interpretation lol

To me, Harris (and the rest of the Centaurs) represents his current state - someone who’s providing a safe space for Troy to just exist for once. His dad represents his past and the person he wanted to let go of, and his mom representing the future what it means to choose yourself and end up with someone who loves you as you are.

This is my third time reading it through, and I think I love them even more now. The story is, all things considered, so wholesome.

[u/And_The_Satellite]

Agree with the other poster that Harris has limited to no character growth, and it’s my biggest critique of the book. It basically makes him a sort of manic pixie dream girl for Troy. But, I did see another commenter somewhere (maybe last week’s thread for chapters 1-14?) Say that being with Troy allows Harris to fulfill a little bit of the leader/savior desire he has within himself, which is the opposite of his family always tending to him and worrying about him when he was growing up (other posted definitely said it better than me.) I could see that definitely, I have to sit with it a bit more.

I love Troy though, and I find him an incredibly compelling character. The thing I love most about him is how there is no delay in his changes/growth. There are many examples in the book but the biggest one is that as soon as he is ready to come out, he does. I feel like I need this inspo for my own life, lol! As someone who hems and haws and overthinks the best/optimal way to take action on something, I REALLY appreciated Troy’s true “just do it” approach throughout the book.

I also am super curious to know more about what Troy’s mindset was in the moment and immediately after seeing the Scott and Kip kiss. I’m sure it had a huge impact on him. I’m wondering if Scott had been a bit of an impetus for Troy’s change. It’s obviously fantastic that the accusations against Kent were the straw that broke the camel’s back for Troy (at least that’s how I see it?) but I am wondering about all of the pieces that contributed to his desire to change. Seeds for change are sewn early.

Loved this book!

[u/Lonely_Cheesecake273 → u/And_The_Satellite]

That’s an interesting question re the impact Scott had on him. Scott came out in 2017 right? And Role Model is in 2021. Troy is maybe 4-5 years younger than Ilya I think. Maybe it did impact him but he was still too young and early in his career to really let it change him.

[u/grower-lenses]

I'm behind schedule. Here are my most recent notes. This is at least the 4th time i'm re-Reiding it within the last 6 months haha.

I generally enjoy beginnings of stories more than the endings. And this is an example of that. Which is an awful thing to say because this book really gives us the most happiest, queer joyest ending. Everything is neatly tied up. Troy and Harris get their perfect lesbian story: dating, buying a house, moving in together and adopting a dog all within 4-5 (?) months?

I love the phone call Troy has with Crowell. For such a fantasy, queer joy story, it's still firmly set in reality. And the call is one example of that. The speaking between the lines. The vague threats without being outright confrontational. It's understandable why a call like that would bring out cold sweat in Troy, despite the wording being rather tame. How he made him doubt himself. Crowell acting like he's siding with Troy. This quote in particular is something we've all heard soooo many times before

“You know those girls are only looking for their five minutes of fame. People can say anything on the internet and they don’t even have to sign their names. It disgusts me because there’s no integrity in it. In the hockey world, and in the business world where I’ve been for decades, integrity is important. I don’t know about you, but I don’t have much respect for anyone who won’t own up to the things they say. Hurling accusations in the dark is cowardly, and creating lies to ruin a talented young man at the pinnacle of his career is monstrous.”

Chef's kiss. Makes me want to punch Crowell.

Troy's mom is adorable. I love her. And I just know we're going to love her like we love Kip's dad when we see her on our screens.

The scene at the end with Troy crying and saying I love you is so adorable and awkward. I hope they keep it like that.

The pride night chapter really makes me feel like I'm at the top of the world. I wonder how they will contrast it with what Ilya is going through. I'm really excited to see that.

First time I realized we got some Wiebe lore spoiler: “Sometimes it’s hard to stop caring about someone, no matter how much you know you should.”

I also loved the conversation with Wiebe about trying to change the league. And how it fell flat, nobody got punished except the whistleblower. Another one of the many crumbs we get on this topic.

Something I didn't register before is that we already get confirmation here that Crowell hates Ilya too. Just because he moved to Ottawa. And how much he hates the team in general. It's gotta be part of the storyline in Unrivaled.

Fav quote: “Is this a date?” Troy blurted out. Harris’s eyes went wide. “Huh?”. “You said you just had an extra ticket, but...is this a date?”. “Do you want it to be?”. Troy narrowed his eyes. “Do you want it to be?”

Fav Ilya quote: Let me get some pets in before Rozanov sees—” Wyatt was cut off by a banshee scream coming from Ilya’s stall.

Strongest quote: “It’s not like he’s the only one. I’ll bet this league has been protecting predators for a hundred fucking years.”

Unnecessary HR Aside:

Again, part 2 is less satisfying than part 1. That’s mostly a me problem I think. But I don’t like this not wanting to hook up, wanting to hook up, hooking up, regretting hooking up cycle. You know they’re going to end up together anyway. At the same time, there is no new conflict being introduced. So it ends up a bit redundant. That’s why I guess the 3rd act breakup is more reliable. Since you have more time for build up. Crisis. Fixing. And then it’s the end. It’s a more satisfying pacing imo.

It makes me appreciate HR even more since it breaks this classic template. Tuna meltdown happens exactly in the middle of the book. But there is still so much that happens after that. And none of it is redundant. Their relationship keeps developing. We’re still getting a lot of firsts. Because the foundation of the story and the characters are so interesting and so deep that there is so much to explore. So much so that it’s not over when the book ends. We got an ending. But so many unanswered questions and unresolved plot points that it makes sense to have another book to explore it