2.5 stars ✨⭐️

I wasn’t sure if I should round up or down. I rounded up because I literally sat thru all the pages in one sitting!! (me not DNFing is a huge deal). Sooo to sum up the entire review, this is a Wattpad book. No, it actually was a Wattpad story I believe and I’m happy for the author for getting it published! But I’m going to be rating this as I would with any other book (pros and cons).

cons:
So…. they full on makeout within 15 mins of knowing each other and fall in love. I’m sorry but someone in the reviews said it was a slowburn/medium burn but this is the EPITOME of insta love with an emphasis on insta. No development in the relationship and what’s worse is the MISCOMMUNICATION TROPE. They have a misunderstanding every 10 pages, quite literally (even the female mc acknowledges it: we love a self aware queen ✨). Also, the last fifty pages are just smut… (if that’s your thing, go for it).

pros:
Okay I know I ranted a lot but I promise there were some good stuff to this book. Guys, the female mc was relatable as a fellow romance readerrr. She was so real for the whole high standards because of fictional men thing and the entire reading poetry portion was chefs kisssss😩. I need a man like Vince who only has a soft spot for me and reads romance books to understand me better 🫶🏼🫶🏼. He’s literally the cutest person ever and a green flag (I love how he was understanding the whole time). The author’s writing is also fast-paced and entertaining, making the novel super easy to follow along. I'll be def on the lookout for their other books whenever I need a light-hearted read and because I like their writing style.

It just wasn’t my thing personally but if you just want a quick, stress buster pick it up!! =)))

☆☆Lastly, thank you so much to Wattpad WEBTOON Book Group and Netgalley for a free arc in exchange of an honest review☆☆

*Thank you to Wattpad Books for providing me with a digital ARC of this story! I greatly appreciate it!

From the moment I read, bookworm and basketball player, I immediately thought to myself, “GIMMIE!” Something about a bookish girl meeting an athletic popular guy just hits the spot for me, it could also be because I never got my chance at that during college haha. This debut novel by Annie Crown was originally on Wattpad, but now as an actual novel! Yay! This story followed, Kendall and Vincent as they both attended Clement University. Kendall was the sweet, bookish girl who preferred her nights staying in, whereas Vincent was the big man on campus since he was Clement University star player on the basketball team. Kendall and Vincent were opposites and yet, one night in the school’s library brought them together, especially an unexpected hot make out session in between the book stacks!

Kendall was a bit of an introvert, she preferred to stay at home, didn’t like parties, and of course, loved to read! I liked Kendall right away, she was sweet, lovable, had a vast knowledge of English literature, and was a bit sassy at times. In a way, I could relate to Kendall, especially in terms of her love of reading, and her preference of being at bit of a homebody (guilty that’s me!). Whenever Kendall would make comparisons to the type of books she read to her life or even how she imagined how certain scenarios would play out if she was in a book made her that much more lovable, endearing, and relatable! Don’t we all just imagine ourselves as the main character in a story? Imagining all the different tropes or things that would happen to us if we were living a real life romance novel, because I sure do! Haha

Vincent Knight was the star basketball player for Clement University, popular and well liked among everyone, and hopelessly falling for Kendall the whole time. From the moment Kendall and Vincent met, it was a spur of the moment where sparks flew and passionate kisses were had in the library, but most of all, Vincent immediately became kind of obsessed with Kendall. I really wished the book had been written in dual point of view so then we could have gotten Vincent’s thoughts and everything. At first, Vincent came off as kind of rude to Kendall when asking for help in the library, but quickly Vincent started to show his true self to Kendall and it made me like him a lot! Vincent wasn’t a cocky, mean jock, he was actually a really sweet, endearing, thoughtful guy, and he just got along with Kendall perfectly. Any guy who willingly reads poems by your favorite poet for fun, buys you coffee, asks questions about the books you read, and thinks about you twenty four seven, is an immediate yes! Snatch him up and BOOM! You’ve got yourself a wonderful guy, a.k.a. Vincent!

The banter in this book was fantastic! Majority of the time I was either laughing or cheering at the things Kendall and Vincent said to one another. Originally I said that I thought Kendall was sweet, but she definitely had some kick to her especially when she would get a bit sassy in response to Vincent teasing her or just getting sassy with Vincent in general haha. Also, the constant back and forth conversations between Kendall and Vincent were so natural, even in the beginning where there was some awkwardness in the early stages, Kendall and Vincent managed to work through it, and get back in the groove of things. I honestly really loved the dialogue in this book! Kendall and Vincent’s chemistry was shown not just through physical intimacy, but also through the way they spoke to each other. The way Vincent and Kendall talked to each other was, endearing, funny, sweet, and later on HOT!

I’m sorry, but I completely wasn’t prepared for the way Vincent and Kendall were in their spicy scenes because, HOT HOT HOT! This book may look cute, but it DEFINITELY had some spicy scenes that got my heart rate going and I kid you not blushing like a mad woman!! I also loved that even in the midst of Kendall and Vincent getting hot and heavy, there was still that lightheartedness to it from Kendall awkwardly struggling to seductively take off her shirt and subsequently hitting Vincent’s jaw in the process. There was an equal mix of laughter and humor even in the sexiest moments between Kendall and Vincent. Kendall may have been an avid reader, but even she couldn’t prepare herself for the way that Vincent matched her energy and gave her EXACTLY WHAT SHE WANTED! Even I was pleasantly surprised when Vincent was going for it with the dirty talk like, “umm hello? What happened to the shy guy from earlier??” More like, GOODBYE SHYNESS AND HELLO SEXY! Haha Vincent and Kendall’s spicy scenes were fantastic and I really enjoyed/ appreciated seeing them being a bit awkward, fumbling, and communicating with each other.

THIS. BOOK. WAS. SO. DARN. CUTE! I mean, yes there was also the spice that was *chef’s kiss, but moreover I simply loved the way Kendall was a total bookworm and made a lot of bookish references to tropes and plots that had me going, “OMG I TOTALLY THOUGHT THE SAME THING!” If you’re a bookworm, I feel like you’ll really love Kendall because, I SURE DID! Vincent was also sweet, endearing, thoughtful, and an amazing book boyfriend! Together, Vincent and Kendall had amazing chemistry, were so sweet, and had fun with each other. I also loved the way that Kendall and Vincent’s flaws weren’t overlooked, it was talked about and they worked on their miscommunication throughout the story. The sexual tension between Kendall and Vincent was great! I absolutely loved the way Vincent was always so supportive and reassuring in making sure that Kendall was comfortable, and in control of whatever they decided to do. I found Kendall to be relatable, and a lot of the things she talked about I found myself thinking similarly. From the bookish references, to Kendall being a hopeless romantic, Vincent doing the sweetest things/ saying sweet things to Kendall, I absolutely adored this story! Definitely the kind of story that will automatically have you smiling all the way through! A wonderful debut novel by Annie Crown and I’m happily looking forward to reading more of her books in the future!

I was so excited to read this book but I was so let down by the pacing. I read it in one night but it felt rushed. Also the constant brining up of tropes ruined it. This book is good for a drinking game - take a shot every time the main character says misogynistic or misogyny.

Where do I even start? I loved this book! The college feel. The bookish references. The tendency for us bookworm types to assume everything is part of some major plot when really it's just people living their lives. The SPICE. I will be recommending this book to anyone who will listen, and this author is now on my "immediately read" list.

Title: Night Shift
Author: Annie Crown
Pub Date (Paperback): November 14, 2023

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thank you, W by Wattpad for my #gifted copy of Night Shift by Annie Crown!

Night Shift, by Annie Crown, is a new adult college romance featuring Kendall, a bookworm and Vincent, the star basketball player. Kendall, who works the night shift at the college library, loves spending her nights reading romance novels. All was quiet in her life, until Vincent comes to her for tutoring help. This is definitely a he falls first, insta-lust type book. I was able to read this book in one sitting, and I enjoyed this book overall. I do wish the two main characters could have been fleshed out a bit more, as I felt more character development could have made me feel more of a connection to the characters and plot. Overall, it’s definitely a cute read and I do recommend it if you are looking for a new adult book with a bit of steam!

Read If You Like:
🏀Sports Romances
🏀Opposites Attract
🏀Bookworm x Basketball Captain
🏀Tutoring Trope
🏀College Sports Romance
🏀He Falls First
🏀Strangers to Lovers
🏀Single POV
🏀Miscommunication Trope

Kendall is a college student who works the night shift at a library on Fridays. While working one night, she meets Vincent who is a star basketball player and very attractive. There is instant chemistry between the two, but there are many set backs that they go through.

So, I'll start off by saying that I read this book incredibly fast. Like less than 24 hours. I don't think that it was particularly life changing or a must read for me & I have thoughts.

The real-life comparisons to bookish tropes are absolutely over the top. There are too many. I see what the author was trying to do, but it just really annoyed me. I could not get on board with her saying that her life was not a romance novel when she was treating it as such.

Kendall is the problem. I did not like her. I think that she was supposed to be portrayed as the shy girl that spends all of her time reading, which i relate to, but I just found her to be annoying and selfish.

I think Vincent was fine. The spice was ehh -- I just felt like Kendall constantly talked about being a virgin, but was completely okay with doing things that were just unrealistic for someone who was a virgin.

Thank you to Netgalley and Webtoon for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own and were not influenced in any way.

Holy smokes this was ridiculously good. I will read this authors grocery list after this! This has no business being so good. Vincent is now the love of my life.

Kendall is an introverted bookworm while Vincent is the popular jock who everyone wants a piece of, but I appreciate the characters and their development because they are so much more than their tropes. Overall, the miscommunication was a bit cringy but they eventually figured it out, becoming a great couple. This book also has one of my most liked tropes which is he falls first and he falls hard, but ultimately it is all the romance book trope references mirroring the couple’s own situations that sold this book for me. Even though this book is open door, I’m not going to deny that the spicy scenes were a bit awkward; that being said Kendall’s roommates were thoroughly enjoyable, and I would like to hear their stories in the future.

This was the sweetest, cutest book I have ever read. I loved everything about Kendall and Vincent. I love their imperfections, the poorly timed humor in their conversations, their miscommunications and they way they fit together so imperfectly. I loved the way they struggled and laughed. I just loved everything about this book.

If I had to pick a character that perfectly represented me in college, Kendall is it. I have never seen myself so clearly in a book.

I don’t know how to put into words how happy this book made me feel. I need everyone to read it and experience the joy I did.

Still 5⭐️ for me
I freakinnn LOVEEE this book! For me this is not the typical bad boy college athlete and geeky librarian where he is super playboy and she is super shy. I LOVE THEIR INTERACTIONS my goodness!! Their mutual pining and their chemistry is was sooo 🫠🤌 gooood. And this is actually kinda one of the firsts if not the first book I read where the girl is doing the grand gesture instead of the boy and she was so ready for it! And he is so appreciative of it, I love it

This book is so memorable! I read the title on NetGalley and I saw the W on the cover and I was like “hmm this sounds familiar” and indeed it was, I read this a couple years ago on W and I LOVED IT.

Thank you for the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC

This book had me giddy from start to end!

Jock hero meets nerdy girl! I LOVED that Kendall (the heroine) was a romance reader/lover. Kendall enjoys her reading times and what better way than reading in a library where no one will disturb her. Enter Vincent, the star of Clement’s basketball team.

When Vincent and Kendall meet, it’s nothing but swoon-worthy. But their story is about stepping out of your comfort zone and take chances. This was truly an amazing and sweet read!!!

This book was such a simple and classic romance. The characters were sweet but often confused, and the story was filled with spice. But the plot relied really heavily on the miscommunication trope, which was ironic for a story about a romance reader who hates the miscommunication trope. Unfortunately, I also don't love the miscommunication trope, so it was a little hard for me to get past some of the clear miscommunication moments throughout the story. But it was a quick and fun read that kept me engaged, and I happily finished this story in one sitting.

Thank you to Netgalley and Wattpad Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This was a cute book with two endearing main characters. Kendall is a bookworm in the honors English program who finds herself 'challenged' to kiss the star of the basketball team, Vincent. That leads to more than Kendall expected and brings up some of her insecurities as well as Vincent's. Kendall was relatable as a character and Vincent definitely had golden retriever energy. The only thing that bothered me is the way that they spoke/thought about one another as if they had had many interactions and conversations... by my count they only had 3-4 before the resolution conversation and it just seemed like there was too much coming from the few interactions they had. I wouldn't say that was a total deterrent to recommending the book, but it definitely felt odd to me. Overall, cute and easy read.

Night Shift by Annie Crown

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 / 5

“Thursdays and Sundays, you party. […] and on Fridays, you sit behind that front desk reading porn.”

I enjoyed a lot of the literary humour in this story, and liked Vincent and Kendall’s relationship. One thing I didn’t like was the pacing and formatting, the end of chapters weren’t the ends of scenes, the next chapter followed on from the second the last chapter ended with no change in pace or theme etc. The pacing bothered me a lot as it was extremely fast paced and there was no build up of tension between the characters, there were no almost ‘filler’ chapters where we would see them longing for one another or where there would be slower scenes, instead there was a lot of time passed in the story that we didn’t see. Instead we were told that they’d spent weeks longing for one another or mulling over the events of the story, it would’ve been great if we had been shown the longing as it would have added to the tension.

A lot of the book was physical romance, and while it was written well and read well, I do wish there was a little more everyday fluff in the book rather than just the raunchier stuff.


Also when looking online the old cover looks much better and more accurate to the story compared to the new illustrated cover. The current cover feels too YA and too pink. The old cover lined up more with the spiciness of the story. (The old cover being the one visible on StoryGraph)

THAT WAS SO FREAKIN CUTE 😍 - the first thing i said when I finished the book. 5/5!

I wanna live in this book 📖

The main character Kendall is SO relatable! She’s a bookworm (spicy book reader ha!), introverted, and works in the school’s library. Vincent is a popular, and very witty basketball player in need of some tutoring 🤭 hence why shows up at the library…and where their story begins 🤗

This is Insta-love! I don’t usually like this trope but it worked here. I felt so connected to their feelings. Just utter magnetism and true butterflies 🦋 There were also some miscommunications…but again it worked so well?? Dare I say…I liked the miscommunication trope?

And it gets STEAMY 🧖🏽‍♀️ hehe don’t let this innocent cover fool you. There’s some spice…I’d give it 🌶️🌶️.5 That’s my personal rating. Others might give it more!

I do wish we got more depth from the characters. I felt like I only knew them on a surface level. Vincent more than Kendall. But overall, this didn’t take away from the story too much and didn’t warrant the removal of a star.

Other than those few rambling thoughts, I really don’t wanna give anything specific away because there were so many sweet, hilarious, and steamy moments that should be experienced while reading 😊

Moments/Quotes:
“And on Fridays, you sit behind that front desk reading porn.”

“Do it for the plot.”

“I like you when you’re a mess,”

-This will be added to my bookstagram and goodreads.

This was the perfect, lighthearted romance to jump-start the academic year with. They had such a cute love story and I LOVED the FMC. She had so much personality and reminded me a lot of myself- I love main characters that I can relate to. Vincent and Kendall were SO funny- they had me smiling and laughing the entire time. Their interactions were so perfect, their banter unmatched. It just felt so real, so realistic to a cute college romance. I finished this in one sitting cause I just enjoyed it so much. They’re so messy. But that’s how college romances are, right?

My only complaint would be that I wish we got a little deeper into Vincent’s character and background. I wish we got to see some different sides of him and a bit more emotion regarding things aside from Kendall.

Overall though - Night Shift is just the perfect standalone romance to get you through a weekend or a night alone. It’s a short- lighthearted, easy read and I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys a cute romance.

I saw this a few years ago on Wattpad but never picked it up but now I'm glad I picked it up now because it was really good and cute.

2.75/5 stars! I didn’t realize this was a wattpad book before getting published, but part of me is shocked and the other part is not surprised at all. The writing quality (banter, vocabulary, eloquence, etc) is wonderful. That is what really blows the wattpad comparison out of the water to me. I think this author is definitely skilled and talented enough to be getting books published and I really hope she continues to. But, there were also things about it that gave me that more negative wattpad vibe. One of the main things was how quick it was. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t like a dragged out book, but there’s a sweet spot there that is really hard to hit right. I really wished there was more build up- that was my main issue. It was insta-love in the way that she was already thinking about jumping his bones the first time she saw him and then they ended up making out that night. I just would’ve liked if maybe their first interaction was more subtle and she thought about him for a while after as like the random mysteriously sort of flirty interaction she had with the cute basketball player before she inevitably (but unexpectedly) runs into him again in class or on campus or something. I wished there was more of other characters as well. Her friends and Jabari were good side characters, but they weren’t in it much other than to berate their friends. I think this book was really good at the romance and relationship of the main characters, but I feel like what really takes a good romance book to the next level IS the subplots and the way the author crafts their struggles and life around that relationship to ensure the readers are really invested and we get to see great character development. Overall I enjoyed this book, it was just above average to me, hence the 2.75/5. I loved the writing, the story within the story, and how the main characters fit together, but there were a lot of things I felt could have been added to make it better as well.

The cover and the title of this book really drew me in since I've been working night shift for a few months now. Kendall is very relatable as an introverted reader who overthinks and is highly critical of herself I loved how she compared the different milestones in hers and Vincent's relationship to bookish themes/tropes i.e. miscommunication, best friend supporting characters, surprise pregnancy trope, etc. However, it did make me want to shake some sense into Kendall because she knows about the miscommunication trope and still falls victim to it. I wish we got to know little bit more about the characters. Everyone felt very surface-level and sweet; there wasn't much depth to any of the characters. I do love that Vincent tries really hard to woo Kendall though. Unfortunately, the spice in this book was not for me. It was almost too realistic and painfully awkward which I am not a fan of.

Overall, this book was a very quick, easy read but not something I would pick up again.

Thank you Annie Crown, W by Wattpad Books, and NetGalley for this ARC!

Wow! Night Shift by Annie Crown is such a cute, fast paced, college romance book. The chemistry between Kendall and Vincent was off the charts and had me blushing at how cute all of their interactions were. My only ick was that I don't like when characters in book bring up how their life isn't like a book. It personally drives me crazy. Overall it was a very cute, spicy romance!
Thank you Netgalley and Wattpad for the ARC!