₊ ⊹<i>”you’re everything to me, isabelle. you’re stubborn warmth and wild summertime. you’re sunshine.”</i>₊ ⊹

<b>*:･ﾟmy thoughts┊</b> thank the lord i finally finished this 🤧 i didn’t hate it by any means, but this story dragged on for literally ever and i was really struggling to make myself finish it lmao.

i did enjoy this book, but in terms of the series, it’s probably my third favorite. isabella and nikolai had so much potential, but i felt that their romantic execution fell flat. i wish this had been set during the summer they first met and moved on from there, rather than introducing it in the middle of the journey. i also felt that their initial meetings in the beginning were a little off; they were both telling themselves that they couldn’t be with the other person and yet every time they bumped into each other they were so touchy-feely with one another. idk, it was a little awkward for me lmao

besides that though, i did like this one. it was really interesting learning more about nikolai, who was introduced a feel books back. i ended up really falling for his character and empathizing with him and his story. his development arc was spot on! and i loved how he loved isabelle. she was always the bright spot in his light, and she took care of him in ways no one else ever had. they really did have a sweet and genuine connection and i loved reading about it!

i think my only other complaint is that it felt waay too long. i was really struggling to get through it, even though i was mostly enjoying it. there’s no reason a book needs to have almost 75 chapters, even if they’re shorter than average. most of the chapters felt like filler ones that weren’t totally necessary to the story. i felt like this book was packed to the brim with things occurring, which made it difficult for me to really fall into the story like i prefer doing.

all in all, this was a pretty solid ending to this series! it made me remember how much i enjoyed the previous two books (i wan’t really a big fan of the first though lmao). i’d definitely be interested in picking up future novels by this author! <3

<i>huge thank you to netgalley and avon and harper voyager for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review!</i>

I loved this book! I started reading it and simply could not put it down. I think something I loved about this book was you never doubted their love for each other. It was pure and I loved how this book not only gave me fun, lovey dovey vibes. But it was also to teach me real things about emotions and bring genuine tears to my eyes. Domestic violence is such a hard topic to touch upon and being able to see the SONS point of view on domestic violence really beautifully brought out the vulnerability in this novel. Thank you, Grace Reilly for this wonderful book that I won't stop speaking about.

Nikolai Abney-Volkov you wonderful, precious, dirty talking, broken man!! Y’all this book is amazing. I’m a huge fan of Grace Reilly’s and I loved all the books in Callahan series but this one is my favorite. It’s ridiculously spicy in ALL THE BEST WAYS. There’s a realness to this the love between all the couples in the book but especially between Nik and Isabelle I always love when an author can weave some mental health awareness into an already fantastic story and make it actually seem realistic. The way that Nik and Isabelle love, trust and communicate with each other is serious relationship goals. I can’t wait until everyone else is able to get their hands on this one. I’m sad it’s the last book in the series but Grace is sending it out with bang!!!

This book was excellent! I loved the character development, plot development, the pacing was great and the spice was spicing. I have nothing negative to say about this book. I just wish there was more of it!

This book was so adorable and fun to read. This books takes you through a rollercoaster of emotions from start to finish. The banter and spice between Nikolai and Isabelle was just perfect! This is my first Grace Reilly but I will be giving her other books a read. I really enjoyed this and hope others do as well!!!

Incredible. Stunning. Perfection. No notes.

An easy five star sports romance. The Beyond the Play series holds a special place in my heart (Cooper Callahan, looking at you), and Wicked Serve lives up to my high expectations. Izzy and Nikolai felt real and believable, and I love that their story wasn’t riddled with tropes for the sake of tropes. The progression of their relationship from fling/hookup, to friends, to completely committed to each other felt so natural and wonderful.

I also really love the care and diligence that Grace Reilly puts into maintaining the characterization of her previous MCs. I hate when I’m reading an interconnected-standalone series and a previous MC turns into an antagonist, or just becomes generally unlikeable. For example, I was really worried Cooper was going to go all alpha-protective-older-brother in such a way that it would taint the love I felt for him in Breakaway. But, nope!!! Reilly wrote him in this perfectly balanced way that felt believable, but also reminded me WHY he was book boyfriend material in his own book! Same goes for James and Sebastian! I was swooning over Nikolai AND the Callahan boys in this one!!! It simply was not fair!!!!!

I just want to live in this series; it gives me all the warm fuzzies, and the men are simply unmatched.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review*

This series 😩😩 Give me a college sports romance and I will drop everything to read it immediately.

The Callahan siblings have my heart, and I've loved reading each of these books to see them find their person.

Nik and Izzy have all the chemistry and spice while truly connecting with and caring for one another. They both grow together through so much and I love a book where the MCs are mature enough to support each other in an actual realistic way. I felt all the emotions reading this!

This may be my favorite of the series, but definitely going back to re-read Cooper, James and Seb's stories again! 🥰

Thank you Avon and NetGalley for this Arc in exchange for an honest review.

I was excited to get back to McKee University and check in with the youngest Callahan sibling, Izzy. This book is all the wonderful things that Grace Reilly puts in her stories, you will laugh, you will cry, and you will fall in love. What I thought was interesting, and I thought I would find it annoying but I didn't, was the fact that both Izzy and Nik felt so strongly about the potential for each other's talent but had a hard time hearing and believing those words for themselves. And honestly, I think is so accurate to real life. How often are you the biggest cheerleader for a friend or loved one but you are also the first one to tear yourself down? Both characters had a lot of growth in this department which was really great to see. The love story between the two was so much fun to watch play out as well.
Basically, I loved this book. That is all.

I love sports romance books and was excited to read this one and it's cute... but a little too spicy for me (or maybe too descriptive?). However, if you have a higher threshold than I do, I highly recommend this book as a cute, romantic and fun read! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This was definitely my favorite in this series but it felt like two separate books. I did really like the main characters and thought Nick was so sweet and had that best nicknames. You could definitely feel his love for Izzy. Overall, it did its job in entertaining me but would have preferred if it was a bit shorter..

Thank you NetGalley for the arc!

This book hooked me in from the first chapter. I loved the character development and how the story progressed.

This is my first book by Grace Reilly and I loved it! It is honestly so cute! I love the dynamic between Nik and Izzy, they have it all! It gave me Icebreaker vibes.

The book has some spice and it was such an easy read. It had a playful vibe which I enjoyed.

TW: to alcoholism and domestic abuse

Thanks Netgalley for the ARC!

I absolutely adore Grace's ability to pull me into her stories and the way I root for each of her characters. It is truly beautiful. This love story had me laughing, crying, kicking my feet. My sweet Nikolai with his heartbreaking back story and sweet Isabelle feeling like she'll never live up to her siblings. I loved every second of their story

The way I ADORED Izzy and Nikolai. Nik was truly such a broken boy and I think he evolved SO WELL throughout the entire book. Izzy has been shadowed by her brothers her whole life and it was so nice to finally get her POV.

The way these two complemented each other was perfection. This book was truly the perfect end to the Beyond the Play series!

“I didn’t say goodbye because I didn’t want to. I didn’t want to shut the door on us.”

Wicked Serve (Beyond the Play, Book 4)
Author: Grace Reilly
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Isabelle Callahan has been in the shadows of her brothers her entire life; despite playing volleyball, she isn’t the star athlete that they are, and she doesn’t know where the future will take her. A summer fling with Nikolai leaves her even more confused because it was just that, a fling. So why is she so hurt when it ends? Unlike Izzy, Nikolai’s future has been decided for him, especially after having been kicked out of school and off his Hockey Team. When he ends up at their rival school, where Izzy attends, he knows he won’t be able to stay away from her. Except now, Nik has officially been warned off Izzy by his new team captain and her brother.

This pair was clearly inseparable during their summer fling - and not just in the bedroom. The time together allowed for time to really learn and understand the other to a depth that no one else ever has before. What used to be each of them, alone on a path of unknowns, has evolved into this couple that is stronger together. When forces try to keep them apart, it’s alluring to watch them fight it and prove their love.

A brother’s teammate/rival was the perfect story for Izzy to wrap up the Callahan family. We needed the drama and protectiveness that her brothers showed us in the first 3 books. Add in this couple's chemistry and we had a spicy story as well! It’s disappointing to say this series has come to an end, but it has been a top notch first series for Grace and I am so excited to see what else she has in the pipeline.

If you like:
Grumpy/Sunshine
Second Chance
Brother’s Teammate/Ex-Rival


TW🚫: mentions of domestic abuse, alcoholism, disordered eating, panic disorder, and cheating.

Reviewed by: Kassi

This review was written by members of the Sporty Spice Book Club (sporty.spice.book.club on both Instagram and TikTok).

From seeing this story everywhere to learning it’s a romance between a broody hockey players and his rivals little sister I knew I needed to read this. After a summer fling between the two ended Isabelle never expects to see Nikolai again. Ready for her sophomore year of college and the opportunity to advance in her volleyball career the last thing she expects is Nikolai to show up at her college telling her he goes here now and plays hockey for them. This book was absolutely adorable from start to finish. One thing I adored in this was at the core this entire book was about Nikolai and Isabelle and two people making it work despite past trauma their future right at their fingertips. When the two of them got together early on in this I was worried where the story would take me. And while this book did have slow moments and maybe moments that seemed mundane I enjoyed seeing a couple just be themselves to their core without the thrown in drama and back and forth. I love how sure Nikolai stayed about Isabelle from the very beginning despite his past threatening to unravel everything he always dreamed of. And Isabelle being his number 1 supporter through everything. Supporting his love for hockey, his panic attacks the the way the past almost tore them apart. The way Cooper and Nikolai were able to develop their own friendship and give Nikolai the family he always needed. This story had a lot of spice and while I enjoyed it I do think it took me out of the story a bit. I throughly enjoyed the plot, the side characters, returning characters and the world this author created. It feels like a warm hug and you can feel the love pouring from each character on every page. While the ending was everything I could have hoped for I love the way the author gave us a realistic ending of two people working so hard to be their best version of themselves for each other.

Thanks to Netgalley for the chance to read this arc! Overall a quick read for me, and a great change of pace from heavier books I’d been reading. I have it a 3.5/5 for a score - I enjoyed it, but I wasn’t dying to pick it back up when I put it down. I wish there had been a little more story building in the beginning of the story so I could feel more attached to the characters from the jump. Overall, I’d still recommend! We love hockey romance!

Wicked Serve is a cute sports romance novel. It’s filled with love, drama, and lots of spice. Nikolai’s past broke my heart but with courage & bravery, he faced his demons head on & succeeded. His story is truly inspirational. I love the entire Callahan family & especially Izzy. Her love & support for Nikolai is unmatched. This was a great story about how two people truly grew together & enhanced their relationship by being there & supporting one another. A true love story.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher HarperCollins & of course the author, Grace Reilly for the ARC!

he calls her his sunshine in english and in russian ◡̈ also fly me across the world to meet my
favorite animal to tell me you love me in russian and english. always a sucker for a bilingual boy

My favorite from Grace Reilly!! These two hooked me from the start and I was so excited for them to get their happy ending ☹️ in terms of writing style there were a few minor things that weren’t my favorite, but that’s completely a me thing