Re-read April 2024

I loved being back with Drew and Anna! Drew Baylor is the poster child for an all in hero. lol The steamy scenes were so sexy and it was so fun to fall back in love with this couple. Yes, there are hiccups along the way, but the end is more than worth it. Rereading also made me miss Gray ;)

This new edition features the same Drew and Anna story we love, but it also includes a new illustrated cover and bonus content as well! We get a peek at Drew and Anna after graduation, but before the book's epilogue, and I had a huge smile on my face the entire time. You don't want to miss it!

*I voluntarily read a review copy of this book*

*****
Original Review April 2022

I am always amazed that Kristen Callihan can get me to devour books with tropes that I would normally shy away from. Childhood bully - read it in one sitting. Rockstar romance - thank you ma’am, may I have another? Instalove - gobbled it up and licked the plate clean.

I’m not sure I’ve ever encountered a hero so gone for the heroine before. Drew was all in from the very start and though the instalove is off the charts, it totally worked for me (Kristen Callihan witchcraft I tell you!) This was a great twist on the big man on campus/just a hookup tropes. The main drama and conflict didn’t feel unnatural to me and was understandable given both character's histories and insecurities. The momentum did stall a bit in the middle though, making the book feel overly long. Things do get more emotional towards the end, but I appreciated how those obstacles were addressed and the epilogue was the perfect way to bring the story together.

I both read and listened to this one and loved the narration by Teddy Hamilton and Maxine Mitchell. Their voices complement each other very well and Maxine Mitchell gave an especially heartfelt performance. I’m excited to read Grey’s story next, but it’s Dex’s story that I’m truly dying for!

Audiobook Review
Overall 4 stars
Performance 5 stars
Story 4 stars

CW: death of parents (past), parental abandonment (past), bullying (past), mentions of cheating (secondary character), football injury/hospitalization, depression, MC’s go on dates while separated and one MC is kissed briefly but doesn’t reciprocate

This was the first spicy sports romance book that I have ever read, so I have no idea what level of "spicy" this is considered. I was scared going in because I wasn't sure what to expect, and then I stayed up until 2:30 a.m. to finish it.

Anna and Drew are college seniors. Anna prefers to be invisible and focus on her studies. Drew is the star quarterback of the football team. When Drew sets his sights on Anna, she is hesitant, but he will stop at nothing to prove he is all in for her.

My relationship with Anna's character was a roller coaster. At first, she was way too much of an, "I'm not like other girls," girl for my taste, and I found myself rolling my eyes. I quickly grew to love her as we saw the insecurities that guided her behavior. I loved Drew right from the beginning. Unlike Anna, the reader gets to see his inner monologue, and you can't help but find him kind of full of himself, but also a teddy bear on the inside.

I don't want to give away any spoilers, but the second half of the book is tough as their situation-ship gets tested. There were points in time where I felt their relationship reached dangerous toxicity. I was routing for them to get help and make it through, but at the same time found myself wondering what advice I would give a friend in a real-life situation.

Overall, I surprised myself with how much I ended up enjoying it and I will be reading the other books in the series.

I had heard good things about The Hook Up. Well, it more than exceeded my expectations because I loved sassy, independent Anna and patient Drew!!!

Read this for:
🏈 a SEC/National Championship QB
🏈 a curvy girl who likes to blend in
🏈 a meet disaster
🏈 a Top Gun style crash and burn
🏈 he falls first and he falls hard
🏈 top tier banter
🏈 a series of hook ups that turn into much more!

From their meet disaster to the triumphant conclusion of the book with a lot of hilarious banter in between, I was hooked! I finished this book in a day because I couldn’t put it down. It has the right mix of laughs, angst, emotion, and sexy times.

Now to binge the rest of the series!