A hockey x ballerina romance?! Of course I had to read it… I was lucky enough to receive an arc of Spiral, and I just knew I would love it, both because of the summary and because I really liked Collide (the first in the series!). Eli and Sage's relationship was so magical to watch unfold, and as in Collide, the story follows not only the romance but also the personal growth and deeper themes that come with each character individually. Eli's generosity towards Sage was so sweet, and watching them grow closer and Eli let his guard down to let her in was so cute! Also, the fake dating trope is alive and well in this book so I ate that up - then, of course, it's the blurred lines between what's real and what's not. I think all of my besties who enjoy sports romances would love this book and Eli & Sage!

If you know me you know I’m obsessed with Collide and Spiral did not disappoint. Eli and Sage were just the cutest. I also loved that there was depth to this book with childhood trauma and overcoming their past issues together. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4..5⭐️
Elias Westbrook, my sweet baby 🥺 I loved how he showed up for Sage and made her feel important. Sage Beaumont, my funny outgoing selfless girl!!! There’s nothing I love more than loving an FMC more than the MMC. 🩷

Elias and Sage unfiltered ❤️ if you’re looking for a book that has two characters that show each other love through acts of service and words of affirmation this is the book for you! I really enjoyed how they both equally showed up for each other.

I do think this book was really fast paced compared to Collide but it was still a great book!

I really enjoyed this anticipated follow up to Bal Khabra’s Collide, at times more than the first book. I preferred moving out of the college setting and into the professional hockey and ballet world. I appreciated how much more focused the storylines are in Spiral, that the book is focused on the central narrative of their fake relationship and their developing real relationship. I also appreciated how Eli and Sage’s characters mirror each other and how they don’t necessarily fall into an archetypal trope relationship beyond the circumstances in how they get together.

I really enjoyed this book! I have not read any of the authors, but the premise really appealed to me so I decided to give it a try. I will definitely be reading Collide soon. The storyline did feel a little cliche at times, but I thought both characters were well developed. I appreciated the focus on Elias's anxiety and stress regarding being in the spotlight. Sage was a wonderful main character, and I especially loved her relationship with her brother. Overall, while there were a few things I think could be improved, I would definitely recommend this book.

First, a big thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC of Bal Khabra's "Spiral” – “He’s on edge while she’s en pointe in this fake-dating sports romance from the author of the smash hit Collide.”

Let me start with I love a ballet romance. Immediately I am obsessed with the premise of this book. Elias or Eli is a hockey player struggling in his career and Sage is an aspiring ballerina with hopes of joining a ballet theatre. When I say that I read this book in one sitting I am not kidding. I could not put it down. This is a really sweet and heartwarming sports romance with fake dating, forced proximity, and a dual POV.

This book felt like a treat to the acts of service as a love language. I truly enjoyed both characters and how selfless they were to each other. It felt like a really healthy relationship. The writing was easy and well put together. The banter and chemistry in this was everything. I really felt like Eli and Sage were well paired and honest. This book felt really genuine.

Elias Westbrook is easily one of the sweetest male main characters I’ve come across in recent reads. He is so genuine and caring about everyone around him. I really loved this character.

Sage Beaumont was also a genuinely lovely character. She’s a character that does so much for others but doesn’t realize how deserving she is of having others love and take care of her. Overall Sage is a selfless female main character, she is a wonderful sister and an amazing niece. I also really loved that she is a ballerina and overcomes so many fears and insecurities.

This book was filled with so much love, gratitude, and a found family. If you liked Collide by Bal - this one is even better. Characters definitely cross over from the first book which was good to see. Definitely check this book out!

Thank you NG and Berkley for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

Oh my gourd! Like I couldn't love another couple from Bal's mind. Elias and Sage have made me fall in love all over again. Watch out Summer and Aiden you have competition. Will be buying a copy as soon as I can.

Stop I loved this so much 😭😭 I love me some hockey romance😋

Elias & Sage are perfect and perfect for each other; I will accept no slander.

It was nice to see both of them grow, both separately and together as a couple. I wish we got a little more about Sage’s parents, but overall I was very pleased.

i just didn’t enjoy this, i think the fake dating trope is so overdone and at this point the reasoning for them fake dating is unoriginal. the couple was okay but not people i really root for and the smut was boring.

Absolutely loved this book! The main characters were so sweet together, and the slow burn tension that built throughout the story was perfect for me. This read had everything I love about ice hockey romances!

I’m going to go ahead and round this up from a 3.5 to a 4. I realize I gave Collide 4 stars as well, even though I like that one better than this one.

Things I liked: I liked the meet-cute. Sage bidding on Elias at the auction was fun. I enjoyed their banter, as well. I really like the friend group; their dynamic is fun to read. I liked that we got to see a lot of Aiden and Summer again, too.

However, there were a few things that I wasn’t too keen on. I felt like both Elias and Sage were a little wishy-washy? I know that’s par for the course with a fake dating trope, but they ran hot and cold a little too much for my liking. There were also certain plot points that fell a little flat for me, namely Eli’s story with his dad, and with Sage’s uncle as well.

In the end, though, I will still recommend this book and series. I like the friend group too much not to!

Thank you for the ARC.

i had such a fun time reading this! i enjoyed this one even more than collide - i felt the chemistry between the characters was much more palpable. the pacing felt appropriate and even loved the banter!! thank you net galley for the arc.

Oh my goodness, this book was just the sweetest thing ever! It totally had all the tropes I adore, especially the fake dating theme, but trust me, there’s so much more to love! I can't even express how much I enjoyed reading it! Hockey romance always gets me, but there’s just something about a guy who seems like a playboy but isn’t really that drives me wild. Elias is such a gem! He starts off not wanting a relationship, but he’s honestly the best at being in one. He cooks, gives piggyback rides, and gets so adorable when she calls him by his full name instead of just Eli! When she says her feet hurt, he’s like, “I’ll carry you.” Seriously, it’s the little gestures that make Elias so special to me. I'm a sucker for acts of service, and he really delivers! Plus, everything he says is just swoon-worthy. I caught myself looking around, hoping no one could see how head over heels I was for this book!

And then there’s Sage—oh, sweet Sage! She feels like a kindred spirit in so many ways. I could relate to her, especially with that whole people-pleaser vibe and how she’s always there for everyone else, while often feeling alone until she finds her true support system. It really tugged at my heartstrings. Her determination to stay strong for her brother, even when times get tough, was incredibly inspiring. I loved how Elias showed her how important it is for her to value herself, too.

I can’t help but love the found family trope, and this sports romance did such a fantastic job portraying that. Watching the relationships grow not just with Aiden and Summer, but now with Elias and Sage, has me totally obsessed! I’m eagerly waiting for the next installment and hoping it focuses on Dylan!

There were definitely some surprising twists in this story that left me shocked, but the chemistry, the tension, and the angst between Elias and Sage were just fantastic! Watching them discover themselves and each other made the journey even more special. I truly hope anyone who picks up this book enjoys it as much as I did because I simply couldn't put it down!

“elias and sage unfiltered?”
“elias and sage unfiltered.”

my hopes were very high for this book, and bal absolutely delivered, as she did with collide. collide was a 5 star read for me last year, so when i heard about spiral, i knew it was going to be just as good, if not better, and i was right!! immediate five star.

fake dating tropes are always interesting to read to see how it will play out, and what each person needs from the other to benefit from a fake relationship. in this case, sage needed a major social media following for ballet, and elias needed to show the media he is in a committed relationship so they leave him alone and stop making him out to be a playboy.

eli could not have been any more sweeter, i was giggling every time he opened his mouth. he was so attentive & passionate with sage, and treated her so so well. he’s a softie and i just absolutely adored him. love u eli <3

sage was one of the funnest fmc i have come across in my reading journey. she was so outspoken and spunky, nearly everything that came out of her mouth was relatable. on top of that, she was also very strong & independent which was refreshing!

this couple was just everything to me! the banter was soooo good and the slow burn was definitely slow-burning. i adore the way they took care of each other and truly paid attention to one another. they made my heart warm & fuzzy the entire book.

+ aiden & summer snippets were everything 🫶🏻

thank you so much NetGalley for this arc, i am so grateful!!

4.5 Stars! I am a sucker for fake dating, and this scratched the itch. I loved the slow burn between Sage and Elias--it was on the slower burn side, but it worked for the story. I also liked how they both had plot lines for personal growth, and it wasn't overly focused on one character over another. Of course I also loved the snippets of Aiden and Summer :)

I was so happy to receive the ARC! Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for the opportunity!

I loveddd this book!! Sage was written as pure sunshine, I felt like everytime I read about her I could picture her standing with a glow around her. She seems so beautiful inside and out, truly like she's glowing. I loved Elias, how protective and sweet he was. At some points it was giving Logan and Rory from girlmore girls, Elias was also doing anything he could for Sage. It was such a sweet read and I can't wait to buy it when it comes out!! And of course the fake dating is to die for, love love love it!!

Bal Khabra is definitely a romance author to watch! All of her woks so far have been beyond swoonworthy and so compelling! Khabra is definitely an auto-buy author for me now!

I think that this book was extremely cute! It’s such an amazing book coming off of Bal Khabra’s debut novel Collide. She keeps getting better and better as a writer, and I can’t wait to see how much her writing improves throughout her books.

Elias is such an amazing MMC.. I mean, a man who can cook and bake AND is somewhat in touch with his emotions and emotional availability?!

Sage too is such a compelling FMC. An older sibling who takes on the role of parent is such a specific and interesting trauma to explore her character.

The ending also took me by completely surprise.

This book was an immediate five stars. I couldn't help but love Eli, the perfect book boyfriend. Both main characters had so much depth to them, and right away I wanted to slay all of Sage's (metaphorical) enemies!! The writing was spectacular, and I was easily sucked in every time I picked it up. It was so addictive I read it within 24 hours and definitely did not want to put it down to go to sleep.

This is one of those series that each book is a stand-alone. Typically for those I feel like I'm missing out if I don't read each one, but this book doesn't give that vibe at all. If I had only read this one, I would be completely satisfied and not feel like I'm missing some inside joke or something by not knowing the original couple. So if you're someone who doesn't like diving into these sorts of series because you don't want to start from the beginning, have no fear! (Though the first book is totally worth a read, too.) Along those lines, I feel like Eli, despite being in the first book of the series, still had so much depth to him to uncover; I didn't already know simply because of the first book, which is what helped this one stand so well on it's own, I think.

If you love sensitive yet protective book boyfriends, spicy scenes, sports romances, and fake dating (my favorite trope), this book is definitely for you! I'm not super familiar with the pepper scale, but I think this would be a 4 or 5.

Okay so I have not read the first book in this series. But I plan on it now. This was such a fun read fake dating/forced proximity??! Yes and yes!!!

It is a slow burn but it was a good tension build!!! The banter was so great. The book itself very cutesy. I loved these characters together truly!!

Some of it I did feel like I have read before in other books just minor differences hence why I am rating a 3.5 but overall the plot was there and it was a good read!!!

This is an ARC read via NetGalley 🤍—Reviews/Opinions are honest and my own. I will review on TIKTOK after release date- @abbi.dawn2

Release Date-2025

Oh my gosh!!! I am so so so happy about this book! This was my very first eARC 🥹 and I couldn't have hoped for a better one.

Where to begin- the writing? Amazing. Storyline? Yes, please. The romance? I don't even need to say it, do I? Sage and Elisa were such good characters, and I'm so sad that I can't read this book for the first time again. They each had their own struggles, and while I would love to see some more depth to them, there was enough to explain their actions, emotions, and vulnerability.

For Sage, I can only say one thing: I LOVED her! It was obvious that she had huge personal growth in this book, but her humor was unmatched. As someone that also has, what my friends call, "dry humor," I really could just see myself in her. Aside from her crazy comments, she was such a well thought out character.

Now, Elisa. Are you real? I mean, I know you're not technically, but there has to be one out there like you...right? Well, regardless, you are a top contender for book boyfriend of the year, pal. Love you and your "vow" hehe. How'd that work out for you, huh? Anyway, Elisa really was a great character, and even though we probably know a little bit more about his past than Sage, I still felt I could have been given a little more. Regardless, he's perfect-end of story.

Side note- Summer and Aiden!!! I missed you guys 🥹 Best couple from a debut book, hands down, and I was so happy to see them again. Summer was the perfect sister soul mate for Sage, and I wanted more content with them!

Thank you so much NetGalley for the eARC, and Berkley Publishing for taking a chance on lil ole me 😁