I absolutely loved this book. Matt and Ro not only had such a sweet and romantic love story but also an amazing friendship. I worried that nothing would top Unsteady but this was absolutely amazing. I wish I could read this again for the first time!!

4.5 ✨

Man this book hit me in my feels. It is a deeply emotional book about Ro and Matt also know as Freddy who are the embodiment of Invisible String by Taylor Swift. They are both on their own journey of finding themselves, through hardships, while bringing up a really sweet friendship. I love how well they get each other like just by looking at each other. They are so soft and careful with each other which I feel you don't see very often. They generally match each other so well. Fair warning that this is definitely a slow burn in the best way, but also you also just want them to kiss already. I honestly think it's perfect giving everything else going on in the storyline. Also both characters are fiercely protective of each other.

Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.75⭐️ This was so cute and sweet 🥰 Matt and Ro really healed each other and I really loved that about this story. There wasn’t a third act breakup 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 which I love!! There was a conflict but the way the author had these characters handling it was great!! It kinda healed me a little and hope for the future

Peyton Corinne does it again - her books do not disappoint and I ate this book up in my sitting!

Tropes:

Tutor x Athlete
Found Family

Slow Burn

Friends to Lovers
Mental health rep

Unloved gave me some feels I had watching OTH back in the date Haley & Nathan tutor days! Matty & Ro are just A++ their connection, the way they protect each other and figure each other it’s just perfect! I also really love when a book has mental health/disability rep.

Thank you so much for this arc copy!

Unloved follows Freddy, a hockey player for his school's hockey team. He is about to get kicked off the team because he is failing. But this is due to a mix of dyslexia, dyscalculia, and ADHD. He needs help with passing. Ro is set to be Freddy's new tutor. She is in a relationship but isn't really getting much out of it. After tutoring Freddy they become friends. But soon things start to change. Freddy wants to prove to Ro that she is worthy and show her that she can be loved. Ro realizes that the relationship she is in sucks and might just give Freddy a shot. 

I thought this book was really cute. I have not read Unsteady yet which is the first book in this series. So I am not sure if this book has any callbacks to that one. But I don't think you need to read the first one to read this. I thought it was easy to understand and didn't feel like I was missing anything. I really like how this book had more serious moments to balance everything out. I thought that Freddy was a sweet character. I love how it showed Ro that she is worthy. I thought the relationship between the two was really cute. I do wish that this book had a bit more spice. But overall I thought this was really good. I think this is a great book for someone who is new to the hockey romance genre. We all know that is my favorite genre. So I do tend to judge those books harder. But this was really good. I highly suggest this one. 

Thank you Atria Books and Peyton Corinne for the ARC of this book. This comes out on February 4.

Peyton Corinne’s Unloved is a beautifully written and emotionally resonant story that had me hooked from the very first page. This book is an easy read, perfect for getting lost in during a quiet evening or a lazy weekend.

The characters are undoubtedly the heart of this novel. Each one feels real and relatable, with their vulnerabilities and strengths bringing the story to life. I found myself fully invested in their journeys, rooting for their triumphs, and aching through their struggles. The way Corinne develops her characters is a testament to her ability to connect with readers on a deeply personal level.

What I loved most was how effortlessly the story flowed. Corinne’s writing is engaging and accessible, making it hard to put the book down. Whether you’re a seasoned romance reader or new to the genre, this book strikes the perfect balance of heartfelt emotion, realistic conflict, and moments that will leave you smiling.

Unloved is more than just a story—it’s an experience. It’s about love, loss, and finding hope in the unlikeliest of places. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a captivating read with well-rounded characters and a touch of soul. You won’t regret picking this one up!

4.25 stars

Let me just say, if you’re in a reading slump, then this is the book for you. I genuinely stayed up until 3 am reading this one because I couldn’t put it down. This is more than just a hockey romance book, yes it is romantic, yes I was swooning, but Peyton Corinne managed to add elements of depth that had me boohooing and invested from the get go. Both characters have gone through so much and seeing their relationship blossom from being essentially strangers to each other’s safety net was chef’s kiss for me.

Also yall best believe I WILL be buying a physical copy of this one release day!

(Huge thank you to Atria Books and Netgally for the arc in exchange for an honest review!!)

thank you to netgalley and publishers for the e-arc!!

i am so glad i decided to revisit this series, this book definitely has a different tone and approach than unsteady. it’s much more slow burn (which is one of my favorite tropes) i loved the build up between ro and freddy, especially when it comes to uncovering their grief/trauma and both of them overcoming it realistically.

i related to ro sooooo much! you see her initially as introverted and reclusive, and how that reflects on her relationships/how she allows herself to be treated. simultaneously, you get freddy’s pov which deals with grief, mentally abusive family dynamics, and negative self-perception. to see their growth individually but also with one another was so rewarding!

i love a good slow burn friends-to-lovers setting every time!!! only thing that always took me out of it was the naming of songs to set the tone for certain chapters, it just felt so misplaced for me!

but i can say i’m sticking with the series and i NEED a toren kane book next, there’s so much potential there!!!

It took me a hot minute to finally read Unsteady, Peyton’s breakout hit, but once I did I had to instantly dive into book two of her The Undone series, because I needed Ro and Freddy’s story and you know I can’t turn down a good hockey romance.

The title alone was already breaking my heart and having me love these two wounded souls before I even began. Once I started, I read this book in one sitting, unable to put it down!

While you meet Ro and Freddy in book one, this can be read as a standalone if you just want to dive right into this series with this book (but I highly suggest circling back to book one). This book takes place concurrently with Unsteady with some overlapping scenes but now from Ro and Freddy’s point of view.

It is senior year at college and Freddy is onto academic tutor #3 to help him stay eligible for the team. So many moments broke my heart in this book, but none more than the times Freddy was teased relentlessly about his intelligence by Ro’s on again- off again boyfriend. Man that guy was such an a$$hole that I wanted to reach into the book into punch him in the nuts for how he treated Freddy and Ro.

The way Ro helped Freddy and stood up for him in front of professors and counselors was so satisfying given how much that college failed him given his need for accommodations.

Despite the academic hardship, his grief, his loneliness and the way a certain someone preyed on him, his strength and humor were so admirable as well as his kindness to Ro.

Ro deserved a sweet guy like Freddy after dealing with Tyler the douchebag. It’s narcissistic people like him and the way that they tear down the people that make me want to scoop up everyone in their path and give them a big hug and show them that what they have dealt with is not normal or acceptable.

My heart ached for Ro and Freddy and the loneliness that they hid. Because of their academic relationship and reputations, their love story was a sweet slow burn despite having two moments of instant connection starting back to their freshman year.

While I was dying for them to finally admit their feelings for one another, the slow burn was well worth it.

Peyton has definitely made her mark on college hockey romance which is having its hey-day. If you loved The Deal by Elle Kennedy or Play Along by Liz Tomforde, then this is the book for you.

I love how she’s blending every hockey player’s story into each book, dropping little teasers for what’s to come. I’m SO ready for Bennet and Tane’s books!!

Count The Undone series as one of my new favorite hockey romance series – it’s a must read!

*Thank you to Simon and Schuster for the advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

Thank You to NetGalley and Atria Books for the Arc of Unloved. 3.25✨ I love Ro and how sweet she was and her willingness to help out. The mental health rep is always so nicely done. Freddy and Ro are sweet together.

This book made me weep openly more than once on a flight - I think the people around me were getting concerned, but I absolutely couldn't care because I was so sucked into the reading experience of this book. Unloved was a perfect way to follow up Unsteady, last year's poignant and heartfelt release from Peyton Corinne. In Unloved, we are following Ro and Freddy as they go from a stranger Ro is crushing on, tutor/student, then friends, then eventually together, and wow is it a great journey. They both have things to work through - she has an actively horrible situation with an ex and he is grieving and trying to mend his playboy reputation while not failing out of a school system that's ignoring his serious learning disabilities and dealing with some daddy issues and exploitations of power on top of all that. This book was not light and fluffy, but the moments that Ro and Freddy (Matt) start to show up for each other and trust each other, then act on their feelings are so delightful. I want the world for these precious angel babies!

This book does end on a happy note, but definitely check the TW to make sure there's nothing in here that will be distressing for you. If you like your romance to pack a big, heartfelt, emotional punch, this is definitely for you.

Unloved by Peyton Corinne

4.5 ⭐️

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and Peyton Corinne for providing me this ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts!

The cover immediately caught my eye so I was ecstatic when I was approved for this ARC, and it did not disappoint! I was unaware that this was the second book in this series but because it is set during the same time as the first book, it was pretty easy to follow and could honestly be read as a standalone ( I will be reading Unsteady soon though!) I loved reading about the different representations; ADHD, Dyslexia and Dyscalculia as it brings awareness to those who might not have been familiar.


Tropes:
- Tutor x Athlete
- Found Family
- Slow Burn
- Friends to Lovers

4.5⭐️ First, thank you to NetGally and Atria Books for the free arc in exchange for an honest review!

I feel like I've been pretty lucky with my recent romance arc's. I'm definitely not in the mood to read romance at the moment, but the arc's on my must-read tbr have both captured and held my attention. 'Unloved' was no exception. I started off hesitant mainly because of the age of the main characters (I just don't care for 18-22 year old stories anymore). I thought this was going to be another 'Icebreaker"...shallow and full of aimless smut. But this was more than just any old hockey romance. 'Unloved' was an exploration of vulnerability, grief, and love's powerful ability to heal. While it did have many of the tropes/characteristics of a modern romance novel, it still did a good job of going beyond surface level and digging deep into the characters within its pages.

I have to say I was nervous while reading the first half of this book. Some of the interactions between Ro and Tyler really cringed me out and his character was truly deplorable. But as I did some reflecting, I thought about modern relationships and how much I hear about women dealing with situations similar to Ro's, where they are essentially gaslit and made to feel inferior to their partner. I listen to a podcast by the influencer Tinx, and so many women call in with questions asking for advice on how to advocate for themselves (be it sexually, physically, emotionally) in a relationship. And 'Unloved" made me think of her podcast and wish I could recommend it to Ro and any girl struggling in their relationship. I physically wanted to reach through the pages at times and punch Tyler in the face, but thankfully Ro had Matty. Matty, who defies stereotypical jock mmc's. His desire to be seen and loved and cherished as a partner was so refreshing. His vulnerability makes him one of my all time favorite male mmc's. And lovely Ro. Watching her find herself and her voice had me rooting for her from the get go.

Possibly my favorite thing about 'Unloved' was that we get to watch the entire development of Matty and Ro's relationship. Whereas in most romances, once he gets the girl, we end scene and jump ahead to the epilogue. There were some rather tough parts as each character dealt with their trauma, but that made the book that much better than a typical romance. My only issue with the book, was that it was quite long and some parts seemed to slow in comparison to others. But the length did possibly allow for witnessing the progression of the relationship, so maybe I'm the problem lol.

Buckle up, because this was quite a roller coaster of emotions, but watching everything come to fruition was so much fun. Easily a top romance read for me this year.

Peyton has created a masterpiece with this one.

Matty/Freddy is so caring, and such a well rounded partner. I briefly wondered about what his love language is after reading the book, but the simple truth is he shows all five constantly and intentionally.

The emotions that this book evoked… frustration with the mishandling of two sensitive beings, giddiness over their relationship building, tenderness of their love for each other.

So well written, including the most perfect details that feel very organic to the characters and story.

As a devoted fan of "Unsteady," I eagerly anticipated Peyton Corinne's latest offering, and it exceeded all expectations. Corinne's signature strength lies in her ability to craft complex, flawed characters that feel authentically human. Their imperfect choices, while sometimes frustrating, ultimately make them relatable and endearing.

"Unloved" is a poignant exploration of grief and the enduring power of love. Matt's struggle with loss resonated deeply with me on a personal level.

The story is beautifully written, drawing the reader into the emotional journey of the characters. I found myself deeply invested in Rosalie's well-being, experiencing a range of emotions from empathy to protective anger. The resolution of the story is both satisfying and emotionally resonant.

”I make a vow then to protect her, the pretty girl with butterflies in her messy curls, even if she'll never really be mine.”

3 ˖⁺‧✮

i was waiting for this book for so long and when i got the message that i was approved for the arc???

Ro was the sweetest character in the book. Her butterflies in hair and care for others was probably my favorite part from the whole series. I truly enjoyed her chapters and (i can definitely say she was the reason i was keeping reading this book). I don’t want to spoil but the way she did so much research to help others? She deserves everything and more.

Freddy was also an interesting character but i found him too standard. you know, the general male character you find in every hockey romance book. it’s him. except his difficulties with studying and the general (no spoilers). his story is sad, not denying, but, i don’t know. i just had no interest toward him and as a character he didn’t develop as much as male character in the previous book,

the first book in the series was so much more engaging and better. the characters and their stories were developed and i just loved it. this one was less gripping but still really good. what i mean is i actually love how author showed grief throughout the story. it was very lightly written but i felt connected to the story and emotions.

spoilers (maybe)?
risk on your own

how she never found out about butterflies on his nightstand? hello? wouldn’t that be the best moment in the book? also, the way he reacted to her having a crush on him and finding out that they actually kissed earlier in college. he was protective in the moment but after that 🤷‍♀️

"I think it's hard for people to like me. And I try really hard."

After reading Unsteady, Peyton Corinne became one of my favorite authors and I couldn’t wait to read more about Ro and Freddy!
If you’re a hopeless romantic, gentle love, and friends to lovers, this book is for you!

Rosalie “Ro” Shariff and Mathew “Freddy” Fedderic are two characters that deserve the world…and some hugs.
I loveee how these two protect and SEE each other. From Ro advocating for Freddy as his tutor and showing him that he is worthy of love, to Freddy being a safe space for Ro to be herself.
I know this book is about Ro and Freddy, but I also love how Peyton takes time to show the various friendships in this story and the found-family dynamic of the Waterfell crew.

I adore this book so much! If you loved Unsteady you will love this, so get your copy on February 4th!

Thank you NetGalley and Atria for this eARC!

Ro and Matty, you have easily become one of my top favorite romance novel couples! It has been a reallyyy long time since I rated a straight up romance novel 5 stars. This one just blew me out of the water. A sweet hockey romance that displayed true emotions from dealing with grief, emotional abuse, trauma, and self-deprecation. It was so beautiful to watch these two characters grow in their own ways separately and grow even more together. Overcoming their past as friends, then building a future as lovers, a research-loving girl and hockey-playing boy make you laugh, cry, and squeal throughout the entirety of the book. I cannot recommend this book enough!!

Unloved is coming out on February 4th (just over a week!!), so be sure to grab your copy!! Thank you so so much to Atria Books and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I went into this book with high hopes—it had all the makings of a story I’d adore: a hockey star with hidden vulnerabilities, a hopeless romantic tutor, and a slow-burn connection simmering beneath the surface. While there were moments that shone, ultimately, this one didn’t quite stick the landing for me.

Freddy’s character had so much potential. His struggles with dyslexia, dyscalculia, and ADHD were portrayed with sensitivity, and I appreciated how the author didn’t shy away from showing the difficulties he faced both on and off the ice. However, I felt like his development stalled halfway through the book. We got glimpses of his growth, but it never felt fully realized, leaving me wanting more depth and resolution for his arc.

Ro was a sweetheart, and I admired her resilience and determination to find love and stability in her life. Her dynamic with Freddy had its sweet moments, especially their late-night phone calls and the subtle ways they supported each other. But her on-again/off-again relationship subplot felt unnecessary and detracted from her connection with Freddy. It was hard to root for their romance when so much time was spent on Ro’s indecision about her current boyfriend.

The pacing was another issue for me. The first half of the book set up Freddy and Ro’s friendship beautifully, but the second half felt rushed. The romantic tension fizzled out just when it should have reached its peak, and the resolution came too quickly to feel satisfying. I wanted to see more of them navigating their relationship and addressing the challenges they faced as individuals and as a couple.

That being said, there were parts of the story I really enjoyed. Freddy’s vulnerability and Ro’s steadfastness made for a touching friendship, and the author’s portrayal of learning disabilities was heartfelt and nuanced. I also loved the moments where Freddy’s teammates rallied around him, showing that even the toughest guys have soft spots for their friends.

Overall, this book had a lot of heart, but it didn’t fully deliver on its promise for me. It’s a solid read for fans of sports romances and stories about overcoming personal challenges, but it left me wanting more in terms of character development and emotional payoff. A good book, but not a great one—three stars.

This book HURT. It grips the heart of every one of us that has ADHD, dyslexia or a constant need to feel needed. Us who constantly want to feel like we are enough. At times I wanted to scream through the screen and say “you are worth so much more than you accept!” And while at times I felt annoyed, I think it was more that I’ve been in their shoes. And as I’ve gotten older I can see the bullsh*t for what is.

The growth these characters have throughout the book is something that should be learned by the masses. It’s okay to be vulnerable and to stick up for yourself. Yes, it’s something that has to be learned, but can also be taught through love and patience.

This book will be one I will show my kids (once they get old enough) to show them 1) what is not acceptable and 2) the love that is acceptable and should be the standard.

Freddy is joy, but masked. And the way we got to see the mask stripped away, and actual real joy to shine through was beautiful. He shows everyone the love that he wished he had for himself, and in doing so gained through Ro.

Ro’s growth was painful to read, but made it so rewarding when she finally stuck it the ones who did her wrong.

Another five stars for Peyton’s books (even though they cause me physical pain)