4.5⭐️
2🌶️

🏒 Hockey romance
🏒 Athlete x Tutor
🏒 Slow burn friends to lovers
🏒 Mental health & learning differences rep

I was so excited for this book! I loved Unsteady and couldn’t wait for the next book in this series. Ro and Freddy’s story was raw and emotional. I loved every minute of it to the point where I almost stayed up all night to finish reading it. There were parts that made me angry for both MC’s and I really wanted to fight people for them 😂 I truly loved all of the backstory and getting glimpses of their pasts. It really helped bring everything together. I absolutely adored their friendship and watching it grow into something more. I enjoyed getting Rhys and Sadie’s timeline in there too so it refreshed my memory a bit from their book which I now want to read again! I’m loving this series by Peyton and I’m excited to see what else she is planning!

To be loved is to be seen.

I devoured this book and thoroughly enjoyed my time with Ro and Matty. Peyton Corrinne wrote excellent, likeable characters in Unloved. Their journey from friendship to relationship was refreshing. There were bumps and obstacles that made the romance all the better. Both characters unpacked their trauma and developed greater awareness for communication. The emotional intelligence was chef's kiss.

I honestly loved this book.

After reading the first book in the series Unsteady, I knew I had to get my hands on this one and boy did it not disappoint. The slow burn in this book was just chef’s-kiss. If you love your KU Romance stories you’ll definitely appreciate this masterpiece of a book.

I loved Ro and Freddy’s story.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC.

5 ⭐️

Netgalley, Atria, & Peyton Corinne I would lay down in the road for you right now, thank you for this ARC.

Please let the world note that I had this in my hot little hands MONTHS ago but I would not let myself read it because it was my light at the end of the tunnel— like, yes, everything is on fire, but I still have Unloved waiting for me so it’s FINE!!!!

And then the self restraint ran the hell out and I slammed through the whole thing in like 24 hours because I was OBSESSED.

From the moment I clocked these two in Unsteady I was like….. oh that is going to destroy me, actually. And I was so right!!! (And that was before I knew this one was for the Dead Dad Club. So. Imagine my emotional condition right now.)

Matty and Rosalie are so— ALDKFJ DKSLSKFJ they are such beautiful and complex characters, and I simply fucking adore them.

I love how much representation there is in this book— especially adhd—but as always with Peyton’s books, mental health in general.

My only complaint isn’t so much a complaint as…. blatant greed LOL I wish we got to see more of Matty & Archer pre-epilogue (the glorious amazing epilogue chef’s kiss babe) and more of the whole group together. (Local girl reads 60 chapter book and pouts because she wanted even more… On brand!!)

TLDR?

I loved this book so much 🥹🫶🏻

I want to first thank NetGalley, the Publisher, and Peyton for the opportunity to read the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book has easily become one of my top favorite college sports romances. I inhaled this book within one sitting. There is something so special about an author being able to write such beautiful lines when describing character's feelings towards each other. My favorite part of this book was that it was not a bubbly sports romance, it focused on two characters who had real hardships they had to work through. The epilogues also made me cry because I was so happy to finally see two characters who went through so much trauma finally have their happy ending.


"Being around him is like the climb before the drop of a roller coaster - bright anticipation filled with the safety to freefall without getting hurt."

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

(Praying that we get books from Kane and Bennett)

'Unloved' by Peyton Corrine was the equivalent of being struck through the heart by Cupid himself. Our library is always looking to grow our Romance book section and this will be a wonderful addition to our collection.

This book sadly did not work for me. It had everything that should have- nerd FMC tutor x college athlete (HOCKEY!!) but it was genuinely confusing to me. To start, they run away constantly from each other. I'm talking literally. They are supposed to have tutoring sessions and instead of having a conversation or even changing the subject, setting a boundary, etc one or the other literally would just leave before any tutoring even happened. This happened at least 3 times, it was genuinely befuddling.

Also, I understand that he could have been tricked into thinking the extent of academic support he's received for 3.5 years was all he could be accommodated for, I believe that happens way more than it should. But I kept waiting for the villains to be put in their place (esp to stop victimizing others) and was left unsatisfied.

The FMC and her ex and his friends... I have personal experience studying Biology and it is not as male dominated as this book wants it to seem. Engineering I could see a bit more but still, in actual reality it would be very hard to find a whole entire cohort of tutors and/or TAs in any field with only one girl. And to face that level of verbal abuse witnessed by many others for years is a very depressing thought that basically every man in this story sucks except for the MMC. But let's say this is actually happening, the storyline did not call out this behavior enough. I genuinely feel if someone on the younger side read this they may be dissuaded from speaking up about this treatment or at worst not pursuing this field of study at all. I needed someone to come in and say THIS IS NOT NORMAL.

I could go on about this book but I just think my star rating speaks for itself.

Thank you to Atria for the eARC. I appreciate the chance to have read this but I don't think this author is for me.

Let me start by saying I didn't read book one in this series but Unloved can definitely be read as a standalone. My goodness, this book was way better than I expected. Heavier and more serious but good nonetheless. The issues in this book were very relatable and I really loved the characters. Start to finish I could not put it down. The pace was great. The spice was good and not so much that it made me want to skim those pages.
Thank you for the opportunity to read this arc.

ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE! I’m heartsick over these two! I loved the first book so much, but this one simply goes above and beyond. Freddy and Ro are soulmates; I highly recommend this book!

What a whirlwind of a story! Unloved is the sequel to Unsteady, the hockey romance that stole my heart even before it was traditionally published. Getting the ARC for Unloved from Atria Books and NetGalley was a dream come true, as Peyton Corinne has quickly become one of my favourite authors of all time.

Unloved follows Ro and Freddy, best-friends of Unsteady couple Sadie and Rhys, who’ve gone through life feeling misunderstood and unloved. Ro, a hopeless romantic to her core, is dealing with an on again/off again boyfriend who devalues her, while hockey player Freddy struggles with his playboy label and troubled past. When Ro is assigned to Freddy as a tutor, their paths cross—but not for the first time. Together, this is a story of growth, found family, and healing with the help of others along the way.

Focusing on self-worth, Ro and Freddy’s relationship is big on building trust in their friendship first before anything else. This was the slowest of burns in that regard, but this felt organic (and necessary) for their growth both together and apart. This book explores a soft and gentle love that feels light and healing, despite the intricacies of both characters and their needs/pasts.

Peyton is a master of her craft who creates romances that are dazzling in their own right. Deeper and more complex than a lot of the books I’ve read previously, Unloved delves into tough topics and handles representation with the upmost care.

I highly recommend you check out the Undone series if you haven’t already, and mark your calendars for Unloved. It releases on February 4!

This book was SOOO CUTE! I enjoyed this more than the first book. I just love Matt and Ro so much. The way that Tyler treated her had me screaming. When Matt and Ro meet they become friend instantly, I was rooting for them the entire time. I loved watching them change from tutor/student to being vulnerable with each other. Reading about how both of these characters were treated so badly and taken advantage of was horrible but being able to see them come together and help each other was amazing. I just want to say thank you so much Peyton and NetGalley for this ARC!!

I absolutely adored this book. The characters are brilliantly written and so complex. Ro was so relatable. Matty made my heart hurt (but he also healed me).

The writing is stunning. Peyton approaches sensitive topics with so much care and caution.

Coming to the romance, I'm a big sucker for both the tutor trope and slow burn and this book delivered! Matty and Ro have my heart 💞 I loved their progression from friends to best friends to lovers.

Peyton is officially an auto-buy author for me :)

I really enjoyed this book. It hit all the hockey romance needs and was a cute story between a popular guy and the nerd girl. It was an enjoyable and quick read.

This book was amazing from beginning to end! I read it because of the first book and was not disappointed. Considering Tyler got on my nerves. I was so glad Matt found and accepted the love Ro gave him. It’s wonderful when you have someone to have your back in all parts of the relationship. I loved Archer. This book was everything!

When you think this series couldn’t possibly get any better, Peyton Corinne outdoes herself once again. I can’t even describe the love I feel for these characters, and considering I read Unsteady basically a year ago, I didn’t remember a lot of the other characters. This is my favorite read of 2025 so far and most definitely one of my all time favorite books. Tender love and vulnerability scenes are my perfect recipe for a 5⭐️ and this had it all and so much more. Marty’s now permanently one of my favorite book characters, not only as a ‘book boyfriend’, but he is such a kind, sweet human, and his struggles only made me love him more. Ro’s care for him is heart-warming and brought tears to my eyes, and she’s the best example of a strong soft female lead, there’s strength in her free loving spirit and I connected so much with her. The scene where she’s wiping off paint from his face is one of my favorites, and I want to cry from how much I wish I could hug this boy. Overall, I cried, I laughed, and I couldn’t have expected a better sequel. I loved Unsteady, but Unloved is by faaar my favorite and I can’t wait to read the rest of this series! The way Peyton Corinne introduces the other people in the story is also something I love, and one of the reason hers is one of my favorite writings. Honestly, in the first book I didn’t care for Toren Kane or Bennett, but this book made me intrigued and waiting to see what happens to them. Gentle, patient, careful love is the definition of this book and I couldn’t have felt it more. 🩵

Wow! I LOVE Matty and Ro! This book and love story felt SO real, so many romance novels can be so surface level and present scenarios that can be hard to picture happening in real life and create a sort of fantasy look at love but this book had me seeing through heart eyes! With the struggles of Matty being a pretty boy who was known for his looks and ability with the ladies, while Ro was stuck in a never ending toxic relationship - the friendship the two built certainly builds the relationship before they get together (love the slow burn and their ability to grow and deal with their inner demons) way to go Peyton for writing an AMAZING story!

I loved getting to know Ro and Matt! It almost felt like a slow burn their romance.

Ro was exactly what Matt needed and vice versa. I also appreciate the showcase of consent in the males perspective. The story of Matt was so sad and lowly at times, and to see how much love he had to give and desire to receive was nice to see!

Ro made me angry certain times with her lame ex boyfriend but that is just the truth of a narcissist boyfriend at the end of the day!

I tried reading unsteady in the past and never finished for some reason and really wanted to read this one. Even though you see a lot of the first couple, it was still an easy to follow read!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC for an honest review!!

I absolutely adored this book. Peyton’s writing has so much emotion and depth. The way she wrote Freddy and Ro was absolutely perfect. This is the perfect follow up to Unsteady and I love the way it could be read as a tandem read. This book at its core is about grief and love and moving forward. These are things I hold so close to my own heart and the way they were done are truly so special. The other part that I believe is so exceptional to highlight is acceptance and growth. Ro and Freddy both had to do so much work separately so that they could be so good together, and it’s so beautiful to read. This book is worth the slow burn that it is because without the growth, the story would not be as special.

I cannot wait to see what Peyton brings next to the world because she is an incredible storyteller. Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC!!

When we first meet Ro and Freddy they appear to be the exact opposites. Freddy is very much the golden retriever mmc. He is known to be the happy go lucky, star player on the Waterfell hockey team, and resident campus playboy. Freddy seems like the carefree type of guy who everything comes naturally to, but underneath the surface one of Freddy’s biggest struggles is his learning abilities which interfere with his academics and his chances of graduating/joining the NHL are in jeopardy. In comes Ro who is Freddy’s new biology tutor. Ro is a much more reserved and inexperienced when it comes to college life. Ro, like myself, is a hopeless romantic whose real life involves very little romance. Unfortunately, Ro is stuck dealing with her on again off again boyfriend, while wanting a more affectionate meaningful romance. Through their tutoring sessions Ro and Freddy grow to become friends, yet there is an undeniable elephant of chemistry between them that they are desperately trying to ignore.

What makes this book stand out to me is the care and attention that Peyton Corinne puts into both Freddy and Ro’s characters. Most romance books, the main focus, even if it's dual POV, is on the fmc. We get to know the fmc on a very holistic level whether that's internal struggles, past trauma, or life experiences. We know pretty much everything about them inside and out. Whereas with the mmc, their character or portrayal is mainly rooted in relation to the romance of the story. Therefore, if we get any holistic parts of their character, it is only because it connects or serves to benefit the romantic plot line. With Unloved I feel like the focus was more on Freddy, which I appreciate because that in of itself (focusing more on the mmc and their internal battles, past trauma, and experiences) is something that we don't usually get in romance books. This is why I am in reverence of books like Peyton Corinne’s, and her Undone series, because Peyton makes sure to represent both the male and female main characters in these books in a true, holistic way; they get to share the center stage hand-in-hand in these romance books.

If I had to use one word to describe this book it would be tender. I think everything from: the way Freddy and Ro are able to truly see each other and connect, to the relationships we see with other characters in the book, and even the individual character development, all felt so tender. Even while reading my heart felt very warm and comforted by this book, it had me swooning. To me this story was like being wrapped up in a warm hug, when you finally reunite and see someone you love, but haven’t seen in a while. That hug, and this book, are so full of soft love, care, and attention and I absolutely loved it. I cannot wait to read more of Peyton’s work and the future books in this series. Freddy and Ro have a piece of my heart forever now.

I was a little nervous at first I was afraid I wasn’t gonna like this book at the beginning, but I am so glad that I stayed until the end. It was a very good book. I loved the bad reputation falls in love with the sweet innocent that’s getting treated wrong girl. It is just the cutest thing ever. I am so glad that I got this advanced read. The whole time you’re gonna wanna punch Tyler in the face!