I've never seen reformed playboy done so well. THIS is how you write it. You would not think that a hockey romance would have me crying in the club, but here we are.

Peyton Corinne has something really special. Both Unsteady and Unloved cover some of the most beautiful topics with such grace. Matt's character arc was BEAUTIFUL. STANDING OVATION. Matt and Ro saved each other in the most beautiful ways. Ro, believing in and advocating for Matt and Matt, showing Ro that she should also be advocating for herself. That she is strong and deserves to be treated better. She was so patient and held so much space for Matt to just be vulnerable and be himself as he worked through so much trauma.

I'm truly stunned by how beautiful this was!!

LOVED THIS BOOK. Only gave 4/5 stars because I didn’t looooooove the epilogue…..it sometimes feels like the book just didn’t need it and this was that for me. Amazing book overall though!

3.5⭐️

I loved the first book and I was so excited to be reading the next book in the series early.
Ro meets Freddy freshman year at a party where she has her first kiss with him and he spends the night hanging out with her until he suddenly disappears but doesn’t return. Freddy plays for the schools hockey team and has no recollection of the night and remeets Ro right before their senior year when she becomes his new tutor.

She tries to run away from him but he’s not having it. They end up at another party where he now falls for her and she doesn’t remember it. They grow closer after the party, becoming each other’s main support.

Both characters knew they liked the other but nothing happened between the two till about 75%. I don’t always love a slow burn romance but I did like this one. There are a few things however that knocked my rating down to a 3.5.

1. Tyler. Tyler is Ro’s very on-again off-again abusive boyfriend. He manipulates her and constantly is around. I understand that he contributes to a lot of Ro’s challenges but he spent way too long being part of the book. He sucked.
2. There were some chapter transitions that were confusing. There were a few times where I wondered if I had missed a chapter.
3. Many grammar issues. Although not a huge deal, there were many that I noticed.

Thank you to NetGalley for an arc copy of this book.

Thank you Atria for the review copy.

This book took me by surprise. Corinne explores the tutor/student, friends to lovers and bucket list tropes in a way that doesn't feel like another copypasta romance book. I went into it with expectations for it to be basically the same as all of the other books I've read with these tropes and was surprised that my expectation was unfounded.

Matt and Ro's relationship blooms organically over the course of Unloved and it was easy to believe that the trust and security they built with each other was well-found and well-placed. Matt and Ro are messy characters with a lot of trauma and I felt that their issues had plenty of time to resolve into a place where they are safe and healthy. I really enjoyed this book and it's unique take on tropes that have started to feel uninspired to me lately.

this book follows ro, a homesick college senior struggling with her personal life, and freddy, a star hockey player on the school's team -- and ro's tutee.

the overall vibe of the book is cozy and funny. ro and freddy have a friendship that starts from their tutoring sessions, ones that freddy needs in order to pass required classes so he can graduate. ro is a patient tutor, freddy tries his best. they both support each other in more ways than one, often outside of their tutor/student relationship.

in general, it was a fun read, but the energy between ro and freddy felt too pushed sometimes, and ro's naivety with her on/off boyfriend, tyler, was insanely difficult to read. however, the author does a good job of introducing the suspenseful elements and keeping the reader hooked. it wasn't exactly my cup of tea, but I enjoyed the read.

thanks to netgalley for the arc!

ps: the dynamic with ro's friend, sadie, and freddy's team captain, rhys, since it wasn't explained that well but then I realized that the book is part of a series, which made sense, but for those who haven't read the first book, it can be kind of confusing.

💌 i absolutely loved this book. i really enjoyed how the timeline of this book and unsteady are happening at the same time, so we get the privilege of seeing the events from unsteady and unloved happen alongside each other. ro and matty were real, raw, vulnerable, and relatable. they both had fears and insecurities and seeing them heal each other throughout the book made my heart so happy. the characters had so much depth and the story itself was sweet, honest, and meaningful.

thank you netgalley and atria books for allowing me to read and review this book!!

A disclaimer these books cannot be read as stand alones. This book is the same timeline from the first but of the point of view from Ro and Freddy.

I've heard that you know when you have found the right person when you're able to completely fall apart because they make you feel safe enough to do that. You're able to fall apart and heal yourself at the same time and the person does not hold it against you, they just begin a soft spot for you to land. Ro and Matt were that for each other. The ups and downs they take throughout the entire book were just so beautiful. The amount of growth they had as individuals and then as a couple was just wonderful to witness and I really did appreciate how the author represented grief and learning disabilities in it and how the shame of it all occurs in a college setting.

There's also some sexual abuse with a teacher that he isn't even aware of until he's basically told of it, even though it happened to him. It's amazing how when there's so much suffering involved and shame especially you can't see those are supposed to help you how much they're hurting you instead. It was beautifully written.

Thanks to Net Galley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review, as always, all words are my own.

Well done Peyton!
The character development in this book is absolutely top tier. I loved the learning disability representation of Freddy and felt like the book really showed the lows and highs of those who struggle with a learning disability.

Ro is such a beautiful character. My heart broke for her several times throughout the book. It made me feel so proud to watch her find her voice and being to stand up for who she was.

I loved watching Freddy and Ro grow through their separate struggles and lean on each other. It led to a beautiful foundation for their relationship and their progression felt so natural.

May I also just say that Tyler is the most dislikable character, but is so well written.

Highly recommend this book to all, but really recommend reading Unsteady first. It's so cool to see the two books interconnect. This book was one of my most anticipated reads of 2025 and I'm so thankful I got to read it in 2024.
Thanks to Atria and NetGalley for the Arc!!

4.25 stars ✰
⤷ this book changed my whole perspective on friends to lovers 🥹💞

💋 I think loving you would be the greatest thing in my life. 💋

omg these two were SO adorable!! freddy and ro, my loves forever <33 they built such a good friendship and then fell in love (freddy fell first though we love 🤭) and the slowburn slaps!!

🫶🏼 plot/tropes 🫶🏼

this book is a cutesy slowburn friends to lovers story where the fmc, rosalie, is in a very toxic relationship. her bf mocks her in EVERYTHING. the way she dresses, her intelligence, he even refers to her as a whore 💀💀 like get tf out. and she always forgives him.. every single time.

but when the guy she’s tutoring is her crush that she’s had for years, matt frederick, they develop a sweet bond. he shows to her that she deserves so much better than tyler the jackass 🤭🤭 and he falls first!! ahhh

💐 general thoughts 💐

🫂 characters. I loved both characters SO SO much, defo a lot more than the characters in unsteady (I still don’t love sadie im so sorry) they were just so sweet and the pure love they had for each other was everything. when ro stands up for matty 🥹🥹 >>>> and the fact that he was willing to just be friends at the start despite being head over heals for her UGH.

🤍epilogue. moment of appreciation for that epilogue bc it was soo freaking cute!! I don’t wanna spoil anything but it was one of the most wholesome things I ever read they’re so cute. and I love that it’s 5 years later as opposed to like A MONTH 😃

🧸 final note. everything about this was so perfect. the acts of service from matty and the words of reassurance and affirmation that ro gave him was all they needed. like matt is such a people pleaser he needed to hear that so bad. and the way he always got her her favourite chai and defended her against her crappy bf. I LOVE IT ALL!!! plsplspls read this guys, I highly recommend <33 even if you didn’t love book one (like moi)

thank you to netgalley and atria books for this arc in exchange for an honest review!!

Very much a slow burn romance.... I love a good hockey story and this fit the bill. Both characters were extremely likable and I did like them together however I found the pacing to be a little slow for my tastes. Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This is a cute and spicy college sports romance about love and loss, finding yourself and found family ❤️

I fell in love with Ro & Teddy right away and I loved that this novel was dual POV. The chapters were short, which really kept the story moving. The internal thoughts for each character were raw and relatable. The author did a beautiful but respectful job depicting difficult family dynamics, loss and conflict.

This is a spicy romance (🔥🔥🔥🔥/5) and the chemistry between the two main characters had the pages feeling on fire at times. But it felt balanced with the story and not out of place.

Thank you Atria books for the ARC!

I wanted so badly to like this book and there were moments I genuinely liked, but I spent the majority of the book wanting to finish it, so if I rated it on a 5 star scale, it would sit at a 2.5 and I can't find it in me to round up to a three.

What I liked: I think there was a fair bit of intrigue, particularly having to do with the events of the prologue, the past with Dr. Tinley and the present-time situation with Matt/Archer. I think that Ro's relationship with Tyler was handled really well and realistically. I think that very Matt was a relatable character. Matt's learning disabilities were handled incredibly!!

However, this book felt unnecessarily long to me. It feels like SO MUCH was said but not as much happened. There were a lot of balls in the air and I felt that every single one of them could've been realistically caught sooner. I felt like I was TOLD more than SHOWN a lot of things (for example, Ro says several times that she's homesick, but maybe thinks about her parents three times before going to visit them. Sadie and Ro have this epic friendship, but I never see any proof of it.) While some things were tied up realistically (Archer/Matt, Tyler/Ro), others seemed to be left loose and unfinished (Tinley, Matt's dad).

A Sweet and Swoon-Worthy Read

Unloved is a delightful and heartwarming romance that will make your heart flutter. Ro and Freddy's slow-burn romance is both adorable and swoon-worthy. The author's ability to capture the essence of young love is truly impressive. It's a perfect read for anyone looking for a feel-good story with characters you'll fall in love with.

Unloved is a sweet, slow-burn hockey romance with heart.

Matt Fredderic, a hockey star with slipping grades, seeks tutoring from Rosalie (Ro) Shariff, a sweet, charming and intelligent TA, who’s secretly had a crush on him since their first day of college—when they shared a kiss he doesn't remember.

I found this book to be everything you want in a contemporary romance: authentic and relatable characters, with romance that is a perfect mix of sweet and spice. This was my first read by Peyton Corinne and I was surprised by the story's emotional depth.

With themes of love, growth, and found family, this book will leave you rooting for these characters. Highly recommend for fans of romance, hockey, and heartfelt stories!

SO. I didn't realize this was a book #2 when I requested and through the story I could tell there was back stories I was missing. I did go back and read Unsteady first and I'm so glad I did. It helped build the stories a lot more and I will definitely be purchasing this series as soon as possible.

I read Unsteady by Peyton Corinne when it was released last year and I thought it was good. Good enough that I was willing to request book two when I saw it available in NetGalley. I am so glad that I did. The pacing issues that I had with book one were fixed here. This book was literally "unputdownable" for me and I found myself reading it between throwing the Thanksgiving Ham in the oven and starting the Sweet Potato Casserole. Any chance I got, I came back to Ro and Matty.
Ro and Matty were so relatable and the way their relationship developed felt authentic and believable. I loved them together and I loved their individual character arcs. This was a slow-burn friends to lovers and I'm such a sucker for the tutor/athlete trope. Gets me every time.
Seeing the character's from Unsteady was nice and I liked how the timelines of the stories overlapped.
I am eagerly awaiting book three in this series and will be picking up a physical copy of this one for my shelves.

i really enjoyed freddy & ro!!! i thought that them and their love was soo sweet and i loved reading their story!!! i enjoyed the first book, and seeing little glimpses of rhys and sadie was cute!!!!!! i enjoyed this one a lot!!!! thank you to atria, peyton and netgalley for the arc!

Unloved by. Peyton Corinne
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
“Why keep trying when it hurts? Because they’ve been disappointed by too many people. And I won’t be one of them.”
Where do I even begin?! The heart wrenching realness of this book and the mental health and personal experiences that shaped each character were perfect. I adored getting to experience that with each of them. Living through little bits of Sadie and Rhys journey again was so sweet but also broke my heart all over again and she perfectly executed the feelings in chaotic moments and sad emotional ones too. In the chaos filled scenes they are going back and forth sloshing around like Freddy’s mind. My heart never stopped racing the entire time but it was so thrilling! I truly enjoy reading Peyton’s stories because they not only give us sweet romances and adoring love but also show the true emotional struggles and effects of others on your life. We also get a nice idea that you can heal by yourself and it can get better, but it’s also okay to let others help you, maybe they need you just as much. Ro and Matty are my favorite let’s heal together couple. This was an easy review to write. I have so many thoughts and lots of gratitude towards this book and Peyton for writing these stories that may be uncomfortable or uncommon but they’ll always hold a special place in my heart! The ending was so sweet and savory it honestly healed so much in me, I loved the found family and comfort it brought! Overall I adored this story and will forever recommend these books to whoever will listen!!

Thank you so much NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for this amazing arc!!

Tropes in this book
• Sports Romance
• Anxiety and disability rep
• Slow burn
• Found Family
• Athlete x Tutor
Songs that remind me of “Unloved”
• Miserable Man. David Kushner
• I Found. Amber Run
• I guess I’m in love. Clinton Kane

4/5📚 thank you peyton corrinne and @atriabooks for this ARC. after reading the first book, i was jumping at the bit to start the second.

short summary:
ro shariff and matt fredderic have something in common: both want to be loved, genuinely, for who they are.
ro shariff is a brilliant student & tutor tasked with taking on freddy’s case after her coworkers refuse to give him another semester, with his extensive academic accommodations. freddy, with his main goal being to graduate on time and enter the NHL after graduation, knows the only way to do that is with a tutor. through the story, freddy will figure out he needs ro more than just academically and ro will learn love is not conditional- as her current boyfriend tyler, so often points out. both will learn to heal from their past (and present) with the other’s company and friendship.

things i loved:
🏒quote: ”’real people don’t act like they do in your books, ro.’ but it wasn’t even the romance I’d wanted. it was my desperation for wanting to feel something real. something overwhelming, but worth it.”
🏒 after others taking advantage of freddy’s desire to be loved, ro is protective over him and his heart.
🏒quote: “but I’d lived entire lives, thousands of them, in books. and part of me always imagined what falling in love would feel like.”
🏒 they’re so protective over each other- i NEED that loyalty in my life MY WORD.
🏒their FRIENDSHIP- how supportive they are of each other
🏒freddy’s entire personality- i’m in love with him
🏒although freddy has a certain reputation, this doesn’t scare ro off.

this book fits like a puzzle piece with the first book. it almost feels like your solving the mystery of what else happens during the first book- like adding details to a painting.
watching ro heal freddy through her authentic love for him and his personality- despite his struggles, was truly BEAUTIFUL to witness. vice versa, watching freddy show ro what a true love/relationship looks like after she comes out of an abusive situation- it really made me relate with a lot of what she was feeling. overall, this book is beautifully written and i’m obsessed w the little world peyton corinne has created!

tropes:
tutor x student
hockey player romance
friends to lovers
healing relationship

would i recommend? oh, for SURE

oh baby !!!

THIS BOOK had everything I love about reading. A relatable FMC and an irresistible hunky MMC.

Peyton Corinne has an amazing way of including hardships in books through the characters' experiences/their story. The way she approaches their stories and conveys them is sensitive and heart-wrenching.

I love books that make me truly feel and connect with the characters. I see a lot of myself in Ro. She's loving and fun but has many insecurities about romantic love. Through this book, she heals those parts of her.

Matty is such a beefcake and the school playboy, but what most people don't notice about him is his big heart. He feels very deeply and wears his heart on his sleeve. I really appreciated the bond that Ro and Matty created by just simply being friends.

Fully knowing someone and loving them for simply being them is such a wonderful thing that most people don't value enough.