i devoured this book, it was so fantastic & i could not put it down!! ro & freddy understood one another in a deeper level and i loved seeing them grow closer as friends and then more. the storyline wasn’t rushed and i ate up every second of that slowburn!!

ro had a lot of self doubts about her worth mainly due to her controlling ex boyfriend. reading some of these scenes between them was really hard because he was just so mean and negative and ro deserved so much better. when ro started tutoring freddy, we got to see how patient and understanding she is and how much she truly wants to help others in every way she can

freddy also struggles a lot with feeling like he deserves love & happiness. after losing his mom and having to deal with his dad things became even tougher on him. freddy has a hard time in school thanks to his dyslexia & dyscalculia and his previous tutors never gave him the proper support which always made him feel less than until ro comes along. she really helped freddy understand his worth and they’re instant connection was everything

this book is SO sweet and such a great representation of a soft & gentle love between two people who fully understand how each other and are able to grow from their self doubts together. this story was so beautifully written and a testament to how peyton is able to immerse readers into the story and tag along for the ride as her characters blossom!!

A heads up: I was lucky enough to get approved for an ARC of this book through NetGalley. That said, all thoughts and opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

“I think you’d be really easy to love”

Okay, let me just say that I got this book when I needed it the most. I was seriously excited about Ro and Freddy’s story after catching little glimpses of them in Unsteady, and their story didn’t disappoint.

We got Freddy, the charming star hockey player that seems larger than life, but underneath that confident exterior, he's dealing with feelings of abandonment and thinking he's not worthy of love. And then there’s Ro, sweet and loyal Ro, who's been made to feel so ashamed and insecure.

Their interactions, their chemistry and how they support each other it's everything. Freddy wants to shield Ro from his reputation, all while showing her that she deserves real genuine love. And Ro? She is constantly encouraging Freddy to see his worth. You can really feel their emotional connection, and Corinne does an amazing job exploring themes like self-acceptance and vulnerability. At its core, their story is of two people battling their own insecurities, finding comfort and support in each other and their friends and family. These characters feel incredibly real.

Tropes you’ll love:
💚 college hockey romance
💚 tutor x athlete
💚 friends to lovers
💚 found family
💚 learning differences rep

Overall rating 4 ⭐️
Spice scale 🌶️🌶️

I feel like this book is perfect if you enjoyed Daydream by Hannah Grace. It’s got the perfect mix of fun and feels that makes it super hard to put down. Seriously, if you're in a reading slump, this is exactly what you need! It also has very similar vibes to Collide by Bal Khabra and Offside by Avery Keelan. So if you enjoyed any of those, you’ll want to add this one to your TBR.

Huge congrats to Peyton. I absolutely loved Ro and Freddy's story and can’t believe how long I’ll have to wait for the next one (I have a good idea of who’s next, and I’m super intrigued to read their story). Thanks to Atria Books for the eARC and this opportunity —this is my first ARC, and I truly appreciate it! Unloved comes out on Feb 4. Be sure to pre-order so you don’t miss out on Ro and Matty’s journey! 📚🏒💚

5⭐️ | 3🌶️

I’ve been on a mission to find my ultimate hockey romance, and Unloved just skated straight to the top of my list. This book? A masterclass in slow-burn tension, emotional depth, and characters so layered you could peel them like an onion—minus the tears (okay, maybe a few). Between the angst, the spice, and the top-tier found family vibes, I was hooked.

But let’s be real—my schedule has been pure chaos lately, so I had to hop onto the audiobook, and wow, what a decision that was. The dual narration? Chef’s kiss. The performances? So good, I felt like I was eavesdropping on real conversations. And now, these voices are living rent-free in my head, probably forever.

Matty and Ro’s love story is the perfect mix of sweet, angsty, and emotionally raw. Ro? An absolute angel, lifting Matty up even when he couldn’t see his own worth. And Matty? A hopeless romantic wrapped in a misunderstood bad-boy exterior. His love language? Acts of service and making us all swoon.

This book is for anyone who has ever felt like too much or not enough—because Unloved will remind you that the right person will always see you for who you are.

Ahh Ro and Matty have my whole heart. I absolutely loved this story for the most part. It was filled with so much emotion. I will say it could of been shorter...I felt like there was a lot of filler in this and drew out the story.

The way these two needed one another! 🥺 Ro made Matty realize he was so much more than what others were saying and Matty made Ro pull out her shell and not be ashamed for who she is. So perfect for one another.
I couldn’t help but feel so much for Matty. The rage I have for him for what others did to him is insane. Struggling with so much and yet no one wants to really help until Ro. 😭😭
And Ro…there were times I wanted to slap her to not go back to her toxic ex but at the end she realizes what is best for her.
The slooooow burn in this one was everything!
I loved the hints of maybe what’s to come from Peyton so I’m super excited to see if I’m correct.

Overall: 4
Spice: 1

Tropes:
Hockey Romance
Broken MMC
Tutor x Player
Found Family
Slow Burn

This book was cute. I enjoyed it. Would it be my top read of the year? No. But I had a good time while reading it.

Matt "Freddy" Fredderic is a star left winger for the Waterfell Wolves, and Ro Shariff, a dedicated student navigating a challenging on-again, off-again relationship. Freddy's struggles with dyslexia, dyscalculia, and ADHD add depth to his character, highlighting his vulnerabilities beyond the ice rink. Ro's journey reflects her desire for genuine affection and self-worth.

The novel excels in portraying the slow-burning development of Freddy and Ro's relationship, transitioning from late-night study sessions to profound emotional connections. There is exploration of themes like personal growth, healing, and the impact of past traumas is commendable. However, certain sections of the story felt dragged on, and some character decisions seemed inconsistent, affecting the overall pacing and my attention.

I liked this one a little more than unsteady but they were just ok for me.

This was such a good hockey romance & Ro and Matt had great chemistry! I love a good friends to lovers story and this definitely did not disappoint. I loved how much depth the characters had & their growth and development felt very effortless. The banter, the tension & slow burn were well balanced with the more emotional and meaningful moments of the story. It was definitely healing in a way to read Ro & Matt’s journey about trying to figure out what it meant to love and be loved. Definitely recommend this one!

This books was amazing. I loved the slow burn between Ro and Freddy. This book had some of my favorite tropes. The way they Peyton was able to weave their story and include the mental health rep felt like i was living through their experiences. Their connection was beautiful and i loved how they were able to be themselves with each other.

After not really loving Unsteady (I'm not a huge fan of black cat fmcs), I was hesitant to pick up Peyton Corinne's second book, but I'm so happy I did because Unloved delivered in so many ways that the first book fell short.

Following Ro's journey of self-love was such a fun and wild ride. Her cute sense of style and desperate desire to be loved really resonated with me. I saw myself in the way she cares deeply about her friends and tries to see the best in everyone and everything.

I adored delving into Ro and Matt's friends to lovers slow burn romance. Books where he fall first and harder are always my favourite and I love how Matt continuously puts Ro first, even when she doesn't. Their tangible chemistry had me kicking my feet and squealing.

I fell head over heels for Matt, who said the most romantic things to Ro. He definitely raised my standards for protective, fun-loving, and doting book boyfriends. I appreciated exploring his struggle with dyslexia and dyscalculia and how it impacted his college career.

Unloved easily balances Ro's journey of self-love through freeing herself from an emotionally abusive boyfriend, Matt's processing of his mother's death and navigating his learning disabilities, and the fireworks in their budding romance without missing a beat. I love how natural the story flows, it was easy to get immersed in the narrative.

I really hope the next book gives us Paloma's perspective! I feel like she was everywhere in this book and I'm excited to read about her romance because if a certain hockey player in this book is to be believed, she deserves it.

Thanks to Netgalley, Atria Books, and Peyton Corinne for an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion!

Five out of five stars!

Unloved by Peyton Corinne

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4.5/5

I loved this book! It was such a lovely read. After reading Unsteady, I wasn’t 100% sure if I was going to continue with this series because Unsteady was not my favorite read. I thought it was ok, just nothing spectacular. But this book … was spectacular. Unloved has a totally different feel to it, almost like it was written by a totally different author. I think that’s just a testament to how much Corinne has evolved in her craft in the time between these two books.

Unloved is the love story of Rosalie Shariff and Matt Frederic, two people pleasers who have been the objects of abuse in different facets of their lives for years. They’re both a little messed up, a little vulnerable, and feel a little unlovable. So, basically, they’re perfect for each other.

Ro and Matty are absolute dolls to read about. I loved their love so, so, so much. They were such viscerally real characters. Their struggles and grief were relatable and potent. Sweet Ro just broke my heart in the beginning with how much she was willing to put up with from her emotionally abusive boyfriend. It hurt to read about. I just wanted to shake her then hug her and tell her she deserved so much better. And poor Matty … with his heart of gold. He broke my heart, too, with what he was willing to let people believe about him. Both weren’t willing to let the other think negatively but had no problem thinking it about themselves.

Their progression from friends to lovers was a dream. Matty is such a lover boy and was so gentle with Ro’s feelings. What a perfect model. Men, take notes. He took great care of her, and she took care of him. That’s how it should be. I love that there was no third act breakup, no miscommunication trope, no sabotaging. I’m getting so burnt out on reading about that. Unloved was a breath of fresh air in that regard.

I enjoyed Ro and Matty’s relationships with their families, as well. This book actually got pretty deep and touched on some heavy topics like narcissism in a parent, death of a parent, a sick parent, grief, and emotional abuse in a relationship. Without giving anything away, I just want to give Matty and Ro hugs for everything they endured together and separately. I love how they supported each other and handled it together, though.

My one tiny complaint with Unloved is that it was a smidge too long. There was some lag and redundancy in the middle, and it could have probably been 70-80 pages shorter with a few less epilogues. Other than that, it was perfect!

I would highly recommend this book for fans of Elle Kennedy and Hannah Grace, and I am so looking forward to the next installment at Waterfell. Fingers crossed that it’s Bennett and Paloma hehe 👀

Thank you to NetGalley, Peyton Corinne, and Atria Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions shared are my own.

Review will be on Goodreads, Instagram, and Amazon.

This was so so anticipated but I needed to find the right time to read it because it deals with death of a parent, which unfortunately is a trigger for me. But WOW this book was so so beautifully written. Although this book deals with grief, it is more so grief that has been held in and healing from it, rather than raw grief. Whether it has been one year or ten, grief stays with you.

I absolutely love how Peyton writes her men, she shows a vulnerable and soft side to them. I related immensely to Freddy and the pain and grief he felt about losing his mom. I loved the connection he made with Ro and how he was able to open up to her and vice versa. I honestly cried more because of how beautiful their love was than anything else.

Now I am sat for book 3 with my tissue box because that is exactly how all of Peyton's books go 😅

“I think you’d be really easy to love.”

This book really pulled my heartstrings. The way Matty and Ro were with each other, so careful and protective, made me feel alllll the feels! Both of them dealing with different kinds of grief, I could really relate to Ro’s story because of a shared experience. Beautifully written characters, hats off to you Ms. Corinne!

You could also catch some glimpses at possible main characters for the rest of the series, I hope there are plans for a book about Kane, I think he’s a very interesting character.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria for providing me with an advanced copy!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this book!

Unloved follows Ro and Freddy, friends of the couple from Unsteady, as they navigate a tutor x student relationship. Right off the bat I liked that this book takes places on the same timeline as Unsteady. I feel like it allowed me to understand the actions of the characters in both books better. Ro’s ex was a piece of garbage and I was annoyed she kept trying to go back to him. He was clearly bad for her and was constantly talking down to her. I’m not sure why she put up with him for so long, but I guess I do understand the loneliness she felt and thought that he was better than nothing. Freddy’s lack of confidence in himself when it came to his learning disability made me SO SAD. He knew what was wrong with him and tried SO HARD. He did everything he needed to but was failed by the people who needed to help him the most and I hated that for him. I’m so glad that Ro and Freddy were able to find each other when they needed each other the most. I loved this story and I can’t wait to read more from Peyton!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I don't usually put much thought into author playlists, but when I saw boygenius on the list I knew this would be good.

'Unloved' is the second book in a series, but can be read as a stand-alone. I read the first book, 'Unsteady,' but you don't have to in order to enjoy 'Unloved.' (That being said, I'd recommend reading it!)

If you enjoy stories with surprising emotional depth, filled with themes of moving through grief and learning to love yourself, this is for you. To classify this as just another college hockey romance would be unfair to Ro and Matty.

Ro is a hard working student with big goals and dreams of having a fairytale type of love, but is blind to how others treat her. Matty is a fun loving, hockey playing f boy who charms everyone with an easy smile, but is dealing with a grief that is slowing choking him. It begins with the classic "athlete needs a tutor" love story and develops into something more.

ps...have tissues within reach!

(4.5⭐️)
I was so excited! to start this after finishing Unsteady!! I loved Ro and Freddie from the previous book but who is Rosalie(?) and what happened to Aurora(??) because I was a little confused… beside that, this was so cute! It was such a wholesome friends to lover read.

Alexa please play “Friends don’t” by Maddie & Tae rn

I typically don’t love going back in the same timeline but Peyton Corinne does a really nice job of portraying different perspectives from the characters. I still loved all the same side characters and would be interested in a Bennett or Toren book (because wtf is going on Ben?!) but idk how I’m going to feel if I have to read another rewind timeline again. Overall, this was a fun & fluffy hockey romance read to get you out of a slump

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, & Peyton Corinne for this gifted copy in exchange for an honest review! ◡̈

I absolutely loved this book. I love Peyton’s writing. She weaves such a beautiful story that’s relatable and makes you feel all the emotions. It’s so much more than a hockey romance. I will read anything she writes.

Unloved | Peyton Corrine
3.5 ⭐️ | 1 🌶️

The much anticipated follow up to “Unsteady,” is here featuring Ro & Freddy.

Ro is an overachieving science girly who is assigned as Matt Frederick, the college hockey star’s tutor. Matt aka Freddy is just getting by, dealing with adhd, dyslexia, and dyscalculia, but he’s determined to finish his degree just like he promised his mom.

The whole theme of this book centers around whether or not two people who feel so much shame, insecurity, and truly “unloveable,” can find friendship, support, security and love in each other. Tbh I really hated all the characters who had wronged Ro and Freddy. At the same time, the shame and self-loathing that they both felt got to be a bit much at times.

Not my favorite read of the year, but I will read the next one in the series.

🏒 hockey player
👩‍🔬 science girly
🤝 Friends to lovers
+ shitty dad & abusive ex boyfriend

Thank you to NetGalley & Atria Books for this ARC!

After reading Unsteady I knew that Unloved was going to be amazing. The chemistry between Freddy and Ro even in the first book was already showing through and it was so cute to see their relationship play out and connect the pieces of the scenes we already got glimpses of.

Freddy and Ro's relationship developed so well throughout the book with this being a friends to lovers the lines blurred from their connections in the past and their actions in the presence the build up had me so giddy. These characters both just give such sunshine energy that made the book feel so joyous even though each character was overcoming challenges.

I loved that we see mental help rep and support in this story. Ro being Freddy's tutor and the actions she takes to help him process different information was so sweet and in turn I loved that Freddy was so supportive in encouraging Ro after her previous relationship and the doubts that it caused.

I was so excited to read Unloved after meeting Ro and Freddy in Unsteady. Freddy really caught my attention in that book, and I couldn't wait to learn more about his story and see him find his happily ever after. Unloved did NOT disappoint! I savored every moment of this book and felt sad when it ended.

Ro Shariff is incredibly smart and loyal, but she has been unlucky in love. Her current "on-again, off-again" boyfriend Tyler is a complete jerk, and unfortunately, he is in the same cohort as her and is in charge. Freddy, a talented hockey player who has signed with Dallas, is trying to survive school and graduate, which is something his late mother wanted for him. He has gone through several tutors in Ro's cohort and is now assigned to her. They both have a lot of trauma to work through. Can they help each other heal?

I loved every aspect of this book. I thought the storyline was well-crafted and offered excellent representations. Freddy was such a sweet and loving soul, even with all the trauma he has faced. I also enjoyed seeing Sadie and Rhys throughout the story. I highly recommend this series!

I feel like sports romances just aren’t for me. I’m not sure why, but I really enjoyed the beginning of this book, and then, bit by bit, I started losing interest. I wanted to keep liking it, but it just couldn’t hold my attention. The story was predictable, and nothing really stood out to keep me fully invested. That being said, it was still cute enough that I finished it, so it wasn’t all bad!