Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for an arc of this book!

I love hockey romances when an overarching good plot is setup. This isn't that.
Fiest the good, the texting between Chase and Baileu was good. Full stop.

The story line is predictable and Chase constantly compares Bailey with other women. (In favor of Bailey). And in a .."she isn't as pretty kind of way". I am sure guus compare but do we need to do this to women. And Chase paying always when they are friends bugged me. We don't need this kind of inequity for female characters. Let her pay too.
Second, Bailey is expressly moralizing about how women do one night stands etc. Supposedly her brother isn't supportive and is she is unsupportive rigjt back. A good plot would have made it fall into place that she didn't fit with her friends in a slow way but I felt the author was in a hurry. I knew how this was going and it's a DNF for me.

I was really enjoy “Offside” for the first 300 pages. The plot was good and so were the main characters but it felt like the whole store was being dragged on. I truly believe this could’ve been 200 pages shorter and the issue could’ve been resolved quicker instead of adding a bunch of fluff. Nonetheless, I still enjoyed the novel but that just might be because I will always devour a hockey romance book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for an e-arc of this book!

I’m fully in my sports romance era right now, so I was super excited to dive into Offside by Avery Keelan! We meet Bailey, who’s freshly single and so done with hockey boys. Like, never again. But of course, fate has other plans because guess who she bumps into on a night out? Yup, another hockey player. But not just any hockey player… a bad boy from a rival team named Chase.

Chase has all the red flags. Rival team? Check. Attitude? Check. Trouble? Double check. Bailey wants nothing to do with him… until she finds herself in a little situation and decides to use him to make her ex jealous. And suddenly, they’re fake dating. But here’s the catch: Bailey starts catching real feelings. The problem? Literally everyone in her life hates Chase. Her brother and her roommates, it’s a big no from all of them. And she can’t exactly say it’s fake… especially when she’s not even sure she wants it to be anymore.

Watching Bailey and Chase’s relationship grow was seriously so sweet! Bailey really needed some better people in her life, her ex was the worst, and her so-called friends (and even her brother) totally dropped the ball when she needed them most. I was rooting for her to find her people, and maybe find love along the way.

My only gripe? This book was long. Like, unnecessarily long. There were so many scenes that didn’t really involve Bailey and Chase, and while I get that it’s setting things up for the rest of the series, it felt a bit like filler. Still, if you’re into hockey romances with fake dating, a swoony bad boy, and lots of tension, this one’s worth checking out, just be ready for a slow (and long) burn!

Y’all know me and I’m a sucker for a good sports romance. Especially if hockey is involved. So when I saw this was on NetGalley because it had finally been picked up by a publisher. I have never clicked that request button so fast. So big thank you to NetGalley and Bramble for providing me a review copy of this re-release.

I have to say for this being my first Avery Keelan’s book I want to kick myself. She’s been on my author radar for a while but for some unknown reason I just never picked her books up. And now after finishing Offside I’m regretting not doing it sooner because I loved every minute of this book.

The only reason I gave this 4⭐️ instead of 5 was because of the book length. This is an over 500 page romcom. And because of its length at times some parts moved a little slow. And some parts definitely could’ve been cut out. But even with all that said I still had a blast reading Chase & Bailey’s story. Chase was the perfect sworn worthy cinnamon roll for his girl. Bailey was a down to earth, compassionate and smart female lead. Their journey from friends to committed couple was adorable even down to their nicknames for each other.

Overall, I 100% recommend this book. I can’t wait to pick up my trophy copy and continue on with the series. I hope everyone reading this does the same!

This was a good hockey romance. I think it was better than a lot of them that I have read, but I also don't really think it did much for the genre over all. Still good and I think it will be well read and I plan to purchase.

An easy college sports romance, predictable but reliable. Cute chemistry between the MCs and side characters. Forced tension at times, but expected for characters in this age group.

If you're a spicy romance reader who loves hockey, this one's for you!

This gives you sports rivals to lovers as Bailey gets dumped by the captain of her college hockey team then gets captivated by Chase, the baddest of boys who plays for their rivals.

Read if you enjoy:
Great chemistry with adorable banter
Opposites attract
It's never been like this
Cinnamon roll wrapped in a tough guy exterior
He falls first
Revenge dating
Hockey romance

Chase and Bailey had great chemistry, and I loved how their relationship slowly shifted from rivalry to something real. Chase was super sweet underneath that tough guy exterior, and their banter was so fun.

If you’re into slow-burn, reformed bad boy vibes with a sweet payoff, it’s definitely worth the read.🩷

⭐️⭐️⭐️
Nothing But Net … & Drama 🥅 🏒
This one felt about 300 pages too long. It was okay, and I think it could have been really cute, but holy moly, at almost 600 pages, it was hard to stay into it by the end.
Chase + Bailey
Her birthday goes down in garbage fire fashion. An epically crappy ex and a night out drinking lead her into the t-shirt of the rival team.
When everyone is against them and exes try to royally tear them down, will what they have be enough to make it through?
Have you read this one yet? What did you think?

I thought this book was an enjoyable read, but it wasn’t quite what I was hoping for. I felt the romance between Chase and Bailey was definitely the highlight for me. I loved their chemistry and the way their connection developed throughout the story. I appreciated the sweeter moments with Chase showing his protective and caring side—it added depth to his character and made the romance more compelling. That said, I felt like the book was way too long for the story it was trying to tell. I found myself wishing for a tighter plot and fewer drawn-out scenes. While I enjoyed the romance, the pacing felt slow, and some parts dragged on more than necessary, which made it harder for me to stay fully engaged. I did like the college hockey backdrop and the rivalry dynamics between Chase and Bailey’s ex. I thought the fake kiss and the do-over birthday were fun and creative additions that helped move the romance forward. However, I felt the overall story lacked enough excitement or twists to keep me on the edge of my seat.

Overall, I thought the book was fine—it had some enjoyable elements, especially the romance, but it felt stretched out and didn’t quite hold my attention all the way through. It might appeal to readers who love slow-burn romances and don’t mind a lengthy narrative.

Avery Keelan is the queen of hockey romance.

Chase Carter is a god among book boyfriends. He pursued Bailey but kept a bit of his roughness around his edges from his previous bad boy persona.
Ugh and the ex boyfriend can go kick rocks. To break up with her on her birthday and be a cheating a-hole?


Pick this one up if you enjoy:
* Ex's rival
* He falls first
* It's never been like this
* Who did this to you
* Reformed bad boy

Offside is a romance book for the twenty year olds. A hockey romance with d—— guys. And women who are impressed with them

This was a fun and light hearted romcom! It’s a book you’ll read, and you can’t help but squeal randomly throughout it. It’s a perfect book to read for a romance book club!

This is hands down one of my favorite hockey romances I’ve ever read. I’ve been and Avery Keelan fan for a long time and let me tell you she writes such underrated books including this one. This is a college hockey romance where the mmc is her exs hockey rival. Chase is everything that her is ex is not: charming, caring, and he is obsessed with her.

Perfect for fans of Elle Kennedy!
I love a bit of a revenge plot when the girl gets dumped and then dates her ex's rival. Its the best kind of drama! Chase and Bailey are one of these couples, starting as enemies due to the rivalry between hockey teams, and then turning to friends before falling into more. Chase becomes such a golden retriever once he realizes how much he likes Bailey and it is adorable.

There is also fantastic consent and reaffirmation for Bailey that sex doesn't have to be a chore, but instead can be fun and playful.

I really liked this, but it was entirely way too long (600 pages!!! What is this, Maas?). The climax happened so quickly that I didn't even realize what was happening, I had to go back and read it more than once just to be clear. BUT I really loved the characters; I liked the dynamics; I liked the center issue (even if it came up like way late in the book); and even though it used MY MOST HATED TROPE (I'm looking at you Brianna) it was only a temporary pain.

Chase Carter is a top tier Hockey Boyfriend. <3

This was a fun hockey romance book. I loved the relationship between Chase and Bailey and how they learned love together. Offside was a good balance of sports and romance with just the right amount of spice. The epilogue chapters felt a little rushed, with many time jumps less of what I loved about the book - the connection between Carter and James.

I have been loving hockey romance books lately, and this one was definitely a fun read! While I loved Bailey and Chase and loved the conflict/resolution that came with their relationship, I had some real issues with the ending. It seemed very rushed to me and the bonus chapters were just sloppy (choppy? I'm not sure which word better suits it here). It was great to see their future but it just didn't have the same sort of tone.

I can’t believe I finished this book! A hockey romance clocking in at 500-some-odd pages? I kept putting it down to pick it back up again and honestly, by the time I got to the end I forgot what happened at the beginning. This needed to be edited down to about 250-300 pages. There’s a lot of cuteness in this, and the tropes are there, but it is buried in minutia. Not my fave hockey romance I’ve read recently.

This was a blah for me, it just couldn't grab or hold my attention. I moved on and truly nothing even stays in my mind from this book.