Offside by Avery Keelan is a young adult hockey romance that has equal amounts of spice to plot ratio. Chase (the MMC) is a playboy and just so happens to be the rival college’s team to Bailey’s (the FMC)— it probably doesn’t help that her ex that dumped her on her 21st birthday plays for the other team that rivals Chase’s. However, the best way to get back at your ex is to fall into the arms of the star athlete in the rival team, right? If you love enemies to lovers, fake dating, hockey romance, and he falls first tropes then look no further because Offside has checked all of those boxes! The spice and angst are high in this novel, so buckle up and enjoy!

Offside by Avery Keelan

This was such an amazing and fun read! I love a good hockey player romance even though I don’t know much about the game, I don’t care. Just give me a hockey player and a cute girl, and I’m hooked!

Bailey gets dumped by her ex on her birthday and then, of course, she runs into her ex’s enemy. I loved the relationship between Chase and Bailey. Chase was such a great guy, giving Bailey the space she needed, helping only when asked, and genuinely being a catch.

It was crazy how Bailey’s roommate, friends, and even her brother basically ghosted her the moment she was dumped. I hated how she was put in that terrible situation, but I’m so happy she handled it with grace and found her happily ever after.

Also, Luke? Low-key a psychopath. Girls, don’t date Luke or excuse his behavior. Get yourself a Chase Carter instead.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tor Publishing Group, and Bramble for the eARC!

If you’re craving slow burn enemies-to-lovers tension with elite banter, an emotionally complex bad boy hockey player, and a relatable heroine just trying to survive a toxic breakup and her birthday blues… then this delivers on all fronts.

💘 Brother’s teammate trope
🔥 Fake dating turned real feelings
🏒 College hockey rivalries
🎂 Post-breakup survival glow-up

I laughed. I swooned. I stayed up way too late.
Avery Keelan perfectly blends humor, heat, and heartfelt vulnerability into a romance that feels like a late-night TikTok binge session with your favorite comfort ship.

Add this to cart. Immediately.

A college hockey romance that has become one of my all time favorites. The way Keelan developed the Carter's and Bailey's personal growth and their relationship was phenomenal.

I completely loveeee the ex's rival trope. I think it leaves an angsty sort of drama and relationship. Bailey and Carter were cute, their relationship turned into one that rivaled all others.

I loved how included hockey was in this book as well. I loved Bailey's love and interest in hockey. Carter is an absolute simp for Bailey. He was a dirty talking, swoon worthy man and I loved him in this whole book. I wish Bailey's character had more growth and changes.

The book itself was a little long and some of it felt unnecessary but overall it was a cute easy read and I enjoyed it! Avery Keenan outdid herself!

Thank you NetGalley for this book!

I just finished “Offside” by Avery Keelan for the second time to celebrate the special edition being released. It was just as good this time as the first time I read it! Bailey (FMC) is relatable in so many ways, and Chase (MMC) is *chef’s kiss*! The relationship between the two is snarky, spicy, and sweet all in one!

Thank you Net Galley and publishers for the copy!

“You’re my once in a lifetime.”

Bailey James is having a very rough go of things. Recently single and discovering that the friends she thought she had have more loyalty to her ex. Now she is extra alone and the person coming to her rescue is enemy number 1 to her college hockey team.

Chase Carter is a college hockey star and now he has a new obsession other than hockey, Bailey James. If his new friendship also irritates some of his rivals all the better.

Bailey and Chase were an unlikely duo who were both in need of a friend and they found that friendship in each other. The relationship was a steady progression and so fun to watch. I am officially hooked on this new hockey series!

🔥: “Let me take care of you,”

Bailey’s story kicks off with her getting dumped on her birthday. Seriously, how low can you go?! Immediate dislike for the ex. But don’t fret, along comes protective Chase. He’s such a good book boyfriend. He takes Bailey out on dates, looks out for her, and truly wants the best for her. All he wants is to make her happy. I also have a huge dislike for Bailey’s so called ‘friends’ and her brother. This one goes into a lot of detail about hockey life and the games. Bailey is a push over and she has to work things out and Chase is there to help her see things. Her ex turns into a stalker and a true villain. The story really picks up pace around the 70% mark, and I was breezing through the rest to see what would happen next. If you’re in the mood for a college hockey romance that’s character driven with an ex’s rival twist, check this one out.

A very special thanks to Bramble and Netgalley for the gifted copy.

I loved every second of Offside, a sizzling, emotional sports romance that delivers all the angst, humor, and heart you could want. This one grabbed me from page one and refused to let go.
The enemies to lovers tension between Bailey and Chase is electric. From their messy, unforgettable first meeting to the slow unraveling of walls and loyalties, the chemistry between them practically leaps off the page.
Chase Carter is the perfect blend of cocky hockey bad boy with hidden depth, while Bailey is relatable, witty, and refreshingly real. Their dynamic is pure fire, full of banter, slow burn attraction, and emotional vulnerability.
The forbidden romance with Chase and Bailey stuck on opposite sides of a fierce college hockey rivalry adds just the right amount of tension and stakes. Throw in forced proximity, brother's teammate vibes, and the backdrop of cutthroat collegiate sports, and you've got a story that's as addictive as it is heartfelt.
If you loved Pucking Around by Emily Rath or Icebreaker by Hannah Grace, Offside is a must read. Avery Keelan brings the perfect balance of spice, swoon, and emotional growth to this story, making it a total standout in the hockey romance genre.
I devoured it-and I'm still thinking about these characters long after the final page.

Steamy and a classic hockey romance! Perfect for lovers of Elle Kennedy! I loved the tension and drama.

Rating: 4/5
I received an ARC for my honest opinion

In this book you will meet Bailey James who gets dumped on her 21st birthday, she decides that she isn’t going to celebrate her night alone and goes out with friends to the club. Everything is all fun until Chase Carter, the rival hockey team player. He is all arrogant, a womanizer, and the sworn enemy (only because she is a Bulldog and he is the rival stupid team) but he is handsome and a little charming. After having a little too much she gets the courage to flirt with him and see if she can see what all the fuss is about him. However, he is more of a gentleman than anyone would have ever thought as he doesn’t take advantage of her blackout drunkenness. Instead, he takes care of her during this time, and they bond a little bit and agree to be friends until the tension and chemistry gets to be too much.

I liked the story, but it was a slow read for me. It started off great and I didn’t have an issue with the pace of the book, but I felt that the 25% point, that it started to drag, and it stayed that way for a while. I had a hard time with all the Luke/Kristen drama, it felt too dragged out and just over the top for me. I think if the book had ended sooner that I wouldn’t have minded all the drama but sadly that wasn’t the case. I did like the characters in the book, but I think that one of them had more growth throughout the book and one of them felt like it was rushed at the end of the book.

I did enjoy the ending of the book where we got to see the characters later in life and to see how it all worked out though. I found Chase to be a great guy, he is funny, protective, and really really cute. Lol. He is thoughtful and I love that he was learning how to be a better person overall and that wasn’t just because of Bailey but because he wanted to show her that he wasn’t who everyone thought him to be.

I want to thank NetGalley and Tor for the opportunity to review this book.

I absolutely adored Offside book one in the Rules of the Game series by Avery Keelan.
There isn’t a single thing I’d change about this book. It was sexy, fun, romantic, and the characters were really likable.
The romance in this book was absolute perfection! The depth of emotion was phenomenal.
This book was an absolute delight! It was so wholesome and cute! Every moment was brimming with cuteness, and I found myself living for each and every adorable interaction. I was craving a good sweet romance, and this one delivered perfectly. I'm in love with these characters.
It was absolutely adorable and a fantastic book to pick up if you are looking for your next hockey romance fix!
I’m hoping for the approval of book two Shutout because I’m obsessed with this one!

First off thank you Tor Publishing Group and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book.

Bailey our fmc is a college journalist student. On her birthday she gets dumped by her boyfriend! The boyfriend made me sooo 😠.

Carter our mmc is a playboy hockey player who is heading for the pro's. He is funny and carefree and a menace on the ice. He plays for Bailey's ex's team.

Carter and Bailey keep running into each other and Carter is crushing hard on Bailey. An unlikely friendship is formed once Bailey is pushed out of her friend group. Can Carter convince Bailey to give hip a shot or will he stay in the friend zone.

This one was a fun one to read! I just adore a supportive and confidence MMC and Chase Carter delivered! COCKY! HOT! CONFIDENCE! BAD BOY! ALL and becomes a GOOD BOY for the right girl! I love and will always love Cater! I also love how Bailey finds herself again with the love Chase gives her. I feel like he supported her and gave her the push she needed! The banter! The spice! The can not wait to read more by Avery! This was my first time reading!

I wasn’t a big fan of Chase at the beginning with his inner monologue about being a player, but he was fine as the chapters went on. I liked that Bailey was into hockey and stuff, but sometimes her inner monologue about it felt a little pick me, even though I know she isn’t one. I, personally, didn’t find the book super exciting. It didn’t need to be over 500+ pages for it to be just a normal college hockey romance. I didn’t enjoy the transition between them just being friends to them being romantic. It didn’t feel right. I feel like if you are gonna have such a long book, at least make it a slow burn to create more tension. The shift from him calling himself a player to him wanting to lock down Bailey isn’t a nice flow.

Oh this college hockey romance brought the sweet and the spicy!

Bailey lives in a hockey world: Her brother plays for their college team, she’s been dating the captain for the last couple years, and most of her social circle involves the team and their girlfriends. But her world shifts when she suddenly finds herself single…on her birthday.

While out with friends, she crosses paths with Carter, a cocky hockey player from a rival school. Her school loyalty initially wins out, but she finds herself in a pseudo-friendship that leads to some fake-dating, that of course leads to real feelings.

These two had some of the cutest, smile-inducing, moments together. Whether it was saving her from awkward run-ins with her ex, planning a re-do of her birthday, or their inner dialogues when they had nerves and excitement about the other texting or showing up…I ate it up! They had great chemistry 🔥

The friend group dynamic was a big one in this story and I liked how we saw how world change when she’s no longer dating the captain. I really felt her tension and anxiety having to deal with her suddenly-toxic environment.

Then we have the ex – the one who dumped her on her birthday, immediately shows up with a new girl on his arm, and is now seething about her and Carter.  He cannot let it go and he’s a persistent pot-stirrer throughout, providing us our 3rd act drama.

That seems like enough right? Yes, that’s plenty! But…we get a lot of unnecessary side plots and information that never really matter. This book really should have been about 150-200 pages shorter, at least.
 
I loved Bailey and Carter and loved their storyline…but if you pick it up, be prepared for a lengthy ride! I’ll definitely be sticking with the series & it looks like the second book is reasonably shorter 🤞🏻

Another really good college sports romance. That's 2 for 2 this month.
Not entirely sure why things got dragged on for so long with the ex - surely the brother and the coach of his team would have caught on at some point? I mean, Chase's coach was all over *him*.
Anyways. Bailey and Chase had great chemistry and tbh hockey is my favorite sport to watch, read about, etc etc so this was a pretty easy sell. Up there with Garrett and Hannah, which is high praise indeed. I could also tell that Ms. Keelan watches plenty of hockey as this seemed fairly accurate to me. Chase had a lot more free time than the hockey players I knew in college did, but, at least the author threw in the early-morning skates (etc).
Definitely looking forward to more from this author.
4 1/2 stars rounded up.

2025 Re-read: still REALLY enjoyed this. My points from first read still stand, particularly why Luke's hockey coach wasn't as on top of him as Coach Mitchell was on Chase, nor why Derek took so long to catch on. Nonetheless. Very happy to see this one getting mainstream-published. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC of the re-released title!

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Books for this ARC!

5 ⭐️

This is my favorite arc book so far in 2025!

Not going to lie that when I saw the page count I was a little scared to see how the story was going to unfold and if it was going to be good at all. Now I am SO happy I got to read this amazing book!

It was so well written, the story developed, we saw amazing character development and I felt like I was “watching” a tv show, no gaps, it was long but very well structured and even tho Avery Keelan gave me EVERYTHING I always want in books (which is to know how their future is in such details, never read anything like it), I still wanted more.. I could have read a 100 pages more!

Chase and Bailey have my heart! They were truly each other’s “person” and I was so in love with their love.

(To be continued)

This book was super cute. I absolutely loved the characters, and Chase was for sure my favorite. I absolutely love a he falls first trope, but the way he just instantly gravitates towards her was *chefs kiss*. I love how he protects her and stands up for her when it feels like everything was coming apart. Bailey was honestly pretty great herself and showed him love and compassion where he may not have found it before. In doing so, it allowed him to be himself. She was smart, quick witted and knew how to put people in there place if need be. I’m a huge sucker for a good hockey romance and this one was no different. It was a really cute read and I definitely recommend checking it out! As always, thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this advanced readers copy!!

As a sucker for a spicy hockey romance story, I was smitten with Avery Keelan’s novel Offside. Fresh off a breakup, on her birthday no less, Bailey James begins a rebound relationship with Chase Carter. The twist is that Carter just so happens to be one of the biggest rivals of her ex boyfriend’s hockey team. As Chase and Bailey get closer, the story inevitably heats up until Bailey finds herself realizing that maybe the ‘enemy’ in this situation isn’t so bad after all.

I didn’t check the page count on this one before starting, and will admit that about midway through I felt like it was going on forever. BUT with a happily ever after, he-fell-first, a golden retriever of a MMC doing anything to try and win over the girl—I was all in!

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Avery Keelan and Tor Publishing Group | Bramble for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my review! You can catch the deluxe copy of Offside on shelves near you on its pub date of July 8th, 2025.

#netgalley #offside #averykeelan #hockeyromance #2025reads