pretty fun book, although the first chapter got me a bit surprised because the chapter was titled the name of the female protagonist, so I assumed it would be one of the POV switching deals, and it took me almost the entire chapter to realize that this was the MMC, not the FMC. 4 stars. tysm for the arc.

Thank you Netgalley & Wattpad for the opportunity to read an ARC copy.

First, I was blown away to see that this was from a male’s pov! I truly enjoyed how this book kicked off and I was immersed in what the male character saw and felt. I went into this book not knowing what to expect and ended up completely charmed. Our hero is a football player with a soft side, and he falls hard for a brilliant science-loving nerdy chick. Their connection felt genuine and heartfelt, and I was totally invested in watching it grow.

The female lead is quiet but strong, the kind of character you can cheer for and instantly want as a friend. And the side characters? Not just background noise. They added depth to the story and made the world feel rich and real. The pacing was perfect!

If you love slow burns, great character development, you need to pick this one up. I absolutely adored it and highly recommend! The wattpad stories never seem to disappoint!

Bronx has never felt the need to commit to one girl. He's always been very clear that all he wants is one night with them. That is until he's paired with Olivia in anatomy class. She makes him feel more than he has before and realise that maybe he does want something more. They grow closer as friends but can't seem to take the next step as there's always something or someone pulling them apart.

This was a really easy read told entirely from the MMC's POV. It was interesting to read from this POV as most books are dual or FMC focused. I enjoyed seeing Bronx's growth despite all the issues he had from childhood. This book was not as spicy as I expected (there's only one open door scene) and the majority of the book was building their friendship rather than romantic relationship. It was extremely slow burn but seeing them together in the end was worth it.

I want to start this review by thanking Wattpad Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, this particular book did not end up being for me. I was so excited to read a book, for once, all in the POV of the MMC, which is something you do not see very often. This MMC, though, is where the problems started for me with this book.

I disliked Bronx from basically the very beginning, and that never really changed for me, which made it very hard for me to get through the book. I also felt that the other main characters in this book lacked character development. I felt like we never really got to know Olivia much more than when she first introduced herself. I think this book was just very surface-level with its relationships, and I wanted more from it.

That being said, if you are a fan of an inta-love between the football star and the med student, that is a slow burn that never really catches fire, you will enjoy this book.

Such a refreshing book! The story follows a budding relationship between Bronx and Olivia who meet in college when they are paired together as lab partners. Bronx is the typical football star/player but with a unique childhood, as he grew up not knowing his father and with a mother with a drug/alcohol problem. Bronx is in and out of foster care as a result of his mother's bad parenting and football saves his life by giving him something to live for and calms his anger. Olivia is his polar opposite. She's an amazing student with dreams of becoming a cardio surgeon, she is focused on her dream and doesn't fall in to college temptations. Her family is the kind of family Bronx has dreamed about. Bronx and Olivia start to open up to each other because of sharing so much time together in their Senior year of college.

This story was wonderfully written and written from the male MC point of view, which made the story unique to me. There aren't a whole lot of romances that are strictly written from the male MC POV. I found this aspect super intriguing and very delightful.

Okay so this book was a first for me- we get the MMC’s point of view! I thoroughly enjoyed the fresh approach.
“ if there’s one thing on this campus everyone knows, it’s that Bronx Miller doesn’t date,” states football player Bronx about himself. Enter gorgeous and brilliant lab partner Olivia. This book has some great dialogue, plot twists!! and overall good time. Recommend for fans of sports romances and romance in general, pick this up later this summer!!

Scars of Anatomy by Nicole Alfrine

I found the story and plot of Scars of Anatomy interesting, but the execution didn’t quite work for me. The female lead frustrated me, she allowed a guy to stay in her life despite his clearly passive-aggressive behavior. I struggled to relate to her because I kept wishing she would just stand up for herself and tell him to back off. Characters who tolerate toxic behavior without setting boundaries can be hard for me to connect with.

The story is told primarily from Bronx’s point of view. It follows the familiar trope of a jock falling for a reserved, nerdy girl who hasn't really lived life yet. It’s a decent story, but it didn’t bring anything particularly new or memorable to the table for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wattpad WEBTOON Book Group for the eARC.

P.s the formatting was so weird on my kindle. Is that normal?

I had high hopes for this. I love a good sports romance but this one was just too cringe for me. The repeated use of the word “giggle” is a big pet peeve of mine, and always makes the romance feel childish and gives me a little secondhand embarrassment. I get the whole tutoring thing is supposed to be the point, but for the first 25% of the book, the MMC doesn’t even try, literally skipping classes because he’s recovering from partying. I DNF at about 30% because I couldn’t get through it. I don’t like my books to feel like a chore. Sorry.

4⭐️
1🌶️

What I loved:
-The POV! This was the first book I’ve read that is fully the MMC POV and I enjoyed it.
-I loved Bronx’s humor and the banter, I felt it was all very fitting to his character. I also liked that Bronx wasn’t perfect and had to work to be better.
-I loved how much I disliked the “villain” characters. I felt that was great writing to make me dislike them so much! Sometimes I was so irritated by them, I felt like I was in the book with them lol
-The twists and turns! There was some I expected, but quite a few I had no clue about! I was captivated in the second half.
-I enjoyed the writing style and I loved the dialogue-to-storytelling balance.

What I didn’t love:
-The only time I got confused about the POV was the second chapter because it’s titled Olivia.
-The first half was somewhat repetitive with the classes, however, I did think this was realistic & needed for Bronx’s and Olivia’s relationship to grow.
-I expected this book to be spicy per the description “sweet and spicy”. It has 1 open door scene (which I did enjoy). I’d say aside from that scene, it’s more steamy than spicy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wattpad WESTOON Book Group, W by Wattpad Books for the eARC.

You can definitely tell this was a debut book by a debut author. Some of the dialogue was awkward and having the story be from the MMC's POV was a bold choice.

I often enjoy the opposites attract jock/shy girl MCs but this didn't quite hit the mark for me.
The fact that this man asked zero questions about the FMC was the most accurate part of this book. He knew NOTHING about her and was somehow so down bad? If you enjoy insta-love, college romances, you will enjoy this one.
This had a lot of good parts that ultimately had me enjoying their love story and wanting to see how it ended up. I would be interested to see what this author writes next.

Thank you to NetGalley and [Publisher Name - please insert] for providing me with an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts are my own and are in no way influenced by early access to this title.

Scars of Anatomy is an adorable and engaging sports romance that truly highlights Nicole Alfrine's talent as a debut author! This book offers a fantastic blend of sweet romance and thoughtful spice, reminiscent of authors like Hannah Grace and Ali Hazelwood, while carving out its own unique voice.

The story centers on Bronx Miller, a hotshot college quarterback, and Olivia McCausland, a brilliant pre-med student. Thrown together as anatomy lab partners, their initial "opposites attract" dynamic quickly sparks into something more. I was particularly impressed by the choice to tell part of the story from Bronx's perspective; it's not often you get a romance solely from the male main character's POV, and it was a refreshing and enjoyable experience.

Bronx has a troubled past, which he's trying to outrun rather than process. His journey of healing and growth, and how he navigates his trauma, adds significant depth to his character. Olivia, initially appearing as the typical "nerdy hottie," undergoes remarkable character development, especially towards the latter part of the book – a true highlight for me!

Beyond the captivating main couple, Scars of Anatomy delivers a delightful mix of tropes: jealous friends, heartwarming romantic moments, cute nicknames, and even a dash of backstabbing that keeps the plot exciting. Amidst the fun, the book thoughtfully tackles themes of trauma healing and the idea that scars, in their various forms, don't define your future.

Overall, Scars of Anatomy is a solid and enjoyable read. It's a testament to Nicole Alfrine's promising start as an author, and I'm genuinely excited to see what she writes next. This book is a wonderful pick for anyone who loves a good grumpy/sunshine, sports romance with plenty of heart.

This was a cute love story in the MMCs POV which I really enjoyed. It’s fun to see/hear the guy pining over the girl. He would do anything for her, which is what we all want right? This book did get a bit repetitive and would’ve been good to mix it up a little bit of what they were doing, but all in all it was a sweet story.

Thank you Wattpad WEBTOON book group, NetGalley, and Nicole Alfrine for a copy of this ARC.

I thought it was nice to have a s0-called rom-com in the perspective of the MMC for once! I thought this aspect was fantastic. I thought most of the action in the book between Bronx and Olivia had wayyy too much time in class and not enough time in their real lives away from their studies. Some of the supporting characters were even great.

Where this book lost me was the inner dialogue of Bronx! He seemed like the typical jock with a somewhat sensitive side when interacting with Olivia. However, when there is no character dialogue, Bronx's thoughts were perverted and fucked up! His past hookup? No. His thoughts about other women? Eeeeck. His thoughts about his? Disgusting and disturbing.

The ones star was for the male POV, but as the story progresses the stars decrease for slow-burn, lack of dialogue, and the effed up inner thoughts of Bronx.

Cannot recommend.

Thanks to Netgalley, Nicole Alfrine and Wattpad WESTOON Book Group W by Wattpad Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available 6/24/2025

I loved that the book was written in the MMC POV. I do love a dual POV but I LOVEE reading it from the MMC.

When you get to the part of the book where everything falls into place and wonder how you still have so much left to read, everything feels pretty much resolved. I love when we get to see more of the relationship after they get together.

I’ve already recommended this to my friends. Best romance I’ve read in months.

I loved that the book was from the male main character’s point of view, that was a first for me but I loved it so much! It made the story feel different and refreshing. Even without her POV, we still got to learn so much about the female lead.
The plot twists, the drama, and the deeper connections between the characters added to the story.

Overall, I enjoyed this book! If you’re looking for a quick cutesy, college romance with a slow burn and emotional depth, I’d recommend checking this one out.

This book is great!!! I like that it gives off “slow burn” vibes but not rly. I also wouldn’t call it a friends to lovers bc they start as classmates and it just progresses from there. There’s drama and a little spice. I’d rate it a 2.5/5 on a spice scale. Very “contemporary”.

Bronx is the football player that all the girls want - so much so that he doesn’t allow any girls into his dorm room. Olivia is a pre-med major who doesn’t know who he is, and happens to be his new lab partner.

This is the first romance novel I’ve ever read where the entire book was from the MMC’s point of view. It was such a change to hear everything from his perspective and wonder what the FMC was thinking/hiding. Bronx’s responses and reactions were true to character and I enjoyed getting to know Olivia alongside him. Although the book was slow burn for the MMC/FMC, there were several scenes outside of theirs so I wouldn’t classify the book as such. There were few predictable scenes, many unpredictable moments, and a super-cheesy ending that just works. Definitely recommend!

From the first page I didn’t like this book. The inner dialogue was weird and unsettling. He was gross about his mom, his hookup, and all other women. I hate that. Why are you writing a man that hates women as a woman? I think male POVs are not for me. DNF would give this zero stars if I could

4.25 ⭐️
.5 🌶️

May I say, I can count on one hand how many romance books I've read where the MMC is the main narrator of the book and honestly? I enjoyed having Bronx pov so much. While I may be a dual pov girlie through and through, I don't think dual pov would have done this book justice the way it was.

Bronx is such a complex character and seeing his growth throughout a single semester was very impressive, especially since it was more innocent and not just because he knew he would get something out of it. I really did like his and Olivia's relationship and the slow burn of it all.

That plot twist near the end though????? Man, you would've thought I was sitting in with them during that scene because I was lowkey crying too.

I am a sucker for the nerd/jock college romances. They all follow a similar blueprint, but it works! I liked Bronx and Olivia together - I thought their chemistry was very relatable.