College romance from the MMC’s point of view which was interesting and different. However, for me, this felt like a young adult book. It was really bland. It had barely any passion or spice. Basically nothing happened between them until the last part of the book and when it did, it wasn’t explosive. The slow burn just fizzled out. So many weird plot twists at the end that felt forced and awkward/cringy.

I really liked that this was entirely from the male POV. Completely unexpected and I was charmed. Otherwise, it was about what I would expect from a Wattpad titles, which is honestly generally very mediocre. Did I read the whole thing? Yes. Did I instantly forget everything about it? Also, yes

I tried to power through this one. But it’s too slow for me. Unfortunately this book just wasn’t for me. I found myself having a hard time focusing while reading it. Also it fell short of the spicy parts of the book that I usually read in most of the romance novels I read. I was disappointed since I came into this book with high hopes. Thank you for the ARC in return for an honest review.

This was a super fun read! I’m honestly in love with the cover which is what initially drew me in but then the plot just had me! This book is focused on the MMCs perspective which was a nice change of pace! I enjoyed seeing how the characters evolved Through the story as well!

4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📚✨ Book Review: Scars of Anatomy by Nicole Alfrine ✨📚

Opposites attract has NEVER hit like this 😍🔥

🏈 Bronx: NFL-bound QB, notorious playboy, zero commitment king
🧬 Olivia: Straight-A pre-med, quiet, focused, totally not impressed by him

When they're paired as anatomy lab partners, sparks fly — but so do the emotional walls 😳💥
From steamy study sessions to vulnerable moments, this book is a perfect mix of sweet romance + spicy tension 🥵💖

💔 Outside forces threaten to pull them apart, but real love might just be the glue that holds them together.
🩶 Scars don’t define you — they shape the story, not the ending.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A book that makes me cry, is an automatic 5 stars. No ifs, ands, or buts!

Holy moly! I have never read a romance novel that was solely in the MMC POV! That was super cool and totally unexpected! Most romances only come from the FMC or its Dual POV!

Let me tell you, I loved this book. I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, but I will definitely be grabbing a physical copy upon release day!

Bronx and his story made my heart lurch, but once Olivia brought her story to light, I thought my heart was going to stop! Then her parents and Cora and everything, oh my. 😭😭

The author wrapped everything up with a big HEA bow and fate truly shows if it’s meant to be it will! I would absolutely love for a chapter or two from Finch’s POV especially the meeting in anatomy class and the fire alarm after math!

3 ⭐ Thank you Netgalley for the arc review! 🦋
───────୨ৎ───────
I really wanted to love this one. Medical drama? Complex characters? Emotional baggage? Heck yes, sign me up. The writing was smooth, and the pacing kept things rolling, but the characters just didn’t have the depth I was hoping for. The chemistry between the leads was undeniable, but their emotional growth felt a bit rushed, so the romance ended up feeling more like insta-love than a true, slow-burn connection.

The medical drama? Super engaging at first, but sometimes it felt more like a TV show with the shock factor cranked up to 11. I get that it works for some readers, but for me, it was a bit much at times.

That said, the emotional moments did finally land for me in the second half, and I found myself invested enough to keep going. So, if you’re looking for a quick, steamy read with a touch of medical drama, this one might work for you—just don’t go in expecting a romance that digs too deep.
───────୨ৎ───────
What I liked:
- medical drama
- pacing
- emotional moments in 2nd half
───────୨ৎ───────
What didn't work:
- underdeveloped characters
- instalovey romance
- medical drama leaned into over the top territory often

This is the first romance book I’ve read where it’s entirely from the MMC’s POV. I tried to go in with an open mind about that but…if it’s not gonna be an alternating POV, I would really rather it be from the FMC’s POV.

Especially since he starts out as a playboy and had sex with two other women that weren’t the FMC by 8% in. Then he had another hookup with one of them and an almost hookup with another. And then we only got ONE sex scene with the actual FMC???

If you want to try it, here’s a line from the book that’s basically it in a nutshell. I guess read it if this line appeals to you? “Olivia and I are total opposites. She’s the sweet girl next door with the perfect life and family, while I’m the angry, messed up son of a bitch with mommy issues who couldn’t keep it in his pants.”

Thanks to Wattpad WEBTOON Book Group through NetGalley for the ARC.

I throughly enjoyed this book. It’s a cuties type of college romance, and let me just say that I was not expecting it to be so deep. Learning about Olivia and Bronx’s trauma had me in my feelings. I really liked that the POV was from the MMC, which is very different than the norm for a romance book. I almost felt like I was inside of a guys mind.
This was one of the slowest burns I’ve ever read lol. It felt like I was watching the scene in The Little Mermaid when they are in the little boat and all the creatures are singing “kiss the girl”. I was screaming at the book for them to finally kiss because of all the playful banter and being able to feel the unspoken heat between them. The ending was very satisfying and I would recommend this one!

I DNF'd this book. From the start the characters annoyed me, unfortunately. This book just was not for me.

Nicole Alfrine's novel, 'Scars of Anatomy,' delivers a charming and engaging opposites-attract romance. The chemistry between Bronx and Olivia is undeniable, and their journey from reluctant lab partners to something more is filled with sweet moments and spicy tension. Alfrine balances the characters' personal growth with the challenges they face, creating a story that's both heartwarming and entertaining. If you enjoy sports romances with a mix of sweetness and spice, this one's definitely worth checking out!

📚 ARC Review: Scars of Anatomy
✍️ Author: Nicole Alfrine
📅 Release Date: June 24th, 2025
🏷️ Genre: Sports contemporary romance
🌶️ Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
⭐️ Star Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Book Overview
The story follows Bronx, who is a hotshot college quarterback who wants to go to the NFL and Olivia, an inspiring future med student. What unfolded was an instant spark and friendship between the two when they partnered up for Anatomy class.
✨ Initial Thoughts
I was drawn to this book because I saw that the story was from the Guy’s perspective, and I went in feeling hyped to see the book from the opposite side then most books are told from.
From the first chapter, I found myself waiting to see how the guy's perspective would turn out.
💘 What I Loved
This book absolutely delivered on having the guy’s point of view being the only point of view available. It gave me new insight on how the guy can feel in this type of situation. I especially loved how this is more of a slow burn friends to lovers situation. I felt that even though this is more on the predictable plot through the book there were aspects that definitely had me going wait ... what???
😬 What Didn’t Work for Me
While I enjoyed the book overall, I found myself looking more for the sports in the book. The sports scenes were very few and I started questioning how our quarterback was keeping in shape and had all this time to meet with our FMC. I also felt like the ending was rushed and multiple things happened back to back and didn’t give time for the main characters to reflect or have full reactions to. Lastly, I kinda wish that our two main characters had more reservations towards each other. This might just be the Enemies to lovers girlie in me. It didn’t take away from the overall experience, but it’s something I noticed while reading.
🖤 Final Thoughts
If you love slow burn college romance that is from the Guy’s perspective, I think you’ll like this one. I personally love getting the view from our MMC.
📢 Thank you to Wattpad WEBTOON Book Group and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. All thoughts are my own!

I’ve never read a book solely from a male perspective before, so I found this aspect really refreshing and enjoyable. As a debut novel, it had a lot of great elements, though I did run into a few minor issues. The pacing felt inconsistent, and the romance came across as a bit forced. Most of the conflicts stemmed from miscommunication, which isn’t my favorite trope. Bronx had his sweet moments, but he tended to act like a jerk whenever things didn’t go his way. Additionally, the characters gave off more of a high school vibe rather than college, which made it hard to fully immerse myself in the setting. That said, it was still a light and easy read.

This was a fun, quick read! A slower burn with minimal spice but not in a bad way. It’s not one of those books that will stick with me for a long time (though it may just be that I'm getting a little old for college romance) but it was still an enjoyable escape.

3.75/5 STAR RATING
I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS NOVEL !

Star college quarterback Bronx Miller is focused on one thing—making it to the NFL. Known for being the life of the party and avoiding commitment at all costs, Bronx is used to getting what he wants—on and off the field. But everything shifts when he’s paired with Olivia McCausland, a quiet, thoughtful pre-med student, as his partner in anatomy class. She’s unimpressed by his reputation and charm, and that only draws him in more.

What starts as simple study sessions soon turns into something deeper. Bronx finds himself wanting more than just a good grade—he wants Olivia. As their bond grows through late-night tutoring and friendly bets, Bronx begins to drop his guard and shed his playboy image. But just as things start to feel real, outside pressures and hidden scars threaten to pull them apart. Full of slow-burn chemistry, emotional growth, and unexpected twists, Scars of Anatomy is a story about love, second chances, and learning that scars—no matter how deep—don’t define your future.

- I loved that the book was from the male main character’s point of view... it made the story feel different and refreshing. But even without her POV, we still got to learn so much about the female lead. She’s such a sweet, down-to-earth girl who’s all about her books and school, but you can tell she’s been through a lot too. The plot twists, the drama, and the deeper connections between the characters added to the story. Like, yeah, it might seem like one of those “okay, they’re definitely going to end up together” kind of plots, but the way everything played out made it feel like so much more.

- Even though he wasn't looking for a relationship, something about Olivia catches him off guard. She's different from anyone he's used to, and instead of brushing it off, he leans into the feeling. It was so heartwarming to watch him shift his priorities-not just for her, but for himself too. His growth felt genuine and well-paced, and I loved the influence of new people and role models in his life that helped him get there.

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

I received an advance reader copy of Scars of Anatomy by Nicole Alfrine from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Unfortunately, this book didn't resonate with me, and I chose to DNF it.​

The premise—a star quarterback and a pre-med student discovering unexpected common ground—had potential. However, the execution fell short. The narrative felt repetitive, with scenes that didn't contribute meaningfully to character development or plot progression. The characters' interactions lacked depth, and the dialogue didn't engage me. Additionally, I struggled to connect with the voice and pacing, making it challenging to stay invested in the story.​

While I appreciate the opportunity to read this ARC, Scars of Anatomy wasn't the right fit for me.

Thank you to the publisher and author for an advanced readers copy of SCARS OF ANATOMY.

Overall a good read! It was so interesting to read a romance book from the POV of the MMC. This book is a sports romance with not much sport involved; so if you don’t like the ‘sports talk’ you may like this one. This book also caught me off guard a few times (in a good way) with some plot changes. I liked the MMC and how he changed and grown over time and how he was thoughtful and protective over the FMC.

I enjoyed that it took sometime for them to get to know each other and nothing happened too fast.

⭐️3.5

This was a really cute book! It had minimal spice so if you’re aiming for spicy spice this does not have it.

This is a romance from Bronx’s POV and I really did enjoy it. Although some parts were repetitive it was easy to follow.

There is bonus chapters from Olivia’s POV which tie back in and round the story out.

If you look for an easy to follow along college romance this is the book for you!

What I can say for certain was that this book kept me engaged, and also gave that I-have-to-keep-reading feeling that is the mark of a good story.

Things I 💜:
- Chemistry of the main characters
- Trauma discussion and relatability of the impact
- the end, which part of it I saw coming, but definitely not all of it!
- A book from the male perspective(Bronx) that wasn’t all about the 🌶️ (but obviously some talk).
- Not making him super dumb because he is a jock.
- The female lead, Olivia, standing up for herself and having boundaries — Hurray!!!
- Consent is always a plus in these kinds of books
- The way Quinton and Adriana are written because I wanted to smack them too.

Things I 👎🏻:
- Violence that never really was cleaned up. Meaning there was no discussion about Bronx getting help with that.. and that alone should be a 🚩🚩🚩 for any woman. And the “I know he will never hurt me/ I would never hurt her” is just 🤮. Research suggests that because of his past he very likely will without addressing it.
- 🤢 About all of his weird coping skills. I mean I can understand having problematic coping skills… but these are deal breakers. Turning to women with frustration, drinking until he can’t remember, anger… these aren’t the run of the mill push the lead female away, these are serious.
- Speaking of his sexual escapades… would have loved to see there be discussion on testing. I appreciate the use of a condom, but there are many STIs that are still a problem. And based on his other behaviors…. I’m willing to bet there were a few times without protection.
- How does anyone skip class that much without repercussions?!? Most schools have strict academic guidelines for athletes.

I recognize the negatives may be because of being in the maternal child health field, but the more we can model what should be the norm the better.

Overall: ❤️❤️❤️❤️

A college sports romance told only from the MMC’s perspective. Uh, yes please, sign me up!

This book was adorable! I enjoyed the plot and the uniqueness of Bronx’s perspective. Aside from that it was a typical college romance; forced proximity, jealous friends, classroom drama, you know. The vocabulary and the writing through the middle part of book felt very repetitive, so, realistically this book is a 3.75. But we can round that up to a 4 because the ending made me crack a smile. ☺️

Now, my number one complaint about this book was it is tagged as Erotica in NetGalley so I went into it with different expectations than it delivered on which was disappointing. But if you go into it knowing that the book is more of a contemporary romance than erotica, I think you will enjoy it more.

Thank you to Wattpad and NetGalley for this ARC and the opportunity to give my candid feedback.