I enjoyed the fact that Scars of Anatomy is told entirely from the male POV. It’s rare to get a romance solely from the hero’s perspective, and I thought Bronx was engaging. Watching him evolve from the stereotypical playboy quarterback to someone completely obsessed by Olivia was nice. His slow realization that he wanted more than just a fling felt natural, and I liked how his character arc played out.

That being said, the pacing of the book felt uneven. The first part had a strong setup, but it became repetitive. A lot of scenes took place in the classroom or study sessions, which made the middle drag. While I appreciated the academic setting, I wish there had been more variety in their interactions outside of school. The romance itself was sweet, but it leaned a little into insta-love since Bronx seemed hooked on Olivia almost immediately. A bit more tension before they started falling for each other would have made the slow burn even more satisfying.

I also wasn’t totally sold on the “big twist.” It felt more like a miscommunication than a true plot twist, and while it created conflict, it didn’t hit as hard as I expected. However, I did enjoy how Bronx bonded with Olivia’s family and how both characters pushed each other to grow.

Scars of Anatomy is a decent college romance with a refreshing perspective, but the pacing issues and lack of plot variety held it back for me. Still, if you enjoy sports romances with a sweet nerd/jock dynamic and a devoted MMC, it might be worth checking out!

this was a cute, quick read, but not life changing for me. i’m excited to see what the author gets up to next, though.

Scars of Anatomy was a refreshing take on the sports romance genre, and I really enjoyed experiencing the story from the male POV. Bronx’s perspective added a unique touch, and I liked seeing his growth throughout the book.

The romance is definitely a slow burn, which I usually love, and Bronx and Olivia had some really sweet moments together. Their dynamic was fun, and I appreciated the opposites-attract element. At times, I did wish for a little more depth in their development, but overall, their journey was enjoyable to follow.

This was a light and easy read with a fun college sports setting. If you’re looking for a cute romance with a unique perspective, this is definitely worth picking up!

Thank you netgallery and the author for the opportunity to read this!

A playboy college athlete with a rough childhood meets a straight-A, pre-med student with the picture perfect family and life. It's a pretty standard plot for a romance, but the writing has a lot to be desired. For one, there's a lot of repetition happening -- repeated phrases and quotes. Two, a lot of unnecessary filler scenes with excessive detail. There were many chapters where, by the end of it, I asked myself what the point of it was. There was no progression of the plot, character relationships, or character development. Three, Olivia would not stop giggling and it grated my nerves. She giggled at least twice a chapter, and with 40+ chapters, that's way too many. Find a synonym for the word "giggle," or better yet, make her stop giggling.

As someone who has experienced child abuse, I could really relate to Bronx's triggers, and I feel like the story could have explored how therapy plays a crucial role in healing. This could have added an important layer to the narrative. Olivia, while sweet and kind, felt a bit one-dimensional. I would have loved to see more depth to her character. That said, I still enjoyed the book, even though it did have its slower moments. The "opposites attract" trope, especially with him falling first, was a highlight for me. It added a lot of emotional tension and sweetness to the story, and I appreciate that aspect. Thank you NetGalley for the early ARC!

Nicole Alfrine’s Scars of Anatomy showcases a writing style that is both engaging and emotionally resonant. Her prose is smooth and accessible, striking a balance between sharp dialogue and introspective moments that add depth to her characters. The alternating perspectives between Bronx and Olivia allow readers to fully immerse themselves in their individual struggles and evolving relationship.

Alfrine’s strength lies in her ability to craft authentic chemistry between her leads, using witty banter and quiet, tension-filled moments to build their connection naturally. The pacing is well-handled, maintaining momentum without feeling rushed, though some sections lean heavily on internal monologue, which may slow the narrative for some readers.

Overall, Scars of Anatomy is a well-written contemporary romance that blends humor, emotion, and character-driven storytelling, making it an engaging read for fans of slow-burn, opposites-attract love stories.

First, I want to say thank you, NetGalley, for a chance at this Arc!

Idc what anyone has to say, I love this story enough for 5 stars!! I was a little apprehensive when I realized it was only from Bronx's POV, but i was proven wrong. This book was such a good slow burn that it had the MC yearning for the FMC (after he gave up the play boy phase), and he slowly became obsessed.

Bronx wasn't my favorite in the beginning. It was your average play boy sports player who screwed wayyy too much. However, I slowly fell harder for him once he started slowly changing himself at the FIRST LOOK at Olivia. I loved how he slowly gave up his play boy attitude and locked in on her, he brushed off all the other girls as best he could, and he became just the perfect amount of obsessed.

Olivia was such a sweetheart. I loved how she slowly fell for him too (idk if you can tell, but i absolutely love that this was a slow burn). She was so nice to everyone but also knew her worth. She knew his history and yet still slowly fell for him, too.

Now the antagonist of this story, Adrianna and Rat Boy (that's not his real name, but im following along with Bronx cause was a rat). They deserved what they got in the end, is all im going to say.

I highly recommend this book & have already texted two of my friends about it. I will be adding Nicole to my authors list to look out for new releases!

Somehow, I missed that this college romance was written from the guy's pov only!! That was definitely different and something I've never read before; I didn't hate or love it, just enjoyed reading in a way I hadn't before. It definitely made certain aspects more interesting, and I liked how it allowed for more time spent on the main male character's feelings as sometimes dual pov favors the fmc over the mmc. The mmc, Bronx, definitely going through a lot of emotions so focusing on his pov was beneficial to understanding his actions & feelings. I will say,

I am more of a dual pov fan so I do overall wish we would have had some fmc pov. Oliva, the fmc, was sweet and likable; I think she fit well with Bronx. I think I would have loved their dynamic more if we had more of them getting to know each other from the romantic side. The way they helped one another grow was good character development though and worked well for their ages.

For the overall story, you get a slow burn college romance that we are all pretty used to with this genre. I liked the found family aspect but wish we would have less classroom setting and more outside the schoolwork as it caused a good portion to be a little repetitive. Too much school detail either bores me or annoys me if things don't come off as accurate (both happened for me in this one). I would have preferred more social settings and more time with the side characters as I think they were underutilized.

I'd recommend this if you like slow burn, college romance and a little less focus on spice.

Scars of Anatomy was a cute novel following Bronx & Olivia during their senior year of college. The story is all from Bronx’s POV - poor dude was going through it half the time and it was sweet to understand his thought processes.

If you love slow-burn, modern romance, and found family tropes, this is the perfect book for you!

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to ARC read!

I’m debating between a 3 and 3.5 star rating.

Overall, it was a cute college romance that I did enjoy. But I wished there were more scenes not inside a classroom or involving studying.

I was interested in this book as a Human Anatomy and Physiology major myself in college, and so many of the class scenes seemed unrealistic. It seemed like all they learned was basic bone names, which is not something you learn your senior year of college. And to also be studying a rat like the entire novel? It just didn’t seem well researched, especially for students in their final year of college.

Besides that, I did think Bronx and Olivia’s relationship was cute. It did remind me a bit of the movie A Walk to Remember, which I looove. It was nice seeing how much Bronx bonded with Olivia’s parents, and I wished we could’ve gotten more of their dynamic outside of studying or dealing with the two jealous side characters. They both pushed each other to try new things and grow, and that type of character development is *chefs kiss*

I wish there were better spice scenes because you just knowwwww Bronx is skilled in bed LOL. And again, more with the good side characters, like Delilah or JC or Brennen. I wanted less academic and more social because of how great the side characters and the world inside the book was. I was definitely invested in all the characters.

For a sports/nerdy romance it was nicely written.

This was a cute, slow burn romance told from the male's perspective which I hadn't seen before. I liked reading the story through his eyes. Plus there are a few chapters at the end from the female's perspective which I thought was a nice touch. Overall, the book lacked some depth in the characters but I enjoyed the premise (and the multiple revelations at the end).

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

guys, this is a romance from guy’s pov👀
never seen, heard or read anything in this format. it was so interesting and new in some ways, because omg??? however, i did not know that before starting the book. the first chapter was from the guy’s pov but the second chapter had a name “Olivia” so i kind of assumed it was her pov??? until i read the goodreads review where someone mentioned only his pov.

this was a cute romance with not so basic plot and interesting characters. i would not say it was very distinguished from other college romances.

from 30% to 70% book felt repetitive. they went to class, talked after the class, talked again in the class. sometimes new locations and characters would appear but nothing else. i genuinely think the book would be so much better with less pages! or maybe with more tension between main characters

the jealous couple of people were kind of adding to the plot but the whole fight was a miscommunication. i do understand olivia and i would probably react the same way but…i would not consider this as a plot twist. i really think less pages with this turning point would be so much better!

i don’t think they’ll end up together. they have different goals and for some reason i don’t see them together as adults. which is very believable for a collage couple

mark my words!!! in a couple of years this book will be turned into a movie!!! also recommend if you want a slow paced, college romance 🤍

Okay, doing the entire story from the MMC pov was new and I was totally into it... but unfortunately I was not totally into the MMC. I mean, basically he had the emotional intelligence of a walnut. I wanted to like this, I really did, and it had it's bright spots with talking about the adoption themes and heart transplant full circle, but every time we said rat-boy or how Bronx hooked up with another girl I just cringed. Not the story I wanted but the bones are there.

I DNF'd a third of the way through because of all the glaring editing errors. The characters are also extremely unlikable and I wouldn't want to read this book if the editing did get fixed.

Unfortunately this book was a DNF for me. I couldn’t get passed the editing issues that were consistent since page 1. Hopefully some editing will allow me to try this book again in the future as I liked the concept

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this ARC for an honest review.
To say I thoroughly enjoyed this book is an understatement! I devoured this book and loved both the MMC and FMC.
I knew going in that it was from the MMC’s POV which made me hesitant, but holy cannoli did I enjoy it!
This is the first slow burn I’ve read and actually enjoyed and I really loved how it was the MMC that fell first, considering he was a rake prior to meeting the FMC.
While I did love this book, I decided to dock 1 star as there was something that continuously bugged me. As much as I was completely drawn in to the MMC, I did not enjoy his toxicity! The constant angry outbursts and then apologizing for his actions but never thinking about seeking help to cope with his emotions had me cringing and had me feeling angry and annoyed with him. An apology is always great, but correcting those actions to avoid hurting someone the same way again is crucially important, in my opinion.
I definitely will be recommending this book to friends who enjoy romance novels.
Also, the cover art….*chef’s kiss*

I personally could not connect with either the male or female lead. They both seem unlikable in many ways. Olivia, being the stereotypical naive girl where there’s no bite to her bark. I found myself rolling my eyes at the comments Bronx made throughout the book and I’m not sure if it’s because of the amount of errors in the book but I truly could not stay focused on it.


One aspect I did enjoy was that it was primarily in the MMC POV. It was a fresh take but poorly executed.

"Scars of Anatomy" by Nicole Alfrine is a captivating debut that blends sweet romance with spicy elements, creating an engaging young adult read. The story follows Bronx Miller, a star college quarterback with NFL aspirations, and Olivia McCausland, a straight-A pre-med student, as they become anatomy lab partners. Their opposites-attract dynamic unfolds through study sessions and test score bets, revealing unexpected commonalities between them.

While the novel offers an intriguing premise and strong character chemistry, it occasionally suffers from pacing issues, with some sections feeling drawn out. However, the unexpected twist at the end adds a refreshing element to the narrative, elevating the overall reading experience.

The book explores themes of personal growth and overcoming past traumas, as both Bronx and Olivia learn that scars, whether physical or emotional, don't define their futures. Despite some lengthy passages, the author manages to create a compelling story that keeps readers invested in the characters' journey.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

I really wanted to like this book. I think the male POV was really interesting and rare these days. However whilst the basis of the characters and the plot seemed good in theory, unfortunately the execution of the writing feel a bit flat for me.
I didn’t fully finish the book I admit but everything felt very basic and not fully formed so I struggled to stay engaged. I think a bit more depth into the characters and some working on the plot would make it more enjoyable!

This surprised me. Both from being labeled as spicy, and being NA, with steam and not spice, and being from the male POV!
There are SO VERY FEW books from the pale POV. That I wanted to love this. And tried very hard to. But the book fell a little too short for me. It read as a little juvenile, and petty, between the name calling, and “ha ha gotcha” moments, to the extent that Bronx went in order to make an impression on Olivia because he liked her, rather than…use his words. I totally understand that it can be hard! But miscommunication trope is not something I’m a huge fan of. And this had quite a bit of it. I really wish this was just tweaked a little to keep things fresh and moving to show that you don’t only have to be nice to someone because you want to get into their pants…