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.

This book was cute! Rating it 3.5-4 stars. I really enjoyed how it was from the MMC perspective which is unusual for a romance. The romance was a little too much of a slow burn with what felt like a rushed ending.

College romance that felt... too young? Idk how to explain it. Things definitely could have been fleshed out more.

Thanks NetGalley and Wattpad for an advance ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a cute story and different. It was from the MMC point of view. Bronx is the popular quarterback playboy at his college who gets whatever he wants. He's on his way to get drafted in the NFL. Olivia is a nice quiet smart and shy pre-med student who plans to become a heart surgeon. It's love at first sight for Bronx when they are paired to be lab partners in their Anatomy lab. After he fails his first quiz Bronx gets Olivia to tutor him and they start to get closer the more time they spend together but they both have past scars they keep secret and also other people who are trying to keep them apart.

I wasn't sure where this story was going in the beginning but I couldn't put it down! I had to know what was going happen next. I really enjoyed it. This story does end in a happy ever after.

At first you think this is going to be a pretty typical romance. However, I was intrigued when I realized this was written from the perspective of the MMC. It was refreshing to read from his perspective.

Bronx is complicated, moody, and appears to be a very typical male. Olivia brings out something in him he didn’t know he was missing. It kind of reminded me of the movie A Walk To Remember, minus the cancer and add in some steam.

I think this will draw many readers! I definitely will read from this author again!

I DNF’d this book at 11%. Unfortunately it’s too redundant of a story that has already been rehashed millions of times with zero depth or nuance added. The most unique and drawing factor of the story is that it’s told solely through the MMC’s pov—genuinely the best part, I love seeing MMC pov in books. But, the POV quickly loses its shine when you read about him hooking up with 2 other girls within the first handful of chapters. It definitely reads as a Wattpad story that would have dominated 10-12 years ago, but that doesn’t always make for a compelling published novel.

2.5⭐️


Bronx Miller, un famoso mariscal de campo con fama de mujeriego, y a Olivia McCausland, una estudiante de pre-medicina. Juntos se convierten en compañeros de laboratorio de anatomía, lo que da inicio a una relación llena de química, pero también de conflictos. A pesar de que Bronx comienza a mostrar su lado vulnerable, sigue luchando con su pasado y sus actitudes inmaduras. La historia está narrada desde su perspectiva, lo que le da un toque diferente, pero también limita el desarrollo del personaje de Olivia. Aunque la trama es una típica historia de "bad boy" y "chica dulce", se siente repetitiva, centrada demasiado en el ámbito académico, lo que resulta monótono.







Bronx es un mujeriego, pero cuando conoce a Olivia, de repente no puede dejar de pensar en ella. Lástima que sigue acostándose con cualquiera. Incluso cuando empiezan a pasar tiempo juntos, eso no le impide estar con otras. Me cayó mal porque tiene a una chica con la que está regularmente, sabe que ella quiere algo serio, pero la aleja hasta que la necesita, la utiliza y luego la deja de nuevo.

Por cierto, Olivia se dio cuenta de que él estaba con otra. Hay un capítulo donde se quedan de ver, pero antes de reunirse con ella, va con Adrianna para “liberar” estrés y se presenta a la cita con Olivia lleno de labial.

Si van a haber escenas en las que el protagonista está con otras, lo mínimo que espero es que la protagonista también tenga ese tipo de escenas, o al menos algunos besos con otro.





Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest

I rated this a 4.75 stars!
I absolutely loved the concept of this book where it was in the POV of the MMC!
I loved the story how it had so many twist and turns that instantly made me become enthralled into Bronx and Olivia’s story.
I think having it in Bronx’s POV made us understand how the MMC was really feeling and not us instantly becoming biased even if sometimes we did feel a bias towards Olivia.
I’ve previously read this book on wattpad before it became a book, so coming into this made me feel nostalgic and knowing I was entering int something I was familiar with.
I honestly really liked this book but I also understand why many do not like it mostly with the pacing as it felt like everything was going too fast or everything was going just a bit too slow, and I am not talking about the relationship. I also felt as if there was a lot of repetition during many parts of the book.
I think that Bronx and Olivia had a good dynamic that was very justifiable. They were not toxic and genuinely felt like the relationship wasn’t forced as they formed a connection through Anatomy.
I did feel as if it started out very wattpaddy which makes sense but also I think it needed some editing in to done in that department.
Overall: I will be rereading this book because of how much it really kept my attention! I was not expecting to receive this ARC but I am very honored to have been given the chance to be one of the first to read it!

Scars of Anatomy is the debut novel from Nicole Alfrine and I can't wait for more. Bronx and Olivia's story is so adorable, I didn't want to put this book down once I started reading but I also didn't want the story to end. I highly recommend this college sports romance.

A cute romance written from the guy's perspective! I enjoy a cute opposites-attract moment. As someone who works in higher education, it was nice to see such realistic portrayal of university life (mundane details like checking grades on the exam portal, how campus food is tasteless, the stress of medical school application) in the book. It made it so much more engaging.

Bronx's growth over the book was really lovely. I feel like Olivia's backstory was a total plot twist, and I was reminded of another great book, Searching for David's Heart: A Christmas Story, which has a similar tear-jerking plotline.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC! I really enjoyed this book.