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lmrivas54's review against another edition
5.0
It’s YA, an angsty story, and written by Ms. Madden-Mills, what more can you ask for? I read this book in one day, neglecting housework and other duties. The story sucked me in from the beginning and I was just anxious to know how the story of Sugar and Zack develops. They were both broken with issues, and being together was not necessarily the solution to their problems.
Zack carries a very sad and weighty guilt that has been harming his hockey play. He’s trying desperately to get over the girl he loved and tragically lost during high school. When he unexpectedly finds Sugar in a frat party, he’s struck dumb by her resemblance to his lost love, but very soon he realizes that the resemblance is only skin deep. Sugar is very much her own woman, highly intelligent and driven, quirky, introverted and has a dry sense of humor. She makes Zack laugh and forget his troubles. Sugar’s only issues comes from a poor childhood, a product of the rejection of her father who didn’t want to take care of her and her mother. When she lost her mother at eleven years old, she suddenly found herself alone, and it was her mother’s best friend who took her in and finished raising her. Meanwhile, her father lived his life, wealthy, married and with two kids that Sugar never got to meet.
Sugar is determined to get into Vanderbilt University to study law because that is where her father and all his family went to. They thought she was white trash so she wants to prove them wrong. She bargains with Zack to accompany her to a luncheon at Vanderbilt for waitlisted candidates, to help her chances of acceptance. Zack is the captain of Hawthorne University’s hockey team, is the number one draft pick in the NHL, he has already been drafted to the Nashville Predators, but they are allowing him to finish the senior year. The dean at VU is a diehard fan of hockey, so using Zack as an influencer would improve Sugar’s chances of getting in.
So Zack and Sugar enter into some kind of negotiated relation but it soon turns into the yearning of something more. Zack realizes she’s the woman he wants, she gives him peace from his anxiety, she makes him laugh and she gets him. Sugar is the one who falls in love first but is uncertain all the time. She has a thing about feeling not enough, that comes from her father’s rejection. Even though they have a great relation, it’s as if she’s waiting for the hammer to fall and break their relation, or for Zack to tell her she’s not enough. For this reason, she doesn’t work very hard to keep things good between them but rather runs at the first sign of trouble. Their shenanigans, their bickering, their sexy times, it was all riveting and entertaining. There’s a rift between Zack and his younger brother Reece that adds another angsty level to the story. There’s also Julia the roommate, who seems to have had a fling with Zack’s roommate and best friend but they are denying it at all costs. All these tidbits make me wish and hope for sequels to this yummy YA world. I can’t wait!
Zack carries a very sad and weighty guilt that has been harming his hockey play. He’s trying desperately to get over the girl he loved and tragically lost during high school. When he unexpectedly finds Sugar in a frat party, he’s struck dumb by her resemblance to his lost love, but very soon he realizes that the resemblance is only skin deep. Sugar is very much her own woman, highly intelligent and driven, quirky, introverted and has a dry sense of humor. She makes Zack laugh and forget his troubles. Sugar’s only issues comes from a poor childhood, a product of the rejection of her father who didn’t want to take care of her and her mother. When she lost her mother at eleven years old, she suddenly found herself alone, and it was her mother’s best friend who took her in and finished raising her. Meanwhile, her father lived his life, wealthy, married and with two kids that Sugar never got to meet.
Sugar is determined to get into Vanderbilt University to study law because that is where her father and all his family went to. They thought she was white trash so she wants to prove them wrong. She bargains with Zack to accompany her to a luncheon at Vanderbilt for waitlisted candidates, to help her chances of acceptance. Zack is the captain of Hawthorne University’s hockey team, is the number one draft pick in the NHL, he has already been drafted to the Nashville Predators, but they are allowing him to finish the senior year. The dean at VU is a diehard fan of hockey, so using Zack as an influencer would improve Sugar’s chances of getting in.
So Zack and Sugar enter into some kind of negotiated relation but it soon turns into the yearning of something more. Zack realizes she’s the woman he wants, she gives him peace from his anxiety, she makes him laugh and she gets him. Sugar is the one who falls in love first but is uncertain all the time. She has a thing about feeling not enough, that comes from her father’s rejection. Even though they have a great relation, it’s as if she’s waiting for the hammer to fall and break their relation, or for Zack to tell her she’s not enough. For this reason, she doesn’t work very hard to keep things good between them but rather runs at the first sign of trouble. Their shenanigans, their bickering, their sexy times, it was all riveting and entertaining. There’s a rift between Zack and his younger brother Reece that adds another angsty level to the story. There’s also Julia the roommate, who seems to have had a fling with Zack’s roommate and best friend but they are denying it at all costs. All these tidbits make me wish and hope for sequels to this yummy YA world. I can’t wait!
taniamg's review against another edition
4.0
I didn’t expect all these emotions in this book. Zack and Sugar story wasn’t exactly what I expected; it was way better. These two went thru so much to get together and to make their relationship work. Their level of maturity didn’t have me feeling like I was reading a college sport romance. Z wasn’t your typical hero that was a douche; he was the complete opposite and also had issues he was struggling with. Sugar also had her share of events that she went thru since a child but she was so goal oriented just like Z. This wasn’t an insta love story but it was instant attraction with so much feelings and heartbreaking moments. These two more than anyone deserved their happily ever after.
booknerd_1107's review against another edition
5.0
Boyfriend Bargain
**received an ARC in exchange for an honest review***
5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A book about two people who will need one another to for their own reasons and end up finding out that maybe they need one another for themselves. Sugar and Zack couldn’t be more opposite from one another, he is a jock and she is trying to prove that she is better than her father. And they need one another’s help for their own reasons and when they agree to help one another the only rule is not to fall in love with one another. I love the way their relationship evolves through the book because they push one another to be better and to face things that they didn’t want to face before. And in the end will they realize that the one thing they both need is standing right in front of them?
**received an ARC in exchange for an honest review***
5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A book about two people who will need one another to for their own reasons and end up finding out that maybe they need one another for themselves. Sugar and Zack couldn’t be more opposite from one another, he is a jock and she is trying to prove that she is better than her father. And they need one another’s help for their own reasons and when they agree to help one another the only rule is not to fall in love with one another. I love the way their relationship evolves through the book because they push one another to be better and to face things that they didn’t want to face before. And in the end will they realize that the one thing they both need is standing right in front of them?
cobaltbookshelf's review against another edition
3.0
I'm always up for sports romance and really liked this book. Both of our leads have their own struggles and I enjoyed watching them deal with them.
Not a fan of insta-love wish they had more build up. Z's mental health and anxiety was done in very real and respectful way, and he learn to let go and forgive himself important message.
My favorites are Eric & Julia I need more them together chemistry jump out with them.
Quick, easy and enjoyable read.
Not a fan of insta-love wish they had more build up. Z's mental health and anxiety was done in very real and respectful way, and he learn to let go and forgive himself important message.
My favorites are Eric & Julia I need more them together chemistry jump out with them.
Quick, easy and enjoyable read.
lotusross's review against another edition
3.0
“Go out with me—just me. Not for law school.” His hand reaches out to me but then drops. “Can’t you just give it a shot?”
3.5 stars.
This was such a fun and quick read. The end was a bit rushed for my taste and in my opinion, but I really enjoyed this book so much!
javalenciaph's review against another edition
5.0
Note: An ARC was provided by the author via Social Butterfly PR. The full review can be read on Dog-Eared Daydreams.
I absolutely adored every single thing about this book. From Zack and Sugar and those closest to them to the story that they had to tell. The direction that their tale took had its share of surprises, and while there were moments throughout that brought a smile to my face and even had me laughing a number of times, there were also times where I could feel my heart beating faster when things got intense. These two clearly had their respective sets of emotional baggage to contend with and while it would be easy to compare and say one had heavier stuff to deal with than the other, it was as if being in each other's lives became the turning point that provided them with a clearer perspective in order to truly move forward. Inasmuch as I loved Zack and Sugar's story, I've got each of my fingers and toes crossed that we haven't seen the last of Zack's brother and all of their noteworthy friends. My curiosity's been piqued and now I'm itching to not only get to know them better but for every single one of them to get their own happy endings. I'm demanding and desperate! Boyfriend Bargain is a five-plus-starred must-read. ♥
I absolutely adored every single thing about this book. From Zack and Sugar and those closest to them to the story that they had to tell. The direction that their tale took had its share of surprises, and while there were moments throughout that brought a smile to my face and even had me laughing a number of times, there were also times where I could feel my heart beating faster when things got intense. These two clearly had their respective sets of emotional baggage to contend with and while it would be easy to compare and say one had heavier stuff to deal with than the other, it was as if being in each other's lives became the turning point that provided them with a clearer perspective in order to truly move forward. Inasmuch as I loved Zack and Sugar's story, I've got each of my fingers and toes crossed that we haven't seen the last of Zack's brother and all of their noteworthy friends. My curiosity's been piqued and now I'm itching to not only get to know them better but for every single one of them to get their own happy endings. I'm demanding and desperate! Boyfriend Bargain is a five-plus-starred must-read. ♥
messing_with_book's review against another edition
3.0
I love the way [a:Ilsa Madden-Mills|7059622|Ilsa Madden-Mills|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1484531571p2/7059622.jpg] manages to balance tragic/complicated stories with tender, funny and sensual love stories, and I really enjoy reading Sugar & Zack but some aspects towards the end of the book left me with mixed feelings about Zack's attitude, and even with that I'm dying to read more of this series, especially from Eric because his character stole my heart immediately.
Sugar was a character that I liked a lot, without a doubt she is a girl who has had a VERY complicated life due to her parents' relationship, something that together with the betrayal of her ex-boyfriend Bennet has generated some insecurities in her, plus, Sugar lives in a place that doesn't feel like home and the icing on the cake is the possibility of losing her dream of studying law at a specific school. This girl broke my heart a lot: from the situations she lives, her past, a little of her relationship with Zack and mainly because of her desire to prove her worth, but I think she had incredible growth throughout of the book, thanks in part to her strength, courage and desire to excel, but also to the constant support of Mara, Poppie, Taylor and even Julia.
Zack was also a very interesting character, I think in part he is a bit more complicated than Sugar: he is the golden boy of Hawthorne University, the captain and star of the hockey team, he has the reputation of a womanizer and there are a lot of rumors about his conquests and sex life, but what people don't know is the demons from his past, and personal life, that Zack has to face, that make him feel unworthy of the good that happens to him and that they're jeopardizing his career in the sport he loves. And I have to say that I liked Zack a lot, I loved reading him falling in love with Sugar, I think I could say that he was the first to fall but I'm not so sure, it was very nice to read him to discover more about her, wanting to protect her and support her in the complicated moments and I LOVED his fun and sensual side, what I definitely didn't like at all was the way his character dealt with the situation when Sugar found out the truth about their relationship, I think he never accept his share of responsibility for their problems and that he even tried to deflect what happened between the two by saying that "Sugar was not ready to acknowledge her feelings", I sincerely believe that this should have been handled in a better way and it is my biggest -but- with the character, what I really liked was the way in which Ilsa handled all his problem with anxiety from the beginning of the book and until the end.
One of the things that I liked the most about the love story of Sugar & Zack was that their relationship did NOT start with the fake relationship but much earlier, in a way not so spontaneous, but very cute & sensual, as I already said I LOVED that Zack is immediately attracted to Sugar, and I think that as a reader I could tell that he really feels attracted to his personality, the details that she has with him and how much fun he has when he is with her, and not because of what Sugar believes towards the end of the book, although it seems that the relationship and attraction between these two is only defined by its sexual component, the truth is that it was very easy for me to realize that they share a real connection, in which Zack confides in Sugar the darkest parts of his personality, his insecurities and things that nobody knows about him, in the same way Sugar lets her vulnerability show with him, and they both give each other a chance to really get to know each other. As I said, there were certain things that I didn't like very much, but I think that the end of this story was very nice for the characters.
Sugar was a character that I liked a lot, without a doubt she is a girl who has had a VERY complicated life due to her parents' relationship, something that together with the betrayal of her ex-boyfriend Bennet has generated some insecurities in her, plus, Sugar lives in a place that doesn't feel like home and the icing on the cake is the possibility of losing her dream of studying law at a specific school. This girl broke my heart a lot: from the situations she lives, her past, a little of her relationship with Zack and mainly because of her desire to prove her worth, but I think she had incredible growth throughout of the book, thanks in part to her strength, courage and desire to excel, but also to the constant support of Mara, Poppie, Taylor and even Julia.
Zack was also a very interesting character, I think in part he is a bit more complicated than Sugar: he is the golden boy of Hawthorne University, the captain and star of the hockey team, he has the reputation of a womanizer and there are a lot of rumors about his conquests and sex life, but what people don't know is the demons from his past, and personal life, that Zack has to face, that make him feel unworthy of the good that happens to him and that they're jeopardizing his career in the sport he loves. And I have to say that I liked Zack a lot, I loved reading him falling in love with Sugar, I think I could say that he was the first to fall but I'm not so sure, it was very nice to read him to discover more about her, wanting to protect her and support her in the complicated moments and I LOVED his fun and sensual side, what I definitely didn't like at all was the way his character dealt with the situation when Sugar found out the truth about their relationship, I think he never accept his share of responsibility for their problems and that he even tried to deflect what happened between the two by saying that "Sugar was not ready to acknowledge her feelings", I sincerely believe that this should have been handled in a better way and it is my biggest -but- with the character, what I really liked was the way in which Ilsa handled all his problem with anxiety from the beginning of the book and until the end.
One of the things that I liked the most about the love story of Sugar & Zack was that their relationship did NOT start with the fake relationship but much earlier, in a way not so spontaneous, but very cute & sensual, as I already said I LOVED that Zack is immediately attracted to Sugar, and I think that as a reader I could tell that he really feels attracted to his personality, the details that she has with him and how much fun he has when he is with her, and not because of what Sugar believes towards the end of the book, although it seems that the relationship and attraction between these two is only defined by its sexual component, the truth is that it was very easy for me to realize that they share a real connection, in which Zack confides in Sugar the darkest parts of his personality, his insecurities and things that nobody knows about him, in the same way Sugar lets her vulnerability show with him, and they both give each other a chance to really get to know each other. As I said, there were certain things that I didn't like very much, but I think that the end of this story was very nice for the characters.
booklovershangout's review against another edition
4.0
I adore Zack and Sugar and this whole story. It is sweet and sexy and so much fun. I could not put it down. I found myself rooting for the characters and dying to know what would happen next. I love Ilsa's writing and I can't wait for more from her.
rihoward's review against another edition
4.0
3.75 stars
I had been waiting for this book for awhile. Sadly, this book didn't live up to my expectations. I love this author, but for some reason these characters didn't resonate with me. However, even if I didn't connect it doesn't mean that someone else won't connect. THAT is the beauty of books.
I look forward to the next book this author writes.
I had been waiting for this book for awhile. Sadly, this book didn't live up to my expectations. I love this author, but for some reason these characters didn't resonate with me. However, even if I didn't connect it doesn't mean that someone else won't connect. THAT is the beauty of books.
I look forward to the next book this author writes.