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bethvonphilp's review against another edition
2.0
I can’t get past the pet names, the spice, or the 3rd act break up. Why is there no such thing as a good sports’ romance
amanda_elizabeth's review against another edition
1.0
I REALLY wanted to like it but the slut shaming, the sex shaming, the assumptions about different cliques. How the guy SPOKE to her from the beginning and through the book was cringy not hot. The worst is 50% of woman cannot O during regular sex -- so why are we making a book about how a relationship can't be fulfilling and your boyfriend is going to dump you if you can't climax? Like...I can't.
itsjulia_reads's review against another edition
3.0
3.7 stars. I breezed through this and definitely needed a book to breeze through. In a sucker for dual POV and I liked the hockey aspect of the plot. I'm excited to read the second one!
anaesquino's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
chelseadenn34's review against another edition
5.0
Brief Synopsis: Hannah Wells has finally found a guy she’s attracted to. Just so happens he’s the college football team’s quarterback and has no clue who she is. Garrett Graham is a stud hockey player who doesn’t do girlfriends. And just so happens to be failing his Ethics class. After noticing Hannah’s A midterm score he tried to get her to tutor him. But she turns him down. When he realizes she’s crushing on the quarterback he makes her a deal: she’ll tutor him and he’ll go on a date with her to boost her popularity and get her on Justin’s radar. Against her better judgement Hannah agrees. But Garrett quickly realizes that maybe a girlfriend wouldn’t be so bad just as Hannah realizes that maybe Garrett isn’t so bad.
Okay I saw this book all over Bookstagram and Booktok and it’s been on my TBR forever. I really thought it was just going to be a typical fun jock and smart girl get together type lighthearted romance. But really this book has so much more layers than that. Like this book had more depth that I really expected. It made me cry and I didn’t expect that. Both Garrett and Hannah had heartbreaking pasts and watching them overcome those things was endearing. I also loved watching them become friends. Hannah starts out repulsed by Garrett’s big-man-on-campus persona but the two quickly become friends and that was so fun to watch. Garrett was genuinely not your typical macho jock and Hannah was so fun and sarcastic. I really loved them both and they honestly might be one of my favorite book couples.
I also was pleasantly surprised at the lack on unnecessary and stupid drawn out drama in this book. I feel like anytime you read a YA or NA (new adult..think college students/20 year olds) novel, a lot of times the main characters make decisions that are so dumb and drama is drawn out for the sake of plot. But I didn’t feel like that happened in this book. There was probably one dumb decision Hannah made, but I completely understand why she felt she had to. Other than that, any time an issue arose, I felt like the main characters didn’t beat around the bush and handled it quickly and logically.
If you like college sports romances you should definitely check out this book. I have already added the rest of the books in this series to my TBR and will also be reading the spin-off series Briar U.
TW: rape/sexual assault and abusive family relationships (in the past and retold, not actively portrayed in the present)
5⭐️
Okay I saw this book all over Bookstagram and Booktok and it’s been on my TBR forever. I really thought it was just going to be a typical fun jock and smart girl get together type lighthearted romance. But really this book has so much more layers than that. Like this book had more depth that I really expected. It made me cry and I didn’t expect that. Both Garrett and Hannah had heartbreaking pasts and watching them overcome those things was endearing. I also loved watching them become friends. Hannah starts out repulsed by Garrett’s big-man-on-campus persona but the two quickly become friends and that was so fun to watch. Garrett was genuinely not your typical macho jock and Hannah was so fun and sarcastic. I really loved them both and they honestly might be one of my favorite book couples.
I also was pleasantly surprised at the lack on unnecessary and stupid drawn out drama in this book. I feel like anytime you read a YA or NA (new adult..think college students/20 year olds) novel, a lot of times the main characters make decisions that are so dumb and drama is drawn out for the sake of plot. But I didn’t feel like that happened in this book. There was probably one dumb decision Hannah made, but I completely understand why she felt she had to. Other than that, any time an issue arose, I felt like the main characters didn’t beat around the bush and handled it quickly and logically.
If you like college sports romances you should definitely check out this book. I have already added the rest of the books in this series to my TBR and will also be reading the spin-off series Briar U.
TW: rape/sexual assault and abusive family relationships (in the past and retold, not actively portrayed in the present)
5⭐️
readingwkaley's review against another edition
4.0
It was good I understand the hype
It did have it's cringey moments
I love sports romances but a little more character development would have been nice
It did have it's cringey moments
I love sports romances but a little more character development would have been nice
colecordium's review against another edition
5.0
This review first appeared on Blackbeak Books.
I realized I wrote this review months before. MONTHS. But I totally forgot about it and now as I reread, I tweaked it a bit and corrected mistakes so I am reposting it, in anticipation of the third book coming out.
For months now, I’ve been seeing The Deal recommended by Aestas, stating how much she loved it. I was always intrigued by the teasers she posted along with the buy link and when I saw it again, I said “f*ck it, I’m buying this one”. So I bought and I think it was one of the best decisions I’ve made.
When I read the summary of The Deal, I expected something very different. I expected a fake relationship, a drunken night of sex and debauchery, then the guy to fight his way until she gets to girls. Instead, I got something way more complex and interesting and I was not disappointed in the least.
Hannah is a music major in Briar College. In her junior year, a new guy, Justin moves to town and starts at the school, and Hannah immediately notices him. Which is weird, since he’s a footballer and Hannah is never into jocks. But she sees more in him than the typical frat guy. The problem is, she’s too shy to just ask him out, even though she has a class with him, Ethics. This is where our hero, Garrett comes into the picture.
Garrett is the captain of the hockey team and a history major. He’s doing really good in all his classes – which is required to play – except Ethics. When he sees that Hannah aced the midterm, he immediately asks her to tutor him or else he’ll fail the make up test and lose his spot on the team. After much persuasion and various offers, Hannah takes the deal and their kind of messy but pretty adorable story begins.
The first thing I fell in love in The Deal was the characters. Especially Hannah. She’s a rape survivor but she doesn’t let a past horrible experience affect her life and dictate her everydays. She gets out of it as someone stronger, determind, who knows she’s not a victim and doesn’t let others treat her like one. She has the balls to say no to anyone, while blushing in the next moment at a sexual innuendo. She’s literally the funniest character I’ve ever read. I’m not lying, I was laughing every time she says something sarcastic, witty or funny, which she tends to do a lot around Garrett. She’s a talented singer and a straight A student, all the while she’s working to try to make a living to not have to rely on her parents who are neck deep in debts.
Garrett is and isn’t your typical bad boy. His dad was a big hockey player back in the days, everyone knows him and envies Garrett for having him as a parent. But there’s a big secret about good, old Phil that nobody knows. Garrett lives off campus in a house that he rents with his three best friends. They are the typical frat boys/jocks; they’re the stars of the campus, they play, they party, they drink, they get the girls. Except Garrett rarely drinks but concentrates on school, beside all his extracurricular activities. So while he is the team captain, he has another side too, a side that he rarely shows to anything. He’s relentless, funny, protective, loveable, sweet, charming and he would do everything for the people he loves.
I loved both Garrett and Hannah’s friend. They were there everytime our main characters needed them, tried to protect them from everything and they were good companion to them. I loved how Garrett’s roommates were bickering with Hannah and accepted her from the first moment. I loved how Hannah’s friend were always trying to encourage her to not let her duet partner bully her.
The book was told in a dual POV, which I loved. We got to know both Hannah’s and Garrett’s thoughts, situations and background. It balanced equally between the two characters. I loved the banter and bickering between them, they made the book a funny and quick read. It was so good to read about how they clicked from the first moment and how they experienced things with each other that they haven’t before with other people. It was also endearing to watch them fall in love with each other slowly. I loved that slow burn that was going on and how Hannah was trying to deny everything she felt for Garrett. It just made me wanting them together all the more.
It was my first book from Elle but definitely not the last. I loved her style and her quotes are really perfect. She actually wrote a book about the only topic (rape) that I find hard to read and made it in a way that I didn’t cringe at every page it was mentioned. I also loved how easy and quick read it was, I literally consumed it in a few hours. I cannot wait to read the second book in the series.
I realized I wrote this review months before. MONTHS. But I totally forgot about it and now as I reread, I tweaked it a bit and corrected mistakes so I am reposting it, in anticipation of the third book coming out.
For months now, I’ve been seeing The Deal recommended by Aestas, stating how much she loved it. I was always intrigued by the teasers she posted along with the buy link and when I saw it again, I said “f*ck it, I’m buying this one”. So I bought and I think it was one of the best decisions I’ve made.
When I read the summary of The Deal, I expected something very different. I expected a fake relationship, a drunken night of sex and debauchery, then the guy to fight his way until she gets to girls. Instead, I got something way more complex and interesting and I was not disappointed in the least.
Hannah is a music major in Briar College. In her junior year, a new guy, Justin moves to town and starts at the school, and Hannah immediately notices him. Which is weird, since he’s a footballer and Hannah is never into jocks. But she sees more in him than the typical frat guy. The problem is, she’s too shy to just ask him out, even though she has a class with him, Ethics. This is where our hero, Garrett comes into the picture.
Garrett is the captain of the hockey team and a history major. He’s doing really good in all his classes – which is required to play – except Ethics. When he sees that Hannah aced the midterm, he immediately asks her to tutor him or else he’ll fail the make up test and lose his spot on the team. After much persuasion and various offers, Hannah takes the deal and their kind of messy but pretty adorable story begins.
The first thing I fell in love in The Deal was the characters. Especially Hannah. She’s a rape survivor but she doesn’t let a past horrible experience affect her life and dictate her everydays. She gets out of it as someone stronger, determind, who knows she’s not a victim and doesn’t let others treat her like one. She has the balls to say no to anyone, while blushing in the next moment at a sexual innuendo. She’s literally the funniest character I’ve ever read. I’m not lying, I was laughing every time she says something sarcastic, witty or funny, which she tends to do a lot around Garrett. She’s a talented singer and a straight A student, all the while she’s working to try to make a living to not have to rely on her parents who are neck deep in debts.
Garrett is and isn’t your typical bad boy. His dad was a big hockey player back in the days, everyone knows him and envies Garrett for having him as a parent. But there’s a big secret about good, old Phil that nobody knows. Garrett lives off campus in a house that he rents with his three best friends. They are the typical frat boys/jocks; they’re the stars of the campus, they play, they party, they drink, they get the girls. Except Garrett rarely drinks but concentrates on school, beside all his extracurricular activities. So while he is the team captain, he has another side too, a side that he rarely shows to anything. He’s relentless, funny, protective, loveable, sweet, charming and he would do everything for the people he loves.
I loved both Garrett and Hannah’s friend. They were there everytime our main characters needed them, tried to protect them from everything and they were good companion to them. I loved how Garrett’s roommates were bickering with Hannah and accepted her from the first moment. I loved how Hannah’s friend were always trying to encourage her to not let her duet partner bully her.
The book was told in a dual POV, which I loved. We got to know both Hannah’s and Garrett’s thoughts, situations and background. It balanced equally between the two characters. I loved the banter and bickering between them, they made the book a funny and quick read. It was so good to read about how they clicked from the first moment and how they experienced things with each other that they haven’t before with other people. It was also endearing to watch them fall in love with each other slowly. I loved that slow burn that was going on and how Hannah was trying to deny everything she felt for Garrett. It just made me wanting them together all the more.
It was my first book from Elle but definitely not the last. I loved her style and her quotes are really perfect. She actually wrote a book about the only topic (rape) that I find hard to read and made it in a way that I didn’t cringe at every page it was mentioned. I also loved how easy and quick read it was, I literally consumed it in a few hours. I cannot wait to read the second book in the series.