Summary
It was supposed to be a quick conversation with a cute boy at the airport while I dodged my ex and his new girlfriend.
We weren’t supposed to trade numbers.
He wasn’t supposed to be a football player.
And I definitely wasn’t supposed to fall for him since he’s attending a college a thousand miles away.
I saw past his jersey. And he saw past my last name.
Now it’s semester break, and by some Christmas miracle, he’s going to be close. So close.
I want to meet him again, but there’s just one problem.
My older brother can’t, under any circumstances, find out I’m dating his rival.
Review
I’m sold. I was getting bored of instaloves, and this story is the exact opposite. I can’t express how happy that made me.
Stella and Beau meet at an airport. Sure, they’re mildly attracted to each other, but more importantly they spend some fun time together as total strangers. Then they start texting to each other, become long distance friends. And along the way, their feelings grow… and they haven’t even kissed. I told you: total opposite of instalove.
Okay, they aren’t really strangers. At least, Beau finds out very quickly who Stella is. She’s his rival’s little sister. He keeps it a secret for a long time. Then they both keep it a secret to Freddy, Stella’s brother. Which is, in my opinion, stupid. Unless they thought it would never last–quite a depressive thought–did they think they could delay the revelation to indefinitely? Or that Freddy would have a change of heart without any prompt? I felt this plot device–the secret, not the best friend’s rival trope–added unnecessary drama. Or at least, it dragged it for too long.
Otherwise, I loved Stella and Beau’s relationship. Through their friendship, they learn stuff about each other that they kept to themselves–Beau’s pressure to play football, Stella’s place in her family–and help and support each other. Their feelings of inadequacy and loneliness inside their own family bring them close. It really was an heartwarming relationship.
In the end, the conflict comes from outside their couple, and it’s also not seen enough. I haven’t seen it in a long time anyway. They’re perfect for each other–despite the distance between them, which isn’t even brought up as an obstacle, just a temporary hindrance. It’s people around them that don’t see it that way.
It wasn’t as sexy as other books by the author, since they don’t see each other a lot. Maybe that helped with the cute factor. More heart, less sex. It was good as it was.
Quickie
- Series: Holidays with the players #2 (can be read as a standalone, but linked to other series by the author)
- Hashtags: #sports romance #college romance #holiday romance #football #brother’s rival #long distance #friends to lovers
- Triggers: N/A
- Main couple: Stella Walters & Beau Ricci
- Hotness: 3/5
- Romance: 5/5
- + I loved the way they slowly fall in love without anything sexual
- – the closure Beau needed with his family should have been on the page, in my opinion
Stalker mode
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