New Year’s Resolutions Book Tag

Happy New Year! A new year equals a ton of new books to read and enjoy! Here are some of my book New Year’s Resolutions from the New Year’s Resolutions Book Tag:

• An Author that you’d like to read that you’ve never read before

One new-tome author that I would like to read in 2023 is Carley Fortune. In 2022, Fortune released Every Summer After which was extremely popular on social media. The plot of this book sounds like one which I would enjoy, so I am hoping to pick this book up as well as her 2023 release, Meet Me at the Lake, this year.

• A book you’d like to read

This year, I created a list titled 24 Books that I Would Like to Read by 2024 of boos previously released and books to be released in 2024 which I would like to read. One book on my list is Happy Place by Emily Henry. Over the past couple years, Emily Henry has become an auto-buy contemporary romance author for me, as I really enjoyed The People We Meet on Vacation and Book Lovers.

• A classic you’d like to read

Realistically, I do not think I will be reading a classic this year. When I pick books to read for fun, I’m not usually picking a classic book.

• A book you’d like to re-read

One book that I would like to re-read this year is the rest of the A Court of Thorns and Roses series. I reread the first two books in this series during 2022, so I would like to read the last two books and the novella again during 2023.

• A book you’ve had for ages and want to read

One book that I’ve had for a couple years and would like to read is In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren. I have put this one off because I haven’t enjoyed many new releases by this author duo in recent years and, from the description, I can expect that this book may have some tropes which I don’t typically like to read. However, I did include this on my 24 Books to Read Before 2024 list as I do want to read this book when December rolls around this year.

• A big book you’d like to read

This year I don’t have any massive books on my list, I think I covered that a lot in 2023 with reading a lot of Sarah J. Maas books. However, one big book that I have always had my eye on is Priory of an Orange Tree by Shannon Hale. The size of this book definitely intimidates me, but I have heard many positive reviews and I think it could be fun to read in 2023.

• An author that you’ve previously read and want to read more of

One author that I expect to read again in 2023 is Tessa Bailey. This year, she will be releasing a new duology set in a vineyard, which reminds me a lot of her Bellinger sisters duology. That duology was only average to me, but I really love how fun her books are to read, so I definitely see myself picking up her new releases in 2023.

• A book you got for Christmas and would like to read

I did not get any books for Christmas this year! That being said, I did buy Volume Three of Lore Olympus the day after Christmas when I was shopping during after Christmas sales. This book is on my 24 Books to Read Before 2024 list, so I would like to read it before the end of the year.

• A series you want to read from start to finish

One of my book goals for this year is to read three graphic novels. I plan on reading the Lore Olympus series, which currently has four books released in print form. I did read some of this series when it was released on WebToon, however, I am excited to read the print series as it contains some bonus scenes. While my goal is to read at least three graphic novels this year, I don’t think that it would be unrealistic to read the four printed volumes of this series.

• A series you want to finish that you’ve already started

Technically only one books will be released this year from the duology, but I would like to continue The Cruel Prince series by reading the first book in the companion series, The Stolen Heir. On my 24 Books to Read Before 2024 list, I also have How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories, which is also apart of this series. I loved The Cruel Prince series when it was originally released, so I’m excited to read more books set in this world.

• Do you set reading goals? If so, how many books do you want to read in 2023?

This year, I did set a few reading goals in my Reading Goals for 2023 post. This year, I would like to read at least 36 books (I read 38 books in 2022 with a goal of 24 books).

• Any other reading goals?

Some of my other reading goals are: I want to read three previously purchased books, three graphic novels, and I would like to visit my local library in-person more frequently.

What are your bookish reading resolutions?

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Ringin’ in the New Year Book Tag

Happy New Year’s Eve! To ring in the New Year, I decided to complete the Ringing in the New Year Tag created by Bookmark Chronicles. Here are my answers (book reviews will be linked to book titles):

• Best Book/Series You Read in 2022

Every year I host The Brittany Awards where I list my favorite books of the year for a variety of categories. To see my top favorites of the year, see my list here. One of my favorite books from this list was A Very Merry Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams. Overall, The Bromance Book Club series is average for me, but this book was by far my favorite in the series. For me, this book was a perfect holiday romance.

For series, I would have to say Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas stands out for me. I read the second book onward in the series this year back-to-back. I haven’t stayed up late reading a book or got invested in a series for so long. When I finished this series, I wished that I could just keep reading about the characters inside.

• Author that You Recently Found and Would Like to Read More of in the New Year

One author that I really loved this year was Abby Jimenez. I did read a book by this author in 2021, which I also enjoyed, so she has quickly become a contemporary romance author that is automatically added to my TBR. She does have a book coming out next year, which is related to Part of Your World which I read and loved this year, so I am excited for her next book to release! Her new book, Yours Truly, will be released on April 11, 2023.

• Most Anticipated Book Turned Movie

I am very excited to see the new Hunger Games movie, A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes in November 2023. I was such a huge fan of The Hunger Games books and movies back in the day, so it will be nice to see a new installment of the franchise. I saw some images released from the set a little bit ago and they look absolutely perfect!

• What’s on your TBR for 2023?

I mentioned how I’m excited to see the new Hunger Games movie… but I still need to read the book! I pre-ordered the book when it was released, but have put off reading it. This is definitely a book that I need to read before the movie releases in November 2023.

• How many books do you hope to read in 2023?

This year, I set my goal as 24 books, which averages to 2 books per month. I did surpass this goal, but I may keep it at 24 books for next year because I think that I can realistically read that many books with my schedule. I may push it to 36 books, but I do not want to put a lot of pressure on myself.

• Will you participate in the Goodreads Challenge or any others?

Every year, I do participate in the Goodreads challenge. I think trying to read a certain number of books if very doable for me. I know that on StoryGraph has some challenges, so I might look into those as well.

• Any New Year’s resolutions (bookish or otherwise)?

One of my New Year’s Resolutions is to complete my Blogentine’s Day posts. In February in the past, I have posted once per day leading up to Valentine’s Day, so I would like to do that this year.

Have a great New Year! What are your top bookish goals for 2023?

January TBR

A new year means new books to read! Here are the three books that I hope to read in January:

• The Stolen Heir by Holly Black

The Stolen Heir is the first book in a new duology by Holly Black which follows some characters originally introduced in The Cruel Prince. This duology will take place eight years after the ending of The Queen of Nothing and follows Suren, who was the child queen of the Court of Teeth, after she escaped to the human world. However, Suren soon is tracked down, but is saved by Prince Oak, who was Jude’s younger brother in the original series.

Overall, I really enjoyed the The Cruel Prince series, although I was slightly disappointed by the final book in the series. That being said, the first two books in that series ended up on my favorites list, so I’m hoping The Stolen Heir will fall more in line with those books. That being said, there’s always some nervousness when a new book is released in a series long after the original, as readers don’t want it to ruin the original series. Regardless, I am very curious about this book and I hope to read it when it is released early in the new year.

• Lore Olympus Volume One by Rachel Smythe

Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe is a graphic novel retelling of Hades and Persephone which has a more modern setting. I read some of Lore Olympus on WebToons, where it was originally published, and absolutely loved it. I really love Rachel Smythe’s drawing style and her use of colors throughout the story. When I saw it was published in book form, I knew that I had to add it to my collection. This book features the first 25 episodes of the online comic, as well as a short story exclusive to the print addition, so I’m excited to reread this story which I love and see some new content.

• Love & Other Words by Christina Lauren

I have been disappointed with Christina Lauren’s recent releases, however I have heard a lot of positive reviews for Love & Other Words. I have also heard many comparisons between this book and Every Summer After by Carley Fortune, which I also hope to read in 2023. Love & Other Words follows Macy and Elliot, who have a second chance romance. Some reservations that I have with this book is that it is told in different time lines to show their past relationship and the current interactions and the second chance romance trope, and this type of writing and this trope aren’t always my favorite to read.

What books do you plan to read in January?

December 2022 Reading Wrap-up

During December, I didn’t have a huge reading month as I only read three books. However, I will still chalk this up as a win because I have been in a huge reading slump for the past couple months. Here’s what I read:

• A Very Merry Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams

A Very Merry Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams was one of my favorite books of the year! It was the perfect book to read throughout the month of December. A Very Merry Bromance is the fifth installment of The Bromance Book Club contemporary romance series. This book follows Colton Wheeler, a musician struggling to write his next album, and Gretchen Winthrop, a serious lawyer who doesn’t like Christmas. The Bromance Book Club series as a whole is average to me, but A Very Merry Bromance is definitely my favorite out of the bunch. For me, what sells a romance book are two love interests who compliment each other and help each other grow throughout the novel as well as purposeful scenes which make the relationship in the book stronger. A Very Merry Bromance hit both of these marks perfectly, which earned it five stars from me.

• Well Traveled by Jen DeLuca

Well Traveled by Jen DeLuca is the fourth book in the Well Met contemporary romance series. I really enjoyed the last book in this series, Well Matched, so Well Traveled was a disappointing follow-up for me. Well Traveled follows Lulu, a Type A lawyer, who quit her job and spends the summer following around the Dueling Kilts, a popular Renaissance Faire band. Then, she develops feelings for Dex, the band’s lead singer. I had several major problems with this book that made it a two star read for me. This book was the most removed from the original series, as it does not take place at the Renaissance Faire typically featured in the series. The characters which it is does feature from previous installments are from Well Played, my least favorite book in the series. Additionally, I never really bought the romance between the two love interests because the characters and their interactions lacked the depth that I needed.

• Icebreaker by Hannah Grace

I picked up Icebreaker because I saw a lot of hype surrounding this book on BookTok. Unfortunately for me, Ice Breaker was a major disappointment for me. According to the synopsis, Ice Breaker is supposed to be the story of Anastasia Allen, a figure skater, who must work together with the hockey team’s captain after they are forced to share an ice rink and her skating partner gets injured. This book suffered from many problems. First, I found the contents of the book didn’t match the book’s description. In fact, I would say the synopsis really only overs about 5% of the book, if that. This book was also unnecessarily long and would have benefitted from some editing to make the story run more smoothly. I found the plot to be all over the place and the cast to be too large in order to set up for future books. If I hadn’t purchased this book, I probably would have DNF’d it.

What books did you read in December?

Blog Goals for 2023

Recently, I discussed my reading goals for 2023. Today, I will be discussing my blog goals for 2023. Here are my top four goals:

• Goal #1: Complete Blogentine’s Day.

My first goal for my blog in 2023 is doing Blogentine’s Day. In the past, I have written fourteen posts for the first fourteen days of February. I didn’t do Blogentine’s Day this past year, but it is something that I have always enjoyed writing for my blog. I have already started planning out my posts for Blogentine’s Day, so I’m hoping that my early planning will make writing that many posts at the beginning of the year less stressful.

• Goal #2: Complete Blogmas.

On my blog, Blogmas lasts all 31 days of December. I am almost finished with Blogmas this year and it was so much fun to review recent books that I’ve read and to reflect on my reading this past year. Like with Blogentine’s Day, Blogmas can take a lot of planning. I didn’t plan as early as I typically do this year, so I had to do a lot of writing during the month of December, which can add a lot of pressure since it is such a busy time of the year. As a result, it is my goal to start planning this month-long celebration on my blog a little sooner than I did this year.

• Goal #3: Keep up with monthly TBRs and reading wrap-ups.

In the past on my blog, I loved doing monthly TBRs and wrap-ups to keep track of what I read each month and to reflect on whether or not I stuck to my TBR. How many books I read in a month can greatly fluctuate, so even if it isn’t monthly wrap-ups, I at least want to do seasonal wrap-ups of books that I have read.

• Goal #4: Review more types of media.

So many books are being turned into movies during 2023 that I want to start reviewing more types of media aside from books on my blog. I love watching book-to-movie, or more often now, books-to-streaming series, so I would love to write comparisons between books and movies as well as reviewing the books and media content separately.

What goals do you have for your blog in 2023?

24 Books I Plan to Read Before 2024

Since it’s almost time for the new year, I wanted to write a list of books I wanted to read before 2023 ends. Instead of just thinking of my most anticipated releases of 2023, I also wanted to think of previously published books that I want to read in the new year. Throughout the year, I plan to document my progress on my list! Here are my choices:

Observations:

Looking over the books I chose to put on my list I noticed several trends, including:

Genres

I am not surprised that the most books on my list fall into the contemporary romance genre, as it is my most read genre during 2022. Among the contemporary romances, there are a couple books on this list which are holiday romances. This December, there were a few holiday romances which I wanted to read, but ran out of time to read, so I want to put them on the list for the next year.

However, there are a few fantasy books and graphic novel books sprinkled into my list this year. In my book goals for 2023, Many of the fantasy books on my list are reappearances from series that I loved in the past. A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is a prequel to The Hunger Games, so it is a must-read for me before the movie releases in November 2023. The Stolen Heir is a new boo kin a duology which follows characters from The Cruel Prince, a series which made it into my yearly favorites when it was released.

Something else that I noticed was the number of graphic novels included in my list. In my book goals for 2023, I mentioned how I wanted to get back into reading graphic novels. Since I have been wanting to read the Lore Olympus series, which has been published in print form, I thought this would be a great way to meet my goal.

Authors

There are a few statistics that I noticed regarding authors on my list. Out of 24 books, 16 books are from authors that I have previously read. The other six books are from authors who would be new-to-me. Additionally, on my list, there are quite a few authors repeated. Tessa Bailey, Christina Lauren, and Rachel Smythe each appear three times on my list. Tessa Bailey has two new releases planned for 2023, a duology which takes place on a vineyard, and I haven’t read My Killer Vacation, which she released last year. The author duo Christina Lauren has one new book to be released this year and I also included two previously published books that I would like to read. I haven’t been a fan of Christina Lauren’s newest releases (I DNF’d Something Wilder in 2022), but I’m hoping that I will enjoy the books that I have selected for my list. For Rachel Smythe, I would like to read at least three of the four published copies of Lore Olympus.

Publication Date

Reviewing my list, 8 of the books will be published in 2023 and 4 of these books were published in 2022 (it should be noted that Lore Olympus was published in print form during 2022, but was released on WebToon a different year). This means that half of the books which I planned to read in 2023 were published within the last couple years.

The List of Books (from left to right):

• The Stolen Heir by Holly Black
• Love & Other Words by Christina Lauren
• Secretly Yours by Tessa Bailey
• Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune
• Happy Place by Emily Henry
• The Reunion by Kayla Olson
• The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren
• Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez
• How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories by Holly Black
• Every Summer After by Carley Fortune
• My Killer Vacation by Tessa Bailey
• ‘Tis the Season for Revenge by Morgan Elizabeth
• Unfortunately Yours by Tessa Bailey
• Lore Olympus Volume 1 by Rachel Smythe
• Lore Olympus Volume 3 by Rachel Smythe
• Love Olympus, Volume 2 by Rachel Smythe
• Lovelight Farms by B.K. Borison
• Shipwrecked by Olivia Dade
• The American Roommate Experiment by Elena Armas
• In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren
• Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood
• The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
• Stand Up, Yumi Chung! by Jessica Kim
• Lore Olympus Volume 4 by Rachel Smythe

What books do you plan to read in 2023?

Reading Goals for 2023

This year, I want to put some reading goals in place for myself besides my typical number of books that I want to read in a year. Next year, I lan to reflect on these goals to see if I met them. Here are my top five reading goals for 2023:

• Goal #1: Read 36 books.

This past year, I set my reading goals as 24 books, which averages to two books per month. This year, I exceeded my reading goals by over 10 books. I have been debating back and forth whether or not to increase my reading goal, as I do not want to put pressure on myself to read if I get extremely busy. However, since I do consistently read more than 24 books per year, I am going to increase my goal to 36 books per year, which averages to three books per month. While I read less frequently during the school year, I read a lot in the summer, so I do believe this goal will be achievable for me.

• Goal #2: Read at least one non-fiction book.

Looking at my reading stats for 2023, I read 100% fiction books. When I read for fun, I clearly gravitate towards fiction books. However, I would like to challenge myself by reading at least one book in the non-fiction category. I am not too familiar with new releases in this category, so if you have any recommendations, please leave them below!

• Goal #3: Read at least three books from my backlist.

On my Kindle, I have a lot of books that I purchased through Kindle Daily Deals which I haven’t read. As a result, I want to start to decrease this list book by reading books that I previously purchased. My one concern with this goal is that I did purchase a lot of middle grade or YA books as deals and I don’t typically gravitate towards books in this age range anymore. That being said, I want to focus on monthly TBRs again in 2023, so I’m hoping to sprinkle some of these books in throughout the year.

• Goal #4: Read at least three graphic novels.

I really do enjoy graphic novels, but I haven’t picked up any recently. Typically, I pick up graphic novels through my local library (which is related to my last goal!), so I definitely will be checking the online and in-person library for any graphic novels which seem interesting to me. I also have picked up two of the Lore Olympus graphic novels, which I would really like to read. I have read the online version when it was released on WebToon, but I would like to read it in the actual book format too.

• Goal #5: Visit my local library in-person.

Typically, I pick up books through my library’s online system. However, I do want to start picking up more physical copies of books from the library this year. Like I mentioned in my previous goal, I tend to pick up more graphic novels in-person at the library, so my previous goal can help motivate me to complete this goal.

What are your reading goals for 2023?

The Christmas Joy Book Tag

On the twentieth day of Christmas, a book reviewer gave to me… the Christmas Joy Book Tag!

• Anticipation: The Christmas excitement is real, what book release(s) are you most anticipating?

Recently, I posted about my most anticipated book releases for 2023. On my list, one book that I was really excited for was Happy Place byEmily Henry. I absolutely loved The People We Meet on Vacation and Book Lovers, so I’m hoping to enjoy Happy Place just as much as those books. Happy Place is about a couple who broke up months ago, but never told their friends. As a result, they decide to pretend to be a couple at an annual summer trip. I mentioned in my post how I don’t typically like books where the couple was previously together because I really enjoy reading about a couple falling in love for the first time. However, if any author can convince me to change my mind, it would be Emily Henry.

• Christmas Songs & Carols: What book or author can you not help but want to sing about?

During my annual Brittany Awards, I talked about some of my favorite books/authors of the year. One book that I mentioned was A Very Merry Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams. The Bromance Book Club series has been hit-or-miss for me, but A Very Merry Bromance is easily my favorite of the lot. I love when romance book scenes build upon each other where every interaction between the main characters makes them question their ideas of love as opposed to a collection of cute scenes/situations throughout the novel. A Very Merry Bromance excelled in creating love interests who were equally interesting and well-matched.

• Gingerbread Houses: What book or series has wonderful world building?

Christmas Trees & Decorations: Favorite Book Cover, Birds of California by Katie Cotugno

One book that I read this year with excellent world-building is Crescent City: House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas. Typically in series by Maas, there is a lot of world building in the first book. While this can make it difficult to get through the first hundred pages or so, it is helpful into understanding the world. However, the best part of the world-building of this book comes at the end of the second book in this series, House of Sky and Breath. I won’t say it here because it is a major spoiler, but all I will say is that if you don’t know how it ends, you will be shocked when you read it!

• A Christmas Carol: Favorite classic or one that you want to read

To be honest, I.am not a huge fan of classic books! If I was going to pick a classic book, I would probably opt for a “modern classic.”

• Christmas Sweets: What book would you love to receive for Christmas

I will not be receiving this book for Christmas (it doesn’t ship out until next year), but I am eagerly anticipating my package in the mail. Recently, FairyLoot released exclusive editions of the Crescent City series. These books features exclusive covers and artwork inside. I cannot wait to receive my copies in the mail!

• Candles in the Window: What book gives you that warm fuzzy feeling

One book that gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling this year was Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood. I didn’t go into this book expecting to love it as much as I did, but I really enjoyed reading this book. Before I read this book, I was in a huge reading slump and I needed a fun book with likable characters and this book was exactly what I needed at that time.

• Christmas Trees & Decorations: What are some of your favorite book covers?

This year for my Brittany Awards, I talked about some of my favorite covers of the year. One cover that I really liked was Birds of California by Katie Cotugno. I think it has bright, fun colors. I really like the lettering used, which looks like a neon hotel sign. That being said, I do not think that this cover really matches the story inside. Birds of California is a very somber story, so some readers may feel tricked by the cover.

• Christmas Joy: What are some of your favorite things about Christmas and/or some of your favorite Christmas memories?

One of my favorite things about Christmas is buying presents for other people! I like finding things that remind me of someone and giving it to them as a gift. I have a few cousins are are young, so I love getting to see Christmas through their eyes as well.

The Christmas Song Book Tag

On the twenty fourth day of Christmas, a book blogger gave to me… The Christmas Song Book Tag!

• “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch”: Name a villainous character you can’t help but love

He’s not necessarily a villain, but he is apart of an enemies-to-lovers couple which I love. Charlie from Book Lovers was one of my favorites enemies-to-lovers this year. I really loved his banter with Nora and they were one of my favorite couples of the year.

• “All I Want for Christmas is You”: Which book do you hope to see under your Christmas tree?

This book definitely isn’t coming on time for Christmas, but it is a book that I am excited to receive in 2023. Recently, I pre-ordered the Fairyloot edition of Crescent City which feature exclusive covers and artwork of the characters. I am am very excited to have these as a part of my collection!

• “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”: Name a character that overcomes major obstacles and learns to believe in themselves

One character that overcomes obstacles is Fiona St. James, a former child actor from Birds of California by Katie Cotugno. Fiona’s experience in the industry caused her to dislike something which she loved so much. However, in the book, readers get to see Fiona discover her love of acting again, even if it isn’t on the screen.

• “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”: Which character would be on the nice list and which character would be on the naughty list?

For this question, I am going to go with the book Well Traveled by Jen DeLuca. This book made one of my least favorite love interests ever to reappear, Daniel from Well Played. He would definitely be on the naughty list because he still hasn’t grown from the book where he first appeared in the series and still takes no accountability for the terrible actions he did in Well Played. I will give the character on the nice list to Dex, the main love interest of Well Traveled. Dex has a huge reputation as a conceited player, but readers get to see a different side of him in this story.

• “Frosty the Snowman”: Which book melts your heart?

One book that melted my heart this year Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood. This was the perfect cute, fun romance and I really enjoyed Bee and Levi as a couple. This book helped me get out of a reading slump in 2022 because I enjoyed reading it so much!

• “Feliz Navidid”: A book that takes place in a different country than your own

This isn’t a real place, but it is a place that I wish I could visit… Terrasen from Throne of Glass! After finishing Throne of Glass, I wish I could see what Terrasen has become since the end of the novel.

• “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”: Which holiday themed book do you use to spread Christmas joy?

and

• “Sleigh Ride”: Which fictional characters would you spend the holiday with?

One holiday themed book that I enjoyed this year was A Very Merry Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams. As a result, I would love to spend the holiday with Colton Wheeler from A Very Merry Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams. Colton loves Christmas and likes to share holiday experiences with the important people in his life. I love how much of a family the members of the Bromance Book Club are even though they aren’t related, so I think they would be a fun group to hang out with around the holidays.

• Baby It’s Cold Outside”: Which book that you didn’t like would you not mind sacrificing to a fire to keep yourself warm?

I don’t necessarily think this book should be thrown in a fire, but my lowest rated book of the year would have to be Mr. Wrong Number by Lynn Painter. I found the main character and plot to be extremely immature. I didn’t like how the main character making very ridiculous decisions was portrayed as humorous. I am not a fan of romances that read a lot younger, but seem to be aged up to include more intimate scenes, which this book unfortunately did.

• “Do You Hear What I Hear?”: Which book do you think everyone should read?

One book that I read this year which I would recommend to other people is Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez. I am a huge fan of her books, but I don’t see them talked about as much online.

Off-Campus by Elle Kennedy (Spoiler Free!) Series Review

Off-Campus was a little off from five stars for me.

The Off-Campus series by Elle Kennedy is a four-part companion series which follows four different girls as they develop relationships with four college hockey team members who live together in one house. For my review, I will focus on the four main books in the series: The Deal, The Mistake, The Score, and The Goal. There is an additional novella, The Legacy, which occurs after the events of the first four novels.

The Deal focuses on Hannah Wells, who tutors Garret Graham, the hockey team captain. The Mistake centers on Grace Ivers who has a second chance romance with John Logan after a quick encounter with the hockey player during her freshman year. The Score follows Allie Hayes who has a rebound relationship with Dean Di Laurentis, the team’s most notorious player off the ice. Finally, The Goal concludes with Sabrina James, who unexpectedly becomes pregnant with hockey player John Tucker’s baby.

The Off-Campus series is popular in the sport romance sphere of the BookTok community. If someone is looking for a hockey romance book, the Off-Campus series is usually recommended. Overall, the Off-Campus series isn’t my favorite and I find the books tend to go downhill as the series go on. However, I am not in the book target audience as the characters in this book are in college, so I may have enjoyed these books more if I were younger.

Some issues I had with the Off-Campus book were the pacing and plots of the books. These tended to be inconsistent throughout the series. As a whole, however, I found myself picking these books up and putting them down again and again. For some of the books in the series, I needed to check them out from the library multiple times to finish them. For some of the stories, I found the plots to consist of a string of events that didn’t necessarily build on each other or relate to each other but only cute moments between the characters. While I do enjoy reading cute moments between love interests, they don’t carry the story for me, which is why I struggled to get through some of the books in this series.

Another aspect of these books which were slightly off-putting were some of the cringeworthy scenes and dialogue. I find this to be especially true as the series progresses. Additionally, I found some of the content in this book to be dated. On one hand, contemporary books will date themselves with references to pop culture. However, this wasn’t the biggest drawback to me. A lot of the tropes used in this book are very of the time, which is around 2016. Some of the phrases or tropes used in these books aren’t the healthiest, or they have been done so many times and this iteration didn’t offer anything unique or different to me.

Overall, my feelings towards the Off-Campus is “meh.” I don’t see myself picking up another book in the series or rereading any of the books that I already have read.