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Coastal Rivals #1
The Trade
JADE Jennings is tired of her day-to-day life—from the boring, senseless boys at Dayton U to the repetitive beats her editor assigns. She's looking for excitement, novelty, a good story to sink her teeth into, and a boy she can write home about.
She's a driven and ambitious journalist, and she has an innate love for the game of football. She's also the younger sister to an NFL superstar, which means she's not interested in the aimless, student-athletes at her school.
But maybe, for entertainment purposes, she could spend just one night trying them on for size.
THEO Westman-Cooke, aka "West," has one goal in this to be drafted into the NFL. But his coach doesn't support an early declaration, his grades (and scholarship) are slipping, and he only has one more year to make his college career count for something.
Oh, wait.
There is one other thing that West might want—a chance to spend the night with his favorite red-headed cheerleader. When the opportunity suddenly strikes, it's nearly impossible to pass up the perfect trade.
In just a few months, Dayton U's football team is hosting their annual spring banquet. The catch? Players must go home with another teammate's date. To the rest of the team, it's a simple, secret trade. But for Jade and West, it's the night that everything changed.
She's a driven and ambitious journalist, and she has an innate love for the game of football. She's also the younger sister to an NFL superstar, which means she's not interested in the aimless, student-athletes at her school.
But maybe, for entertainment purposes, she could spend just one night trying them on for size.
THEO Westman-Cooke, aka "West," has one goal in this to be drafted into the NFL. But his coach doesn't support an early declaration, his grades (and scholarship) are slipping, and he only has one more year to make his college career count for something.
Oh, wait.
There is one other thing that West might want—a chance to spend the night with his favorite red-headed cheerleader. When the opportunity suddenly strikes, it's nearly impossible to pass up the perfect trade.
In just a few months, Dayton U's football team is hosting their annual spring banquet. The catch? Players must go home with another teammate's date. To the rest of the team, it's a simple, secret trade. But for Jade and West, it's the night that everything changed.
366 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 15, 2023
1195 people are currently reading
10223 people want to read
About the author
Ki Stephens
14 books1,475 followersKi Stephens is a romance enthusiast who finds comfort in the happily-ever-after . . . with just a little bit of angst along the way. She has a special interest in works that include neurodivergent characters like herself. When she’s not daydreaming about books, Ki enjoys working with kids, creating art in her backyard studio, and spending loads of time with her baby girl, her husband, and their three pets.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 782 reviews
December 7, 2023
the idea behind this book is good but there are some issues in the execution. the trade as well as the connection between the characters could have been more detailed. while reading, it constantly felt like something was missing. I wanted more of everything. the "love" felt superficial and in general, everything to do with them roommate made me get the ick.
Maybe insta love isn't for me but this guy was way too immature and the type of guy who is attracted to a new girl every day.
Maybe insta love isn't for me but this guy was way too immature and the type of guy who is attracted to a new girl every day.
June 21, 2025
— 2.5 ★
⊹ "I'll stop if you stop."cringy, corny, wattpady, insta-lovey, chemistry-free and yet oddly entertaining is how I would describe this book. at first the mmc—west reminded me so much of johnny from b13, like he even had his own bella...till the 50% mark I had way more fun that I probably should've but sadly then things got boring & simply started to drag. there was barely any drama—and when there was, it got resolved in 2 seconds. like yeah, guys, I love healthy communication, I really do, but throw in something to keep me interested, will you? though, ngl when the lovebirds broke up, it piqued my interest again—like I'm not even denying that. overall, despite its countless flaws, it was quite a fun ride.
"stop what?"
"stop making me want you." ៹࣪
August 24, 2023
2/5★
DNF at 80%
I mean it wasn’t bad but it definitely wasn’t amazing either. This book and their relationship felt kinda immature and very fast paced to me. Not just to me, literally some of the characters in this story even say that their relationship was moving WAY too fast lmao.
Honestly, it was kinda insta-lovey and also friends to lovers and this combination is not good. I do love friends to lovers but not with the combination of them falling in love the second they lay eyes on one another.
This whole concept of the trade did sound interesting to me at first… but it would’ve been done WAY better if they combined it with the fake-dating trope, rather than him trying to hide the fact that he only used her in the beginning, to get with the girl he has been fantasising about for 3 years :D
And considering that he only knew her for ONE MONTH… it kinda gave me the ick ngl…
I really thought this would be a cute college romance story, kinda like the deal and it was cute at times but it lacked depth and an interesting plot. Besides the trade, nothing much was going on.
The reason why I’m still giving this a somewhat average rating, is because I was honestly kinda in the mood for an easy college romance that doesn’t require much thinking and has zero to no plot. If I wasn’t in the mood for that, this book would’ve easily gotten only 2 stars from me. I’ll probably change that rating in the future though ngl.
What I did like however, were the representation of learning disabilities. That had a nice touch to it. And I also liked some of the side characters, such as Cam and Shan. They actually didn’t lack common sense compared to the main characters lol.
I did also tolerate Jade. She wasn’t stupid or gullible and was actually able to see through West’s act which I liked and confronted him about it! She just lacked a bit of character depth to me but she was alright ig.
West however… yeah he’s definitely a boy and has that sort of mind-set as well lol. He’s very immature and stupid and I don’t really like him. The way he talks and thinks… it’s reminds me of a 13 year old boy going through puberty rather than an adult college student. Sure, being 19/20 (idk how old he is) doesn’t make you automatically mature but being able to think logically shouldn’t be that hard.
Overall, I hope that my next read will be more entertaining than this one. Won’t be wasting my time with this book any longer.
Edit: This book isn’t worth the three stars from me any longer
DNF at 80%
I mean it wasn’t bad but it definitely wasn’t amazing either. This book and their relationship felt kinda immature and very fast paced to me. Not just to me, literally some of the characters in this story even say that their relationship was moving WAY too fast lmao.
Honestly, it was kinda insta-lovey and also friends to lovers and this combination is not good. I do love friends to lovers but not with the combination of them falling in love the second they lay eyes on one another.
This whole concept of the trade did sound interesting to me at first… but it would’ve been done WAY better if they combined it with the fake-dating trope, rather than him trying to hide the fact that he only used her in the beginning, to get with the girl he has been fantasising about for 3 years :D
And considering that he only knew her for ONE MONTH… it kinda gave me the ick ngl…
I really thought this would be a cute college romance story, kinda like the deal and it was cute at times but it lacked depth and an interesting plot. Besides the trade, nothing much was going on.
The reason why I’m still giving this a somewhat average rating, is because I was honestly kinda in the mood for an easy college romance that doesn’t require much thinking and has zero to no plot. If I wasn’t in the mood for that, this book would’ve easily gotten only 2 stars from me. I’ll probably change that rating in the future though ngl.
What I did like however, were the representation of learning disabilities. That had a nice touch to it. And I also liked some of the side characters, such as Cam and Shan. They actually didn’t lack common sense compared to the main characters lol.
I did also tolerate Jade. She wasn’t stupid or gullible and was actually able to see through West’s act which I liked and confronted him about it! She just lacked a bit of character depth to me but she was alright ig.
West however… yeah he’s definitely a boy and has that sort of mind-set as well lol. He’s very immature and stupid and I don’t really like him. The way he talks and thinks… it’s reminds me of a 13 year old boy going through puberty rather than an adult college student. Sure, being 19/20 (idk how old he is) doesn’t make you automatically mature but being able to think logically shouldn’t be that hard.
Overall, I hope that my next read will be more entertaining than this one. Won’t be wasting my time with this book any longer.
Edit: This book isn’t worth the three stars from me any longer
August 24, 2024
the STRUGGLE i had reading this book😭
First of all I didn’t connect with the story or the characters, I didn’t even understand the plot at all, like everything was all over the place, i wished the story was more detailed and more of a slow burn cause it was going so fast. West was so inmature and the trade idea was so stupid sorry.
And the dialogues omg, I cringed with almost everything they said. also we barely got any scenes with jade’s parents, or West’s family, maybe it wasn’t necessary but it would’ve been cute. The only good thing I would say about this book is that it was never boring (kinda), like it was a fast read, but honestly this is just my opinion, I just didn’t think this was for me💫
plus this just made me hate men
First of all I didn’t connect with the story or the characters, I didn’t even understand the plot at all, like everything was all over the place, i wished the story was more detailed and more of a slow burn cause it was going so fast. West was so inmature and the trade idea was so stupid sorry.
And the dialogues omg, I cringed with almost everything they said. also we barely got any scenes with jade’s parents, or West’s family, maybe it wasn’t necessary but it would’ve been cute. The only good thing I would say about this book is that it was never boring (kinda), like it was a fast read, but honestly this is just my opinion, I just didn’t think this was for me💫
plus this just made me hate men
August 17, 2023
the trade idea was so stupid i hate men
August 15, 2023
I'm more than halfaway through the story and I'm having an hard time not to DNF because nothing is happening. I think I was so excited to read this book because of the blurb and the tropes that I was expecting something else entirely and not this. (This is the second time that this has happened with this same author).
First of all this is a fast burn, something I'm not really into, and it's not a "she falls first" like it was presented: they fall together, at the same time, but they don't tell eachother (this for like 2 chapters that cover a span of 5 days?). They know eachother for like 2 weeks and have talked 3 times saying nothing relevant on page when they decide to date and the H claims she is totally different from the other girls. Obviously, and without any real motivations, she is the only one worth making time to date, when he was presented like a player too focused on football and his failing college career to care for anything else. He doesn't even know her (and neither we do as readers despite having her povs), but somehow he went from player status to waxing poetry in the span of 3 chapters claiming she is somehow different from her beautiful, caring and funny friend and roommate, who he'd been mooning over for 3 years, and has even been friend with (at some point we are presented with a motivation about this change of heart about the beautiful roommate, but it was so bland that it irked me). Everithing about the supposed feelings are told to me like the author is trying to convince me that there's a meaningful connection between them (it feels like it's only lust that they mistook for something different), but I actually wasn't feeling it: for example at one point the H says that he likes the h because she's funny and sarcastic: how many time have we seen her been funny and sarcastic on page? Zero.
I am not able to root for them because I feel like I am reading about a couple that will last 5 months at best and not a couple that can have a potential happily ever after.
Also all the conflicts where solved so fast and so easily that I was left asking myself what was even the point of them if not only to fill 300 pages of a book.
I don't really know how this is the same author of Spring Tide where the feelings were actually there and not being forced on the reader (for the 2nd time around I might add because Fault Line had the same problem for me).
First of all this is a fast burn, something I'm not really into, and it's not a "she falls first" like it was presented: they fall together, at the same time, but they don't tell eachother (this for like 2 chapters that cover a span of 5 days?). They know eachother for like 2 weeks and have talked 3 times saying nothing relevant on page when they decide to date and the H claims she is totally different from the other girls. Obviously, and without any real motivations, she is the only one worth making time to date, when he was presented like a player too focused on football and his failing college career to care for anything else. He doesn't even know her (and neither we do as readers despite having her povs), but somehow he went from player status to waxing poetry in the span of 3 chapters claiming she is somehow different from her beautiful, caring and funny friend and roommate, who he'd been mooning over for 3 years, and has even been friend with (at some point we are presented with a motivation about this change of heart about the beautiful roommate, but it was so bland that it irked me). Everithing about the supposed feelings are told to me like the author is trying to convince me that there's a meaningful connection between them (it feels like it's only lust that they mistook for something different), but I actually wasn't feeling it: for example at one point the H says that he likes the h because she's funny and sarcastic: how many time have we seen her been funny and sarcastic on page? Zero.
I am not able to root for them because I feel like I am reading about a couple that will last 5 months at best and not a couple that can have a potential happily ever after.
Also all the conflicts where solved so fast and so easily that I was left asking myself what was even the point of them if not only to fill 300 pages of a book.
I don't really know how this is the same author of Spring Tide where the feelings were actually there and not being forced on the reader (for the 2nd time around I might add because Fault Line had the same problem for me).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 3, 2023
4.5 stars 'cause this book served what I needed it to serve.
"Stop what?"
"Stop making me want you."
First of all, thank you Ki Stephens for kindly providing me the ARC. The Trade was my first vacation book and what a great start!
The Trade starts with our golden boy (social sciences student and football player AND hot af) West (short for Theodore Westman-Cooke) who's attracted to Shannon for a while but was sleeping with her roommate Cassidy. Then Theo ends things with Cass, and Shannon changes roommates and ends up living with our girl Jade Jennings, the journalism student who writes for the college paper. Soon Theo and Jade start studying together because she's helping him with his essays and this develops into a friendship until West realizes he's attracted to her.
The romance has a good flow... you can see them falling for each other, especially West, who wasn't interested in Jade at first. The steamy scenes were amazing, it was truly hot like "put your hands in the counter" level hot, loved it. The ship dynamic is great, they have the cute, the banter, the fluff, the chemistry, it's all there.
Jade is such an interesting and strong character, she doesn't want to be known as the sister of a famous NFL cornerback, she wants to succeed as a journalist for her merit and effort. She's rational, and caring, but not in a "too sweet" way. I guess that's why I loved her so much, that's my new favorite female character right here.
As for West, I normally give the male characters a chance before criticizing them too much so I was open-minded to read him and his pov. He was good to Jade, motivated her to talk to Garrett about her desire to write about Sports, and was in general a good boyfriend but I have my critics about him being a good guy because a good guy wouldn't let the Trade happen. Like.. never. But anyways.. I do like him.
Random sutff I LOVED about this book:
The fact that West is dyslexic, we need more male characters with disabilities in romance.
Garrett, like.. that's my baby I adore him and hope he gets a book
Tropes:
• Sports romance (football)
• Girl falls first, boy falls harder
• Cocky boy/ independent girl
• Opposites attract
• University setting
• Secrets and lies
• A trope I found out that I ADORE: the guy wants the girl’s friend/roomate first but then ends up falling for her instead, that’s a HIT.
Characters Fanart (If you're like me and LOVES to see how the main characters look).
Playlist
Oh and their Taylor Swift song is definitely "You're Not Sorry" 'cause this quote is so theojade coded:
"And you got your share of secrets
And I'm tired of being last to know
And now you’re asking me to listen
‘Cause it’s worked each time before"
Yeah, just read the book and you'll know what I'm talking about.
My only issue with this book and why this isn't a five-star read for me is the trade itself. I already said it but it just doesn't sit right with me that the team was doing that shit and if Jade didn't come along not even West would've ended that so I kinda doubt his character a bit because of it. It's sexist, it's disgusting and yeah that's what you expect from a bunch of college guys (that's just my vent dw).
Ki Stephens has a talent for writing the cutest ships, sports romance, and college-themed romance (which is always a hit). Her female characters are strong and inspiring. I highly recommend her books if you're looking for a cute summer read. The writing style is light and easy to read, and you can easily finish the book in less than three hours.
I hope that the next book focuses on MicaShannon's romance. She deserves her own story, and I will be eagerly waiting to read it.
If you wanna chat about books and Taylor Swift feel free to follow me on twitter .
"Stop what?"
"Stop making me want you."
First of all, thank you Ki Stephens for kindly providing me the ARC. The Trade was my first vacation book and what a great start!
The Trade starts with our golden boy (social sciences student and football player AND hot af) West (short for Theodore Westman-Cooke) who's attracted to Shannon for a while but was sleeping with her roommate Cassidy. Then Theo ends things with Cass, and Shannon changes roommates and ends up living with our girl Jade Jennings, the journalism student who writes for the college paper. Soon Theo and Jade start studying together because she's helping him with his essays and this develops into a friendship until West realizes he's attracted to her.
The romance has a good flow... you can see them falling for each other, especially West, who wasn't interested in Jade at first. The steamy scenes were amazing, it was truly hot like "put your hands in the counter" level hot, loved it. The ship dynamic is great, they have the cute, the banter, the fluff, the chemistry, it's all there.
Jade is such an interesting and strong character, she doesn't want to be known as the sister of a famous NFL cornerback, she wants to succeed as a journalist for her merit and effort. She's rational, and caring, but not in a "too sweet" way. I guess that's why I loved her so much, that's my new favorite female character right here.
As for West, I normally give the male characters a chance before criticizing them too much so I was open-minded to read him and his pov. He was good to Jade, motivated her to talk to Garrett about her desire to write about Sports, and was in general a good boyfriend but I have my critics about him being a good guy because a good guy wouldn't let the Trade happen. Like.. never. But anyways.. I do like him.
Random sutff I LOVED about this book:
The fact that West is dyslexic, we need more male characters with disabilities in romance.
Garrett, like.. that's my baby I adore him and hope he gets a book
Tropes:
• Sports romance (football)
• Girl falls first, boy falls harder
• Cocky boy/ independent girl
• Opposites attract
• University setting
• Secrets and lies
• A trope I found out that I ADORE: the guy wants the girl’s friend/roomate first but then ends up falling for her instead, that’s a HIT.
Characters Fanart (If you're like me and LOVES to see how the main characters look).
Playlist
Oh and their Taylor Swift song is definitely "You're Not Sorry" 'cause this quote is so theojade coded:
"And you got your share of secrets
And I'm tired of being last to know
And now you’re asking me to listen
‘Cause it’s worked each time before"
Yeah, just read the book and you'll know what I'm talking about.
My only issue with this book and why this isn't a five-star read for me is the trade itself. I already said it but it just doesn't sit right with me that the team was doing that shit and if Jade didn't come along not even West would've ended that so I kinda doubt his character a bit because of it. It's sexist, it's disgusting and yeah that's what you expect from a bunch of college guys (that's just my vent dw).
Ki Stephens has a talent for writing the cutest ships, sports romance, and college-themed romance (which is always a hit). Her female characters are strong and inspiring. I highly recommend her books if you're looking for a cute summer read. The writing style is light and easy to read, and you can easily finish the book in less than three hours.
I hope that the next book focuses on MicaShannon's romance. She deserves her own story, and I will be eagerly waiting to read it.
If you wanna chat about books and Taylor Swift feel free to follow me on twitter .
August 21, 2023
This book was a major ick. I got 22% in before I just skimmed the rest of it. At first I thought Shan was the h because of how infatuated Theo seemed to be with her. He later calls her something like a meaningless attraction but that isn’t at ALL how he described her in the beginning of the book. This was within the same pages of another hookup talking to him too.
I can handle a manwhore H, however, how he speaks about the h for so much of this book was gross. He literally doesn’t find her attractive until he sees her body without a sweatshirt on. He keeps this whole trade thing a secret when he does decide he has feelings for Jade, and then when they inevitably breakup over it we get countless scenes of them both talking to ow and om. It’s just so juvenile. There’s no grovel except 2 mornings of coffee (what even?) and then she decides she wants to stay broken up because of the “long distance”. They go like 2 more weeks of this (like 5 total?) before he flies to her and tells her he loves her. Then they’re back together all willy nilly.
To be honest I didn’t really like either characters. I found them annoying and didn’t see the attraction / connection between them. We get a really weird off putting sex scene with Jade and another man, and too much flirting from West.
I also didn’t like any of the side characters. Cam wasn’t a very good friend and neither was Shan. I think this book just relied on too many tropes and other side characters, so it was just a mess. Also the whole “trade” thing they do was super gross. If the rest of the book had been good maybe I would’ve been able to get past it, but unfortunately it wasn’t.
I gave it two for the learning disorder representation. You don’t see a lot of that in books so I really enjoy when a character is shown overcoming such struggles. I also liked how encouraging Jade was in that regard, so those were the good things for me.
I can handle a manwhore H, however, how he speaks about the h for so much of this book was gross. He literally doesn’t find her attractive until he sees her body without a sweatshirt on. He keeps this whole trade thing a secret when he does decide he has feelings for Jade, and then when they inevitably breakup over it we get countless scenes of them both talking to ow and om. It’s just so juvenile. There’s no grovel except 2 mornings of coffee (what even?) and then she decides she wants to stay broken up because of the “long distance”. They go like 2 more weeks of this (like 5 total?) before he flies to her and tells her he loves her. Then they’re back together all willy nilly.
To be honest I didn’t really like either characters. I found them annoying and didn’t see the attraction / connection between them. We get a really weird off putting sex scene with Jade and another man, and too much flirting from West.
I also didn’t like any of the side characters. Cam wasn’t a very good friend and neither was Shan. I think this book just relied on too many tropes and other side characters, so it was just a mess. Also the whole “trade” thing they do was super gross. If the rest of the book had been good maybe I would’ve been able to get past it, but unfortunately it wasn’t.
I gave it two for the learning disorder representation. You don’t see a lot of that in books so I really enjoy when a character is shown overcoming such struggles. I also liked how encouraging Jade was in that regard, so those were the good things for me.
April 28, 2024
West & Jade🤍
July 2, 2024
4.75 / 5 💜☁️🧸✉️🏈
this was probably one of my most anticipated releases for the second half of 2023, and god did it not disappoint. Ki as a way of making magic happen with her college sports romance. Her books are some of my absolute favourites and The Trade was exactly the same. She blends romance, steam and laugh out loud moments perfectly.
She delivers every single time on the tropes. Like annoyance to love was absolutely right for Jade and West and ugh it was so good. At first I was put off by the idea that he was into her roommate but it grew on me and I ended up falling in love with them so freaking much. I mean I stayed up to 1am to finish it after I said I would stop reading, but I couldn't.
Her college sport romance as next level and everything I want in life. The representation. The romance. The banter. It's all there and if you're in need of some feel good, cozy romances look no further than these, because they hit every single time.
Also I was literally laughing so hard when Jade asks West if he used his context cues, iykyk kind of situation, but god it was funny.
All I can say is bring on Ripple Effect because I'm so ready for it!!
tropes
🏈 college sports
☁️ football captain x student journalist
🧸 annoyance to love [opposites attract]
✉️ she falls first, he falls harder
💜 cocky mmc x independent fmc
this was probably one of my most anticipated releases for the second half of 2023, and god did it not disappoint. Ki as a way of making magic happen with her college sports romance. Her books are some of my absolute favourites and The Trade was exactly the same. She blends romance, steam and laugh out loud moments perfectly.
She delivers every single time on the tropes. Like annoyance to love was absolutely right for Jade and West and ugh it was so good. At first I was put off by the idea that he was into her roommate but it grew on me and I ended up falling in love with them so freaking much. I mean I stayed up to 1am to finish it after I said I would stop reading, but I couldn't.
Her college sport romance as next level and everything I want in life. The representation. The romance. The banter. It's all there and if you're in need of some feel good, cozy romances look no further than these, because they hit every single time.
Also I was literally laughing so hard when Jade asks West if he used his context cues, iykyk kind of situation, but god it was funny.
All I can say is bring on Ripple Effect because I'm so ready for it!!
tropes
🏈 college sports
☁️ football captain x student journalist
🧸 annoyance to love [opposites attract]
✉️ she falls first, he falls harder
💜 cocky mmc x independent fmc
August 13, 2023
SINCE PUB DAY IS SOON HERE IS MY REVIEW ! (:
ki, you have done it again. i am forever in awe of you and i'm so thankful to you for sending me this arc (,: book after book you never fail to amaze me and i am so excited for this to be out in the world for everyone to read
i really loved how jade was a woman in journalism and how the book shed light on the struggles they face in that industry, i thought that was so important!!!!
oh west. THE NOTES!!!! THIS BOOK HAS NOTES!!!! to have a character who has dyslexia and dysgraphia take the time to write notes for jade has me in actual tears. it shows how much he cares for her.
the whole idea of the trade was so frustrating and i felt that through jade's point of view. i understood why west didn't tell her sooner but it doesn't make it hurt any less 3
ki, you have done it again. i am forever in awe of you and i'm so thankful to you for sending me this arc (,: book after book you never fail to amaze me and i am so excited for this to be out in the world for everyone to read
i really loved how jade was a woman in journalism and how the book shed light on the struggles they face in that industry, i thought that was so important!!!!
oh west. THE NOTES!!!! THIS BOOK HAS NOTES!!!! to have a character who has dyslexia and dysgraphia take the time to write notes for jade has me in actual tears. it shows how much he cares for her.
the whole idea of the trade was so frustrating and i felt that through jade's point of view. i understood why west didn't tell her sooner but it doesn't make it hurt any less 3
August 15, 2023
Thank you all for reading the first book in my brand new series! I hope you enjoy the rollercoaster of emotions these two are bound to put you through. For content warnings, please visit my website.
August 10, 2023
Thank you to Ki for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
In the words of DJ Khaled... ANOTHER ONE! This is my third Ki ARC I've received, and it's my 3rd five star read from her. Honestly, she's a one-click author for me and an instant favorite. Her writing is so smooth, her books always SO good, and I don't think she can do any wrong in my eyes.
I have a giant girl crush on her and it's never going away.
The Trade is book one of the Coastal Rivals series. You do not need to read Spring Tide or Fault Line to enjoy this book, as it's completely separate and stands alone. Jade Jennings is our pineapple and jalapeno pizza loving, football fan, family girl with a passion for journalism. Theodore Westman-Cooke - or "West" - is a football player who has a reputation on campus and has a dire need to enter the draft and play his heart out in the NFL. When Jade and West meet for the first time it doesn't go well. But then they start to talk more, and Jade helps West with his English assignments (which omg super sweet) and one thing leads to another and dot dot dot.
The relationship between these two was so hot and steamy and cute. I loved every second. And there's a 3rd act break-up in this book (around 60%) that had me SCREAMING. I love a third act break-up and honestly, knowing I still had so much more of the book to go - made it even better. The feelings and angst, guh. I was living it with the characters and it was perfection.
This book releases in a few days, and I highly encourage everyone to pick it up! My DMs are open for when you do.
In the words of DJ Khaled... ANOTHER ONE! This is my third Ki ARC I've received, and it's my 3rd five star read from her. Honestly, she's a one-click author for me and an instant favorite. Her writing is so smooth, her books always SO good, and I don't think she can do any wrong in my eyes.
I have a giant girl crush on her and it's never going away.
The Trade is book one of the Coastal Rivals series. You do not need to read Spring Tide or Fault Line to enjoy this book, as it's completely separate and stands alone. Jade Jennings is our pineapple and jalapeno pizza loving, football fan, family girl with a passion for journalism. Theodore Westman-Cooke - or "West" - is a football player who has a reputation on campus and has a dire need to enter the draft and play his heart out in the NFL. When Jade and West meet for the first time it doesn't go well. But then they start to talk more, and Jade helps West with his English assignments (which omg super sweet) and one thing leads to another and dot dot dot.
The relationship between these two was so hot and steamy and cute. I loved every second. And there's a 3rd act break-up in this book (around 60%) that had me SCREAMING. I love a third act break-up and honestly, knowing I still had so much more of the book to go - made it even better. The feelings and angst, guh. I was living it with the characters and it was perfection.
This book releases in a few days, and I highly encourage everyone to pick it up! My DMs are open for when you do.
April 17, 2024
4 🌟
finally popped my ki stephens cherry and bitch was it a fun time. theo/west is a down bad golden retriever who is so painfully smitten and jade was a bad bitch who didn't take any shit. i loved seeing her in journalism and stand her ground in all facets of her life. their chemistry was palpable omg it was fantastic. i could see the 3rd act break up coming from a mile away (which is the only reason it drops a star) and it was annoying but the bits that followed it before the full resolution?! delicious. phenomenal. i love angsty tension, except for what jade did. that was rude but i won't spoil, just know i understand why she did it... pissed me off none the less.
now.... SHANNON AND MICA BEST FRIEND'S BROTHER, SECOND CHANCE, GOOD GIRL REFORMED FUCKBOI, MAN ON A CAMPAIGN???!!!! tell me who's dick i have to suck to get an ARC of that cos i will be on my knees in a damn instant
finally popped my ki stephens cherry and bitch was it a fun time. theo/west is a down bad golden retriever who is so painfully smitten and jade was a bad bitch who didn't take any shit. i loved seeing her in journalism and stand her ground in all facets of her life. their chemistry was palpable omg it was fantastic. i could see the 3rd act break up coming from a mile away (which is the only reason it drops a star) and it was annoying but the bits that followed it before the full resolution?! delicious. phenomenal. i love angsty tension, except for what jade did. that was rude but i won't spoil, just know i understand why she did it... pissed me off none the less.
now.... SHANNON AND MICA BEST FRIEND'S BROTHER, SECOND CHANCE, GOOD GIRL REFORMED FUCKBOI, MAN ON A CAMPAIGN???!!!! tell me who's dick i have to suck to get an ARC of that cos i will be on my knees in a damn instant
September 5, 2023
1.25/5
if you like spring tide and fault line by this author, DO NOT read this book.
as a previous fan of all of ki’s work, i was really happy when she announced she was republishing this book. it seemed interesting enough and i wanted to read something by her, sadly this was not it. absolutely no one in this story was likable or interesting. shan and mica seem to be getting set up for a book but i genuinely could not care less. jade sucks and is annoying. west sucks and is even more annoying. this book is the complete opposite of the other two books and i regret picking it up because it just made me wanna slam my head into a wall. other than insults i have nothing left to say so i’m gonna be done now.
if you like spring tide and fault line by this author, DO NOT read this book.
as a previous fan of all of ki’s work, i was really happy when she announced she was republishing this book. it seemed interesting enough and i wanted to read something by her, sadly this was not it. absolutely no one in this story was likable or interesting. shan and mica seem to be getting set up for a book but i genuinely could not care less. jade sucks and is annoying. west sucks and is even more annoying. this book is the complete opposite of the other two books and i regret picking it up because it just made me wanna slam my head into a wall. other than insults i have nothing left to say so i’m gonna be done now.
August 23, 2023
it was very boring ... took so long for me to finish
October 19, 2023
Thank you Ki for this arc 🏈💜💜💜💜
I like going into books blind so when I when I found out what the trade actually was 😦…..
I knew the third act break up was gonna hurt 💔
Theo & Jade <<33
They were a little messy and complicated but the ANGST had me kicking my feet. I felt like this was fast burn but I didn’t mind at all. That first meeting of dislike turned friends to lovers was delicious to read about. I loved that Theo had learning disabilities with his reading and writing. I think that was amazing representation and seeing Jade supporting him with her lucky sweater & her positive affirmations 🥹 I was smiling non stop.
Theo is imperfect and flawed and I loved him even more for it. I knew a third act break up had to happen cause of all the secrets and lies. It was frustrating seeing Theo run from his problems but I did love his growth 👏He knew how to grovel and make things right which made me happy.
When he’s insecure about his writing but tries to write little notes to her😩😩😩😩 >>>
Jade, my queen!! she was an independent baddie who took no crap from men 👏👏 I love a women whos not scared to put men right in their place 🤌🏻
Read this book!! I really enjoyed spring tide by this author and this one did not disappoint at all!! 🏈💜
“Your hips. Your thighs. Every time I see you in the library I can’t help but imagine my head between your legs” SIR THEO 🧎♀️🧎♀️🧎♀️🧎♀️🧎♀️
I like going into books blind so when I when I found out what the trade actually was 😦…..
I knew the third act break up was gonna hurt 💔
Theo & Jade <<33
They were a little messy and complicated but the ANGST had me kicking my feet. I felt like this was fast burn but I didn’t mind at all. That first meeting of dislike turned friends to lovers was delicious to read about. I loved that Theo had learning disabilities with his reading and writing. I think that was amazing representation and seeing Jade supporting him with her lucky sweater & her positive affirmations 🥹 I was smiling non stop.
Theo is imperfect and flawed and I loved him even more for it. I knew a third act break up had to happen cause of all the secrets and lies. It was frustrating seeing Theo run from his problems but I did love his growth 👏He knew how to grovel and make things right which made me happy.
When he’s insecure about his writing but tries to write little notes to her😩😩😩😩 >>>
Jade, my queen!! she was an independent baddie who took no crap from men 👏👏 I love a women whos not scared to put men right in their place 🤌🏻
Read this book!! I really enjoyed spring tide by this author and this one did not disappoint at all!! 🏈💜
“Your hips. Your thighs. Every time I see you in the library I can’t help but imagine my head between your legs” SIR THEO 🧎♀️🧎♀️🧎♀️🧎♀️🧎♀️
February 11, 2024
This was such a comfort book <33
April 3, 2025
Something I love about college romances is the messiness. The absurdness, the mild to moderate miscommunication, the intense attraction for one another…. And this delivered.
It was a messy (endearing) entertaining ride. I’m seated for the next!
It was a messy (endearing) entertaining ride. I’m seated for the next!
August 19, 2023
i literally finished this in a day, this is by far my favourite book by this author. i loved jade & west sm, this book was the perfect example of girl falls first guy falls harder. i hope there are more books in this series because i had a great time reading this!
July 18, 2023
I was so excited to see that I had received this ARC because I've looked forward to every single one of this author's releases since Spring Tide and this book was no different.
Ki Stephens does college sport romances so well every time and that's coming from someone who isn't even a sports girlie, but if anyone can get me into it, it's her. Not only that, she's also really able to immerse you into the college experience with more than just frat parties and drinking.
Our main characters, Jade and Theo, were two wonderfully flawed characters who were both relatable in their own ways. I loved how independent Jade was and admired her tenacity to go after what she wanted. Theo, although a bit cocky and arrogant, was also very sweet and endearing. I mean, it must be noted that the man had every reason to be cocky so I wasn't even mad about it lmao. Aside from all of that though, I just appreciated the care the author took in writing a character like Theo and how he dealt with certain challenges as a college athlete with a learning disability.
Jade and Theo's initial flirty banter had me smiling like a goof. I loved watching their relationship progress into more. Something about the way they were relentless with their teasing, but also fierce in the way they supported each other, just made their relationship feel organic and real. I loved it.
Despite the last chunk of the book having a couple of tropes that are not typically my jam, I loved the way it all played out. It was the perfect balance of angst, groveling, and sweet declarations of love.
Some of the side characters were great in this. There were definitely plenty of crumbs left that have me invested for every book to come after this. I cannot wait.
Anyway, this book was fun, cute, hot, and a story that is easy to get lost in. I'd definitely recommend picking this one up on release day!
Ki Stephens does college sport romances so well every time and that's coming from someone who isn't even a sports girlie, but if anyone can get me into it, it's her. Not only that, she's also really able to immerse you into the college experience with more than just frat parties and drinking.
Our main characters, Jade and Theo, were two wonderfully flawed characters who were both relatable in their own ways. I loved how independent Jade was and admired her tenacity to go after what she wanted. Theo, although a bit cocky and arrogant, was also very sweet and endearing. I mean, it must be noted that the man had every reason to be cocky so I wasn't even mad about it lmao. Aside from all of that though, I just appreciated the care the author took in writing a character like Theo and how he dealt with certain challenges as a college athlete with a learning disability.
Jade and Theo's initial flirty banter had me smiling like a goof. I loved watching their relationship progress into more. Something about the way they were relentless with their teasing, but also fierce in the way they supported each other, just made their relationship feel organic and real. I loved it.
Despite the last chunk of the book having a couple of tropes that are not typically my jam, I loved the way it all played out. It was the perfect balance of angst, groveling, and sweet declarations of love.
Some of the side characters were great in this. There were definitely plenty of crumbs left that have me invested for every book to come after this. I cannot wait.
Anyway, this book was fun, cute, hot, and a story that is easy to get lost in. I'd definitely recommend picking this one up on release day!
April 10, 2024
It’s the way I was in such a bad reading slump, but this book pulled me RIGHT out of it 🤩
After reading and loving the Coastal U series, I wasn’t expecting the sheer level of angst in this book, but Ki truly DELIVERED on it! I was stressed the whole time (but in a good way), and I could not stop reading to see what would happen next. I flew through this book so so quickly!
Given the synopsis and the first 20% of the book, I was nervous about how it would play out. But Ki laid out the story so well, and the writing was amazing. I absolutely loved Jade’s character, and West was so down bad for her — it was the best!
Anyways, the angst was the star of the show, and I adore Jade & West even though they gave me lots of anxiety LOL. Ki proves that she’s one of my favorite authors with every book I read from her, and I can’t wait for more of this series — as well as any other book she releases 💜
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
omg go off ki bc i was not expecting the sheer level of angst in this?! like wow. it was done so well & i flew through this book <3
After reading and loving the Coastal U series, I wasn’t expecting the sheer level of angst in this book, but Ki truly DELIVERED on it! I was stressed the whole time (but in a good way), and I could not stop reading to see what would happen next. I flew through this book so so quickly!
Given the synopsis and the first 20% of the book, I was nervous about how it would play out. But Ki laid out the story so well, and the writing was amazing. I absolutely loved Jade’s character, and West was so down bad for her — it was the best!
Anyways, the angst was the star of the show, and I adore Jade & West even though they gave me lots of anxiety LOL. Ki proves that she’s one of my favorite authors with every book I read from her, and I can’t wait for more of this series — as well as any other book she releases 💜
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
omg go off ki bc i was not expecting the sheer level of angst in this?! like wow. it was done so well & i flew through this book <3
August 1, 2023
4.5/5 ⭐️
Ki never disappoints! Converted into a football girlie because of her! I went into this book blindly, just knowing that it was a college sports romance was enough for me. But when I found out the meaning behind the title, I was left shocked and anxious but so excited to see how everything would unfold. To be fair, the synopsis says it all, I just like going into books blindly.
Jade and West are opposites but they bring out the best in each other. Jade is so fun and independent. She really speaks her mind. West is your very typical college athlete, essentially a player, never wanting to really settle. Jade's older brother is an NFL player so she definitely knows how to handle West and his friends. She really had me cracking up so many times, she's so funny. Jade really helps West show his best self. I love them so much!
Thank you so much Ki for the ARC! The Trade comes out on Aug 15.
Ki never disappoints! Converted into a football girlie because of her! I went into this book blindly, just knowing that it was a college sports romance was enough for me. But when I found out the meaning behind the title, I was left shocked and anxious but so excited to see how everything would unfold. To be fair, the synopsis says it all, I just like going into books blindly.
Jade and West are opposites but they bring out the best in each other. Jade is so fun and independent. She really speaks her mind. West is your very typical college athlete, essentially a player, never wanting to really settle. Jade's older brother is an NFL player so she definitely knows how to handle West and his friends. She really had me cracking up so many times, she's so funny. Jade really helps West show his best self. I love them so much!
Thank you so much Ki for the ARC! The Trade comes out on Aug 15.
November 5, 2023
Esto se define en una sola palabra: DRAMA. Mucho, muchísimo drama. Y me encantaría decir que lo odié pero estaría mintiendo, porque yo VIVÍ esto al máximo. Los personajes cometen errores, desesperan y EVOLUCIONAN. Me encantó.
August 24, 2023
— 3.75 stars
all in all a good written book but i didn’t like how fast the main characters fell for each other, it was too rushed
all in all a good written book but i didn’t like how fast the main characters fell for each other, it was too rushed
August 26, 2023
rating: 4.25
Ki Stephens is fast becoming one of my instant-read authors, i just really fuck with her writing.
i love how she writes neurodivergent characters without the overused, clichéd tropes (uber-successful billionaire control freak who is tidy af) and clearly puts in research and thought into writing it into her characters' journies. in The Trade, Theo is dyslexic and dysgraphic (which i'd never heard of before) and struggles to make it through his classes to maintain his athletic scholarship. enter Jade to help tutor him, a feisty and ambitious sports journalist - who's trying to avoid being in her older NFL star brother's shadow.
i loved their chemistry, and while i could see the collision coming from a mile away between his old crush on her new roommate and past fuckboy-ery, i had to know what would happen.
this one is pretty angsty with pining and groveling, but i was on my period and definitely in the mood for it.
i'm going to continue inhaling everything Stephens gives us.
Ki Stephens is fast becoming one of my instant-read authors, i just really fuck with her writing.
i love how she writes neurodivergent characters without the overused, clichéd tropes (uber-successful billionaire control freak who is tidy af) and clearly puts in research and thought into writing it into her characters' journies. in The Trade, Theo is dyslexic and dysgraphic (which i'd never heard of before) and struggles to make it through his classes to maintain his athletic scholarship. enter Jade to help tutor him, a feisty and ambitious sports journalist - who's trying to avoid being in her older NFL star brother's shadow.
i loved their chemistry, and while i could see the collision coming from a mile away between his old crush on her new roommate and past fuckboy-ery, i had to know what would happen.
this one is pretty angsty with pining and groveling, but i was on my period and definitely in the mood for it.
i'm going to continue inhaling everything Stephens gives us.
December 29, 2025
Thank you to the author for the opportunity to read this advanced reader copy. This honest review was based off my experience reading this eARC, which in no way biased me. All opinions are my own.
I am a Ki Stephens fan first, and human second.
I have read all 3 books that she has released (in a year I may add, GO KI 👏🏼👏🏼) and every single one has been banger, after banger, after banger. Yes, this is your sign to go read Spring Tide and Fault Line by her, if you haven’t done so already.
ANYWAY back to the review for The Trade.
We’ve got a contemporary romance set in college with a campus newspaper journalist, and a football player. 👀 Theo, my wholesome sweet baby angel of a football player, he is absolutely tough and cocky on the outside, but oh so insecure and mushy gushy ooey gooey on the inside and I love him. Jade, my super independent FMC who I adore. She’s a much harder nut to crack, because she’s a bit jaded, (please laugh at my pun, thank you). She grew up with an older brother who plays football so she got to see almost first hand how athletes can treat the people they choose to pursue and so she wanted to avoid that by going the “boring ‘nice guy’” route, well it got boring.
Theo and Jade are strangers to friends (who have a moment of tutor/tutored 👀) to lovers and it was such a joy to read their journey. Yes he MAY have had a few ulterior motives (Ki does mention secrets and betrayals AND SHE MEANT IT 😭) as to the reasoning behind befriending her, (BUT HEY EVERYONE MAKES MISTAKES EVERYONE HAS THOSE DAYS). He does QUICKLY get his priorities straight but alas shit hits the fan and it gets me emotional.
It’s funny, because I would say they have the opposite of a meet cute, a meet disaster we shall call it. BUT WE LOVE A MAN WHO CAN ADMIT HE FUCKED UP AND APOLOGIZE.
GOD, just recalling bits of this book to be able to write this review has me itching to reread ALREADY. Their banter and chemistry is just *CHEFS KISS*.
Anyway, I am bad at expressing how much I love some books, AND THATS ON ME BUT YOU SHOULD READ IT FOR YOURSELF AND FALL IN LOVE WITH THEOJADE ON YOUR OWN.
THANK ME LATER.
That’s it that’s the review, thank you for coming to by TEDTalk.
I am a Ki Stephens fan first, and human second.
I have read all 3 books that she has released (in a year I may add, GO KI 👏🏼👏🏼) and every single one has been banger, after banger, after banger. Yes, this is your sign to go read Spring Tide and Fault Line by her, if you haven’t done so already.
ANYWAY back to the review for The Trade.
We’ve got a contemporary romance set in college with a campus newspaper journalist, and a football player. 👀 Theo, my wholesome sweet baby angel of a football player, he is absolutely tough and cocky on the outside, but oh so insecure and mushy gushy ooey gooey on the inside and I love him. Jade, my super independent FMC who I adore. She’s a much harder nut to crack, because she’s a bit jaded, (please laugh at my pun, thank you). She grew up with an older brother who plays football so she got to see almost first hand how athletes can treat the people they choose to pursue and so she wanted to avoid that by going the “boring ‘nice guy’” route, well it got boring.
Theo and Jade are strangers to friends (who have a moment of tutor/tutored 👀) to lovers and it was such a joy to read their journey. Yes he MAY have had a few ulterior motives (Ki does mention secrets and betrayals AND SHE MEANT IT 😭) as to the reasoning behind befriending her, (BUT HEY EVERYONE MAKES MISTAKES EVERYONE HAS THOSE DAYS). He does QUICKLY get his priorities straight but alas shit hits the fan and it gets me emotional.
It’s funny, because I would say they have the opposite of a meet cute, a meet disaster we shall call it. BUT WE LOVE A MAN WHO CAN ADMIT HE FUCKED UP AND APOLOGIZE.
GOD, just recalling bits of this book to be able to write this review has me itching to reread ALREADY. Their banter and chemistry is just *CHEFS KISS*.
Anyway, I am bad at expressing how much I love some books, AND THATS ON ME BUT YOU SHOULD READ IT FOR YOURSELF AND FALL IN LOVE WITH THEOJADE ON YOUR OWN.
THANK ME LATER.
That’s it that’s the review, thank you for coming to by TEDTalk.
August 3, 2023
“It’s a rush, the way we fit so perfectly together. And nothing, not even the sounds of the cheering crowd, can drown out the thundering of his heartbeat against mine.”
thanks again for the arc ki✨
tropes:
sports football romance
she falls first he falls (way) harder
university setting
secret and lies
opposites attract
cocky mmc and indipendent fmc
if there's one thing i've learned from reading ki's books it's that she writes college romances really well every time in fact i'm ready for the next book to be released! and yes ripple effect i’m talking about u 🤭.
about jade and theo i loved reading about how their relationship developed and i especially loved the character of jade! we need more girls like her ✨
that’s a good start for a new series 🤞🏼 and can’t wait to see the next couple from it 🫶🏼
out on august 15th ☀️
thanks again for the arc ki✨
tropes:
sports football romance
she falls first he falls (way) harder
university setting
secret and lies
opposites attract
cocky mmc and indipendent fmc
if there's one thing i've learned from reading ki's books it's that she writes college romances really well every time in fact i'm ready for the next book to be released! and yes ripple effect i’m talking about u 🤭.
about jade and theo i loved reading about how their relationship developed and i especially loved the character of jade! we need more girls like her ✨
that’s a good start for a new series 🤞🏼 and can’t wait to see the next couple from it 🫶🏼
out on august 15th ☀️
August 25, 2023
(3.25/5) not as good as her other 2 books but still cute
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