Promise Me

RLU #1

by Carlie Jean

Aurora
This was it. Senior year.
I was getting rid of all distractions and focusing on my sole goal, making the Olympic team.
Until I start failing one of my classes and need a tutor.
The problem? He’s hotter than sin, and a mystery, making him more enticing to me than he should be.
But what happens when we become friends and the lines start to blur?
We make promises we can’t keep.

Cameron
Senior year at last.
Everything I’ve been working for my whole life is finally falling into place.
But then I meet her.
I want her despite knowing I shouldn’t.
We both have goals to reach this year.
We make promises to each other, and I’m going to do everything I can to keep them.

Genres: Romance, Sports Romance, Sports, Friends To Lovers, College Romance, College, Contemporary Romance

332 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 10, 2023

About the author

Hi! My name is Carlie Jean, a girl who loves to write new adult romances featuring protective males and strong heroines with a side of spice, tension, laughter, and a hefty dose of scenes that give readers butterflies.

When I’m not teaching little ones, you can find me cozied up at home, either writing or reading. And when I’m not being a couch potato, I enjoy walking my dog, playing volleyball and baseball, and traveling.

Reviews

[caleigh (busy)]

so ... i never dnf books. call me an optimist, but i always convince myself that a book will improve by the end.

but on page 49 of this i just can’t do it anymore 😭

the writing is giving 13 year old me writing on wattpad and convincing myself it was ny times bestselling content. it’s so choppy and all tell, no show.

like ... “Something no one knows about me is that I love to draw. It may seem silly or odd with my athletic persona, but it’s my thing.”
– GIRL ARE WE 10??? i vaguely remember writing something very similar to this in a story in elementary school.

which brings me to the characters. they’re supposed to be so #different and #quirky but it’s the kind that’s forced. the main girl is this star volleyball player who’s gone celibate because she has to focus on her game or else!! and our main guy is this saint who doesn’t even look at girls romantically because he wants to take care of his mom and sister? someone needs to learn time management bc????

this is overall just such a cliche college romance, which i knew going in of course, but the execution is just so bad i laughed the entire time 🧍🏼‍♀️ pick up any other college romance book and it’s probably more worth ur time than this one. it literally gave the deal but reverse the roles and make it volleyball.

—
i saw ONE (1) post on my explore page about this book and suddenly i’m reading it 🧍🏼‍♀️

[Mira · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel cheated. The hero fucks like a playboy.

[Roza · Rating 2 out of 5]

I barely survived her nickname for him, which was freaking "BUB" 😭 and I barely survived the smut in this book... yes, you read that right, the smut! The way they were talking during the smut was not giving what it was supposed to 💀

I would say both characters and story had potential and there was cute moments. But after some chapters both felt flat for me. There was barely anything happening with the plot, besides the ending chapters "drama" with their "break" and her falling and getting concussion and not making it to game... which btw was not necessary as she still got into the team? The way those characters would talk and think was really cringy. Stuff he said was giving me pick me and she was way too dramatic 😭 I honestly couldn't care less to go in detail what exactly was so bad with this book... still I'll go with 2.5 ⭐️ as it's a new author and new series. Next book is Jasmine and Elio couple and that one crumb they had in this book was good and got me curious. So sadly my pathetic self will be reading it. I genuinely hope next book is better, but I will keep my hopes small as in next one Jasmine will be the virgin...

[** Lucie ( Taylor's version ) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75/5

I ATE THAT. I think it has been too long since I've read a romance and this book was perfect !!!

[keonna ᥫ᭡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

“𝙉𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙮 𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙞𝙣 𝙞𝙩. 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢, 𝙍𝙤𝙧𝙮.”

⤷ these two are the cutest omg! *𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗶 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮* I vividly remember seeing a tiktok about this book where the fmc is on her period and the mmc buys all her favorite snacks and a heating pad then I immediately ran on here to add it to my tbr. (𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗸𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗮 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗵𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗶𝗸𝘁𝗼𝗸)


𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘁- ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

⤷ I loved the concept of this book more than I expected to. this was my first time reading a romance book with the reverse athlete x tutor trope and I have to admit, I’m a lil obsessed.

⤷ aurora is a star volleyball player, who’s also the dean’s daughter and is failing a class because she struggles with balancing her classes and games. she ends up getting assigned a tutor who’s a cinnamon roll, tech nerd and they both initially find the other attractive but aren’t open to dating because they’re too focused on their own passions. 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝗹𝗼𝘄-𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗲𝘁’𝘀 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝘆 𝗮𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗿𝗮’𝘀 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗻. 🤭


𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗲- ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

⤷ the spice was good, and very accurate based on the tropes of this book. though, it was a lil too much 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗲 at points. these two were at it 24/7 to the point I was genuinely getting concerned. 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗺𝗰 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗥. “𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻, 𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆” 𝗟𝗢𝗟. jokes aside some of the scenes really had me squealing.


𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗱:

🌲 dual pov
🌲 slow-burn
🌲 protective mmc
🌲 friends to lovers
🌲 college sports romance
🌲 athlete fmc x tutor mmc
🌲 sworn-off relationships
🌲”who did this to you?” vibes


𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗜 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸:

⤷ I’m a slut for romance books where the main couple are mature. this was so satisfying to read mainly because there was barely any miscommunication, and if there was it was cleared up swiftly. there was also no third-act breakup!

⤷ the main couple was genuinely a good match. y’know when you read a romance book and the couple just don’t seem that suited for each other? when it feels almost forced? I never felt that once while reading this. they seemed to have enough in common that this felt authentic and realistic.

⤷ I enjoyed their dynamic. reading about these two falling in love was so much fun. especially their banter. they were both funny and honest which made this book harder to put down.

⤷ cameron. the man he is…ugh! he just made my standards impossibly higher. he’s one of the best book boyfriends I’ve read in a while. you just know he was written by a woman because there’s no way a man could be this caring and perfect.🥹

⤷ loved that the portrayal of the different relationships in this book were mostly healthy. almost everyone that mattered was nice and cool. honorable mentions for jasmine, aurora’s dad, lexa, and finn; these characters deserve the world.


𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸:

⤷ the writing felt a little mediocre imo. I saw a lot of people saying it reads like a wattpad book which I have to agree with. nothing against wattpad though because I dabble in some of the books on there myself. I do think the writing improved the further I went but overall, I felt like the writing is what held this book back.

⤷ the dialogue during sex scenes had me cringing at some points. maybe I’m just not a fan of dirty talk but every time the mmc said “needy pussy” I felt the urge to get up and take several laps.😭

⤷ also might be petty thing to dislike but if the guy ain’t british he shouldn’t be nicknaming anyone “love”.


𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀:

⤷ overall I really enjoyed this and I loved the ending, especially the epilogue. will definitely be reading the second book when it’s out. 𝗜’𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼’𝘀 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗺𝗺𝗰 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲.

[Colleen Hissom · Rating 2 out of 5]

This man is a virgin??? Yeah absolutely not

[Bethie_books · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too much ICK!!!🤮🤮🤮

I honestly have no idea where to start... The storyline and tropes had so much potential, but the author did not do them justice. I love the reverse tropes SO much. Reverse athlete, reverse tutor, reverse virgin, etc. The way the author butchered every last one of these made me roll my eyes and take deep breaths to calm myself down.

Another thing, I don't mind insta-love tropes, but the mind-boggling start of the MC's relationship made me want to pull my hair out. No offense, but you are not best friends after after a tutoring session and a hike in the woods. I would need to seriously look at the psyche of a person if that happened in real life.
*But Bethie, it's a book, and not real life! *
Which I'd reply, that if you want to make a contemporary sports romance good, make it realistic...

The reverse virgin trope is one of the major factors that pulled me to read this book. If any of y'all know me, then you know I'm a SLUT for MMC virgins. I was so disappointed that the MMC never even showed any realistic tendencies about loosing his virginity. He was too alpha male and the author portrayed him as this dirty talker who knew everything about how to pleasure a woman. Sure he had a girlfriend in high school that he touched some bases with, but no man who hasn't done the deed should act like the MMC did. Again, not realistic and very much of a letdown.

Lastly, what's with the cheesy and cringey nicknames?!?!? I typically don't mind the nickname "love," but when it comes out of the MMC's mouth, it makes me want to barf. Want to know what the FMC calls the MMC??

"BUB."
Yes, you read that right. The amount of times I cringed everytime she called him that was astronomical! I can understand a brother or even son being called that, but a BOYFRIEND?!?!?🤮🤮🤮

[Lily · Rating 1 out of 5]

A big thank you to Valentine PR and Carlie Jean for giving me an e-ARC of this new sports romance to read and review!

Unfortunately, this book was just not for me. The biggest issue for me was the writing - the prose and dialogue felt stilted and unnatural, and most of the exposition lacked any nuance or good technique. A lot of the time, the characters were recounting or telling the reader their emotions or observations, rather than those aspects of the story being displayed through dialogue, technique, etc. I found it incredibly difficult to get into the story when the writing style was just not to my taste. Beyond that, I found the characterisation fairly weak, and as a result didn't really connect with either Aurora or Cameron.

It's a shame, because I love a college sports romance and this one certainly had promise - but unfortunately, though it may be a perfect for others, it just completely missed the mark for me.

[readbydj 🧺 · Rating 4 out of 5]

such a feel good read. very cute and spicy? like spicy enough that i was confused if the mmc was a virgin like the author said or not 😭

[hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

hello friends! i'm so sorry i haven't been active in a while, life got very busy/crazy for me and i had to take a hiatus. i hope everyone is doing well! 🥰

this was the perfect little short and hella cute read i needed. i'm hoping since this read went so well i'll slowly start to come out of my funk and be able to read more again.

i love when books include tropes that we normally don't see. for example, here we a playgirl x hot nerd who tutors her, she's her uni's star volleyball player who is trying to make it into the Olympics and he's trying to get a job at Disney for coding. plus he is also a cinnamon roll and a caretaker 🥺 (oh and he's a virgin) everything about these tropes called to me when i seen in on tik tok (i can't believe a tik tok rec actually worked for me) and i'm happy to say i enjoyed it even though this does read like a wattpad story imo, especially with all the "popping the p" LMAOOO. i think if you just go in for a good time and roll with it, the book is enjoyable. their relationship was really refreshing and healthy. plus we have amazing supportive side characters. i don't know how many books are in this series but i'm excited to see the other couples.

🏐 when it's cold or raining outside, he has her wait inside while he brings the car around or he warms up the car first
🏐 when she was on her period and had really bad cramps, he got her her favourite cake, ice cream, ibuprofen, and a weighted heating pad shaped in a cupcake because that is her nickname 😭
🏐 "who did this to you"
🏐 he wears a necklace with the number 25 (that's her jersey number)
🏐 he calls her "love"
🏐 he's hella protective of her and she was equally possessive over him too 😍

and honestly the list goes on, so if you like reading about a mmc that is a total simp for his girl, then this book is the one.

[Ashley · Rating 1 out of 5]

take every trope you can think of, shake it up really hard, and top it with wattpad writing. just didn’t do anything for me. (tw: she calls him bub)

[Sydney · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have MANY notes:
1) this man is NOT a virgin
2) no real volleyball player has ever said the word “spike” in their life
3) there’s no “center” position in volleyball
4) there’s no “serving corner” in volleyball
5) your hand placement on the ball when hitting actually DOES matter — it matters a whole lot actually
5) absolutely terrible and unrealistic dialogue
6) this book should have never been written oh my god it’s so bad

[megan ◡̈]

dnf at 30% 🥲

[marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

You know when you hear an old favorite song and it fills you with a warm, happy feeling at the familiar tune? Yeah, that’s what listening to her laugh did to me, and despite it being new, it feels like my heart knows its tune already. I’m in trouble.

✧𓈒⋆ 2.5 stars𓈒⋆✧
rounded to 3

don't get me wrong, i love some cute fluffy college romance as much as the next person, but this was just wattpad in its pure form. it wasn't that bad as i still enjoyed some cheesy moments, but other than that? i don't know this book didn't do much for me. maybe it's that i'm way past the teenage giddiness and some romantic encounters are way too cheesy for me. maybe i'm looking for more logical basis for relationship. or maybe i'm just bitching as usual, who know. i just wanted to say that this somehow wasn't it for me, but at the same time i don't want to rate it way too low, you know? as i hope the writing and concepts improve moving further on.

this book had all the things to be amazing with pretty rare concept of virgin mmc and reformed fmc, it had the potential to be entertaining and all the means to bring something new. but oh my, this was so incredibly unrealistic and non-logical that i had to put my kindle away for a while just to take a breath and calm down. those characters were hot and cold, they couldn't wrap their minds around whatever was happening in their lives. one scene we see them being happy and in love, saying that the whole world could screw itself if only they have each other, and in the next chapter they are acting completely opposite. their dreams and goals that were set as obstacles of them to finally get together are treated as obstacles at first, but ten pages later they are just little inconveniences and that's all. there was a moment in which the fmc, aurora, said that her and cameron are doing so well with balancing their relationship and their dreams, and then ten pages later she tells him that she needs to take a break because she can't focus on volleyball and training. i swear, nothing changed in those ten pages, but somehow she decided to do so. why? who knows.

i want to rant, but at the same time i don't as this is a debut novel and i see the potential in this series with next books, but i just don't understand this one. there were some good moment here and some scenes definitely made me giddy like cameron brining aurora ice cream, cake and cupcake heating pad [because her dad calls her cupcake duh] when she was suffering through her period cramps. i also loved how protective he was over her, how he didn't take any shit from other people and he stepped up for her without any second thoughts. this was good, their scenes were cheesy, but i guess i was up for some cheesiness, so those worked for me just fine.

“Yeah, I do. I know you said you didn’t want a boyfriend, but I’m hoping I can change that.”
“And you said you didn’t want a girlfriend either,” she says, her brows pinching together.
Yeah, I need to make this clear for her so there’s no miscommunication about what I want.
“I also told you that I would if I found someone who was worth it and, love, you surpass that. It’s me who doesn’t feel worthy of you. But I’m willing to try. Let me, please?”

✧𓈒⋆ aurora vallacourt 𓈒⋆✧
i just don't know what to say here as for me aurora felt really flat and kind of pointless? is it okay to say about the fmc? i didn't understand her, she was changing her mind so quickly that it was hard to understand what exactly was she thinking and feeling even through her pov. her determination to volleyball really wasn't that big of a deal in the end as apparently she had another dream that she wanted to pursue. still, she wanted to play volleyball and felt like her life depended on it. her relationship with other people except from cameron were all talks no action, we definetely read that her and jasmine are best friends, but they barely had any moments together. the same goes for theo, they didn't even hang out much, but still somehow aurora was constantly repeating that her and theo are besties.

i guess, it's my general problem with this book as it tells you things without actually showing them and i don't like when this happens.

✧𓈒⋆ cameron fields 𓈒⋆✧
i want to say that he was a bright star here, but again, he had his problems too. i would say that i loved him more than aurora at least. he was sweet and caring, very protective and charming. i really loved the way he cared and stood up, but other than that? i don't know, it felt like he was contradicting himself. and oh, virgins don't talk dirty like sex gods! almost always virgins are shy and not experienced, that's the concept, right? here cameron, the mmc, acted like he was sex god himself, he knew what to say, he knew what to do, he knew how to act. you may say that for some people it comes naturally. okay, maybe, i'm not saying it doesn't, i'm just saying that if the virgin mmc is advertised as a trope it shouldn't be executed like that.

what i hated about him is that he was saying that he will never put a girl above his goals and by the end of this book he did just this. he was sacrificing throughout this whole relationship and it's screaming very unhealthy for me.

✧𓈒⋆ aurora & cameron 𓈒⋆✧
look, this was instalove/instalust and it was very clear. the setting for it? it felt kind of out of place for me. they were instantly in love and it was very obvious. the circumstances that were preventing them from being together didn't feel that serious as they were kind of used as plot devices. their relationship felt like going back and forth and, okay, for some people it may work, but for me it didn't.

i once again would like to mention that i'm giving it higher rating because this was a) a debut novel; b) very cute and cheesy. and call the police, i love some cheesy overprotective stuff. him giving her heating pad? preparing dinner together? meeting family? going tube riding? sue me, i love some cute romantic stuff

“I know she has some walls up…in certain aspects of her life if you catch my drift. But if you see her, truly see her. Try, okay?” Part of me wants to do my best to jump off this couch and slam Jasmine's lips shut, while the other part is on the edge of my seat, waiting to hear Cam's response.
There’s a short pause until his smooth, deep voice penetrates the silence. “I do see her.”

as i said, it wasn't that bad, it was just wattpadish and for some people it works, but for me, unfortunately, it doesn't. i'm giving a bonus star for being a debut novel and actually for some cutesy overload, because i did enjoy some parts. i would be reading the second book as well, because i saw someone mentioning that the writing really improved there, so let's hope so.

[kebs · Rating 1 out of 5]

the idea was good.
the execution? not so much.

this book wasn't written for me to enjoy, it didn't meet the standard i expect from books and i do realize i'm probably not the target audience.
there were simply too many irritating aspects for me to get fully immersed:
1) the wattpad-like writing, it was dry, didn't flow smoothly, the overall composition was disrupting
2) the characters were constantly making assumptions about something/someone, there were also a few moments were they acted completely out of their character for no apparent reason and i still don't know why, if you decide to give a character certain personality traits, they shouldn't miraculously disappear... the thing is, i kniw people can do unexplainable things when somethin traumatic happens but this wasn't the case here
3) the big drama was unreasonable and not that big and serious as the mc made it look like
4) mc's family surname, why do they keep repeating it all the f-ing time
...there were a few other details that bugged me but i guess i don't want to waste any more time on writing this. however what i want to say is i believe this author has the potential to write a great romance story, it'll just take a lot of practice, time and a good editor.

[Salma]

edited

[winnie · Rating 2 out of 5]

cute read but I feel like the next book's couple will be my fav, Jasmine is already my number one girl in the series.

[Kelsey Wagner · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this one so much. The concept was good but it just wasn’t executed in the way I needed. I never felt like we experienced how they were feeling, rather we were just told it. And the characters went from a bad first to encounter, to omg I can’t stop thinking about her/him within a day and I just couldn’t vibe with it.

[Caitlin Dupree · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yeah this one missed the mark for me. I breezed through it in a day, but around the halfway mark, I was just ready for it to be over. The beginning of the book wasn’t bad for a kindle romance novel, but as things progressed, I felt myself being taken out of the story. I started to hear the author’s voice instead of the characters’, and I started noticing lots of little things that really bothered me.

Like many reviewers, I found this on my for you page on Instagram and was instantly intrigued by the male main character. A virgin who can talk like that?? I was interested to see how his character would be developed. Color me shocked when I discovered there wasn’t any development lol. He’s just perfect I guess. No flaws, knows exactly what to do in bed, and literally refers to himself as a cinnamon roll. Yes - we are actually using booktok terms unironically now in our novels. Love that 😒

Unfortunately, the writing in this book is disappointing. The characters just tell you what they’re thinking/feeling instead of the author showing it to us. It felt like I was reading two teenagers’ diaries. Some examples:

“I feel safe, happy, and at ease with him.”

“It’s the most fun I’ve ever had a dinner.”

In another scene, our MMC asks the FMC a question about her family. And I shit you not it’s followed with this thought: “I ask, wanting to know more about her family.”

It was just overall a very juvenile writing style.

Also didn’t like the nicknames the characters have for each other. He calls her “love” which just sounds like an old British man referring to any woman he ever speaks to. She calls him “bub” ??!? Gag me - sounds like something you would call your small child or even a pet.

Spice was the best part of the story, although it was way over the top for me, and not in a good way. I love good spice in a romance, but I also need it to feel somewhat believable, and this was… not. It doesn’t have to actually be realistic, but a good author shows their skill by making the reader feel like it is.

As an aspiring writer myself, I made tons of notes on things NOT to do, so I’m giving an extra star just for that.

Overall 2 stars and doubt I keep reading anything by this author.

[Apoorva Sharma · Rating 5 out of 5]

ONE OF MY TOP READS OF 2023 🤌🏼👀

Releasing on 10th October

Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice 🌶️🌶️🌶️
There are come books that once you read, you want to hold on to them a little bit longer before talking about it with everyone.

Promise Me is one such promising book 💚

Experience this book will give you:

🏐She is an Olympic Aspirant
💚 He is the Nerdy Tutor
🏐 She is kind of the reformed Playgirl
💚 He is a Goody Two Shoe
🏐 He wears her number
💚 Good Boy won’t mind turning bad

Aurora is the IT Girl of her University, the one aiming for the position in USA team for Volleyball but she is failing her class so obviously her dad aka the Dean gets her a tutor who is a dimpled man but not actually charmed

What happens when this teaching arrangement turns into friendship 😩😩

Aurora 💚

She is the girl who shows a strong front but has her insecurities something that her so called previous partner if you can even call him that instilled in her.

Cameron 💚

I loved how sweet he is and how there is a shift at certain parts throughout the book. He is the cinnamonest cinnamon roll hero and I am in for it

I loved how their bond was slowly built and not insta attraction, the things Cameron did for Rory called me out single in 100 ways but I don’t mind💚💚

This book is the one for people who love sports romance because this book is the exact opposite of what we all have been offered till now and the author delivered it beautifully..

[Andi Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

✨ ARC review ✨

My rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Spice level: 🌶️🌶️.5

YOU GUYS MUST READ THIS BOOK. I read it in less than 24 hours & I cannot stop thinking about it!!!

This book was absolute perfection. 🫶🏻

After letting her grades slip while putting all her focus on volleyball & making team USA, Aurora finds herself in desperate need of a tutor. Enter: Cameron.

Cameron is hands down one of my fav book boyfriends. 👏🏻 he was so sweet & protective & supportive of Aurora. Did I mention he wears a necklace with her volleyball number on it and calls her love?? 🫠

I just love these two so much! Carlie, this was incredible. 💚

What to expect:
• volleyball player fmc
• he’s her tutor
• cinnamon roll x virgin mmc
• who did this to you
• sweet & spicy

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Last read of 2024! Hope everyone has a happy new year!!

I’ll admit this started off verrrrrrrry very wattpadish. But it DID get better!

[El. · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5★
The tropes in this book are amazing, she is the athlete, playing volleyball, he is a computer nerd, opposites attract in reverse, they both like to hike, she is dealing with grief, he is a caretaker. But the telling and some of the plot overshadows it all.

What I didn’t like most, second hand story telling, MCs explaining events happened in brief because it was referred to in another random scene. I wanted to witness those moments myself, not listen them from MCs. Aside from events, the traits of MCs were also always told, she is best volleyball player, he is one the best coders, making a very special project for disney, this happened, that happened but they are mostly second hand stories.

The idea of characters and plot excited me a lot, I couldn’t like the writing style and how MCs acted.

Some dialogues were very juvenile and veered into cheesy area for collage students, making it hard to believe. I’m not sure if girls around 20-22 talk the way Aurora speaks, maybe. I love volleyball, watching it especially. I was hoping to see an exciting game at least, some vivid game description and Auroras passion for it. A few of games briefly mentioned as in they won and mostly brushed off that I couldn’t feel the adrenaline and excitement at all, and Aurora wasn’t convincing in her game, though she was aiming for olympics team, she made it in the end without putting much effort in.

Other main problem for me, was with Cameron, he often acted in a controlling manner although he was supposed to be a super sweet, supportive guy. Actually yes, he was. But a lot of his actions disturbed me as a woman. He was the same towards his mother and sister. It is brushed off as a sign of affection and protectiveness but the line between protective and controlling was crossed over multiple times, sadly. The way he was holding grudge against towards all women because his high school girlfriend was a bit petty.

I think, one of my least liked tropes is virgin MCs. And the way it is being made into a huge, dramatic thing, contrary to reality. Though here it was used in reverse, compared to majority of romance books which is a plus, I guess. But, even though you know a lot about sex beforehand, there is no way you will be in that much of control in your first time. Or immediately unlock kinky sex moves. These parts I found highly unreal and unnecessary.

Despite all those problems, I really loved the idea of the book, I loved the reverse tropes and some non-mainstream sports romance. And there were cute moments, in the beginning they both claimed not wanting a relationship but then slowly found themselves in one, where they had quite nights in, or the lack of toxicity, supporting each others dreams and they had fun as a couple in their own ways, so if you can look beyond the writing style it is a cute, lighthearted book.

“Promise me? Promise me that no matter what happens, we won’t lose sight of us, nor our dreams,”

[iris [updating reviews] · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay so I finally got around to writing this review.

*Minor spoilers ahead.*

Promise Me by Carlie Jean

The book is about this girl Aurora who is failing one of her classes and needs a tutor. Some guy called Cameron is assigned to her. (I don't remember their last names) Anyway, it's the usual - they grow closer, fall for each other, etc etc. You might ask, "what differentiates this book from other romance books?" Well, he's (apparently) a virgin.

Opinions?

I actually liked the book in the beginning. The writing wasn't the best but it was consumable. I think the book started to go downhill after they got together. They were far too horny and the smut was the only "plot" at that point.

It's very easy to get my hopes up in books, so when it was revealed that the mmc is a virgin, I was actually interested because I haven't read many virgin mmcs. So what was the problem? The author LIED. I was cheated into anticipation only to be let down. That man was a playboy in his previous life. There's no other explanation for the way he fucked. Dear authors, please don't do this.

Also... "bub" ?????? No. Can we just stick to "babe" and "baby" as nicknames. Tf is "bub"??

Lastly, why is that man always growling?

"He growls."

"It's the primal-sounding growl I listen to instead."

"The snarl that rips out of Cameron is feral..."

Rawr👹

Quotes:

He's so freaking cute I want to squeeze his cheeks and dive my tongue between his lips, finding out what he tastes like.

...girl what?

"Need to taste you."

Okay caveman.

I want my bub, my strong mountain man, to wrap me in his arms where I feel safe and loved.

I cannot take this seriously😭

[veronica ☽ · Rating 3 out of 5]

The inner dialogues of Cam and Aurora were very repetitive and at the end of the chapter he would say “I can’t be with her or think about her, I need to focus on my family and school.” And the plot line of him being cheated on in HIGH SCHOOL and still carrying that grudge as a 25 year old was crazy. The other reasons why he didn’t allow himself to hold romantic relationships made sense but high school drama didn’t…

There were also a few discrepancies in the writing that made it hard to push through. “She clung to me like a koala clings to bamboo”, “we order pad thai and miso soup”… Babes koalas don’t eat or climb on bamboo and miso soup is japanese not thai food sorry 😭

Overall, a cute 3 star read with quite a lot of foreplay that surprised me! The post epilogue was adorable too!

tropes: sports romance, friends to lovers, virgin mmc, college romance, and nerd x sporty girl

tw/ domestic violence & grief

[Mariana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Um sports college romance diferente do comum, com twists nas tropes mas que me conquistou desde o primeiro capítulo - assim foi este livro 💚 viciei tanto que li em poucas horas!!! Já tinha saudades de sentir isto a ler romance new adult.

As montanhas do Colorado são o pano de fundo para esta faculdade que é reconhecida pelo seu excelente programa desportivo - Rock Land University promete demonstrar histórias fantásticas 🤭

Neste livro conhecemos a Aurora e o Cameron, à primeira vista não podiam ser mais diferentes um do outro - o geek e a playgirl - mas na realidade eles são muito mais do que aparentam e são mais idênticos do que julgam...a relação entre eles desenvolve-se de um modo muito especial e bonito; de desconhecidos opostos tornam-se melhores amigos e eventualmente a alma gémea um do outro...é um slow burn lindo 😭 e sim tenho esta música da Taylor Swift na cabeça por causa deles... "𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝑰 𝒇𝒐𝒍𝒅𝒆𝒅, 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒂𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒆. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒋𝒐𝒌𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒆𝒏"

Adorei cada instante da interacção deste casal, cada dilema, cada descoberta... Vale a pena ler ✨️ e sim, as personagens secundárias são um bónus espetacular e deixam o leitor curioso com os próximos livros desta saga ( o próximo sai no próximo ano e já sei sobre quem é 🤭 - mal posso esperar).

[Ruth♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aurora una chica muy popular con algo solo en su mente, ganar su lugar en un equipo de voleibol profesional, Cameron un nerd que no quiere distracción ya que tiene una meta en la mente, ambos no quieren un relación pero cuando se conocen saltan chispas, poco a poco se van conociendo y enamorado pero podrán mantener una relación a pesar de que sus enfoques están en otro lado.
No esperaba nada de este libro pero me sorprendió, me gustó mucho, siento que es un libro para pasar el rato, al relax.

[Romance_book_obsessed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you so much to Greys promo for this ARC of Promise Me! Release date: 10/10/23
Carlie Jean has done it again with Cam and Aurora!

It was so refreshing to read about a cinnamon roll MMC who tutors the Volleyball star. Aurora was the player and Cam was the virgin in the relationship. They both have reservations about relationships, but their newfound friendship leads to love.

I’ve already told the author this, but I was getting giddy over the first hug! The nicknames, the spice, and a “Who hurt you?” Moment made this such a great read! Hopefully I’ve convinced you to pick this up in October, but if not you’re missing out!

Tropes:
Tutor x athlete (she’s a volleyball player)
Virgin MMC
Cinnamon roll MMC
Spicy 🌶️
Who did this to you?

[‧͙୨୧ opal reads ୨୧ · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had a lot of potential, but unfortunately it fell flat for me. I really liked the characters, but their inner monologues became repetitive, and they started to feel really one dimensional. More times than not, the interactions between the characters made me cringe, like really bad. The writing also felt subpart at times, and certain parts of the book felt rushed and not researched. There were times that I liked the characters, or the plot, but overall, this book was just not for me.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

2/5⭐️

I can’t stand him.