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Two loyal pals. One heartbreaking misunderstanding. When dreams bring them back together, will their kisses help them soar? Abby McCloud loathes her crippling stage fright. So the creative songwriter is determined to win her college’s annual competition and earn a coveted internship. But when the handsome hockey star who betrayed her in high school offers to coach her through her fears, she’s not sure it’s worth the risk. Sebastian Fleet knows he’s only got one more chance. But his plans might melt into memories if he can’t work with the curvy girl who got away and help her overcome her terror of the spotlight. But after spending time in her company helps the injured skater regain his own mojo, he starts hoping their tentative truce can become something more. Finding it hard to open up when the scars of the past still sting, Abby keeps searching for inspiration for the love song she’s writing. And as a broody Sebastian’s old demons return, he’s worried their passion has put them on thin ice. Will they get thrown in the sin bin before they can slide between the sheets? The Comeback is the spicy first book in the Lakeview Lightning contemporary sports romance series. If you like lighthearted steam, emotional moments, and falling for fictional boyfriends, then you’ll adore Nikki Jewell’s sexy semester. Buy The Comeback to hit a high note today!

348 pages, Paperback

Published September 10, 2023

375 people are currently reading
2220 people want to read

About the author

Nikki Jewell

11 books46 followers

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5 stars
117 (16%)
4 stars
222 (32%)
3 stars
248 (35%)
2 stars
84 (12%)
1 star
18 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
Profile Image for Alex E..
528 reviews17 followers
March 29, 2024
Friends that turn to enemies and then back to friends and then lovers.
The fact that he actually froze her out back in highschool and did nothing to stop the bullies from hurting her was what threw me off his character.
Yes, we are talking about high school maturity here, I know but I felt he didn't apologize or truly acknowledge his behavior.so fuck him. Plus he is a player at college so no brownie points there either

As for her? Oh yes she is absolutely in love with him since forever and she just wants a second chance..

I don't know perhaps I'm too old for this, but girl where is your confidence? Your dignity?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for HannahsHardcovers.
209 reviews6 followers
January 19, 2024
I just finished this book to prepare for book 2 in the series which Nikki so generously allowed me to read!

Plot: I love when a romance novel has a good story to it, along side the spice that we all love. The story of these two characters was well done, and the history they had was *chefs kiss*. It was a quick read, and had me wanting to dive back in whenever I could get a chance. I had not read a Hockey romance before, but, I am officially a fan.

Characters: The book follows two characters, Sebastian and Abigail. Nikki does so well developing these characters as well as the side characters in their story. Seb is a Hockey start, while Abigail is an aspiring music artist/writer. You can help but love both of these hardheaded goons.

Overall: I really loved this book, and Nikki's writing style. I am so far enjoying book 2, and look forward to whatever else she releases in the future.

Stars: 4/5
Spice:3/5
Time Spent Reading: 3 Hours, 39 Minutes
Profile Image for NikkiSanztana.
15 reviews2 followers
March 13, 2024
This book was seriously so cute. I absolutely loved Bastian and all the boys (minus that douche McGooch Conner) I wanted to like Abby because I know what it’s like to be the weird, nerdy artsy kid and I know what it was like to be bullied but she annoyed me but I absolutely loved her BFF Res! And the Spice!!! I was not expecting that I gave it a solid 3.5🌶️. I can’t wait to read the rest in the series.
Profile Image for Stephanies.books_.
600 reviews5 followers
May 27, 2024
Was okay

"𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥. 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞, 𝐦𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐞. 𝐌𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐚 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐡𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐦 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐮𝐩, 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐛𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐬. 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐩𝐮𝐬𝐡 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡, 𝐧𝐞𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐚𝐲. 𝐔𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐭."

Abby had been bullied in high school, which left her very self-conscious. She found her people in college after her childhood friend turned his back on her. That caused things to get worse for her.

Sebastian doesn't have a great home life. He is working towards helping get his younger sister out from under their step dad's thumb. (HORRIBLE MAN)

They each avoided each other after finding out they attended the same college. Until they couldn't anymore.

And the battle of wills starts.

"𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥."

Abby had to overcome stage fright from a bad experience.

Sebastian needs to get out of his head when he returns to the ice after an injury.

These two come together to help each other out and hopefully repair a friendship.

I was kind of disappointed that Abby did not let Sebastian help her with her stage fright. That was one of the main points of the story. The chemistry was also lacking since she had a tendency not to care and run away.


🏒 Sports Romance
🏒 College/New Adults
🏒 Enemies to Lovers
🏒 Childhood Best Friends
🏒 Curvy MFC
🏒 MMC Family issues
4 reviews
September 16, 2023
Arc review

I was lucky enough to get an Arc for The Comeback “ and here’s my review!!
So I have read A LOT of hockey romance and had high expectations, and this book did not disappoint.

Childhood companions who drifted apart when Sebastian humiliated Abbey at school leaving her broken hearted. A chance meeting at a party throws them back together with a bang.
Abbey, a talented music student, holds the promise of a bright future if she can conquer her stage fright. Meanwhile, Sebastian, a budding hockey star with the NHL within reach, seeks a tutor to assist him in passing his music elective. Will Abbey be able to rebuild her trust in him, and can Sebastian rekindle their friendship?
I devoured this book in a day, there are trigger warnings to be aware of but ultimately a HEA
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️
Tropes
Childhood friends turned enemies
Curvy FMC
College hockey romance
He falls first
Second chance

Profile Image for HeadCanonHeadCase.
1,245 reviews9 followers
November 8, 2023
The Comeback is a cozy and hot second chance childhood friends to lover hockey romance. Reading this was like watching a rom-com and I loved every second of it.

Abby and Sebastian were best friends but grew apart when he went to a private school to play hockey. But when he returns to public school, she's happy to see him but he pretends he doesn't know her. Now they are in college and in the same class. They agree to help each other study, Sebastian to pass the class and Abby to get ready for a music performance. The tension between them grown until Abby decides they need to get it out of their system. But will once be enough?

I really enjoyed this book. It was cute and fun. Abby and Sebastian had so much chemistry. Sebestian was so sweet that it made the second chance element hurt just a little extra. But I was really happy with the resolution. This is the first in a new series, and I'm excited to meet more couples.
39 reviews3 followers
September 23, 2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

You know how there are some stories that just feel like a warm hug? They're so cute and sweet that you just 😊😊

The Comeback is a childhood friends to enemies to lovers story, with a sprinkle of second chance and "it's always been you". Bastian and Abby met in kindergarten, but had a falling out in high school when Bastian snubs Abby in front of the rest of the hockey team.

They attend the same university, but it takes until junior year for them to actually cross paths. Bastian is a star hockey player coming back from an injury, and Abby is an aspiring singer-songwriter with a bad case of stage fright. They end up making a deal to help each other out - Abby will help Bastian pass their mutual class, and Bastian will help Abby with her stage fright.

They have a rocky history; Abby is reluctant to spend time with him, but Bastian is pretty determined to have Abby back in his life. The more time they spend together, the more he realizes that his attraction to her isn't a passing fancy. And while Abby feels the same, she's hesitant to put her trust back in someone who shattered it when they were younger.

It's so clear from the start that they've both been in love with each other since they were kids. They're honestly never really enemies, it's more that... Abby is hurt, and Bastian has his reasons to keep away. Once those go away, they fit together perfectly.

I do wish we got a bit more of Bastian and Abby's childhood - she mentions that he was her first kiss, and I would have loved to see that! Both characters are really well written, and Bastian's teammates are developed well in the background, setting us up for their subsequent stories.
Profile Image for Tasma.
213 reviews7 followers
May 22, 2024
I had no expectations going into this book other than that I knew it was going to be fire cause it’s Hockey Romance, like come on. I also thought I would start diving into the series before I read the ARC for the upcoming book. But I was levitated from the PURE CUTENESS AND THE RAUNCHINESS FROM THIS SHIT LIKE HOT. DAMN.

We absolutely love Abby, especially since I can relate to her with my love and passion for music, as well as song writing. Oh and not to mention the stage fright. HA! But having a partner who is has hot as Dax is, *swoonnnnn*. That I can’t relate to, but I would love it if I could. I love Dax too don’t get me wrong, but my heart honestly aches for him. I’d love to see a side story about him and when he finds his true love! The friends to enemies, with a hint of second chance was uggh. I LOVED IT. Especially with what went down and as to why they both became distant with each other. You can’t not feel sorry for both of them in their own ways. But Sebastian… Bastian. Girl, he could challenge me that sex with him is better than a fried ball of dough ANY DAY. He is a total sweetheart, and sacrificed a lot for Abby and even if she didn’t know it, JUST BECAUSE HE LOVED HER. God.

And that ending. I cannot fathom my emotions when he made it there for her, and how he declared his love for her. Just UUGGGHHHH. GOALS. GOALS. GOALS. I need a Hockey Player STAT. *cackles*
Profile Image for Jordan Fiest.
2,101 reviews31 followers
February 4, 2025
The Comeback is book one of the Lakeview Lightning Series.

Sebastian and Abigail have a bit of a rocky past with each other. At first they were best friends but circumstances took them from each other. When they are reunited in high school, Sebastian doesn't make it easy for Abigail which leads her to getting bullied and developing stage fright and feelings of inadequacy. Finally they meet for the last time in university together in a class. This finally gives Sebastian his chance to make up for everything that Abigail went through. However, he still makes a lot of mistakes along the way.

We get to meet a few of the hockey team and see such great characters and friendships develop. This was a great start to the series.
Profile Image for Jaime.
360 reviews1 follower
September 20, 2023
🏒 Hockey Romance
🎤 Friends to Enemies to Lovers
🏒 He Falls First
🎤 Second Chance

The Comeback is a great story about Abby and Sebastian. They were childhood friends who had a fall out. Then in college they get thrown into a scenario together and the feelings all start to re-emerge.

I loved how Sebastian just wanted to keep Abby safe unfortunately he felt the only way was to stay away from her. But also him wanting to protect his sister was amazing.

I really enjoyed this story and loved reading the evolution of their relationship.
Profile Image for Fantasy Book Review Kim.
582 reviews3 followers
October 5, 2023
When life bring her face to face with her childhood best friend turned high school enemy, Abby has to put the past behind her to over come her fears.

Sebastian’ and Abby were such a fun couple. They had chemistry from the first meeting on page. The author gave us conflict and redemption. The hockey was well done and not over the top or under researched. This book was such a fun read and I am excited to read more by this author.
Profile Image for Kalene Bin.
5 reviews
May 2, 2024
I 100% recommend romance lovers give this book a shot. I was able to read this book in one day (multiple sittings). It is a super relatable high school enemies to college lovers story. Like- flash back to high school, flash back to college, able to put myself in Abby’s shoes- relatable type of well written. It’s not too drawn out, nor is it too much too fast. It’s the perfect balance, with everything happening at just the “right” time, and the right amount of details to sketch the images in your mind without being overwhelming. I enjoyed it so much that I’ve added both The Comeback and The Red Line to my physical to be purchased list so I can read them over and over and over again (also, cute book trophies🏆). I can see them being my comfort reads for a long time.
Spicy level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
25 reviews
October 23, 2024
I'm sorry to say that but I think this book was bad. The relationship between the two characters was so rushed they went from nothing to everything in no time and it felt forced, we did not have time to fall in love with the characters and to want them together because everything was rushed and it's sad because it had the potential to be better but this relationship just felt off, which is why I decided to not read the rest of it
Profile Image for Elizabeth.
87 reviews
November 13, 2025
I finished this in less than 48 hours so you know I enjoyed it. Some minor inconsistencies for me in how the sport/university timelines worked for me but not nearly as bad as others I’ve seen. Hockey romance can mean a lot of things, the author, Nikki, weaves the hockey in nicely and doesn’t treat the reader like they’ve never watched a game but also doesn’t try to be overly detailed on plays that could take you out of the story. Great book - glad I have the next one so I can start it asap!
Profile Image for Kristen Arkley.
80 reviews2 followers
September 19, 2023
This is a Friends to Enemies to Lovers trope. It's a hockey romance. They both have an issue they need help with, and a deal is made. It's has some good emotional twists and turns in it. I recommend that you read this.
Profile Image for McKenzie Vaught.
16 reviews2 followers
December 6, 2023
The storyline was very similar to every other hockey romance, the characters did not have a ton of depth to them. I gave two stars because it was easy to finish, and I’m a sucker for friends to enemies to romance 🤷🏼‍♀️
253 reviews
March 28, 2025
I like the premise of this book, and am a huge lover of the friends to lovers and second chance romance tropes. However, for me personally, it felt that some things in this book, especially about the background, were a little unexplained and unfulfilled, and the abruptness and back and forth nature of the relationship makes them difficult to root for. However, it’s well written and remains very romantic, with the pining between the main characters being executed perfectly. 3⭐️

Tropes
- Friends to enemies to lovers
- Second chance romance
- He falls harder

Spice level- 1.75/5🌶️
Profile Image for Cindy Alvarado.
70 reviews
April 7, 2025
“And from now on, every goal I score is for you. Every win is for you Every day is for you.”
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I skimmed a lot and wanted to dnf early on. The mmc did not grovel enough/do much before they got back together! It felt fast and didn’t make sense to me.
Profile Image for Nicole Mollitor.
17 reviews
June 19, 2025
great read

I really enjoyed this book the balance of sweet with a bit of spice was great. One of the moments at the end of the book gave me happy tears. I’m going to have to read the next in the series for sure.
199 reviews
December 11, 2023
it was okayyyy
but if i was her i would NEVER get back with a man that did me that dirty…
346 reviews36 followers
December 28, 2023
i went in with the lowest possible expectations and was still somehow disappointed
Profile Image for Courtney Hines.
11 reviews
February 22, 2024
DNFd for the third act break up. C'mon y'all.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Nicole Wang.
19 reviews
November 5, 2024
Cute hockey romance, but I wish the mmc had just been honest with the fmc from the beginning (high school).
Profile Image for Jas.
208 reviews
December 21, 2024
Rating before my rating scale changed: (3⭐️, 2🌶️)
I dont really remember what happened in the book for me give a proper review…just adding this to my read list
460 reviews
April 10, 2025
Pretty good story. Pulled at my heartstrings a ton as I felt for Abby and her insecurities and feeling like she was being cast away.
Profile Image for Kylie Smith.
356 reviews
July 7, 2025
New author for me I love reading different authors and love to check out different writing does that make me weird ?
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews

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