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Lorelei Romano thought junior year would be spent living with her best friend, having the best season of her life on the girls’ soccer team and enjoying time with her boyfriend. Instead, she was suddenly single and stuck living with her brother in the football house across the hall from the grumpiest football player on campus. The tight end might be easy on the eyes with his tree-trunk thighs and gorgeous thick hair, but the guy hates her on sight.

Luca Monroe doesn’t have time for feelings in his plan to get to the NFL to financially take care of his grandma. He had a rough life and can’t afford to veer off track—no matter how much his teammate’s sister tempts him. She’s a weakness he refuses to indulge, so keeping his distance is the only solution. He’d never betray his quarterback like that, and plus, every second of his day is focused on football.

But when Lorelei ends up in a fight for an internship with the guy who broke her heart, she teams up with Luca to wow her professor. The project brings the two together, and with that, their chemistry implodes. They agree to a friends-with-benefits arrangement. The rules are no feelings and no one ever finds out.

Despite their own rules, feelings get involved. Lorelei refuses to be kept secret, and Luca always puts the football team first. However, when she walks away, Luca’s on defense. He either risks it all for the girl who’s become his everything or miss a chance of scoring real love.

Unknown Binding

First published May 2, 2023

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About the author

Jaqueline Snowe

39 books1,249 followers
Jaqueline Snowe lives in Arizona where the "dry heat" really isn't that bad. She prefers drinking coffee all hours of the day and snacking on anything that has peanut butter or chocolate. She is the mother to two dogs who don’t realize they aren’t humans and a = mom to the sweetest boy. She is an avid reader and writer of romances and tends to write about athletes. Her husband works for an MLB team (not a player, lol) so she knows more about baseball than any human ever should.


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5 stars
1,419 (20%)
4 stars
2,615 (37%)
3 stars
2,221 (32%)
2 stars
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1 star
111 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 635 reviews
Profile Image for Lea ★.
162 reviews14 followers
July 25, 2025
2.75 ⭐
if this woman got with her ex like she talks about for half of the book, this whole mess could have been avoided.
pre-review, review, quotes, warning... TO COME!
Profile Image for Ames.
278 reviews6 followers
January 5, 2024
god i hate that this was my second read of the year the writing was so so bad i felt like crying all the way through LIKE THIS IS A BOOK YOU DONT NEED TO BE SHORTENING WORDS OR USING STUPID SLANG WHEN ITS NOT FOR TEXTING
Profile Image for sil ♡ the book voyagers.
1,365 reviews3,178 followers
April 8, 2023
ೃ⁀➷ Jaqueline Snowe is starting a new series with First Meet Foul set in Central State again! But this time, we are meeting the football team. Her other series was very much focused on the hockey team, so it's nice that she chose to set this new series in the same university but with another sport as the main focus.

I adored this book. It is very entertaining and so much fun. It's about Lorelei who happens to lose her housing/apartment because they're selling the building, so she asks her twin brother if it's possible to take the extra room in the house he shares with other three football players. And that's how Lorelei and Luca end up becoming roommates. They don't only live under the same roof tho! But their rooms happen to be next to each other, or in front of each other, so they're actually closer. And I think they also share a bathroom.

You have forced proximity, "it has always been you", grumpy x sunshine in this book. Jaqueline did such a fantastic job of writing two characters who complemented each other so perfectly. Luca has a series of rules to follow, to reach the NFl, to give his grandma a safety net. A relationship is definitely not something he's been looking for. You also get friends with benefits, because their attraction and chemistry is sooooo present. But because of things, they cannot become something more. Also Lorelei's brother, Dean, tells every single guy in that house that his sister is off-limits, so you also have that lmao. I don't really like that dynamic of brother's best friend trope, because it's annoying for me haha, but you know what I love Dean and the outcome is very good unlike other books that mess it up at the end.

Luca is the sweetest and he's so grumpy. I feel like many will dislike the hot/cold personality but he is so conflicted! HE WANTS HER SO BADLY. THIS IS THE GIRL OF HIS DREAMS! But because of Dean and his goals, he cannot ennact on these feelings for a while. Yet it's dumb to try to not succumb to these emotions, because either way he is going to go to her. Lorelei is his beacon of light, she's the person who makes him smile and soooo undeniably happy.

⟡ soccer player heroine + football player hero
⟡ grumpy/sunshine dynamic
⟡ roommates
⟡ the hero thinks she's the girl of his dreams and he has been crushing on her for years
⟡ brother's best friend trope (so a bit of forbidden romance?)
⟡ college new adult romance
⟡ THERE ARE SO MANY JEALOUSY SCENES I love to see it ngl

Yall should read this when it comes out! It was super fun and perfect if you want a new adult college romance <3
Profile Image for Leonie.
252 reviews8 followers
December 22, 2024
This book was everything I needed from a romance! It had the banter, the tension, the cuteness and giddiness and overall just the perfect setting! It’s a brothers bestfriend kind of romance and it was done so so right!!!

I went into this with almost no idea what it was about but it succeeded all my expectations! I was expecting the female main character to be very pick me but she was everything but! Lorelei is such a strong minded person. She knows what she wants and will stop at nothing to get it. She puts others before herself and cares so deeply but she also knows her own boundaries and will not cross them.

Luca on the other hand has his mind set on one goal. Get drafted and earn money to help his grandma and get her out of the nursery home she’s in now. That is until his teammates sister moves into the room across the hall.
They decide to hookup one time just to get each other out of their systems but little does he know that will only make it harder! How will he combine Football with his attraction toward Lorelei? On top of that, he knows she is super off limits.

I initially thought this was gonna include a third act breakup which I really really hate! But luckily it did not! It was filled with annoyingly cute scenes and the communication between Lorelei and Luca was absolutely perfect. I adored this book this book so much! I can’t wait to read the rest of the series.


*

A huge thank you to Netgalley and the author of this book for allowing me the chance to read this arc!!
Profile Image for Hannah.
58 reviews1 follower
January 1, 2024
I struggled between giving this book 2 or 3 stars but ultimately decided on 2 stars for multiple reasons. While I did genuinely enjoy reading this book overall, there were several areas where there could’ve been improvement.

There were a lot of editing and storyline errors that threw me off, and the incorporation of Gen Z slang (especially from Lo) made me visibly cringe multiple times. I love realistic communication in books, especially since they’re college students, but the use of “bro” and those alike felt like too much to me. Also, Luca himself was confusing. He had sudden mood swings that lacked reasoning and his persistent grumpy demeanor didn’t really make sense for how kind-hearted he is apparently supposed to be.

Despite this and some other things, there was a lot of potential in this book, but it just needed a bit more refinement, I think.
Profile Image for Sofia Ferreira.
4 reviews2 followers
May 26, 2024
Was looking for a dumb, short romance book. This was in fact dumb.
Profile Image for Intel Chicky Reads Romance (Kara Merideth).
2,263 reviews1,532 followers
May 6, 2023
Story: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Trope: brothers best friend
Angst: 😱😱.5
Smexy: 🔥🔥🔥

This was my first book by Jacqueline Snowe and I absolutely loved it! Fast paced with fantastic writing, but it was really the outstanding characters that set it apart. She truly made the most sunshine-y character in a grumpy/sunshine that I've ever read. Really loved all the characters and want all their stories. I even want more of grandma, lol. I'm definitely adding her to my one click list!
Profile Image for vana ★.
178 reviews14 followers
February 8, 2024
2/5

the drunk confession annoyed me i wanted angst i wanted pining
Profile Image for amari.
310 reviews4 followers
July 6, 2024
3.75⭐️

This book was so cute! Lorelei is a soccer player who ends up having to live with her twin brother dean and his three roommates who all happen to be on the football team. Luca has been infatuated with Lorelei since freshman year but since Dean is his best friend, he had to suppress his desire, but with Lorelei moving in and interrupting his routine, it becomes hard. Luca is so sweet and perceiving, always being there for Lorelei and he is such a good grandson. Nanette was my favorite character in this book and I want to be like her when I am a grandma. I loved how she was Luca’s voice of reason and was always there for him! The ending felt a bit rushed but overall it was a good book!

Favorite Quote:
“She was my weakness in every sense of the word.”
Profile Image for Sophie Webb.
8 reviews1 follower
January 24, 2024
Mildly painful. Endless typos. A stuff your kindle day fail
Profile Image for Ruth.
144 reviews1 follower
November 2, 2024
3/5

El libro se me estaba haciendo bastante ameno y me lo estaba fumando hasta que llegaron las páginas finales y los protagonistas entraron en bucle por algo que no tenía tanto sentido. Quiero decir, entiendo por qué actuaban como actuaban pero por otro lado era como… ITS NOT THAT DEEP. Y no sé, en general me estresa cuando los personajes son conscientes de lo que sienten y de lo que siente el otro pero se hacen los tontos y se comen la cabeza solo para meter relleno. Una pena porque iba camino de un 3,5
Profile Image for Meenal.
1,023 reviews27 followers
April 21, 2023
The story is as explosive and emotional as promised in the blurb.

It's a dual-POV, explicit, slow-burn college romance. The characters are good. The writing will keep you hooked; I finished it in a day. I always like cool grandmas. This angsty sports romance is a good introduction to the author's work. It's long and emotional towards the end. I hope to see more of Callum in future books. 

I dislike the scenes when Luca and Lorelei walk in on each other jacking off. The idea of such an intense physical and emotional relationship at such a young age doesn't sit well with me, which might be due to cultural differences.

Overall, it's a good book that can act as a palate cleaner between heavy books.

I received an e-ARC from the author and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
Profile Image for radds.
45 reviews
February 7, 2024
the storyline was cute and a decent bit of football, but the overall story fell a bit flat for me. i loved the energy lo brought to the book, and you could see how much luca cared for her, but i wish there was more depth to their love story and how it developed. will be reading the second book now to see how mack and dean pan out!
Profile Image for Isabel ♡.
150 reviews6 followers
September 16, 2025
I have mixed feelings about this. The writing style wasn’t my favorite but the book did have some funny dialogues and sweet moments. Sadly it wasn’t an enemies to lovers romance like I expected though, but I enjoyed it nonetheless
Profile Image for nim .
28 reviews
January 9, 2024
at one point her boobs were referred to as ‘globes’
Profile Image for Arlette.
180 reviews1 follower
August 10, 2025
2.5 stars ✨

I wanted a cute, simple romance, and this was kind of that.

Lorelei was an average main character, but she felt a little 2D. She admits that her personality is just social media, marketing, and soccer. I liked that we got to know her outside of the athlete side, but to minimize her persona like that just feels lazy. Also, she talks a lot about being placed second in everyone’s life, but there’s not enough self-reflection to add an emotional layer that could better resonate with readers. There was more to explore with Lorelei’s character.

Luca pissed me off quite a bit with his hot-and-cold attitude and his tendency to often blame Lorelei for his issues. It was very unfair, immature, and did not make him an appealing MMC. Also, it was very unrealistic for him to bet his and his grandmother’s entire future on football when he could easily get injured at any moment and be forced to retire. Plus, if the plan was always to get drafted at the end of his junior year, why wouldn’t he at least pick a major where he could graduate in three years? What was his backup plan going to be if football was no longer an option? Both Lorelei and Luca talk a lot about the struggles of being an athlete, so how could neither of them consider this very real possibility of early retirement?

I’ve read one other book by this author, and the similarities are interesting. The FMCs are portrayed as “quirky” for the most basic things, and they mention their ex quite a bit, even though they’re trying to move on from him. During their “closure” conversation, we get a bit more insight into his character, and it turns out he was a jerk because he was going through something. I don’t like it when the ex gets a lot of focus.

The writing is very straightforward. Everything is spelled out for you, and the fun of interpretation is sucked out of every inner monologue.

Overall, this was fine to speed through while I played Subway Surfers. The MMC is annoying, and the romance fell flat, but I went in with low expectations, so I’m not even bothered by it.

Audiobook side note: I wasn’t a fan of either narrator. John William Maddux’s voice is very stale, and his tone is kind of depressing. He also goes with a dramatic, stereotypical voice when narrating a female character’s lines. Macie Miller’s Lorelei voice was fine, but her Luca voice was so emotionless.
________________________________________________

Annotations from the audiobook:

Ch 20: “Bad things happen, but that doesn’t mean good isn’t right around the corner.”
Profile Image for Brooke Brawn.
87 reviews7 followers
May 4, 2023
4.5 ⭐️

I absolutely loved this book! Luca & Lo oof.

Best friends sister, enemies to lovers, friends with benefits, football x soccer romance… you name it, it hits that spot! I could not put this down, I was too invested immediately in the world of Lorelei Romano.

When Lo finds out her current on campus living arrangements are dropping out from under her, she needs to find a place to live quick smart & what better perk to your twin brother, the quarterback of the college football team, Dean Romano being on campus than the ability to call first dibs on the spare room that’s opened up in his football house? Football house? Yes you heard that right, a football house full of big, solid, sexy, footballers. The only downfall… is being stuck in the same house as Luca Monroe, her brothers teammate & best friend who has hated her since the first day they met in her freshmen year… or did he?

I loved following this journey in this dual POV book. It was your typical dose of FMC thinks MMC hates her but when you switch to MMC POV you see the truth, but man it always hits hard. I don’t think I could be ever let down by a sports romance at this stage.. 🥰

Thank you so much Jacqueline Snowe for this ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. When I heard football x soccer romance, enemies to lovers & brothers best friend I was SOLD. This is my very first Jacqueline Snowe book & it definitely won’t be my last. No wonder everybody is raving about this book!

Ps. Please tell me there’s a Dean & Mack book coming because I WANT IN! Immediately lol
Profile Image for Melissa.
196 reviews
May 1, 2023
As someone who has very little in sports, I seem to read a decent amount of sports romances!

I just finished an ARC of First Meet Foul, and I adored it. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Lorelei, a college soccer player, is still getting over being dumped when her landlord decides to sell her building, and she’s forced to find a place to live ASAP.

She begs her twin brother Dean, a college football player, to let her stay in the spare room in the football house. He reluctantly agrees. The only problem is the spare room is directly across the hall from Luca, Dean’s grumpy teammate who hates her guts.

Luca is a man with a plan. Focus on football, finish his junior year with no distractions, get drafted to the NFL, and finally secure the finances to get his grandmother out of her underwhelming retirement home and settle her wherever she wants. Lorelei is a distraction. A beautiful, kind, sunshine of a distraction. One he’s been obsessed with since freshman year. One he needs to avoid at all costs.

But when Lorelei needs help winning a coveted marketing internship while simultaneously beating her ex and impressing her professor, Luca and his grandmother get roped in to help.

Lorelei doesn’t want to get hurt again. Luca doesn’t want a relationship to distract him from his plan. But they can’t fight the chemistry between them. One night won’t hurt? Just one night to get it out of their system. No strings. Right?

This was sweet and emotional and spicy. I loved the dual POV, all of the football guys, Lorelei and Mack, the twin sibling dynamic. I even grew to understand Eric. But, can we talk about Mack and Dean??? Book 2??? And I loved Luca’s grandmother so so much. She better make a reappearance!

First Meet Foul is out May 2 and will be on Kindle Unlimited.
Profile Image for Nance.
1,604 reviews116 followers
May 3, 2023
This was a quick sports romance with a grumpy football player and a sunshiny soccer athlete. In the beginning of the book the reader meets Lorelei who is just getting out of a relationship with a douchebag of a baseball player that wants to focus on his baseball career while not being committed to her. No way! No more sports athletes for her! She wants to be put first in someone's life, not second like she is to her twin brother or any other guy for that matter. But, when she comes in contact with Luca Monroe, the attraction is there even though he's this grumpy huge and gorgeous football player. He's quiet and mean around her all the time. What did she ever to do him for him to have this attitude towards her? But, what she doesn't know, is that Luca thinks she's a "goddess", so beautiful and sweet. He's on a mission, however, to only put his football career first, and just can't have a serious relationship with her. This couple was so likable and unselfish. They were both always putting everyone else first instead of themselves. It was time for them to have their own happiness for a change. Their story was cute! And, endearing! And, did I mention HOT??? Read this in one sitting and would definitely read another by this author!
Profile Image for Breakfast In Read .
6 reviews1 follower
April 27, 2023
ARC READ REVIEW- Sincerest thank you to Jaqueline Snow!! You did the thing

⭐️4.5/5
🌶️3.5/5

I don’t normally love college romances BUT I am so happy to be wrong here. It is the CHARACTERS 200%. Luca is broody, grumpy, dedicated to all the right things (deff not a golden boy but we love ‘em a little bad) and Lorelei is a literal ray of Sunshine with her optimism and genuine soul. I’ve been reading a lot of FMC’s where the writer is just doing too much Gen Z (anyone else?) and it comes off cringy. Lorelei is painted perfect, she can be jealous or dedicated but we believe her and I love a strong independent female lead.

Luca & his grandma have a special relationship and we can feel his dedication to her in every page of his POV. Sometimes when forbidden romance happens I’m thinking, Is it really that big of a deal if you guys just explore this thing, but here we get it.. and even better? Lorelei does too.

Some tropes for ya
- Grumpy x Sunshine
- Sports Romance
- Forbidden love
- Forced Proximity
- Brothers Best Friend



Profile Image for aashi singh.
74 reviews2 followers
June 10, 2024
okay it was good enough that I enjoyed it and read the book but not worth the 5 stars - too basic

oh id also like to make a note that some parts were really cringe i kinda threw my kindle on my bed and walked out of the room so...
Profile Image for Nancy.
242 reviews43 followers
May 8, 2023
3.75* full review to come ☺️
Profile Image for em.
202 reviews17 followers
March 12, 2024
i loved this book!! it was written well and had so many enjoyable moments. i loved the forced proximity and grumpy/sunshine vibes. also luca is literally the sweetest person ever and i love how perfect he and lorelei are for each other 🥹
Profile Image for nia.
166 reviews3 followers
June 17, 2024
omg i loved luca soooo much
Profile Image for Eryn Sitar.
55 reviews1 follower
May 17, 2025
Flat story line but sport romances get me every time so I can’t complain too much
Profile Image for Sarah~Book Obsession Confessions .
1,309 reviews88 followers
May 12, 2023
This romance has so many fun tropes, I loved the way they all played their part and made for such an entertaining , emotional and steamy story.
Lorelei and Luca are both college athletes, they both are guarded with their hearts and afraid of being hurt.
Both are very driven and goal oriented people. I think it plays a big part in how they come to understand each other.
Lorelei had thought Luca disliked her, this is not the case at all. The beginning of their interactions as new roommates (forced) are awkward and hilarious.
I love how the two normally confident people become tongue tied and a bit goofy around each other as they navigate sharing a house. It’s really cute and made me fall hard for them.
Lorelei says whatever she’s thinking and it made me laugh so much. I adore her. She’s really sassy, bold and playful, I think she’s an incredibly fun and lovable character.
He is the seemingly grumpy to her sunshine, he’s protective, extremely caring and no nonsense. His reasons for being aloof and singularly focused make him super swoony. His grandmother plays a big part in his focused nature and goals. She also happens to be the absolute best secondary character! She’s lively, bold and hilarious. She is such fun, I love her relationship and interactions with both main characters. She brings so much to the story.
The pair have reasons for having a casual, secret relationship. I love them together; they’re fun, sexy and their conversations and care for each other stole my heart.
I love the forbidden aspect, I love the nerves and butterflies of sneaking around to be together. They are so unique, I love them and their journey so much.
I was curious how things were going to go towards the end, there are a few factors at play. I love the way it ended as much as I loved the whole story. It is a beautiful story that has as much fun as it has wit and heart.
73 reviews
January 30, 2024
Was it a perfect read? No. I feel like the book needed a little editing, a few inconsistencies, and a lot of typos and odd sentences.
Did I enjoy it? Definitely. I couldn’t stop smiling, and I thought the spice was 🔥
Displaying 1 - 30 of 635 reviews

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