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Phil-U #1
What Are the Odds
Needing a change of scenery after her parents' death, Grace Hughes applies for an exchange to Phil-U - an American college in Philadelphia.
There she meets the popular and cocky hockey captain, Levi Holloway.
With a historic rivalry with the football team, Levi wagers a bet with the football captain that whoever gets the Australian exchange student to fall for them first wins their team rights to the gym.
Only Levi doesn't expect to fall for Grace for real. Before long, he's attempting to convince her to stay in America after graduation, and doing more to ensure she doesn't find out about the wager.
WHAT ARE THE ODDS is the spicy first book of the Phil-U series. It can be read as a complete standalone.
There she meets the popular and cocky hockey captain, Levi Holloway.
With a historic rivalry with the football team, Levi wagers a bet with the football captain that whoever gets the Australian exchange student to fall for them first wins their team rights to the gym.
Only Levi doesn't expect to fall for Grace for real. Before long, he's attempting to convince her to stay in America after graduation, and doing more to ensure she doesn't find out about the wager.
WHAT ARE THE ODDS is the spicy first book of the Phil-U series. It can be read as a complete standalone.
383 pages, Paperback
Published June 7, 2024
2482 people are currently reading
18835 people want to read
About the author
Madi Leigh
3 books486 followersMadi is an Australian romance writer, with a fixation on swoonworthy main characters and happy endings.
An avid reader herself, she'll read any genre - as long as there's an inkling of a romance.
When she's not reading or writing, Madi loves watching footy (AFL) and hockey (NHL), and spending unhealthy doses of time scrolling through ASOS.
An avid reader herself, she'll read any genre - as long as there's an inkling of a romance.
When she's not reading or writing, Madi loves watching footy (AFL) and hockey (NHL), and spending unhealthy doses of time scrolling through ASOS.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 740 reviews
October 30, 2024
I needed to read this book so much. I just had a gut feeling that it was gonna become a favourite. This is my first Madi Leigh book and I am hooked!!!
I loved every second of it! 👇
🩷 I love how level headed she is around athletes and how she's not easily swayed by their charms and/ or stupidity.
💜 I love that she takes herself, her swimming and her studies seriously and is not interested in ONS and hooking up to "live college life"
💛 I love her easy, laid back friendship with Levi's friends and how oblivious she is about her sex appeal and beauty.
She has two older brothers so she's comfortable to be herself around men.
💚 I especially love her special friendship with Tripp. These two put hearts in my eyes everytime they're together.
🧡 I adore her relationship with her brothers. How protective they are of her yet how trusting and supportive of her decisions
🩵 I love that Eli falls first and falls hard and how he regrets his past behaviour especially when it comes to bite him in his relationship
🤍 I love that she doesn't let said "hookups" get to her head and she's so mature about the whole thing which makes her a Queen!!!!
A minor things I didn’t like: 🙄
🤨 Of course I hate that Eli is a manwhore and we are shown that repeatedly in the book especially at the beginning.
🤨 I hate how Will (Levi's best friend) after meeting Grace and loving her friendship still did nothing to deter Levi about the bet.
😔 I wish there was more effort and rivalry from Ryke at the beginning and Levi really had to feel the competition and the fact that Grace doesn't give a fuck about either of them.
😡 Aaaaand only 30% through and Grace became another notch on Levi's bed. Tsk tsk so disappointing! I had my bet on you Grace! I hate that she caved so early in the book even though it all worked out at the end but I belive their story should have been dragged a bit longer.
In conclusion, the good points wayyyy outweigh the bad ones and I simply loved the plot, the character development, the prose, the side characters and the epilogue 🥰
Can't wait for book 2.
I loved every second of it! 👇
🩷 I love how level headed she is around athletes and how she's not easily swayed by their charms and/ or stupidity.
💜 I love that she takes herself, her swimming and her studies seriously and is not interested in ONS and hooking up to "live college life"
💛 I love her easy, laid back friendship with Levi's friends and how oblivious she is about her sex appeal and beauty.
She has two older brothers so she's comfortable to be herself around men.
💚 I especially love her special friendship with Tripp. These two put hearts in my eyes everytime they're together.
🧡 I adore her relationship with her brothers. How protective they are of her yet how trusting and supportive of her decisions
🩵 I love that Eli falls first and falls hard and how he regrets his past behaviour especially when it comes to bite him in his relationship
🤍 I love that she doesn't let said "hookups" get to her head and she's so mature about the whole thing which makes her a Queen!!!!
A minor things I didn’t like: 🙄
🤨 Of course I hate that Eli is a manwhore and we are shown that repeatedly in the book especially at the beginning.
🤨 I hate how Will (Levi's best friend) after meeting Grace and loving her friendship still did nothing to deter Levi about the bet.
😔 I wish there was more effort and rivalry from Ryke at the beginning and Levi really had to feel the competition and the fact that Grace doesn't give a fuck about either of them.
😡 Aaaaand only 30% through and Grace became another notch on Levi's bed. Tsk tsk so disappointing! I had my bet on you Grace! I hate that she caved so early in the book even though it all worked out at the end but I belive their story should have been dragged a bit longer.
In conclusion, the good points wayyyy outweigh the bad ones and I simply loved the plot, the character development, the prose, the side characters and the epilogue 🥰
Can't wait for book 2.
November 5, 2023
What a read, I fell in love with Holloway immediately. An absolute page turner that left me wanting more and more whilst also upping the romance in my own bedroom, can’t wait to see what else this author has in store! Bravo 👏🏻
November 2, 2023
where was the groveling. dude made a bet ab her
December 9, 2023
why did she forgive him so quick🌚
November 10, 2023
Where to start, as much as I loved Grace and Levi I wish the author had researched a few things. Starting with how much a SIM card at the gas station would cost in America because it sure as hell would be more than two dollars. In addition our MMC is American and with the duel pov I couldn’t help but have trouble remembering I was reading Levi’s side because it was littered with the same slang and words as our Aussie FMC. I wish the povs had been a bit more correct for our characters. It ruined a bit of the magic for me constantly seeing stuff an American college guy wouldn’t say. Grace and Levi’s relationship developed so nicely. I loved how his friends really took her in and held him accountable for his actions. The story was good and I’m excited to see what else happens for the series. The spice was a fair amount and the banter was pretty good too.
February 2, 2024
The storyline and honestly the characters were pretty good and there were scenes that were very cute, but they just felt inserted, way too many loose ends like the dumb project, the fact that the teams fought so much at the beginning that the bet was necessary but then randomly stopped and hosted parties together, how any of the characters actually graduated bc they never did hw. It just felt way too long for not actually continuing any of the multiple different plot points. Also could use another round of revisions, multiple gramatical errors that made it difficult to actually get into.
January 28, 2025
if you love a cheeky ice hockey romance, you will LOVE this! it’s a super fun college romance with an aussie fmc and the best group of goofy side characters (we absolutely love the team members in these types of books). I will say that i was so in love with the first half of this book. i was giggling and jumping around, however i do feel like the back end was a bit repetitive and boring, and potentially needing a bit more love on the editing floor. other than that, a cutesy solid read 💖 thank you for the rec bestie Gia ✨.
overall, 3.5⭐️ and 3🌶️. enjoy my thoughts while reading:
- tropes: college, sports (hockey)
- i’m IN 😩😩🌼🙌🏼🙌🏼 ‘thank you for trusting me to stay’ I LOVE THIS MANNNNNN
- this is sooooooo stinking cute 🥰
- oh they’re SO doing Grease i literally called it that they would reference it
- SCREAMING MY HEAD OFF I WAS RIGHT AHHHHHHHH
- MY SANDY AHHHHHH 😩😩😩😩😩 KILLING MYSELF, BACK ON 😭😭😭
- am getting a liiiiiiiittle bit bored now but oh well let’s keep these good vibes going
overall, 3.5⭐️ and 3🌶️. enjoy my thoughts while reading:
- tropes: college, sports (hockey)
- i’m IN 😩😩🌼🙌🏼🙌🏼 ‘thank you for trusting me to stay’ I LOVE THIS MANNNNNN
- this is sooooooo stinking cute 🥰
- oh they’re SO doing Grease i literally called it that they would reference it
- SCREAMING MY HEAD OFF I WAS RIGHT AHHHHHHHH
- MY SANDY AHHHHHH 😩😩😩😩😩 KILLING MYSELF, BACK ON 😭😭😭
- am getting a liiiiiiiittle bit bored now but oh well let’s keep these good vibes going
July 5, 2024
FMC’s entire personality was that she was Australian, like we get it MATE
August 7, 2024
Nope. No. Absolutely not. When dude’s starting betting on who can hook up with a girl first… I’m out.
October 9, 2024
This is a fast paced college sports romance and while I usually love books like this, unfortunately this didn't hit the mark for me. I particularly hate the love triangle trope with everything in me and this book was teetering on that line. The plot was a pretty predictable one too. The 'bet' trope has gotten VERY old and lame now and I don't think there's anybody who enjoys it. The biggest ick was how Grace easily forgave him w/o any groveling! I felt no tension/chemistry between Grace and Levi and the characters felt very one dimensional. Their conversations felt off and I found grammatical errors here and there. There were many loose ends and things were just inserted into the plotline and we didn't get to see them pan out.
I did enjoy the beginning bcs it seemed somewhat promising but once Levi and Ryker made the bet, I got the ick and things just started to go downhill from there. DNF-d at 40% and skimmed thru the rest bcs like is way too precious to waste time on a book I'm not enjoying.
I did enjoy the beginning bcs it seemed somewhat promising but once Levi and Ryker made the bet, I got the ick and things just started to go downhill from there. DNF-d at 40% and skimmed thru the rest bcs like is way too precious to waste time on a book I'm not enjoying.
October 16, 2024
Neither main character have a personality nor do you understand why they like each other beyond physical attraction. They get together by the 200 page mark and the book is just extra fat beyond that point. The idea of a bet between the hockey captain vs football captain is a fun concept- but only if you felt as though she were actually torn between the two. She liked Levi way too quickly and was also willing to sleep with him just as fast. Additionally, you are told both men genuinely like her and see her girlfriend potential and I couldn’t tell you why- she’s painfully boring.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 2, 2024
I tried really hard to like this book and then literally closed my kindle and forgot the main character’s names. I spent a few minutes staring at a wall trying to remember them
October 13, 2025
the plot was all over the place
January 9, 2026
4.25⭐️
„The perfect combination. We were the perfect combination.“
And they truly were…
Levi & Grace were soo good together, I simply loved their relationship dynamic! They started out as friends, so because of that, the progression of their story was natural!
Ugh I didn’t want it to end because I got attached to all the amazing characters. 😩🤌🏻 It felt like I was watching an ongoing tv show.😍
Was it full of the same tropes and cliches as all the other popular college romance books on Tiktok and GR? Of course! Was it predictable? Totally! Did I mind? No sir, not one bit! ☝🏻You give me a hot, confident athlete that falls head over heels for the beautiful, kind, laidback exchange student and I am happy girl! 😏💁🏻♀️
- Levi
I didn’t like him at first. He was way to arrogant and full of himself. Usually I don’t really mind an arrogant mmc, but he AND Ryker came across as nasty douchebags in the first chapters of the book. But thankfully, after starting to hang out with Grace, his attitude started to change for the better. He became obsessed with her and I became obsessed with him. 😂 🤌🏻
I mean come on, who doesn’t like to read about the popular hockey player who makes soup for his sick girlfriend, or tries to teach her how to ice skate, or buys her treats from another country and concert tickets to her favorite band?? Crazy people, that’s who! 😄
I also loved his caveman tendencies. Yes, I have issues. Don’t judge me!☝🏻😂
- Grace
I simply adored her and wouldn’t have changed a single thing about her character. She was kind, easygoing and down to earth! Also, I loved her reaction when she found out about the bet. Instead of making a scene, she behaved in a very rational and mature way. After some time apart, she decided to forgive him, because deep down she knew how much he truly loved her and that one poor, childish decision shouldn’t ruin a good thing. I found this very refreshing and consistent with her character, to be honest. People say that Levi needed to grovel more, but in this case, I disagree! The second he realized he developed feelings for her, he called off the bet and you could tell that he really regretted his mistake. Also, during those 2 weeks apart, he tried constantly to get in touch with her and apologized repeatedly but she ignored his calls and messages.
Other things that I really liked:
•The dynamic of their friend group 🧑🍳 💋
•The deep love that Grace & her brothers had for each other 🥹🫶🏻
•The friendship between Grace & Tripp🤌🏻😂
•Tripp with his passion for smoothies 🍹🤭
•Ryan and his obsession for Tiktoks😎🤙
•Will, ever the loyal and caring friend. I am curious if his book will be a second chance romance about him and the mysterious girl that was mentioned towards the end of the book. 🤭
•Ryder and his cute dimples. Was he the one with the cute dimples?🤔 There were so many handsome guys mentioned that I am not sure anymore. 😂 Anyway, will he get a book as well? Because he totally deserves his HEA!🫶🏻
What kept me from rating it 5 stars was the clunky prose at times (especially in the beginning), some minor errors and that unnecessary hide and seek scene at the end. But let’s not forget that this is Madi Leigh’s debut novel, at least from what I can see on GR, so it’s understandable that there is some room for improvement. Nonetheless, I expect to read many more of her books in the future because she is extremely talented. ☺️
Ps: English is not my first language, so I apologize for any grammatical errors
Levi & Grace were soo good together, I simply loved their relationship dynamic! They started out as friends, so because of that, the progression of their story was natural!
Ugh I didn’t want it to end because I got attached to all the amazing characters. 😩🤌🏻 It felt like I was watching an ongoing tv show.😍
Was it full of the same tropes and cliches as all the other popular college romance books on Tiktok and GR? Of course! Was it predictable? Totally! Did I mind? No sir, not one bit! ☝🏻You give me a hot, confident athlete that falls head over heels for the beautiful, kind, laidback exchange student and I am happy girl! 😏💁🏻♀️
- Levi
I didn’t like him at first. He was way to arrogant and full of himself. Usually I don’t really mind an arrogant mmc, but he AND Ryker came across as nasty douchebags in the first chapters of the book. But thankfully, after starting to hang out with Grace, his attitude started to change for the better. He became obsessed with her and I became obsessed with him. 😂 🤌🏻
I mean come on, who doesn’t like to read about the popular hockey player who makes soup for his sick girlfriend, or tries to teach her how to ice skate, or buys her treats from another country and concert tickets to her favorite band?? Crazy people, that’s who! 😄
I also loved his caveman tendencies. Yes, I have issues. Don’t judge me!☝🏻😂
- Grace
I simply adored her and wouldn’t have changed a single thing about her character. She was kind, easygoing and down to earth! Also, I loved her reaction when she found out about the bet. Instead of making a scene, she behaved in a very rational and mature way. After some time apart, she decided to forgive him, because deep down she knew how much he truly loved her and that one poor, childish decision shouldn’t ruin a good thing. I found this very refreshing and consistent with her character, to be honest. People say that Levi needed to grovel more, but in this case, I disagree! The second he realized he developed feelings for her, he called off the bet and you could tell that he really regretted his mistake. Also, during those 2 weeks apart, he tried constantly to get in touch with her and apologized repeatedly but she ignored his calls and messages.
Other things that I really liked:
•The dynamic of their friend group 🧑🍳 💋
•The deep love that Grace & her brothers had for each other 🥹🫶🏻
•The friendship between Grace & Tripp🤌🏻😂
•Tripp with his passion for smoothies 🍹🤭
•Ryan and his obsession for Tiktoks😎🤙
•Will, ever the loyal and caring friend. I am curious if his book will be a second chance romance about him and the mysterious girl that was mentioned towards the end of the book. 🤭
•Ryder and his cute dimples. Was he the one with the cute dimples?🤔 There were so many handsome guys mentioned that I am not sure anymore. 😂 Anyway, will he get a book as well? Because he totally deserves his HEA!🫶🏻
What kept me from rating it 5 stars was the clunky prose at times (especially in the beginning), some minor errors and that unnecessary hide and seek scene at the end. But let’s not forget that this is Madi Leigh’s debut novel, at least from what I can see on GR, so it’s understandable that there is some room for improvement. Nonetheless, I expect to read many more of her books in the future because she is extremely talented. ☺️
Ps: English is not my first language, so I apologize for any grammatical errors
May 22, 2024
this was very icebreaker-esque. the main character was also aussie which was both fun and cringey at the same time. i just love a hockey romance i will defend this genre til i die.
October 14, 2024
Meh, wasn't really a satisfying ending.
December 31, 2024
who knew the american-australian language barrier was so large
November 7, 2023
The way I BINGED this book!! I absolutely LOVED IT! Gracie and Levi will be hard to top for me!! I loved that she was a exchange student, both athletes(he plays hockey she’s on the swim team), her brothers are absolutely adorable also! The beef between the football team and hockey team is hilarious and honestly I loved Ryker too I wouldn’t be upset if he got his own book he was a pretty decent guy!! NOW THIS FRIEND GROUP AMAZING!!! The guys 🥹🥹 TRIPP I must see him get his HEA!! His and Gracie’s friendship was adorable I loved how upset he was with Levi when he found out about the bet… Will and Ryan are also adorable! Ryan being a influencer is hilarious the tik tok trends 😂 there is a good opportunity for Lana ( Levi’s Sister) to end up with one of his friends I love a brothers best friend book! I’m writing all these details because Im truly obsessed with this book and want to remember these things 😂❤️ I like how Gracie handled things when she found out the truth.
Also this woman is amazing not really every getting jealous!! But Levi went full cave man which I absolutely loved of course!!
I can’t wait for book too please give me Tripp 😂
Also this woman is amazing not really every getting jealous!! But Levi went full cave man which I absolutely loved of course!!
I can’t wait for book too please give me Tripp 😂
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 2, 2024
ok fine this book was really good 🙄 has a good plot and a really cute couple!! on to the next 🤭
April 14, 2024
Nobody edited this.
May 14, 2024
has he heard of groveling???
August 18, 2024
Medicore romance with mediocre characters but I did learn a lot about Australian football so
October 17, 2024
This was so sweet!! I picked this up after seeing a TikTok about a scene where he loses a hockey game and immediately calls her so he can see her and I was sold.
If you’re looking for a university hockey romance with a “will you wear my jersey” moment, an amazing friend group, sweet teasing, the perfect amount of spice and a love triangle that doesn’t bother me (I usually really don’t like them), this is for you!
Here are a few of my favorite things…
- any moment Levi is possessive lol the jersey moment? Yes.
- calling her after the loss? Incredible.
- the friend group is so sweet! So excited for more books in this series.
- the New Year’s Eve scavenger hunt? So funny. I love that his friends were involved lol
Overall it was exactly what I was looking for when I wanted a hockey romance!
Would I recommend? Yesss
If you’re looking for a university hockey romance with a “will you wear my jersey” moment, an amazing friend group, sweet teasing, the perfect amount of spice and a love triangle that doesn’t bother me (I usually really don’t like them), this is for you!
Here are a few of my favorite things…
- any moment Levi is possessive lol the jersey moment? Yes.
- calling her after the loss? Incredible.
- the friend group is so sweet! So excited for more books in this series.
- the New Year’s Eve scavenger hunt? So funny. I love that his friends were involved lol
Overall it was exactly what I was looking for when I wanted a hockey romance!
Would I recommend? Yesss
December 30, 2024
This book wanted to be Icebreaker so fucking bad. So much of the plot and characterization was the exact same. Also, I cannot believe the author used last names of real hockey players. Like are you kidding??? That’s genuinely insane.
That being said, I got exactly what I signed up for so I guess it gets 3 stars.
That being said, I got exactly what I signed up for so I guess it gets 3 stars.
July 15, 2025
i felt like i‘ve already read 5 different versions of this book
January 19, 2025
I’m an absolute sucker for an Ice Hockey romance, but an Ice Hockey romance with an Australian FMC? I RAN to kindle.
We have a strong FMC, who has to deal with the rival captains, Ryker the American Football team captain, and Levi, the captain of the Ice Hockey team, as partners in a college class project.
From there our Ice Hockey captain slowly & surely falls head over heels for our FMC (with a push from a not-so-lovely bet with our rival captain - come on men, BE BETTER!).
This story was captivating, sexy and with a dash of Aussie humour? How could I say no?
We have a strong FMC, who has to deal with the rival captains, Ryker the American Football team captain, and Levi, the captain of the Ice Hockey team, as partners in a college class project.
From there our Ice Hockey captain slowly & surely falls head over heels for our FMC (with a push from a not-so-lovely bet with our rival captain - come on men, BE BETTER!).
This story was captivating, sexy and with a dash of Aussie humour? How could I say no?
August 4, 2024
what in the world is it with booktok recommending books like this? literally no plot just vibes (like icebreaker). school work is forgotten. groveling is non-existent. the number of times those airhead hockey players were amazed by an aussie acting like an aussie as if they have absolutely no idea what an australian is was just plain annoying. both boys have DISGUSTING attitudes towards women (making a bet for just the gym space? those athletes literally could work out at any time based on their class schedule and they still have to do that immature bullshit). girl is so so so go with the flow. i'm not calling her easy. but my god she was ignorant.
i dnf'ed this once and picked it up again based on the 'raging' review on tiktok. my biggest mistake.
i dnf'ed this once and picked it up again based on the 'raging' review on tiktok. my biggest mistake.
February 12, 2025
I enjoyed most of the book, surprisingly, because i usually do not like the trope when two guys are after the same girl. All the side characters were amazing, they were funny and really added that kind of found family vibe to the book, especially the relationships between Grace and Levi's friends/ teammates.
The one thing I disliked the most, was the bet part of the book. Just why did these guys think it was okay to bet on a person, even more on a person they both were interested in from the start. Lastly, were was the groveling???? Grace forgave Levi so fast, like girlie, no. The little revenge scavenger hunt at the end was fun, but I personally could not be able to forgive somebody that fast after they pulled a stunt like that.
The one thing I disliked the most, was the bet part of the book. Just why did these guys think it was okay to bet on a person, even more on a person they both were interested in from the start. Lastly, were was the groveling???? Grace forgave Levi so fast, like girlie, no. The little revenge scavenger hunt at the end was fun, but I personally could not be able to forgive somebody that fast after they pulled a stunt like that.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 10, 2024
okay I liked this WAY more than I thought I was going to.. it was pretty close to a 5⭐️ for me!! The chemistry, GRACE (I love her and her aussie banter), he falls first and falls HARD. Truly an amazing read and had such a fresh take on a hockey romance!! Will definitely be reading the rest of the series when they come out.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 740 reviews