Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

The Sweetest Thing:

Rate this book
**OLD VERSION**

Oliver Ashby is the Captain of the Hockey Team. Mallory Grace is the daughter of the Hockey Team’s coach. Mallory and Oliver are best friends and have been since freshman year. They are as close as best friends can be, like two peas in a pod. Two peas that have never thought about being anything more - or at least, that’s what they tell people. One day, Oliver decides to test their friendship to show Mallory they could be something more. If Mallory loses their bet, Oliver must set her up with someone and vice versa. Seems easy, right? Well, it all goes downhill for them when Mallory must move in with Oliver for a week while, suspiciously, a pipe bursts in her apartment right after someone shows romantic interest in her. Several days of sharing the same bed forces them to deal with feelings they’re trying to avoid. Can Mallory and Oliver admit their feelings that could lead to the best thing to happen to them both?

294 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 9, 2024

62 people are currently reading
1091 people want to read

About the author

K.V. Jones

3 books29 followers
Katie is a rom-com enthusiast and who loves all things romance - the cheesier the better. Her debut Novel 'The Sweetest Thing' is a part of the 'Covington' series, following a group of people who live in the city of Covington. Book one is set at Covington University and involves a college hockey player and his coach's daughter. Books are her form of escapism, and she feels at home whenever she writes her romantic and cheesy stories.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
65 (17%)
4 stars
115 (30%)
3 stars
113 (30%)
2 stars
61 (16%)
1 star
19 (5%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
Profile Image for aanya ✧.*.
134 reviews11 followers
October 8, 2024
NOTE TO POTENTIAL READERS: there is a second love interest for the fmc and she is actively hooking up with him and dating him for majority of the book and lowkey develops actual feelings for him even though at the same time she is supposedly in love with her best friend?? girl nobody wants that unnecessary love triangle ass stress when reading a romance novel… we want ESCAPISM!

UGH IDEK 😭😭 like it was cute i guess but the ”refusing to admit to each other their OBVIOUS feelings for the first 60% of the book” thing kind of got old quickly. like actually just shut up you guys are so annoying. it wasn’t TERRIBLY written esp for a debut BUT HOLY FUCK can someone please explain to me why the fmc had a WHOLE OTHER LOVE INTEREST for majority of the book?? a guy who she actually had feelings for?? that was so fucking weird why wasn’t poor oliver hooking up with random girls the whole time mallory was hooking up with gus then?? i’m sooo confused. it gave me the ick like ik she didn’t really like him like that and was trying to get over oliver but girl there are other ways to do that like take a vacation or smth.

ok now i’ll be positive for a second and say i will admit when oliver and mallory (i refuse to call her mallie that is so fkn gross) finally got together i was kicking my feet and giggling a little. a few scenes gave me butterflies but i think that is because i am just so lonely. i also read this in one sitting which usually is a good thing but it was honestly because i was getting so stressed and frustrated from these idiots that for my own sanity i had to keep turning the page until i saw them finally work their shit out. also why the fuck were there so many characters it hurt my brain..

alas this was still a cutesy and average read and i have read MUCH worse so 2 stars for effort!! 💜💜💜
Profile Image for María.
858 reviews119 followers
October 20, 2024
(2.25 ⭐) Lo disfruté pero NO TIENE SENTIDO que no estuvieran juntos desde el principio. Sí, ella es la hija del Coach pero el Coach literalmente le dice a él que se le declare a la hija JAJAJAJA. Al menos fue ENTRETENIDO.
Profile Image for Ana.
170 reviews5 followers
August 9, 2024
I received this book as an ARC and these are my thoughts:

Mallory and Oliver are best friends. They are both in love with each other but are too scared to confess their feelings, because they both believe the other wouldn’t want to be more than friends.

I enjoyed this book. There was a lot of drama - the MCs were perfect for each other but had a hard time getting over their insecurities and fear of rejection. This grated a little on my nerves and I wanted to shake the the MCs more than once because they were both close to confessing their feeling on several occasions, but didn’t. But once they got over their insecurities, I loved them together.

Oliver was jealous of Mallory and the guy she was “sort of seeing” - I didn’t really like Gus at first, but he proved he wasn’t a bad guy after all. I’m curious to see what will happen to him.

Other than that, Oliver was great! He adored Mallory, was the best best friend. They were a cute couple and their love was fierce.

I very much appreciated that there was NO third-act breakup. There was a hiccup but Oliver quickly got over his anger and focused his attention on Mallory (you’ll have to read to find out what happened 😉).

There were quite a few characters and at times, I was a little lost. It took me a few chapters to situate myself and understand who-was-who in the story.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and I think that the series has great potential. The ending set up the reader’s curiosity for who the MCs of book 2 could be. If you like college romance, filled with sports (hockey), drama, friendship and a touch of “nerdiness”, you will probably enjoy this book.

Spice 3/5🌶️
Profile Image for miranda.
129 reviews4 followers
August 12, 2024
The Sweetest Thing ARC Review

i was very fortunate to receive an ARC of The Sweetest Thing by K.V. Jones All opinions are my own and given freely. 🩷

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️🌶️/5

content warning: adult content and language, alcohol consumption, the mention of blood, and scenes of graphic and violent nature. this book is intended for audiences of 18+.

“she’s the sweetest person i have ever met in my entire life, and i know without a doubt, there is nobody like her, and there will never be anyone else like her ever again.”

to say this debut novel was the cutest thing i've ever read would be an understatement. katie truly wrote such a beautiful book and reminded me again why i love best friends to lovers so much. it was just perfect!!! everything about this book was amazing. this was such a quick and fun but cozy read for me and i never wanted it to end! oliver is the most selfless person ever and is willing to drop everything to be there for mallory. and mallory…i just fell in love with everything about her!

i loved oliver and mallory so so much!! like the title, their love story is sweet and tender. i caught myself smiling so much while reading! the chemistry, trust, and love these characters have for one another was honestly so beautiful. ollie and mallie are the definition of soulmates. they would do anything for each other, especially ollie. and the moment they finally got together was so sweet. also, the nicknames they have for each other 🥺

for a debut novel, katie did such an amazing job. this was such a cute and fun read! i’m so excited to see what she does next and cannot wait for the next book in this series!! once again thank you so much for giving me the chance to read the sweetest thing early! 🩷
Profile Image for Julia.
104 reviews2 followers
July 24, 2024
Just finished the arc of this and it’s so cute I wanna squish it till it pops 🥹 Mallory and Oliver have my heart and this book was full of cute anecdotal details that hit my nerdy soul in just the right way. My main drawback is that’s it’s 1st person, which is not my preference, however the fact I’ve still given it 4 starts speaks for itself!
Profile Image for Brooke Young.
195 reviews
September 12, 2024
1.5 on a good day. this was so difficult to follow. and they were dumb. and they had other people drama. like ☹️☹️☹️☹️ booooo. they were also crazy bc kissing like that in front of family. lord. i wanted them like i was trying to be invested but it was hard. and you could tell they wanted a series with friends bad. it was not natural.
Profile Image for Amy.
214 reviews8 followers
September 8, 2024
Kind of cute, but so disorganised in how it was written half the time things were just thrown in at random points when it would've made sense to tell us at the start. For most of it I couldn't keep up with what was happening, not because anything particularly complicated was happening, but just because it felt like it had been written in a random order like the start of the book was written, kind of forgotten what was in it then wrote some more and then the end doesn't really match the start. Ollie was cute, but the whole thing just felt sporadic and rushed
Profile Image for L.
108 reviews
November 10, 2024
I'VE GOT A BIG BIG BIG HEARTBEAT I THINK YOU ARE THE SWEETEST THING
Profile Image for cosette.
154 reviews42 followers
December 25, 2024
but why, this could’ve happened in 2 chapters 😩😩
Profile Image for Neha.
122 reviews4 followers
July 24, 2024
Thank you to the wonderful and amazing K.V Jones for sending me an arc of your book🫶 Living up the the title this book really was the sweetest thing ever! I adored the characters and this book so so much!! Words really can’t describe how much I loved this book, but I’ll try! Oliver was such a cutie awkward little nerd! (Lowkey my type!) like I actually need him and his mouth NOW😖 Mallory was a ball of sunshine! Her character was definitely different than I thought she was going to be! She was confident, bright and funny! Not at all what I was expecting before reading the book! The way Mallory and Oliver were so oblivious to the other person liking them was crazy! They both were so dense but that’s what made the book so good and the story flow which I liked! (I loved how Mallorys dad was rooting for him from the start🥹) Oliver and Mallory were so made for each other! I loved all the cute scenes I got to read about them! This book 1000% had the feel of highschool/early college vibes right off the bat! And I think because of that it felt super nostalgic to read! It just felt so cozy and I couldn’t stop reading it! It was very entertaining. One of the main things I loved was how the author did such a good job making the characters feel so young inexperienced and confused with their feeling for one another. To me it felt authentic, and it was super enjoyable to read. The author did such a good job making it so funny and I loved how messy everyone was in this book. Literally no one could get their shit together in the beginning and it was so funny and super entertaining to read about! I was super sceptical about the love triangle but I honestly enjoyed it! the author did a great job of making sure we knew how the love interest was and making that the priority! It definitely kept me on my toes! The pacing of the book was super nice! it was fast paced and got to the point about what the book was about right from the beginning. The friendships in the book were super sweet! My only issue is that there was so many characters introduced that it got a little confusing and hard to keep up with who was who and who was with who. The cliffhanger at the end tho ATE me uppppp! Need the next book now!! Overall I enjoyed this immensely and I definitely found a new favourite author💖
Profile Image for donutdot.
492 reviews14 followers
January 19, 2025
i have to stop buying independently published books because of cute covers i see on social media. i need to stop. i don't know if it's just the version of the book that i bought, but what is with the random miscapitalisations, missing punctuation and what looks like accidental parabreaks? maybe it's cause i've been spoiled my perfect punctuation in books all last year but this threw me off everytime i saw it. (but then again, i did buy the old version when it came out so maybe this is on me)

i have to give credit where credit is due. Mallory and Oliver are cute af, for the most part. i love the nicknames. olive oil and marshmallory are cute, but when you throw in native languages (italian) and have Oliver call Mallory dolcezza mia for the entire book and only have her find out what is means later on? god damnit i have melted into a damn puddle. i love their pining.

but god do i hate how long it went on. i get the trope of they've loved each other since the beginning and everyone but them knows but it got old so fast. their meet cute of him falling on the ice is that, cute. but when this pining and also, Mallory dating another guy she actually likes, goes on for most of the book, at some point i really couldn't take it anymore. enough with the emotional (and later physical) cheating and move on already PLEASE. and they sure went from,, not being able to confess to really being all over each other 24/7 huh. too much manufactured tension of Mallory leaving when she didn't even leave at the end.

ps. i cannot believe she is okay with him bursting her pipes so she could go live with him.

the miscom about Quinny's kiss bruh. but at least it led to a shouting and makeup in the rain so i can't complain.

there are so many characters and this is shaping up to be another uni hockey team romance series i suppose. but please i am so curious about what happened between Abi and Blaine (bookseller x florist??) and Marcus. and Tommy breaking Cory's nose at the end.
Profile Image for Celeste.
177 reviews1 follower
July 24, 2024
🫒𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙙 𝙄 𝙨𝙖𝙬 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙪𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙧, 𝙢𝙮 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨. 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙞𝙩 𝙘𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙣 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙮 𝙗𝙤𝙙𝙮 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙖𝙢𝙣 𝙨𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙞𝙩 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠. 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚."🫒

Our protagonists, Oliver and Mallory, met during their first year of college. Oliver has been hopelessly in love with Mallory since the first day he met her, and she feels the same way, despite both having had not-so-serious relationships with other people in the meantime. Over time, they have become best friends, soulmates. It’s a shame that neither of them wants to make the first move, as they both fear losing each other.

This indecision drove me crazy. They were always on the verge of confessing their feelings, but then, suddenly, something happens and they pull back. I wanted to scream at them to just get on with it! However, it's wonderful when a book can capture me so completely.

Their love story, as the title suggests, is sweet and tender. They made me smile often, and their mutual affection is evident through small and large gestures towards each other (16 hours in line for tickets? Big gestures, I approve).

A pleasant surprise was the character of Gus, the other point of what is not quite a love triangle. Gus is a sweet and kind guy, not the typical antagonist who ruins the main couple. I really hope to read a happy ending for him too because he deserves it. The other secondary characters are also very nice, and I look forward to getting to know them better.
This novel is sweet, engaging, and perfect for those who love college-set love stories, full of drama and insecurities.
Profile Image for bookishreadswithv.
25 reviews
August 25, 2024
₊˚ෆ “she’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, why wouldn’t i spend all my time looking?”₊˚ෆ 💕💞💓💞

this quote! ahhhh just Ollie Ashby…

One thing about me is that I LOVE Spider-Man❤️ and this book included the mmc loving marvel specifically Spider-Man which I adored!

4.2/5⭐️

To say this debut novel was the cutest thing I’ve ever read is such an understatement. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I loved this friends to lovers trope. It was just perfect. The chemistry, trust, and love these characters have for one another is just tangible and I felt so lucky to experience it. I loved Ollie & Mallory so so much, they were two friends that experienced life together and realize how friendship could transform into a romantic relationship. I also really appreciated how this book had no third-act breakup. There wasn’t any unnecessary drama either which was so lovely to read about.

OLLIE, OLLIE, OLLIE. that’s it. He was the most selfless ever. Whenever I was reading I kept on thinking of the lyrics “in a world of boys he’s a gentleman,” he really was🥺 the way he cared for Mallory and understood her even when she couldn’t do so herself was just so heartwarming. Also the nicknames they gave each other were so cute!!
Profile Image for sunkssedReads .
25 reviews2 followers
July 27, 2024
I was sent this book as an Arc and it did not disappoint.
The sweetest thing is a debut novel and my god did she hit the mark with it.
If you are looking for a cosy read that gives solid Rory and Logan Vibes from Gilmore Girls if they stayed together! Its honestly cosy uni vibes!

Ollie- The sweetest MMC with a dirty mouth and a willingness to do whatever Mallie wanted and would burn the world for her but in the most wholesome way possible. This mans sex drive is through the roof and Mallie is his own personal kryptonite.
Mallie - the relatable character who is completely F***ing oblivious that ollie is in love with her from the get go! She's headstrong and stubborn and a complete idiot in places but she works so well and is written perfectly for her vibes!

This book is just the definition of sweet and spicy and will have you kicking your feet and giggling bit also swooning at phrases like 'grab the headboard and hold on baby"
35 reviews
August 12, 2024
I enjoyed this book. Since I hear about it coming out a few months back this has been one of my most anticipated reads.
I loved the characters of Mallory and Oliver. Their love for each other was so powerful. I loved seeing Oliver's family. I felt like bringing them into the story was able to add more depth to Oliver's character. I also liked seeing Mallory's relationship with her dad. Seeing a strong father-daughter relationship in a romance book is so rare, so seeing the love that Mallory and her dad her was refreshing.
My only critique is that I wish the book went into Mallory's relationship with her mom a little bit more. I felt like it was brushed off too quickly. But other than that I enjoyed this book.
For a debut novel, this one is really strong and I can't wait to see how this author grows and what the other characters will bring.
If you enjoy a refreshing friends-to-lovers romance, this book is most definitely for you.
Profile Image for ria !!.
60 reviews6 followers
August 13, 2024
this was just about the cutest thing i’ve read in a long long while. it is the perfect palette cleanser, and is (in the best way) the perfect fluffy romance to get you out of a slump, to root for, to read in between plot heavy books, literally anything. it’s one of those books you find yourself shamelessly smiling and giggling at. long story short, it’s the epitome of a romcom movie.

mallory and oliver actually have my heart. (at the beginning you’re gonna want to scream at both of them in the face because the mutual pining is genuinely whiplash-inducing) but the way these two teenagers get each other is the romance i need in my life asap.

katie, thank you so so much for this arc and congratulations!!! i loved every second.

[🌟] The Sweetest Thing is out NOW!!

tropes:
➛ hockey captain x coach’s daughter
➛ open door
➛ (ridiculous) mutual pining
➛ no third act breakup
➛ friends to lovers
Profile Image for Kenzie.
478 reviews
September 25, 2024
2.5/5
To me, this book was really really immature. I love a friends to lovers and this book was done well! Olie and Mallory were entertaining. The mutual pinning reminded me a bit of The Cheat Sheet. I did however have a few issues with the writing style.

To me, these characters seemed really immature for being in college. I understand depending on friends but every decision does not need to involve your entire friend group. (And that goes for teammates as well)

It's also more of a me issue, but never once was Mallory okay being alone. In a flashback we see her and her boyfriend break up, and a few hours later she's kissed someone new. Then later we see her sleep with someone for "one night" and then the next day, she goes out on a date with someone else. And the PDA in the last 30% of the book is a lot. Jumping on your boyfriend in front of yours, and his parents and wrapping your legs around his hips is a lot.
Profile Image for Kosi.
54 reviews4 followers
August 12, 2024
[ARC REVIEW] —> I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3/5 stars)

This was definitely a cute and digestible (make sure to check trigger warnings as there’s some heavy material in certain chapters) romance! My only two complaints was that I was a little confused with the timeline and the characters/their roles in the first few chapters. Thankfully, that issue was resolved when the roles were made clearer later on. Also, there were certain parts of the story that felt a bit repetitive when Oliver and Mallory had feelings for each other unbeknownst to the other person. I wish there was an additional plot line to break up the inner monologues filled with pining. Other than that, I really rooted for Mallory and Oliver once they finally ended up together (thank goodness for the no third act breakup)!
If you enjoy ice hockey romances, you should give this a try :)
Profile Image for Chelsie Speakman.
213 reviews2 followers
August 6, 2024
Mallory Grace and Oliver Ashby. They’re best friends - but they’re both deeply in love with each other, and everyone seems to know that they love each other, except for themselves.

The name itself sums up how I found this book. It was so sweet. The love that Mallory and Oliver have for each other, and their whole love story is really “the sweetest thing”. It truly is a fluffy romance novel - with open door spice - that leaves you cheering the moment the main characters inevitably end up getting together.

This is book one in an impending series called Covington University series. So, if sweet romances are your kind of thing, then most definitely head to read this one!
Profile Image for Sukriti .
3,646 reviews1 follower
February 19, 2025
**Book Review: The Sweetest Thing (Covington #1) by K.V. Jones**

*The Sweetest Thing* is a heartwarming small-town romance with a mix of slow-burn love and emotional depth. The story follows a baker who pours her heart into her work and a brooding businessman with a complicated past. Their paths cross in unexpected ways, leading to sweet moments, witty banter, and heartfelt emotions. The characters feel real, and the cozy town adds charm to the story. While the pacing is slow at times, the chemistry between the leads keeps you hooked. Perfect for fans of small-town romances with a dash of angst and plenty of heart. ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Profile Image for Jan Camille.
258 reviews2 followers
August 9, 2024
ARC REVIEW
🍭I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.🍭

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️

This story was just adorable!

Oliver and Mallory’s friends to lovers story got me hooked right from the start. It gave us sweetness, (like it’s title 😉) spice and also drama (which I was not expecting 😆). Their chemistry and love for each other was felt through the pages. I absolutely loved how relatable the story is. I can literally imagine it happening in real life. The push and pull between the two kept me on my toes. The combination of secret pining and drama really got me swiping for the next page right away to know what’s gonna happen next.
Profile Image for Book  Junkie.
300 reviews5 followers
August 14, 2024
This one was a little long for me. I think it could have been finished at about 60% and still been a great read.

Mallory and Oliver have been best friends since their freshman year of college. They both are secretly pining for each other but neither of them makes a move until they do. They both have multiple other partners which I don't particularly enjoy reading or hearing about and there is some on page stuff too.

There is little angst in this one but a good bit of spice!

If you are looking for a safe fairly fluffy read then this one is for you.
9 reviews
September 18, 2024
Definitely a YA read

I really liked the concept of this book. I like the tropes involved (coach’s daughter, hockey romance, friends to lovers, etc) but I had a hard time finishing it. Although the book is 300+ pages long, it felt extremely rushed. You’re reading one chapter and in the next I felt like I skipped a chapter or 2. There is a bit of spice but it’s not heavily detailed. I liked the relationship between the characters but it was starting to become a lot when finally got together. It was just wayyy too mushy for me.
Profile Image for Hope.
112 reviews2 followers
July 24, 2024
Arc review:

This is one of the best books I have ever read ☺️

Oliver is everything you want and need for a mmc boyfriend. His support and love towards Mallory is soo giving and i didn’t want this book to end.
I was giggling and smiling throughout this book and it was absolutely beautiful to read, I literally have no words

Please everyone when this comes out august 9th please, please read it you will not regret it 💗
Profile Image for Amanda.
36 reviews1 follower
August 10, 2024
ARC Review

I'd recommend this book if you like:
- hockey romances
- college setting
- main character energy from fmc
- drama

I personally struggled with this book as the characters read a little young for college-aged and were quite self-centered 😅 I also noticed a lot of grammatical errors that I think made it to the final copy.

That being said, the book moved quickly and it is a debut so the series will likely just continue to get better!

While this book wasn't my favorite I do think it's an incredible achievement for anyone to write a book and share it 📚🩷
Profile Image for Sandyn Ariel.
81 reviews
October 27, 2024
This book was a cute read but my gosh at certain points I was cringing. I didn’t like how Mallory had a whole other guy she had feelings for when she was saying she was in love with her best friend. I didn’t really like that for the first half of the book Oliver and Mallory were fighting their feelings for each other but once they got together it was the cutest thing. There were quite a few typos in this book and some things that didn’t make sense at all but overall it was an okay read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.