Choosing Her

by Clara Nielsen

There are two things in life I know for hockey players are trouble and Caleb Cross is the worst of the bunch.

Once upon a time, I fell for a boy at a party. Then he ghosted me and started dating my sister.

Not exactly the start to a great love story.

Now it’s a year later, he’s single again, and he’s determined to win me over. Too bad I know better than to fall for his tricks.

But every time I reject him, he only becomes more determined to prove that he’s not just the player I think he is.

And I hate to admit it, but with every smile, every joke, every moment alone—he makes it harder and harder to remember why I hated him in the first place.

But how can I fall for the one guy I swore I’d never forgive?

Choosing Her is a sweet & wholesome YA romance set at boarding school. Get your copy today!

Genres: Romance, Young Adult, Clean Romance, Fiction, Enemies To Lovers

256 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 28, 2025

About the author

Clara Nielsen writes sweet & swoony YA romances set in high school, all about shy girls and the boys who are head-over-heels for them. When she’s not busy writing, you’ll probably find her out on the lake, putting together the perfect playlist, or sipping on a chai latte while daydreaming about her next story.

Reviews

[Hadley]

These books are not good for my sleep schedule it’s 1:30 in the morning and I just yet again binged one of this authors books!

Full review coming tomorrow.

[Sydney]

This one was WAYYYYY better than the first one!!!

[Amelie]

Miscommunication is my least favorite trope ever

[*•.N04Ħ.•*]

—+ | 13+ | 1/5 🌶️ | 3⭐️ | +—•

🏒-Choosing her-🐎

🐎x🏒

‘I hate that I know we can never be together now because I think you were always the one I was supposed to end up with.’ -🏒


•(3/5⭐️) This wasn’t the best book this year and even the good parts I highlighted weren’t that great. But it was ok I guess. I might recommend.


•Spice: 1/5 🌶️(Only kissing) Clean Romance.


•(My) Age rating: 13+ (Teen/YA)

‘He was my first and only kiss. My first and only love. If I didn’t have him, I wanted nobody.’ -🐎

Bai ✌🏻 tysm for reading

[Grace]

⭐⭐.5. I got a bit bored and just wanted to finish it. I'm not going to finish the series as it is a bit repetitive and I don't feel like I care about the characters. it is predictive but I'm a way I don't like. still a cute ending but not one of my faves

[Luna ꪆৎ]

3.75 ⭐

Before I begin I want to thank the author, Clara Nielsen, for giving me this ARC.

So, quick backstory: I received the ARC of the previous book in this series about a month ago, and I loved it. I didn't know that I was automatically signed up for the ARC team. When I received this ARC, I was really confused and didn't even know what it was going to be about.

This was a cute, short, but slow burn (like really slow burn), second chance story. I like Saylor and Crossy and their dynamic. I felt that this book was really focused on their story. Yes, I did read a bit about someone else in this universe, but I noticed it was mainly about Saylor and Crossy. They were really cute.

Overall, I liked this and thought they were really cute. I would definitely recommend this if you want to read a short but cute second chance slow burn.

[Samantha]

Alright, at the start, I thought this would be a three star, the banter was BEYOND amazing, I was giggling and kicking my feet. Then the last 30% came and it me in the back, it killed me, and the last 15-10% was the ultimate yearning session. They both wanted one another and were teared apart from each other, it was painful, and beautiful. I love when romance books make me feel every single emotion ever. Saylor’s sister though, she wasn’t my favorite character ever… but other than her, these characters are so fun to read about and pretty relatable too! Definitely a good novel! 4.5 ⭐️

[Ali]

I love these books even at almost 40. Caleb also know as crossy is on the hockey team and needs help in math if he wants to graduate next year . He needs a tutor but the only person available is the one person who hates him the most .

Rebecca “saylor” is a sophomore but is taking junior classes because her parents push her to due harder classes to make them look good . She also loves horseback riding .

Saylor met crossy at a party on New Year’s Eve but he lost her contact info . He tried to find her but was unsuccessful . Unfortunately he starts dating someone new that throws him a big surprise he wasn’t expecting . At the end I really wanted to strangle Taylor’s sister but maybe she will have her own happy ending in the coming books

I loved the nostalgia these books can bring you of the close knit friend groups and his the sports teams rule the school even in boarding school. I love all the personalities of the friends they make the book come alive. The plot isn’t overly complicated and easy to follow along. The books are short and sweet and good palette cleanser for when I need one . I always recommend these to anyone who likes to read ya. Available on kindle unlimited, ebook or paperback to purchase

[Patricia]

3.5 ⭐

"Choosing Her" is the second book in the Hartwell Academy series by Clara Nielsen. It's a sweet, slow-burn romance about second chances.

Saylor and Crossy’s relationship had a complicated past—they fell in love, but then he dated her sister, which led to plenty of misunderstandings.

However, it was heartwarming to see them work through their issues together, and I especially loved how Crossy tried to figure out Saylor’s favourite iced coffee flavours—it was such an adorable detail!

I really felt for Saylor, given the family she had to deal with, not just her parents but also her sister, but it was so satisfying to see her realize that her chosen family was what truly mattered.

That said, I did feel the story took a long time to develop, and when things finally fell into place, it all happened a bit too suddenly. A more even pacing would have made the journey even more enjoyable, and there were a few unresolved elements that left me confused.

Still, it was an adorable read, though I preferred the first one, but I’m definitely curious to see where the series goes next. ^-^

~I received an arc for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily!~

[Delphia Von Heeder]

Choosing Her is Book 2 in the Hartwell Academy by Clara Nelsen. Saylor is crazy about Crossy. Crossy is crazy about Saylor, BUT, he dates her sister, Naomi. I found this Young Adult story to be very well written with excellent characters. I thought that Crossy was clever in getting Saylor to spend time with him. Jump into High School and dive into a sweet romance. I received an arc for free and am leaving my review voluntarily.

[꣑ৎ sue (hatter-pendragon version) ꣑ৎ]

a fairly easy and fast read. one thing i’d like to comment is that i don’t understand the pick me-ness of the heroine. like i truly think it was unnecessary for the narrative to demonize heroine’s sister—amounting her to a cartoony villain whose only redeeming quality is her beauty. i don’t know. it felt misogynistic to me.

[Karina]

why did i think giving this author another chance was a good idea ?

[AffyTheFirst]

It was so funny and I loved it so frickin much!!!

[Emma Feest]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (4.5/5 stars)

💬 "Even now, every time I looked at him, I couldn't decide if I wanted to kiss him or kill him." 😍😜

This book was such a lovely read! Even though I struggled a little to get completely into the story at first, I couldn't stop reading once I was hooked. By the time I finished it, all I wanted was to start the next book immediately. 💕📖

Choosing Her felt really special, especially because of the flashbacks. They slowly revealed more and more about the past, making the whole story and the connection between the characters clearer with every chapter. ✨👀

Now let's talk about the characters...

Saylor was sooo special. I loved the way she treated everyone. She was reserved but also incredibly kind and caring. I also liked that she was careful around Crossy because of everything that had happened in the past. Her feelings and actions felt so realistic, and I honestly loved how different she was from many other female main characters. 😍🐴

And Crossy... 🙃 At first, I wasn't sure what to think of him because of the whole situation with Saylor's sister. But with every chapter, I liked him more and more. He is such a sweet, attentive, and ambitious person. The way he always brought Saylor the coffee she liked or how gentle he was with her horse was just too cute. 🥹🥰🐴

The book had so many emotional and beautiful moments that made the whole reading experience amazing. My absolute favorite scene was definitely the dance in the stable. 🤍 It was just so adorable and made me smile the entire time.

The only thing I didn't really like was the love triangle involving Saylor's sister. I also found that part a little predictable, but that's just my personal opinion. It didn't stop me from enjoying the story at all. ⚖️✨

Anyways, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves:
● lovers to enemies to lovers ❤️
● slow burn 🔥
● high school romance 🏫
● horse settings 🐴
● emotional flashbacks ✨

I loved this book just as much as the first one and I seriously can't wait for the next part. 💕🏒🐴📚✨

[Arfaa ༺☆༻]

It's my fault for having faith that the second book would be better. I didn't scream loud or hard enough for the first book so here we are again.
first off, I don't WANT to be a hater to a cute YA romance, there so rare to find, and the author seems very sweet. BUT GOD HELP ME THIS WAS SO PAINFUL. I get the miscommunication but bro just TALK I BEG OF YOU it's not like someone was pulling them apart, people were telling them to talk but NOOOOOOOOOOOO LETS BE LOSERS AND YESSSSSS ILL LET YOU DATE MY SISTER BUT I DONT WANNA TALK TO YOU. Lemme be real I saw glasses on the guy and had faith this boook would be better then the first one but nope! The fact she stil had feelings after she was basically his sister-in-law makes me cry. No scene made me smile, I was just very confused, and the latte thing wasn't even cute like do you want your girl to die of diabetes bringing her a damn latte everyday????? Every line was corny, every confession scene was so annoying, and it was just like if my man is holding my hand but he held my sisters hand like this before too just sedate me and give me dementia so I can forget this god-awful book. That's it!

[Nsaasira Nkolebilungi]

I loved the first book so i got all of them and i ended up not regretting at all that decision. Crossy is just... amazing but i kinda like Tino better than all of them, he's just giving a bit of Jude vibes although i haven't read his book yet i know I'm gonna love it. Saylor was just amazing she acted the way she should and didn't do nonsense that i kind of expected she was mature way more mature than her awful big sister and FYI I feel like in the end Naomi had just started to fall in love with Caleb [Crossy] so that's why she was 'feeling betrayed' and all that nonsense. But when Saylor was reading Crossy's letter's i could literally FEEL his love for her through the screen [and yes I'm not a physical reader] That part almost made me cry. I'm so glad the two came together, love them so much!! Anywho... Caleb [Crossy] and Rebecca [Saylor] FOREVERRRRRR!

[Ryan Bennett]

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4.75 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨️
I finished this book in one sitting. That's a sign. 😛 This book was SO addictive, I swear there is something in the pages of this book.👀
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♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡
💬'Even though I wasn't supposed to be flirting with her, the words came out before I could stop them: "Trust me, Saylor, you're always in my dreams."'💖
♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

I am absolutely in love with this book. It was such an amazing storyline and it was so enjoyable to read.
I would give this a hands down 5/5 stars but there was some minor, **minor** inappropriate things within a couple scenes that stuck out to me in a negative way, but besides that, I LOVED this book and it is one of my new favorite romances!! 🤩🤩🤩

[books_by_bugs]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
AHH YAYYY ANOTHER HOCKEY ROMANCE THAT I LOOOOOVED!!!!! It defiently took me a minute to read because of my reading slump, but that’s okay! I loved this book sm and it had one of my fav tropes in it! (Second chance!) AND I EAT THEM UP!!
I srsly cannot wait for the next book to come out in this series! I’m so grateful I received this as an arc! There was some typos here and there, but that’s okay! The enteraintment is 5 stars! PLUS THE LETTER TROPEEEEE!!! AGHHHH!!! The friendship in these books is literally the

[Yasmine Boumeftah]

Choosing Her was such a joy to read! From the very first chapter, I was hooked by the characters, they felt so real and lovable, especially the MC, who completely stole my heart.

Clara Nielsen has such a warm, engaging writing style that made me fly through the pages. The dialogue felt natural, the emotions hit just right, and the chemistry between the characters kept me smiling (and sometimes tearing up).

I’m already excited for the next book in the series and can’t wait to see where the story goes. Huge thanks to Clara for letting me read this one, it absolutely made my week!

[Agnessa]

I'm disheartened to say I hated this book. The boy, I will call him a boy because he acted like one knew it was a mistake to keep dating the sister even though he knew he loved the other one and waited until she broke up with him. Also her sister bragged that her ex, (boy main character) was a good kisser. How did the writer want everyone to know both sisters possibly kissed the same boy. Also the boy spend most of the book trying to get over her, the girl he knew he love. Sorry for my rant but it felt weird to me.

[apollonia! ౨ৎ]

1 star.. ⭐️ (dnf at 63%)



as i'm writing this, i'm currently reading ouabh. i could've sucked it up and read the remaining 37% but i didn't feel like it sooo.. usually i read 2-5 chapters before i read on my kindle, thsi book made me not want to use my kindle. i did enjoy finding her, but this wasn't it..

saylor is really nice buts he felt really pick me at times, i can't get over the fact that she can't admit her feelings for crossy..like why is your sister mad for you liking her ex? you can't control who you find attractive or not. and crossy omg i hate him. WE GET IT YOU HAVE FOUR SISTERS JEEZ 😭

overall didnt enjoy, probably will be my last read from clara nielsen. ://

[Veronica]

This book??? emotionally stressful in the best way 😭

after everything in Finding Her, this story really leans into the “will they / won’t they actually choose each other” tension—and it HURTS (but like… in a good way)

the emotions feel bigger here. there’s more vulnerability, more miscommunication, and more moments where you just want to shake the characters and be like TALK TO EACH OTHER PLEASE

but that’s also what makes it so addictive. you feel the hesitation, the fear, the growth—and when things finally start to come together?? yeah… it hits 🥹

[Lex’s Cosmos]

3.5 Stars! ⭐️ Such a cute story! I finished it one day!

I thought the main trope of this book would make it hard for me to read and enjoy, but it wasn’t a problem at all! I liked the slow burn and tension of the romance between the characters. It hit the nail on the head for being a high school romance.

For me I started this book at night as something light to read and that’s exactly what it was! I really enjoyed this book. So if you are like me and enjoy a light book to read at night I recommend it.

[Stephanie Le]

DNF at 26%
Already I hate a few things about this book. The self-centred sister and the absentee parents who pretend to stay active of their children’s lives and try to control what they study when they only bother to send one postcard to the older sibling. The fact that she uses her surname name instead of first name tells me everything why it went wrong with them in the first place. Why introduce yourself with the name Saylor when your sister shares the same last name? What’s wrong with the name Rebecca?

[Raegan]

3.5 ⭐️

i love crossy and i love his friend group so so much!! saylor was a mid mmc for me and her friendships felt less explored. i just felt a bit disconnected from some characters, and like some of the book could’ve been used to cultivate them more. it was pretty good but i feel like there wasn’t much point to it.

[Diana James]

This was another very sweet story that I enjoyed reading. I couldn’t help but feel for Saylor, what with her parents being controlling and distant and her sister being a major brat, but I’m glad that Crossy’s persistence paid off and that she was eventually able to see what a healthy family relationship looked like.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Jules W.]

I could not put this book down!
Such a cute romance, and I loved the dual pov.

The author did a great job executing the plot and getting you to love and understand the main characters.

I wanted to beat Naomi and her parents this whole book. My girl don’t deserve a family like this.
So glad at the end Saylor gets the boy, her Crossy.

[June Kuykendall]

I loved this book! As characteristic of Clara's writing, it was squeaky clean. This is the second book in this series, which is set at Hartwell academy. This book follows the story of Saylor and Crossy. It says this book is a romantic comedy, and it definitely had me laughing in some parts. All I can say is Crossy is soooo sweet! The coffee?!?!?!

[Teya Teya]

Sweet well except the sister

This was an interesting love story. Started out great and then got side tracked with a misidentity. Then the story was him working to get her back the whole book and then having flashbacks to their first kiss.

[Magnolia⚔️🌿🌾🍄‍🟫 Everwren]

Was good, but not great. A lot of miscommunication and some little stupid things, like his dates or whatever being annoying. Did like the iced coffee scenes and playful bickering. Ehhh could be better. Very cliche.