Stick Around

Punk as Puck #4

by E.M. Lindsey

"Would you slap a teammate for twenty-five grand?"
"Uh, yeah. There are a few I'd slap for free. Just point me in the right direction."

Problem number one: My personal life is falling apart.
Problem number two: My public life is also on thin freaking ice.
Problem number three: The ridiculously hot NHL D-man with the inability to remove his head from his ass has decided I’m his number one target.

And that last one is a bit of an issue since his idea of targeting me is to have absurdly hot hate-hookups with me in the locker room. Which I don’t necessarily mind…

Except there’s one tiny snag in his plan: I don’t like guys.

Or, well, I didn’t think I liked guys.

But when Alexio Zeki drops to his knees and, uh, gets to business, I realize my very narrow view of my own sexuality needs some adjustment.

And that’s ironic coming from a blind man.

Admitting I’m bisexual is the easy part.

Admitting I’m kind of, sort of, ridiculously into the man I claimed to hate is something else entirely. But the more he insists that I’m worth keeping, the more I start wanting to believe him.

Stick Around is the first book in the Punk as Puck spin-off series, Legends and Fury. It’s a high heat, enemies to lovers rom-com with a snarky NHL goalie who has a lot of big opinions and doesn’t care if they’re unsolicited, a PPHL goalie with a mountain of problems and no way to reach the top, locker room hookups, praise, swoony romance, a low-stakes bi-awakening, hockey bro banter, tons of chirping, and the swooniest happily ever after.

Genres: Hockey, M M Romance, Sports, Romance

294 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication March 31, 2026

About the author

E.M. Lindsey is the author of MM contemporary romance. She presently lives and works in the southeastern United States.

EM Lindsey also writes MM Paranormal Romance under the pseudonym Ariel Millar.

Reviews

[Lore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sadly , this one did not worked as expected for me . But first , I want to start with the positive :
I totally, absolutely loved Jonah and my heart felt so bad for him for giving the feeling of carrying all the world on his shoulders .
And I’m totally in love with the numerous side characters and the found family and warmth this book gives overall.
Unfortunately, I really struggled to like Alexio, and trust me , I did put in the effort on my part. I understand that, at first, he had his reasons for judging Jonah’s behavior, but overall he came across as entitled. He was called out multiple times for his lack of understanding and awareness when it comes to disabilities, which made it even harder for me to warm up to him.
In addition, their connection didn’t felt like a love story to me , but more like out of nowhere attraction and “let’s be together eventually.”
I still recommend this book for all the aspects I highlighted as positives, and I do think the other elements might work better for other readers. Excited to read more in the series 🫶

[Nancy Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC REVIEW
STICK AROUND (LEGENDS AND FURY 1) di E.M. Lindsey
VOTO: 5⭐ 2🌶️
USCITA: 1/04/2026
RECENSIONE: Wow. Che libro meraviglioso! Se potessi, darei 10 stelle per le emozioni che mi ha fatto provare sin dal primo capitolo. È la prima volta in assoluto che leggo un romanzo di E.M. Lindsey. Ne ho approfittato per leggere questo primo romanzo della serie Legends and Fury, che vede protagonisti Alexio e Jonah.
Jonah é il goalie dei Legends, squadra di hockey non vedenti, Alexio è un giocatore della squadra di Boston che divide il palazzetto con i Legends. Alexio per questo non trova simpatico Jonah, crede che la sua squadra tolga loro tempo prezioso per allenarsi.
Jonah però ha altri problemi a cui pensare: una madre stronza che da un giorno all’altro se ne va e li abbandona insieme al marito malato di Alzheimer, costringendo i tre figli a prendersi cura di lui. I fratelli però non vogliono prendersi questa responsabilità e sarà lui a occuparsene ma non resterà solo per molto.
Purtroppo non ho provato empatia per il padre di Jonah perché durante alcuni momenti di lucidità quando parlava dei figli, raccontava aneddoti che sinceramente mi hanno fatto rabbrividire da quanto erano cattivi. Ho sofferto per per il protagonista costretto ad ascoltarlo e per i suoi due fratelli che hanno subito il tutto quando erano giovani. | genitori di Jonah sono stati estremamente dannosi per tutti e tre, non solo la madre sfruttava Jonah e Micah costringendoli a fare cose contro la loro volontà, ma il padre se n'è sempre fregato; mentre il terzo fratello veniva completamente ignorato dalla madre perché “non sufficientemente cieco”. Per questo motivo ho odiato tutta la situazione, secondo me Jonah non si meritava un fardello simile. Nikos é stato molto importante nella storia e gli ha fatto capire che prendersi cura delle persone che si amano non é una debolezza.
Alexio, fratello di Nikos, lo aiuterà anche se pensa che Jonah e i suoi fratelli siano degli stronzi non capendo la situazione famigliare e della malattia del padre.
Man mano che il tempo passa e i due si frequentano, si scoprono interessati l'uno all'altro. Ho amato come ho potuto conoscere Alexio attraverso Jonah che lo riconosce per il suo profumo e attraverso il tocco e come con Alexio decida di esplorare una parte di sé che pensava di aver nascosto bene. Spoiler: non ci é riuscito!
Ho amato tutti i personaggi, la found family, il gruppo di amici di Jonah che gli sono sempre stati vicini e lo hanno supportato, Nikos e Vanya, il portiere nella squadra di hockey di Alexio, che è un raggio di sole. Un punto negativo sono stati alcuni pensieri di Alexio che non ho apprezzato. Vanya è stato uno dei miei personaggi preferiti e non vedo l'ora di leggere il suo libro!

English Review:
This is my first time ever reading one E.M. Lindsey book and OMG I loved it SOOOOO much!!! This is a cute and low angst romance. Jonah is the goalie in the blind hockey team that shares the same ice rink as Alexio’s hockey team. Alexio knows who Jonah is but he has never met before. They started to know each other after they found out that Nikos’ regular customer is Jonah’s father. Alexio tries to help Jonah with him, but he resent Jonah a lot because he doesn't know, at first, why Jonah and his brothers didn't know about his father’s Alzheimer and he thinks that Jonas is a bad person. They start to know each other better and they start to fall in love very slowly. For Jonah is the first time ever that he has a relationship with a man and I loved reading how he deals with it. I loved reading the world in Jonah’s POV, how he recognizes Alexio by his perfume or how he starts to knows him just with touches. This is a very cute romance and very low angst. I’m in love with Lindsey’s writing because I felt a lot of emotion since chapter 1 and I couldn't put the Kindle down. I devoured it! Amazing!! Thank you the Author Agency for my ARC copy.

[Sabrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jonah is not having a good time lately and at the moment that stress is coming from his parents. Growing up in his house was rough. Him and his brother were born blind, and their other brother’s eyesight was just about nonexistent as well. Their father didn’t care about them, and their mother basically made their life a circus. And while they tried to cut ties, Jonah soon learns that his mother leaves the country and drops the bomb that his dad is sick and in need of care that she isn’t sticking around for. He can’t ask his brothers for help and with his job being a professional hockey player, things are getting to be a bit too much. Oh, then there is Alexio. The defenseman on the NHL team in Boston that shares the rink with Jonah’s team. Turns out him and his brother have been looking out for Jonah’s dad during his episodes and Alexio is convinced that Jonah is a terrible person for not taking care of his dad. But there is a lot more to that than Alexio knows. While their relationship starts off pretty rocky with the lack of knowing the other very, things slowly begin to change the more they find their paths crossing. And hate turns into a lot more when they push one another enough. Another thing to add to Jonah’s list of realizations, turns out he is bi. And he might just be falling for Alexio. Alexio can’t imagine abandoning his parents but he is slowly humbled when he realizes that he may not have the whole picture. Throw in the fact that he is realizing just how much he doesn’t know about the Jonah’s team and their disabilities. But it’s not too late to learn. Especially when he actually gets to know Jonah and explore the spark between them. Turns out, Jonah may be the thing Alexio has been waiting for. I loved these two! Such a great enemies to lovers story. Especially when you just wanted to shake Alexio in the beginning for being so judgy LOL. But I loved that he recognized how he was acting and wanted to learn and just be there for Jonah during a really hard time. Them falling for one another was this sweet slow romance that just got better and better as the story went on. We also got introduced to a bunch of new characters and visited a lot from the Punk as Puck series. I just cannot wait for the next one!
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hadn't ever read any books by E.M. Lindsey, but I read the blurb for this book and was instantly intrigued. A MM hockey romance, a rival/hate to love vibe and one of the MC's is also blind? I had to see how it played out.

Stick Around is the first book in the Legends and Fury series but it is also a spin off from the Punk as Puck series. I kind of wish that I had maybe checked out the Punk as Puck series before reading this book. I spent a lot of time in this book feeling like I was missing something. It was obvious there was a lot of backstory for Jonah's character that maybe was explored more before in another book- but I'm not totally sure.

Jonah's life is in an upheaval- he's on top in his career as a blind PPHL player but his personal life is one dumpster fire after the next. Adding to that is Alexio Zeki- the NHL player that had accidently found himself intertwined in Jonah's life in multiple ways.

I loved the little lighthearted quips and banter that are peppered throughout the story. It helped smooth out some of the heavier and more emotional moments. I was so interested in Jonah's story with his disability- that he obviously shares with both of his brothers- and the idea of this hockey team that is filled with vision impaired or legally blind players. Then there is this instant chemistry that burns between Alexio and Jonah- neither of them likes the other but there is this attraction. Jonah never really leaned toward wanting men outside of knowing that he can find them attractive but he didn't hesitate when Alexio took action.

I could appreciate the attraction and lustful pulls between these two. There was this intensity and heat that burned bright to the point of obsession. I really enjoyed the obsession that grew between these two- it was protective and primal. I also just had a little bit of a hard time getting connected with it at times- it just felt a little like these charged moments would pop up but I missed the feeling of their relationship growing past just the attraction and surface level.

Overall, I enjoyed Jonah and Alexio- I'm not sure if I will go back and read the previous books in the Punk as Puck series or continue the Legends and Fury series but it was an enjoyable read.

[HappilyEverReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

** I was gifted an ARC copy of this book**

I could relate to Jonah so much in this book, and his story hit pretty close to home for me. Being the oldest, taking care of an ailing parent you have a complicated relationship with, and Jonah did all of that all of that while navigating a disability? My heart really went out to him. This one definitely got a little emotional for me.

One of my favorite parts was the found family. Jonah’s friends showed up for him in such a big way, and seeing them rally around him and support him was so heartwarming. You could really feel how much they cared, and it made everything he was going through a little less heavy. For me- Vanya was a highlight of this story and I hope his story comes next!

EM Lindsey always does such a great job with disability rep, and this book was no exception. It gave me a lot of perspective on blindness and the day-to-day challenges that come with it. I also loved seeing how Jonah and his teammates played hockey and lived their lives independently—it was really interesting and empowering to read.

Jonah’s parents made me so angry. The way they treated him was honestly heartbreaking, which made it even more meaningful when Nikos and Alexio came into his life and showed him what real love and support should look like when it came to caring for his dad.

Jonah and Alexio’s relationship was such a good slow burn. I loved the enemies-to-lovers tension at the start (including the hate s*x!), and then watching it grow into something soft and supportive. Their connection really shined when they were dealing with Alexio’s injury—it felt very real and emotional.

Overall, this was such a sweet, emotional book that really stuck with me. I definitely enjoyed it and would recommend it if you’re in the mood for something heartfelt with great representation.

Tropes: MM hockey romance, enemies to lovers, emotional slow burn, found family, disability rep, hurt/comfort

[Barbara Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 ⭐️

🏒🥅MC’s: Alexio & Jonah

Loved this MM hockey romance 🏒

As in the other Punk As Puck series, books there is disability rep and insight into the associated culture.

E.M. Lindsey is unapologetic about in-depth disability rep without sugarcoating — not only of life with the disability but surviving the realities of everything from basic misunderstanding to ableism.

In this story, one of the MC’s suffered significant trauma due to their specific type of congenital blindness and the family he was born into. As it should be, it’s a tough thing to digest — it’s difficult to read and comprehend the darker sides of humanity sometimes. Of course, this is fiction, but the idea that people live through similar circumstances is heart wrenching. At the same time this backstory shapes a character you can't help but root for.

This, like all books I choose, is a HEA. ❤️ There is hate sex 😡🌶️ along the way to these 2 MCs figuring themselves out. As with the other Punk As Puck books, there is found family 💙💙💙 and some of these same characters are in prior books that I previously came to adore. Speaking of, there were some delightful side characters that I hope get their own books. There’s a golden retriever of a goalie that I want to see more of.

Overall:
Absolutely loved it. Highly recommend the entire series.

4/5 🌶️
3/5 🖤— trauma from absolutely 💩 parents

Tropes:
🏒 disability rep
🥅 MM hockey romance
🏒 enemies to lovers
🥅 found family
🏒 bi awakening
🥅 grumpy - grump
🏒 high heat
🥅 goalie stuff

Please note, I did receive this advanced copy ahead of publication; I am writing this honest review voluntarily and appreciate the opportunity provided by the author to review this book

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

To the surprise of absolutely nobody, I love this one more than I can even explain.

This book is just so special. We got to see quite a lot of Jonah through the first trilogy, and he was truly a character I knew I was going to love, so I've been just dying for his story. ANd it was even better than expected.

Jonah is a character I deeply relate to. The way he takes everything on his own shoulders and does all he can do to avoid burdening anyone else is just so incredibly relatable. And while Alexio does not come off his best in the beginning, I think his position makes complete sense as well. The person he knows is being hurt by this stranger, and his culture places a lot of value on caring for your elders. It's a case of them not meeting each other on the same page, and then getting off on the wrong foot. Plus, EM never shies away from showing how someone can be ableist without trying or without being a bad person. Alexio has to grow and learn just like most, if not all, able bodied people, and that is also deeply relatable.

But even when they actively dislike each other, the chemistry jumps off the page. And as soon as they understand each other a little more? Everything flips and there's so much caretaking and love and I just adored every second I spent with them. Plus we still have the best found family of all time, and I loved how they all rallied and supported everyone.

Side note: I am now completely, irrevocably, in love with Vanya and his book is my most anticipated book. Especially since he's gonna end up with closet romantic absolute baby Micah. I need their book now.

[Florence . · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hello hello most anticipated release of the year, so far. I was hitching to get my hands on this book so bad and it was everything I could have conjured in my wildest dreams, and even more.

From the first chapter of this book, I knew I would be absolutely obsessed and I was so right.

These two start off on the very wrong foot because Alesio is kind of a massive dickhead and keeps putting his foot in his mouth every time he spoke to Jonah. I love books where the main characters keep fighting off their attractions to each other because they don’t know how to act on it because every time they interact everything goes wrong. And it made for such a messy and very entertaining book and I was mesmerized by it and could not put it down. I just had to keep reading to see how their interactions would evolve over time. This was just such a fun page turning experience for me.

I just loved Alesio and Jonah together, so much, they had such good chemistry and I loved all of their interactions and I loved how much they took care of each other. Also special shutout to Jonah who was the most relatable character ever to me, I just saw myself in him so much, which also really impacted my reading experience, I just loved him, so so much.

This book just made me feel so many things, it had be wanting to jump through the page to yell at the characters, it had me losing my shit because I was freaked out something bad would happen, it had me crying my eyes out because I felt so bad for the characters and just wanted to give them a hug and it had me cry my eyes out multiple times because of how deeply I related to these two guys and their life stories.

[Tracey Simpson · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC Review – Stick Around by E.M. Lindsey

I had everything crossed hoping I’d be lucky enough to get my hands on this ARC—and wow, it absolutely did not disappoint.

I was so excited to see that this was Jonah’s story. On the surface, he comes across as your classic grumpy MMC—closed off, sharp around the edges—but underneath? He’s all heart. Fiercely loyal to his brothers and protective of the people he loves (and yeah… there are very valid reasons for the distance when it comes to his parents).

Enter Alexio—a broody NHL defenseman who gets pulled into Jonah’s world through family drama. From the very first interaction, the tension is palpable. They clash hard, with mutual dislike front and centre—but layered underneath is that delicious mix of snark, chemistry, and undeniable attraction. Their dynamic? Sharp, heated, and honestly so addictive to read.

This book delivers:
• Grumpy x grumpy energy
• Enemies-to-lovers tension
• Bi awakening
• Sharp banter + emotional depth
• “Hate to want you” chemistry

And if you’ve read the Punk as Puck series, you’ll love seeing familiar faces woven into the story, alongside some intriguing new characters that set this series up perfectly.

As always, E.M. Lindsey balances witty, engaging banter with genuinely heartfelt moments and real-life struggles that hit hard without overwhelming the romance. The emotional depth adds so much weight to the story, making the connection between Jonah and Alexio feel earned and real.

This was an incredibly strong start to a new series and has me so excited for what’s coming next.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – an easy five-star read for me.

[Lyn Solomon-Linville · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are only two authors who write hockey books that I will read, just too many books on this sport! But I will always read E. M. Lindsey books on it.
This book is the perfect spin-off from the Punk As Puck series and joyfully everyone from there makes an appearance.
I was at first wondering how Jonah so easily was not as straight as he thought. However, that becomes very clear as the book progresses and then as the little hints and clues happened between Alexio and Jonah I was kicking my feet. This is one of the devices E.M. uses that I love.
There are some very serious things in this book. Peter's early onset Alzheimer's was one(it seems as an author, this part was very personal to them? Anyway it was incredibly written.) And what Jonah had to go through legally and emotionally to take proper care of a father who was never there for him, yikes! The estrangement of the brothers, another, I felt like wringing the mother's neck. Injuries were devastating.
The funny things, especially Vanya, were delightful(somehow there is a Russian hockey player fondness lately) and the scene in the bus bathroom as Jonah had to get FaceTime correctly oriented had me giggling out loud.
Oh and as I have said many times I always learn something new in each of their books and this time it was The Seeing Eye app!
I was very happy with this book and can't wait for the next( May 2026!)
This was an ARC review and all words are mine.

[Sarahsaurus · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book for my honest review.

4.5⭐️

This is a great book. I am not part of the differently abled community but every book I’ve read by E.M. Lindsey that has differently abled representation has been a learning experience and an empathetic one.

This book and eventual series has sight blindness representation, with characters having a spectrum of blindness ability or inability.

Jonah is a blind from birth goalie in the PPHL with a bit of a chip on his shoulder for the NHL counterpart to his PPHL team. He has some parental childhood trauma and a suddenly to him ill father that needs immediate care.

Alexio is a D-man for the NHL team in and is a bit of an asshole and ignorant to the differently abled community, especially the PPHL team he shares the stadium with.

Circumstances put the two men in each others paths again and again, and though they can’t stand each other, they cannot deny their attraction to each other.

This is a great great story with enemies to lovers, found family, an eye opening introduction to the PPHL (for me anyway) and a study in compassion for those who don’t necessarily deserve it.

I loved watching their relationship bloom and their love grow. It was great that physical differences weren’t an issue at all, they just were. They were accepted just like hair color or weird laughs would be.

I’ve read several of E.M. Lindsey books and this one didn’t disappoint. Can’t wait for the next one in this series, Hat Trick.

[Kitty · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the Punk as Puck books and was so excited to get my paws on this, I dropped everything to read it immediately. I also desperately needed to get a fix of good disability rep after a recent read with absolutely shitty representation. This, as expected, had great rep, and I very much enjoyed getting to know Jonah better, although I was sad he didn't come with Micah, as they were very much a pair in the previous books. Was also sad that Athena wasn't much of a character.

Honestly, this one was just a bit of a mess. It had all the right ingredients for a great book, but it never really came together. Alexio wasn't a strong character, he was just sort of there, he was pretty bland. Vanya and Tiago were stronger and it wasn't even their book. I never really got the dynamic between the MCs, despite the liberal use of 'good boy' it just didn't click for me. It was very rushed towards the end, it seemed to flip from barely tolerating each other to suddenly being in love, with everything all tied up neatly in a little bow, only for the mortal peril to come in. That destabilised an already shaky relationship and frankly made me doubt their HEA.

I'm not sure if this one was supposed to be funny, but it wasn't. I really enjoyed the humour in the first three books, so I missed it here. I'm still excited for the upcoming books though, I hope they are great.

[Dani · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this so much!!

Jonah is easily in my top three characters of these interlinked hockey series. He's so funny and loves his friends and brothers, but he's also sensitive and takes on far too much responsibility. I just wanted to hug him!

I totally empathised with Jonah when it came to his conflicting feelings around his fucking awful father and his health issues. I've actually been in the exact same boat but I absolutely reacted more like Micah and Caleb and have zero regrets about it. Seeing Jonah struggle so much was heartbreaking.

Alexio was such a secret marshmallow and I loved it! The way he takes care of Jonah when he's going through it was the sweetest. Yes they get off to a rocky start, and they definitely made me cry with the hospital situation, but Jonah and Alexio were so good together and I wasn't ready for the book to end.

I loved the wider friendship group too, especially the strong bonds Jonah has with Tucker, Ford, and Killian. This found family is one of my favourites and the way they support each other makes me wish I was in their friend group too.

I'm already obsessed with the idea of Micah and Vanya... Cannot wait for more of this series!

*****

I received an ARC of this book from The Author Agency, and this is my honest review   

[-`♡´- · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shut the front door!!! I loved this so f'ing much. This has become my new favorite and will be another six star for me in this series. I have devoured this series and am now foaming at the mouth and clawing at the bars of my enclosure for Hat Trick (Micah and Vanya)‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️

I loved the can't-stand-each-other enemy vibes in the beginning brewing between Alexio and Jonah. The tension and heat between them was 🔥🔥🔥. I really appreciate how confident and how much Jonah stand's tall in his blindness and living with a disability. EM does such a great job at conveying disability whether that's the struggles that come along with it or the deep rooted strength. I appreciate her language and how she has chosen to encapsulate the range of different disabilities.

Experiencing the journey that Jonah and Alexio went through, beginning with hate and ending with unconditional love was so, so good. I laughed-out-loud, I giggled, I kicked my feet, and got teary eyed.

The inclusion of Jonah's father and Jonah's sacrifice of himself and for his siblings was gut wrenching. I really loved Niko's and Alexio's story within as well.

The found family in this series is truly the cherry on top, I never want this series to end. I need fourteen more of 'em right now.

[TheBookishK9RN · Rating 5 out of 5]

Messy, emotional, and so easy to get invested in

This was such a strong start to the series. Jonah and Alexio get off on the absolute worst foot, and Alexio is honestly so frustrating at first, but that rocky start makes the payoff even better. Once the layers start peeling back, this turns into a really emotional enemies-to-lovers story with so much heart underneath all the chirping and heat.

Jonah was the standout for me. He carries so much on his shoulders, and the way he tries to handle everything alone made him feel incredibly real and easy to connect with. Alexio took me a minute, but I ended up loving his growth. He doesn’t get everything right, but watching him learn, listen, and actually show up for Jonah made all the difference.

Their chemistry was great from the start, but what really made me love them was the care between them once they stopped fighting what was happening. There’s a lot of emotion in this one, and I loved that it balanced the banter, hookups, and bi-awakening with heavier family stuff and real character growth.

And the found family? So good. That support system added even more heart to a story that already had a lot going for it.

[Ζωή Παππά · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so so happy that the spin off series started with Jonah. I adore Jonah, he's just so precious, I want to hug him and after reading Killian and Ford's book I desperately wanted him to get the most perfect happy ending because he's amazing and he deserves everything. His backstory, the situation with his parents and especially his mother, made me nauseous. What his mother did was disgusting.

I loved Alexio too. I loved his caring nature, I loved his grumpiness, I loved how he took care of Jonah.

The chemistry between them was the best. They made me blush. I absolutely adored them together.

And my God the side characters were brilliant. Matty was adorable, Vanny was pure sunshine I want a friend like him, Tiago was awesome, Nikos was the kindest person and I desperately need to know what's wrong with Micah.

I devoured this book, I got completely lost in its pages and I loved every single word. I already miss the characters. I love them.

[Amanda Vidito · Rating 5 out of 5]

*I was gifted an ARC copy of this book*
Stick Around will be release on Kindle Unlimited on 4/1/26

⭐ 5/5
🌶️2.5/5

E.M. Lindsey wrote a fantastic MM hockey romance with disability representation and I am here for it! This was my first ready by her and I will definitely be reading more. I loved Jonah and Alexio's relationship with their grump-grumpy dynamic. It made their love story so captivating!
My favorite part of the whole story was the found family aspect. It goes to show that just because you're bound by blood it doesn't make you family. Seeing Jonah and his siblings grow up blind with their self-centered and entitled parents gave me such heartache. They got lucky having friends/teammates that became their found family to show up for them when they really needed it!!

*I am writing this honest review voluntarily and appreciate the opportunity provided by the author to review this book! I can't wait for everyone else to be able to read it!!

[Han. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A stunning book about finding yourself, letting walls fall and learning how to open your mind to how the other lives. It has a heavy disability rep, with one mc being blind and the focus being around parahockey players who are visually impaired. Jonah, the goalie for the Boston Legends has to make some hard decisions when his mother decides to disappear, when he gets a phone call about his father, he meets the D-man of the Boston NHL team, Alexio, who isn't too much of a fan of Jonah. Overtime, it becomes shockingly noticeable that maybe Jonah wasn't lying about his parents... Honestly, I'll 100% be going back to the books previously because, of course I haven't read them yet. I'm terrible at starting at book 1 🙈

Anyway, this book was a treat! It had hooked from the first 2 or 3 pages, it was also a great little enemies to lovers but had heat pretty early on and I loved that!

Thank you so much for trusting me to read and review your book fairly!

[Sofia Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love doesn’t have to be seen, just felt.

Jonah is the star goalie in the blind hockey team that shares the same ice as Alexio’s NHL team.
While Jonah is battling with his dysfunctional family, Alexio is pulled in the middle of the drama.
Their initial dislike for one another, make up for a few hot, purely physical encounters that were never supposed to happen.
When they finally let themselves feel and commit, their whole dynamic changes and Jonah faces his true self.
This story gives you team banter and funny chirping, but also opens your eyes to a world of disabilities that don’t hinder, but encourages how to be stronger, better and not let anyone tell you otherwise.
Alexio and Jonah’s story is infuriating at first, sweet and spicy next and emotional at last.
Stick Around is not just an MM romance about surface level attraction. It is about showing up when things get difficult, protecting, supporting, empowering, loving and staying.
Thank you for the ARC.

[Ema · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my favorites in the series right next to Tuckers story. I was so sure I was going to hate it based on the way Alexio treated Jonah in the first few chapters and how he talked about PPHL in general but he makes up for it before they even start their romance! He ends up being so sweet and caring to Jonah and the spice is spicing! Even though there are very few scenes they are enough. More of the book was concentrated around their emotional growth and honestly I kinda hate Micah and Caleb for leaving Jonah to deal with it alone. I was so glad when their friends saw that and support him. Than you to The author agency for providing me with an ARC copy in exchange for my honest opinion!

[Michaela Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely not shocking that I loved this soo much ! It was fun and funny and sweet but also has a good story. I loved the found family I’m a sucker for a good found family and I loved that Jonah’s friends who were more his family then friends were there for him and had his back without hesitation! A story with good banter between friends always make it that much better!! I just wanted to give Jonah the biggest hug he deserved. It was so fun to watch his and Alexios story unfold I mean who doesn’t love a good enemies to lovers story you could slowly see that their walls for each other were breaking down they both needed each other. I started this and couldn’t put it down it was addictive and I absolutely cannot wait for the next book it’s gonna be sooooo good with Micah and vanny!!!

[Caroline]

OMGGGGG 😭 🥰 what a roller-coaster lol I absolutely loved it. I knew I would. E.M. rights disabilities so well. The amount of research that must have been done for it to be done this well is insane im sure.
The alzheimers part of this book hut super hard. My mom was diagnosed with early onset alzheimers when she turned 60. She is 67 now and just before Christmas we had to place her in a home. Although my mom was an amazing mother and nothing like Jonas dad I felt for him and I completely understand everything Jonas was going through. I cried often reading those moments.

I love that it looks like we will be getting more of this group and I cant wait!!!! Eeekkkk

[Mari · Rating 4 out of 5]

I could tell from the first page that I was going to enjoy this story. EM Lindsey proves again why she is easily one of my favorite authors. She handles disability representation with care and authenticity, making it feel real while also deepening your understanding. This story delivers on that yet again. The emotional depth really stood out as well, especially as we see one of the MCs navigate past trauma.

Recommend if MM hockey romance with bi awakening, enemies to lovers, and found family are tropes you enjoy. 🏒

I received an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so good. Jonah was already a loved character from the other series, so this one having him find love was perfect. I definitely feel for him with his parents as someone who is no contact with my mom. It's hard, and I can't even imagine being in this shoes dealing with his parent declining like that. Also, Alexio and his journey through this book was wonderful. There was so much growth, and I loved to see that. Also, Vanny is the absolute best, and I can't wait for his book!!!.

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jonah and Alexio are the definition of love-hate—but honestly, it’s way more love than either of them wants to admit. Their chemistry is fun, a little messy, and keeps things interesting the whole way through. The team feels like a real family, bringing a lot of humor and heart, while the actual family drama adds just enough tension from the past. And that happy ending? Totally deserved and leaves you smiling.

I received this ARC from NRR and voluntarily leaving my review.

Monica

[Mary Vitrano · Rating 4 out of 5]

I struggled a bit to emphasize with Alexio, still don't fully understand his growth as a character. But I loved Jonah in every aspect and how he proves to be an amazing human. I felt so sorry for him and his brothers, nobody deserves parents like theirs. Generally speaking, I liked the overall story.
I love this world EM Lindsey created, the found family. I'm super curious about Micha's journey.

I was gifted an ARC and this is my honest review.

[Bear_reads_romance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alexio in the beginning made me so mad, he was so mean without understanding what Jonah was dealing with but as they get to know each other I end up really liking Alexio alot and of course I love Jonah, he's been a favorite since I first read about him! And Vanya still the show when hes in the page!

[Kayla Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fantastic! I loved this book so much! The characters and the plot were so fun! I love a good enemies to lovers story especially when the animosity is strong in the beginning! This book delivered lots of my favorite things! As usual EM Lindsey knocked it out of the park!

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read an early version on the author’s Patreon. Super emotional but also hopeful. Great cast of characters. Vanya stole the show!

[Jordy - Hard Earned and Slow Burn HEAs · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Full RTC.

Loved them both.