What Are The Risks: A best friends to lovers college football romance

Phil-U #3

by Madi Leigh

One move that could break their friendship... or be the start of forever.

Ryker Richardson’s world has always revolved around football. With his final college season coming to a close and the NFL Draft on the horizon, he doesn’t have time for distractions – just the game and his best friend, Ruby Wilson.

Ruby’s first year as a nurse was meant to mark the beginning of the life she’d always imagined with her boyfriend – until betrayal ruins that dream.

When a risqué photo of her ends up in Ryker’s hands, it sparks something neither of them saw coming. But as Ryker becomes the safe and thrilling rebound for Ruby to experiment with, it doesn’t take long for him to realise she's the happy ending he wants.

Now he must prove to her that this could be something real, and Ruby must decide if the chance of forever is worth risking the one relationship that’s never let her down – their friendship.

WHAT ARE THE RISKS is the spicy third book of the Phil-U series. It can be read as a complete standalone.

Genres: Sports Romance, Friends To Lovers, Sports, Romance, College, Football, Contemporary Romance

377 pages, Paperback

Published November 12, 2025

About the author

Madi 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.

Reviews

[kero kero · Rating 1 out of 5]

Reading Levi and Grace's book I've always thought "she should've chosen Ryker instead of this manwhore" but well, Ryker has a girl best friend lol. That'd be such a bummer.

And I pity Noah. Honestly? It was coming, I just knew it was coming. She was prioritizing Ryker more than Noah. I know Ryker was her best friend since birth. But Noah was her boyfriend for 6 effing years. She would drop him like a hot potato the moment Ryker asks something or call her. So yeah, I can't blame Noah on cheating. I'm an immersive reader and I can't even, for the life of me, empathize with her. And before you guys say anything about my comment? Think for once if you're in that relationship and your boyfriend has a girl bsf who he was close like sht. He'd drop anything for her and not you her girlfriend for 6 effing years. Tell me. I know someone would say, "it's still not right to cheat" or "they could've talked it out", yes it's not right to cheat but i just couldn't blame him. And talked it out? Btch, I'd drop my boyfriend like a hot potato if that happens to me, you have your best friend but put some effing line. So all I'm saying is she did it, she was the reason for the break up. Then she hooked up with Ryker proving Noah's point.

And Ryker went to the btchest sl*t of this series(well the other series). Man, I can't do this, Madi Leigh's men aren't my type of guys.

This is why Caught Up by Liz T was such a hit even though all the trauma the fmc had, the guy was loyal to the bones. We never see that type of guy. I believe in books making me live in a different person's life, but if you read this types on books with manwhores then what is left for my dreams?

[Danica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!! Got an early preview and Ryker's story might even be my favourite 🥰👏👏 can't wait for book 4!

[Katherine ⸆⸉ · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5⭐️

better than i expected tbh
not boring and easy to read, it’s perfect if you’re looking for a fast read and just something fun

[Ainsley Mackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE RYKER… HE WAS PERFECT 🤩

[Grace Baisden · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Madi. I think she is just the cutest and her intro of Levi and Grace into my life has changed me forever. By extension her intro of Ryker has also changed me and I love a good friends to lovers story.

Parts of this had my anxiety spiking. Talk about tension and yearning and adrenaline. I was a mess at one point that I messaged Madi on insta and told her a particular character was a scourge to this earth 😂. Dramatic.

I loved ruby. I loved Ryker. This was perfect!

[Melanie Cummins · Rating 1 out of 5]

this book is every reason that I hate friends to lovers because what do you mean I had to witness both MCs entertain other people for 53%??????? and then suffer though the most insufferable miscommunications???? and honestly I could go on and list more ways it sucked but I don’t want to think about it anymore

I’ve reread Grace & Levi countless times but I am so happy to never have to endure this godforsaken book again xx

[Nari · Rating 2 out of 5]

a man with a girl best friend… no thanks

[Klara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kjut best friends to lovers zgodba.
Edino kar me je kr zmotilo je blo to, da so poglavja imela naslove in pol sem cel čas ugibala kaj se bo zgodil v posemeznem poglavju namesto, da bi se prepustila zgodbi.

[Zucha · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5

[Darrian Drake · Rating 5 out of 5]

really stepped outta my zone with this one, it’s not dark, it’s not fantasy and it’s not RH but i really really did love it, kind of like a palette cleanser but i truly have no complaints in this book beside my own personal “JUST COMMUNICATE BETTER YOU IDIOTS” 🤣 but i loved this all round hapoy vibes for me couple tears shed but all good

[Chloe Cooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love a friends to lovers, what s simple and fun way to start the new year, dopamine hit and thats it

[Lama · Rating 4 out of 5]

حليل اخيس مافيه غلافه

[sarah Adams -florenca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this in less than 24 hours and couldn’t put it down.

[samar · Rating 5 out of 5]

that might be my favorite read of the series

[Elin Olsson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Friends to lovers en en av mina absoluta favoriter !! Boken va bra och gullig men inget wow

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐ Star Rating: 3.25/5

This was a solid read. I genuinely liked the foundation of the story, especially the way the transition from best friends to lovers was handled. Watching both characters slowly realize they were attracted to one another and then eventually acknowledging their deeper feelings felt like a natural, rewarding progression for their relationship.

However, a few things kept me from fully loving it. The sudden miscommunication was pretty annoying because these two supposedly talked about everything, so having them suddenly stop being honest felt a bit forced just to create drama. The pacing also dragged in the middle, as the plot got stuck in a repetitive loop of partying and social events that didn't really move things forward. It also started to bug me that the effort felt one-sided, with her always being the one to visit him while he never seemed to make the trip the other way. On top of that, the nickname "Wheels" became incredibly grating after a while; it was used so frequently that by the end, I honestly never wanted to hear it again.

[Ani · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

[Jana Badran · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kissing her was like sliding into bed after a long day. With freshly washed bedding. And the sheets toasty warm from the sun. And the fan circling at the perfect pace. And no alarm set for the following morning. 🥺🥺🥺🤌


Very enjoyable read!! Love a childhood friends to lovers with a sprinkle of miscommunication - there’s a special place in my heart for Ruby and Ryker

[Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun and quick read with loveable characters. Had to take off a point because the author made some modern internet culture references and it was not it. Tell me why did one of the side characters call the outfit the MMC was wearing as outdated as Belly and Jeremiah or or or why did the MMC call the FMC his Roman Empire??

Aside from that it was a lovely time reading this.

[alexis · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

for best friends, ryker and ruby are honestly extremely close. i mean they’ve slept in the same bed, his name in her contacts has a HEART. like woah. guys are we sure you weren’t also cheating EMOTIONALLY? 🫩

this book is good but also very cliche. the boyfriend cheating AND underperforming in the bedroom? and the best friend from childhood being there the ENTIRE TIME? 😉 like i hate noah but he was lowk real for that .. ruby would honestly prioritise ryker over noah and seeing that noah’s her boyfriend, it’s honestly a shitty thing to do. she literally wore a necklace with their initials — R AND R — WHILE DATING NOAH. 😔

so they FINALLY kiss and then you tell me she’s asking to get set up with his teammates while he’s just playing hooky/FORTNITE with GRETCHEN? 👹

though gretchen and evan are lowk the best wingwoman/wingman out there. they pride themselves in getting ruby and ryker together icl. 🙂‍↕️✊

“i thought you said you were stuffed from dinner”
“i’ve always got room for you dick, wheels” 🫩🔫

these characters genuinely have no sense of money. ruby just flies when she feels like it. “bahamas it is” BAHAMAS? EXCUSE ME? rich people. rykers like “book my flight now” and “i just booked your flight” HOW MUCH MONEY HAS THE MAN GOT? 😔

see, i GET rubys concerns on having sex with ryder because of his past but her attitude to “get it over with” and like being avoidant is PISSING ME OFF.

“you’ve got me hooked dick, heart and soul” ryker the poet you are 🥹

[BiblioDarling · Rating 4 out of 5]

What Are The Risks
Phil-U Book #3
Madi Leigh

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating System (as of 8/14/2025):
⭐: It was a struggle to read. I almost DNF
⭐⭐: This could have been so much better.
⭐⭐⭐: Good/Average
⭐⭐⭐⭐: Great book. I will probably reread it.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐: I absolutely loved this book.
***********************************************************************
Triggers:
🚩On Page Cheating (Not Main Couple)

Tropes:
💕Best Friends
💕OW Drama
💕MF Romance
💕Football Romance
💕Medical Romance
💕Sports Romance
💕Part of Series (Book #3)
💕Small Town
💕HEA
💕College Romance

**********************************************************************
Spice: 🔥🔥🔥
Spice Level Rating System (as of 9/4/25)
🔥: Clean. Handholding. Kissing.
🔥🔥: Non-Descriptive/Implied on Page Sex
🔥🔥🔥: Hot-Descriptive on Page Sex
🔥🔥🔥🔥: So Hot—Do Not Read in Public
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥: Oh My-BDSM. Blood Play. Smut.
************************************************************************
THIS BOOK IS THE THIRD BOOK IN A SERIES. FOR A BETTER READING EXPERIENCE, I SUGGEST YOU READ THE BOOKS IN ORDER.

Quote:
"It's not a game, Ruby. Consider it strategy. Let's light a fire under his ass and find out once and for all what that kiss meant to him."

Summary:
FMC and MMC have been best friends all their lives. FMC finds out that her boyfriend is cheating on her. MMC starts to realize he may have different feelings towards the FMC. He kisses her. This changes everything. Eventual HEA.

Review:
Book 3 in this series and I am still loving this series. I love meeting new characters but also seeing characters from previous books. The character development of the MMC from the first book to now is amazing. He realizes what he wants and he only wants it with the FMC. The FMC took a little longer to come to terms with the change in their relationship.

You see both the FMC and MMC deal with their fears. You applaud as they communicate and plan a way forward. Both moms in this book add joy and laughter. It is an all-around great read, great series.

Sports Romance Author Recommendations:
Britanee Nicole
Helena Hunting
Julia Connors
Kenna Kingston (King)
Lex Martin

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[Leyla · Rating 3 out of 5]

I must say, I gave it my to-go 3 star review. I liked it. It was good. I’m pretty sure it was my first friend’s to lovers book. I read 30% of it one day and put a pause for a day or two and continued. I’m not gonna lie…once I put it off, I didn’t really want to continue… but I knew I had to. I couldn’t leave Rubz and Wheels story like that. I opened the book and so easily went back into it. It was a quick and lovely read.

I’m a full enemies to lovers girl. Especially if it’s slow burn. Something abt knowing the worst and most about someone and still loving them. But I guess it makes sense that I liked this friends to lovers… they knew everything abt each other, way back from childhood. Idk why I was always against friends to lovers. I’m not gonna say it’s my fav only cause I liked one book from it, but it def changed my view on it!

Wheels. He is so sweet and respectful. From the start we got a look into his characters: flirty, fuck boy, the best friend. Later on we could see that he wasn’t only respectful and kind to Rubz, he was kind and respectful to women. Which was a total plus. I liked how he was overly lustful of Ruby as soon as he realised his feelings. Loved how he knew he wanted her and not just to fuck her.!

Rubz. I love her. She is so real and relatable. She knows what she wants(even if she almost gave it up for her ex). I liked how she knew she wouldn’t choose someone else over herself anymore. I call that character development! I like how she was a girls girl and how she also didn’t want to lose her friendship with Ryker.

I would consider this slow burn. They went from purely best friends to friends with benefits to lovers to engaged! Hehe 😝! I really liked how nether of them saw the other romantically until 30% through the book. Sure they became friends with benefits, but the pace was fast and nice, I didn’t get bored. I liked how there were moments when they had to sit and talk. Healthy if you ask me! I really liked how they officially got together at the end. It honestly made it more realistic for me!

I wish Rubz and Wheels and happy life together. They are the type of fictional couple that I know will continue their relationship even after the book has ended. I felt their love through the book. I felt Ryker’s love for Ruby way more than Ruby’s. There were many moments I wished I had a best friend that loved me even half as much as Ryker loved Ruby… 🫠 if only lol

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will say this book definitely has an interesting format. While I enjoyed reading it, I noticed there were a lot of time skips. I understand that this was kind of essential for the way that the story played out, but I think I still would have enjoyed knowing just a bit more about their lives in their time apart rather than jumping from time to time as I found it just a tiny bit jarring.

I liked the mentions of the other characters from the two previous books. I always like when universes intertwine because that's just really fun!

The only thing I definitely wished I got more of was Ruby and Ryker's time together. I know that they were both supposed to be really busy with the way their lives and schedules but I felt like the development of their relationship could've been a lot more. So for me that was what kind of made it hard for me to get really really invested in their relationship. Although I still binged through like more than half of this book until like 2am so I'd say it was still really good and enjoyable to read!


*Slight spoiler alert from here on *


I did really like the chemistry between Ryker and Ruby and I think they were really good together. It was pretty obvious that they were going to get together throughout the book but I do wish that they didn't have to do it at the expense of another person. Even though they never did anything like cheating I still kind of felt sympathy for Noah since it really was like Ruby always prioritized Wheels over Noah. It also kind of felt like Noah was hardly even part of the story so maybe he could have just not been there at all? Or maybe changed to a less significant partner. I also kind of wish there was a scene with Holloway and Ryker talking about like advice and stuff. I feel like that would've been kind of interesting actually but I guess that might also seem out of place with their rivalry and history. With that said though, I still liked this book.

[AnnaMeansFun · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m gonna be honest. I only reached for this book because of what I’ve written in my review of the previous one in the series:

“Is Madi Leigh on a quest to write the most unlikable book boyfriends that don’t feel like written by a woman or something?

Because she’s really good at that. This mmc was even more effed up than the previous one, so I’m very much curious what she comes up with next. Is the third guy in the series gonna be abusive? We already have gambling on women and cheating. It just keeps getting worse and worse.”

Well, color me shocked, because this book was actually fun! MUCH better than the previous two!

Sure, Ruby was gullible af (you can miss one sign, but ALL of them? Girl… be so for real).
Sure, she spent the first 30% of a book with her ex, while Ryker was getting his hots on for some random one-night-stands.
Sure, their love story felt more like a mutual understanding that they had to sleep on, rather than a passionate love affair.

However, all those things made their story more realistic and relatable, which a lot of readers will appreciate. I prefer my romance books a bit more unhinged and it-could-only-happen-in-a-book-like, but this was definitely a feel-good kind of book, easy to get lost in.

The found family vibe, the banter, the spice, the friendship and reverence they had for each other—I ate it all up and I would definitely recommend the book as an easy, lighthearted read for a rainy day.

[Valeria Morillo · Rating 5 out of 5]

🏈 Madi Leigh Does It Again: The Ultimate Sports Romance Comfort Read

What can I say? Madi just did it again!

I love her books so much that it’s officially safe to say she is my favorite sports romance author. There is something so uniquely comforting and heartwarming about her writing.

Every character you meet has such a distinct personality and voice; by the end of the book, it feels like you know them personally.

Madi’s MMCs are consistently top-tier, and Ryker? Ryker is officially my #2 favorite, sitting right behind Levi. That is saying so much because I love my hockey boys, but he really got me! (Sorry, Will! 🙈)

Ruby is also such a breath of fresh air. She is a total "girls' girl," and I absolutely love it when FMCs have a tight, supportive circle of friends. Their dynamic added so much heart to the story.

The plot was SO GOOD and so cute. Even though I always know a Happily Ever After is coming, Madi still finds a way to make me nervous about the ending! I was invested until the very last page.

There aren't enough good things to say about this series—if you are a sports romance fan, you need to check out all of her books!

💘 The Breakdown
• Trope: Sports Romance (Football), Found Family, "Girls' Girl" FMC, Top-Tier MMC.
• MMC (Ryker): Sweet, Charming, Swoon-worthy, and officially my #2 favorite.
• FMC (Ruby): Fun, Relatable, supported by a great group of girlies.
• Spice: Medium-Sweet
• Vibe: Heartwarming, Comforting, Addictive, Emotional but Sweet.

[Jen Calorme · Rating 5 out of 5]

Umm, EXCUSE ME… what did I just read?? Talk about a perspective shift 🥵 Because I’m pretty sure Ryker just overtook Levi and I was not prepared for that 😭🔥

I honestly never saw him as the bad-boy-turned-green-flag kind of character in the first place anyway, but Ryker is GOLDEN-RETRIEVER-HOT and it’s absolutely unreal 🫣🤭 I did not see this coming -at all. And the things he says to (and about) Ruby… daaaamn Ryker 😮‍💨 yeah, my kindle has been well and truely highlighted ❤️‍🔥😆📚

The slow shift from friendship to situationship to relationship was chef’s kiss. And the third-act breakup, in true Madi fashion, didn’t feel forced or unnecessary. And that ending had me tearing up more than once. I absolutely devoured this book, it felt so complete for every single one of these characters 💖

Levi and Grace still have a special place in my heart, but this third book is easily my fave of the series 🤩✨💕

[Ava Eassey · Rating 5 out of 5]

5⭐️ — Easily one of the best best-friends-to-lovers books I’ve ever touched. Ryker and Ruby owned me. Their friendship was special from page one, and when things shifted, it somehow got even better. Absolutely loved this book. TikTok did good with that tiny snippet!!!

Probably the best first kiss scene to ever be written. I did NOT see it coming at all!!!

“Dating me would drive you insane?” He flinched in mock offence. “You have three seconds to take that back, Rubz.”

“And if I don’t?”
With a smirk, he shifted his hands over my ribs, threatening me with another tickling onslaught.
“Three,” he whispered.
I quickly sealed my mouth shut.
“Two.”
His hands inched closer.
“One.”
I squeezed my eyes closed, bracing for impact, only it wasn’t his hands on my body that stole my breath... it was his lips on mine. Uncertain at first, but quickly gaining confidence when I didn’t push him away.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple sports romance with a classic friends-to-lovers story.

I really liked the MMC, swoonworthy and transparent with a good amount of yearning after his realisation. The FMC was solid but I founder her a little bit too cowardly/passive about her own life/actions (and a smidge judgy of others sex lives/relationship dynamics). The friendship is really robust and sweet, except for the miscommunication e.g. the 3rd act breakup up was totally unnecessary. The ending was super cute but it did kind of feel like there were 3 of them.

My biggest criticism is that this doesn't feel like its part of the same series. A whole new friend group (with super similar dynamics but not the same people?) is introduced and there's "spin-off" level interactions with the previous characters. This made it a little bit trickier to track timing as it's still in the same "universe".

[Eshaal Tariq · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished this on a train ride and I couldn't scream when I ended it. THIS BOOKKK. I will sell my soul to read more of Ryker and Ruby. I don't even have words for this, the tension was mind blowing. friends to lovers isn't my favourite trope but the way this book was written was just 5-star-deserving. I also loved that there wasn't any third act breakup, and they handled stuff like actual adults. Most importantly, I loved the relationship between Cherie and Nancy, I can definitely see me and my best friend in them. And after the draft, that msg from Levi was so CUTEEEE, I read it over and over around a 100 times. that bloating was so valid for him. this book made laugh so damn much I love it. I'd do anything to read Leigh's books again. can't wait for more releases❤️

[Celine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A day without Ruby was a day wasted in my eyes.

Ruby has been in a relationship for a very long time but has been best friends with Ryker even longer. When her boyfriend cheats on her, Ryker is there for her. When Ryker looks a little longer at Ruby, he recognizes that he does have real feelings for her and not just platonic ones. Does Ruby also have real feelings?

I did feel a little bad for Ruby‘s ex boyfriend to be honest. She chooses Ryker over him a few times - I understand that Ryker is her person, but just made me feel bad for him. I really liked the friendship groups both characters had! I would love to see more of them!
They are a cute couple and have their swoony moments with Ryker being a nice/cute man.
I am excited to see who comes next! Maybe we‘ll even see Ryker & Ruby in the following books!