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Chicago Strikers #2
Scoring Lessons
Wesley Hayes is known for two breaking hearts with that too-innocent smile and being the clown of the team. He’s the guy with the easy laugh, reckless charm, and the life of the party. The man who never takes anything seriously.
At least, that’s what everyone believes.
He’s fought tooth and nail for his spot on the Chicago Strikers. But without a contract extension, when the season ends, so could everything he’s worked his entire life for.
For the first time, the jokes feel forced. The pressure is real. And getting distracted isn’t an option.
Olivia Anderson never planned on starting over. Again. New city. New job. Another shot at something real. She’s done wanting for things she can’t have—and determined to take back the years she spent forgetting who she was.
The only problem? Her temporary living arrangement comes with one very familiar complication.
Her brother’s best friend. Her lifelong annoyance.
They’ve always argued like it’s a sport and pushed each other’s buttons. But forced proximity has a way of turning tension into something far more dangerous.
Especially when Olivia makes a confession she never meant to say out loud.
She’s tired of being inexperienced. Tired of not knowing what she wants—or how to ask for it.
Wesley should shut it down.
Instead, he offers to teach her.
What starts as innocent lessons in confidence turns into stolen touches, late-night confessions, and the inevitable crossed line they can’t come back from.
She’s supposed to be off-limits.
He’s supposed to be temporary.
But some lines were never meant to stay uncrossed.
Scoring Lessons is a steamy sports romance where hockey meets 2000s rom-com
Grumpy (her) x Sunshine (him)
Brother’s Best Friend
Banter
Found Family
Forced Proximity
He Falls First
Teach Me Trope
Workplace Romance
At least, that’s what everyone believes.
He’s fought tooth and nail for his spot on the Chicago Strikers. But without a contract extension, when the season ends, so could everything he’s worked his entire life for.
For the first time, the jokes feel forced. The pressure is real. And getting distracted isn’t an option.
Olivia Anderson never planned on starting over. Again. New city. New job. Another shot at something real. She’s done wanting for things she can’t have—and determined to take back the years she spent forgetting who she was.
The only problem? Her temporary living arrangement comes with one very familiar complication.
Her brother’s best friend. Her lifelong annoyance.
They’ve always argued like it’s a sport and pushed each other’s buttons. But forced proximity has a way of turning tension into something far more dangerous.
Especially when Olivia makes a confession she never meant to say out loud.
She’s tired of being inexperienced. Tired of not knowing what she wants—or how to ask for it.
Wesley should shut it down.
Instead, he offers to teach her.
What starts as innocent lessons in confidence turns into stolen touches, late-night confessions, and the inevitable crossed line they can’t come back from.
She’s supposed to be off-limits.
He’s supposed to be temporary.
But some lines were never meant to stay uncrossed.
Scoring Lessons is a steamy sports romance where hockey meets 2000s rom-com
Grumpy (her) x Sunshine (him)
Brother’s Best Friend
Banter
Found Family
Forced Proximity
He Falls First
Teach Me Trope
Workplace Romance
380 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 1, 2026
About the author
Yinn Quirós
9 books249 followersYinn Quirós is an indie romance author who loves writing epic love stories with laugh-out-loud banter, men who yearn like it physically hurts them, and plenty of spice. She loves all things sports (especially F1 and hockey), romance, and music.
When she’s not writing, you can find her watching games or races, walking around the windy city with her rescued puppy, or listening to music and curating playlists for all the stories that live rent-free inside her head. You can find Yinn on all socials under @yinnquirosauthor.
When she’s not writing, you can find her watching games or races, walking around the windy city with her rescued puppy, or listening to music and curating playlists for all the stories that live rent-free inside her head. You can find Yinn on all socials under @yinnquirosauthor.
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Review of advance copy received from Author
❝ i like making you happy. i like the way your eyes sparkle and how unrestricted your laugh gets. i like it all. i want to see you excited. in a way, it makes me happy, too. ❞
i would like to congratulate wesley hayes on becoming the first professional hockey player to offer a continuing education course in whoring. so with the utmost regret, i have to inform everyone that the chicago strikers have lost a player to academia. wesley hayes is now a professor of applied whorology. (be aware of minor spoilers, boop boop).
₊˚꒰ ⟡ ˙ i. plot. ₊˚⊹ ꒱
scoring lessons follows olivia anderson, a thirty-year-old athletic trainer who moves from new york to chicago after finally escaping a seven-year relationship that left her feeling like a watered-down version of herself.
new city. new job with the chicago strikers. new life. and, because the housing gods apparently enjoy entertainment, a temporary room in the apartment of wesley hayes, her twin brother henry's best friend, professional hockey player, childhood frenemy, and olympic gold medalist in Being Annoying While Unfortunately Attractive.
wesley, meanwhile, is quietly having an existential crisis because his contract with the strikers expires at the end of the season. he's been pushed off the first line for hotshot rookie patrick sullivan, his agent keeps dangling vancouver in front of him like a threat, and wesley is responding to all of this in the healthiest possible manner: overtraining, barely eating, hiding his anxiety, and telling everyone he's fine. excellent work, king. no notes.
after realizing that seven years with her ex, jack, robbed her of a lot of experiences, olivia decides she wants to rediscover herself. unfortunately, she flirts like she's being held at gunpoint. so she asks wesley, notorious player and professional slut whisperer, to teach her how to flirt and casually date. this already sounds like a spectacularly bad idea.
THEN he discovers the hockey romance she's reading and the list she's made of things she wants to experience. oral. toys. edging. guided masturbation. public sex. anal play. plus actual romantic experiences and dates she's missed out on. and wesley, instead of behaving like someone interested in maintaining a peaceful relationship with his best friend, essentially says: use me.
HENRY IS GOING TO KILL YOU WITH HIS BARE HANDS. and naturally, because these two share one functioning brain cell and daisy, olivia's adorable golden retriever, probably has custody of it, they establish rules. it's transactional. no feelings. and, most importantly: NO KISSING.
because apparently you can guide your childhood friend through an orgasm, but putting your MOUTHS TOGETHER would be too intimate. romance protagonists remain pioneers in scientific research.
₊˚꒰ ⟡ ˙ ii. olivia. ₊˚⊹ ꒱
olivia was probably my favorite part of the book because underneath all the sex-list chaos, her story is really about reclaiming herself. she spent seven years with jack. SEVEN. and the more we learn about that relationship, the more i wanted to personally launch this man into lake michigan.
he didn't like daisy. 🚨 STRIKE ONE. 🚨 he made olivia feel like wanting pleasure was inconvenient. STRIKE TWO. he gradually stopped putting effort into their relationship, cheated on her with a coworker, and when she literally caught him, he had the BALLS to blame HER personality for his cheating. STRIKE THREE THROUGH SEVENTEEN.
what made olivia's arc hit harder for me was that jack hadn't simply broken her heart. he'd slowly convinced her that she was difficult to love. she realizes she'd spent years making herself smaller because some part of her thought being tolerated was the best she could expect. THAT??? ow.
so her list isn't just "hehe sex bucket list." it's olivia learning how to want things again. sexually, romantically, emotionally, professionally. she gets to be loud. difficult. tattooed. sarcastic. anxious. stubborn. horny. loving. occasionally a menace to society. and she doesn't have to sand herself down into something easier for another person to hold.
i especially loved that she's genuinely GOOD at her job. she's not just "hockey player's love interest who happens to work for hockey team." she's watching their games, noticing mechanical issues, working with the players, calling wesley out when he's pushing his body too hard, and building a career in chicago while her personal life is combusting beside her. my sister in christ was simultaneously rebuilding her identity, treating professional athletes, raising daisy, reading hockey smut, and conducting field research with a left winger. busy woman.
₊˚꒰ ⟡ ˙ iii. wesley hayes, explain yourself. ₊˚⊹ ꒱
wesley was such an interesting mmc because the version everyone sees and the version actually living inside his head are two completely different men. public wesley? flirty. loud. confident. player. heartbreaker. always joking. internal wesley? one mildly inconvenient email away from lying face-down on the floor. this man has imposter syndrome so severe it should qualify as an additional player on the hockey team.
his contract uncertainty absolutely EATS him alive. he gets bumped from the first line and immediately starts comparing himself to another rookuer. he's terrified of getting traded because chicago isn't just a team anymore. it's his entire family. henry, parker, the guys, his life there. he doesn't want more money or some glamorous move. he wants to stay. but wesley has convinced himself that he isn't talented enough, stable enough, strong enough, or lovable enough to deserve any of it. which becomes especially painful because he will look at olivia and recognize every single way SHE undervalues herself while remaining completely incapable of extending the same kindness to himself. baby. please.
AND THEN WE HAVE BOYFRIEND WESLEY. or, technically, "we're definitely not dating" wesley. this man went INTO A SEX SHOP and consulted an employee because he wanted to make sure he bought olivia a beginner-friendly vibrator.
he takes her to a bookstore and turns browsing into an entire date. he plans the pier outing because she wants a fun date. he gets on the fucking ferris wheel even though he is terrified of heights because she wants to ride it. he wins her a teddy bear. he takes her GLAMPING and reads FORTY-FIVE MINUTES OF REVIEWS beforehand. meanwhile this man keeps insisting that he's not boyfriend material.
₊˚꒰ ⟡ ˙ iv. welcome to wesley hayes university. ₊˚⊹ ꒱
the LIST. the goddamn list. i loved that this escalates from wesley teaching olivia how to flirt into him accidentally enrolling himself as the sole instructor of Sexual Rediscovery 401. and the funniest part is how seriously he takes his responsibilities. he doesn't just toss a vibrator at her and say good luck, soldier. NO. he buys one IN PERSON. cleans it. makes sure she's comfortable. checks consent. guides her. this man basically prepared a whole ass lesson plan.
and once these two start actually working through the list, the sexual tension gets increasingly ridiculous because they're doing things that would have me changing my emergency contact to this person, while simultaneously insisting that kissing is where intimacy crosses the line. you can put your mouth THERE but not THERE??? excellent. very compelling research.
the "no kissing" rule became one of my favorite running pieces of tension because every intimate scene made the distinction progressively more absurd. they're touching each other. sleeping beside each other. going on dates. comforting each other through emotional breakdowns. olivia is practically living in wesley's room. wesley is emotionally adopting her dog. but kissing. ABSOLUTELY NOT. that would make this weird. babes.
₊˚꒰ ⟡ ˙ v. the actual romance. ₊˚⊹ ꒱
this is where the book worked best for me. not necessarily the spice itself, but all the intimacy growing AROUND it. because wesley and olivia have known each other since they were teenagers. their mothers literally tried to engineer situations to shove them together when they were younger, which is hysterical considering it apparently took these idiots until THIRTY to figure it out. their banter feels comfortable because they already know exactly which buttons to press. she calls him on his bullshit. he knows when she's lying. they pinky promise. he calls her livvie girl. she sees straight through his confident-player persona. he remembers pieces of her childhood she assumes he's forgotten. and slowly the "lessons" become an excuse to spend time together when they clearly just WANT to spend time together. the pier/ferris wheel scene??? wesley is terrified of heights and spends approximately four seconds appreciating the view before staring at olivia instead. SIR. GET OFF MY SCREEN.
and then there was the glamping. the bookstore. the roller-skating scene. the little domestic moments with daisy. the way olivia brings him indian food when he's spiraling because she remembers it was always his favorite growing up. THAT is the stuff that sold me more than any amount of spice. they start as childhood frenemies, become roommates, become actual friends, become each other's safe place, start sexually experimenting together, and somehow remain the last two employees at the company to receive the memo that they're in love. and when they FINALLY break the no-kissing rule. THANK CHRIST. i was beginning to think someone needed to intervene.
₊˚꒰ ⟡ ˙ vi. mental health. ₊˚⊹ ꒱
this was probably my favorite serious element of the book. wesley's anxiety and depression aren't just there to give him Broody Hockey Man™ seasoning. they actively affect how he sees himself. he thinks he's weak. he thinks everyone likes a version of him that doesn't actually exist. he thinks if his friends saw how badly he was struggling, they'd leave. he interprets every career setback as confirmation that he's not good enough. and eventually those thoughts infect his relationship with olivia too. the therapy section toward the end especially worked for me because the solution isn't ✨ olivia's vagina cured depression ✨ BECAUSE THANK GOD.
wesley has to recognize that olivia can love him and support him, but she cannot do the work for him. he has to show up for himself. and i really liked the idea his therapist introduces about these beliefs being old stories rather than objective facts. wesley has spent so long treating "i'm not enough" and "i'll ruin everything good" as evidence instead of thoughts. that distinction matters. olivia doesn't magically fix him. therapy doesn't magically fix him. love doesn't magically fix him. he's simply finally willing to start. that felt much more satisfying than the usual romance-novel approach of he met the right woman and his mental illness evaporated somewhere around chapter thirty-two.
₊˚꒰ ⟡ ˙ vii. henry and the third-act breakup. ₊˚⊹ ꒱
GET IN HERE NOW. we need to discuss henry. because brother. BROTHER.
i understand why he's protective of olivia. their childhood with their father clearly left scars, and then he watched her spend years shrinking herself for jack. objectively, it makes sense that when she finally moves close to him, henry goes into overprotective-twin mode. BUT JESUS CHRIST.
when he discovers olivia and wesley together and tells wesley that he hopes he gets traded because he'd rather have him out of their lives before he hurts olivia??? and THEN tells this already deeply insecure man that he doesn't deserve her??? HENRY. READ THE ROOM. READ A PAMPHLET. READ ANYTHING.
wesley hears the exact thing his brain has been telling him all season from the mouth of his BEST FRIEND and immediately goes, "well, there it is." and then breaks up with olivia "for her own good."
MEN. STOP MAKING UNILATERAL RELATIONSHIP DECISIONS AND CALLING THEM ACTS OF LOVE. I BEG. this was probably one of my bigger frustrations. i understand psychologically why wesley does it. it actually tracks painfully well with his depression and his belief that he'll eventually ruin everything good in his life. but as a reader??? i wanted to reach through my kindle and shake him like a vending machine that ate my dollar.
OLIVIA DID NOT ASK YOU TO DECIDE WHAT SHE DESERVES. SHE HAS A BRAIN. LET HER USE IT. and because we'd spent so much time watching these two slowly build trust, the third-act breakup gave me that particular romance-reader migraine where i'm simultaneously thinking this makes sense for his character and if you don't turn around right now i will hit you with my car. two truths can coexist. ❤️
₊˚꒰ ⟡ ˙ viii. my little complaints department. ₊˚⊹ ꒱
this is ultimately where the 3.5 comes from. because i liked this book! i liked olivia and wesley. i liked the premise. i liked the mental-health storyline. i liked the sexual self-discovery angle. i liked the strikers found-family chaos. but at over forty chapters, there were definitely places where the pacing started feeling stretched. there's a difference between delicious yearning and me wanting to submit a maintenance request because we've been stuck on the same floor for thirty minutes. and henry pissing me the fuck off in the last part of the book.
i also thought some of the external conflicts wrapped up a little TOO neatly. wesley's contract situation has been tormenting this man for practically the entire book, only for us to discover his agent michael has basically been sabotaging the negotiations, rejecting substantial offers from the strikers, making ridiculous demands, telling the team wesley wanted to explore other options, and eventually claiming wesley chose vancouver.
MICHAEL??? WHAT THE FUCK IS YOUR JOB DESCRIPTION??? wesley firing him over the phone was deeply satisfying, but the reveal also made the entire season-long contract crisis feel slightly too convenient. like congratulations, wesley! turns out you ARE valued by your team and your biggest professional nightmare was mostly caused by one man being catastrophically shit at his job. love that for you. hate that Michael apparently attended the School of Sports Management located behind a wendy's dumpster.
and then the breakup itself lasts weeks, which makes sense for Wesley finally seeking therapy, but combined with everything else, the final stretch felt a little heavier and longer than i personally needed.
₊˚꒰ ⟡ ˙ ix. final thoughts. ₊˚⊹ ꒱
overall, scoring lessons was cute, spicy, emotional, and genuinely fun. i loved that underneath the sexy premise, olivia's list ultimately becomes less about checking off sexual experiences and more about rediscovering the person she was before someone convinced her she needed to become smaller.and wesley??? that man spent an entire book believing he wasn't worthy of the career, friendships, and woman he loved while simultaneously being one of the most considerate people in the room.
he researched glamping reviews. he conquered the ferris wheel. he loved daisy. he bought the vibrator. he went to therapy THAT'S CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT, BABY.
did i need the middle tightened up a little? yes. did the third-act breakup make me briefly consider chewing through my kindle case? absolutely. did michael deserve to be fired approximately 300 pages earlier? without question. was henry one sentence away from being placed in timeout despite being a thirty-year-old professional athlete? YES. but olivia and wesley's friendship-to-lovers progression, the sexual self-discovery, the softer acts of care, and especially wesley's mental-health arc gave this story a lot more heart than i expected from a premise that essentially begins with my brother's slutty best friend is going to teach me how to slut. beautiful. literature is alive and thriving.
— 3.5 stars. ⋆˚☆˖°.ᐟ
thank you to yinn quiros and the team for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review! scoring lessons releases october 1st! ♡
.° ༘🎧ྀི⋆ favourite quotes 🖇₊˚ෆ
❛ being around olivia made me reckless in a brave sort of way, like she was gravity and i was stupid enough to keep falling toward her no matter how many times i hit the ground. ❜
❛ after the list's done, i don't want to lose the person who's become my best friend. please, don't make me lose wesley. ❜
❛ she was this light amidst the fog. she was the melody of my favorite song. she was the first person i wanted to call when something went wrong, and the reason i was starting to think that maybe things could go right. ❜
❛ she made quiet feel like enough. she made me feel like i could fight harder for me, for us. ❜
❛ the word casual had been thrown out the window the moment i realized olivia was the woman i wanted to keep for the rest of my life, if she'd allow me. ❜
── ⟡ ˙ 🪻༘ ₊ main tropes.
⟢ brother's best friend
⟢ forced proximity
⟢ teach me
⟢ he falls first
⟢ frenemies to lovers
⟢ grumpy (her) x sunshine
⌗ started: sep. 21st, 2026. ⌝
⌞ finished: sep. 29th, 2026. ✦
₊˚⊹ ᰔ pre-review:
⤿ olivia made a bucket list and wesley treated that shit like a degree requirement. nobody has ever been more committed to experiential learning. 🫡🏒 cute, spicy, and fun, but i definitely have NOTES. see y'all at the full review.
₊˚⊹ ᰔ pre-read:
⤿ starting scoring lessons and i fear my degree is about to become even more useless because apparently the only class i’m interested in attending is taught by a fictional hockey player.
October 6, 2026
I am still staring at the wall collecting all my thougths about how the book i was so excited to read, fell apart for me.
To start with the good part ↴
» I individually loved Welsey character so much. His insecurity, his struggles everything was so warm about him. That boy needs all the love in the world. the sports aspects about him also felt genuine. Like this sports pressure might be really felt my athletes in RL. So i'm completely mesmerized by his journey throughout the story.
» They together were a power couple....i think? like they were super cute together in some moments. they bickered a lot......LIKE A LOT. i am not against it, but i think that thing distracted me from the main conversation a little too much and ruined the flow for me.
getting at things that didn't worked for me ↴
» this started off too confusing. I was not able to connect with this two at all till 40% of the book. I literally didn't even understood the flow, the story till 40%! There was so such writing but still the conversation and topics felt so flat, like no base yk? Just talking and words. At some point they were like bickering bickering bickering for some pages straight. idk this might be a complete ME problem but yeah this kinda bored me at times,
» the topics were touched only surface level, like no true emotions felt. Like i wanted to read so much more into backstory of both the characters or even their current life. Yes he was in a depression and the reasons were all genuine but it was not represented well tbh. the same "player trade to Vancouver" convo all the time and the same breakdown all the time, yk? idk what but something sure was missing.
» They didn't felt like roommates at all! even this part was not all well presented. Like roommates have so much potential to connect.
» They weren't in a proper relationship yet, when everything blowed up. Whatever happened between them, all the emotion, the feeling, the struggles!? Wasn't that all supposed be angsty from very start and throughout the book!? It felt dumped at the end and covered up in few long dialogues. Like wdym Anderson just said 'he don't deserve her' , he believed!? And not so long ago he was all in ( literally bf level in) with her? Like all angst was dumped at last 10% .
» Tbh many things on the list is still pending 🙄
So overall my main problem was that i didn't connect with the flow and writing at all till very late in the story. And some conversations felt too forced and unnecessary to me at time.
⇒But the couple from book 1 is still my favourite!
⇒2.75 star!!
To start with the good part ↴
» I individually loved Welsey character so much. His insecurity, his struggles everything was so warm about him. That boy needs all the love in the world. the sports aspects about him also felt genuine. Like this sports pressure might be really felt my athletes in RL. So i'm completely mesmerized by his journey throughout the story.
» They together were a power couple....i think? like they were super cute together in some moments. they bickered a lot......LIKE A LOT. i am not against it, but i think that thing distracted me from the main conversation a little too much and ruined the flow for me.
getting at things that didn't worked for me ↴
» this started off too confusing. I was not able to connect with this two at all till 40% of the book. I literally didn't even understood the flow, the story till 40%! There was so such writing but still the conversation and topics felt so flat, like no base yk? Just talking and words. At some point they were like bickering bickering bickering for some pages straight. idk this might be a complete ME problem but yeah this kinda bored me at times,
» the topics were touched only surface level, like no true emotions felt. Like i wanted to read so much more into backstory of both the characters or even their current life. Yes he was in a depression and the reasons were all genuine but it was not represented well tbh. the same "player trade to Vancouver" convo all the time and the same breakdown all the time, yk? idk what but something sure was missing.
» They didn't felt like roommates at all! even this part was not all well presented. Like roommates have so much potential to connect.
» They weren't in a proper relationship yet, when everything blowed up. Whatever happened between them, all the emotion, the feeling, the struggles!? Wasn't that all supposed be angsty from very start and throughout the book!? It felt dumped at the end and covered up in few long dialogues. Like wdym Anderson just said 'he don't deserve her' , he believed!? And not so long ago he was all in ( literally bf level in) with her? Like all angst was dumped at last 10% .
» Tbh many things on the list is still pending 🙄
So overall my main problem was that i didn't connect with the flow and writing at all till very late in the story. And some conversations felt too forced and unnecessary to me at time.
⇒But the couple from book 1 is still my favourite!
⇒2.75 star!!
October 3, 2026
𐙚⋆°｡⋆♡ ── 5 stars
oh my gosh im wrecked. i went into this one expecting a good silly time as it has the "he teaches her" trope but ofc yinn has to go and make wesley have depression and ruin everything 😭 oh my baby i love you so much wesley! i feel so seen and this was truly such a beautiful story
rtc!
𐙚⋆°｡⋆♡ ── pre-read
i just finished false play so i obviously need to dive into this one! ugh all the art has me going INSANE like this cover?!! hellooooo brb gonna order a physical copy after i binge it bc i need it next to false play. the set up for them in false play was amazing!!! childhood enemies to roommates, banter, he teaches her, brother's best friend, and sneaking around 🙂↕️
thank you yinn & her team for the eARC!!!
oh my gosh im wrecked. i went into this one expecting a good silly time as it has the "he teaches her" trope but ofc yinn has to go and make wesley have depression and ruin everything 😭 oh my baby i love you so much wesley! i feel so seen and this was truly such a beautiful story
rtc!
𐙚⋆°｡⋆♡ ── pre-read
i just finished false play so i obviously need to dive into this one! ugh all the art has me going INSANE like this cover?!! hellooooo brb gonna order a physical copy after i binge it bc i need it next to false play. the set up for them in false play was amazing!!! childhood enemies to roommates, banter, he teaches her, brother's best friend, and sneaking around 🙂↕️
thank you yinn & her team for the eARC!!!
October 17, 2026
જ⁀➴ 4 stars
Thank you to Luna Literary Management and Yinn Quirós for the eARC! All opinions are my own. Scoring Lessons is out now!
Yinn Quirós does it again, and she’s quickly becoming one of my favorite indie authors! I loved False Play last year, and when I found out this was about Henry’s sister, Olivia, I knew I had to pick it up! She was referenced so many times False Play that I needed to learn more about her, especially with her past and how it shaped her to be the person that she is when we meet her in this story. I truly believe that if fictional people were real, I think that Olivia and Wesley were made for each other.
✎𓂃Full review to come soon!
Thank you to Luna Literary Management and Yinn Quirós for the eARC! All opinions are my own. Scoring Lessons is out now!
"Olivia was in my life. She was this light amidst the fog. She was the melody of my favorite song. She was the first person I wanted to call when something went wrong, and the reason I was starting to think that maybe things could go right. She made quiet feel like enough. She made me feel like I could fight harder for me-for us."
Yinn Quirós does it again, and she’s quickly becoming one of my favorite indie authors! I loved False Play last year, and when I found out this was about Henry’s sister, Olivia, I knew I had to pick it up! She was referenced so many times False Play that I needed to learn more about her, especially with her past and how it shaped her to be the person that she is when we meet her in this story. I truly believe that if fictional people were real, I think that Olivia and Wesley were made for each other.
✎𓂃Full review to come soon!
October 2, 2026
Well, it’s one am and I just binged it. I cried A LOT
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ 4.5 STARS
I looooved everything about this one! 😭💗
The funny thing is, I hadn’t read anything for over a week, and even when I started Scoring Lessons, I felt like I was still stuck in my reading slump 😂… and then THIS BOOK happened. Somehow, it completely pulled me out of it!
This book broke me, healed me, and gave me some cute-steamy moments between two of the most complex characters ever 🥹🔥
Olivia “Livvie ” and Wes “Hayes” were both so broken in their own ways, and I absolutely loved watching them slowly find space to grow, heal, and most importantly, learn to trust each other. Their relationship felt messy, vulnerable, complicated, and so incredibly rewarding to watch unfold.
There were moments that hurt, moments that made me smile like an idiot, and moments where I just wanted to hug these two 🥹
And the chemistry??? 👀🔥 Let’s just say Yinn Quiros knew exactly what she was doing!
After being in a reading slump, I couldn’t have asked for a better book to pull me back in. Scoring Lessons gave me ALL the feelings, and I’m so glad I picked it up💕
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ 4.5 STARS
I looooved everything about this one! 😭💗
The funny thing is, I hadn’t read anything for over a week, and even when I started Scoring Lessons, I felt like I was still stuck in my reading slump 😂… and then THIS BOOK happened. Somehow, it completely pulled me out of it!
This book broke me, healed me, and gave me some cute-steamy moments between two of the most complex characters ever 🥹🔥
Olivia “Livvie ” and Wes “Hayes” were both so broken in their own ways, and I absolutely loved watching them slowly find space to grow, heal, and most importantly, learn to trust each other. Their relationship felt messy, vulnerable, complicated, and so incredibly rewarding to watch unfold.
There were moments that hurt, moments that made me smile like an idiot, and moments where I just wanted to hug these two 🥹
And the chemistry??? 👀🔥 Let’s just say Yinn Quiros knew exactly what she was doing!
After being in a reading slump, I couldn’t have asked for a better book to pull me back in. Scoring Lessons gave me ALL the feelings, and I’m so glad I picked it up💕
October 17, 2026
3.75🌟 | 3🌶️
The line between spicy lessons and catching feelings gets pretty blurry when your teacher is your childhood frenemy!
Olivia and Wesley’s banter and chemistry made their arrangement so much fun, but Wesley’s thoughtful, boyfriend-level gestures were what really intrigued me. Beneath his flirty exterior, he’s struggling with insecurities that made me want to give him the biggest hug, and watching him slowly open up to Olivia was a highlight.
I also appreciated Olivia’s journey toward reclaiming her confidence after a relationship that made her question her worth. Their individual growth gave the romance more depth, especially with Wesley’s mental health struggles not magically disappearing just because he fell in love. However, I struggled to connect with the story at first, and the constant bickering sometimes overshadowed the deeper conversations I wanted more of. Some emotional developments also felt rushed toward the end.
Despite those bumps, I enjoyed the spicy experimentation, adorable dates, and Chicago Strikers found-family moments. Wesley’s character development and the way these two gradually became each other’s safe place kept me rooting for them. I just wish the emotional depth had been more consistent throughout, because there was so much potential here.
This was a fun, steamy hockey romance with plenty of sweet moments to enjoy!
~~~~
A sincere thank you to Yinn Quiros and Luna Literary for the ARC! 🥰📚
I’m so grateful for the early read. As always, all thoughts and opinions are completely my own. ✨
The line between spicy lessons and catching feelings gets pretty blurry when your teacher is your childhood frenemy!
Olivia and Wesley’s banter and chemistry made their arrangement so much fun, but Wesley’s thoughtful, boyfriend-level gestures were what really intrigued me. Beneath his flirty exterior, he’s struggling with insecurities that made me want to give him the biggest hug, and watching him slowly open up to Olivia was a highlight.
I also appreciated Olivia’s journey toward reclaiming her confidence after a relationship that made her question her worth. Their individual growth gave the romance more depth, especially with Wesley’s mental health struggles not magically disappearing just because he fell in love. However, I struggled to connect with the story at first, and the constant bickering sometimes overshadowed the deeper conversations I wanted more of. Some emotional developments also felt rushed toward the end.
Despite those bumps, I enjoyed the spicy experimentation, adorable dates, and Chicago Strikers found-family moments. Wesley’s character development and the way these two gradually became each other’s safe place kept me rooting for them. I just wish the emotional depth had been more consistent throughout, because there was so much potential here.
This was a fun, steamy hockey romance with plenty of sweet moments to enjoy!
~~~~
A sincere thank you to Yinn Quiros and Luna Literary for the ARC! 🥰📚
I’m so grateful for the early read. As always, all thoughts and opinions are completely my own. ✨
September 29, 2026
3.75 STARS ⭐⭐⭐¾
Spicy lessons with your best friend’s sister… I knew this one was going to be a hot one. 🔥
I really loved both Wesley and the FMC. They’re both struggling with that feeling of not being enough and questioning their own worth, and I loved watching them slowly become that reassurance for each other. There was something really sweet about seeing them help each other realize that they are enough exactly as they are.
Wesley’s anxiety was also handled in a way that I really appreciated. Getting to see him work through it and grow throughout the story made his character feel even more real.
And the Chicago Strikers found family? Everything. I will never say no to a sports romance with a found family that makes you want to be part of the group. 🥹
Overall, this was a fun, spicy read with characters I genuinely enjoyed rooting for.
Spicy lessons with your best friend’s sister… I knew this one was going to be a hot one. 🔥
I really loved both Wesley and the FMC. They’re both struggling with that feeling of not being enough and questioning their own worth, and I loved watching them slowly become that reassurance for each other. There was something really sweet about seeing them help each other realize that they are enough exactly as they are.
Wesley’s anxiety was also handled in a way that I really appreciated. Getting to see him work through it and grow throughout the story made his character feel even more real.
And the Chicago Strikers found family? Everything. I will never say no to a sports romance with a found family that makes you want to be part of the group. 🥹
Overall, this was a fun, spicy read with characters I genuinely enjoyed rooting for.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I WISH I COULD GIVE THIS 6 STARS
Review of advance copy received from Author
🅰🆁🅲 🆁🅴🆅🅸🅴🆆
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
𝐒𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐋𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐘𝐢𝐧𝐧 𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐫ó𝐬
"𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒛𝒆? 𝘏𝘦 𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯."
"𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒛𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕? 𝘐 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬."
"𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒚."
My first Yinn Quirós book, and WOW… I’m officially invested. Scoring Lessons was such a delicious, wholesome, and heartwarming hockey romance, and I genuinely had the best time reading it!
I went in expecting to enjoy Olivia and Wesley’s story, but I was NOT prepared to get this attached to these two. Their chemistry had me completely hooked, and I was eating up every interaction, every bit of banter, and every little moment between them. I simply adored them! Olivia was so easy to root for as she learned to trust herself and recognize her worth again, while Wesley was navigating the uncertainty of his hockey future and his own desire to feel chosen and accepted. I especially loved the therapy representation and how naturally it was woven into their journey. And their banter? Absolutely hilarious. There was just something so special about these two from the very beginning, and when they finally decided to cross those invisible lines… let’s just say that “f*ck it” moment DELIVERED.
Yinn Quirós has officially made it onto my authors-to-watch list because I am absolutely loving the world she’s building. Now I need to go back and read the first book because Valentina and Nicolas AND Liam and Aurora are already living rent free in my head. I NEED THEIR BOOK!
If you love hockey romance, light story, undeniable chemistry, witty banter, characters finding their way back to themselves, and a romance that feels both delicious and genuinely heartfelt, then girl! Add Scoring Lessons to your TBR!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
𝐒𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐋𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐘𝐢𝐧𝐧 𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐫ó𝐬
"𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒛𝒆? 𝘏𝘦 𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯."
"𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒛𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕? 𝘐 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬."
"𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒚."
My first Yinn Quirós book, and WOW… I’m officially invested. Scoring Lessons was such a delicious, wholesome, and heartwarming hockey romance, and I genuinely had the best time reading it!
I went in expecting to enjoy Olivia and Wesley’s story, but I was NOT prepared to get this attached to these two. Their chemistry had me completely hooked, and I was eating up every interaction, every bit of banter, and every little moment between them. I simply adored them! Olivia was so easy to root for as she learned to trust herself and recognize her worth again, while Wesley was navigating the uncertainty of his hockey future and his own desire to feel chosen and accepted. I especially loved the therapy representation and how naturally it was woven into their journey. And their banter? Absolutely hilarious. There was just something so special about these two from the very beginning, and when they finally decided to cross those invisible lines… let’s just say that “f*ck it” moment DELIVERED.
Yinn Quirós has officially made it onto my authors-to-watch list because I am absolutely loving the world she’s building. Now I need to go back and read the first book because Valentina and Nicolas AND Liam and Aurora are already living rent free in my head. I NEED THEIR BOOK!
If you love hockey romance, light story, undeniable chemistry, witty banter, characters finding their way back to themselves, and a romance that feels both delicious and genuinely heartfelt, then girl! Add Scoring Lessons to your TBR!
October 22, 2026
« She was this light amidst the fog. She was the melody of my favorite song. She was the first person I wanted to call when something went wrong, and the reason I was starting to think that maybe things could go right. She made quiet feel like enough. She made me feel like I could fight harder for me—for us. »
Wesley is definitely not real! Gosh I love him!
Wesley is definitely not real! Gosh I love him!
October 1, 2026
This is the second book in the Chicago strikers and i loved it so much. The fact that it’s hockey season makes it even better.
Stars:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice:🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Stars:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice:🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
August 24, 2026
Did I finish Scoring Lessons? Yes. Did Scoring Lessons finish me? Also yes.
No because I had NO idea that Wesley Hayes was about to just disrupt my whole life like this with how incredibly down bad he was!! He's absolutely still the silly Hayes from False Play who loves to have a good time and maybe instigate Anderson, but he's far more than that, too. The way he could anticipate Olivia's next moves and help her through them and simultaneously break down her walls? Impeccable. Oh, and did I mention his absolutely filthy mouth? Because LAWDDDD this man had me sweating. The fair scene? Dead. I am deceased.
If you love a hockey romance where the burn is slow but the spice is high, Scoring Lessons is the book for you.
Yinn - so sorry for yelling in your DMs, but you can't blame me because you know how good these two are first hand.
Also, f*ck Jack.
No because I had NO idea that Wesley Hayes was about to just disrupt my whole life like this with how incredibly down bad he was!! He's absolutely still the silly Hayes from False Play who loves to have a good time and maybe instigate Anderson, but he's far more than that, too. The way he could anticipate Olivia's next moves and help her through them and simultaneously break down her walls? Impeccable. Oh, and did I mention his absolutely filthy mouth? Because LAWDDDD this man had me sweating. The fair scene? Dead. I am deceased.
If you love a hockey romance where the burn is slow but the spice is high, Scoring Lessons is the book for you.
Yinn - so sorry for yelling in your DMs, but you can't blame me because you know how good these two are first hand.
Also, f*ck Jack.
October 3, 2026
"But if there's one thing I'm certain of, it's how irrevocably I am in love with you, Olivia Anderson."
Okay, wow, this was suchhh an addictive read! I literally finished this book at 2:42 am because I seriously just could not put it down! Sometimes I wonder why I do this to myself... (100% worth it; would recommend.) Well, that's all besides the point. What isn't, though, is that I think I may have found a Wesley that I like more than Wesley Bennett from Lynn Painter's Better than the Movies. (Trust me, it's a very close match-up.) Wesley Hayes, the loverboy you are...
"But just so you know, if you ever get this sudden urge to kiss me, I like to be grabbed by the neck--"
Going into this book, I was expecting good ol' hockey romance fun, and for most of the book, that's exactly what I got. I did, indeed, have a lot of fun. (There were LOTS of giggling and kicking-my-feet moments.) But underneath all the banter and bickering, we got to see our main characters reconnect (Oh yeah, they were childhood friends!), be there for each other through tough times, and, along the way, help each other through their own healing journeys.
The realization hit me right in the chest, leaving me breathless. I was falling for my brother's best friend.
I really loved our female main character, Olivia Anderson, who'd just recently uprooted her life from New York to move to Chicago for a fresh start. I really, really hate her asshole of an ex for dulling her shine and making her feel like she wasn't worth putting in the effort for. Her journey towards self-love was seriously inspiring, and I loved getting to watch her earn back her spark throughout the book. I also respect her so much for being able to build a life for herself in New York (of course, with the help of the people around her). Lord knows the strength it takes to watch your entire life crumble and still gather up all the pieces to stitch it together anew. And bonus love for Daisy! What an adorable little pupper she is.
Somewhere along the way, I'd made myself believe that if I was difficult to love, I couldn't afford to be too particular about who I was loved by.
And, of course, my (now) favourite Wesley: Wesley Hayes. He's a typical flirty golden retriever boy, all shits and giggles and always down for messing around, but underneath that facade is someone who's been silently battling anxiety and depression, all while having to deal with the added pressure of constantly worrying he'll get traded out from his team, his family. I'm genuinely in awe of how much care he gives to the people around him, especially Olivia, while being so broken and torn apart himself.
"I don't know how to be what she needs."
"Nobody does," Anderson said. "But you figure it out because she matters enough to try."
I absolutely loved how his healing journey was portrayed, Mental health isn't always a linear journey, and I loved that instead of rushing Wesley's healing, the author sort of just let it fade out. Not every single problem HAS to be resolved by the ending. In a way, this makes the book feel more emotionally honest. Sometimes, the victory is simply that the character will be better equipped to face whatever comes next.
"We're all a work in progress, Wesley." I brought my hand to his jaw and caressed it. "As long as you keep showing up, that's what matters."
The romance was also great. The two main characters start off disliking each other (which gave us GREAT banter but obviously doesn't help much in the whole romance department bahahaha), but over time, as they started interacting with each other more, they gradually realised the other wasn't as bad as they'd seemed. They were more alike than they'd cared to admit, and as Olivia observed, they both loved deflecting whenever the conversation got too deep or personal. That made vulnerable conversations really few and far between in this book, so when they did happen, they HIT. My heart genuinely warmed watching them become more and more vulnerable around each other, and seeing how they were able to anchor each other when the other started to fall apart. Also, Wesley in love was a freaking green flag. The guy somehow managed to fuse all 5 love languages into one person, and boy, was I giggling every other page.
"When are you going to realize?" ...
"Realize what?" ...
"That I like making you happy." ... "I like the way your eyes sparkle and how unrestricted your laugh gets. I like it all. I want to see you excited. In a way, it makes me happy, too."
Oh! And this is just a small detail I liked, but I love that the chapter headings were extracts from character dialogue. I had so much fun looking out for the chapter title in each chapter and then finally figuring out the context behind it haha.
"When have I ever been able to say no to you?"
What really frustrated me as I was reading, though, was the third-act breakup. While I knew going into this, with the "brother's best friend trope", that there was bound to be some sort of conflict between Olivia's brother Henry and Wesley, what I hadn't expect was how blown-out-of-proportion it felt. Yes, people say some hurtful shit they don't mean in the heat of the moment, but the way Henry RIPPED THE FUCK into his best friend was absolutely terrible. And not only that, Wesley proceeds to do something I absolutely hate. While it's consistent with his character and his insecurities, it's SO predictable and overdone, and I'm just done with it. I'm glad they were able to talk things through by the end, but that did leave me with a bit of a sour taste in my mouth.
Words weren't enough to explain who Olivia was in my life. She was this light amidst the fog. She was the melody of my favorite song. She was the first person I wanted to call when something went wrong, and the reason I was starting to think that maybe things could go right.
While we're on things that I hadn't liked, on a more personal note, the way the spice was written was realllyyyyy not my cup of tea... It felt a bit too, ah, how should I say, on-the-nose? That said, I did like that Wesley was helping Olivia explore what she liked after Jack had spent literally 7 years denying her that agency (JACK WHEN I CATCH YOU JACK.)
"It's taking everything in me not to get on a plane to New York right now and kill him."
All in all, this was an awesome read. I also loved that we got glimpses of Kennedy and Henry's dynamic in this book, and I cannot wait to read their book. Valentina and Nico's has me excited as well!!
It was like standing too close to the sun and realizing I didn't care if I burned, because at least I was with her.
(P.S. the KA-CHOW KINGS chat is such a vibe. Loved the book club too BAHAHA)
We suck at book club.
Thank you Luna Literary Management and Yinn Quirós for providing the book for review consideration via BookFunnel. All opinions are my own.
After the list's done, I don't want to lose the person who's become my best friend. Please, don't make me lose Wesley.
October 2, 2026
There is no better feeling than finding a book that has all of your favorite elements and does it all so well!! Let me start by saying I flew through this book. It's almost 400 pages, but the writing style is so compelling and entertaining that it truly didn’t feel that way.
Olivia has moved to Chicago for a fresh start, determined to find her spark again after a seven-year-long relationship doused it. I really enjoyed watching her find herself. She’s been taught to think she’s difficult to love, that she should accept someone who tolerates her, and that she’s not worthy of more. But throughout the book, with Wesley's help, we see her grow out of this thought pattern. She’s been making herself small for so long, and now she’s finally seeing that she’s allowed to take up space, and I loved seeing it. Wesley loves Olivia wholly. There’s no part he “tolerates.” He teaches her that she deserves the world, that she is worthy of respect, love, kindness, and so much more. One thing that could've made seeing Olivia’s journey even better is if I’d learned a bit more about her past relationship with Jack. It felt like Olivia’s POV was written as if she’s keeping distance from the reader, and that is also a trait she displays throughout the book, which is understandable, and we see her grow from this. But as the reader, I want to connect to the character enough that her journey becomes rewarding for me as well, if that makes any sense? Where I felt 100% connected to Wesley’s character, I felt a tiny disconnect from Livvie’s.
Now Wesley...Oh, I adored him, and all I wanted to do was give him the biggest hug! He is such a dynamic and interesting character because there are two versions of him: the one he shows to everyone and the one he is. On the outside, he’s confident, flirty, a player, and always happy. But on the inside? He’s anxious, questioning everything, constantly comparing himself to others, worried he’s not doing enough, and lonely. Yinn Quirós does an amazing job showing the contradictions in Wesley’s character, and watching him slowly open up and show Olivia the version he hides from everyone was my absolute favorite thing.
Olivia and Wesley are mirrors of each other, both extending kindness to the other that they refuse to show to themselves. It was as interesting a dynamic as it was heartbreaking. I truly felt like they completed each other and saw what no one else did. I also loved how they could joke with each other and constantly banter but knew each other's limits. They had a lot of balance in that respect. Another thing I really appreciated is that the author doesnt make their love for each other a quick fix for their issues. For Wesley, his anxiety and depression aren’t cured because of his relationship with Olivia. He goes through a lot in this book, and I was grateful that while it was a HEA, we didn’t wrap up the mental health aspects with a clean bow because that wouldn't be realistic. Wesley and Olivia both have things they'll be working through long after the last page, but they will be there for each other, to support and love each other, and to hold each other up on the bad days.
I also loved the balance of cute date scenes and spice. Olivia and Wesley’s relationship is a bit more of an emotional slow burn, so it was nice to have these softer scenes between them that built the relationship and made it believable outside of the spice.
As for the Chicago Strikers family, I am really loving them! I love a good found family, and these characters are so much fun. It made me so excited to go back to False Play and read about Henry and Kennedy and for the upcoming books!
Overall, Scoring Lessons was a lot of fun, and I’m so happy I finally started the Chicago Strikers Series. If you are looking for a hockey romance with top-tier banter, mental health representation, and two characters who are perfect for each other, then I’d definitely pick this book up!
Thank you to Luna Literary and Yinn Quirós for the eARC! All thoughts are my own.
Olivia has moved to Chicago for a fresh start, determined to find her spark again after a seven-year-long relationship doused it. I really enjoyed watching her find herself. She’s been taught to think she’s difficult to love, that she should accept someone who tolerates her, and that she’s not worthy of more. But throughout the book, with Wesley's help, we see her grow out of this thought pattern. She’s been making herself small for so long, and now she’s finally seeing that she’s allowed to take up space, and I loved seeing it. Wesley loves Olivia wholly. There’s no part he “tolerates.” He teaches her that she deserves the world, that she is worthy of respect, love, kindness, and so much more. One thing that could've made seeing Olivia’s journey even better is if I’d learned a bit more about her past relationship with Jack. It felt like Olivia’s POV was written as if she’s keeping distance from the reader, and that is also a trait she displays throughout the book, which is understandable, and we see her grow from this. But as the reader, I want to connect to the character enough that her journey becomes rewarding for me as well, if that makes any sense? Where I felt 100% connected to Wesley’s character, I felt a tiny disconnect from Livvie’s.
Now Wesley...Oh, I adored him, and all I wanted to do was give him the biggest hug! He is such a dynamic and interesting character because there are two versions of him: the one he shows to everyone and the one he is. On the outside, he’s confident, flirty, a player, and always happy. But on the inside? He’s anxious, questioning everything, constantly comparing himself to others, worried he’s not doing enough, and lonely. Yinn Quirós does an amazing job showing the contradictions in Wesley’s character, and watching him slowly open up and show Olivia the version he hides from everyone was my absolute favorite thing.
Olivia and Wesley are mirrors of each other, both extending kindness to the other that they refuse to show to themselves. It was as interesting a dynamic as it was heartbreaking. I truly felt like they completed each other and saw what no one else did. I also loved how they could joke with each other and constantly banter but knew each other's limits. They had a lot of balance in that respect. Another thing I really appreciated is that the author doesnt make their love for each other a quick fix for their issues. For Wesley, his anxiety and depression aren’t cured because of his relationship with Olivia. He goes through a lot in this book, and I was grateful that while it was a HEA, we didn’t wrap up the mental health aspects with a clean bow because that wouldn't be realistic. Wesley and Olivia both have things they'll be working through long after the last page, but they will be there for each other, to support and love each other, and to hold each other up on the bad days.
I also loved the balance of cute date scenes and spice. Olivia and Wesley’s relationship is a bit more of an emotional slow burn, so it was nice to have these softer scenes between them that built the relationship and made it believable outside of the spice.
As for the Chicago Strikers family, I am really loving them! I love a good found family, and these characters are so much fun. It made me so excited to go back to False Play and read about Henry and Kennedy and for the upcoming books!
Overall, Scoring Lessons was a lot of fun, and I’m so happy I finally started the Chicago Strikers Series. If you are looking for a hockey romance with top-tier banter, mental health representation, and two characters who are perfect for each other, then I’d definitely pick this book up!
Thank you to Luna Literary and Yinn Quirós for the eARC! All thoughts are my own.
September 27, 2026
ARC Review
WESLEY BENNETT HAYES. that’s all. this book was so addicting! I loved False Play so I already knew I was going to love Scoring Lessons, but whew it was so good! The characters? Amazing- I love their humor and the found family so much. The banter? SO good, it made Wesley and Olivia’s dynamic so fun to read!
I just love the way Yinn writes and makes you feel like you can relate to the characters on a personal level, but can also make you laugh out loud. I liked the little teasers we get of the other couples ugh i can’t take anymore crumbs I need the whole loaf of bread 😩 I liked how she wrote Wesley and the mental struggle he was having throughout the book and especially loved that Olivia slowly became his safe place (man was yearninggg by the way).
Olivia was SO relatable I loved her character so much, she’s just a girl who needed her spark back - also loved the moments with her and the girls, it was perfect! Also, as someone who is listening to Fleetwood Mac more, I really liked that they were one of her fav music artists.
Thank you Yinn and her team for allowing me to review Scoring Lessons and allowing me to support her again in promoting her book release! I can’t wait for the next book!!
WESLEY BENNETT HAYES. that’s all. this book was so addicting! I loved False Play so I already knew I was going to love Scoring Lessons, but whew it was so good! The characters? Amazing- I love their humor and the found family so much. The banter? SO good, it made Wesley and Olivia’s dynamic so fun to read!
I just love the way Yinn writes and makes you feel like you can relate to the characters on a personal level, but can also make you laugh out loud. I liked the little teasers we get of the other couples ugh i can’t take anymore crumbs I need the whole loaf of bread 😩 I liked how she wrote Wesley and the mental struggle he was having throughout the book and especially loved that Olivia slowly became his safe place (man was yearninggg by the way).
Olivia was SO relatable I loved her character so much, she’s just a girl who needed her spark back - also loved the moments with her and the girls, it was perfect! Also, as someone who is listening to Fleetwood Mac more, I really liked that they were one of her fav music artists.
Thank you Yinn and her team for allowing me to review Scoring Lessons and allowing me to support her again in promoting her book release! I can’t wait for the next book!!
September 25, 2026
ARC Review
5/5 ⭐️
I think there’s a new favorite author unblocked
Scoring Lessons is a brother’s best friend hockey romance with spicy lessons, and already one of my favorite books of the year!
This book was so romantic, the banter and chemistry between Wesley and Olivia was fantastic, the spice was incredibly hot, and the story was also so emotional. The conversations surrounding mental health in this book are so important and well thought. I loved the writing and everything about this romance.
I can’t wait for everyone to get the chance to read this when it releases on October 1st, and for the next book in the series to be out (for real, I’m desperate)
Thank you so much to Luna Literary and Yinn Quirós for the e-arc!
5/5 ⭐️
I think there’s a new favorite author unblocked
Scoring Lessons is a brother’s best friend hockey romance with spicy lessons, and already one of my favorite books of the year!
This book was so romantic, the banter and chemistry between Wesley and Olivia was fantastic, the spice was incredibly hot, and the story was also so emotional. The conversations surrounding mental health in this book are so important and well thought. I loved the writing and everything about this romance.
I can’t wait for everyone to get the chance to read this when it releases on October 1st, and for the next book in the series to be out (for real, I’m desperate)
Thank you so much to Luna Literary and Yinn Quirós for the e-arc!
October 1, 2026
Thanks to Luna Literary Management and the author for the ARC.
My first book by Yinn Quirós and definitely not my last! A sports romance with plenty of spice, a fun frenemies dynamic, and two protagonists I really enjoyed. I loved how their relationship developed, and overall, this was such an enjoyable read. Now I’m definitely looking forward to the next book in the series.
My first book by Yinn Quirós and definitely not my last! A sports romance with plenty of spice, a fun frenemies dynamic, and two protagonists I really enjoyed. I loved how their relationship developed, and overall, this was such an enjoyable read. Now I’m definitely looking forward to the next book in the series.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
absolutely love & I’m obsessed
Spicy lessons is such a fun hot trope hehe
I had the best time reading this!
I honestly can’t tell if I loved this book more than book one but gah do I love these characters so much!
Highly recommend if you’re looking for a new sport romance!!
Spicy lessons is such a fun hot trope hehe
I had the best time reading this!
I honestly can’t tell if I loved this book more than book one but gah do I love these characters so much!
Highly recommend if you’re looking for a new sport romance!!
October 15, 2026
so damn swoonyyyy ;ppppp
October 4, 2026
second book in this series and yet another banger 🥹 One of my favorite tropes ever roommates to lovers PLUS it’s brothers best friend!! Yes this was such a fun one definitely worth a read
October 10, 2026
ARC Review
🏒 Scoring Lessons 🩷
Book 2 in the Chicago Strikers Series
Written By: @yinnquirosauthor
Overall: 5/5
Overall plot: 5/5
Character development: 5/5
Pace: 5/5
World building: 5/5
Spice 🌶️: 2/5
First—thank you @yinnquirosauthor and @lunaliterary.management for the opportunity to read Scoring Lessons ahead of its release! 🩷
After loving False Play, Book 1 in the Chicago Strikers Series, I couldn't wait to jump back into this world! And let me tell you, this follow-up did NOT disappoint! The familiar faces, hilarious dynamics, and continued development of this amazing cast made it feel like coming home to a group of friends.
Olivia Anderson?? 👏 I absolutely loved her journey! After having her insecurities thrown in her face by her ex, she decides to take control of her life and start over. New city, new job, and a chance to rediscover herself. That takes courage, and I loved watching her slowly rebuild her confidence and embrace what she truly wants.
And then there's Wesley Hayes. 🥹 Our resident sunshine, team clown, and reformed playboy! Beneath that charming smile and carefree attitude is someone carrying the weight of his hockey career and an uncertain future. I loved seeing the more vulnerable side of Wesley and how, despite everything on his plate, he couldn't help but show up for Olivia.
The grumpy x sunshine dynamic with HER being the grump and HIM being the sunshine?? YES PLEASE! 🩷
Their banter was absolutely top-tier! The constant teasing, ridiculous nicknames, and years of knowing exactly how to push each other's buttons made their chemistry so much fun to read.
And can we talk about the spicy lessons?! 👀🔥
The fact that Olivia and Wesley take inspiration from a spicy romance book to create their own lessons was EVERYTHING! It's literally life imitating art—or is it art imitating life?! Either way, as a romance reader, I was living for it!
The references to spicy romance books, the lists, and the way they incorporated those moments into their own relationship were such a fun touch. I loved how something that started as a way to help Olivia gain confidence slowly turned into something neither of them expected.
But beyond the humor and chemistry, I appreciated how their relationship gave them both room to grow. Olivia was learning to embrace herself again, while Wesley was discovering that there's more to him than the carefree playboy everyone assumes he is.
And the found family aspect?! 🥹 Getting to reconnect with the Chicago Strikers crew and seeing those friendships continue to grow was another highlight. I love when a series builds on its previous books without taking away from the new couple's story.
I absolutely DEVOURED this book! The pacing, banter, character development, and romance had me hooked from beginning to end.
Now excuse me while I impatiently wait for Book 3! 🏒🩷
Tropes:
🏒 Grumpy (Her) x Sunshine (Him)
🩷 Brother's Best Friend
🏒 Banter & Nicknames
🩷 Found Family
🏒 Forced Proximity
🩷 He Falls First
🏒 Teach Me Trope
🩷 Workplace Romance
If you love hockey romances with 2000s rom-com vibes, hilarious banter, a reformed playboy with a heart of gold, and a heroine rediscovering her confidence—this one is an absolute must-read!
🏒 Scoring Lessons 🩷
Book 2 in the Chicago Strikers Series
Written By: @yinnquirosauthor
Overall: 5/5
Overall plot: 5/5
Character development: 5/5
Pace: 5/5
World building: 5/5
Spice 🌶️: 2/5
First—thank you @yinnquirosauthor and @lunaliterary.management for the opportunity to read Scoring Lessons ahead of its release! 🩷
After loving False Play, Book 1 in the Chicago Strikers Series, I couldn't wait to jump back into this world! And let me tell you, this follow-up did NOT disappoint! The familiar faces, hilarious dynamics, and continued development of this amazing cast made it feel like coming home to a group of friends.
Olivia Anderson?? 👏 I absolutely loved her journey! After having her insecurities thrown in her face by her ex, she decides to take control of her life and start over. New city, new job, and a chance to rediscover herself. That takes courage, and I loved watching her slowly rebuild her confidence and embrace what she truly wants.
And then there's Wesley Hayes. 🥹 Our resident sunshine, team clown, and reformed playboy! Beneath that charming smile and carefree attitude is someone carrying the weight of his hockey career and an uncertain future. I loved seeing the more vulnerable side of Wesley and how, despite everything on his plate, he couldn't help but show up for Olivia.
The grumpy x sunshine dynamic with HER being the grump and HIM being the sunshine?? YES PLEASE! 🩷
Their banter was absolutely top-tier! The constant teasing, ridiculous nicknames, and years of knowing exactly how to push each other's buttons made their chemistry so much fun to read.
And can we talk about the spicy lessons?! 👀🔥
The fact that Olivia and Wesley take inspiration from a spicy romance book to create their own lessons was EVERYTHING! It's literally life imitating art—or is it art imitating life?! Either way, as a romance reader, I was living for it!
The references to spicy romance books, the lists, and the way they incorporated those moments into their own relationship were such a fun touch. I loved how something that started as a way to help Olivia gain confidence slowly turned into something neither of them expected.
But beyond the humor and chemistry, I appreciated how their relationship gave them both room to grow. Olivia was learning to embrace herself again, while Wesley was discovering that there's more to him than the carefree playboy everyone assumes he is.
And the found family aspect?! 🥹 Getting to reconnect with the Chicago Strikers crew and seeing those friendships continue to grow was another highlight. I love when a series builds on its previous books without taking away from the new couple's story.
I absolutely DEVOURED this book! The pacing, banter, character development, and romance had me hooked from beginning to end.
Now excuse me while I impatiently wait for Book 3! 🏒🩷
Tropes:
🏒 Grumpy (Her) x Sunshine (Him)
🩷 Brother's Best Friend
🏒 Banter & Nicknames
🩷 Found Family
🏒 Forced Proximity
🩷 He Falls First
🏒 Teach Me Trope
🩷 Workplace Romance
If you love hockey romances with 2000s rom-com vibes, hilarious banter, a reformed playboy with a heart of gold, and a heroine rediscovering her confidence—this one is an absolute must-read!
October 16, 2026
Huge thanks to the author and Luna Literary for the ARC!! 💗
I cannot believe this is my very first Yinn book because I was missing out BIG TIME 😭😩 I had the absolute best time reading Olivia and Wesley's story, and by the time I finished, I was already wanting more!!
I honestly went into this expecting to have a fun time (which I DID!), but I was not prepared for how emotional I'd get. My baby Wes 🥺Just thinking about him makes me want to cry. Yinn did such an amazing job handling such a delicate topic, and I really appreciated how sensitively and beautifully it was written. I loved Wes as a character because of how striking his personality is, especially with the contrast between who he is on the outside and the darker thoughts he's struggling with internally.
I absolutely loved Olivia as well, and getting to see her reclaim herself after such a terrible relationship. She's rebuilding her life, finding herself again, and building an amazing career despite everything she's been through. It made it so easy to root for her, and I loved seeing her take back control of her own life.
The chemistry between these two was sooo good. When things finally started falling into place and they gave in to their feelings, sparks FLEW. It was so easy to see why they belonged together, and I was rooting for them the whole way.
Now, the main reason this wasn't a five-star read for me was the pacing in the first half. It felt a little stretched out, and even around the 40% mark, I still felt like the plot was going everywhere and nowhere at the same time. I'm usually a slow-burn girlie, but this felt a little too slow for my liking. There was very little plot development for quite a while, and at times, it felt like we were getting more banter than actual progression.
BUT overall, I still had a great time with this one! I can absolutely see myself reading more of Yinn's work. 🫶🏻
September 21, 2026
“i was tired of pretending i hadn’t noticed her since the moment she walked back into my life.”
yinn will never, ever do me wrong. dare i say this may be her best work? the chicago strikers have such a special place in my heart, and i genuinely can’t wait for the rest of the series to release!
wesley and olivia were truly everything. she’s guarded and new to the city, he’s the sunshiney (former) playboy that can’t stop thinking about her. they’re perfect. the fact that they’ve known each other for practically their whole lives made their story so much more meaningful. their banter was absolutely incredible, and one thing that yinn always does right every damn time is absolutely the banter and playful verbal sparring between characters. wesley and olivia had this in spades and i was addicted to it (and them).
i may have accidentally forgotten that a spicy list was one of their microtropes, and i absolutely lost my mind over it. i mean, the hockey team’s book club that started because of said list and a specific hockey romance book? priceless. stunning. incredible. and the group chat dynamic? i could not stop giggling and kicking my feet. i can’t wait to reread this book and experience it all again.
there were so many things about olivia and wesley that pulled at my heartstrings, especially when it came to their practice dates, but i cannot stop thinking about the carnival and the photo booth. i won’t say more, so you’ll just have to read the book, but trust me when i say they’ll be your favourites, too.
thank you so very much to yinn and luna literary management for the e-arc! 💗
⋆˙⟡ info ⋆˙⟡
ᰔ pages: 380
ᰔ pov: first person + dual
ᰔ position in series: book 2
ᰔ release date: october 1
⋆˙⟡ tropes ⋆˙⟡
ᰔ practice dates
ᰔ hockey romance
ᰔ spicy list / lessons
ᰔ emotional slow burn
ᰔ brother’s best friend
yinn will never, ever do me wrong. dare i say this may be her best work? the chicago strikers have such a special place in my heart, and i genuinely can’t wait for the rest of the series to release!
wesley and olivia were truly everything. she’s guarded and new to the city, he’s the sunshiney (former) playboy that can’t stop thinking about her. they’re perfect. the fact that they’ve known each other for practically their whole lives made their story so much more meaningful. their banter was absolutely incredible, and one thing that yinn always does right every damn time is absolutely the banter and playful verbal sparring between characters. wesley and olivia had this in spades and i was addicted to it (and them).
i may have accidentally forgotten that a spicy list was one of their microtropes, and i absolutely lost my mind over it. i mean, the hockey team’s book club that started because of said list and a specific hockey romance book? priceless. stunning. incredible. and the group chat dynamic? i could not stop giggling and kicking my feet. i can’t wait to reread this book and experience it all again.
there were so many things about olivia and wesley that pulled at my heartstrings, especially when it came to their practice dates, but i cannot stop thinking about the carnival and the photo booth. i won’t say more, so you’ll just have to read the book, but trust me when i say they’ll be your favourites, too.
thank you so very much to yinn and luna literary management for the e-arc! 💗
⋆˙⟡ info ⋆˙⟡
ᰔ pages: 380
ᰔ pov: first person + dual
ᰔ position in series: book 2
ᰔ release date: october 1
⋆˙⟡ tropes ⋆˙⟡
ᰔ practice dates
ᰔ hockey romance
ᰔ spicy list / lessons
ᰔ emotional slow burn
ᰔ brother’s best friend
October 11, 2026
Thank you to Luna Literary and Yinn Quiros for an ARC of Scoring Lessons. Please always take care of yourselves and check the author’s socials for any trigger warnings before jumping into a book. Just a PSA, there might be spoilers ahead.
This follows Olivia and Wesley in a frenemies to lovers, reverse grumpy x sunshine, brothers best friend, ice hockey romance, where they are roommates!! Oh and they have known each other since high school so all the little inside jokes, teasing, banter and chemistry has been brewing for years and their dynamic and chemistry was palpable. The FMC Olivia, who also happens to be the athletic trainer for the ice hockey team, was so unapologetically herself and I loved it. She was confident and headstrong but also closed off and had her guard up. Until our cheeky, flirty, 6 ft 4 ice hockey playing MMC Wesley slowly chips away at the wall she built. Both characters whilst confident in their own rights are dealing with their own traumas and demons and I loved how this was written and represented throughout their stories. In particular, I think Wesley’s anxiety about his career, his contract, where he was going was written so well and I loved that when he was having one of his “dark days” Olivia was able to pull him out of it. Also, after Olivia witnessed how Wesley cared for her, loved her and listened to her she was able to work through her feelings of being unworthy and hard to love. And the spice was spicy but not gratuitous and it earned its place in their story.
Overall if you’re after a fun, spicy ice hockey romance with depth and characters that genuinely make you laugh I wholeheartedly recommend this one! And if you need another reason, he buys her romance books and builds her a bookshelf…need I say more?!?
Overall Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/ 5
Spicy Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️/ 5
This follows Olivia and Wesley in a frenemies to lovers, reverse grumpy x sunshine, brothers best friend, ice hockey romance, where they are roommates!! Oh and they have known each other since high school so all the little inside jokes, teasing, banter and chemistry has been brewing for years and their dynamic and chemistry was palpable. The FMC Olivia, who also happens to be the athletic trainer for the ice hockey team, was so unapologetically herself and I loved it. She was confident and headstrong but also closed off and had her guard up. Until our cheeky, flirty, 6 ft 4 ice hockey playing MMC Wesley slowly chips away at the wall she built. Both characters whilst confident in their own rights are dealing with their own traumas and demons and I loved how this was written and represented throughout their stories. In particular, I think Wesley’s anxiety about his career, his contract, where he was going was written so well and I loved that when he was having one of his “dark days” Olivia was able to pull him out of it. Also, after Olivia witnessed how Wesley cared for her, loved her and listened to her she was able to work through her feelings of being unworthy and hard to love. And the spice was spicy but not gratuitous and it earned its place in their story.
Overall if you’re after a fun, spicy ice hockey romance with depth and characters that genuinely make you laugh I wholeheartedly recommend this one! And if you need another reason, he buys her romance books and builds her a bookshelf…need I say more?!?
Overall Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/ 5
Spicy Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️/ 5
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 3, 2026
This series is easily a top hockey romance readers dream!
Wesley was the epitome of redemption arc I absolutely eat up!
Olivia is the black cat that I related in my soul with her views on love after being burned by her ex.
Wesley is overwhelmed with trying to get his contract extended to stay in the only place that feels like home.
Olivia is starting fresh in Chicago after a breakup that left her feeling lost and searching for what’s next.
So when her brother’s best friend & teammate offers a spare room…the tension is immediate. These two argue more than anything with banter that had me giddy!
I absolutely love the way they slowly were like hmm okay maybe we could be friendly enough then he finds her “list” and all bets are off. She suggests he teaches her how to be a player/flirt so she can do the list with casual hookups. Anytime a list is involved I know I’ll love it!
This list was one of my favorites because while it had her kinks to explore - it also had dates she wanted to do like seeing the stars and a carnival! I loved that it gave us a little fake dating without them realizing it!
The found family in this book was phenomenal! The girls have a book club so the boys need a book club! I would love for bonus scenes of the guys meetings! They truly rally around one another even if it’s not received - they don’t give up on each other.
The mental health rep in this book was perfect. Wesley’s struggles while undefined to him had me in tears. Olivia being his safe place to let the walls down was my favorite part about them.
Thank you to Luna Literary for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Wesley was the epitome of redemption arc I absolutely eat up!
Olivia is the black cat that I related in my soul with her views on love after being burned by her ex.
Wesley is overwhelmed with trying to get his contract extended to stay in the only place that feels like home.
Olivia is starting fresh in Chicago after a breakup that left her feeling lost and searching for what’s next.
So when her brother’s best friend & teammate offers a spare room…the tension is immediate. These two argue more than anything with banter that had me giddy!
I absolutely love the way they slowly were like hmm okay maybe we could be friendly enough then he finds her “list” and all bets are off. She suggests he teaches her how to be a player/flirt so she can do the list with casual hookups. Anytime a list is involved I know I’ll love it!
This list was one of my favorites because while it had her kinks to explore - it also had dates she wanted to do like seeing the stars and a carnival! I loved that it gave us a little fake dating without them realizing it!
The found family in this book was phenomenal! The girls have a book club so the boys need a book club! I would love for bonus scenes of the guys meetings! They truly rally around one another even if it’s not received - they don’t give up on each other.
The mental health rep in this book was perfect. Wesley’s struggles while undefined to him had me in tears. Olivia being his safe place to let the walls down was my favorite part about them.
Thank you to Luna Literary for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
October 2, 2026
A massive thank you to Yinn Quirós and LunaLiterary for the ARC of Scoring Lessons!!! First time reader for one of Yinn’s books and I’m hooked on this series!!! I’ll be circling back for the first book and sticking around 😌.
What a delightful book filled with amazing found family vibes, and also— it’s really funny! Add in the spicy lessons, mental health rep, and we’ve got a lovely combo here for a great story!!! I lovedddddd Wesley and Olivia so much. I loved that Olivia wasn’t good at flirting but found her way in her interactions with Wesley. She’s such a spitfire and once you get past those first few layers, you really get to see the real Olivia. Loved her. Also Wesley… my goodnessssss. I love when a man falls first lmao. And he falls hard. They have amazing chemistry together and I enjoyed seeing that build as they also lived together as roommates. It made the spicy lessons extra tasty 😌👍🏻. I don’t want to spoil anything but Wesley is a talker, and it’s hot AF. So 15/10 there from my POV. Also the book club?!? Loved this for all of them lmao.
As I mentioned before, amazing found family vibes and I just loved seeing all the shenanigans of from the team etc.! Wonderful mental health rep too!!!!!!! I didn’t expect to get emotional there at the end but I was definitely fighting some misty eyes as I finished this book in the airport loooooool.
What a delightful book filled with amazing found family vibes, and also— it’s really funny! Add in the spicy lessons, mental health rep, and we’ve got a lovely combo here for a great story!!! I lovedddddd Wesley and Olivia so much. I loved that Olivia wasn’t good at flirting but found her way in her interactions with Wesley. She’s such a spitfire and once you get past those first few layers, you really get to see the real Olivia. Loved her. Also Wesley… my goodnessssss. I love when a man falls first lmao. And he falls hard. They have amazing chemistry together and I enjoyed seeing that build as they also lived together as roommates. It made the spicy lessons extra tasty 😌👍🏻. I don’t want to spoil anything but Wesley is a talker, and it’s hot AF. So 15/10 there from my POV. Also the book club?!? Loved this for all of them lmao.
As I mentioned before, amazing found family vibes and I just loved seeing all the shenanigans of from the team etc.! Wonderful mental health rep too!!!!!!! I didn’t expect to get emotional there at the end but I was definitely fighting some misty eyes as I finished this book in the airport loooooool.
October 12, 2026
📖: Scoring Lessons
✍️: Yinn Quiros
⭐️: 4.5/5 | 🌶: 2.5/5
Tropes:
- brother's best friend
- dislike to love
- enemies to lovers
- found family
- forced proximity
- "teach me" trope
- constant banter
- he falls first
- mental health rep
- workplace romance
- reverse grumpy × sunshine
ARC Review:
Scoring Lessons is the second book in the interconnected standalone series of Chicago Strikers.
This story involves Olivia Anderson, twin sister of Henry Anderson, who moved to Chicago from New York in hopes to move on from her past relationship and start her life & career from scratch. She's fierce and ruthless when it comes to protecting her loved ones, but after a breakup, she is vulnerable, hiding under that hard exterior to protect herself.
Wesley Hayes, her brother's best friend who has always been a nuisance in her life is more than what meets her eyes. He has his own silent struggles, but always mindful of others. Hiding behind the smile, he acts like nothing bothers him until Olivia comes into his life, and sees past his smile.
When she needed a place to stay, her twin brother's best friend, Wesley Hayes offered her a place to stay in his apartment which changed everything for them.
With years of brewing tension, frustration, and constant banter alongside a lil cough spicy cough wishlist, things began to change between them.
This book not only emphasises on strong relationships amongst all the characters but also off mention of abusive parent and depression. So do check the trigger warnings!
If you are looking for a sports romance with more than just spice, this series would be it bc it has everything you might need. From friendships to group chats to constant banter, this has all!
✍️: Yinn Quiros
⭐️: 4.5/5 | 🌶: 2.5/5
Tropes:
- brother's best friend
- dislike to love
- enemies to lovers
- found family
- forced proximity
- "teach me" trope
- constant banter
- he falls first
- mental health rep
- workplace romance
- reverse grumpy × sunshine
ARC Review:
Scoring Lessons is the second book in the interconnected standalone series of Chicago Strikers.
This story involves Olivia Anderson, twin sister of Henry Anderson, who moved to Chicago from New York in hopes to move on from her past relationship and start her life & career from scratch. She's fierce and ruthless when it comes to protecting her loved ones, but after a breakup, she is vulnerable, hiding under that hard exterior to protect herself.
Wesley Hayes, her brother's best friend who has always been a nuisance in her life is more than what meets her eyes. He has his own silent struggles, but always mindful of others. Hiding behind the smile, he acts like nothing bothers him until Olivia comes into his life, and sees past his smile.
When she needed a place to stay, her twin brother's best friend, Wesley Hayes offered her a place to stay in his apartment which changed everything for them.
With years of brewing tension, frustration, and constant banter alongside a lil cough spicy cough wishlist, things began to change between them.
This book not only emphasises on strong relationships amongst all the characters but also off mention of abusive parent and depression. So do check the trigger warnings!
If you are looking for a sports romance with more than just spice, this series would be it bc it has everything you might need. From friendships to group chats to constant banter, this has all!
Review of advance copy received from Author
After reading False Play, I was coming off such a high and immediately wanted to dive into Scoring Lessons because I needed to read about Olivia and Wesley’s story asap!
Their relationship is such a unique one. They meet as childhood friends, with Wesley being her brother’s best friend, and over time they turn into bickering friends. Olivia is restarting her life after her relationship ends, and she ends up becoming Wesley’s roommate, while everyone is convinced they’re going to k!ll each other. Their banter and always keeping each other on their toes was so hilarious!
Their friendship takes an interesting turn with spicy lessons along the way with a fun bucket list! Easily some of the best spice I’ve read in a sports romance. The way they opened up to each other and were always there for one another was so moving.
I’m truly enjoying Yinn Quirós’ writing and the wholesome world she’s building because I need Valentina and Nicolas’ and Liam and Aurora’s books NOW — 4 stars!
(Also, Henry, buddy, you are on a timeout!!)
Thank you to Yinn Quirós and Luna Literary team for the ARC, all thoughts are my own.
Their relationship is such a unique one. They meet as childhood friends, with Wesley being her brother’s best friend, and over time they turn into bickering friends. Olivia is restarting her life after her relationship ends, and she ends up becoming Wesley’s roommate, while everyone is convinced they’re going to k!ll each other. Their banter and always keeping each other on their toes was so hilarious!
Their friendship takes an interesting turn with spicy lessons along the way with a fun bucket list! Easily some of the best spice I’ve read in a sports romance. The way they opened up to each other and were always there for one another was so moving.
I’m truly enjoying Yinn Quirós’ writing and the wholesome world she’s building because I need Valentina and Nicolas’ and Liam and Aurora’s books NOW — 4 stars!
(Also, Henry, buddy, you are on a timeout!!)
Thank you to Yinn Quirós and Luna Literary team for the ARC, all thoughts are my own.
October 3, 2026
Scoring Lessons was such a fun mix of sports romance, 2000s rom-com energy, and just the right amount of emotional depth.
Wesley and Olivia’s banter was easily one of my favorite parts. They’ve known each other forever and have perfected the art of getting under each other’s skin, so watching that familiar annoyance slowly shift into attraction was so much fun. The chemistry was already there, but once the “lessons” started, things definitely got hotter.
I also really enjoyed seeing beyond Wesley’s easygoing, class-clown personality. There’s a lot more happening beneath the jokes, especially with the uncertainty surrounding his hockey career. Olivia is going through her own journey of starting over and figuring out who she is and what she actually wants after spending so much time disconnected from herself. I liked that their relationship gave both of them space to be vulnerable in different ways.
And Wesley falling first while Olivia remains the grumpier one of the two was absolutely my kind of dynamic. The found family, hockey setting, forced proximity, spice, and genuinely funny moments made this an easy and entertaining read.
Fun, sexy, sweet, and full of chemistry. A really enjoyable addition to the Chicago Strikers world.
Wesley and Olivia’s banter was easily one of my favorite parts. They’ve known each other forever and have perfected the art of getting under each other’s skin, so watching that familiar annoyance slowly shift into attraction was so much fun. The chemistry was already there, but once the “lessons” started, things definitely got hotter.
I also really enjoyed seeing beyond Wesley’s easygoing, class-clown personality. There’s a lot more happening beneath the jokes, especially with the uncertainty surrounding his hockey career. Olivia is going through her own journey of starting over and figuring out who she is and what she actually wants after spending so much time disconnected from herself. I liked that their relationship gave both of them space to be vulnerable in different ways.
And Wesley falling first while Olivia remains the grumpier one of the two was absolutely my kind of dynamic. The found family, hockey setting, forced proximity, spice, and genuinely funny moments made this an easy and entertaining read.
Fun, sexy, sweet, and full of chemistry. A really enjoyable addition to the Chicago Strikers world.
October 21, 2026
“we were doomed from the start. this was the only possible outcome. it hadn’t been a matter of if. it had been a matter of when”
he fell first and showed her what she deserves and how to be treasured and realized he is good enough and doesn’t need to be perfect, she finally felt like she was good enough to be loved and wanted…all from checking off ~spicy~ and fun to do things off a list from a hockey romance book.
the list brought them closer together where they healed from personal trauma, grew together, and fell head over heals in love with each other—becoming each others best friend and safety net.
i love wesley and livvie so much and both SO RELATABLE. thinking neither is good enough in life and in love, but showing up for yourself and others every day helps you realize you don’t need to be perfect to be good enough 💖
but the spice, MY GOD. 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Yinn knew what she was doing.
THE PHOTO BOOTH SCENE !!!!!!!
i’m running to read the spicy bonus scene of another item checked off hehehehe.
thank you Luna Literary and Yinn Quirós for the opportunity to read the arc and provide a review for this book! the perfect start to hockey romance season ◡̈
he fell first and showed her what she deserves and how to be treasured and realized he is good enough and doesn’t need to be perfect, she finally felt like she was good enough to be loved and wanted…all from checking off ~spicy~ and fun to do things off a list from a hockey romance book.
the list brought them closer together where they healed from personal trauma, grew together, and fell head over heals in love with each other—becoming each others best friend and safety net.
i love wesley and livvie so much and both SO RELATABLE. thinking neither is good enough in life and in love, but showing up for yourself and others every day helps you realize you don’t need to be perfect to be good enough 💖
but the spice, MY GOD. 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Yinn knew what she was doing.
THE PHOTO BOOTH SCENE !!!!!!!
i’m running to read the spicy bonus scene of another item checked off hehehehe.
thank you Luna Literary and Yinn Quirós for the opportunity to read the arc and provide a review for this book! the perfect start to hockey romance season ◡̈
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