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Second Chances in Indigo Falls #1
Sorry, Sadie
She's spent five years getting over him. He's spent five years trying to deserve her.
Sadie knows exactly who Harrison Turner is — the boy who loved her, the quarterback who forgot her, and the man in a viral video she wishes she'd never seen. She healed. She rebuilt. She made peace with the wreckage he left behind.
But that doesn't mean she's over him...
Harrison knows exactly what he is — the guy who had everything and chose wrong. One night. One unforgivable mistake. He's been living with the fallout ever since, and no amount of success or silence has touched the part of him that still belongs to her.
When their best friends fall in love and plan a wedding, Sadie and Harrison are the last two people who should be forced back into each other's orbit.
But they're exactly who fate chose.
One wedding. Months of forced proximity. And a love that never quite died — no matter how hard she tried to bury it.
Sadie knows exactly who Harrison Turner is — the boy who loved her, the quarterback who forgot her, and the man in a viral video she wishes she'd never seen. She healed. She rebuilt. She made peace with the wreckage he left behind.
But that doesn't mean she's over him...
Harrison knows exactly what he is — the guy who had everything and chose wrong. One night. One unforgivable mistake. He's been living with the fallout ever since, and no amount of success or silence has touched the part of him that still belongs to her.
When their best friends fall in love and plan a wedding, Sadie and Harrison are the last two people who should be forced back into each other's orbit.
But they're exactly who fate chose.
One wedding. Months of forced proximity. And a love that never quite died — no matter how hard she tried to bury it.
217 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 22, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 186 reviews
March 23, 2026
Still don’t understand why she took him back in the first place. When a guy is supposedly in love with you while still wanting to be with others, that should be a big red flag.
she wasn’t celibate but she’d only been with a few guys during the 7 years they were apart because no one could compare. Also, probably because any more than that would mean she had actually moved on, and we can’t have that now, can we?!
And while he was apparently celibate for the last 2 years, he lived his best life as a manwhore for those first 5 years. And we’re supposed to believe he would never cheat on her again? Sure, okay. What happens the next time he decides he deserves more, that she’s not enough, or he gives in to peer pressure again because he’s too much of a pussy to act like a decent man?! 🙄😂
she wasn’t celibate but she’d only been with a few guys during the 7 years they were apart because no one could compare. Also, probably because any more than that would mean she had actually moved on, and we can’t have that now, can we?!
And while he was apparently celibate for the last 2 years, he lived his best life as a manwhore for those first 5 years. And we’re supposed to believe he would never cheat on her again? Sure, okay. What happens the next time he decides he deserves more, that she’s not enough, or he gives in to peer pressure again because he’s too much of a pussy to act like a decent man?! 🙄😂
March 28, 2026
I don't care enough about this to write a review really, but I'll try. I found the H rather disgusting. It's a case of the H feeling like he's missing out by not banging half the campus because he's got a girlfriend who is the h. She leaves back to hometown for 2 weeks, while he starts banging the campus bike/psycho. No one can resist this ow's golden snatch. All the boys cheat on their girlfriends with her. I found the on page cheating scenes gross, and again a boyfriend getting his first kinks off with someone else. Look men if you want your gf to do anal just ask for crying out loud. Chances are she'll be more than willing. Anyways, I found the whole thing annoying. Plus, I feel like if he had never gotten injured there's no way he would have wanted the h back. Why she wanted him back later in book was confusing. I also felt their resolution and reconciliation was rushed. Overall did not enjoy. Sorry
April 9, 2026
Funny how the title is called Sorry Sadie and then the author includes no grovel. Waste of time, barely literate nonsense for the brain dead.
October 1, 2026
3.5 Back to not Peaking in College ⭐️⭐️⭐️☀️
Okay, this was angsty and kind of unredeeming, if not for the 7 years apart.
The beginning was a little rough due to the excessive dual POV. 😬 But despite that, I was pulled into the story.
The premise:
Sadie and Harrison meet in 8th grade and fall in love. They are everything to each other throughout high school.
Sadie is sweetness herself, and Harrison is well on his way to a football career. He turns many schools down in order to go with Sadie to an in-state college.
But Harrison’s life is peaking. His fame is skyrocketing and his ego is slowly getting more and more inflated. Sadie is in his shadow and a little too happy to be there. I did feel she wasn’t fleshed out quite enough compared to Harrison.
However, in their sophomore year, gorgeous Aubrey sets her sights on Harrison, now QB1, and he starts spending all his spare time with her, slowly eroding his relationship with Sadie. They have meals together, study together, and he insists they are just friends.
He is, however, obsessed with sex. He keeps thinking that perhaps he met Sadie too soon, that he wanted, needed, more sexual experience. Which is fair, but he just doesn’t want to break things off with Sadie first. 🖤
Harrison doesn’t really feel it’s just his fault, either. Sadie could have stayed with him at school over the summer and he wouldn’t have been so tempted. 🔪
When Sadie leaves for the summer break, Harrison and Aubrey start a sexual relationship as soon as Sadie is gone. They had planned to take summer classes together while Sadie needed to work.
Harrison, however, breaks off the affair with Aubrey as soon as Sadie returns, to continue blissfully with her.
But Aubrey is not going down without a fight, and soon the whole school knows what happened. Sadie is left heartbroken in the rubble.
(This happened to me a long time ago. An athlete boyfriend of years, one day told me he was going to be a dad, accidentally.😬 While I thought we were going strong. Today I am so happy I moved on to better things, but I’m not gonna lie, it still stung in the moment. Hi Adam 👋 if you are in here.)
This story isn’t for everyone and will be a rage read for many. It is very angsty and a pretty good portrayal of what popularity can do to a person who isn’t grounded.
Harrison felt real. Sadie was too good. I wanted to see her claim more for herself; she was living through him in college. There were small plot holes in the middle of the story, and the only way he was remotely redeemable was that the time they spent apart was significant.
Should you read it? If you like betrayal and second-chance stories, yes. If not, you should run because he is not a nice guy while popular, and he has a LOT of growing up to do.
Chance of divorce? 50%. With my aforementioned experience in these matters of the heart, I didn’t want them together at all, but alas…
Okay, this was angsty and kind of unredeeming, if not for the 7 years apart.
The beginning was a little rough due to the excessive dual POV. 😬 But despite that, I was pulled into the story.
The premise:
Sadie and Harrison meet in 8th grade and fall in love. They are everything to each other throughout high school.
Sadie is sweetness herself, and Harrison is well on his way to a football career. He turns many schools down in order to go with Sadie to an in-state college.
But Harrison’s life is peaking. His fame is skyrocketing and his ego is slowly getting more and more inflated. Sadie is in his shadow and a little too happy to be there. I did feel she wasn’t fleshed out quite enough compared to Harrison.
However, in their sophomore year, gorgeous Aubrey sets her sights on Harrison, now QB1, and he starts spending all his spare time with her, slowly eroding his relationship with Sadie. They have meals together, study together, and he insists they are just friends.
He is, however, obsessed with sex. He keeps thinking that perhaps he met Sadie too soon, that he wanted, needed, more sexual experience. Which is fair, but he just doesn’t want to break things off with Sadie first. 🖤
Harrison doesn’t really feel it’s just his fault, either. Sadie could have stayed with him at school over the summer and he wouldn’t have been so tempted. 🔪
When Sadie leaves for the summer break, Harrison and Aubrey start a sexual relationship as soon as Sadie is gone. They had planned to take summer classes together while Sadie needed to work.
Harrison, however, breaks off the affair with Aubrey as soon as Sadie returns, to continue blissfully with her.
But Aubrey is not going down without a fight, and soon the whole school knows what happened. Sadie is left heartbroken in the rubble.
(This happened to me a long time ago. An athlete boyfriend of years, one day told me he was going to be a dad, accidentally.😬 While I thought we were going strong. Today I am so happy I moved on to better things, but I’m not gonna lie, it still stung in the moment. Hi Adam 👋 if you are in here.)
This story isn’t for everyone and will be a rage read for many. It is very angsty and a pretty good portrayal of what popularity can do to a person who isn’t grounded.
Harrison felt real. Sadie was too good. I wanted to see her claim more for herself; she was living through him in college. There were small plot holes in the middle of the story, and the only way he was remotely redeemable was that the time they spent apart was significant.
Should you read it? If you like betrayal and second-chance stories, yes. If not, you should run because he is not a nice guy while popular, and he has a LOT of growing up to do.
Chance of divorce? 50%. With my aforementioned experience in these matters of the heart, I didn’t want them together at all, but alas…
April 9, 2026
Real book title: "Sorry Sadie, I cheated, so what".
I just don't understand the lack of grovel or bare minimum for these cheating/betrayal stories. Is it just to grab attention? Because this pathetic, sad sack of shit of a man continues on screwing merrily until chance bought them together again 8 years later. He was only celibate two years before meeting the heroine. Such remorse, such sacrifice. Oh my heart is breaking from his self-flagellation! 🙄
I want angst but not a barely redeemable shit-head like this guy. Ugh, I hate IG sometimes. So misleading. 😑
I just don't understand the lack of grovel or bare minimum for these cheating/betrayal stories. Is it just to grab attention? Because this pathetic, sad sack of shit of a man continues on screwing merrily until chance bought them together again 8 years later. He was only celibate two years before meeting the heroine. Such remorse, such sacrifice. Oh my heart is breaking from his self-flagellation! 🙄
I want angst but not a barely redeemable shit-head like this guy. Ugh, I hate IG sometimes. So misleading. 😑
April 2, 2026
Read this one out of morbid curiosity after seeing it advertised/promoted at least 10 times on Facebook & instagram. Finished it as a hate read, hoping that by some miracle the author would surprise me and have the heroine grow a backbone, but *sigh* of course not.
This one is right up there for me with Bully by Penelope Douglas, and Creedence by PD, and whatever that other one (maybe by PD, maybe not) that I rated 1 Star last year was. The “hero” of Sorry, Sadie, if we can even call him a hero, is a small minded, narcissistic man child who thought he was entitled to cheat, flaunted it right out in the open and then acted heartbroken with our “heroine” left him. For those wondering: he cheats on FMC (many, many, many times) (on page. Explicitly. Just ew), barely grovels, and no, I couldn’t tell you for the life of me WHY she ever takes this piece of trash back. Sorry to the author but this is the worse book I’ve read in a while and I wish I could completely wipe it from my memory because men like Harrison make me ill.
Because I’m an impulsive idiot drawn to things that absolutely revolt me, I’ve now (unfortunately) tackled: creepy “incest-adjacent” “smut”, bully “romance”, “betrayal-grovel-romance” and whatever the hell this was. I’m going to go back to my murder mysteries and high fantasies, bye
This one is right up there for me with Bully by Penelope Douglas, and Creedence by PD, and whatever that other one (maybe by PD, maybe not) that I rated 1 Star last year was. The “hero” of Sorry, Sadie, if we can even call him a hero, is a small minded, narcissistic man child who thought he was entitled to cheat, flaunted it right out in the open and then acted heartbroken with our “heroine” left him. For those wondering: he cheats on FMC (many, many, many times) (on page. Explicitly. Just ew), barely grovels, and no, I couldn’t tell you for the life of me WHY she ever takes this piece of trash back. Sorry to the author but this is the worse book I’ve read in a while and I wish I could completely wipe it from my memory because men like Harrison make me ill.
Because I’m an impulsive idiot drawn to things that absolutely revolt me, I’ve now (unfortunately) tackled: creepy “incest-adjacent” “smut”, bully “romance”, “betrayal-grovel-romance” and whatever the hell this was. I’m going to go back to my murder mysteries and high fantasies, bye
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 25, 2026
1. It wouldn’t have mattered that Aubrey claimed that Harrison “wanted the videos to be taken” and “it turned into her word against his”. It wasn’t taking the videos that was illegal; it was posting them on her social media and there was no way she could deny that she had done that.
2. There was no groveling in this book. After Harrison’s massive betrayal, he and Sadie met again at the wedding of some good friends. After some initial awkwardness, they talked, laughed and reminisced fondly about old times. They agreed to meet up privately to discuss his betrayal; their discussion was calm and sweet. Then, they went back to her place and had $ex. They decided to get back together the next morning. The End.
2. There was no groveling in this book. After Harrison’s massive betrayal, he and Sadie met again at the wedding of some good friends. After some initial awkwardness, they talked, laughed and reminisced fondly about old times. They agreed to meet up privately to discuss his betrayal; their discussion was calm and sweet. Then, they went back to her place and had $ex. They decided to get back together the next morning. The End.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 1, 2026
The first part of this was good —The mcs have been a couple since 8th grade. They are in love and now freshman’s in college. When the H becomes QB1 for the football team he becomes a douche bag. Granted he’s only 19 but still! He falls into an emotional cheating relationship with ow. The ow is known for getting off
On breaking up relationships. He eventually cheats and there was some medium angst. The second part was 8 years later and the wrap up of how the fmc takes him back…. I mean I didn’t hate it… but it wasn’t that great either🤣
On breaking up relationships. He eventually cheats and there was some medium angst. The second part was 8 years later and the wrap up of how the fmc takes him back…. I mean I didn’t hate it… but it wasn’t that great either🤣
April 13, 2026
⭐️⭐️1/2 (2.5) — I am still angry. Respectfully.
(Rating Updated because I still despise him and wish Sadie found someone worthy.)
This book and I had one of the most toxic reader relationships I’ve had in a while because I spent the ENTIRE first half absolutely furious… and yet I still kept reading 😭
And honestly? That’s worth something.
The first half of this book is genuinely painful in a way that felt VERY real to me. Sadie and Harrison grow up together. They’re each other’s first everything. Best friends. Soulmates. The couple everyone assumes will make it forever. Then college happens and suddenly Harrison discovers that being a mildly attractive football player with attention from another woman has apparently short-circuited every functioning brain cell he once possessed.
And OH MY GOD this man frustrated me.
Because technically the cheating doesn’t start physically right away. It starts emotionally. Slowly. Through lies, secrecy, crossed boundaries, hidden lunches, private jokes, emotionally intimate conversations, and him repeatedly choosing another girl over his girlfriend while pretending nothing inappropriate is happening.
And the OW? She’s not even subtle. This girl literally has a campus-wide reputation for targeting men in relationships because she enjoys “winning” them. EVERYONE warns Harrison about her. Everyone. And instead of saying:
“Wow maybe I should create boundaries with this walking red flag.”
this man basically goes:
“I can fix her through friendship 🥺”
Sir.
NO 😭
The emotional affair progression was honestly the strongest part of the book because you can SEE him rationalizing every terrible decision in real time. He knows he’s crossing lines. He knows he’s lying. He knows he’s becoming emotionally dependent on this girl. And instead of pulling back when things are getting OTT inappropriate, he just keeps pushing further and further past every reasonable boundary.
AND THEN WHEN SADIE DIRECTLY GIVES HIM AN OUT —
when she basically says:
“If you want someone else, be honest and break up with me.”
THIS MAN STILL DOESN’T MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICE.
I wanted to fight him physically.
What made it even more frustrating is that once the line is finally crossed, Harrison realizes almost immediately that he’s blown up his entire life for something that was never going to live up to the fantasy in his head. The buildup, the secrecy, the obsession — all of it collapses under the weight of reality. But does that stop him from going back for more? NOPE!
And the fallout? Brutal.
The “Sorry Sadie” moment honestly hit hard. The humiliation. The betrayal. The public exposure of something deeply private. The way Sadie’s entire college experience becomes poisoned by HIS decisions. That emotional devastation was probably the strongest part of the entire book for me.
That first half? Strong. Angry. Messy. Addictive.
Unfortunately… the second half is where the book lost me emotionally.
Because after YEARS apart and all this devastation, the grovel just never felt big enough for the damage done. Harrison grows as a person, sure. He goes through loss. He matures. He suffers consequences. I do think the author tried to give him depth beyond “college douchebag cheater.”
But emotionally? I still needed MORE.
More suffering.
More yearning.
More desperation.
More “I ruined the best thing that ever happened to me and I’ll regret it forever.”
And what made the reconciliation even harder for me to fully buy into was the timing of Harrison’s “growth.” By the end of the first half, his entire future changes dramatically, and suddenly the life he thought he was headed toward is gone. Which left this giant question hanging over the second half of the book for me:
Would he have come back to Sadie if everything had worked out for him?
Because before that point, becoming QB1 and living the football-star lifestyle seemed to completely reshape who he was. Sadie belonged to the version of Harrison from before the ego, before the parties, before the attention, before he started treating loyalty like an optional personality trait. So when he finally wants her back years later, it’s hard not to wonder whether he truly realized she was always the love of his life… or whether Sadie became comforting again once the version of himself he wanted most no longer existed.
And honestly? That ambiguity made the romance harder for me to fully sink into. I needed more reassurance that he chose her — not just the quieter life left behind after everything else fell apart.
I also really wish Sadie had gotten more life experience outside of him. She deserved more than a couple random hookups and years of emotional stagnation while Harrison got to live an entire messy, manho life. I wanted her to have at least ONE meaningful relationship that reminded her she was lovable outside of being Harrison’s long-suffering soulmate.
The weirdest part is that despite ALL my frustration… I almost gave this three stars.
Why?
Because it made me FEEL things…?
I was angry.
I was invested.
I was yelling internally.
I stopped reading for like 6 days at one point because I realized they were probably getting back together and I needed time to emotionally process my resentment 😭
But I still came back.
And honestly? That says something.
This book is messy, frustrating, emotionally uneven, and the grovel absolutely did not hit the level I personally needed… but the first half especially had enough emotional intensity to keep me hooked even while I actively wanted to throw Harrison into oncoming traffic.
(Rating Updated because I still despise him and wish Sadie found someone worthy.)
This book and I had one of the most toxic reader relationships I’ve had in a while because I spent the ENTIRE first half absolutely furious… and yet I still kept reading 😭
And honestly? That’s worth something.
The first half of this book is genuinely painful in a way that felt VERY real to me. Sadie and Harrison grow up together. They’re each other’s first everything. Best friends. Soulmates. The couple everyone assumes will make it forever. Then college happens and suddenly Harrison discovers that being a mildly attractive football player with attention from another woman has apparently short-circuited every functioning brain cell he once possessed.
And OH MY GOD this man frustrated me.
Because technically the cheating doesn’t start physically right away. It starts emotionally. Slowly. Through lies, secrecy, crossed boundaries, hidden lunches, private jokes, emotionally intimate conversations, and him repeatedly choosing another girl over his girlfriend while pretending nothing inappropriate is happening.
And the OW? She’s not even subtle. This girl literally has a campus-wide reputation for targeting men in relationships because she enjoys “winning” them. EVERYONE warns Harrison about her. Everyone. And instead of saying:
“Wow maybe I should create boundaries with this walking red flag.”
this man basically goes:
“I can fix her through friendship 🥺”
Sir.
NO 😭
The emotional affair progression was honestly the strongest part of the book because you can SEE him rationalizing every terrible decision in real time. He knows he’s crossing lines. He knows he’s lying. He knows he’s becoming emotionally dependent on this girl. And instead of pulling back when things are getting OTT inappropriate, he just keeps pushing further and further past every reasonable boundary.
AND THEN WHEN SADIE DIRECTLY GIVES HIM AN OUT —
when she basically says:
“If you want someone else, be honest and break up with me.”
THIS MAN STILL DOESN’T MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICE.
I wanted to fight him physically.
What made it even more frustrating is that once the line is finally crossed, Harrison realizes almost immediately that he’s blown up his entire life for something that was never going to live up to the fantasy in his head. The buildup, the secrecy, the obsession — all of it collapses under the weight of reality. But does that stop him from going back for more? NOPE!
And the fallout? Brutal.
The “Sorry Sadie” moment honestly hit hard. The humiliation. The betrayal. The public exposure of something deeply private. The way Sadie’s entire college experience becomes poisoned by HIS decisions. That emotional devastation was probably the strongest part of the entire book for me.
That first half? Strong. Angry. Messy. Addictive.
Unfortunately… the second half is where the book lost me emotionally.
Because after YEARS apart and all this devastation, the grovel just never felt big enough for the damage done. Harrison grows as a person, sure. He goes through loss. He matures. He suffers consequences. I do think the author tried to give him depth beyond “college douchebag cheater.”
But emotionally? I still needed MORE.
More suffering.
More yearning.
More desperation.
More “I ruined the best thing that ever happened to me and I’ll regret it forever.”
And what made the reconciliation even harder for me to fully buy into was the timing of Harrison’s “growth.” By the end of the first half, his entire future changes dramatically, and suddenly the life he thought he was headed toward is gone. Which left this giant question hanging over the second half of the book for me:
Would he have come back to Sadie if everything had worked out for him?
Because before that point, becoming QB1 and living the football-star lifestyle seemed to completely reshape who he was. Sadie belonged to the version of Harrison from before the ego, before the parties, before the attention, before he started treating loyalty like an optional personality trait. So when he finally wants her back years later, it’s hard not to wonder whether he truly realized she was always the love of his life… or whether Sadie became comforting again once the version of himself he wanted most no longer existed.
And honestly? That ambiguity made the romance harder for me to fully sink into. I needed more reassurance that he chose her — not just the quieter life left behind after everything else fell apart.
I also really wish Sadie had gotten more life experience outside of him. She deserved more than a couple random hookups and years of emotional stagnation while Harrison got to live an entire messy, manho life. I wanted her to have at least ONE meaningful relationship that reminded her she was lovable outside of being Harrison’s long-suffering soulmate.
The weirdest part is that despite ALL my frustration… I almost gave this three stars.
Why?
Because it made me FEEL things…?
I was angry.
I was invested.
I was yelling internally.
I stopped reading for like 6 days at one point because I realized they were probably getting back together and I needed time to emotionally process my resentment 😭
But I still came back.
And honestly? That says something.
This book is messy, frustrating, emotionally uneven, and the grovel absolutely did not hit the level I personally needed… but the first half especially had enough emotional intensity to keep me hooked even while I actively wanted to throw Harrison into oncoming traffic.
April 7, 2026
Nope, have nothing against cheating books, but this guy did not redeem himself at all. 10 years have passed, and she hasn’t gotten over him.
She does move on but I thought she took him back way too easily. They’d been together forever, he went to college and when his girlfriend went away for the summer he decided to give him and sleep with the school bike a few times actually. Only broke it off once he knew the girlfriend was coming back. A video was released that showed all the stuff he did with the ow, humiliating his girlfriend who broke up with him. Did he chase after her? No, he continued being the school man ho and got a new girlfriend- eventually he had an accident and couldn’t play anymore which led to him realising he never had any true friends, he became depressed and moved back to their town. Their mutual friends are getting married which is how these two end up in contact again.
This all would have been fine had the author showed that the MMC was remorseful but I just didn’t feel that.
I’m dreading the second book but I hope the the author does a better job of redeeming the male man character.
She does move on but I thought she took him back way too easily. They’d been together forever, he went to college and when his girlfriend went away for the summer he decided to give him and sleep with the school bike a few times actually. Only broke it off once he knew the girlfriend was coming back. A video was released that showed all the stuff he did with the ow, humiliating his girlfriend who broke up with him. Did he chase after her? No, he continued being the school man ho and got a new girlfriend- eventually he had an accident and couldn’t play anymore which led to him realising he never had any true friends, he became depressed and moved back to their town. Their mutual friends are getting married which is how these two end up in contact again.
This all would have been fine had the author showed that the MMC was remorseful but I just didn’t feel that.
I’m dreading the second book but I hope the the author does a better job of redeeming the male man character.
March 26, 2026
This is broken into 2 parts, past and present. The past is the set up, the cheating and the immediate aftermath. It’s 60% of the book, that leaves 40% for grovel, redemption and HEA.
March 25, 2026
Just ok
Overall, the writing was surprisingly good. I’ve never read this author before and maybe she does have a lot of books under a different name or something. I don’t know, but she seems well-versed in creating a detailed well written story. My problems are two things. First off I really don’t think physical cheating is OK. It’s very clear with the blurb for the next book that a woman’s gonna take the man back just because she’s pregnant, which might be one of the saddest messages I’ve ever heard about a book. However, that’s not this book so I don’t wanna dive into that. What Harrison did was incredibly immature, rude inconsiderate nonetheless just goes on and on. However, his age does come in to the discussion. He really was a dumb 19 almost 20 year-old who made a really tough decision. So that probably loses half a star for me just because I really don’t think people come back from cheating because as the person that is cheated on, I think you sit there and you will always think about it and you will never trust that person so in my opinion, there’s really no reason to try and salvage those relationships. However, I do understand that some people are OK with that and can forgive it and I do think he did some good things to come back from it, but if he had been a famous football player, he never would’ve fixed himself which kind of gives you this icky feeling like he’s really not a good person circumstances just forced him to be.
However, the other one and a half stars are simply because this woman held onto him. It is a version of BBS in my opinion when you don’t move on from someone. You were 19 years old and this guy publicly destroyed you. Also, it’s unrealistic that she would be in a café and there would be all those people making fun of her. Posting videos like that when you know a guy has a girlfriend is not something most people laugh at sure there may be an occasional one in like a sorority that did it but overall the average person is not OK with that. But the fact that she’s still sitting there 7-8 years later in love with him might be the most skin crawling thing I’ve ever read. This idea that women cannot move on from men is gross. It would be one thing if she encountered him and then they became friends and then they started being a little bit more but the fact that she’s sitting there hearing about him coming back and she still hurting and she’s lying about moving on is just awful. This is the 21st century and women can absolutely choose who they love.
Overall, the writing was surprisingly good. I’ve never read this author before and maybe she does have a lot of books under a different name or something. I don’t know, but she seems well-versed in creating a detailed well written story. My problems are two things. First off I really don’t think physical cheating is OK. It’s very clear with the blurb for the next book that a woman’s gonna take the man back just because she’s pregnant, which might be one of the saddest messages I’ve ever heard about a book. However, that’s not this book so I don’t wanna dive into that. What Harrison did was incredibly immature, rude inconsiderate nonetheless just goes on and on. However, his age does come in to the discussion. He really was a dumb 19 almost 20 year-old who made a really tough decision. So that probably loses half a star for me just because I really don’t think people come back from cheating because as the person that is cheated on, I think you sit there and you will always think about it and you will never trust that person so in my opinion, there’s really no reason to try and salvage those relationships. However, I do understand that some people are OK with that and can forgive it and I do think he did some good things to come back from it, but if he had been a famous football player, he never would’ve fixed himself which kind of gives you this icky feeling like he’s really not a good person circumstances just forced him to be.
However, the other one and a half stars are simply because this woman held onto him. It is a version of BBS in my opinion when you don’t move on from someone. You were 19 years old and this guy publicly destroyed you. Also, it’s unrealistic that she would be in a café and there would be all those people making fun of her. Posting videos like that when you know a guy has a girlfriend is not something most people laugh at sure there may be an occasional one in like a sorority that did it but overall the average person is not OK with that. But the fact that she’s still sitting there 7-8 years later in love with him might be the most skin crawling thing I’ve ever read. This idea that women cannot move on from men is gross. It would be one thing if she encountered him and then they became friends and then they started being a little bit more but the fact that she’s sitting there hearing about him coming back and she still hurting and she’s lying about moving on is just awful. This is the 21st century and women can absolutely choose who they love.
March 25, 2026
Second Chances
Harrison and Sadie had the love you thought would last forever. After Harrison betrays Sadie it takes years of therapy and hard lessons before they can find their HEA!
Harrison and Sadie had the love you thought would last forever. After Harrison betrays Sadie it takes years of therapy and hard lessons before they can find their HEA!
April 23, 2026
This guy was a fucking tool. There was no groveling. Just him Eeyoreing around Sadie while they plan their friends' wedding. It was more than a little pathetic.
I get he was a young freshly famous college QB that let it all go to his head. But at 19, you know what you're doing. His excuse was he wanted to know what sex would be like with someone else. Plain and simple. Sadie should have moved on with someone else, preferably someone he knows so he can watch it happen.
I needed more to happen to the OW. She was the worst kind of woman. I honestly wish an incurable STD on people like her. And revenge porn is illegal. I don't care that he looked like he was having a good time. He didn't know he was being filmed or that she would post them on social media. The bitch should have ended up in jail with aforementioned STD.
I get he was a young freshly famous college QB that let it all go to his head. But at 19, you know what you're doing. His excuse was he wanted to know what sex would be like with someone else. Plain and simple. Sadie should have moved on with someone else, preferably someone he knows so he can watch it happen.
I needed more to happen to the OW. She was the worst kind of woman. I honestly wish an incurable STD on people like her. And revenge porn is illegal. I don't care that he looked like he was having a good time. He didn't know he was being filmed or that she would post them on social media. The bitch should have ended up in jail with aforementioned STD.
April 18, 2026
This is, unfortunately, a perfect example of why most cheating/betrayal romances fail.
When you pick up a book in this trope, you expect the cheating. That’s not the issue. The issue is what comes after. The grovel, the fallout, the emotional consequences, that’s the entire point of the story. And here, it was very poorly executed
The writing itself was good, easy to read, engaging, and in many moments, genuinely well done. The lead-up to the cheating was believable, the reasoning behind it felt grounded, and even the MMC’s initial mindset after the betrayal, deflecting blame, avoiding accountability, even blaming the FMC was realistically portrayed. The therapy aspect, where he begins to unpack his actions, was also handled well.
Which is exactly why this was frustrating.
Because the author clearly understood the psychology of cheating… but failed in the most crucial part of this trope: the aftermath.
In a cheating/betrayal romance, the emotional weight doesn’t come from the betrayal itself, it comes from what follows. The grovel, the consequences, the realization. And here, that entire structure was weak.
The biggest issue is simple: his rock bottom had nothing to do with losing her.
He didn’t fall apart because he hurt and lost the woman he supposedly loved. He fell apart because he lost everything else, his football career, his status, the attention, the validation, the options. Only when those things disappeared did he begin to reflect.
And that completely undermines the romance.
Because it raises a very obvious question: if he had kept his career, his popularity, and his endless options… would he have ever realized what he lost?
The book strongly suggests no.
There are also constant contradictions in his behavior. You can’t have him claim he’s devastated over losing “the only girl he’s ever loved” while, almost in the same breath, he’s excited to go out, party, and sleep with as many women as possible. That’s not emotional conflict, that’s inconsistency.
It gets worse when his realization comes through comparison. After his injury, his new girlfriend leaves him because he no longer offers status or money. That’s when he starts reminiscing about the FMC, how she cared for him, how she stayed, how she was different.
But that’s not growth.
That’s convenience.
He doesn’t realize her worth on his own, he realizes it because the woman he has now is shitty. And in this trope, that completely kills the emotional payoff. The realization has to come from losing her, not from having worse options. Because otherwise, it doesn’t feel like love. It feels like settling.
By the end, the groveling was minimal and underwhelming. There was a moment of more mature dialogue where the MMC takes accountability and admits to both emotional and physical cheating, which was one of the stronger scenes but even that felt incomplete, as certain key betrayals were glossed over or not fully addressed. He doesn’t admit that he picture the other girl while having sex with the FMC.
And the ending? Predictable.
Worse, it doesn’t do the FMC any favors. When she takes him back, it doesn’t feel earned or powerful, it feels like she’s settling for someone who never truly proved he deserved her.
And that’s ultimately the problem.
A good cheating/betrayal story requires that the MMC’s world falls apart because he lost her. She has to be the center of the consequence. The catalyst. The thing that breaks him.
Here, she was just part of the fallout.
And that makes all the difference
When you pick up a book in this trope, you expect the cheating. That’s not the issue. The issue is what comes after. The grovel, the fallout, the emotional consequences, that’s the entire point of the story. And here, it was very poorly executed
The writing itself was good, easy to read, engaging, and in many moments, genuinely well done. The lead-up to the cheating was believable, the reasoning behind it felt grounded, and even the MMC’s initial mindset after the betrayal, deflecting blame, avoiding accountability, even blaming the FMC was realistically portrayed. The therapy aspect, where he begins to unpack his actions, was also handled well.
Which is exactly why this was frustrating.
Because the author clearly understood the psychology of cheating… but failed in the most crucial part of this trope: the aftermath.
In a cheating/betrayal romance, the emotional weight doesn’t come from the betrayal itself, it comes from what follows. The grovel, the consequences, the realization. And here, that entire structure was weak.
The biggest issue is simple: his rock bottom had nothing to do with losing her.
He didn’t fall apart because he hurt and lost the woman he supposedly loved. He fell apart because he lost everything else, his football career, his status, the attention, the validation, the options. Only when those things disappeared did he begin to reflect.
And that completely undermines the romance.
Because it raises a very obvious question: if he had kept his career, his popularity, and his endless options… would he have ever realized what he lost?
The book strongly suggests no.
There are also constant contradictions in his behavior. You can’t have him claim he’s devastated over losing “the only girl he’s ever loved” while, almost in the same breath, he’s excited to go out, party, and sleep with as many women as possible. That’s not emotional conflict, that’s inconsistency.
It gets worse when his realization comes through comparison. After his injury, his new girlfriend leaves him because he no longer offers status or money. That’s when he starts reminiscing about the FMC, how she cared for him, how she stayed, how she was different.
But that’s not growth.
That’s convenience.
He doesn’t realize her worth on his own, he realizes it because the woman he has now is shitty. And in this trope, that completely kills the emotional payoff. The realization has to come from losing her, not from having worse options. Because otherwise, it doesn’t feel like love. It feels like settling.
By the end, the groveling was minimal and underwhelming. There was a moment of more mature dialogue where the MMC takes accountability and admits to both emotional and physical cheating, which was one of the stronger scenes but even that felt incomplete, as certain key betrayals were glossed over or not fully addressed. He doesn’t admit that he picture the other girl while having sex with the FMC.
And the ending? Predictable.
Worse, it doesn’t do the FMC any favors. When she takes him back, it doesn’t feel earned or powerful, it feels like she’s settling for someone who never truly proved he deserved her.
And that’s ultimately the problem.
A good cheating/betrayal story requires that the MMC’s world falls apart because he lost her. She has to be the center of the consequence. The catalyst. The thing that breaks him.
Here, she was just part of the fallout.
And that makes all the difference
March 25, 2026
3.5/5 This is book where I wish Goodreads allowed half stars!
This one was a difficult. On one hand I loved it, on the other it wasn’t so much of a rage read, but the HEA was difficult to digest in a way. I think because the story concentrated so much on the betrayal, that the reconciliation period felt a bit rushed. I did have to keep reminding myself they’d actually spent longer separated than they had been together. I would’ve liked to have seen Sadie in a more longer term relationship in their time apart, but I understand why that wouldn’t have fitted in with the story. I think it felt like in those 8years apart their life should’ve felt more fulfilled, but it was written like they’d only just been going through the motions which felt a little bit hollow.
I know in some of the early parts of the story Harrison’s inner monologue about his view towards girls was pretty crude, but to be honest it felt organic in the story and how his ego and arrogance just grew and grew. I think we knew more about his thoughts than Sadie did which was hard to digest. The cheating was brutal, but I think how it played out felt true to his character at that stage. If his behaviour had been down played then I would’ve felt like author was playing it safe, especially as there was so build up to to it (over half of the story) that I’m kind of glad the author didn’t shy away from making the cheating as bad as it was. What might’ve made it feel slightly more balanced was if we’d seen more of Sadie moving on living happily without him after it happened. There was a bit more focus on Harrison’s life straight after, rather than Sadie’s.
The writing itself was excellent, it was so readable and flowed brilliantly. I’m looking forward to reading the next book!
This one was a difficult. On one hand I loved it, on the other it wasn’t so much of a rage read, but the HEA was difficult to digest in a way. I think because the story concentrated so much on the betrayal, that the reconciliation period felt a bit rushed. I did have to keep reminding myself they’d actually spent longer separated than they had been together. I would’ve liked to have seen Sadie in a more longer term relationship in their time apart, but I understand why that wouldn’t have fitted in with the story. I think it felt like in those 8years apart their life should’ve felt more fulfilled, but it was written like they’d only just been going through the motions which felt a little bit hollow.
I know in some of the early parts of the story Harrison’s inner monologue about his view towards girls was pretty crude, but to be honest it felt organic in the story and how his ego and arrogance just grew and grew. I think we knew more about his thoughts than Sadie did which was hard to digest. The cheating was brutal, but I think how it played out felt true to his character at that stage. If his behaviour had been down played then I would’ve felt like author was playing it safe, especially as there was so build up to to it (over half of the story) that I’m kind of glad the author didn’t shy away from making the cheating as bad as it was. What might’ve made it feel slightly more balanced was if we’d seen more of Sadie moving on living happily without him after it happened. There was a bit more focus on Harrison’s life straight after, rather than Sadie’s.
The writing itself was excellent, it was so readable and flowed brilliantly. I’m looking forward to reading the next book!
April 26, 2026
I enjoy betrayal/grovel novels as a premise bc they’re fun trash for me, and that part of the book was by far the best because of its sheer cruelty. Loved it, genuinely
HOWEVER, the back half of this book was ass. It was just the MMC giving his stump speech over and over again. Lame.
I think there are some cardinal rules of these types of books, and the author failed at probably the most important which is that the FMC needs to have moved on at all levels before she ever expresses attraction to the asshole again. She should’ve loved and had sex with other people (and ENJOYED IT) by the time they reconnect. Her just being like, “uwu he’s still hot and I’ve never moved on,” just makes your skin crawl.
HOWEVER, the back half of this book was ass. It was just the MMC giving his stump speech over and over again. Lame.
I think there are some cardinal rules of these types of books, and the author failed at probably the most important which is that the FMC needs to have moved on at all levels before she ever expresses attraction to the asshole again. She should’ve loved and had sex with other people (and ENJOYED IT) by the time they reconnect. Her just being like, “uwu he’s still hot and I’ve never moved on,” just makes your skin crawl.
Did Not Finish
June 13, 2026Note to self: Anything this author writes is a no for me.
August 5, 2026
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
April 22, 2026
want to read about a pathetic woman
Look no further!
To be this publicly humiliated was only enough for Sadie to run home. She waited patiently for years to get back with the man who only described everything he liked that she did for him. And of course how hot she is. There was no real substance about him or his supposed love for her. He went to therapy and still blames his new found fame when his character was just disgusting. Which wasn’t a surprise considering how terrible his parents were. His parents who knew Sadie since she was a kid stopped talking to her after their son cheated and publicly humiliated her but somehow believed that he was the one for her. What a joke. The author seemed lost on how to redeem his character and I always say if you can’t finish it cleanly, you should probably edit the betrayal because this book was just trashy on all sides. Both main characters were unlikable. Don’t waste your time.
Look no further!
To be this publicly humiliated was only enough for Sadie to run home. She waited patiently for years to get back with the man who only described everything he liked that she did for him. And of course how hot she is. There was no real substance about him or his supposed love for her. He went to therapy and still blames his new found fame when his character was just disgusting. Which wasn’t a surprise considering how terrible his parents were. His parents who knew Sadie since she was a kid stopped talking to her after their son cheated and publicly humiliated her but somehow believed that he was the one for her. What a joke. The author seemed lost on how to redeem his character and I always say if you can’t finish it cleanly, you should probably edit the betrayal because this book was just trashy on all sides. Both main characters were unlikable. Don’t waste your time.
March 29, 2026
Hero was trash and heroine is a doormat who can’t move on. No man is that special, especially not one who acts like this dude did.
June 26, 2026
3.5 stars
Full Plot:
The big question: was the Z's cheating forgivable? Nope.
Did the author even remotely meet the requirements for forgiveness? Nope.
Was there grovelling? You decide. The Z apologized about a million times. I mean this mf even apologized while he was getting an illegal blowie. So does he even know what sorry means? His sorrys are pretty cheap.
The ratios in this book are crazy. Over a third of the whole is devoted to the past and exploring the cheating… graphically. And another quarter of the whole is spent in separation and on wedding blah blah blah. So you tell me, where the hell is the time to properly repair a relationship? In the end the MCs move forward because they have a past and ‘Sorry, Rayna’ but that’s not gonna cut it. Not for grown-ups thinking about making a whole ass life together.
While they're serving time at wedding events the Z spends a lot of time ogling the h’s body and remembering sex with her. Okay. Fair enough, but God help that woman when she stops being eye candy.
Full Plot:
The big question: was the Z's cheating forgivable? Nope.
Did the author even remotely meet the requirements for forgiveness? Nope.
Was there grovelling? You decide. The Z apologized about a million times. I mean this mf even apologized while he was getting an illegal blowie. So does he even know what sorry means? His sorrys are pretty cheap.
The ratios in this book are crazy. Over a third of the whole is devoted to the past and exploring the cheating… graphically. And another quarter of the whole is spent in separation and on wedding blah blah blah. So you tell me, where the hell is the time to properly repair a relationship? In the end the MCs move forward because they have a past and ‘Sorry, Rayna’ but that’s not gonna cut it. Not for grown-ups thinking about making a whole ass life together.
While they're serving time at wedding events the Z spends a lot of time ogling the h’s body and remembering sex with her. Okay. Fair enough, but God help that woman when she stops being eye candy.
dnr
October 2, 2026author clearly uses ai.
April 26, 2026
Oh god, this was awful.
March 25, 2026
2.5 stars
The story is about two people who meet as kids and its 'love' at first sight for the MMC. They date in high school, move to college and are going strong until the MMC's fame as a football player goes to his head. His personality transplant is arrogant, thinks he's better than everyone else and deserves ALL the perks that come with being QB. He cheats with a girl who the FMC warned him about and obviously she finds out.
The story cuts between present which is 8 years later, and their past from age 8 until 19.
My issue with this story is that the feeling it mostly engendered in me was rage. Especially during the MMC's personality transplant pov. I didnt feel the hurt, or the angst or the heartbreak.
Partially because I didnt connect with the characters and partially because everything felt very surface level for me.
The grovel wasnt satisfactory enough for me even though the MMC has changed and grown as a person. At the end of the day it felt like he didnt choose the FMC inspite of his success, but rather due to the lack of it.
The story is about two people who meet as kids and its 'love' at first sight for the MMC. They date in high school, move to college and are going strong until the MMC's fame as a football player goes to his head. His personality transplant is arrogant, thinks he's better than everyone else and deserves ALL the perks that come with being QB. He cheats with a girl who the FMC warned him about and obviously she finds out.
The story cuts between present which is 8 years later, and their past from age 8 until 19.
My issue with this story is that the feeling it mostly engendered in me was rage. Especially during the MMC's personality transplant pov. I didnt feel the hurt, or the angst or the heartbreak.
Partially because I didnt connect with the characters and partially because everything felt very surface level for me.
The grovel wasnt satisfactory enough for me even though the MMC has changed and grown as a person. At the end of the day it felt like he didnt choose the FMC inspite of his success, but rather due to the lack of it.
March 24, 2026
Same story different names
I skimmed over this book. It was very predictable, boy cheats and blames everyone but himself for being weak. Then a couple yrs go by, and girls weak and takes him back. Honestly, I dont know why she waited so long.
I skimmed over this book. It was very predictable, boy cheats and blames everyone but himself for being weak. Then a couple yrs go by, and girls weak and takes him back. Honestly, I dont know why she waited so long.
August 14, 2026
I absolutely loved the angsty, other-woman drama and second-chance romance in this book. Do I feel like our MMC deserved a happy ending? Nope. But I’m also not the author, so apparently I don’t get to make those decisions.
Harrison and Sadie have been together since the 8th grade, and now they’re heading off to college together. Harrison is the backup quarterback, while Sadie is a cheerleader. When the starting QB gets injured, Harrison gets his chance to take over as the lead quarterback.
He does really well and suddenly starts getting a ton of attention, especially from the girls. One girl in particular, who is also a cheerleader and happens to be in Sadie’s sorority, starts giving Harrison way too much attention. And unfortunately, it goes straight to his head.
While Sadie goes home for the summer, Harrison stays behind…and so does the other woman. He ends up cheating on Sadie, and when she returns just before school starts, she’s blindsided by videos of the cheating all over social media.
This completely breaks Sadie and destroys everything she thought she had with Harrison. The pain and heartbreak she experiences felt so real, and Rayna did an amazing job making me feel every bit of it.
Fast forward five years, and these two are thrown back together when they’re both in the wedding party for their childhood best friends. Harrison is the Best Man and Sadie is the Maid of Honor, which means forced proximity, tension, unresolved feelings, and conversations that absolutely needed to happen.
And let me tell you…the tension was EVERYTHING.
I loved watching these two navigate all the hurt, anger, history, and feelings that never completely went away. The second-chance aspect, the angst, the other-woman drama, and the forced proximity made this such an emotional read.
This one definitely brought the ANGST, and I ate it up. Even when I wanted to scream at Harrison, I couldn’t put the book down. Rayna really delivered on the heartbreak and emotional turmoil, and I loved every messy minute of it.
Tropes:
Second Chance
Childhood lovers
Betrayal
Cheating- on page
OW
Then/Now
Angst
Forced Proximity
Harrison and Sadie have been together since the 8th grade, and now they’re heading off to college together. Harrison is the backup quarterback, while Sadie is a cheerleader. When the starting QB gets injured, Harrison gets his chance to take over as the lead quarterback.
He does really well and suddenly starts getting a ton of attention, especially from the girls. One girl in particular, who is also a cheerleader and happens to be in Sadie’s sorority, starts giving Harrison way too much attention. And unfortunately, it goes straight to his head.
While Sadie goes home for the summer, Harrison stays behind…and so does the other woman. He ends up cheating on Sadie, and when she returns just before school starts, she’s blindsided by videos of the cheating all over social media.
This completely breaks Sadie and destroys everything she thought she had with Harrison. The pain and heartbreak she experiences felt so real, and Rayna did an amazing job making me feel every bit of it.
Fast forward five years, and these two are thrown back together when they’re both in the wedding party for their childhood best friends. Harrison is the Best Man and Sadie is the Maid of Honor, which means forced proximity, tension, unresolved feelings, and conversations that absolutely needed to happen.
And let me tell you…the tension was EVERYTHING.
I loved watching these two navigate all the hurt, anger, history, and feelings that never completely went away. The second-chance aspect, the angst, the other-woman drama, and the forced proximity made this such an emotional read.
This one definitely brought the ANGST, and I ate it up. Even when I wanted to scream at Harrison, I couldn’t put the book down. Rayna really delivered on the heartbreak and emotional turmoil, and I loved every messy minute of it.
Tropes:
Second Chance
Childhood lovers
Betrayal
Cheating- on page
OW
Then/Now
Angst
Forced Proximity
March 25, 2026
The growth!!!
I loved this book. I love how he was smitten with her at first sight. I loved watching their love grow. Then college hit and they were still loving each other. Then fame, arrogance and selfishness reared its ugly head. Harrison was awful and lost the real thing in love and friendships. It took him time and only got his karma when the fame and adulation dwindled. He HAD no choice but to grow. Sadie…I loved her and how she chose her self. I rarely cry when reading a book but this book? I shared a lot of tears.
I loved this book. I love how he was smitten with her at first sight. I loved watching their love grow. Then college hit and they were still loving each other. Then fame, arrogance and selfishness reared its ugly head. Harrison was awful and lost the real thing in love and friendships. It took him time and only got his karma when the fame and adulation dwindled. He HAD no choice but to grow. Sadie…I loved her and how she chose her self. I rarely cry when reading a book but this book? I shared a lot of tears.
July 5, 2026
I was promised a grovel and received no grovel. Way too much damage done to forgive and forget. She never even voiced her concerns. Years after he betrayed her and blew up her life, they got drunk, banged, and then she let his heart eyes override her very valid fears when he said he doesn't believe hooking up was a mistake. There wasn't even a "How do I know I can trust you this time?"
Nope. I'm out.
Nope. I'm out.
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