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At Your Pace
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
June 25, 2026
⌗ ── ⚾🍋🟩🐈⬛ᝰ .ᐟ read.
this was so cute and fun. i enjoyed every single moment of it. RTC!
⌗ ── ⚾🍋🟩🐈⬛ᝰ .ᐟ pre-read.
thanks to @lunaliteracy and the author for an arc in exchange of an honest review.
it seems like now i'm into sport romances now, and i love it, lmao
this was so cute and fun. i enjoyed every single moment of it. RTC!
⌗ ── ⚾🍋🟩🐈⬛ᝰ .ᐟ pre-read.
thanks to @lunaliteracy and the author for an arc in exchange of an honest review.
it seems like now i'm into sport romances now, and i love it, lmao
July 23, 2026
3.75🌟, 3🌶️
Stepping into a college romance told entirely through Emerson's eyes was such a refreshing treat.
Watching him juggle student life, athletics, and the tender vulnerability of falling for Valeria made me want to wrap him up in a blanket and protect him forever. The cozy campus atmosphere, the gentle focus on emotional safety, and those classic butterflies of nearness created an instantly heartwarming vibe.
Even though the sports action took a backseat during the off-season, I loved the low-stress focus on genuine personal growth. The tight-knit friend group added so much warmth, and watching Emerson and Valeria communicate with such maturity completely bypassed any annoying miscommunication tropes. Their healthy, low-spice connection felt remarkably real, grounded, and deeply comforting to follow.
Ultimately, this tender debut left me with a full heart and a lingering smile. Despite a few quirky pacing jumps, the emotional core shines so brightly through sweet snuggling scenes and honest self-discovery.
It was a joy to read and left me craving more of these characters.
~~~~
Huge thank you to Hope Engel and Luna Literary for the ARC! 😍 All my bookish thoughts are completely my own. ✨
Stepping into a college romance told entirely through Emerson's eyes was such a refreshing treat.
Watching him juggle student life, athletics, and the tender vulnerability of falling for Valeria made me want to wrap him up in a blanket and protect him forever. The cozy campus atmosphere, the gentle focus on emotional safety, and those classic butterflies of nearness created an instantly heartwarming vibe.
Even though the sports action took a backseat during the off-season, I loved the low-stress focus on genuine personal growth. The tight-knit friend group added so much warmth, and watching Emerson and Valeria communicate with such maturity completely bypassed any annoying miscommunication tropes. Their healthy, low-spice connection felt remarkably real, grounded, and deeply comforting to follow.
Ultimately, this tender debut left me with a full heart and a lingering smile. Despite a few quirky pacing jumps, the emotional core shines so brightly through sweet snuggling scenes and honest self-discovery.
It was a joy to read and left me craving more of these characters.
~~~~
Huge thank you to Hope Engel and Luna Literary for the ARC! 😍 All my bookish thoughts are completely my own. ✨
July 28, 2026
“At Your Pace” by Hope Engel
📘 Format: Digital Book
📚 Pub Date: 07.08.26
⭐️ Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Stars
“At Your Pace” by Hope Engel is a sweet romance written entirely from the male main character’s POV. I feel as though it’s rare to only get the male POV in a novel; typically if a novel is from only one POV it’s from the female main character’s POV. It was interesting to get inside Emerson’s head and see what he was thinking.
Emerson is a young man in University, trying to find his way romantically, when he meets Valeria, a smart, funny and kind young lady.
Emerson is at College on an athletic scholarship and plays on the College baseball team. Valeria is an ambitious student who’s academically minded.
They both fall for each other, but Emerson has some baggage to deal with that impacts his ability to have an intimate romantic relationship with Valeria.
I was cheering for Emerson & Valeria to overcome any obstacles in their way, and I enjoyed reading about Emerson’s personal development. It was heartening to read about his exposure to boundaries and his personal growth in that area of his life. I wanted them to get their happily ever after. 🥰
A big thank you to Hope Engel & BookFunnel for the Advance Review Copy. All opinions are my own.
#AtYourPace
#HopeEngel
#BookFunnel
📘 Format: Digital Book
📚 Pub Date: 07.08.26
⭐️ Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Stars
“At Your Pace” by Hope Engel is a sweet romance written entirely from the male main character’s POV. I feel as though it’s rare to only get the male POV in a novel; typically if a novel is from only one POV it’s from the female main character’s POV. It was interesting to get inside Emerson’s head and see what he was thinking.
Emerson is a young man in University, trying to find his way romantically, when he meets Valeria, a smart, funny and kind young lady.
Emerson is at College on an athletic scholarship and plays on the College baseball team. Valeria is an ambitious student who’s academically minded.
They both fall for each other, but Emerson has some baggage to deal with that impacts his ability to have an intimate romantic relationship with Valeria.
I was cheering for Emerson & Valeria to overcome any obstacles in their way, and I enjoyed reading about Emerson’s personal development. It was heartening to read about his exposure to boundaries and his personal growth in that area of his life. I wanted them to get their happily ever after. 🥰
A big thank you to Hope Engel & BookFunnel for the Advance Review Copy. All opinions are my own.
#AtYourPace
#HopeEngel
#BookFunnel
June 30, 2026
***ARC Review***
Thank you Luna and Hope Engel for letting me read and review this book. This is Hope’s debut book and I can’t wait to read more of her work.
This book is about baseball and college student Emerson who meets Valeria the hot smart girl in one of his classes. It’s a slow burn which I personally think makes this a great book. The point of view is from Emerson which I don’t feel a lot of books have the guy as the MC. I loved Emerson’s two besties in the book and hope Hope’s next book is about one of them.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ out of 5 stars and 🌶️🌶️
Thank you Luna and Hope Engel for letting me read and review this book. This is Hope’s debut book and I can’t wait to read more of her work.
This book is about baseball and college student Emerson who meets Valeria the hot smart girl in one of his classes. It’s a slow burn which I personally think makes this a great book. The point of view is from Emerson which I don’t feel a lot of books have the guy as the MC. I loved Emerson’s two besties in the book and hope Hope’s next book is about one of them.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ out of 5 stars and 🌶️🌶️
July 16, 2026
At Your Pace is an adorable sports romance without much sports in it, which was great for me! Emerson and Valeria were written in a realistic way: navigating new experiences together, new emotions, while being mature about it all. It was a very healthy portrayal of a romance, something I deeply appreciate. The sex scenes were tastefully done and not explicit. I would classify this as a “low spice” book.
It was an easy read, low stress/stakes, without any miscommunication or third act breakup. There was one moment of misunderstanding that was resolved maturely, without drama. Also, the classroom scenes were brief, and what was on the page was pretty interesting. I am grateful for their brevity, though, and the lack of actual sports games. Anyone who is looking for more sports action may be disappointed.
All-in-all, this was a charming debut from Engel, and I’m looking forward to the sequel!
It was an easy read, low stress/stakes, without any miscommunication or third act breakup. There was one moment of misunderstanding that was resolved maturely, without drama. Also, the classroom scenes were brief, and what was on the page was pretty interesting. I am grateful for their brevity, though, and the lack of actual sports games. Anyone who is looking for more sports action may be disappointed.
All-in-all, this was a charming debut from Engel, and I’m looking forward to the sequel!
August 16, 2026
TL;DR: "At Your Pace" is a great mix of familiar and unknown - a character-driven lovely journey through an imperfect life, that results in a lovely and sweet story.
…and now the long version (my strong suit XD)!
"At Your Pace" is simultaneously a story which feels familiar, and one which delivers surprises. It's a very aware story, and the author clearly is the same - Engel's knowledge of and attention to not just the tropes of a romance story but also the quirks and commonalities of modern life both in media and in reality are clear throughout the narrative, and it results in some solid twists from expectation. There are some times that the choice of Emerson as main character feels like it's hampering the story because at times he can come across as a bit bland, mostly in the early days, but I think that's actually very deliberate and the reasons behind it are pretty clear (and I suspect that's at least somewhat due to my own personal preferences as well) - it's really clever, in my opinion, the way Engel uses the choices around Emerson's (and all the characters') characterizations to weave them into the story, underlining and accentuating aspects. Setting up expectations and framework which can be cashed in on later, one way or another.
Without getting into spoilers, I loved getting to know the characters of the story - main and secondary, both - and seeing where they fell in line with what I might've expected due to their associated archetypes, and where they diverged. An especially obvious example with Emerson, the POV character, provides the title and serves as a refreshing change from the norm. It's all refreshing, really; it's not a flawless story in much the same way that life is not flawless - things go wrong, mistakes are made, problems happen. Whether they go well or poorly, the story very much reacts to the fact that those stresses existed - it sits with you in the aftermath, or so it felt to me, the way a friend or loved one might sit; there to hold a hand or lean on if needed, and it doesn't mean that the bad thing didn't happen and it doesn't even make the bad thing any less bad, but it still helps.
There's one scene in particular that really hit me right in the heart. I used to be in a long-distance relationship - I lived in BC, on the Canadian west coast, and they lived in Georgia in the southern USA East coast, and we used to fly back and forth to see each other. We're now married (13th anniversary yesterday in fact!) but I still remember those days: how it felt to drive them to the airport, sobbing beside the security line as I waved to them and watched them for every second I could - how it felt afterward to go back to my car and just sit, incapable of driving for another long while of sobbing. How I'd turn off the music when I was driving home, because music without my partner singing along to it just felt worse than pointless.
There's a scene in the book which touches on that for me, the pain of that, and… it felt a bit like the book was pulling my very heart out of me and I was a little terrified, but the story just held my tender heart gently and kissed it sweetly, and set it back into my chest. I felt seen and known, like my pain was seen and known, and neither lauded nor judged by just accepted.
After that, how could I not love it?
Nothing here is perfect and neither are the people, but they're trying their best and I think in both their successes and failures there are good lessons to be learned. Things to be talked about, the way these characters talk about things, and things to think about. It's sweet, it's silly, it's meaningful, it's painful, it's scary at times but ultimately just a lovely journey to have been on! It is, at the end of the day, life - or a slice of it, at least.
…and now the long version (my strong suit XD)!
"At Your Pace" is simultaneously a story which feels familiar, and one which delivers surprises. It's a very aware story, and the author clearly is the same - Engel's knowledge of and attention to not just the tropes of a romance story but also the quirks and commonalities of modern life both in media and in reality are clear throughout the narrative, and it results in some solid twists from expectation. There are some times that the choice of Emerson as main character feels like it's hampering the story because at times he can come across as a bit bland, mostly in the early days, but I think that's actually very deliberate and the reasons behind it are pretty clear (and I suspect that's at least somewhat due to my own personal preferences as well) - it's really clever, in my opinion, the way Engel uses the choices around Emerson's (and all the characters') characterizations to weave them into the story, underlining and accentuating aspects. Setting up expectations and framework which can be cashed in on later, one way or another.
Without getting into spoilers, I loved getting to know the characters of the story - main and secondary, both - and seeing where they fell in line with what I might've expected due to their associated archetypes, and where they diverged. An especially obvious example with Emerson, the POV character, provides the title and serves as a refreshing change from the norm. It's all refreshing, really; it's not a flawless story in much the same way that life is not flawless - things go wrong, mistakes are made, problems happen. Whether they go well or poorly, the story very much reacts to the fact that those stresses existed - it sits with you in the aftermath, or so it felt to me, the way a friend or loved one might sit; there to hold a hand or lean on if needed, and it doesn't mean that the bad thing didn't happen and it doesn't even make the bad thing any less bad, but it still helps.
There's one scene in particular that really hit me right in the heart. I used to be in a long-distance relationship - I lived in BC, on the Canadian west coast, and they lived in Georgia in the southern USA East coast, and we used to fly back and forth to see each other. We're now married (13th anniversary yesterday in fact!) but I still remember those days: how it felt to drive them to the airport, sobbing beside the security line as I waved to them and watched them for every second I could - how it felt afterward to go back to my car and just sit, incapable of driving for another long while of sobbing. How I'd turn off the music when I was driving home, because music without my partner singing along to it just felt worse than pointless.
There's a scene in the book which touches on that for me, the pain of that, and… it felt a bit like the book was pulling my very heart out of me and I was a little terrified, but the story just held my tender heart gently and kissed it sweetly, and set it back into my chest. I felt seen and known, like my pain was seen and known, and neither lauded nor judged by just accepted.
After that, how could I not love it?
Nothing here is perfect and neither are the people, but they're trying their best and I think in both their successes and failures there are good lessons to be learned. Things to be talked about, the way these characters talk about things, and things to think about. It's sweet, it's silly, it's meaningful, it's painful, it's scary at times but ultimately just a lovely journey to have been on! It is, at the end of the day, life - or a slice of it, at least.
Review of advance copy received from Author
AT YOUR PACE by HOPE ENGEL: A Review (No Spoilers)
At Your Pace is a contemporary romance set at a New York university. It's full of fluttery feelings, cozy campus vibes, and (for post-grads) college nostalgia.
We get a male POV through the main character, Emerson, a college athlete. He starts a group project with a cute girl in class, and his friend convinces him to ask her out by the time their group presentation is due. Emerson may be good-looking and reasonably confident in general, but when it comes to dating, his religious trauma has held him back. He's balancing his studies, workouts, athletic practice, and his own baggage, all while trying to impress Valeria and eventually ask her out.
The male POV was a nice change of pace from the standard romance POV. Emerson is likeable and surprisingly in touch with his own feelings and barriers, even when they are conflicting and get in the way.
Something else I really liked was the representation of autism with Emerson's friend Asher. He isn't overexplained, he just is the way he is, and his friends respect his preferences without thinking much of it.
What I think the author does best, in regards to the actual romance itself, is the snuggling. I found that the comfort, the sense of safety, and the butterflies of nearness were conveyed wonderfully. It legitimately made me want to spend the night snuggling!
I would have liked to see more of the overcoming of religious trauma and anxiety. Most of Emerson's internal debate has to do with logistics (when he should text Valeria, when he should make a move, what someone else might be thinking, etc.), when we're shown that he has a very visceral, physical reaction to religious shame around sex. The first time he starts to branch out sexually, it's a big deal, but after that, we're just told he "takes it slow" and everything is okay. I would have found it compelling if he continued to struggle physically, even if he felt things were progressing emotionally.
One yellow flag was a seemingly-random mention of AI. I think that the point of its inclusion was to hammer home the modernity of this story—there were mentions of TikTok, the pandemic, etc., so when Emerson Googles a question and sees the AI overview answer, it makes sense that in a modern world, it would be there. But I found the inclusion odd, especially because he relies on the answer, even when he'd searched proper articles when doing research beforehand. I kept thinking there was going to be some kind of lesson learned, where he shouldn't have relied on AI, but that lesson never came. There was a line about not telling Valeria he had relied on AI to answer a girl-related question, so maybe this will come back as a point of contention in the second book.
Overall, I had a good time with At Your Pace and would recommend.
At Your Pace is a contemporary romance set at a New York university. It's full of fluttery feelings, cozy campus vibes, and (for post-grads) college nostalgia.
We get a male POV through the main character, Emerson, a college athlete. He starts a group project with a cute girl in class, and his friend convinces him to ask her out by the time their group presentation is due. Emerson may be good-looking and reasonably confident in general, but when it comes to dating, his religious trauma has held him back. He's balancing his studies, workouts, athletic practice, and his own baggage, all while trying to impress Valeria and eventually ask her out.
The male POV was a nice change of pace from the standard romance POV. Emerson is likeable and surprisingly in touch with his own feelings and barriers, even when they are conflicting and get in the way.
Something else I really liked was the representation of autism with Emerson's friend Asher. He isn't overexplained, he just is the way he is, and his friends respect his preferences without thinking much of it.
What I think the author does best, in regards to the actual romance itself, is the snuggling. I found that the comfort, the sense of safety, and the butterflies of nearness were conveyed wonderfully. It legitimately made me want to spend the night snuggling!
I would have liked to see more of the overcoming of religious trauma and anxiety. Most of Emerson's internal debate has to do with logistics (when he should text Valeria, when he should make a move, what someone else might be thinking, etc.), when we're shown that he has a very visceral, physical reaction to religious shame around sex. The first time he starts to branch out sexually, it's a big deal, but after that, we're just told he "takes it slow" and everything is okay. I would have found it compelling if he continued to struggle physically, even if he felt things were progressing emotionally.
One yellow flag was a seemingly-random mention of AI. I think that the point of its inclusion was to hammer home the modernity of this story—there were mentions of TikTok, the pandemic, etc., so when Emerson Googles a question and sees the AI overview answer, it makes sense that in a modern world, it would be there. But I found the inclusion odd, especially because he relies on the answer, even when he'd searched proper articles when doing research beforehand. I kept thinking there was going to be some kind of lesson learned, where he shouldn't have relied on AI, but that lesson never came. There was a line about not telling Valeria he had relied on AI to answer a girl-related question, so maybe this will come back as a point of contention in the second book.
Overall, I had a good time with At Your Pace and would recommend.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Review of Advance Copy Received from the Author
Rating: 3.75 ⭐️
This debut novel is a delightful, sweet, and authentic story of young love. It perfectly captures everything from those first anxious butterflies to the real pain of being parted from the one who has your heart. It is an easy read with wit, charm, hope, and love at its absolute core.
What I Loved:
Refreshing POV: Hearing the story entirely from the male main character's (MMC) perspective was a breath of fresh air.
Relatable Hero: The MMC leads with positive ethics, charm, and charisma, but his touch of self-doubt makes you deeply root for him. He balances studies, workouts, practices, and personal baggage while trying to impress the cute girl in class.
Real Depth: The book handles heavy themes beautifully, showing the MMC overcoming religious trauma and struggling to set boundaries with a controlling mother.
Modern College Nostalgia: It feels deeply current with natural references to social media and using Google searches for academic and personal life.
Incredible Representation: The diverse friend group supports each other no matter what. Asher’s autism is excellently represented—the group accommodates his needs naturally without treating him differently. Iris, a lesbian, is open about her identity and her own dating struggles.
What Kept It From 5 Stars:
The book is marketed as a sports romance, but there is very little page time dedicated to actual practices or games. While it's off season, I really wanted to see more of that world, especially how the MMC balanced his intense athletic schedule while pursuing the FMC.
Overall, this is a beautiful contemporary romance. I highly recommend it and hope book two leans much further into the sports aspect!
Thank you to Luna Literary Management and Author Hope Engel for the eARC
Rating: 3.75 ⭐️
This debut novel is a delightful, sweet, and authentic story of young love. It perfectly captures everything from those first anxious butterflies to the real pain of being parted from the one who has your heart. It is an easy read with wit, charm, hope, and love at its absolute core.
What I Loved:
Refreshing POV: Hearing the story entirely from the male main character's (MMC) perspective was a breath of fresh air.
Relatable Hero: The MMC leads with positive ethics, charm, and charisma, but his touch of self-doubt makes you deeply root for him. He balances studies, workouts, practices, and personal baggage while trying to impress the cute girl in class.
Real Depth: The book handles heavy themes beautifully, showing the MMC overcoming religious trauma and struggling to set boundaries with a controlling mother.
Modern College Nostalgia: It feels deeply current with natural references to social media and using Google searches for academic and personal life.
Incredible Representation: The diverse friend group supports each other no matter what. Asher’s autism is excellently represented—the group accommodates his needs naturally without treating him differently. Iris, a lesbian, is open about her identity and her own dating struggles.
What Kept It From 5 Stars:
The book is marketed as a sports romance, but there is very little page time dedicated to actual practices or games. While it's off season, I really wanted to see more of that world, especially how the MMC balanced his intense athletic schedule while pursuing the FMC.
Overall, this is a beautiful contemporary romance. I highly recommend it and hope book two leans much further into the sports aspect!
Thank you to Luna Literary Management and Author Hope Engel for the eARC
July 9, 2026
I received this book as an arc thanks to Luna Literacy, and it was super cute!
It's definitely a good change of pace compared to what I normally read, but I'll be totally honest with you - this book wasn't really for me. Me specifically. That does not mean it wouldn't be for you, or anyone else who decides to read this.
While I did love how this book turned out, and the fact that it was actually in his POV the entire time, I wasn't a big fan of the pacing.
It was slow as far as their romance goes (I'm used to quicker), but it was also fast at the same time. The timeline really moved, like one day it was Monday and they had a quick conversation maybe 2 lines, then it was Saturday. Yes, I mean that. This happened more often than I would've liked.
I also thought this was a baseball romance, considering the cover and all. Yeah he didn't play once. Or attend any games seeing as this book is taken place in the fall and it's the off season. If anything, football was mentioned.
But as far as romance goes, their relationship was really sweet. It was actually real, where a boy meets a girl in class, they get partnered up for a project, and the rest is history. But like I said, I'm just used to other types of books.
It's definitely a good change of pace compared to what I normally read, but I'll be totally honest with you - this book wasn't really for me. Me specifically. That does not mean it wouldn't be for you, or anyone else who decides to read this.
While I did love how this book turned out, and the fact that it was actually in his POV the entire time, I wasn't a big fan of the pacing.
It was slow as far as their romance goes (I'm used to quicker), but it was also fast at the same time. The timeline really moved, like one day it was Monday and they had a quick conversation maybe 2 lines, then it was Saturday. Yes, I mean that. This happened more often than I would've liked.
I also thought this was a baseball romance, considering the cover and all. Yeah he didn't play once. Or attend any games seeing as this book is taken place in the fall and it's the off season. If anything, football was mentioned.
But as far as romance goes, their relationship was really sweet. It was actually real, where a boy meets a girl in class, they get partnered up for a project, and the rest is history. But like I said, I'm just used to other types of books.
Review of advance copy received from Author
This is a delightfully sweet and deeply authentic story of young love, from those first blossoms of recognition to the agony of being parted from the one who has gripped your heart. Emerson takes us on an adventure without dragons and mythic quests, but into the heart of growing as people and finding the person you want by your side while you do it. The setting is beautifully built, with wonderful attention to detail, but a brevity that ensures that the story never labours in minutiae. With a wonderful supporting cast of friends and family, Emerson leads with positive ethics, charm and charisma, with just enough self-doubt that we root for him the whole way through. The story has wit, charm, hope and love at its core. A wonderful read through and through that I cannot recommend highly enough.
Review of advance copy
✨ARC Review✨
What originally caught my attention about this novel was the fact it was highlighted as a Sports Romance, I feel like this would have been better advertised as a College Romance. Yes the MMC is a player for the Baseball team and is in the off-season, but a lot of what was happening wasn’t centred around Baseball causing issues. Maybe with later books being that it’s book 1 in the series, and how this book ended, it could become a sports romance.
Either way, having this book be from the MMC’s POV was absolutely amazing. It’s not often we get a romance from a males perspective, and especially one that is dealing with trauma and a virgin. I adore Emerson and just want to wrap him up in a blanket to be protected forever. His growth within the book was fabulous.
All in all 3 stars.
No spice as it is all fade to black.
What originally caught my attention about this novel was the fact it was highlighted as a Sports Romance, I feel like this would have been better advertised as a College Romance. Yes the MMC is a player for the Baseball team and is in the off-season, but a lot of what was happening wasn’t centred around Baseball causing issues. Maybe with later books being that it’s book 1 in the series, and how this book ended, it could become a sports romance.
Either way, having this book be from the MMC’s POV was absolutely amazing. It’s not often we get a romance from a males perspective, and especially one that is dealing with trauma and a virgin. I adore Emerson and just want to wrap him up in a blanket to be protected forever. His growth within the book was fabulous.
All in all 3 stars.
No spice as it is all fade to black.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy
At Your Pace by Hope Engel is a heartfelt college sports romance that perfectly balances emotional growth, friendship, and slow-burning romance. In this novel, we follow the story that is told by the MMC Emerson Davies, a disciplined college baseball player, whose carefully structured life begins to change when he's challenged to step outside his comfort zone and get to know the FMC Valeria Rivera Betancourt. One of the things that I really enjoyed about this novel is how Engel allowed the relationship to develop naturally through shared experiences, meaningful conversations, and mutual respect. Overall, At Your Pace was an impressive start to the Hudson Valley State series that I greatly enjoyed.
I received an ARC copy from Luna Literacy. Thank you so much for giving me a chance to read and voluntarily review this novel!
I received an ARC copy from Luna Literacy. Thank you so much for giving me a chance to read and voluntarily review this novel!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Emerson is one of those positively darling book boyfriends. Reading “At Your Pace” entirely from his perspective was such a welcome change from the dual POVs I see in my usual reads. I loved getting into his head fully and cheering for him along the way!!
And the author GIVES you things to root for which I admired. It’s not always common to see a really good guy in a romance book grow exponentially like Emerson. Sometimes you wanna reach through the screen and give the guy a high five! Other times you wanna take his hand and coach him through the situation, lol.
This book was super cozy, wholesome, and extra sweet. If you’re looking for a college sports romance that could be your next comfort read this is THAT book.
And the author GIVES you things to root for which I admired. It’s not always common to see a really good guy in a romance book grow exponentially like Emerson. Sometimes you wanna reach through the screen and give the guy a high five! Other times you wanna take his hand and coach him through the situation, lol.
This book was super cozy, wholesome, and extra sweet. If you’re looking for a college sports romance that could be your next comfort read this is THAT book.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I received an advance copy and am leaving this review voluntarily.
With the caveat that this is outside of my typical reading, this was pretty light and quick to go through. The characters feel real, not just types plugged into roles, so that was a nice break from my expectation. It is very well-paced, hitting the beats you want without feeling formulaic about it, and it's pretty easy to look up from it and realize you just read thirty or forty pages. I enjoyed the dialogue for the most part, finding that it lent itself to the believability of the characters within their situations.
I would recommend this to readers of romance as a strong debut novel from Hope Engel, one with enough nuance and original angles to keep you engaged.
With the caveat that this is outside of my typical reading, this was pretty light and quick to go through. The characters feel real, not just types plugged into roles, so that was a nice break from my expectation. It is very well-paced, hitting the beats you want without feeling formulaic about it, and it's pretty easy to look up from it and realize you just read thirty or forty pages. I enjoyed the dialogue for the most part, finding that it lent itself to the believability of the characters within their situations.
I would recommend this to readers of romance as a strong debut novel from Hope Engel, one with enough nuance and original angles to keep you engaged.
Review of advance copy received from Author
At Your Pace is a fun twist on romance because we get to experience the story through the male perspective. Some of my favorite moments were reading Emerson’s inner dialogue and thinking, “Yes! I totally get this!”
Not only is Emerson relatable, but I also found myself rooting for his love life and his whole squad. You’ll meet his sassy best girl friend and his quiet bird-watching friend, and you’re going to want to root for all of them too. Fair warning, though: this book is going to pull at your heartstrings along the way!
Not only is Emerson relatable, but I also found myself rooting for his love life and his whole squad. You’ll meet his sassy best girl friend and his quiet bird-watching friend, and you’re going to want to root for all of them too. Fair warning, though: this book is going to pull at your heartstrings along the way!
Review of advance copy received from Author
This contemporary romance offers a real slice of life view into our MMC's journey as he goes through college. The academia setting is one I usually enjoy, and this book didn't disappoint! I was swept away in the adventure of his emotions as he goes from study buddies to young love. I also really enjoyed that we got it from his POV! There's nothing better than reading when he falls first!
If you want a summer romance to get you through this scary heatwave, look no further!
If you want a summer romance to get you through this scary heatwave, look no further!
July 9, 2026
Such a lovely little story! I really enjoyed this one. It was so refreshing to read a book with a single POV, especially from the MMC. I loved being in Emerson’s head—he was just so adorable! The story was sweet, fun, and had me giggling a few times. It also brought back so many memories of my college days, which made it even more enjoyable. Definitely a cute, feel-good read!
Thank you to Hope Engel and Luna Literary for this ARC !
Thank you to Hope Engel and Luna Literary for this ARC !
July 24, 2026
Emerson Davies has everything under control.
or does he?
This is my first baseball romance and Emerson Davis did not disappoint.
He's sooo cute! He falls soo hard for Ler !(Valeria) :)
She is a badass in my eyes. Respecting Emerson and helping him through his trauma. Loved their innocent relationship and watching it flourish!
I hardly ever mention side characters, but Emerson's friends need a standing ovation.
Can't wait for book 2!
or does he?
This is my first baseball romance and Emerson Davis did not disappoint.
He's sooo cute! He falls soo hard for Ler !(Valeria) :)
She is a badass in my eyes. Respecting Emerson and helping him through his trauma. Loved their innocent relationship and watching it flourish!
I hardly ever mention side characters, but Emerson's friends need a standing ovation.
Can't wait for book 2!
Review of advance copy
The perfect cosy sports romance. I love a vulnerable MMC and can't wait to read book 2!
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