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Red Zone Rivals #2
Blind Side
The hottest college football safety in the nation just asked me to be his fake girlfriend.
And I just asked him to take my virginity.
Clay Johnson has the abs of Adonis and the deadly smirk of the devil, himself. There’s hardly a day he’s not headline material during football season, and never a day he isn’t a bullseye target for every girl on campus.
He used to be the easiest of all the players for me to wrangle as the Public Relations Coordinator, but after a nasty breakup with his high school sweetheart, he’s a mess.
And a complete pain in my ass.
We meet to discuss his behavior and review media relations standards. But when he witnesses how I fall to pieces in front of my guitar-toting crush, his wheels start turning. And he cooks up this absurd plan.
He helps me get noticed.
I help him make his ex jealous.
All by pretending to be in a relationship.
What he doesn’t realize is that this bookworm is a virgin, and far from versed in seducing a musician. So, to sweeten the deal, I convince him to help me — not just to get my crush’s attention, but to knock his socks off once I have it.
But the more I come unraveled at the hands of Clay Johnson, the more trouble I have discerning what’s fake and what’s undoubtedly real — particularly, the way my heart flutters every time that breathtaking man touches me.
We set the rules. We put the safeguards in place.
But they say rules are meant to be broken.
They probably should have added that hearts are, too.
Blind Side is a fake dating college sports romance with "lessons" and opposites attract. It is a complete stand-alone.
And I just asked him to take my virginity.
Clay Johnson has the abs of Adonis and the deadly smirk of the devil, himself. There’s hardly a day he’s not headline material during football season, and never a day he isn’t a bullseye target for every girl on campus.
He used to be the easiest of all the players for me to wrangle as the Public Relations Coordinator, but after a nasty breakup with his high school sweetheart, he’s a mess.
And a complete pain in my ass.
We meet to discuss his behavior and review media relations standards. But when he witnesses how I fall to pieces in front of my guitar-toting crush, his wheels start turning. And he cooks up this absurd plan.
He helps me get noticed.
I help him make his ex jealous.
All by pretending to be in a relationship.
What he doesn’t realize is that this bookworm is a virgin, and far from versed in seducing a musician. So, to sweeten the deal, I convince him to help me — not just to get my crush’s attention, but to knock his socks off once I have it.
But the more I come unraveled at the hands of Clay Johnson, the more trouble I have discerning what’s fake and what’s undoubtedly real — particularly, the way my heart flutters every time that breathtaking man touches me.
We set the rules. We put the safeguards in place.
But they say rules are meant to be broken.
They probably should have added that hearts are, too.
Blind Side is a fake dating college sports romance with "lessons" and opposites attract. It is a complete stand-alone.
406 pages, Paperback
First published June 15, 2022
8197 people are currently reading
76709 people want to read
About the author
Kandi Steiner
85 books15.1k followersKandi Steiner is a USA Today and #1 Amazon Bestselling Author living in Tennessee. Best known for writing “emotional rollercoaster” stories, she loves bringing flawed characters to life and writing about real, raw romance — in all its forms. No two Kandi Steiner books are the same, and if you’re a lover of angsty, emotional, and inspirational reads, she’s your gal.
An alumna of the University of Central Florida, Kandi graduated with a double major in Creative Writing and Advertising/PR with a minor in Women’s Studies. Her love for writing started at the ripe age of 10, and in 6th grade, she wrote and edited her own newspaper and distributed to her classmates. Eventually, the principal caught on and the newspaper was quickly halted, though Kandi tried fighting for her “freedom of press.”
She took particular interest in writing romance after college, as she has always been a hopeless romantic and found herself bursting at the seams with love stories she was eager to tell.
When Kandi isn’t writing, you can find her reading books of all kinds, planning her next adventure, or pole dancing (yes, you read that right). She enjoys live music, traveling, hiking, yoga, spending quality time with her family (fur babies included) and soaking up the sweetness of life.
CONNECT WITH KANDI:
➜ NEWSLETTER: kandisteiner.com/newsletter
➜ FACEBOOK: facebook.com/kandisteiner
➜ FACEBOOK READER GROUP (Kandiland): facebook.com/groups/kandilandks
➜ INSTAGRAM: Instagram.com/kandisteiner
➜ TIKTOK: tiktok.com/@authorkandisteiner
➜ PINTEREST: pinterest.com/authorkandisteiner
➜ WEBSITE: www.kandisteiner.com
Kandi Steiner may be coming to a city near you! Check out her “events” tab to see all the signings she’s attending in the near future:
➜ www.kandisteiner.com/events
An alumna of the University of Central Florida, Kandi graduated with a double major in Creative Writing and Advertising/PR with a minor in Women’s Studies. Her love for writing started at the ripe age of 10, and in 6th grade, she wrote and edited her own newspaper and distributed to her classmates. Eventually, the principal caught on and the newspaper was quickly halted, though Kandi tried fighting for her “freedom of press.”
She took particular interest in writing romance after college, as she has always been a hopeless romantic and found herself bursting at the seams with love stories she was eager to tell.
When Kandi isn’t writing, you can find her reading books of all kinds, planning her next adventure, or pole dancing (yes, you read that right). She enjoys live music, traveling, hiking, yoga, spending quality time with her family (fur babies included) and soaking up the sweetness of life.
CONNECT WITH KANDI:
➜ NEWSLETTER: kandisteiner.com/newsletter
➜ FACEBOOK: facebook.com/kandisteiner
➜ FACEBOOK READER GROUP (Kandiland): facebook.com/groups/kandilandks
➜ INSTAGRAM: Instagram.com/kandisteiner
➜ TIKTOK: tiktok.com/@authorkandisteiner
➜ PINTEREST: pinterest.com/authorkandisteiner
➜ WEBSITE: www.kandisteiner.com
Kandi Steiner may be coming to a city near you! Check out her “events” tab to see all the signings she’s attending in the near future:
➜ www.kandisteiner.com/events
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 8,991 reviews
January 9, 2023
this was cute
and strangely relatable? gonna have to disagree with the reviews saying the sex scenes weren’t realistic since the characters were college aged. not to flex buuuut 👀
and strangely relatable? gonna have to disagree with the reviews saying the sex scenes weren’t realistic since the characters were college aged. not to flex buuuut 👀
July 28, 2022
3 stars
Note: I’m gonna review this book objectively and rate it subjectively.
So objectively speaking for all the BookTokers (who most likely helped this book blow up upon release) and generally, lovers of college sports romance with a dash of fake relationships angst - this was good enough. Maybe even better than good enough.
It had a sweet male lead, a likeable and equally sweet and adorable heroine and steamy scenes which were definitely a result of the chemistry the main characters shared despite the lack of depth in that relationship.
The plot itself was very conventional in the sense that it followed the tried and true recipe of a romance novel of this kind and overall this was a good pass time.
I believe someone else could enjoy this way more than I did. So objectively speaking - it had all the right tropes, the characters, the writing and the genre to make it a success for the right audience. I’m not that audience.
For someone younger and newer to the genre, this could very well be a great romance book. For me - it barely reached 3 stars, more of a 2.5 if I were honest.
Now I’m gonna get more into the subjective opinions I have which my friends and followers on here can trust is my opinion in terms of how I personally enjoyed it…
1. Let’s start with the plot - it was underdeveloped. Very much so. I didn’t feel like things were being resolved, or that the issues raised throughout the book were tackled accordingly.
2. The conflict - while reading I literally imagined the author sitting and brainstorming what she was gonna use as a conflict and somehow she ended up settling on this mediocre ”I could see it coming a mile away” plot twist — I know I said twist but that’s a stretch, if anything it felt like a bare minimum effort — so, Im just gonna say it as it is , the conflict was weak and the impeding reconciliation was as weak, uninspired and done 1000000 times before. It was underwhelming to say the least.
3. These were 19 year olds - and I struggled to believe it in many instances, such as those that had anything to do with Gianna’s job or Clay’s bedroom and relationship manipulation schemes. I know not every 19 year old is the same and some are more mature but we have all been one and had friends around us who were one, and 8 years ago, when I was that age myself, I wouldn’t have believed those two were that age.
This didn’t read like a college romance - more like a romance situated between college and the real world.
4. The ending - how the conflict was solved and the epilogue - underwhelming is too mild a word to use - it was garbage- in all honesty. Very amateurish feel to it. Wasn’t expecting that from a well versed author in the romance genre - particularly one famous for her angst. Eh…
5. Again, why mention some things if you’re not gonna follow up. There were a lot of things which just weren’t explored. They were put out there but not given any attention past the time when they were exposed. I don’t know, this whole thing kinda feels incomplete.
6.The love story was sweet but it wasn’t developed enough to make me rate this any higher. Sweet and steamy is not enough after years of reading romance and going through recycled versions of the same thing.
7.Bottom line, this wasn’t anything I hadn’t already read in a 100 different books approaching the same tropes, genres and sub-genres. And the worst part was that it wasn’t even one of the better attempts at the same thing.
Note: I’m gonna review this book objectively and rate it subjectively.
So objectively speaking for all the BookTokers (who most likely helped this book blow up upon release) and generally, lovers of college sports romance with a dash of fake relationships angst - this was good enough. Maybe even better than good enough.
It had a sweet male lead, a likeable and equally sweet and adorable heroine and steamy scenes which were definitely a result of the chemistry the main characters shared despite the lack of depth in that relationship.
The plot itself was very conventional in the sense that it followed the tried and true recipe of a romance novel of this kind and overall this was a good pass time.
I believe someone else could enjoy this way more than I did. So objectively speaking - it had all the right tropes, the characters, the writing and the genre to make it a success for the right audience. I’m not that audience.
For someone younger and newer to the genre, this could very well be a great romance book. For me - it barely reached 3 stars, more of a 2.5 if I were honest.
Now I’m gonna get more into the subjective opinions I have which my friends and followers on here can trust is my opinion in terms of how I personally enjoyed it…
1. Let’s start with the plot - it was underdeveloped. Very much so. I didn’t feel like things were being resolved, or that the issues raised throughout the book were tackled accordingly.
2. The conflict - while reading I literally imagined the author sitting and brainstorming what she was gonna use as a conflict and somehow she ended up settling on this mediocre ”I could see it coming a mile away” plot twist — I know I said twist but that’s a stretch, if anything it felt like a bare minimum effort — so, Im just gonna say it as it is , the conflict was weak and the impeding reconciliation was as weak, uninspired and done 1000000 times before. It was underwhelming to say the least.
3. These were 19 year olds - and I struggled to believe it in many instances, such as those that had anything to do with Gianna’s job or Clay’s bedroom and relationship manipulation schemes. I know not every 19 year old is the same and some are more mature but we have all been one and had friends around us who were one, and 8 years ago, when I was that age myself, I wouldn’t have believed those two were that age.
This didn’t read like a college romance - more like a romance situated between college and the real world.
4. The ending - how the conflict was solved and the epilogue - underwhelming is too mild a word to use - it was garbage- in all honesty. Very amateurish feel to it. Wasn’t expecting that from a well versed author in the romance genre - particularly one famous for her angst. Eh…
5. Again, why mention some things if you’re not gonna follow up. There were a lot of things which just weren’t explored. They were put out there but not given any attention past the time when they were exposed. I don’t know, this whole thing kinda feels incomplete.
6.The love story was sweet but it wasn’t developed enough to make me rate this any higher. Sweet and steamy is not enough after years of reading romance and going through recycled versions of the same thing.
7.Bottom line, this wasn’t anything I hadn’t already read in a 100 different books approaching the same tropes, genres and sub-genres. And the worst part was that it wasn’t even one of the better attempts at the same thing.
November 24, 2022
5 stars
I honestly think Blind Side might be the best fake dating romance I’ve ever read. When I say Clay Johnson is book boyfriend material… oh boy do I mean it!
Clay Johnson has not been his happy go lucky self since his long term girlfriend broke up with him. And it’s causing problems for Giana, who is our shy and sweet bookworm of a heroine who works with the team’s PR. Giana is trying to get the attention of a college musician she’s crushing on and Clay wants his ex back, so they decide to fake date.
Oh the fake dating… my gosh. It was so so good. Clay was the best hero and friend to Giana and he was this perfect mix of sweet, soft, and alpha. He’s an all around great guy and I adored him. Giana was amazing as well. I loved watching her and Clay fall for one another. They didn’t even realize it, it just snuck right up on them.
Blind Side was such a fun, sweet, and romantic new adult/sports romance. I’ve read almost all of Kandi’s books and I think this was her spiciest one yet. This book made me smile so big and I loved it to pieces! Highly recommend this one for fans of this genre- if you loved The Off Campus series you’ll love this too!
I honestly think Blind Side might be the best fake dating romance I’ve ever read. When I say Clay Johnson is book boyfriend material… oh boy do I mean it!
Clay Johnson has not been his happy go lucky self since his long term girlfriend broke up with him. And it’s causing problems for Giana, who is our shy and sweet bookworm of a heroine who works with the team’s PR. Giana is trying to get the attention of a college musician she’s crushing on and Clay wants his ex back, so they decide to fake date.
Oh the fake dating… my gosh. It was so so good. Clay was the best hero and friend to Giana and he was this perfect mix of sweet, soft, and alpha. He’s an all around great guy and I adored him. Giana was amazing as well. I loved watching her and Clay fall for one another. They didn’t even realize it, it just snuck right up on them.
Blind Side was such a fun, sweet, and romantic new adult/sports romance. I’ve read almost all of Kandi’s books and I think this was her spiciest one yet. This book made me smile so big and I loved it to pieces! Highly recommend this one for fans of this genre- if you loved The Off Campus series you’ll love this too!
June 1, 2024
4.45!
“That’s the thing about love,” he said, kissing my hair. “It doesn’t need to be reciprocated to be real.”
I am surprised as to why I did not review this book properly because this used to be my favorite romance book at a time and this was the origination of the name 'Clace' (derived from Clay) 😭😭 but it was 2022, I was back home and living on a sofa because 1, we had guests over and 2, the living room where the sofa was had the best air conditioner. So, I was scrolling through insta and this book caught my eyes and oh I am so glad that it did catch my eyes because what a wonderful experience this was!! It has the same vibes as the off-campus series/icebreaker but I liked it more than Icebreaker. It was a high school sports romance book with angst, spice and fake dating....and that was enough for 2022 me to worship this book.
“You don’t want to be someone’s muse, you want to be someone’s undoing. And let me tell you, You’re mine.”
I loved the characters so much like Clay was amazing, his demeanor, the way he carried himself, the way his pov made me laugh also making this book dual POV was one of the best decisions. I loved how much he did for Giana, I loved how easily he got jealous and possessive when it came to her and the mouth on this man 😭🥵 Giana, now I dont remember what she did but I think she was a journalist, and kept on trying to interview them. She was the fun part about this book, she read smutty books, she was shy, she also understood Clay and I loved how comfortable he felt under her presence, what I liked the most about them was how well they both fir together. Oh, there was also Clay's ex and man I have never hated someone so much (I was cursing at her and my fam was confused as to why I was yelling at my kindle lol)
“You really are like a book boyfriend, you know?”
The romance, AHhh it was easily my favorite part of the book, the way it was carried, the way it was split between the hot moment and the cute moments was so well done. Giana and Clay were just so precious together and uff the way Giana would read smutty book and then Clay would read them as well and would reenact those scenes>>> this had one of the best, most hottest, my favorite spicy scenes.
Overall, I loved it!! and during the time where romance books didn't intrigue me, this one stood out the most! So, I am excited to continue the series!
“That’s the thing about love,” he said, kissing my hair. “It doesn’t need to be reciprocated to be real.”
I am surprised as to why I did not review this book properly because this used to be my favorite romance book at a time and this was the origination of the name 'Clace' (derived from Clay) 😭😭 but it was 2022, I was back home and living on a sofa because 1, we had guests over and 2, the living room where the sofa was had the best air conditioner. So, I was scrolling through insta and this book caught my eyes and oh I am so glad that it did catch my eyes because what a wonderful experience this was!! It has the same vibes as the off-campus series/icebreaker but I liked it more than Icebreaker. It was a high school sports romance book with angst, spice and fake dating....and that was enough for 2022 me to worship this book.
“You don’t want to be someone’s muse, you want to be someone’s undoing. And let me tell you, You’re mine.”
I loved the characters so much like Clay was amazing, his demeanor, the way he carried himself, the way his pov made me laugh also making this book dual POV was one of the best decisions. I loved how much he did for Giana, I loved how easily he got jealous and possessive when it came to her and the mouth on this man 😭🥵 Giana, now I dont remember what she did but I think she was a journalist, and kept on trying to interview them. She was the fun part about this book, she read smutty books, she was shy, she also understood Clay and I loved how comfortable he felt under her presence, what I liked the most about them was how well they both fir together. Oh, there was also Clay's ex and man I have never hated someone so much (I was cursing at her and my fam was confused as to why I was yelling at my kindle lol)
“You really are like a book boyfriend, you know?”
The romance, AHhh it was easily my favorite part of the book, the way it was carried, the way it was split between the hot moment and the cute moments was so well done. Giana and Clay were just so precious together and uff the way Giana would read smutty book and then Clay would read them as well and would reenact those scenes>>> this had one of the best, most hottest, my favorite spicy scenes.
Overall, I loved it!! and during the time where romance books didn't intrigue me, this one stood out the most! So, I am excited to continue the series!
November 27, 2022
4 Stars
If you are in the mood for a fake dating college football romance with a (small) smattering of angst toward the end, look no further. This hit the spot and I enjoyed it.
I really loved Clay and Giana. They had great chemistry and their romance felt very sweet and organic. And I loved their “lessons.” Super fun and sexy.
I need to read more from this author and I’m not sure why I haven’t...I’m on her mailing list and have really enjoyed the few I’ve read from her, so...I don't know. Looking forward to the next one in this series.
If you are in the mood for a fake dating college football romance with a (small) smattering of angst toward the end, look no further. This hit the spot and I enjoyed it.
I really loved Clay and Giana. They had great chemistry and their romance felt very sweet and organic. And I loved their “lessons.” Super fun and sexy.
I need to read more from this author and I’m not sure why I haven’t...I’m on her mailing list and have really enjoyed the few I’ve read from her, so...I don't know. Looking forward to the next one in this series.
August 9, 2022
4.75 ⭐️ AHHHHH IM SCREAMING OVER THIS BOOK!!! the most perfect fake dating sports romance. definitely read it in one sitting because once i started.. one couldn’t stop.
CLAY & GIANA? GOOODBYE. she was so kind, innocent and NONJUDGMENTAL?? my girl fr 🫶🏻 she was also a reader? yes pls. AND CLAY?? a college football player but make him sweet & loyal. im obsessed.
i adored the plot, the spice, the side characters!!! happy to see zeke & riley thriving as they deserve.
the only reason this isn’t a 5 star is because i very much disliked the third act conflict. i really could’ve done without all of that. it angered me to no end. but anyway 💅🏻
CANNOT WAIT FOR HOLDEN’S BOOK 🤭🤭
“that’s the thing about love, it doesn’t need to be reciprocated to be real.” <3
CLAY & GIANA? GOOODBYE. she was so kind, innocent and NONJUDGMENTAL?? my girl fr 🫶🏻 she was also a reader? yes pls. AND CLAY?? a college football player but make him sweet & loyal. im obsessed.
i adored the plot, the spice, the side characters!!! happy to see zeke & riley thriving as they deserve.
the only reason this isn’t a 5 star is because i very much disliked the third act conflict. i really could’ve done without all of that. it angered me to no end. but anyway 💅🏻
CANNOT WAIT FOR HOLDEN’S BOOK 🤭🤭
“that’s the thing about love, it doesn’t need to be reciprocated to be real.” <3
May 9, 2023
you can just tell this book wants to be featured on tiktok so bad.
authors, pls don’t do this. don’t write ur smut and dialogues thinking it’s what booktokers would do tiktok videos on. please don’t let that be ur inspiration bc it’s literally embarrassing.
also, that cheesy grand gesture in the end?? 😷
authors, pls don’t do this. don’t write ur smut and dialogues thinking it’s what booktokers would do tiktok videos on. please don’t let that be ur inspiration bc it’s literally embarrassing.
also, that cheesy grand gesture in the end?? 😷
August 4, 2022
This was such a cute and cosy read!!
It was dual POV and that made it so much better.
I adored Clay and he actually made me laugh sometimes. He was the nice guy that had his possessive and jealousy streaks. His actions spoke louder than words and I hated that he had such a difficult past.
Speaking of actions, this guy fr snook some of Giana’s books and learned what she liked and how she liked it from the spicy scenes. That’s some book boyfriend material right there kids 😂
Giana was such a cute soul. She really understood what Clay was going through and what he needed. In some ways I felt like clay was more of the main character than Giana. I love Clay so much though so I’m not complaining.
I didn’t realise how much I was craving a fluffy sports romance and this really gave on that!
Side note:
I also hate Maliyah like get a life girl.
I’m excited for holder and julep’s book!
Fav Quotes
“You can try another tabbed scene on me later.”
“Oh, trust me. I plan to. The ones you highlighted in Sated Love…”
“Dad.”
“I also can’t say that I understand why you would ever agree to fake date someone,” he added. “Although, some of your book titles make more sense now. My Fake Bodyguard.”
~LMAOO
It was dual POV and that made it so much better.
I adored Clay and he actually made me laugh sometimes. He was the nice guy that had his possessive and jealousy streaks. His actions spoke louder than words and I hated that he had such a difficult past.
Speaking of actions, this guy fr snook some of Giana’s books and learned what she liked and how she liked it from the spicy scenes. That’s some book boyfriend material right there kids 😂
Giana was such a cute soul. She really understood what Clay was going through and what he needed. In some ways I felt like clay was more of the main character than Giana. I love Clay so much though so I’m not complaining.
I didn’t realise how much I was craving a fluffy sports romance and this really gave on that!
Side note:
I also hate Maliyah like get a life girl.
I’m excited for holder and julep’s book!
Fav Quotes
“You can try another tabbed scene on me later.”
“Oh, trust me. I plan to. The ones you highlighted in Sated Love…”
“Dad.”
“I also can’t say that I understand why you would ever agree to fake date someone,” he added. “Although, some of your book titles make more sense now. My Fake Bodyguard.”
~LMAOO
June 13, 2022
this is definitely your classic NA college sports romance, opposites attract with the nerdy virgin girl and the popular football-playing jock. and honestly it was a super fun read for the most part!
Giana was my favourite part about this book. from the get-go, i just adored her. she was easy to root for— endearing, kind, a bit shy but headstrong, and quietly charming.
while Clay?
i have a... i wouldn’t say love/hate relationship with him because he didn’t evoke that much feeling from me for the most part, but more so, i like/dislike relationship with him.
the premise of this book would be The Deal if both MCs were trying to make someone jealous to eventually get into a relationship with said person. Giana has a crush on a local musician while Clay wants his ex-girlfriend back, so they decide to fake date to make the musician and the ex gf jealous. and it was Clay with his ex that had my feelings flitting back and forth so quickly like a damn pendulum here.
most of the time, it honestly felt like Clay was mourning for what he had with Maliyah (said ex) and what they could have had, rather than yearning for her... does that make sense? it wasn’t necessarily her he missed, but the the generic future they had planned together. it was more what she represented to him than anything else. especially because i was convinced how obsessed he was with Giana. like from chapter one i was already like “bro how can you not see how into her you are😭”
but... occasionally whenever Clay interacted with Maliyah, he would say something in his inner monologue or let her act a certain way towards him, that would leave a bitter taste in my mouth.
it especially bugged me because, in my opinion, i thought it was pretty clear he was over her a while ago and now into Giana. so these weird interactions between them would take me out of the story a bit and just ruin the all-around good vibes of the story. these moments didn’t last long... but they were enough for me to notice.
and with the third act conflict coming into play, i just had to demote this to a three star read because, while i enjoyed this for the most part and was pretty addicted to the story, that “plot twist” just killed all the warm and fuzzy feels id had throughout the most of the book. i thought it was too severe and Giana didn’t deserve that.
and authors need to realise a grand gesture doesn’t equate to grovelling. maybe im a bitch, but id rather you show me emotionally that you’re sorry, that you’re committed, that you have regrets, rather than organise an elaborate flash mob outside of Buckingham Palace with a plane doing loop-de-loops in the sky to spell out my name. i just find it the easy way out for the hero who fucks up and the author who doesn’t have to write any grovelling.
i think because i adored Giana so much, how the conflict was handled bothered me a lot more than usual. she was just a lil sweetheart i wanted to give a big hug to and shield her from the world. Clay, i still can’t make my mind up about him. some things he did had me swoooning so hard, other times i wanted to throttle him. i don’t think he fully won me over in the end, unfortunately.
but overall, this was a fun, semi-angsty NA college romance. it’s definitely nothing unique plot-wise, but just had that chilled, fun tone college sports romances tend to have.
thank you to Valentine PR for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Giana was my favourite part about this book. from the get-go, i just adored her. she was easy to root for— endearing, kind, a bit shy but headstrong, and quietly charming.
while Clay?
i have a... i wouldn’t say love/hate relationship with him because he didn’t evoke that much feeling from me for the most part, but more so, i like/dislike relationship with him.
the premise of this book would be The Deal if both MCs were trying to make someone jealous to eventually get into a relationship with said person. Giana has a crush on a local musician while Clay wants his ex-girlfriend back, so they decide to fake date to make the musician and the ex gf jealous. and it was Clay with his ex that had my feelings flitting back and forth so quickly like a damn pendulum here.
most of the time, it honestly felt like Clay was mourning for what he had with Maliyah (said ex) and what they could have had, rather than yearning for her... does that make sense? it wasn’t necessarily her he missed, but the the generic future they had planned together. it was more what she represented to him than anything else. especially because i was convinced how obsessed he was with Giana. like from chapter one i was already like “bro how can you not see how into her you are😭”
but... occasionally whenever Clay interacted with Maliyah, he would say something in his inner monologue or let her act a certain way towards him, that would leave a bitter taste in my mouth.
it especially bugged me because, in my opinion, i thought it was pretty clear he was over her a while ago and now into Giana. so these weird interactions between them would take me out of the story a bit and just ruin the all-around good vibes of the story. these moments didn’t last long... but they were enough for me to notice.
and with the third act conflict coming into play, i just had to demote this to a three star read because, while i enjoyed this for the most part and was pretty addicted to the story, that “plot twist” just killed all the warm and fuzzy feels id had throughout the most of the book. i thought it was too severe and Giana didn’t deserve that.
and authors need to realise a grand gesture doesn’t equate to grovelling. maybe im a bitch, but id rather you show me emotionally that you’re sorry, that you’re committed, that you have regrets, rather than organise an elaborate flash mob outside of Buckingham Palace with a plane doing loop-de-loops in the sky to spell out my name. i just find it the easy way out for the hero who fucks up and the author who doesn’t have to write any grovelling.
i think because i adored Giana so much, how the conflict was handled bothered me a lot more than usual. she was just a lil sweetheart i wanted to give a big hug to and shield her from the world. Clay, i still can’t make my mind up about him. some things he did had me swoooning so hard, other times i wanted to throttle him. i don’t think he fully won me over in the end, unfortunately.
but overall, this was a fun, semi-angsty NA college romance. it’s definitely nothing unique plot-wise, but just had that chilled, fun tone college sports romances tend to have.
thank you to Valentine PR for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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____________________________
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I sat back, tapping a finger against my chin as I tried to recall all the fake-dating tropes I’d read. The truth was I read about a book a day, so they all blurred together after a while. But one thing I knew about pretending to date someone was that you absolutely needed rules, or things got messy.
“No PDA,” I finally said.
Clay made a buzzer sound, the noise so loud a few students at the tables around us looked over their shoulders. “Impossible. No one who’s actually dating avoids PDA.”
“Fine.” I made a face. “Then we need a safe word.”
“A safe word?” Clay chuckled. “Do you think I’m going to be tying you up, Kitten?”
Something wicked gleamed in his eyes, like he’d just thought about what that would entail, and once again, he leaned his large frame over the tiny table.
“I mean, that can be arranged,” he added with a smirk. “If you’d like.”
The way my lips parted at the invitation, how my heart skipped a beat before galloping a little quicker than before, was not okay. Fortunately, I covered it pretty well as I rolled my eyes.
At least, I hoped I did.
“I just mean that if you do something I’m uncomfortable with, I want a way to tell you.”
“Why don’t we just go through what is okay?” he suggested.
I tilted my head, considering, and then nodded.
“Holding hands?”
“Of course.”
“Kiss on the cheek, forehead, etcetera?”
My cheeks warmed. “Yes.”
Clay arched a brow. “Kiss on the mouth?”
Again, my heart was beating out of rhythm, but I tucked my hair behind my ear, lifting my coffee mug to my lips for a sip of the foam that had gone cold. “I suppose it would be weird if we didn’t.” I snapped my fingers, pinning him with a glare. “But no tongue.”
“No tongue?” Clay sucked his teeth. “Who’s going to be envious of a peck on the lips? Certainly not your boy Shawn over there, I can promise you that.”
I grunted, and like a bucket of ice water being thrown over me, I realized how incredibly stupid the whole premise was. I didn’t live in a freaking book — I lived in real life, where there was no plausible way any of this would turn out in our favor.
“This is absurd,” I said. “It’s not going to work. And it’s weird and desperate, and we should just forget the whole thing.”
I started gathering up my things, but Clay reached out, his hand folding over my wrist so softly it surprised me given the mass of that calloused hand.
I stilled, swallowing as my eyes crawled the length of his toned arm, finding him watching me with a deep sincerity. It unnerved me, that gaze, how steady and yet somehow… terrifying it was. I wondered if this was what his opponents felt on the field, fear spiking the hairs on the back of their necks.
“Meow.”
I cracked a laugh. “Meow?”
“If I go too far, if you’re uncomfortable and want me to back off, just meow.”
“Oh, my God.”
“But you won’t have to,” he added quickly. “Regardless of all the research you’ve done on me and what you think you know, I’m a gentleman.” He sat back, finally removing his hand from where it held my wrist, and I didn’t realize I wasn’t breathing properly until him removing his hold on me brought a sharp inhale through my lips. “And I want to make Maliyah want me back, not you fall in love with me.”
I snorted. “Trust me, no worries there.”
“Okay, so,” Clay said, sitting up and counting on each finger. “I behave on camera, guide you through all the steps to get Mr. Emo Guitar Guy to fall for you, and you play along as my fake girlfriend to make Maliyah jealous.”
“And if I meow—”
Clay smirked. “Now I kind of want to make you uncomfortable just to hear it.”
“Don’t,” I warned.
“Fine. If you meow, I back off.”
I nodded, considering all the terms. “One more thing,” I said, clearing my throat as I picked at the paper frills stuck in the spiral of my notebook from tearing pages out of it. “What if things get… messy.”
“Meaning?”
I scratched the back of my neck on a shrug. “I’ve seen enough movies and read enough books to know that sometimes, these things can get… complicated.” My eyes found his. “What if one of us wants out?”
“You can’t just back out,” he said, frowning. “That would be breaking the deal.”
“But what if…”
I couldn’t say it, not with my pulse hammering so loud in my ears it was like a whole drum line in there.
Clay smirked. “So you are worried about falling in love with me.”
My face fell flat. “Ugh, thank you for reminding me how impossible that is.”
_______________________________
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____________________________
Here's a special Goodreads EXCLUSIVE sneak peek inside!
I sat back, tapping a finger against my chin as I tried to recall all the fake-dating tropes I’d read. The truth was I read about a book a day, so they all blurred together after a while. But one thing I knew about pretending to date someone was that you absolutely needed rules, or things got messy.
“No PDA,” I finally said.
Clay made a buzzer sound, the noise so loud a few students at the tables around us looked over their shoulders. “Impossible. No one who’s actually dating avoids PDA.”
“Fine.” I made a face. “Then we need a safe word.”
“A safe word?” Clay chuckled. “Do you think I’m going to be tying you up, Kitten?”
Something wicked gleamed in his eyes, like he’d just thought about what that would entail, and once again, he leaned his large frame over the tiny table.
“I mean, that can be arranged,” he added with a smirk. “If you’d like.”
The way my lips parted at the invitation, how my heart skipped a beat before galloping a little quicker than before, was not okay. Fortunately, I covered it pretty well as I rolled my eyes.
At least, I hoped I did.
“I just mean that if you do something I’m uncomfortable with, I want a way to tell you.”
“Why don’t we just go through what is okay?” he suggested.
I tilted my head, considering, and then nodded.
“Holding hands?”
“Of course.”
“Kiss on the cheek, forehead, etcetera?”
My cheeks warmed. “Yes.”
Clay arched a brow. “Kiss on the mouth?”
Again, my heart was beating out of rhythm, but I tucked my hair behind my ear, lifting my coffee mug to my lips for a sip of the foam that had gone cold. “I suppose it would be weird if we didn’t.” I snapped my fingers, pinning him with a glare. “But no tongue.”
“No tongue?” Clay sucked his teeth. “Who’s going to be envious of a peck on the lips? Certainly not your boy Shawn over there, I can promise you that.”
I grunted, and like a bucket of ice water being thrown over me, I realized how incredibly stupid the whole premise was. I didn’t live in a freaking book — I lived in real life, where there was no plausible way any of this would turn out in our favor.
“This is absurd,” I said. “It’s not going to work. And it’s weird and desperate, and we should just forget the whole thing.”
I started gathering up my things, but Clay reached out, his hand folding over my wrist so softly it surprised me given the mass of that calloused hand.
I stilled, swallowing as my eyes crawled the length of his toned arm, finding him watching me with a deep sincerity. It unnerved me, that gaze, how steady and yet somehow… terrifying it was. I wondered if this was what his opponents felt on the field, fear spiking the hairs on the back of their necks.
“Meow.”
I cracked a laugh. “Meow?”
“If I go too far, if you’re uncomfortable and want me to back off, just meow.”
“Oh, my God.”
“But you won’t have to,” he added quickly. “Regardless of all the research you’ve done on me and what you think you know, I’m a gentleman.” He sat back, finally removing his hand from where it held my wrist, and I didn’t realize I wasn’t breathing properly until him removing his hold on me brought a sharp inhale through my lips. “And I want to make Maliyah want me back, not you fall in love with me.”
I snorted. “Trust me, no worries there.”
“Okay, so,” Clay said, sitting up and counting on each finger. “I behave on camera, guide you through all the steps to get Mr. Emo Guitar Guy to fall for you, and you play along as my fake girlfriend to make Maliyah jealous.”
“And if I meow—”
Clay smirked. “Now I kind of want to make you uncomfortable just to hear it.”
“Don’t,” I warned.
“Fine. If you meow, I back off.”
I nodded, considering all the terms. “One more thing,” I said, clearing my throat as I picked at the paper frills stuck in the spiral of my notebook from tearing pages out of it. “What if things get… messy.”
“Meaning?”
I scratched the back of my neck on a shrug. “I’ve seen enough movies and read enough books to know that sometimes, these things can get… complicated.” My eyes found his. “What if one of us wants out?”
“You can’t just back out,” he said, frowning. “That would be breaking the deal.”
“But what if…”
I couldn’t say it, not with my pulse hammering so loud in my ears it was like a whole drum line in there.
Clay smirked. “So you are worried about falling in love with me.”
My face fell flat. “Ugh, thank you for reminding me how impossible that is.”
_______________________________
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September 19, 2023
☆ 𝟥.𝟧 𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗋𝗌
“𝙄𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙚. 𝙄𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙨𝙤 𝙢𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙛𝙪𝙘𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙚𝙘𝙝𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨, 𝙪𝙣𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙤𝙫𝙚, 𝙪𝙣𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙤 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙣 𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣.”
I have mixed feelings about this book, sometimes I loved it other times I hated it. But it was good nonetheless <33
“𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩... 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚.”
“𝘾𝙖𝙣 𝙄 𝙩𝙤𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙮𝙤𝙪, 𝙂𝙞𝙖𝙣𝙖?”
𝗖𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝗝𝗼𝗵𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗻 is the hottest college football safety in the nation, (at least in Giana’s opinion). Anyway he needs Giana to be his fake girlfriend, to make his ex-girlfriend jealous, so she would come running back to him. Clay has the whole package, hot, respectful and both mommy and daddy issues, (the last part was written with full on sarcasm, except he is hot and respectful).
“𝙄𝙛 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙄 𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙚𝙭𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙤𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙞𝙣-𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙣.”
“𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙛𝙪𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙚 𝙪𝙥 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙖𝙘𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙮 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙩, 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙨𝙖𝙬 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙮 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩.”
𝗚𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗮 𝗝𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀 is the introvert girl who reads (seems very familiar😭). She is the PR reporter for the football team, which is where she knows Clay from. However Giana did not expect Clay to ask her to be his fake girlfriend, to win his ex-girlfriend back, and Clay promised Giana he’d get her crush to notice her.
“𝙄 𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙛𝙞𝙚𝙧𝙘𝙚 𝙝𝙪𝙜, 𝙬𝙧𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙪𝙥 𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙖𝙧𝙢𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙄 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙚𝙡𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙝𝙪𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙚𝙧.”
“𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙨, 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚. 𝙇𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨.”
I liked Clay, but I loved Giana. She was such a relatable character for a lot of reader girls. Their relationship was the description of the fake dating trope. However I’m not so crazy about the jealous ex thing, or how much Clay talked about his ex in the start, even tho I know things like that is hard to get over, but like come on. But I liked that Clay wasn’t just the “perfect guy” character I actually thought he would be. He had some family issues and some hard decisions to make, which I liked. I also liked that he was an emotional guy, and that it was Giana that sometimes comforted him, and he wasn’t the typical “tough guy” character, and he actually let her comfort him.
I do think I need to get used to the way Kandi Steiner writes, idk how to explain it, but sometimes I have a hard time getting into the characters in her books.
E. g. Riley and Zeke in the first book “Fair Catch” idk why but I’ve never been so uninterested in a couple before 🙈😭
𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗜 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱;
↳ Clay obsessing over his ex-girlfriend in the start - “And the only thing left to think about was Maliyah” - stfu Clay🔪🔪
↳ There was one ending of a chapter that was wired to me - “Her arms tightened around me, and for one night everything was perfect. We should have know it could never stay like this.” - yk then you just want to close the book immediately and just be done.
↳ This is more of a me problem and not a thing I hated, I just found it funny, but it was Giana’s dad calling her “little mouse” WHEN I tell you the ONLY thing that popped up in my mind was Zade Meadows (aka my husband)😭😭😭
↳ It was funny watching Giana getting the ick over her ex-crush, because that’s honestly so fucking relatable 🙈
↳ I LOVED that Clay took it in mind that Giana is a reader girly, and paid attention and remembered which scenes she highlighted and tapped, and then tried them in her. I ate that shit right up 🫠🫠
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘂𝗽;
“𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙚. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙡𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙚 𝙚𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙥𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪.”
“𝙄’𝙢 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚.”
“𝙄 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙛𝙪𝙘𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙚𝙩 𝙢𝙚 𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙤𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚.”
“𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙚𝙡𝙩 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙚.”
“𝙔𝙤𝙪’𝙧𝙚 𝙗𝙧𝙤𝙠𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙛𝙪𝙘𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩.”
“𝙄 𝙗𝙧𝙤𝙠𝙚 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙚, 𝙩𝙤𝙤.”
“𝙄 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪. 𝙄 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙢𝙪𝙩𝙩𝙮 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙬𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙙𝙤𝙘𝙪𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙤𝙗𝙨𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚, 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙨𝙣𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙨.”
Now I just wanna get to the fourth book “Hail Mary” because Leo Hernandez is just 🤌🏼 plus I’ve heard the fmc is a total badass and we love that.
⋘ Tropes ➺ football romance, fake dating, teach me how, opposite attract and friends to lovers ⋙
“𝙄𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙚. 𝙄𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙨𝙤 𝙢𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙛𝙪𝙘𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙚𝙘𝙝𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨, 𝙪𝙣𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙤𝙫𝙚, 𝙪𝙣𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙤 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙣 𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣.”
I have mixed feelings about this book, sometimes I loved it other times I hated it. But it was good nonetheless <33
“𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩... 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚.”
“𝘾𝙖𝙣 𝙄 𝙩𝙤𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙮𝙤𝙪, 𝙂𝙞𝙖𝙣𝙖?”
𝗖𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝗝𝗼𝗵𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗻 is the hottest college football safety in the nation, (at least in Giana’s opinion). Anyway he needs Giana to be his fake girlfriend, to make his ex-girlfriend jealous, so she would come running back to him. Clay has the whole package, hot, respectful and both mommy and daddy issues, (the last part was written with full on sarcasm, except he is hot and respectful).
“𝙄𝙛 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙄 𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙚𝙭𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙤𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙞𝙣-𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙣.”
“𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙛𝙪𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙚 𝙪𝙥 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙖𝙘𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙮 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙩, 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙨𝙖𝙬 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙮 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩.”
𝗚𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗮 𝗝𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀 is the introvert girl who reads (seems very familiar😭). She is the PR reporter for the football team, which is where she knows Clay from. However Giana did not expect Clay to ask her to be his fake girlfriend, to win his ex-girlfriend back, and Clay promised Giana he’d get her crush to notice her.
“𝙄 𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙛𝙞𝙚𝙧𝙘𝙚 𝙝𝙪𝙜, 𝙬𝙧𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙪𝙥 𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙖𝙧𝙢𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙄 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙚𝙡𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙝𝙪𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙚𝙧.”
“𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙨, 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚. 𝙇𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨.”
I liked Clay, but I loved Giana. She was such a relatable character for a lot of reader girls. Their relationship was the description of the fake dating trope. However I’m not so crazy about the jealous ex thing, or how much Clay talked about his ex in the start, even tho I know things like that is hard to get over, but like come on. But I liked that Clay wasn’t just the “perfect guy” character I actually thought he would be. He had some family issues and some hard decisions to make, which I liked. I also liked that he was an emotional guy, and that it was Giana that sometimes comforted him, and he wasn’t the typical “tough guy” character, and he actually let her comfort him.
I do think I need to get used to the way Kandi Steiner writes, idk how to explain it, but sometimes I have a hard time getting into the characters in her books.
E. g. Riley and Zeke in the first book “Fair Catch” idk why but I’ve never been so uninterested in a couple before 🙈😭
𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗜 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱;
↳ Clay obsessing over his ex-girlfriend in the start - “And the only thing left to think about was Maliyah” - stfu Clay🔪🔪
↳ There was one ending of a chapter that was wired to me - “Her arms tightened around me, and for one night everything was perfect. We should have know it could never stay like this.” - yk then you just want to close the book immediately and just be done.
↳ This is more of a me problem and not a thing I hated, I just found it funny, but it was Giana’s dad calling her “little mouse” WHEN I tell you the ONLY thing that popped up in my mind was Zade Meadows (aka my husband)😭😭😭
↳ It was funny watching Giana getting the ick over her ex-crush, because that’s honestly so fucking relatable 🙈
↳ I LOVED that Clay took it in mind that Giana is a reader girly, and paid attention and remembered which scenes she highlighted and tapped, and then tried them in her. I ate that shit right up 🫠🫠
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘂𝗽;
“𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙚. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙡𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙚 𝙚𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙥𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪.”
“𝙄’𝙢 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚.”
“𝙄 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙛𝙪𝙘𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙚𝙩 𝙢𝙚 𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙤𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚.”
“𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙚𝙡𝙩 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙚.”
“𝙔𝙤𝙪’𝙧𝙚 𝙗𝙧𝙤𝙠𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙛𝙪𝙘𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩.”
“𝙄 𝙗𝙧𝙤𝙠𝙚 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙚, 𝙩𝙤𝙤.”
“𝙄 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪. 𝙄 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙢𝙪𝙩𝙩𝙮 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙬𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙙𝙤𝙘𝙪𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙤𝙗𝙨𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚, 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙨𝙣𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙨.”
Now I just wanna get to the fourth book “Hail Mary” because Leo Hernandez is just 🤌🏼 plus I’ve heard the fmc is a total badass and we love that.
⋘ Tropes ➺ football romance, fake dating, teach me how, opposite attract and friends to lovers ⋙
December 25, 2022
Ngl the writing style really worked for me. I’ll be reading more of this author’s backlist soon (let me know ur favorite book by her)! That said, I did wish the ending was a bit different and that the conflict was handled differently but you know what, I still enjoyed this.
——————-
I think imma make this my first Kandi Steiner book.
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I think imma make this my first Kandi Steiner book.
November 14, 2022
4.5 stars
This was such a fun fake dating romance! I really loved Giana and Clay together. There's something about a lessons in seduction turning into real feelings romance that I love!
This was such a fun fake dating romance! I really loved Giana and Clay together. There's something about a lessons in seduction turning into real feelings romance that I love!
July 24, 2023
3.5 stars
It’s been a while since I’ve read a college sports romance. And this one was really fun and enjoyable to read. I have two minor issues; a) the third act conflict was really frustrating and almost slightly stupid. b) he mentioned the “beast inside him” way too much. I mean seriously, it was more than the normal amount allowed if it was a shifter romance. I still had an enjoyable time reading this tho.
It’s been a while since I’ve read a college sports romance. And this one was really fun and enjoyable to read. I have two minor issues; a) the third act conflict was really frustrating and almost slightly stupid. b) he mentioned the “beast inside him” way too much. I mean seriously, it was more than the normal amount allowed if it was a shifter romance. I still had an enjoyable time reading this tho.
June 20, 2022
4 Stars
Overall Opinion: This was a cute surprise! I thought it tapped into my emotions more than I was expecting. While it still could've been deeper with the family drama and dynamics as well as how the conflict was truly resolved (especially on the H's side), I thought it was enjoyable. It was a fun college sports romance that I always tend to seek out and one-click without hesitation! The lack of closure in the ending and the vagueness of the conflict resolution are my biggest complaints-- but otherwise, it was good!
Brief Summary of the Storyline: This is Giana and Clay's story. Giana is on the PR team for the college football team that Clay is a star on. When Clay has a messy breakup with his high school sweetheart and he sees that Giana is struggling with a guy she likes, he proposes a fake relationship. They start out great but when Giana reveals that she's a virgin and asks Clay to give her some experience, things change between them. There is some family drama and drama with the other people, some hot sexy times, and some baggage they have to worth through...and they get a HFN ending.
Point Of View (POV): This was told in alternating Giana and Clay's POV.
Overall Pace of Story: Good. I never skimmed and I thought it flowed well.
Instalove: No, they become friends to fake relationship to more.
H (Hero) rating: 4 stars. Clay. I liked him. I appreciated his loyalty and how he was always trying to help others. There was a time where I really wanted to shake him though.
h (heroine) rating: 4.5 stars. Giana. I really liked her. I appreciated her strength, smarts, loyalty, and love for smutty books!
Sadness level: Moderate. I shed a few tears but never needed any tissues.
Push/Pull: Yes
Heat level: Hot. They have some hot tension, chemistry, and scenes -- but not so much it takes away from the story.
Descriptive sex: Yes
OW (Other Woman)/OM (Other Man) drama: Yes
Sex scene with OW or OM: No
Cheating: No
Separation: Yes
Possible Triggers: Yes
Closure: This ends in an alright place with what I would call a HFN ending with not nearly enough closure for me. There is an epilogue that sets up what I think will be the mcs for the next book.
Safety: This one should probably be Safe for most safety gang readers
Overall Opinion: This was a cute surprise! I thought it tapped into my emotions more than I was expecting. While it still could've been deeper with the family drama and dynamics as well as how the conflict was truly resolved (especially on the H's side), I thought it was enjoyable. It was a fun college sports romance that I always tend to seek out and one-click without hesitation! The lack of closure in the ending and the vagueness of the conflict resolution are my biggest complaints-- but otherwise, it was good!
Brief Summary of the Storyline: This is Giana and Clay's story. Giana is on the PR team for the college football team that Clay is a star on. When Clay has a messy breakup with his high school sweetheart and he sees that Giana is struggling with a guy she likes, he proposes a fake relationship. They start out great but when Giana reveals that she's a virgin and asks Clay to give her some experience, things change between them. There is some family drama and drama with the other people, some hot sexy times, and some baggage they have to worth through...and they get a HFN ending.
Point Of View (POV): This was told in alternating Giana and Clay's POV.
Overall Pace of Story: Good. I never skimmed and I thought it flowed well.
Instalove: No, they become friends to fake relationship to more.
H (Hero) rating: 4 stars. Clay. I liked him. I appreciated his loyalty and how he was always trying to help others. There was a time where I really wanted to shake him though.
h (heroine) rating: 4.5 stars. Giana. I really liked her. I appreciated her strength, smarts, loyalty, and love for smutty books!
Sadness level: Moderate. I shed a few tears but never needed any tissues.
Push/Pull: Yes
Heat level: Hot. They have some hot tension, chemistry, and scenes -- but not so much it takes away from the story.
Descriptive sex: Yes
OW (Other Woman)/OM (Other Man) drama: Yes
Sex scene with OW or OM: No
Cheating: No
Separation: Yes
Possible Triggers: Yes
Closure: This ends in an alright place with what I would call a HFN ending with not nearly enough closure for me. There is an epilogue that sets up what I think will be the mcs for the next book.
Safety: This one should probably be Safe for most safety gang readers
March 11, 2023
Naahhh this was friggin ADORABLE. This is the fake dating trope done RIGHT. Wow wow wow.
Gianna is a women after my own heart with her Cheetos and her smutty books. And Mr Clay Johnson had me on my KNEES - a book boyfriend at his finest.
"I couldn't eat. Couldn't train, couldn't sleep, couldn't do anything other than make myself sick thinking about him touching you." - Urghhhhh shut up and just marry me already.😭😭
That third act had me sobbing so hard and my chest hurting so bad that my teeth literally ached (idk how it’s possible but my literal TEETH ached with the emotion of it all).
Loved this so much❤️
Gianna is a women after my own heart with her Cheetos and her smutty books. And Mr Clay Johnson had me on my KNEES - a book boyfriend at his finest.
"I couldn't eat. Couldn't train, couldn't sleep, couldn't do anything other than make myself sick thinking about him touching you." - Urghhhhh shut up and just marry me already.😭😭
That third act had me sobbing so hard and my chest hurting so bad that my teeth literally ached (idk how it’s possible but my literal TEETH ached with the emotion of it all).
Loved this so much❤️
December 1, 2022
Ew ....ill.write a review soon
It's all cringy af
Ok so......hm. No 19 year old says "magnificent and brute." They just dont 🤷 I have no idea what people under 20 say but....its not these words.
She's emotionally and physically cheating on clay up until maybe 60% ish of thr book where she's chasing the singer guitar dude, clay is 45% into the book and still trying to get his ex girlfriend jealous of his fake relationship ship and is hung up on his ex. He gets a boner when his ex touches him whiles hes with the h!!!!! 😬😬😬😬😬😬 gross. Hes sucking on another girls body to take a shot at a party to make himself look bad for thr h but the whole time i was cringing. I DONT CARE if he was making himself look like an a$$. I just felt gross. Gross. I was making vomit faces and cringing throughout this book.
She wants smex lessons from the H to learn how to please the guitar singer dude. ew. And she wants clay to take her virginity so she can do things to the other guy. People......this is great to you? He even has to stop and tell her no when she asks him because he doesn't want to take her V so that she'll be more skilled for another man. DA FUQ. I don't understand how people like this. There are plenty of GREAT books where the H teaches the h about smex. This one ain't it folks. Eff this book. Im so mad 😬😬😬
There were no funny scenes to break up the monotony, there was nothing extreme drama happening.....it just kept going on and on. This will be my last book by this author.
The great redemption at the end for breaking up with her? Ha. Its been dome before. In the movie notting hill when Hugh grant makes himself known. And he didn't take two weeks drawing stick figures of a book to do it. 😂😂😂😐 I understand he was taking money from his ex gfs dad to get his mom help for her addictions and he was in a tough spot. But look at that! There was another solution 🤷😂 rushed ending and not very tied up which was annoying.
People are giving this 4 or 5 stars for undeveloped, tired writing. Bruh. So much cringe 😐
It's all cringy af
Ok so......hm. No 19 year old says "magnificent and brute." They just dont 🤷 I have no idea what people under 20 say but....its not these words.
She's emotionally and physically cheating on clay up until maybe 60% ish of thr book where she's chasing the singer guitar dude, clay is 45% into the book and still trying to get his ex girlfriend jealous of his fake relationship ship and is hung up on his ex. He gets a boner when his ex touches him whiles hes with the h!!!!! 😬😬😬😬😬😬 gross. Hes sucking on another girls body to take a shot at a party to make himself look bad for thr h but the whole time i was cringing. I DONT CARE if he was making himself look like an a$$. I just felt gross. Gross. I was making vomit faces and cringing throughout this book.
She wants smex lessons from the H to learn how to please the guitar singer dude. ew. And she wants clay to take her virginity so she can do things to the other guy. People......this is great to you? He even has to stop and tell her no when she asks him because he doesn't want to take her V so that she'll be more skilled for another man. DA FUQ. I don't understand how people like this. There are plenty of GREAT books where the H teaches the h about smex. This one ain't it folks. Eff this book. Im so mad 😬😬😬
There were no funny scenes to break up the monotony, there was nothing extreme drama happening.....it just kept going on and on. This will be my last book by this author.
The great redemption at the end for breaking up with her? Ha. Its been dome before. In the movie notting hill when Hugh grant makes himself known. And he didn't take two weeks drawing stick figures of a book to do it. 😂😂😂😐 I understand he was taking money from his ex gfs dad to get his mom help for her addictions and he was in a tough spot. But look at that! There was another solution 🤷😂 rushed ending and not very tied up which was annoying.
People are giving this 4 or 5 stars for undeveloped, tired writing. Bruh. So much cringe 😐
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 9, 2022
3.75 Kitten, Smu++y books, fake-dating stars
I love reading fake dating/marriage books, especially when there’s potential competition for the male lead (I love omd lol… heroes need to work for it). But, I needed more loose ends to be tied. Regardless, I really enjoyed myself.
Clay’s (19/20) girlfriend of five years just broke up with him, and he’s extremely upset. For years, they had plans about their futures, even doing long-distance the previous year when he went to NBU as one of the best safety’s for college football. As soon as his girlfriend arrives and gets on the cheerleading team, she tells him she doesn’t wanna be with him anymore.
Giana’s (19) a nerdy, smut-reading Public Relations Assistant Coordinator who might look out of place, but is able to wrangle football players that are twice her size with the ease of her voice. When she and Clay agreed to meet at a bar where her long time crush Shawn is singing, he comes up with a plan.
They’ll fake date in order to make her crush jealous since he’ll finally know she exists, and he’ll get his ex girlfriend back when she sees he’s moved on. Let the fake dating begin 😈
What I liked/loved: (possible spoilers)
—the lessons. Oh LAWD 🥵. From the beginning, their chemistry started to ignite (small flame) since they both supposedly still wanted another person, but as soon as the lessons began, wow 🔥. Clay was diligent, patient, and seductive asf when “teaching” her
—his dirty mouth. One of the best things about his lessons is the mouth on Clay 💦😅🔥.
—the smexxy times🔥. It’s on the slowish burn side (65% for the full experience), but everything leading up to it helped. I wouldn’t have minded seeing more of their… unity after they started. I loved that Clay made sure to please his girl 😉🙃
—their connection❤️. I like that they confided in each other a lot and were friends. It allowed us to see a different aspect of their relationship
—the smutty books 👀. Oh yes Giana. You keep on reading your books lol. When she mentioned Thoughtless I was gasping lol (I don’t think I would appreciate that book NOW, but I loved it back in the day)
—the fact that Clay READ these smutty books to get tips on what Giana liked 💁🏻♀️. YAAASSS Clay. Go on with yo bad self and read, STUDY, like a good teacher 💅
—the side characters. I wanna read Riley and Zeke’s book now 👀 and can’t wait to read Holden’s too 😉
—the football stuff. I liked that this had the feel of a sports romance and that Giana was on the side, doing her thing in regards to football
—the OMD 😈. I love it in my books lol
—he calls her Kitten 🥵
Things I didn’t like/wanted more of:
—loose ends. So many things are brought up, but not everything had a resolution. What ever happened to Clay’s dad? How’s his mom? What about his pseudo dad (Maliyah’s dad)?
—Maliyah who? Look. I don’t care for OWD, but if the premise of the book is about Clay wanting his ex back and dating Giana to get her back, why didn’t we see the aftermath of when everything went down? It was explained in like a paragraph. We missed some good angst there. I almost felt like Maliyah had the potential to be a villain (which I thought she was gonna be) and then it kind of just flopped. Don’t get me wrong- the less drama the better 😂, but if you’re selling me a certain trope/storyline, please follow through. Did they ever go on the date (from the auction)? 🤔 Are we supposed to hate her? Like her? They’re friends now? What’s going on? 😵💫
—the body shot scene 😐🤬😑. Along the lines of owd, I didn’t care for the scene where Clay takes a shot off another OW and then they kiss. Yeah. It was all in the early phase of their “fake” relationship, but I still felt icky 😐. ITS NEVER ADDRESSED!!! Giana was feeling a certain way and it’s never addressed! Shawn brings it up to her later in the book but still! What helped balance it out for me was the fact that Giana kissed Shawn lol (I love omd lol)
—no true epilogue. The epilogue was the preview for the next book. Maybe the next one will have an epilogue for all of the couples? Maybe we’ve gotten spoiled over the years with epilogues that show us the MCs HEAs years into the future? Whatever the case, i wanted to see Clay and Giana in the future.
—Considering Clay had been with Maliyah for years (he lost his v at 16 and he’s 20 now), he’s really only had one partner. There was crucial info that wasn’t revealed about him and Maliyah. I get it; this book isn’t about them but about Clay and Giana, but how am I supposed to be invested in his purpose of winning his ex back when we don’t have a lot of information on their backstory? Again, I’m not a fan owd, but I was scratching my head. I feel like I knew more about Clay’s relationship with Maliayh’s dad than Maliyah herself 😂😂😂their bromance was stronger than his relationship with Maliyah 😂😂😂😂
Overall, I really liked it ❤️
⚠️safety squad⚠️
-no sharing
-virgin h/not a manwhore H
-mental health/depression/addictions
-OWD- the H wants her ex back. He uses the h to make her jealous. At a party, H does a shot off OW2’s belly button and they briefly kiss when the lime falls out of the OW’s mouth 😐 (this is during the fake dating phase before h and H have done more than kiss one time)
-OMD- the h wants OM. She uses the H to make him jealous. She kisses OM
-praise k!nk
-c0nd0ms
I love reading fake dating/marriage books, especially when there’s potential competition for the male lead (I love omd lol… heroes need to work for it). But, I needed more loose ends to be tied. Regardless, I really enjoyed myself.
Clay’s (19/20) girlfriend of five years just broke up with him, and he’s extremely upset. For years, they had plans about their futures, even doing long-distance the previous year when he went to NBU as one of the best safety’s for college football. As soon as his girlfriend arrives and gets on the cheerleading team, she tells him she doesn’t wanna be with him anymore.
Giana’s (19) a nerdy, smut-reading Public Relations Assistant Coordinator who might look out of place, but is able to wrangle football players that are twice her size with the ease of her voice. When she and Clay agreed to meet at a bar where her long time crush Shawn is singing, he comes up with a plan.
They’ll fake date in order to make her crush jealous since he’ll finally know she exists, and he’ll get his ex girlfriend back when she sees he’s moved on. Let the fake dating begin 😈
What I liked/loved: (possible spoilers)
—the lessons. Oh LAWD 🥵. From the beginning, their chemistry started to ignite (small flame) since they both supposedly still wanted another person, but as soon as the lessons began, wow 🔥. Clay was diligent, patient, and seductive asf when “teaching” her
—his dirty mouth. One of the best things about his lessons is the mouth on Clay 💦😅🔥.
—the smexxy times🔥. It’s on the slowish burn side (65% for the full experience), but everything leading up to it helped. I wouldn’t have minded seeing more of their… unity after they started. I loved that Clay made sure to please his girl 😉🙃
—their connection❤️. I like that they confided in each other a lot and were friends. It allowed us to see a different aspect of their relationship
—the smutty books 👀. Oh yes Giana. You keep on reading your books lol. When she mentioned Thoughtless I was gasping lol (I don’t think I would appreciate that book NOW, but I loved it back in the day)
—the fact that Clay READ these smutty books to get tips on what Giana liked 💁🏻♀️. YAAASSS Clay. Go on with yo bad self and read, STUDY, like a good teacher 💅
—the side characters. I wanna read Riley and Zeke’s book now 👀 and can’t wait to read Holden’s too 😉
—the football stuff. I liked that this had the feel of a sports romance and that Giana was on the side, doing her thing in regards to football
—the OMD 😈. I love it in my books lol
—he calls her Kitten 🥵
Things I didn’t like/wanted more of:
—loose ends. So many things are brought up, but not everything had a resolution. What ever happened to Clay’s dad? How’s his mom? What about his pseudo dad (Maliyah’s dad)?
—Maliyah who? Look. I don’t care for OWD, but if the premise of the book is about Clay wanting his ex back and dating Giana to get her back, why didn’t we see the aftermath of when everything went down? It was explained in like a paragraph. We missed some good angst there. I almost felt like Maliyah had the potential to be a villain (which I thought she was gonna be) and then it kind of just flopped. Don’t get me wrong- the less drama the better 😂, but if you’re selling me a certain trope/storyline, please follow through. Did they ever go on the date (from the auction)? 🤔 Are we supposed to hate her? Like her? They’re friends now? What’s going on? 😵💫
—the body shot scene 😐🤬😑. Along the lines of owd, I didn’t care for the scene where Clay takes a shot off another OW and then they kiss. Yeah. It was all in the early phase of their “fake” relationship, but I still felt icky 😐. ITS NEVER ADDRESSED!!! Giana was feeling a certain way and it’s never addressed! Shawn brings it up to her later in the book but still! What helped balance it out for me was the fact that Giana kissed Shawn lol (I love omd lol)
—no true epilogue. The epilogue was the preview for the next book. Maybe the next one will have an epilogue for all of the couples? Maybe we’ve gotten spoiled over the years with epilogues that show us the MCs HEAs years into the future? Whatever the case, i wanted to see Clay and Giana in the future.
—Considering Clay had been with Maliyah for years (he lost his v at 16 and he’s 20 now), he’s really only had one partner. There was crucial info that wasn’t revealed about him and Maliyah. I get it; this book isn’t about them but about Clay and Giana, but how am I supposed to be invested in his purpose of winning his ex back when we don’t have a lot of information on their backstory? Again, I’m not a fan owd, but I was scratching my head. I feel like I knew more about Clay’s relationship with Maliayh’s dad than Maliyah herself 😂😂😂their bromance was stronger than his relationship with Maliyah 😂😂😂😂
Overall, I really liked it ❤️
⚠️safety squad⚠️
-no sharing
-virgin h/not a manwhore H
-mental health/depression/addictions
-OWD- the H wants her ex back. He uses the h to make her jealous. At a party, H does a shot off OW2’s belly button and they briefly kiss when the lime falls out of the OW’s mouth 😐 (this is during the fake dating phase before h and H have done more than kiss one time)
-OMD- the h wants OM. She uses the H to make him jealous. She kisses OM
-praise k!nk
-c0nd0ms
March 7, 2024
he called her kitten…
December 20, 2022
Remember when I said i won’t read it further so that I can stay in my cotton candy cloud moment for longer? Yeah, I did not wait.
This is by far the best fake dating trope book recommendation I came across. Love it to my core! Clay Johnson is probably the dream boyfriend for all the book lovers population! He enacts the scenes, the ones that she loved in her books,during sex. He read her books!! That’s it. I was bound at that!
Highly insist you to read it. 💕🤌🏻
This is by far the best fake dating trope book recommendation I came across. Love it to my core! Clay Johnson is probably the dream boyfriend for all the book lovers population! He enacts the scenes, the ones that she loved in her books,during sex. He read her books!! That’s it. I was bound at that!
Highly insist you to read it. 💕🤌🏻
June 30, 2022
"Blind Side. The story of how I fake-dated the girl of my dreams..."
Blind Side, the book I didn't want to put down and made me cry last night. Kandi Steiner, I blame you for this!
This has to be one of the best fake-relationship stories I've ever read. It's everything. It's emotional and sweet, it's hot and steamy, even featuring a guy who reads romance novels and it makes you wish you had lived through it and that this was your story. And that, for me, takes the cake.
"I wasn't sure she even realized she did it, that she could catch more stares from wearing a turtleneck than some girls could in a bikini."
Gianna felt very relatable. Even though we've probably all had romance novel moments, most of us never felt good enough to be the heroine. We're the secondary ones, the best friends, the ones who are one-of-the-guys. Never the object of affection. That absolutely gutted me. She was also such a hard worker, such a caring, giving, strong person, never afraid to admit and own who she is or what she knows. I loved her.
"She watched me like I had all the answers, like I was her lifeline. Like she trusted me with everything that she was."
I adored Clay. The guy who wants to help everyone, and who cares about everyone, but doesn't let anyone close enough so they can care about him in return. The guy who's used to loving and not being fully loved back by so many people in his life. Some of this was heartbreaking to watch, and I just wanted to hug him. His other side, however... is hot, romantic, and swoony. Where was this guy when I was in college?
"Can I touch you, Giana?"
His girlfriend breaks up with him when she comes to study at his college, and Clay doesn't get it. He realizes he always loved her a lot more than she did him, so he was broken. Giana is attracted to a musician on campus, but he doesn't give her the time of day. Not that she makes the first move, because she's a virgin, and totally inexperienced, so how could she have the guts to do it?
So they strike a deal: what if they fake date so he can win back his girlfriend, and she can get a date with the music man? Win-win. Well, sort of.
"You love to study so much, Kitten... study me."
You will not believe how hot these two are. Let me just say two things: one, she reads romance novels, and he reads them to know what she's into, paying attention to the pages that are worn, to the passages she highlighted - so he can act accordingly and be exactly what she needs (and I loved it that she's not vanilla, either!)
And two, he does teach her everything in their 'lessons', and that was scorching, but she's a very interested, diligent, and hardworking student of his body and what he wants and likes, and she's not shy about it.
"This isn't fake. Nothing between us has ever been fake."
What I love about fake relationship stories is how you can pinpoint the moment it stops being fake. When feelings start to get involved. And I specifically like when that realization comes from the hero first. All of a sudden Giana takes up permanent residence in Clay's brain, and she's all he thinks about. And for her, her crush has lost his sparkle. Because they're absolutely perfect for each other, but what will it take to get them there?
"I'd take every stolen moment, every fake kiss, every lesson she let me teach her."
Some of this was hard to read. The plot twist at about 80% killed me and I wanted to throw my Kindle against the wall. But then I got it. Yes, it's heart-wrenching, and neither of them deserved what happened, but it needed to happen. First, because they both needed to know how strong they are apart, but even more together. Two, because they needed to know that not everything is temporary - some stuff really can be forever. And three, because there's grand gestures, and then there's Clay.
"And then he kissed me, and for the first time in my life, I felt like the main character."
Their feelings for each other came unannounced and blindsided them. Turns out they were never the main characters in each other's lives, but they’re now the hero and heroine of their life together. And I loved all of it.
Absolutely great story, and great book. It's not going to be my last Kandi Steiner book for sure.
Blind Side, the book I didn't want to put down and made me cry last night. Kandi Steiner, I blame you for this!
This has to be one of the best fake-relationship stories I've ever read. It's everything. It's emotional and sweet, it's hot and steamy, even featuring a guy who reads romance novels and it makes you wish you had lived through it and that this was your story. And that, for me, takes the cake.
"I wasn't sure she even realized she did it, that she could catch more stares from wearing a turtleneck than some girls could in a bikini."
Gianna felt very relatable. Even though we've probably all had romance novel moments, most of us never felt good enough to be the heroine. We're the secondary ones, the best friends, the ones who are one-of-the-guys. Never the object of affection. That absolutely gutted me. She was also such a hard worker, such a caring, giving, strong person, never afraid to admit and own who she is or what she knows. I loved her.
"She watched me like I had all the answers, like I was her lifeline. Like she trusted me with everything that she was."
I adored Clay. The guy who wants to help everyone, and who cares about everyone, but doesn't let anyone close enough so they can care about him in return. The guy who's used to loving and not being fully loved back by so many people in his life. Some of this was heartbreaking to watch, and I just wanted to hug him. His other side, however... is hot, romantic, and swoony. Where was this guy when I was in college?
"Can I touch you, Giana?"
His girlfriend breaks up with him when she comes to study at his college, and Clay doesn't get it. He realizes he always loved her a lot more than she did him, so he was broken. Giana is attracted to a musician on campus, but he doesn't give her the time of day. Not that she makes the first move, because she's a virgin, and totally inexperienced, so how could she have the guts to do it?
So they strike a deal: what if they fake date so he can win back his girlfriend, and she can get a date with the music man? Win-win. Well, sort of.
"You love to study so much, Kitten... study me."
You will not believe how hot these two are. Let me just say two things: one, she reads romance novels, and he reads them to know what she's into, paying attention to the pages that are worn, to the passages she highlighted - so he can act accordingly and be exactly what she needs (and I loved it that she's not vanilla, either!)
And two, he does teach her everything in their 'lessons', and that was scorching, but she's a very interested, diligent, and hardworking student of his body and what he wants and likes, and she's not shy about it.
"This isn't fake. Nothing between us has ever been fake."
What I love about fake relationship stories is how you can pinpoint the moment it stops being fake. When feelings start to get involved. And I specifically like when that realization comes from the hero first. All of a sudden Giana takes up permanent residence in Clay's brain, and she's all he thinks about. And for her, her crush has lost his sparkle. Because they're absolutely perfect for each other, but what will it take to get them there?
"I'd take every stolen moment, every fake kiss, every lesson she let me teach her."
Some of this was hard to read. The plot twist at about 80% killed me and I wanted to throw my Kindle against the wall. But then I got it. Yes, it's heart-wrenching, and neither of them deserved what happened, but it needed to happen. First, because they both needed to know how strong they are apart, but even more together. Two, because they needed to know that not everything is temporary - some stuff really can be forever. And three, because there's grand gestures, and then there's Clay.
"And then he kissed me, and for the first time in my life, I felt like the main character."
Their feelings for each other came unannounced and blindsided them. Turns out they were never the main characters in each other's lives, but they’re now the hero and heroine of their life together. And I loved all of it.
Absolutely great story, and great book. It's not going to be my last Kandi Steiner book for sure.
September 11, 2022
4.25 ⭐️
Even though this book did remind me a bit of a few other fake dating books I’ve read in the past (specifically The Deal by Elle Kennedy with a smidge of Not Pretending Anymore by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward) - I still really enjoyed it and found it to be pretty unique in its own way.
I think what I loved most about it was that even though they both had their sights set on what and who they wanted out of this fake dating thing… it never felt like they were using each other or pretending with each other. The moments they were together were real and genuine and I liked how they became friends first and then they slowly realized they were catching feelings. Pretty classic for a fake dating setup, but I think it was done really well and I loved the whole progression of how it all played out.
I did get some mixed signals of how old the characters were, because at times they felt and acted years older than sophomores in college - but then the way some things played out (specifically the ending conflict with his mom) reminded me that Clay was only 19 and it helped me justify some of his actions and choices (even though they pissed me off).
And speaking of the ending… I was ready to give this 5 stars up until the last 75 pages when we got that hiccup before the HEA. I didn’t like the whole situation and it felt a bit unrealistic to me. Definitely brought my rating down because I ended up skimming the last little bit because I hate third act breakups and they always play out the same way (more or less) - but besides for that whole thing, I really had a great time with this story.
Even though this book did remind me a bit of a few other fake dating books I’ve read in the past (specifically The Deal by Elle Kennedy with a smidge of Not Pretending Anymore by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward) - I still really enjoyed it and found it to be pretty unique in its own way.
I think what I loved most about it was that even though they both had their sights set on what and who they wanted out of this fake dating thing… it never felt like they were using each other or pretending with each other. The moments they were together were real and genuine and I liked how they became friends first and then they slowly realized they were catching feelings. Pretty classic for a fake dating setup, but I think it was done really well and I loved the whole progression of how it all played out.
I did get some mixed signals of how old the characters were, because at times they felt and acted years older than sophomores in college - but then the way some things played out (specifically the ending conflict with his mom) reminded me that Clay was only 19 and it helped me justify some of his actions and choices (even though they pissed me off).
And speaking of the ending… I was ready to give this 5 stars up until the last 75 pages when we got that hiccup before the HEA. I didn’t like the whole situation and it felt a bit unrealistic to me. Definitely brought my rating down because I ended up skimming the last little bit because I hate third act breakups and they always play out the same way (more or less) - but besides for that whole thing, I really had a great time with this story.
May 19, 2023
SO FUCKING CUTE!!
AMEÉ
Tenía bastante tiempo que no leía un libro New Adult/College y que lo disfrutara tanto.
Es fake Dating, Sport romance y los protagonistas son lo más cute del mundo, tiene el cliché del protagonista popular, sexy as hell, guapo y la contraparte una protagonista tímida, good girl y virgen, pero esto está muy bien llevado e hizo que la historia funcionara.
Clay ha roto con su novia del instituto está dolido y Giana está enamorada de un músico ,pero es inexperta en cuestiones de ligue por lo que Clay le propone ser su novio falso para poner celosa a su ex y que regrese en cambio é la va ayudar a conquistar a su músico pero ustedes saben cómo terminan esas cosas.
Clay y Giana me parecen de los personajes más adorables y tiernos, tiene una gran química, hacen una bonita pareja, son divertidos y sus sexy times son Spicy as Hell, los amé mucho.
Todo me encantó pero no le daré las 5 estrellas por el drama final siento que fue TOO MUCH pero de ahí en fuera todo fue perfecto.
UPDATE:
Amé el epilogo extra, ocurre aproximadamente dos o tres años después de éste libro es que Clay y Giana son de lo más cute.
AMEÉ
Tenía bastante tiempo que no leía un libro New Adult/College y que lo disfrutara tanto.
Es fake Dating, Sport romance y los protagonistas son lo más cute del mundo, tiene el cliché del protagonista popular, sexy as hell, guapo y la contraparte una protagonista tímida, good girl y virgen, pero esto está muy bien llevado e hizo que la historia funcionara.
Clay ha roto con su novia del instituto está dolido y Giana está enamorada de un músico ,pero es inexperta en cuestiones de ligue por lo que Clay le propone ser su novio falso para poner celosa a su ex y que regrese en cambio é la va ayudar a conquistar a su músico pero ustedes saben cómo terminan esas cosas.
Clay y Giana me parecen de los personajes más adorables y tiernos, tiene una gran química, hacen una bonita pareja, son divertidos y sus sexy times son Spicy as Hell, los amé mucho.
Todo me encantó pero no le daré las 5 estrellas por el drama final siento que fue TOO MUCH pero de ahí en fuera todo fue perfecto.
UPDATE:
Amé el epilogo extra, ocurre aproximadamente dos o tres años después de éste libro es que Clay y Giana son de lo más cute.
January 3, 2026
LOVED THIS even more than the first one!!! the fake dating angst was chefs. fucking. kiss. i was eating up every scene they were together in (and every scene they were separated but still thinking of each other ). i’d heard about kandi steiner but i didn’t know she was ALLL THIS. reading the rest of the series immediately these are so bingable
February 2, 2023
Meh. This was entirely too average.
This was cute and exactly what it promises to be: a new adult sports romance with a bunch of popular tropes. It was well done for what it was and I can see why it's such a hit.
It feels like it was written to directly cater to spicy book tok demographics: young women who may be new to reading romance. And it does it really well!
But that is also why it was just ok for me.
It's nothing new, very familiar territory with beloved romance tropes. And there's a big market for that for sure.
Once again I feel like the odd one out because it was just very mid for me.
This was cute and exactly what it promises to be: a new adult sports romance with a bunch of popular tropes. It was well done for what it was and I can see why it's such a hit.
It feels like it was written to directly cater to spicy book tok demographics: young women who may be new to reading romance. And it does it really well!
But that is also why it was just ok for me.
It's nothing new, very familiar territory with beloved romance tropes. And there's a big market for that for sure.
Once again I feel like the odd one out because it was just very mid for me.
January 5, 2024
4/5
Let’s ban the nickname "Kitten" please.
Let’s ban the nickname "Kitten" please.
July 20, 2024
what is he? a frog? jumping from one girl to another?
June 20, 2022
2.5 stars. This was sadly very bland.
Giana and Clay strike a deal. She will help him make his ex girlfriend Maliyah jealous, and he will help her get the attention of Shawn, a sexy musician she is crushing on. Fake relationship turns into sex lessons and turns into the real thing.
There was a lot of sex. It was hot. And other than that, I didn’t really get Clay and Giana. I felt like Clay would be better off with Maliyah and Giana with Shawn. 🤷♀️
I hate the “evil people interfering” narrative and I hate toxic parents. This had both. And then the breakup and cheesy grand gesture. It all felt like something I read a million times.
So it seems that trying MF again didn’t fix me. I am sick of the same old tropes all the time. I need something new and fresh and epic.
Giana and Clay strike a deal. She will help him make his ex girlfriend Maliyah jealous, and he will help her get the attention of Shawn, a sexy musician she is crushing on. Fake relationship turns into sex lessons and turns into the real thing.
There was a lot of sex. It was hot. And other than that, I didn’t really get Clay and Giana. I felt like Clay would be better off with Maliyah and Giana with Shawn. 🤷♀️
I hate the “evil people interfering” narrative and I hate toxic parents. This had both. And then the breakup and cheesy grand gesture. It all felt like something I read a million times.
So it seems that trying MF again didn’t fix me. I am sick of the same old tropes all the time. I need something new and fresh and epic.
April 1, 2024
Reread: 1 April’24
4 stars ⭐️
first read: 18 June’22
knew I was a goner the moment he read her favourite romance books to see what she likes in bed and re-enacted the highlighted scenes😌😩🧎♀️
4 stars ⭐️
first read: 18 June’22
knew I was a goner the moment he read her favourite romance books to see what she likes in bed and re-enacted the highlighted scenes😌😩🧎♀️
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