Title: The Mistake
Author: Elle Kennedy
Publisher: Bloom Books
Pages: 283
Genre: New adult
My Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️🖤

Buy this book on Amazon

The Mistake

John Logan can get anyone he wants; he’s popular and good-looking. Grace Ivers is attracted to him, but she thinks he has never even noticed her. So when Logan knocks on her door, she is surprised.

Logan was on his way to a party, but ended up at the wrong house. So instead of partying, he finds himself watching a movie with Grace. When they start making out, everything changes for Logan. He usually sleeps with different girls every night, but now he only has eyes for Grace.

Unfortunately for him, he says something stupid, and now he spends all his free time trying to prove to Grace that he is worth it and that he wants her back.

Review

I am speed-reading the first three books in the Off-Campus series. Apparently, you need to read the first three books before watching the show on Prime Video if you don’t want any spoilers. I thought reading just the first book would be enough, but apparently not. So now I’m reading books two and three. This was book number two in the series.

And I am really enjoying this series. Actually, I’m enjoying everything Elle Kennedy writes. Her books are so easy to read, and I enjoy every single minute of them. I literally finished this one in two nights; I was completely invested in the story.

Logan used to be a player, with a different girl every night. He has feelings for another girl, but she is taken, so instead he hooks up with other people to distract himself. Grace is the opposite; she has no experience because it never felt like the right moment for her.

She has a crush on Logan and eventually wants to hook up with him, but he says something that really hurts her feelings, and she ends up ghosting him. A few months later, they see each other again, and he asks for a second chance. She agrees; but only if he completes six challenges first.

I liked the characters. I mean, I didn’t like Logan when he was a player and using Grace. But luckily, he stops hooking up with other girls after he meets her. That’s kind of romantic in its own way. And he actually completes these crazy challenges, ones that a lot of men would probably give up on, so he earns a lot of bonus points there.

I also felt sorry for him because he is dealing with a lot in his life, including issues with his father. I liked Grace a lot as well. She is smart and knows how to set and protect her boundaries, and I really respect that.

Just like I mentioned before, I always enjoy these kinds of stories, and this time was no different. It was another page-turner. These books are perfect when you want something fun and cute to read. I’m expecting the rest of the series will be just as enjoyable as the first two books. I also have high expectations for the Off-Campus series overall.

The post The Mistake – Elle Kennedy | Book Review first appeared on A happy life.

<p>The post The Mistake – Elle Kennedy | Book Review first appeared on A happy life.</p>

Title: The Deal
Author: Elle Kennedy
Publisher: Bloom Books
Pages: 360
Genre: Sports romance
My Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Buy this book on Amazon

The Deal

Hannah Wells is a student at Briar University. She’s smart, loves making music, and has a major crush on a guy she’s never even spoken to she’s not even sure he knows she exists.
Garrett Graham is a hockey player, but he’s failing one of his classes and needs a tutor. He wants Hannah to help him, but she keeps turning him down until he makes her a deal. If Hannah helps him study, he’ll help her get the guy she likes.
As they start spending more time together, Garrett begins to realize he might actually be falling for Hannah.

Review

A long time ago, I read The Graham Effect by Elle Kennedy, which is about Garrett and Hannah’s daughter. After reading that book, I decided I wanted to read all of the books in the right order — and that’s why I picked this one, since it’s the first book in the Off-Campus series.

I remember liking The Graham Effect, but most of the time when I read sports romances, I feel like they’re mostly about the sex and the plot is missing. I’m not saying that’s the case with Elle Kennedy’s books, but it’s something I’ve noticed in general. So I was still excited to read The Deal, but at the same time, my expectations were a little low. Which is probably a good thing, because most of the time when your expectations are too high, you end up disappointed.

But honestly, I really enjoyed reading this book. Yes, there’s some spice in it, but it’s just a small part of the story. I actually liked the whole plot, and both characters had their own personal struggles. Garrett’s father used to hit him and his mother when he was younger, and his mother has since passed away. Hannah’s story is about how she was raped when she was only 15 years old — that’s some pretty heavy stuff, so this book definitely comes with trigger warnings.

I liked both characters, and I really liked them together. There was chemistry, and I always enjoy an enemies-to-friends-to-lovers kind of relationship. At first, Hannah thought Garrett was super annoying, but then she realized he wasn’t a bad guy and ended up falling for him.

There wasn’t really anything I didn’t like, besides a few side characters (Garrett’s dad and someone from Hannah’s past). Even the guy Hannah originally had a crush on turned out to be a nice person. I was expecting him to act like he was too good for her or something, but I actually liked him as well. I don’t think he got his own book though — I believe all the books in the series are about the hockey players, and he was a football player.

Overall, it was a really good book and I definitely enjoyed reading it. I’m planning to read the rest of the series soon. I have a couple of weeks off in December, so I’ll probably read a lot during my vacation. I currently have 125 books on my Goodreads TBR, and I really want to start lowering that number!

The post The Deal – Elle Kennedy | Book Review first appeared on A happy life.

<p>The post The Deal – Elle Kennedy | Book Review first appeared on A happy life.</p>

Title: The Graham Effect
Author: Elle Kennedy
Publisher: Bloom Books
Genre: Romance
Pages: 496
My Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️🖤

Buy this book on Amazon

The Graham Effect

Gigi Graham has three goals: qualify for the national ice hockey team, win Olympic gold, and step out of her father’s shadow. But to qualify for the national team, she has to improve her game behind the net. And Luke Ryder can help her with that.
Ryder’s team just merged with the Briar’s ice hockey team and everyone hates each other. Not a good start to the new season. The summer coaching spot he’s angling for with the legendary Garrett Graham is out of reach after he makes the worst possible first impression on his hero. So when Gigi asks him to help her, she has to put in a good word for him.
One problem: the tension between the two is hard to ignore, even when practicing on the ice.

Review

The Graham Effect is the first book in The Campus Diaries, but it is a spin-off from the Off-campus book series. The Off-campus book series is about Hannah and Garrett Graham. The first book in the Campus Diaries is about their daughter Gigi. I realized that when I almost the series. I kind of regret that I am reading this series before the Off-campus series. You can still read it as a separate series, but I think it would be more fun to read the other series first.

I think this is the second book about ice hockey I read this year already. I have the feeling there are suddenly a lot of books about football and hockey players, but maybe that is just my algorithm. I absolutely know nothing about this sport. Although, I have the feeling I am learning a little bit about it, just by reading these kinds of books. Who says romance novels can’t be educational?

The story itself is fine. I think I preferred the first book ‘Mile High’ in the Windy City series. I think I liked that story a little bit better, but it is pretty similar. If you like the Windy City series, you will probably like this book as well. There is even a plot twist in this book, and I did not see it coming at all. I was expecting a huge fight and a break-up because that is what happens in 90% of romance novels. So I was definitely surprised when the exact opposite happened. I did not see it coming and I also thought it was a little weird. They were only together for a few months.

Most of the characters were likable. Well, at first there were a couple of annoying characters but as the story progressed, the more likable they became. Except for one person, Michael Klein, he is still the enemy. Gigi wants to step out of her father’s shadow because they also compare her to her father, who was also a hockey player. Which makes sense. She loves listening to Horizons (someone talking about nature) in the car or when she is stressed.
Luke Ryder wants to be called Ryder and not Luke. However, that suddenly changes later on in the story and everyone starts calling him Luke instead. The author also mentions a lot that he is six foot five (195 cm) and I don’t understand the obsession with someone’s height. Maybe it is because almost everyone is super tall in my country, so it is pretty normal to me. But I honestly don’t care if a man is 6 feet or 6 feet five.

It is one of those books that you can read pretty fast, it is fast-paced and the chapters are not too long. I am not a fan of longer chapters, because I never want to stop in the middle of a chapter.
I still have a couple of questions after reading this book. First I wonder if Gigi is ever going to make the National team. I was sort of expecting that she would become a part of the USA team at the end, but it never happened. Second, are Will and Beckett an item? Because that was very mysterious and vague. I was also surprised by how open the relationship between Gigi and her parents is because she had no shame in telling them that the sex was wonderful.

But overall, I liked this book. And because I still have questions, I will probably read the other books in the series as well. The only problem is, that they are not being published yet. The second book in the series will be published this year according to Goodreads. So I might pick up the OG series about Gigi’s parents and read those first.
If you have read the Windy City and liked that book, then this is the series for you.

The post The Graham Effect – Elle Kennedy | Book Review first appeared on A happy life.

<p>The post The Graham Effect – Elle Kennedy | Book Review first appeared on A happy life.</p>

Title: Good Girl Complex
Author: Elle Kennedy
Publisher: Griffin
Pages: 368
Genre: Romance, Drama
My Rating:  ❤️❤️❤️❤️🖤

Buy Good Girl Complex by Elle Kennedy now on Amazon

Good Girl Complex Summary

Mackenzie Cabot comes from a wealthy family and has everything a girl can dream of. She is going to start at Garnet College, she has a boyfriend and has a successful business. From the outside, it might look like she has the perfect life. But she wants to be more than a good girlfriend to her boyfriend. And nobody is taking her business even seriously. They expect her to become the woman who stays at home while her boyfriend/husband is at work in the future.
Cooper Hartley is a townie in Avalon Bay and townies do not like the rich and spoiled kids at Garnett College. One night he gets fired because he hit a guy. This guy turns out to be Kincaid and Cooper and his friends want to take revenge. They force Cooper to seduce his girlfriend (Mackenzie). But the more time they spend together, the harder it gets to stay away from each other.

Review

This is the first book in the Avalon Bay series by Elle Kennedy. I also think this is the first time I read a book by Elle Kennedy. And I must say I wasn’t disappointed at all. I kind of enjoyed reading this book. Although, it took me a while to finish it because apparently, I preferred to spend time on my phone for some reason. 

Mackenzie is rich and also comes from a wealthy family. Her father is in politics so she has to behave herself. Her parents have this idea of how she should behave and what she can or can’t do. I reminded me of the Logan Huntzbergers family from Gilmore Girls. Logan’s parents thought Rory wasn’t good enough for their son because she wanted to work as a journalist. They wanted a stay-at-home wife for Logan basically. It makes me so mad when people are trying to control your life. I felt sorry for Mackenzie.

But I am happy for her that she met Cooper. His parents are also basically non-existent, so they can relate. He also helped her to be brave and follow her own path. Their parents are both really shitty. I thought that maybe Mackenzie’s parents would be more supportive since they are from a wealthy family. Mackenzie is creating her own business. Although when she wanted to create a new business, I thought it would be something that relates to her websites, but instead she buys a random hotel and wants to renovate it. That came out of nowhere.

And if Cooper was a real-life human being and he pulled the same stunt with me, I would have dumped him and never gone back together with him. No matter what. Imagine you find out that you were a part of a bet. How can you trust someone like that again? Maybe Mackenzie isn’t as smart as I thought.

The writing style was okay. There were maybe a few moments where I thought I missed something like I skipped a few pages. But then I realized I didn’t. But overall, I liked this book. It also gave me those vibes of the Netflix series ‘Outer Banks’. There are two groups (the rich and the locals) and they have their own names. But at the same time, it gave me those summer vibes. Which was nice, because I was reading this book while it was raining so hard outside. For a moment, I was in a sunny beach town.

As I mentioned, this is only the first part of the Avalon Bay series, but I think I am going to add the rest of the books from this series (Bad Girl Reputation and The Summer Girl) to my reading list. Hopefully, they will also give me those summer vibes. I can probably use it during the colder and rainy months that are ahead of me. The reason why I gave the Good Girl Complex by Elle Kennedy 4 out of 5 stars is because I enjoyed reading this book, the summer vibes, and Mackenzie has some bad-ass girl vibes. As long as I enjoy reading a certain book, I am happy. 

The post Good Girl Complex – Elle Kennedy | Book Review first appeared on A happy life.

<p>The post Good Girl Complex – Elle Kennedy | Book Review first appeared on A happy life.</p>