The Deal by Elle Kennedy

This was a pretty middle of the road read for me personally.

There was a lot to like, it’s well written, and it covers some heavier themes in a lighthearted but respectful way. That said, it stayed fairly surface level overall, and the MMC just wasn’t quite my flavor.

I’ve heard the later books in this series of interconnected standalones improve on the banter and bring more energy to the world, so I’m still curious to continue.

My biggest complaint is simply that there weren’t enough dynamic side characters to really bring the story to life. Outside of the central romance, many characters felt a bit flat.

I did love how quick and easy this was to get through. We binged the audiobook in two sittings for girls’ date night and had plenty of giggles throughout. Everyone came away with generally positive vibes.

Overall, I enjoyed the relationship dynamics, the way trauma was handled and overcome, and the fact that it was a cute contemporary sports romance that stayed light on the actual sports talk which is always my preference.

I'll read the rest of the universe in time, but I'm not going to run straight to them.