Thank you to NetGalley, Get Red PR, and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Review: I could not be more grateful to Kennedy for revisiting the Briar Universe with her Campus Diaries series! 

 

“The Graham Effect” follows Gigi Graham, the daughter of the legendary hockey player Garrett Graham, as she tries to make a name for herself by qualifying for the women’s national hockey team. In order to improve her game behind the net, she makes a deal with Luke Ryder, Briar’s new hockey co-captain. In exchange for a few practice sections, Gigi agrees to put in a good word for him with her dad so that he can get the summer coaching spot he so desperately wants. The only snag? The chemistry between them that is impossible to ignore. 

 

If I’m being honest, I don’t normally reach for “next generation” stories. I find that they don’t live up to the stories that paved the way for them and they lack a certain something. All this being said, “The Graham Effect” is THE exception. I found myself loving this book just as much as I loved the Off-Campus series and it’s all thanks to the addictive quality I’ve come to associate with Kennedy’s writing. 

 

Gigi and Luke are my new favorite couple. Alternating between their perspectives deepened their romantic tension and mutual pining, making my heart race. Most of all, I loved that they could be vulnerable with and push each to be better. 

 

I would be remiss if I did not touch on the cameos made by the characters that started it all! I thoroughly enjoyed catching up with Garrett, Hannah, Logan, Dean, and Jake. Their brief appearances are memorable without taking away from Gigi and Luke’s love story. 

 

I cannot wait to see which child of this new generation will be the protagonist of book 2!