Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - The Graham Effect

An early journal entry for this book can be summed up as “too long, no plot, stop reading BookTok recommendations”. While the second one is not true, the other two are. The book would have been far better had it been 200 or so pages shorter.

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theheelerbooklife's review against another edition

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emotional funny inspiring lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The Graham Effect is a fun, grumpy x sunshine, enemies-to-lovers romance novel.

I'm currently in my sports romance era, and I've only read one other book by Elle Kennedy - The Chase from the Briar U series. I loved The Chase, and because of that, I expected to love The Graham Effect too.

The story is about Gigi Graham, the daughter of Garrett Graham from the Off-Campus series. Gigi wants to make her famous hockey dad proud by becoming one of the top female hockey players and making it to the Olympics. Luke Ryder wants to be chosen as one of the coaches for Garrett Graham's summer program. He offers to help Gigi improve her weak spots in hockey, and she agrees to help him get chosen as a coach. But to do that, they must overcome their disdain for each other, which stems from when they first met as teenagers.

As they help each other, sparks fly, and their chemistry becomes intense. They soon can't deny their attraction and let their passion consume them.

The romance between Gigi and Ryder is both sweet and spicy. The book is not just a romance but also deals with the characters' trauma and anxiety. The character development is well done, and both Gigi and Ryder bring out the best in each other. Gigi helps Ryder open up about his feelings, and Ryder helps Gigi become more confident.

I couldn't put the book down and finished it in 3-4 days. The writing is gripping, and the story never lets you go. I appreciate that there's no third-act breakup scene, which is a common trope in romance novels.

If you enjoy sweet/spicy romances, hockey, sports, fast-paced reads, and well-developed characters, you'll love The Graham Effect.

I can't wait to read the sequel, The Dixon Rule, coming out in May.

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tyche_fortuna's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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virg_i's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Started this book beacause I wanted to see Garrett, and I loved to see the life he has built for his family. But then I quickly fell for Ryder. Like, perfection? Also, one of the most traumatic character’s backgrounds I’ve ever read of, wee done. Cute romance, and I appreciated that Kennedy understood we do not need a 3rd act breakup. When they got married tho? Did not se that coming. Loved the relationship Ryder built with Hannah and garrett. Loved how whipped Ryder is.

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tguccione's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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unicornofthesea's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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