Reviews with content warning for Car accident - Behind the Net

Reviews tagging 'Car accident'

Behind the Net by Stephanie Archer

87 reviews

witcherswife's review against another edition

4.0

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: Yes

Sports romance is not my go-to genre, and the first one I read—Icebreaker—was quite meh. Behind the Net by Stephanie Archer was my second proper sports romance, and I had very low expectations. But not only did it exceed them, it quickly became a book I genuinely adored.

It’s a simple story with the grumpy-sunshine trope. It’s witty, it’s cute, it’s HOT (very, very hot—so much that it’s definitely 18+ lol). I actually liked the characters; they were well written, and even the side characters were amazing. I’m already planning to continue this series (Part 2 is enemies-to-lovers with amazing banter, and I’m already a fan).

But what I absolutely loved was Jamie and Pippa’s dynamic. Jamie is closed-off, hyper-independent, and used to doing everything on his own.

Losing his father at a young age and then watching his mother slip into depression meant he had to step up as a caretaker, putting his life on hold for her while also focusing on his game. He wasn’t ready for a relationship, didn’t think he could commit to one. And then Pippa shows up. And it’s not like she forces herself into his life—she just exists in it. She helps him, takes care of things for him, refuses to let him push her away, and somewhere along the way, he lets her in. And then there’s Pippa—who has her own baggage. She followed a jerk of an ex around for years only to be dumped like she didn’t matter. She lost faith in herself, in her talent, in her ability to take chances. She was scared of getting involved with Jamie because she knew she’d get attached. But he’s so damn supportive of her, reminding her of her worth, pushing her to get back on stage, telling her to get back on the ice. And in the end, he literally puts his own games on hold to follow her on tour for half a year.

Their relationship isn’t just about the spicy chemistry (though trust me, there’s plenty of that); it’s about how much they care for each other, how they help each other grow. That’s what made me love them so much.

Now, let’s talk about the spice. One of my biggest pet peeves is unnecessary smut—where it’s just thrown in for the sake of it, with no relevance to the plot. But Behind the Net balances it so well. It never felt forced or excessive; instead, it added to their relationship in a way that made sense. That’s why this is one of the few spicy books I’d 100% recommend (only to those 18+ lol).

The plot is predictable, but in a sweet and satisfying way. It’s fast-paced—probably one of my quickest reads. I’m not sure if it qualifies as a slow burn, but their first moment doesn’t happen until almost halfway through the book. And the tension (ahem sexual tension ahem) was worth the wait. Every time I thought, okay, this is it, they’d be like, "Alright, goodnight." That build-up was so well done.

All in all, I loved this book and would definitely recommend it if you’re in the mood for a fast-paced, grumpy-sunshine, spicy sports romance.

Content Warnings

avery_29's review against another edition

4.5

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

annadelreads's review against another edition

4.25

emotional funny inspiring reflective relaxing 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: No

“How can anyone ever say yes to you if you say no to yourself first?”

Happy New Year, everyone! This book is the first book I've read for 2025 and the first book I've read on Kindle!

Oh dear, another hockey player as its MMC, what else is new? Apparently, nothing. I'm really here for the vibes and man oh man, I was hit by the puck with this one. I know a lot of people were loving this book so I knew for sure that I would enjoy it but to have a fictional man such as Jamie as it's MMC? What could I want more? The moment I found out that he was crushing hard on her since they were teens? I died from excitement.

The backstory of each main character was something to note as well. Jamie is this big time hockey player who moved to different teams to be closer to his mother, who's suffering from trauma and panic attacks due to her husband's drunk driving accident. Meanwhile, there's Pippa who recently got dumped by her upcoming boyfriend who only wanted her for her song writing. So she got traumatized to sing once again until she became an assistant to this hot hockey player who's also secretly in love with her.

To be honest, what really dragged the rating down was how horny they were to each other. I don't know how they didn't already fuck by the first few chapters because they're both sending love lust to each other since day one. By that point, I can see that it would be a smutty book and I'm staying. Will definitely continue on with the series!

Content Warnings

leah_shorts's review against another edition

3.75

funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

There wasn't anything extraordinarily remarkable about this book, but it was a nice read. I really enjoyed the beginning as they were pining after each other. And I loved watching Pippa's growth and that Jamie continued to encourage her and build her up. It got kind of slow in parts but it was a relaxing, enjoyable read.

Content Warnings

kirareadssometimes's review against another edition

4.0

hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-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

I thought this book was good but had some personal icks that made it difficult to love. I really can’t get into books with musicians especially when they talk a lot about their music and process. It is a personal thing but it feels so pretentious and agonizingly long. Besides Pippa being a musician and talking way too in depth about song writing and the meaning behind it I liked her character. She was a good balance of shy but willing to stick up for herself, funny and kind. My ick with Jamie was that he said “My pretty assistant” about a hundred times and that was 99 times too many. Gross. I enjoy a grumpy sunshine but I felt like the charm of his grumpiness didn’t come until about 60% of the way through the book. Despite, I still thought they made a cute couple and were really there for each other. The spice was really fun and there was a decent amount. I have already started the next book and it is even better! Glad I read this one so I was set up to read the next!

Content Warnings