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shvf's review against another edition
5.0
UEHCUSCHSIXJDJD WHAT DO I SAY OTHER THAN I LOVE LEO MF HERNANDEZ SO MUCH
give a sec to get my thoughts together
give a sec to get my thoughts together
maddie408's review against another edition
5.0
oh this is a new favorite. i knew from the first few pages this was a book i’d absolutely fall head over heels for. the buzz was so real from the beginning. the trope had me squealing with all the cuteness at first when they were younger to the tension and angst later on.
mary radiated such a beautiful, radiant girl who went through so much bullsh*t in school dealing with bullies and her family not being supportive of her career path and who she truly was blossoming in to. she is such an artsy, creative and edgy badass!!! i loved her coming in to her own and loving the skin (tattooed and not) she had. she deserves all the love and adoration.
leo? holy. sh*t. new book bf alert !!!!! the hidden gem he was. mary being his true love from the beginning and him never getting over her????? yeah i was sold. my heart aches he couldn’t feel confident being his true self because he felt he wouldn’t be valued in football if he wasn’t the playboy people thought he was. his relationship with his mom was so wholesome. his love for mary ran years deep. he loved her without even knowing who she was or what she looked like and the way she moved across the street 7 years later sounds like soulmatism to me!
their love was like them reaching in to each others souls and not letting go. i love love love them.
the boys in the pit crumbs were precious and am i actually liking kyle at the end of the series? who would have thought.
i wish there was more!!! i’d read a braden or blake book especially to see this found family again!
the epilogue had me emotional. julepholden’s wedding
mary radiated such a beautiful, radiant girl who went through so much bullsh*t in school dealing with bullies and her family not being supportive of her career path and who she truly was blossoming in to. she is such an artsy, creative and edgy badass!!! i loved her coming in to her own and loving the skin (tattooed and not) she had. she deserves all the love and adoration.
leo? holy. sh*t. new book bf alert !!!!! the hidden gem he was. mary being his true love from the beginning and him never getting over her????? yeah i was sold. my heart aches he couldn’t feel confident being his true self because he felt he wouldn’t be valued in football if he wasn’t the playboy people thought he was. his relationship with his mom was so wholesome. his love for mary ran years deep. he loved her without even knowing who she was or what she looked like and the way she moved across the street 7 years later sounds like soulmatism to me!
their love was like them reaching in to each others souls and not letting go. i love love love them.
the boys in the pit crumbs were precious and am i actually liking kyle at the end of the series? who would have thought.
i wish there was more!!! i’d read a braden or blake book especially to see this found family again!
the epilogue had me emotional. julepholden’s wedding
shelbylynne00's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-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
exquisite_tragedy's review against another edition
3.0
Tropes/Themes:
-MF new adult sports romance (football)
-Second chance (they used to be online friends in high school)
-Hate to love
-Forced proximity (neighbors to roommates to lovers)
-Plus size rep (curvy heroine)
-Lots of angst due to their shared history
-Found family / strong female friendships
-Dual POV
-Book #4 and final installment in an interconnected standalone series
Leo & Mary felt like the most unique couple of the series, which I really enjoyed. They had so much history together which made the angst SO GOOD. I loved Leo so much, he was so smitten and swoon worthy. He was immediately obsessed with Mary (with his feelings further reinforced once their shared history gets revealed). He absolutely worshipped her and was willing to do anything to win her over.
However…nothing bothers me more than an annoying 3rd act conflict, and unfortunately that was the case here for me. I won’t go into it for sake of spoilers, but the conflict definitely need to happen or get dragged out the way it did.
Sad this series is over, but excited to read more from Kandi Steiner in the future!
CWs for sexual assault, assault in the workplace
Story: 3/5
Audiobook: 5/5 (narrated by Megan Wicks & Gabriel Marquez)
Length 10h38min
-MF new adult sports romance (football)
-Second chance (they used to be online friends in high school)
-Hate to love
-Forced proximity (neighbors to roommates to lovers)
-Plus size rep (curvy heroine)
-Lots of angst due to their shared history
-Found family / strong female friendships
-Dual POV
-Book #4 and final installment in an interconnected standalone series
Leo & Mary felt like the most unique couple of the series, which I really enjoyed. They had so much history together which made the angst SO GOOD. I loved Leo so much, he was so smitten and swoon worthy. He was immediately obsessed with Mary (with his feelings further reinforced once their shared history gets revealed). He absolutely worshipped her and was willing to do anything to win her over.
However…nothing bothers me more than an annoying 3rd act conflict, and unfortunately that was the case here for me. I won’t go into it for sake of spoilers, but the conflict definitely need to happen or get dragged out the way it did.
Sad this series is over, but excited to read more from Kandi Steiner in the future!
CWs for sexual assault, assault in the workplace
Story: 3/5
Audiobook: 5/5 (narrated by Megan Wicks & Gabriel Marquez)
Length 10h38min
luvslena's review against another edition
4.0
The timeline with them being teenagers and bonding and gaming together and then having that miscommunication had me SOBBING! I loved the tension and the roomate situation! The reveal was also EVERYTHING TO ME. The spice was good too as well as the found family aspect. That tattoo shop guy was such a red flag omg. The epilogue must have been one of the longest I ever read tho lmao.
clicktojointhemafia's review against another edition
3.0
i definitely feel like if i read this when i was in the mood i would have enjoyed it more, but that's on me.
this book was so cute. the history they had made me absolutely fawn and shit because it was so cute. (i found it stupid how she chose to approach him though icl). i really enjoyed mary's character- her desire to be a tattoo artist was so well written and i was so rooting for her and was so proud of her. the found family was also hitting in this book and had me goofily smiling and shit too. leo was cute, i found him sexier after he started apologising. his random italian words did make me chuckle tho- and also mary never asked what any of that means??? like be fr. the character's did have some amazing chemistry, but i feel like the book didn't start at the start of the story which, i think, in hindsight, affected my ability to fully get itno it bc it's like starting a movie 25% in instead of at the start. also i definitely skim read the smut. maybe i wasn't in the mood but either way i wasn't quite invested.
as for the conflict. valid. he did go against her wishes but i don't understand why she kept saying he broke her trust again and again. luckily she came to her senses.
thenNNNN, ms kandi steiner wrote the BEST THING EVER THAT IS SO TRULY UNDERRATED AND UNDERUSED!!!! leo ran to her after a game infront of everyone to the bleachers to kiss her. 🤭😩
what really stole my heart away was gianna telling clay they're having a baby in the epilogue!!!! ( i gasped audibly and was so emotional.
this book was so cute. the history they had made me absolutely fawn and shit because it was so cute. (i found it stupid how she chose to approach him though icl). i really enjoyed mary's character- her desire to be a tattoo artist was so well written and i was so rooting for her and was so proud of her. the found family was also hitting in this book and had me goofily smiling and shit too. leo was cute, i found him sexier after he started apologising. his random italian words did make me chuckle tho- and also mary never asked what any of that means??? like be fr. the character's did have some amazing chemistry, but i feel like the book didn't start at the start of the story which, i think, in hindsight, affected my ability to fully get itno it bc it's like starting a movie 25% in instead of at the start. also i definitely skim read the smut. maybe i wasn't in the mood but either way i wasn't quite invested.
as for the conflict. valid. he did go against her wishes but i don't understand why she kept saying he broke her trust again and again. luckily she came to her senses.
thenNNNN, ms kandi steiner wrote the BEST THING EVER THAT IS SO TRULY UNDERRATED AND UNDERUSED!!!! leo ran to her after a game infront of everyone to the bleachers to kiss her. 🤭😩
what really stole my heart away was gianna telling clay they're having a baby in the epilogue!!!! ( i gasped audibly and was so emotional.
mrssmith2017's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
salyarmor's review against another edition
4.0
3.5
Ugh, Leo fu**ing Hernandez!! Kandi Steiner had me falling in love with a man that does not exist, YET AGAIN :( Hot, cocky, football player and Hispanic! YES PLEASE. Now, lets get into why this did not get a higher rating. The miscommunication that 100% could have been avoided was just irritating. Leo not "remembering" was just dumb and hard to believe. Mary being so insecure and Leo always having to compliment her was *eye roll*. Although, I did love that Mary wasn't your typical FMC. Tattoos, curvy, tomboyish. The pattern Kandi Steiner has towards the end of the book was predictable BUT I thought the reconciliation was super cute! It was giving the football scene from A Cinderella Story. Ate up the SMUT of course ;) Leo is just perfect! Enemies to lovers romance will always have me in a chokehold.
Ugh, Leo fu**ing Hernandez!! Kandi Steiner had me falling in love with a man that does not exist, YET AGAIN :( Hot, cocky, football player and Hispanic! YES PLEASE. Now, lets get into why this did not get a higher rating. The miscommunication that 100% could have been avoided was just irritating. Leo not "remembering" was just dumb and hard to believe. Mary being so insecure and Leo always having to compliment her was *eye roll*. Although, I did love that Mary wasn't your typical FMC. Tattoos, curvy, tomboyish. The pattern Kandi Steiner has towards the end of the book was predictable BUT I thought the reconciliation was super cute! It was giving the football scene from A Cinderella Story. Ate up the SMUT of course ;) Leo is just perfect! Enemies to lovers romance will always have me in a chokehold.