A review by bribreez
The One-Night Scrimmage by Mariah Dietz

emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.25

*Thank you to Mariah Dietz for providing me with an ARC of this book, I greatly appreciate it! All thoughts and opinions are my own. Also, please check Trigger Warning before reading.

4.25⭐️/ 3🌶️

I have quickly found myself obsessed and loving this interconnected series! Each book has made me fall in love with the characters, and keeps getting better! I thought the last book was great, but when I saw this book was going to be focused on COREY! OMG YEASSSSSS! I’m telling you, Mariah just knows how to leave you wanting more of this fictional guys!!! (Sigh) and the tropes in this book were fantastic! From billionaire hero (YEAH YOU READ THAT RIGHT!), to both leads being athletes, found family, one night stand, and more! 

A one night stand between Fallon and Corey wasn’t enough for those two, there was still that lingering connection they couldn’t stop thinking about! You would think that with Corey and Fallon having a one night stand would be the end, but NOPE, that was just the beginning! I actually liked the way the one night stand trope played out not only with seeing Fallon just take the initiative, but how Corey and Fallon reconnected soon after. Corey and Fallon immediately had a connection that was undeniable, and it only grew stronger as they spent more time together since Fallon transferred over to Camden University. Plenty of forced proximity, being around one another provided plenty of opportunities for Corey and Fallon to spend time together which was entertaining and fun to see. 

Fallon was new to Camden University and having to start off fresh wasn’t easy. Between juggling her feelings for Corey, and trying to find her place on the soccer team, that was only the tip of the iceberg of what Fallon dealt with. I liked Fallon right away, I thought she was nice, kind, at times able to times sassy when necessary, but also a bit of a people pleaser. Fallon was by no means perfect, and seeing her deal with a variety of things made her relatable. Obviously I couldn’t relate to every single aspect of Fallon’s life such as, her chronic illness, but I did feel empathetic towards her. I also liked seeing the chronic illness representation because, one it’s always important to see a different range of characters, and two, I got to see exactly the challenges Fallon dealt with when it came to her illness as well as learning more about it. Fallon was a tough girl who deal with a lot, and I admired her for it. 

Corey, my beautiful, handsome, dark haired stranger, (sigh) he was so dreamy. Just like the previous male characters within this series, I didn’t know much about Corey, but through each book, I got to see bits of him that left wanting to read his book a.s.a.p.! Corey was an amazing friend, hard worker, and an overall great guy who everyone loved. I initially expected Corey’s story to be straightforward, but with the added background of his family and namely his sister, Anna, there was a bit of an emotional arch in his story that made me equal parts sad and sympathetic towards him. As much as Corey put everything into football, when it came to Anna, if it ever came down to it, he was willing to give it all up for her. While there was some angst to Corey’s part of the story, I did enjoy seeing him brighten up whenever he talked or spent time with Fallon. Corey was so head over heels for Fallon that it showed in how he paid attention to the smallest details about her. 

Family doesn’t just mean the people you share blood with, but also the people that have your back, and welcome you with open arms. If I’ve said it once, twice, and multiple times, I’ll say it again, THE FOUND FAMILY IN THIS SERIES IS AMAZING! Fallon dealt with a lot especially when it came to her new teammates being horrible towards her, ugh IT MADE ME FURIOUS! Needless to say, the team camaraderie wasn’t good, and Fallon suffered the brunt of her team treating her disrespectfully. Luckily, with Corey and his group of friends, they quickly found themselves protective over Fallon too, and WERE SO FLIPPING NICE TO HER! It was heartwarming to see Fallon join the friend group and see her enjoying herself as opposed to feeling uncomfortable around her team. Over the course of this series, the friend group has grown and welcomed new people, and it just keeps getting better. With Fallon, not only did she gain a supportive and attentive guy like Corey, but also a new group of friends who quickly became her family too. 

Awww Corey and Fallon were great together. This series has quickly captured my attention with the deep connection of family within the friend group, and how each set of couples has made me adore them even more. Corey like the other guys in his respective friend group left me wanting to know more him, and it was great to see. Fallon was a new character in the series, but I quickly liked her, and her tenacity when it came to soccer and anything she put her mind to. The one night stand quickly became more with the way Corey and Fallon couldn’t stop thinking about each other! SOOOOO GOOD! The found family was once again a thing I obsessed over! Get you some friends that will have your back like the ones in this series!!! This story was also eye opening in seeing the misunderstandings and judgement that Fallon faced when it came to her type one diabetes. I don’t know much about diabetes, but the way Mariah wrote it showed how knowledgeable she was about the topic. Fallon and Corey were both great characters and I once again found myself enjoying the story. If you’re looking for a sports romance series with unique plot lines, close friend groups, romance, spice, and lovable characters then definitely check out this book as well as the others in this interconnected series!!!