Why You'll Love This
A fake-dating deal between a hockey captain and the one girl who refuses to be impressed by him — and the slow unraveling of why that matters.
- Great if you want: enemies-to-lovers with emotional depth beneath the banter
- The experience: fast, fun, and sneaks up on you with genuine feeling
- The writing: Kennedy keeps both POVs sharp and distinct — Garrett earns his charm
- Skip if: new adult college romance tropes feel too familiar to you
About This Book
Hannah Wells knows exactly what she wants — except how to get it. When a chance at her crush collides with Garrett Graham's desperate need to salvage his GPA, the two strike a bargain that should be simple: fake dates in exchange for tutoring. But nothing about spending that much time with someone this aggravating, this unexpectedly perceptive, stays simple for long. Underneath the banter and the pretense, both of them are carrying weight they haven't shown anyone — and the closer they get, the harder it becomes to remember what was real and what was part of the deal.
Elle Kennedy writes romantic tension with a precision that feels almost unfair. The dialogue crackles, the push-and-pull between Hannah and Garrett builds with genuine patience rather than manufactured drama, and Kennedy never sacrifices character depth for plot momentum. Hannah in particular stands out as a protagonist with real interiority — funny, guarded, and fully formed. This is a college romance that earns its emotional payoff because it takes the time to make you care about both people before it lets them fall.
