Boyfriend Material by Ilsa Madden-MillsMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I was provided an ARC via the author, all opinions are my own.
This is the second book set in the Hawthorne University universe, but it reads as a standalone. There is some overlap between the characters, but the focus is on a new couple. You do not have to have read book 1 to read book 2, but I do recommend Boyfriend Bargain because Sugar and Z's story is a good one! I will give some trigger warnings for sex, sexual assault (doesn't go to far), hazing, drug and alcohol abuse, and physical violence. It isn't over the top or graphic but it is there.
This follows Julia and Eric who are two unlikely people to couple up. They met in at a prestigious prep school, where Eric was the rich kid who ruled the school and Julia was a scholarship student trying to pave a better way for herself. Eric made Julia feel special, and even though he had a love em and leave em reputation, she thought maybe it would be different this time. She was wrong and left with a broken heart. Fast forward to college where Julia has been through the wringer. She is still down on her luck and trying to make ends meet. Eric has matured some, but he's got baggage of his own and a lot of pressure put on him by his family to keep up appearances. Eric helps Julia out of several tough situations, and they rekindle the friendship they once had. It quickly becomes evident that they still are attracted to each other and both need someone to lean on when things get tough.
I really enjoyed Eric and Julia's story. It had a bit of a slow burn feel to it as they started hanging out as friends before their relationship morphed into more. I liked that they started to get to know each other a bit before the romance aspect took off. The steam level in this is pretty decent. The book is well balances with some heavy, darker scenes and topics with lighter, sweeter moments. I also really enjoyed the side characters and hope to see more from them in the future. There are some angsty moments that will make your blood boil, but I'm pretty happy with the resolution. I don't want to spoil too much as this is kind of action packed which you don't usually see in a romance novel. This read pretty quickly as there was always something happening. If you like enemies to lovers, hockey romance, with a little bit of a slow burn feel, I highly recommend this one!
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