This sequel to the famous college romance novel features yet another hockey player bound to win over the hearts of female readers.
Garrett Graham’s best friend takes center stage as our main protagonist, and he isn’t afraid to prove his love for Grace through several grand gestures. Since this book is a sequel, the story kicks off at a brisk pace because we are already familiar with the characters. The steamier scenes pick up just as quickly. Interestingly, I am not even that much of a fan of the actual couples; what I truly enjoy is reading the banter and dialogue within their friend group. Despite their pasts, these guys are remarkably uncomplicated. They communicate easily with each other, resolve conflicts straightforwardly, stick together, and support one another. The fact that they are genuinely funny is a huge bonus. A beautiful example of this is Logan’s visit to Morris, where they maturely communicate his interest in Grace and end up playing video games together. Completely uncomplicated. I sometimes wonder why women can’t function that way too. Honestly, I could easily read a whole book just about Garrett, Logan, Dean, and Tucker living together. They remind me a lot of my boyfriend’s friend group.
As for the plot itself, Grace struck me as a very uncomplicated and well-grounded person. Shy, but well-grounded. She shared a good relationship with her parents, who earn a bonus point from me because even though they divorced, their child didn’t suffer from the decision. Despite having different goals in life, they get along well. Perhaps that is why this book was shorter than the others—we didn’t have to unpack any deep past traumas. I view this as a plus; not every character in a book needs a traumatic backstory.
However, a major red flag was her friend, Ramona. That girl had serious issues and suffered from a deep sense of inferiority. She constantly tried to impress her friends and boys in various ways. The worst part, though, was her jealousy toward Grace; best friends simply don’t do that. While minor moments of jealousy are understandable from time to time, harboring those feelings for years leads nowhere good. It bordered on a toxic relationship. Since I read the book in a single day, I paused to think about why Ramona was so desperate to hold onto her friendship with Grace. She probably realized that, despite everything, Grace was her only true friend who would stand by her side even in complicated situations. And just a quick heads-up for Grace: unfortunately, gossip, badmouthing, and mockery do not end in school. Just wait until you enter the workforce—sometimes it’s even worse, and your ultimate nemesis will end up being some lady shortly before retirement. Just a little warning there! On a side note, I fully support her passion for old action movies. Those films are absolute classics.
Logan certainly didn’t have an easy life. Along with Tucker, he seemed like the type of person from the group who could picture themselves in a relationship much sooner compared to Garrett and Dean, for whom it happened more automatically. That is also why Logan’s decision to start something with Grace wasn’t overly complicated or drawn out, as he was never closed off to the idea. His main issue was rather his belief that he still harbored feelings for Hannah. His family dynamics were far from easy. Initially, I thought his brother Jeff was being too harsh on his younger brother, who possessed immense potential to make it big in the hockey world. But as I read on, I realized Jeff had sacrificed a great deal in his own life. Taking care of an alcoholic father who also faces health issues is by no means an easy task. I completely understood Jeff’s desire to pack up with his girlfriend and travel across Europe. Some might say the Coach crossed a line when he visited their father. On the other hand, who knows if their father would have ever found the courage to check into rehab otherwise, finally allowing his sons to chase their dreams.
The relationship between Logan and Grace itself was quite pleasant and made for a quick read. Personally, I don’t know if I could picture myself in a relationship with someone who openly told me I was just a distraction from the person they actually wanted. I would feel incredibly insecure in that situation, though I would blame him, not myself. The tasks Grace set for him were quite funny and sweet, and they truly proved his genuine interest in her. It’s a shame we didn’t get to see all of them, as it might have spiced up the plot a bit, which felt somewhat monotonous overall. In this case, the realization of their mutual attraction happened near the beginning of the book, and the author dedicated most of the pages to Logan winning back Grace’s affection. Out of the Off-Campus series, the Logan and Grace pairing ranks third for me.