source: kindle unlimited
rating:★★★✩✩
from goodreads:
She's the only woman he wants...and the only one he can't have.
Asher Donovan is a living legend―the darling of the Premier League, the (arguably) greatest footballer in the world.
But his reckless antics and recent team transfer have caused much controversy, and when his feud with his rival-turned-teammate costs them a championship, they're forced to "bond" during off-season cross-training.
Surviving the summer shouldn't be hard…until Asher meets their new trainer. She's beautiful, talented, and no matter how hard he tries, he can't take his mind off her.
The only problem? She's his rival's sister―and completely off limits.
Scarlett DuBois is a former prima ballerina whose career was cut short by a tragic accident.
Now a teacher at a prestigious dance academy but still haunted by the ghosts of her past, the last thing she wants is to spend the summer cross-training Asher Donovan, of all people.
She swore she would never date a footballer, but when her brother leaves town for an emergency, she finds herself thrown into dangerously close proximity with the gorgeous, charming striker.
Training, she can deal with. But falling in love? That's out of the question―especially when he's the only person with the power to break her heart.
my review:
we all know the infamous asher donovan the one sloane is always on about because he does the most absurd things, the one who races, the one who dates all the hottest women but this asher?? is this even the same man?? felt so different here. this version of asher is soft, caring, sweet, and willing to protect his woman at all costs. he’s still a little hard-headed (because of course he is), but definitely not as chaotic as we’ve seen before.
scarlett, idk she was kind of annoying to me, i’m not gonna lie. yes, we get it you don’t want to date him because of your brother, you don’t want to be in the public eye, you don’t want the scrutiny but then you’re pulled in the second you’re alone together, only to push it away again because of those same reasons. it felt
repetitive.i did appreciate that she was dealing with trauma and that the book showed the ins and outs of it, but it also felt like everything kept circling back to that one event. as much as she didn’t want it to define her, it kind of did and it felt like she used it as an excuse. and the way she treated some of her students because of it?? not my favorite.
honestly, i feel like the other characters made this book for me. because who doesn’t love a good cameo, and ana is the QUEEN of cameos. i loved seeing sloane in her element, getting bits of josh and jules, and even the mention of vuk. it really shows how intertwined all these stories are, and i live for that.
the supporting characters were great too. brooklyn and carina brought that lighthearted friendship energy the story needed, and vincent brought the rivalry. if anything, it kind of felt like this book leaned just as much into vincent and asher rebuilding their relationship as it did into the "romance" between asher and scarlett.
overall, i did like it. i liked the family drama on both sides, but especially the realism of asher’s family situation. because honestly, families are complicated, and it sucks when you feel like you’re doing everything you can and it still doesn’t feel like enough. the moment with his dad calling him out and helping him get his head out of his ass was actually refreshing, it felt real.
i liked the mix of hurt, trauma, and drama throughout, even if some parts didn’t fully land for me. overall, a solid book, just not my favorite.
favorite quotes:
“we all have ugly feelings sometimes. it’s a part of human nature. but it’s what we do with them that counts.”