Book Review: Catching Feelings (Varsity #2) by Emily Charlotte

September 4, 2026 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Contemporary Sports Romance
Length: 304 pages
Author: Emily Charlotte
Publisher: Simon Teen
Release Date: September 1st, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The first rule for a drama-free senior year? Don’t fall for the mysterious new football transfer. A swoony young adult romance full of undeniable chemistry and school spirit perfect for fans of Lynn Painter and Friday Night Lights, from the author of Heart Check.

When Sabrina and Tyler meet by accident outside (okay, inside) the football locker rooms, it’s not a big deal. After a rocky summer, Sabrina is focused on leading the Spirit Committee to its best year ever, while Tyler is eager to leave behind the mess from his old school with a second chance playing football as a transfer. Neither is looking for romance.

But as the team’s newest (and most eligible) varsity athlete, Tyler is suddenly the center of attention. And Sabrina is busy dodging Ryan, her longtime flirtationship who is determined to take her to the homecoming dance. Ryan is exactly the kind of chaos Sabrina doesn’t need, so she asks Tyler to go as friends instead. Eager to fend off other unwanted advances, Tyler is happy to accept.

Of course, this was before Sabrina realized Tyler is Ryan’s cousin. But as long as they’re just friends, everything should be fine. Tyler is less willing to ignore the connection he feels toward Sabrina, but he’s also desperate to keep his past buried. When the chemistry between them becomes impossible to deny, can their carefully laid plans survive the fallout, or will secrets and social pressure threaten everything they’ve built?

Thank you Simon Audio for the gifted audiobook.

THIS WAS CUTE.

A quick little romance read I flew through the other day. I love reading sports books based on the season and football season is heeeere.

I loved the emphasis on acts of service. Tyler was so sweet in the way he tried to show Sabrina he cared. It was sincere and I adored it. They had a lot of good moments together. There was plenty of football content that capture the essence of those Friday night football games.

Both of these characters had some things to work through. It felt relatable to the age group and I liked how both learned that they needed to accept help and trust others with the truth. The nostalgic quality of high school and the insecurities that come along with it are absolutely relatable.

I wasn’t a big fan of the multiple moments of underage drinking. It’s not in your face, but present enough that I wish it would have been more cut from the plot. Otherwise I do think this fits into the young adult category well. I’d lean towards the upper age pocket though.

Overall audience notes:

Upper YA Sports Romance
Language: mild
Romance: heated make-outs
Violence: low
Content warnings: divorced parents (recounted, infidelity involved)

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Book Review: Hawk & Sparrow by Ayana Gray

September 4, 2026 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★
Audience: YA Historical Fantasy Mystery Romance
Length: 341 pages
Author: Ayana Gray
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Release Date: September 1st, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Sparks fly in this Gilded Age novel of mystery, magic, and romance by the author of the New York Times–bestselling Beasts of Prey.

Nineteen-year-old Vesper Evans has always resented Basalton’s high society, and the sorcery that provides them with a luxurious life unimaginable to most. Orphaned as a child and rescued by the editor of TheBasalton Globe, Vesper is now an ambitious reporter determined to keep her newspaper afloat.

While covering a lavish society gala, Vesper happens upon a shocking the murdered body of an inventor whose new machine promised to bring the benefits of sorcery to everyone. Several of the powerful magical elite may want the man dead, but the prime suspect is wealthy industrialist Maximilian Kite.

Max soon makes Vesper a tempting Find the culprit and restore his reputation in exchange for a substantial fee. Despite her distaste for Max’s world, Vesper agrees—the money would save the Globe, and the story would be the scoop of a lifetime. There’s only one In order for her to infiltrate society, the two must pose as a courting couple.

Their investigation takes them from the highest echelons of privilege to the seediest backstreets of Basalton. As they unearth the city’s secrets and scandals, Vesper finds herself in grave danger—while falling for one of the most infuriating, arrogant, handsome men she has ever met.

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the gifted audiobook.

IT WAS FINE.

I feel super neutral about this book which is making this review hard to write. I did like the audiobook! The narrator was fantastic and if you want to try this, that format would be a great option.

This just wasn’t anything…new? or engaging? I wasn’t mad I was reading it but I also didn’t have a lot of feelings towards the book. There were a LOT of characters and I remember getting confused as to who was who, especially when the reveals started showing up.

I did like the romance. It’s sweet and a light subplot. The reluctant allies to lovers had charm. I especially appreciate that it was young adult appropriate. Kissing only without odd innuendo. There’s a low level on language too. And I like that at least I could recommend it to that age group. The FMC is great too. Strong willed and tenacious in pursuit of the truth.

This is a murder mystery set in an URBAN HISTORICAL (Gilded Age) setting. I made the mistake of assuming it was all fantasy (I don’t read summaries often) and that threw me off a bit. I was kind of hoping for a full fantasy setting so please know that going in. This was a standalone and does wrap up things well.

Overall audience notes:

Urban historical fantasy mystery + romance
Language: mild
Romance: kisses
Violence: moderate
Content warnings: murder, attempted murder

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Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: August 2026

August 31, 2026 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Fall is in sight! We’re almost to the -ber months and it was a great month of reading. I love seeing the combination of all of these books. Check out my Instagram for reviews or they will be out on this platform in the future!

Out of Her League by Ava Rani
[Reread] A Court of Frost and Starlight (A Court of Thorns and Roses #3.5) by Sarah J. Maas
[ARC] Rebel Season (Hockey Boys of Loft 3B #3) by Katie Bailey and Leah Brunner
The Assassin’s Way by J.M. Kearl
Abby Offsides by Anna McCallie
The Lion and the Deathless Dark (Crowns of Nyaxia #5) by Carissa Broadbent
[Non-Fiction] The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins
In the Wake of the Wicked (The Siren Mage #2) by Kalie Cassidy
[ARC] Well Versed (Well Met #5) by Jen DeLuca
[Reread] House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City #1) by Sarah J. Maas
[ARC] The Bodyguard’s Fall (Falling for Autumn) by Cindy Steel
Adversary to the Villain (Assistant to the Villain #4) by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
[ARC] House of Curses (Royal Houses #3) by K.A. Linde
Tropesick by Lauren Okie
The Gilded Blade (The Grandest Game #3) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
[ARC] The Wretched Divine (The Wretched Divine #1) by Adalyn Grace
[ALC] Autumn on My Mind (Falling for Autumn) by Gracie Ruth Mitchell
The Exquisite Torment of Loving Your Enemy (Dearly Beloathed #2) by Brigitte Knightley
The Romance Revival by Christina Lauren
City of Lost Kings (Lost Kings Duet #1) by Kristen R. Moore
Cursed Ever After by Andy C. Naranjo
[ARC] This Change Everything by Danielle McKechnie
[ARC/ALC] Daughter of the Dark (Daughters of Auquis #1) by R.J. Valldeperas
Star-Crossed Summer by Devon Daniels
[ARC] Miss Beresford and the Beast (Daughters of Somerset #1) by Mimi Matthews
[ARC] Here We Go Again (Georgia Jaguars Hockey #2) by Jenny Proctor
The Butcher’s Masquerade (Dungeon Crawler Carl #5) by Matt Dinniman
[Reread] A Court of Silver Flames (A Court of Thorns and Roses #5) by Sarah J. Maas
[ARC] Harbinger by Geneva Lee
[ALC] Love Felt Like This by Julie Olivia
To Drown a Witch by Lindsey Olsson
Ashwalker (The Emberfall Trilogy #1) by S.M. Gaither
Immortal Rose (Immortal Rose Duology #1) by Alexandra Bracken
[Novella] All the Time in the World by Cara Bastone

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ARC Book Review: Here We Go Again (Georgia Jaguars Hockey #2) by Jenny Proctor

August 27, 2026 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 352 pages
Author: Jenny Proctor
Publisher: Self published
Release Date: August 25th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

He knows what it takes to make a comeback. She isn’t sure he deserves a second chance.

After a career-threatening injury, Georgia Jaguars defenseman Theo Williamson is fighting to prove he still has a future in hockey. The harder battle? Convincing Rebecca Bradley he deserves another chance at her heart.

After a career-threatening injury, Georgia Jaguars defenseman Theo Williamson is fighting to prove he still has a future in hockey. The harder battle? Convincing Becca Bradley he deserves another chance at her heart.

Eight years ago, when his father died, Theo shut Becca out instead of letting her help him through the hardest time of his life.

Becca rebuilt without him. She’s stronger now. More careful. And she definitely isn’t interested in letting him back into her life—no matter how sincere his apology sounds.

But when their meddling mothers trap them on a surprise vacation together, distance isn’t an option—and neither is ignoring the chemistry they never really lost.

Just when Becca starts to think Theo might be worth the risk, real life comes crashing in. Demanding schedules, hard days, and the uncertain shape of what a future together would even look like.

Soon, Theo realizes he isn’t just fighting to win Becca’s heart. He’s fighting to believe he deserves to keep it—before the same old doubts convince him to let her go.

Thank you to the author for an eARC.

SWEET BABY THEO.

Oh I’m down bad myself for Theo Williamson. I was hooked from this book from the beginning. This is how you do second chance romance!!

I loved seeing Theo and Becca reconnect. It is tension filled and yet soft and sweet. They both had many conversations that needed to be had and I liked that there was arguing and push and pull and getting down to the grittiness of how crappy life can be sometimes. The way that they learned to lean on each other again and the fact that this gave me that soul mate level kind of love!!!

There were also some beautifully handled conversations around first loves, grief, and pain. As someone who personally deals with chronic pain I found a lot of what Theo was going through to be highly relatable. And I also just adored Becca too. She’s independent, a good friend, and works hard. I love when romantic characters stand as well on their own as they do together.

I could fawn over a dozen scenes in here. And getting to see other teammates and future set ups!! There’s not one weak moment in this entire book. I am head over heels smitten with these two.

Overall audience notes: