November was full of really good books. So many that when I sat down to write this post, I found that I had to add a few more to my original line up! Hopefully I can do them justice in these reviews because these books have lived in my head since I picked them up but a lot has happened since then, too. If I don’t, know that is a fault of mine and not the books! So regardless, go pick them up! All of these books can be found, per usual, on Kindle Unlimited.
The Ever After Bet by Jenny Cole
Hannah and Ford have been through so much as a couple. All they want is to be normal teenagers in a normal relationship, but no matter how they’ve tried, it’s been impossible. As the end of their Senior year nears, they hold on to the promise they made each other for the future.
I have been waiting for this book for so long!! It was the book I didn’t see coming because I thought the third book in the saga was the ending. (You know, the book I literally screamed about when I reached the end and discovered it wasn’t the end? Yeah that book.) Since The Forever After Bet is the fourth book in a series, I don’t want to give away too much (I say that every time, don’t I?). Hopefully I can say enough to encourage you to pick this series up if you haven’t already.
From the beginning I have loved Ford and Hannah’s relationship. As they’ve found each other, they haven’t lost the core of who they are individually or together, which is something that I think is so important. Instead they’ve grown and supported each other through each of their growing pains. That does not change in The Forever After Bet. Every single obstacle they work through helps reveal what they truly want. Yes it’s each other, but there’s other stuff, too. Their dreams don’t stop at wanting him or her. Together they discover what they want from life and work together to define how that comes together with each other’s wants and dreams for the future. Also their banter is alive and present, which makes me all kinds of happy!
Ford and Hannah have (mostly) always had the support of their friends, but not always the support of their family. However, we see a different side of that as their biggest supporters comes from Ford’s own family. The support didn’t come completely from left field as we saw some of it in The Forever Bet, but it really comes out in this story.
As for Hannah’s parents, we do get an explanation for it, but I’m still angry with them. Hannah and her step-mom basically have to start at square one to rebuild their relationship, but at least there’s some hope there.
Unfortunately no story is perfect. There were a few minor inconsistencies that I noticed, but thankfully they didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the book. All-in-All, The Forever After Bet lived up to its predecessors and truly concluded this chapter of Hannah and Ford’s life. I did see that there is a potential for a college series and though the main characters will be their friends, I’m looking forward to reading about them and seeing how they’re doing.
I feel like this series might be underrated. I hope more people will pick it up and read it. I’ve always called it “The Bet” series, but it’s technically the Lake City High series and it starts with The Summer Bet.
The Graham Effect by Elle Kennedy
Gigi Graham has exactly three goals: qualify for the women’s national hockey team, win Olympic gold, and step out of her famous father’s shadow. So far, so good, except for two little things. Fine––a little thing and a big, grumpy thing. She needs to improve her game behind the net, and she needs help from Luke Ryder.
Ryder is six-foot-five, built, opinionated, rude…But he’s still the enemy. Briar’s new hockey co-captain has his reasons, though, The men’s team just merged with a rival program, leaving Ryder with an angry roster where everyone hates another’s guts. To make matters worse, the summer coaching spot he’s angling for with the legendary Garrett Graham is out of reach after he makes the worst possible first impression on his hero. So, really, this compromise with Gigi is win-win. He helps her make the national team, she puts in a good word with her dad.
The only potential snag? This bone-deep, body-numbing, mind-spinning chemistry they’re trying to ignore. It’s a dangerous game they’re playing, but the risks just might be worth it.
I first picked up The Graham Effect after learning that the female MC is a hockey player. I didn’t even realize it was a legacy novel until after I’d finished reading it. Believe it or not, I haven’t read an Elle Kennedy novel before. I’ve seen them listed and have been interested, but just never picked one up for some reason. I am so glad I read this one.
That opening scene when Gigi and Ryder meet is hilarious. If I hadn’t been convinced to read it before, that meeting would’ve done it. With that kind of fire you just know their relationship is going to be explosive in the best way possible. They’re the kind of couple who, when they stop turning that fire on each other, will burn the world together and enjoy it. I love those kinds of couples!
Ryder has a reputation that precedes him and a lot of the world has written him off as a troublemaker due to a previous locker room incident. That’s something Gigi understands. While she has a ton of talent, a lot of people attribute it to nepotism. Add to that, some of the powers-that-be for the women’s national team are judging her based on a bitter past, which is totally unfair. The good news is that both the people who actually caused the issues get what they deserve. Good job, Kennedy.
Another good job, Kennedy’s a writer who takes the time to actually build a non-romantic relationship first. Yeah, Ryder and Gigi are attracted to each other, but it’s not an insta-love, let’s blow past all the actual relationship building needing to make us last kind of romance. Also, their nicknames for each other are cute. What started out as an insult turned into a cutesy thing is totally enemies-to-lovers 101 kind of thing. When the big relationship reveal happens, I had no trouble believing it because of all the work that was put into actually building it.
One person that really got on my nerves is Gigi’s ex, Case. Ugh. He might end up being a decent guy, but I’d already come to the conclusion that I wanted him as far away from Gigi as possible. Anyway, there’s a tiny tidbit for you.
Anyway. I really enjoyed The Graham Effect and will now have to check out the previous generation’s stories. That’s a next year project.
In summary, The Graham Effect lives up to all its hype and definitely worth the read.
Say You Swear by Meagan Brandy
For years, I’ve dreamt of what college life could bring and while some things changed, there was always one constant. It didn’t matter how wild I allowed my imagination to run, it always led me to the same place in the end. It led me to him. My future was clear, and he was it.
Until suddenly…he wasn’t.
Now there’s a new man in my life, one who isn’t afraid to go after what he wants, and what he wants…is me.
They say first loves last forever. What about the second?
I’m sorry, was November the month of perfect book boyfriends? Because if so then Noah Riley definitely deserves to be on that list! Thankfully, I am not the only one who thinks that!!
It’s not even that he’s like the perfect guy or whatever. No he truly cares about the people around him and he does all these things for Ari without expecting anything from her. He truly cares for her and he goes above and beyond once they do get together. Ari, who has lived her whole life in a bubble of the same people, doesn’t even know what she’s missing. I feel like she doesn’t even know how to break out of her shell, and that’s something Noah helps her do. He doesn’t do it for her, he simply shows her the way. I think that may be the big thing for me.
I keep thinking, though, that perhaps we should’ve seen certain things coming simply because of Noah and Ari’s nicknames for each other. And let’s be clear, Chase is totally Paris and we all hate him.
If we want to get technical, I’d say Chase and Noah are foils of each other. They both care for Ari, but Noah always wants what’s best for her while Chase might want what’s good for her, but he wants what’s best for him more. Like, I feel like Chase wants to keep Ari in that little bubble she’s always lived in and he definitely takes advantage of the tragedy. If I could reach into books and punch someone, Chase would be on of my victims.
Say You Swear is another book where the couple supports each other as they grow. Like, is Noah too perfect? Maybe? But maybe that’s just how it appears when one meets someone who fits with them so perfectly and has a healthy relationship. Noah has to deal with his own every day heartbreaks and Ari steps up right beside him to help shoulder them instead of running away. That’s what it’s about. Neither one is the designated life-saver, they both lean on each other and pick each other up when the other falls down.
I will say this, I was so frustrated by everyone’s actions when Ari was hurt. I know they were all struggling with knowing and doing the right things for her, but it was so frustrating. I’m glad when Cam finally took action and everything unraveled. None of Ari’s friends should’ve let the situation get to the point that it did. The only person I don’t blame is Noah because he was hurting, too, and was also dealing with other issues. So there’s that.
Say You Swear is still on my kindle and honestly, I don’t see that changing any time soon. It’s so good and writing about it is making me want to go and re-read it. I wouldn’t say it’s a light read because there are some heavy situations in there, but it is a great read and one I encourage readers everywhere to pick up!
Caught Up by Liz Tomforde
Kai
I’m a single dad and starting pitcher for Chicago’s MLB team. I’m stretched too thin, but I don’t want help raising my son. Each of his previous nannies only lasted a few weeks before I let them go. Now, my coach is putting his foot down by hiring the one person I can’t fire––his daughter. Miller Montgomery is the last woman I should fall for. Too wild, too young, and too unattached. Chicago is just a quick stop for her. I thought I’d be counting down the days until she left, but summer feels too short when I start thinking about forever.
Miller
As a high-end pastry chef who recently won the most prestigious award in my industry, I’m desperate to prove I deserve it. But with a new title comes new pressure, and I can’t create a fresh and inspiring dessert to save my life.
With only two months to get back on track, I should be focusing in the kitchen, but instead, I let my dad talk me into using my time off to nanny for his star player’s kid. Kai Rhodes forgot how to have fun and I’m eager to jog his memory. But when he and his son start to feel like home, I have to remind us both that my time in Chicago ends with the summer.
Besides, I’ve always been a runner, and the last thing I want is to get caught.
I’ve read the two books previous to this one, Mile High and The Right Move, and I have been waiting for Kai’s story since finishing those two up. Tomforde did not disappoint at all.
Kai letting go his nannies is a running joke through all three of the Windy City books. His friends are equally exasperated and worried with his rotating door of nannies. It reminds me of that song, “How do you solve a problem like Maria?” Only it’s Kai…who only wants what’s best for his son and is afraid of missing out on his life.
Miller is afraid of disappointing her dad simply because he gave up everything for her when he didn’t have to. Now she’s worried that her issues are labeling the end of the road for her and she can’t accept that because all she wants is to make her dad proud of her and to repay him for all his hard work on her behalf.
So of course, who better to understand their fears than someone who is experiencing the same vein of fear?
Kai and Miller are another couple where the first meeting goes horribly wrong. Of course it’s hilarious for us readers simply because we just know these two idiots are destined for each other. They’re both looking at the end of their careers, the end of something they love doing, though for different reasons, and are asking the question, Where do I go from here? And you know what, I love how their coming together reignites their individual passions.
Miller is the chaotic energy to Kai’s sensibility. So in short, they balance each other out perfectly. And is it any surprise that I love their banter? I didn’t think so. You guys know well done banter makes me melt.
I love how much Miller comes to care for Kai despite their rocky start. Like she could totally just be there for Max, Kai’s son, and focus on being his nanny, but instead she knows how important it is for Kai to experience life with his son. Not only does she realize it, Miller does what she can to make sure Kai doesn’t miss out. She literally goes beyond what all the past nannies did for the father and son, showcasing exactly why none of them worked before.
On Kai’s part, I think it’s safe to say that his world is literally rocked when it comes to Miller. Her chaotic, wild child self, literally reminds Kai what it’s like to actually live the life he loves. In turn, he grounds her. I don’t think there’s another way to say it. He literally shows her that it’s okay to put down roots, that she doesn’t have to be looking for the next big achievement. He might not say it outright, but his actions show it. I think he reminds her of what having a home is like.
Apart from Kai and Miller’s relationship, you know what I love about this book? Found family. Yeah, Miller has her dad and Kai has his brother and Max, his son, but their family is made up of the people they’ve surrounded themselves with. It’s more-so for Kai in the beginning, but as Miller makes more connections, albeit a bit reluctantly, she also finds her own people who support her and could become her family.
Books like Caught Up that have found families are so important because not everyone has the type of blood-family that is supportive or even healthy for them. It’s important to remind people that our true families are sometimes the families we build ourselves. Sometimes we don’t even realize they’re there and we have to have someone open our eyes to the realization, like what happens with Kai.
Caught Up is the third book in the Windy City series, but you do not have to read them in order! Yes the characters are all woven in each other’s stories, but they really don’t need to be read in any certain order.
Okay, I’ve figured it out, guys! November wasn’t the month of perfect boyfriends. It was the month of couples supporting and growing with each other! Honestly, I think that’s better than a month of perfect boyfriends.
As always, I hope my reviews help you find your next read!
What books have you read recently?
Did you read a book with the perfect boyfriend or girlfriend? Have you read one with a healthy couple? Let me know what you’re reading in the comments below!
Above My Waves 
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