My love of romance books and basketball collided in the steamiest, most enjoyable way in Night Shift by Annie Crown. Our heroine is a voracious reader who works at her college library. Our hero is the star of the basketball team. And sparks FLY between them. I loved this book!

Here's the book's description:

The bookworm and the basketball player are about to meet their match.
Kendall Holiday spends her Friday nights exactly where she wants to with her head buried in a spicy romance novel while she works the graveyard shift at her university's library. She knows she could join her friends for a weekend of drunken debauchery and college parties, but she likes her alone time, so she tells herself she isn't hiding when she gets lost in the pages of fictional love stories.
But that all changes when Vincent Knight, captain of the basketball team, turns up with an injured wrist, a sour mood, and a pressing need for poetry recommendations for a class he hates. Vincent is tall, smart-mouthed, and challenges Kendall like no one has before. Suddenly, she's falling headfirst into her very own romance novel—but it takes a lot more truth than tropes to get to a happy ever after in real life.

My November TBR list was out of control with books I had requested to review. I stumbled upon Crown's and said, no, Kaley. You don't need another book. But I couldn't stop thinking about it. I am SO glad I caved and Wattpad gifted me with an egalley. I would have been so sad if I had missed out on this book!

It's been awhile since I've read a really good, solid New Adult book. I define a New Adult novel as one that takes place during college/university or in the year after graduation. You know, when you're trying to figure out who you are and what kind of adult you might be. (Which, honestly, we all know takes a lot longer than four years!) I started university (gulp) eighteen years ago so it's been a hot minute since I've been on campus. But Crown hit all the emotions I remember feeling when I was a student and I felt it was so so well done. The house Kendall and her friends shared may not have looked like the place I stayed with my own friends but that's the house I was picturing as they studied and had fun. The campus, library, and street where the basketball house was? All based on my own memories and the university I was at. I don’t know if others would have that same kind of reaction but I personally loved the little walk down memory lane as I read Crown’s novel.

Kendall was a huge romance reader, which is always fun to see. Obviously a romance author is going to be pro romance novels but it's nice to see authors take a stand in their books. Romance isn’t something to be looked down upon and it’s about damn time us romance readers embraced that and stopped being or pretend to be embarrassed by our reading choices. Though, I must say, I’m with Kendall on some of the covers. I may not be embarrassed by my reading choices but I’m not a fan of some of the cover designs. They can be better. I also appreciated how Kendall talked about the difference between a hero in real life versus in novels. Just because you enjoy reading about Alpha Males taking charge doesn't mean you actually want to date one. It was a refreshing take!

Kendall and Vincent fall prey to the miscommunication trope, a widely hated trope, but what made it bearable, and dare I say enjoyable, was that Kendall’s roommate called her on it. Like, duh, girl, stop spiralling and just go TALK to the guy! Talking is scary, absolutely, but I liked reading as Kendall put on her Big Girl Pants and worked on the budding relationship before anything completely disastrous could occur.

There aren’t sexy time scenes on every page, by any means, and the ones that are there were ridiculously well done. They were steamy and respectful, which is hot as hell, especially when the characters are on the younger side and one of them is a virgin. Plus, how many bookworms out there have imagined having a makeout session in the library? Kendall got to have that and I was HERE for it!

Romance readers will want to read Night Shift. I devoured Annie Crown’s novel in a weekend and was still thinking about it days later. It was smart, funny, sweet, and spicy and I enjoyed it so much. I’ll definitely be looking into what Crown writes next!

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, Wattpad Books, via NetGalley. All opinions are honest and my own.*

This book was cute, but I felt like it was missing so much from the plot. I felt like the big conflict was solved too early and too easily. If there was maybe some other conflict to go along with it I would've liked the book better. I really liked the characters, but I felt like not much was done with them. I didn't hate this book, but I didn't love it either. I'm pretty neutral about it.

I enjoyed that. I'm a huge fan of sports romances. This was a sweet romcom that definitely fit the bill. I love the friendship between the characters on the way that both of them fell for each other but we're afraid to admit it. I also enjoyed that the male in this book was not a player, but instead really likes the girl.

Night Shift had such a promising setup, with Kendall, the quiet bookworm, and Vincent, the basketball star, meeting in the secluded stacks of the college library. I was all for the opposites-attract vibe and wanted to see how these two would challenge each other’s comfort zones.

Unfortunately, the story didn’t fully click for me. The chemistry between Kendall and Vincent felt forced, and their connection seemed to jump from zero to steamy too quickly. There was a noticeable lack of emotional depth or build-up, which left the story feeling somewhat shallow. I also found that the plot was thin, relying on clichés without giving them the kind of twist or depth that makes a story memorable.

While Kendall’s passion for books and Vincent’s academic struggles could have added depth to their characters, these aspects were not fully explored. The story had its share of light-hearted moments, but it fell short of delivering the emotional depth I expected from a romance set in the unique backdrop of late-night library shifts.

I was able to read an ebook arc of this thanks to NetGalley. A fun romance. Great read. Would read more by this author.

I was really excited to read this book. I thought it would maybe be like ice breaker or wildfire but instead of hockey it would be basketball. This book was too much for me though. First it wasn’t very realistic, in the first few pages she goes to help him look for a book and they basically bang in the library. It was also a little predictable, nerdy girl who loves romance and popular boy who is a star athlete. Although I understand people may not really be reading this for the plot and just for the spice. I will say this book was way too spicy for me but if you are looking for something really spicy this is up your ally just maybe read it at home and not at work or in public.

I'm fully embracing my sports romance era, so I was excited to dive into this book featuring a bookworm and a basketball player. It perfectly captures the awkward, angsty moments of first love, with Kendall and Vincent’s relationship bringing a delightful mix of fun and spice. Their romance was sweet, steamy, and packed with all the tension and excitement you'd hope for!

It was such a cute and darling read, perfect for fans of a sweet romance with spice. First year college feels in this one was so on point!

Thank you to Annie Crown, W by WattPad Books, and NetGalley for an eARC of Night Shift!

This book was cute, but smutty. I thought it a bit ironic (and frustrating!) how the main character, Kendall, commented multiple times on how she hates the miscommunication trope and yet it was nearly the main trope of the book! Despite that, I thought the scenes with Kendall and Vincent's interactions were adorable and I found myself thinking "awwww" a lot.

I was a bit turned off by how "intro to sex" the book was. I get that the story follows a girl with no experience and a guy with no sober experience, but the sex scenes were looooooong and mainly focused on how Kendall didn't know what she was doing, was embarrassed or nervous about it or how she was determined to make Vincent feel good. It was a bit over the top and in the end I kind of just wanted them to get on with it.

I would say I thought this book was cute, but could definitely use some reworking. It might be a good fit for someone who is anxious about relationships and sex, but I prefer books that don't focus so much on the fact that the main characters don't know what they're doing in the bedroom.

3/5 stars.

Ok this one was seriously adorable and STEAMY all at the same time! It’s the classic nerdy girl meets hot athlete and I am HERE FOR IT! It is a college romance, which is not normally my cup of tea, but this didn’t feel juvenile at all.

Kendall is an introverted bookworm who is working the graveyard shift at her college library. One night Vincent strolls in and asks for help looking for books for a class assignment.

These two were so entertaining! They push each other’s buttons so well and the banter was so engaging. I really enjoyed this one!

It is maybe a personal flaw of mine that I struggle with first-person POVs. I think that Night Shift fits very well in the Icebreaker camp of college reads -- and there is such a massive following for that book there is no way for that to be construed as an insult. If you are looking for something to elevate the college-girl meets hot jock romance trope though, it is not here. However, if you want the reliable trope in a different font than Night Shift could be a great addition to your collection.

This romance was cute, but seriously lacked depth! A bookworm and a college basketball player meet at the library one night and almost immediately start making out. It’s super spicy, but the rest of the book felt very young adult…It was insta love mixed with a whole bunch of miscommunication. Not my favorite communication! ⁣
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⁣But- the spicy was perfect. 🌶️🌶️🌶️⁣
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⁣Three stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️ This one was fine but one I won’t remember. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for my honest review.

Honestly, surprisingly liked this! For a wattpad publication it had good depth to the characters and was quite cute/sweet.

This was a fun read! I loved that the FMC worked in a library, she was such a sweet character. I do wish we would have gotten to know our MMC a bit more though. A cute, quick book for any time of year!

"Reading is so much fun, but I'm tired of feeling like all the best parts of my life have been lived inside my own head."

I first read Night Shift when it was on Wattpad and it was a book I quickly became obsessed with. If you are in the mood for a fluffy, cute, and quick read, this is for you. There's not much background to it; it's simply just a very fast-paced book, which I know isn't everyone's cup of tea, but it's perfect for when you don't have too much time to read!

This book was really cute! I really enjoyed the characters and the plot and storyline wrote it very well! I recommend this book if you like an innocent FMC, a super tall and handsome MMC, and overall, if you just like a sweet read, that is enjoy

This was a cute romance. A little bit slow and a little wattpaddish, but overall a cute story. Pacing was a little all over the place for it to be such a short book. I think it just wasn’t my particular cup of tea.

I love these two characters so much, from the tension to the banter, it was all there for me. loved it.

The BEST smut on wattpad I've ever read and one of the BEST stories!!!!! That's all I have to say folks

Sadly, this book had me wondering what I was reading.

This was so mediocre, unfinished, unpolished and sadly juvenile.
It needed an editor badly. And probably a more experienced writer.

The blurb definitely got me interested, but the writing was what killed the book for me.

In the end, I was the wrong audience for this.