This book is EVERYTHING!!! I’m absolutely obsessed it may be my new favorite Elle Kennedy. Our main character is a cheer leader trying to juggle a very busy summer vacation when her nemesis Shane moves next door. Shane is a hockey player and she is not thrilled to enter a fake dating situation with him despite it being mutually beneficial. She wants her ex to leave her alone and Shane wants his ex to be jealous, so they spend lots of time together during summer break and end up with feelings. This book was such a fun summer romance but also had so much depth to it as well. Elle did a fantastic job handling heavy topics and I wish I could go back and read it again for the first time!!!

I’m going to be honest from the start.

I did not expect to sob reading this book. But here we are…

I absolutely loved this book. The majority of it was fun, I love to watch the lines blur when it comes to fake dating. When you throw in friends with benefits, it adds another layer to the bluriness and the anticipation of catching feelings is at an all time high.

Then Elle through in the heavy topics out of nowhere. When I tell you I GASPED, I mean my jaw hit the floor. I did not see it coming.

When it came to Shane’s dad, I had a feeling he was sick but the way in which it all happened was truly heartbreaking for me.

I know the heavy topics in this one can be extremely triggering- so I hope there’s a trigger warning on the final copy.

*Review to be posted on social media account on publication day.

Thank you Bloom Books and Get Red PR for my gifted copies. All opinions are my own.

I was so excited for another book in this series because The Graham Effect was one of my favorite books last year. I did a reread just before I started The Dixon Rule.

Diana and Shane did not get along. After having his heart broken he works his way through Diana’s friends on the Briar cheerleading squad. They have a meet cute when he moves into his new apartment right across from her. They have a lot of hilarious banter. I loved every time Shane got someone to add him to HOA group chat and then Diana had him removed. They end up in a fake dating/friends with benefits which develops into more.

This was steamy in typical Elle Kennedy fashion. There are definitely parts that will make you blush. I loved the depth of the relationship that develops between Shane and Diana. This was heavier than past Elle Kennedy books I’ve read. Diana is dealing with a creepy ex and Shane originally start fake dating to make her feel safe and make Shane’s ex-girlfriend jealous. I loved seeing Gigi and Ryder as well as the rest of the Briar U gang. I’m hoping Will or Beckett will get a book next!

TW- death of a parent, domestic abuse

The Dixon Rule
(Campus Diaries, #2)
Elle Kennedy
Pub: 5/14/24
5☆

Elle Kennedy had me all in for her new series with the Graham Effect and I could not wait to get my hands on book two. Gigi and Ryder set the bar pretty high, and I thought there was no way they could be topped. In these situations, damn do I love when authors prove me wrong. The Dixon Rule absolutely exceeded my expectations.

I loved this book so much. Diana and Shane were everything! They were enemies to lovers perfection with their LOL banter, angsty tension, and off the charts spicy times. I legit could not get enough of these two and their bingeworthy story.

Elle brought it all in book two. And I mean ALL. I was not at all prepared for the emotional aspects of this story. I wont spoil anything but I laughed, I swooned, I screamed, and I cried. Say what… there’s no crying in hockey romance!? Oh yes there was. Twice, and I loved every second of it.

What I loved;
🏒 Hockey Romance
🏒 Fake Dating
🏒 Enemies To Lovers
🏒 Off Campus Crew
🏒 The Neighbors Group Chat
🏒 ALL The Feels

Elle Kennedy is the absolute queen of hockey romance and the Dixon Rule is another must read. I went in blind and suggest you do the same. You wont be disappointed. I’d recommend reading the Graham Effect first though if you haven’t already. I’m 💯 in my Elle Kennedy and hockey romance era right now and I cannot wait to see where we go next in the Campus Diaries series.

Thank you so much Get Red PR and Bloom Books for the digital and physical ARC’s in exchange for my honest review.

4.5⭐️ thank you @getredprbooks for my ARC

In the second book of the Briar University series, cheerleader Diana Dixon gets a new neighbor, her hockey player enemy Shane Lindley.

This book had a lot of tropes and topics that made it hard to put down, and I loved it! If you enjoy enemies to lovers, discussions on mental health, family relationships, friendships, STEAM, and new adult stories make sure to grab your copy on May 14. Despite this book being almost 500 pages, I kept finding myself wanting to pick it up and flying through it. Diana and Shane had chemistry that was on fire, yet showed each other a lot of tenderness. The comedically witty banter was another favorite of mine, and I definitely laughed out loud while reading. I loved Shane and his protectiveness over Diana as well as his family, and of course the hockey boys are back and make this book lots of fun!

Diana Dixon has a lot going on this summer. She’s rehearsing for a ballroom dance competition, juggling two jobs, and dealing with an ex-boyfriend who can’t take the hint it’s over. Yet despite all that, she still has plenty of time and energy to tell Shane Lindley to screw off. Shane just moved into her apartment building and seems dedicated to sleeping his way through her entire cheerleading squad. Sure, he’s a tall, gorgeous hockey player, but he’s messing with her turf. What Diana doesn’t realize is that Shane’s sick of hookups and tired of being on the rebound after his long-term girlfriend called it quits. He wants a relationship. And when his ex comes back into the picture, he pretends he has one to make her jealous…and who better to play the girlfriend role than his sassy new neighbor? Despite Diana’s reluctance to break her rule, a fake relationship is the perfect solution for her own ex issues, and soon she can’t deny something is sizzling between her and Shane. Something hot and completely unexpected. And it might just be getting a little too real.

Holy Moly! Never had I cried at an Elle Kennedy book...until now! Elle is known for her new adult hockey romances and I was expecting her classic spice and charm, however, this book packed so much more than that. We got characters full of substance and plots that kept me turning the page. I was up til 2 AM finishing this one! Diana is driven and puts 100% into everything she does. Shane is a rich kid posing as a playboy when all he wants is to get back with his ex. Together they are completely unstoppable. I loved their bickering and fighting. The chemistry between them was palpable and the spice was delectable. It is probably the spiceiest I've seen Elle get. As for tropes we get Enemies to Lovers, Forced Proximity, Friends with Benefits, Fake Dating, Sports (Hockey) Romance. And best of all we get to see our favorite characters of Briar University's past and their kids. I hope we get more from this series. I need a resolution for Will and Beckett and of course, any other core members kids who want to make an appearance at Briar U!

Thanks to Elle and the Publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review. This book releases 5/14.

Synopsis:
Diana Dixon is a busy college student. Between ballroom dancing, cheerleading, two jobs, and dealing with an ex who can’t take a hint, she still has plenty of time and energy, especially when it comes to telling her new neighbor Shane Lindley to screw off.

Shane seems intent on sleeping through the cheerleading squad. He has what it takes being a tall, gorgeous hockey player, but it’s messing with Diana when all the women are a mess after their encounters with him.

When the two find themselves in the unlikely situation of fake dating, they realize that maybe there is a fine line between sizzling frustration and sizzling hot attraction. Is something hot and unexpected brewing beneath the surface.

Thoughts:
Elle Kennedy is back with another steamy hockey romance! This time we got to know Ryder and Gigi’s friends Shane and Diana.

I basically went into this one blind, only knowing how much I loved Ryder and Gigi’s book and couldn’t wait for what was next. I think that everyone should go into this one blind, you won’t regret it.

So, when it started with firecracker Diana, I knew I was not going to be putting it down, and that is how I spent a sunny afternoon on my spring break while my mother-in-law and daughter played in the pool. Yes, I occasionally looked up from the pages, but I quickly looked back down. I still can’t believe how long this one was and I think that I’m still in denial.

I have recently learned that I love fake dating trope. It’s so much fun especially when its enemies to lovers fake dating. It just adds some extra pizzaz to the relationship. Thrown in trying to make an ex jealous and yes! Things are going to happen and happen they did. The spice times were extra spicy and delivered everything I have come to expect from Elle Kennedy and then more.

Thank you to:
Thank you to Bloom Books, @read_bloom, GetRedPR @getredprbooks the author Elle Kennedy, @ellekennedy33 and Netgalley @Netgalley for the e-arc. All thoughts are my own.

Omg! This book!!! It was entertaining, hilarious, spicy, a bit emotional and so much more.
Diana and Shane are arch-enemies and now neighbors. I loved thier chemistry and banter to bits from the very first chapter. Soon after him moving Shane and Diana start a fake relationship in order to fix thier exes issues. Shane wants to make his ex jealous and Diana wants to keep her ex at bay. Also Diana wants a new dance partner and Shane seems a good option. But now Shane also wants to crack one more deal and that is friends with benefits. I loved loved that FWB application he sends her it was so hilarious. As the summer progresses and thier lives get more intermingle, nothing seems fake and temporary anymore to them.
It was a great book, I really had a fun time reading it. It's a must read if you love sassy smart mouthed heroines, cocky hockey players who are softies from inside, college students, fake relationship, hilarious banter, off the charts spice and chemistry, interesting side characters and an entertaining amazing story.