A fun story that kept me interested! A fair amount of spice and a good read! I’ll keep an eye out for this author.

Spicy, male female, 1st person dual point of view, contemporary romance. The Hook Up is the first book in the Game On series. This was a fun perfect length read. I really enjoyed both main characters and they had fantastic chemistry. I'm looking forward to reading the next book!

This isn't my usual type of read, but I did get all the way through this one. This is a new adult title, and takes place on a college campus. Star quarterback and hot nerd girl. But there is more to the story than just the tropey jock falling for the nerd. These two characters each experience, and their connection is one they make naturally while learning to rely on one another. This will definitely resonate with the intended audience.

I loved this book so much. Super easy and fun read and h just what I needed to break out of a reading rut.

I am a huge closet college romance fan. Don't ask me why I hate most sports, and I am very FAR from college aged, but this type of stories draw me in and I am just adore them. I really loved the meet cute between Anna and Drew and I love that he fell first. He was smitten and it was kind of of adorable to picture this big hulking joke just blown away by Anna. I love all their banter; I love the build up to them hooking up and to them finally kissing (hello Pretty Women call back ). I just really loved the entire first half of this book. They had the normal break up, and they even had what I assumed would be a normal get back together but then the book kinda of took a bit of a dark turn.
The fighting between Drew and Anna was childish, (I mean they are college kids so I guess that checks out). I feel like Drews mental health dealing with his injury seemed a little contrived and almost forced. It was like an obstacle that didn't need to be there. I also found Anna's friend annoying and kind of mean and stupid for going back to the cheating dude. I found the fact that she could say anything she wanted to Anna about her relationship with Drew but Anna didn't feel like she could talk to her about her relationship just not a healthy relationship.
I loved Gray and I am dying to read his book next.
Overall I love the book. College Setting, Jock falls in love with Nerdy girl, great banter, great spice. Some of the random storyline with her mother, and with her friend and the downward spiral at the end were a little overdone but not horribly.
I really recommend to anyone that like sports romance, college romances, he falls firsts type books.

Wonderful story, great character development, great writing! Highly recommend this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it

I chose to dive into this super spicy football romance book right as the NFL playoffs were heating up, and I think my timing was perfect because Kristen Callihan really knows how to bring the heat with The Hook Up, the first book in her Game On series.

Drew Baylor might be the big man on campus when it comes to college football, but he has it bad for fellow senior Anna Jones. Drew tries to make his feelings known over and over again, but Anna keeps shooting him down. Anna was a bit of a late bloomer and, still haunted by the nickname of Big Red from her chubby high school days, she cannot fathom that there’s any way Drew Baylor could possibly be attracted to her. Drew is persistent though and once they finally do hook up at a party, it doesn’t take long for them to realize they have incredible chemistry, which leads to even more hook ups between them. While the sex is undeniably hot, is there any way that Drew can actually win Anna’s heart?

At first I wasn’t the biggest fan of Anna because I thought she came across as a bit prickly, but as Drew started to wear down her defenses, I started to enjoy her character more. Drew was a sweetheart and an easy character to like. Both of them did have some personal issues that they needed to work through and I liked that they ultimately helped each other to heal. I came for the spice, but I stayed to see the wonderful progression of their relationship.

If you’re in the mood for a quick, easy read that really delivers on the spice and on emotional moments between the main characters, be sure to check this one out!

I just loved Drew and Anna! I hated the fact that Anna was always pushing Drew away and didn’t want a relationship but the drama keeps you interested for sure!

This book was fun, spicy, and overall had my kicking and giggling the whole time. For lovers of Meghan Quinn, and other similar romcoms, this will be the perfect pick. The writing was easy to follow, as was the story, and overall just a feel good book! I thought the characters had great chemistry as well.

I loved this book until the last 10%. The fight was overdone and so dramatic, and didnt seem to fit well within the book, as there had already been issues/third act breakup etc. It was such a cute story I just wish the ending had been done a different way!

Kristen Callihan is an awesome writer.

I had previously despaired of finding a NA book that
+ realistically captured the experience of being a so-called "new-adult"
+ AVOIDED the majority of the NA cliche traps
+ abstained from the giant male grovel to win back the hypocritical female
+ featured a pair of main characters that weren't basically an insensitive twerp and a whiny insecure twit (not assigning any genders here so read into this as you like)

Kristen Callihan has finally written that book. Not only has she written that book, but she's also written a book that's HOT. I mean, REALLY HOT. If you know what I mean.

It's also the most realistic book I've found to date that shares a fairly true-to-life collegiate experience, particularly with regards to college athletes. For an even better review on this subject, see this review. In short, The Hook Up portrays a moderately true-to-life experience for an athlete like Drew: Redshirting. Mental and physical exhaustion. People bothering him all the time. Professors "helping." (sometimes this kind of "help" is taken with both hands out but [surprisingly?] not always.) And primarily, the complete and total lack of free time once you're done with class, study hall, tutoring, video review, practice, lifting, coaches' meetings, supplemental practices, homework, icing down, PT, oh and did I mention after-hours optional-but-in-reality-mandatory practices? Cramming in a sandwich here or an energy bar there and sneaking in a quick text between friends is the extent of free time my roommates (4 athletes in a division 1 big 10 school) had a lot of days.

Anyways. The writing: excellent. The setting: realistic. The plot: HOT HOT HOT and REAL REAL REAL. I think I'm in love. Kristen Callihan, please never ever stop writing. <3

2024 Update: Read again since The Hook Up hit the big time and got picked up by Harlequin. Supposedly there is bonus content but it was hard for me to tell where it was, since I've read the book so many times now. I still scratch my head at the whole Fluevog thing (I think it's a nod to her steampunk romance series) but otherwise I enjoyed this book as much as the first several times. Recommended.

This was such a cute book! If you are looking for a football romance with some great spice, this is your book!
Sometimes sports romances don't have a lot of depth, but that wasn't the case with this book at all. I loved all of the mental health and body image issues that were addressed. The story was very relatable, even with Drew being a football star.
Drew's dirty mouth was fantastic!
Anna's issues from her past really tore at my heartstrings. So much of the things we experience in our youth can have a major impact on the rest of our lives. It's so nice when we have hope that people can get past those issues and love themselves and allow others to love them.
I would definitely recommend this book to romance lovers alike! Can't wait to read Gray and Dex's stories next!

This is such a cute and fun football romance. Anna and Drew had a wonderful chemistry. The book flowed really well and allowed you to be fully immersed in their story. There was some conflict and issues that they had to work through, but they were not able to stay away from each other.

This is a wonderful book for those who love he falls first, sports romance, and friends with benefits.

Thank you to Kristen Calllihan and Harlequin for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Here I was, thinking I was walking into a lightheaded sports romance, but the last quarter of the book absolutely killed me and made me fall for the characters more than I thought I could. The feelings felt raw and genuine, and I couldn’t stop to think about my insecurities and faults and all of the people who’ve stayed. So happy to pick this one up.

Drew is the quarterback of his unversity team, while Anna is an introverted student, who's had her difficulties in high school and is now trying to find out what to do in life.

While in high school, Anna was kind of ignored by the rest of her classmates because she's curvy and this made her hate everything that put her on the spotlight. So when Drew, the star of the school, shows an interest in her, she tries as best as she can, to ignore him, fearing that she could lose the anonimity she gained at unversity and at the same time hating the idea of being exposed to everyone else's judgment.

But their pull to one another is too strong, so could Anna resist Drew?

I really enjoyed reading this novel, the passion Anna and Drew have is off the charts. Both of their reasoning for not wanting anything deep at first are very reasonable, but I got frustrated at Anna a bit, because she didn't trust Drew a lot, and kept living with her own fears. The novel is beautifully written.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read this novel. All opinions are my own.

What a great read, I was not expecting to cry but I did. A well developed book with great story and characters. This might be the most realistic sports romance I have read and enjoyed. Super spicy and extra hot read.

New Adult college hookup read.

This has all the sports romance (and college romance) check mark items. Drama, friends, the parties, the friends with the side stories (who hopefully will make it to the sequels or have their own stories?),then the mean girls. You name it you got it.

The romance part - well, let's just skip that as it just went straight to screwing if we are honest.

Then he starts to woo her. Because she allows it. That's when it gets kind of cute in that sense.

The insta love connection was a little odd, there were a lot of steamy scenes in the first half (not so many in the second half).

Overall it was alright.

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for my DRC.

Thanks to Harlequin and Netgalley for an eARC.

I enjoy a good sports romance. Anna and Drew are college students. She is focused on school and he is the BMOC as the star quarterback. She catches his eye and he's captivated and is determined to win her over. She is hesitant and thinks he's the typical athlete player.

Don't want to tell to much so as not to give spoilers, but they go through a lot in life as they pursue their romance and we are along for the bumpy ride.

I adored Drew immediately and his inner thoughts were entertaining. Anna took a little bit to grow on me. Was definitely rooting for this couple.

4.25 ⭐
2 🌶️
Tropes/themes: College romance, football romance, FWB to love, new adult, he falls first and harder
Dual POV 1st person
So I started reading again regularly at the end of 2023, and I discovered ARC reading last July. I signed up for NetGalley and went hog wild requesting books. But as I started to read more and more I fleshed out more of my likes and dislikes about books. However, I have all these ARC obligations but sometimes I have one that I’ve realized isn’t my thing but I try to read it anyway because it’s on me that I requested it before I knew my tastes.
Which is what happened with this book. I have been more deliberate lately about not reading books with young MCs (18-25 yos) So I went into this story with a negative vibe since it’s set in college BUT it actually blew me away. I think Ms. Callihan did a really great job of writing authentic early 20 somethings without them being unrealistically mature/immature for their age.
The angst and chemistry is very well written, and Drew is so swoony and sweet. I was annoyed at how the FMC was so insecure- I didn’t think the backstory gave a realistic reason for it- but I think it was still written in such a way that made it believable for her age.
Iris is kind of a bitch though. At first I liked her but by the end of the story I think Anna deserved a better friend. I also wish there had been more resolution in the story with Iris, George and Henry and that Gray had been more fleshed out as a character.
And finally, I thought the third act drama/fighting was pretty realistic, and it was refreshing to see a couple have a legit fight and go through it to where they come out on the other side. Meaning, a lot of times the 3rd act breakup seems contrived, but this one did not.
I highly recommend this book!

My first time reading this author and I see that this is a revamped version so to speak of her 2014 book. I always enjoy a good college romance and this one between Anna Jones and Drew Baylor fits the bill for me for the most part. Their attraction is almost immediate as the seemingly shy and introverted Anna can't even breathe as her new deskmate in one of her senior year classes is none other than the star quarterback. Drew is just as taken with the beautiful redhead and from their first interaction, it's apparent both have a fire within them that perhaps only the other will be able to keep burning.

I liked both characters immensely and their pairing, although somewhat strange to others around them, really did seem to work well. Especially since Anna, in particular, wants nothing more than just one brief 'time' with the sexy Drew, hoping she'll get him out of her system just as quickly. However, what they have doesn't restrict itself to just one time and soon they are both craving the other like nothing they've ever experienced before. Drew is a true sweetheart, allowing Anna to be herself and not putting pressure in them becoming more, even when he so desperately wants her forever. I really loved him and his dedication to his sport, his team and then to his true love Anna. He's a good guy for sure even when his heart is breaking.

But Anna being the tough nut to crack, kept her emotions in check and that's the part that drove me a bit crazy. Sure, I get when the nerdy girl is a late bloomer (as her mother also pointed out) and can't fully accept or believe that a man like Drew Baylor would be interested in her for more than just a quick hook-up. But it took waaaaaaaay too long for her to finally be honest with her man, frustrating both me and Drew beyond belief, to come clean as to why she kept pushing him away. Then when tragedy strikes and Anna finally pulls her head out of her proverbial arse, I could only hope it wasn't too late to reclaim her guy and put those nagging fears and doubts to rest for good. For me, I feel as if for both characters, more in terms of their pasts and whys of some of their actions would have been useful in understanding them now.

I will say, however, that once the horrible incident occurs and Anna does in fact become the woman Drew always knew was inside her insecure mind, I couldn't wait to see how everything would play out both on and off the football field. Callihan doesn't disappoint in how she concludes the book although since it was revamped, I do think an even longer epilogue would have been great.

But with great secondary characters, a ton of witty moments and plenty of steamy times to round out this love story, I can happily say that I would not hesitate to read from this author again and am glad to give The Hook Up a solid 4 stars.