If you're looking for your next NA Romance that's guaranteed to make you swoon, make you sweat, and make you smile, then you have definitely found your next read. Kristen Callihan is a new to me author, but will now be gracing my auto-buy shelf because she weaved a story that technically should have been 'been there, read that', yet managed to suck me in so thoroughly that I couldn't bring myself to put it down.

Now if you're a half-assed blurb reader and occasionally make assumptions like me, you probably read this:
The rules: no kissing on the mouth, no staying the night, no telling anyone, and above all… No falling in love.

and just assumed that this was referring to another man-whoring hero as opposed to the heroine. No? That was just me then? Well...this is awkward. But I digress...

Meet Anna Jones

Anna just wants to finish college and figure out what she wants to do with her life. She's not looking for a relationship, and she tends to have a type...of the poetic and emo variety. So when the school's football golden child and resident playboy starts sending her the lusty eyes, she wants none of it...or so she tells herself.

Meet Drew Baylor

Star quarterback, and the hot commodity on campus that can have any girl he wants without even trying...except Anna. Inexplicably drawn to the prickly redhead, Drew finds himself tongue tied and blushing whenever their cross path, and it certainly doesn't help that Anna never spares any feelings to cut him down at the knees. He's not her type, he gets it, he just can't seem to stay away from her.

But chemistry like the one they have, can only be denied for so long, and when something burns that hot it's bound to explode eventually, right?

What first begins as a scorching hot hookup, soon begins to develop into something so much more, something that Anna is not ready to face.

The author did an amazing job building a sexual and emotional tension and chemistry that is so palpable you can almost taste it. It's not often when I'll pick up a book where the MCs are going at it pretty much straight away, but that sexual tension continues to not only remain but build between them. The writing was that good.

Drew was such an endearing character, I fell for him straight off the bat. He wasn't perfect, and he wasn't at all what he seemed. He was not the asshole playboy that Anna assumes he was, he's sweet and charming and at times his emotional struggles never failed to pull at every heart string I had.

Anna was a different story. This is a girl that due to her dysfunctional family dynamic avoids relationships as a rule...especially with guys like Drew. Throughout much of the book she attempts to keep him at arm's length and with a very clear 'hook up only' label. But before she knows it, she begins to see the man beneath her initial assumptions, and she can't help but start to fall for him.

I was not expecting this book to be as hot as it was, but the sex was never too much. The chemistry between Drew and Anna was absolutely sizzling, and the best part? It was like that every time they get together.

Their path to a real relationship was not easy and not without struggle, and I just gobbled it up. Luckily all of the emotion and angst was fitting and there was no manufactured drama that ever took away from the story. By the second half I was so invested in their relationship, I couldn't bring myself to put the book down.

This is definitely a book I would recommend to any fans of the NA genre, and a series I can't wait to continue with. Really looking forward to Gray's book next. But don't just take my word for it, read this book and find out for yourself what all the fuss is about. You won't regret it, I promise.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for this Advanced Readers Copy of The Hook Up by Kristen Callihan!

I love a relatable FMC, and the internal shame and inability to recognize your own hangups it totally relatable.
This sweet book takes place in the final years of college making the characters able to drink legally(which I appreciate). The love story is sweet with instant attraction blossoming into lasting love, has some bumps along the way mainly due to insecurities and lack of communication, a common theme in Romance. But the writing was good and you wanted to help them come together and I think that is an important mark for any good romance.

A great college sports romance! I enjoyed this book quite a bit. The characters had great chemistry together which number 1 to me when reading a romance. They also had amazing banter with one another. My only complaint with this book is that the characters are intimate early on in the book and I wish that got dragged out a bit to build more tension. Other than that, I loved this one!

After about 20%, I realized this book wasn't for me. Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advanced reading copy, I know it is a well-loved book for many others.

I remember the buzz about this book when it was first released, and I'm happy to have the opportunity to read and review this title on its re-release. What a terrific college sports romance!

Drew is easy to fall for -- for everyone except Anna. But it's clear from the start that she's not really being honest with her feelings. When they finally hook up things get really interesting and quite steamy. I loved the progression of their falling for each other -- it was so realistic to me and it was just wonderful to fall into this story.

I also liked that there are a few bumps in the road to their HEA and they don't all happen in the final pages. They have some things they have to work through -- it's not all unicorns and rainbows in their relationship. I adore a good break up -- and Drew and Anna take some time to work their way back to each other.

5 stars for this college romance. It's going to be a comfort read for me.

The Hook Up is a charming, steamy romance that’s equal parts fun and emotional. Callihan’s witty dialogue and relatable characters make this a perfect choice for a light, enjoyable read.

4 stars.

Engaging, compelling, a little scandalous, and full of excellent character development, "The Hook Up" by Kristen Callihan exceeded my expectations. I am not a huge sports romance fan, but this one hit the spot. The hot quarterback jock destined for the NFL meet-cutes the hot nerdy girl and a physical relationship blossoms into more. What's not to like? I found this book to be a little long at times and a bit too dramatic toward the end, but overall, it's an easy read full of spice, fun, and banter. I found the character development to be excellent and deceptively deep for both characters, particularly Drew, the main male character. Drew and Anna's relationship was very easy to get invested in, and well crafted overall. It balances the sports talk, the spicy scenes, and the emotional moments perfectly. A great book that I definitely recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley, Kristen Callihan, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and Canary Street Press for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

I am so glad this is getting a new edition. It's one of my favorite sports romances ever, and even makes football players seem hot and sweet (yep, that's my own personal bias showing). I've read this so many times and can't recommend it enough.

I loved this book. Drew and Anna are a couple I could read over and over. It took me a minute to get into the story but before it was over, I loved it.

I fell for Drew's character before Anna's. Their different stories were a good pairing for each other and it showed their journey into adulthood together.

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!