Wooooooowww. I read this in one sitting. Still stunned and emotional. Wish I could reread this again for the first time 😩 I’m already tearing up writing this review because Ro and Matty are just so tender.

“To be loved is to be seen” is the main theme throughout the book and I really wish I could’ve read a book like this when I was in college. Feeling unworthy, unwanted, and unloved are feelings most of us experience and relate to. I want to wrap Matty and Ro up in the biggest of hugs and tell them everything will be alright.

They met the first week of freshman year — Matty was Ro’s swoony first kiss only for them to never cross paths again until Ro is appointed his newest tutor. They both went through hardships during those years and have the scars to prove it.

Slowly but surely we see Ro and Matty heal each other. They both push each other out of their comfort zones but are also so so careful with one another. They communicate and show each other little ways they see the other — it’s all in the little moments when no one is watching, people!!

Quotes:
“I think it’s hard for people to like me. And I try really hard.”

“I think you’d be really easy to love.”

“If you were my girlfriend, Rosalie, you wouldn’t have to do anything to convince me. Just a fucking smile and I’d be a goner, okay?”

“I make a vow to protect her, the pretty girl with butterflies in her messy curls, even if she’ll never really be mine.”

“So many of my pieces, the things that make me me, are gone, chipped away so that I don’t know who I am anymore. I feel lost. Floating without a tether.”

“I think I’m in love with her — not even romantically, but on some soul level. I feel devoted to her.”

“Freddy is warmth and sunlight, shining and shimmering across ocean-blue water. The kind you want to bask in.”

“He’s smiling so I’m smiling back. Easy as breathing.”

Tropes:
💚Tutor x Student
🦋Butterlfly clip girl x Butterfly tattoo boy
💚Slow burn
🦋Golden retriever x Golden retriever
💚People pleasers
🦋Past relationship trauma
💚Friends to lovers

Unloved comes out February 4th and I cannot wait for everyone to read about these tender angels!! Read Unsteady if you haven’t already — Rhys, Sadie, Oliver, and Liam are 🥹🥰🩵 I can’t wait for Bennett and then Toren’s books 😏

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

4.5 for sure this book is a new favorite. Both of the main characters are learning how to grow as their own people in college. Ro is a thoughtful, intelligent, and caring person. Freddy is a strong, outgoing, and passionate person. I absolutely love a friends to lovers slow burn trope. The main characters had a beautiful and inspiring character development. It was great to watch their character development. I could read another 400 pages about their story. I am very thankful for an arc of this book.

Matt Fredderic was Rosalie Shariff’s first kiss freshman year, but then he left without a word. Since then, Ro crushed on him from afar as he will always be her celebrity crush. Fast forward to them being tutor x tutoree, Matt falls hard for Ro. But he’s not who she wants and needs. He’s a playboy who everyone believes will forget her after a night. How can he change her perspective when he believes the same?
Ro just got out of an abusive situationship and although she is a hopeless romantic, she doesn’t need another man controlling her life. She needs to focus on herself despite what her body wants: Matt Fredderic. But he keeps pulling away and giving her smiles that don’t reach his eyes. She wants to know why, but she can’t get too close without vomiting her feelings aloud.

It was a 3.75 star read for me. This book deals with grief and loss, and I think it’s amazing that it is touched upon. My favorite part is how patient they both are with each other. This book was definitely a slow burn and as it touches upon learning/developmental disabilities, it was even slower paced. I love how patient they are with one another. Ro has to move slow because of her bad dating history, but because Matt is also trying to cope with his trauma and grief, they’re just perfect for each other. I love how open they are with their struggles although Matt was hesitant to share his past trauma. What made me so sad was that Matt didn’t even acknowledge his trauma as trauma and instead, it was a sad love story. I also love the part where Matt asks Ro to call him Matt or Matty instead of Freddy like the rest of the team. I love that he wants to be different for her. However, I do want to comment on how uncomfortable I was with their emotions sometimes. As normal as their emotions are for their situations, it can get a little extreme. Other than that, I liked this book. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely LOVED the first book in this series and I couldn't wait to start this one. It did NOT let me down! You also don't have to read the first book in order to enjoy and love this book!

I love a hockey romance and the hockey boys and Matt "Freddy" Fredderic did not disappoint! He was a sweet heart and would have done anything for Ro. Freddy is ready go to the NHL but the only thing holding him back are his grades. You find out that Freddy is dyslexic and has ADHD, which (to me) are very relatable. Ro becomes his tutor and they fall in love.

The only problem I had with the book was that there was hardly any spice :( I can only imagine how freaky Freddy would be!

This book will break all of your expectations of what a hockey romance is with Freddy and you won't be sorry you picked it up!

Thank you so much NetGalley, Atria & Peyton Corinne for giving me the opportunity to review this book!

Tropes:
. Friends to lovers
. Cinnamon roll MMC
. STEM FMC
. Mental health & learning disabilities rep

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC of Unloved in exchange for an honest review.

Peyton Corinne's second book in The Undone series is without a doubt a favorite read for me in 2025 (YES-I'm fully aware it's only Jan 24th). I'd done a smidge of research when approaching Unloved, as I was well aware that it was the second book in the series, and I had not yet read the first book, Unsteady (fun fact, I've already picked up Unsteady and will be reading that in the very near future). You will be happy to know, if you are in the same unfortunate boat as me and you happened to miss jumping on the bandwagon of hype surrounding Unsteady, let me reassure you by saying that you do not need to start with Unsteady to fall completely, absolutely, and unequivocally in love with Unloved.

This book is 464 pages of just absolutely heartbreakingly beautiful love and personal growth. I will say, there are aspects of this book that some may find rather triggering (case in point-the asshole gaslighting ex-boyfriend of Ro's who treats women like absolute pisses of shit who needs to be buried 6 feet under where he belongs). Reading through Ro and Tyler's interactions made my blood pressure elevate in ways I never knew was possible. It's as if the author created his character by throwing every down right appalling characteristic of the worst person imaginable into one big vat of steaming crap and happened to come up with Tyler at the end of it all-the dreaded asshole ex. Hats off to Peyton's literary genius because I know I could not have created a character so vapid and narcissistic to the point that it evokes such a strong physical response in the reader.

In quick summation, book 2 follows the love story of Ro and Freddy. Ro is a super smart sweetheart in the sciences department surrounded by horrible egotistical men who constantly put her down, including her dick of a boyfriend, Tyler. As fate my have it, Ro is duped by Tyler into being a tutor for the campus star hockey athlete Matt “Freddy” Fredderic. Freddy is all lined up for his NHL career with Dallas, but in order to get there, the man's got to graduate, which is incredibly hard to do when you're failing most of your college classes thanks to a healthy mix of dyslexia, dyscalculia, and ADHD. Both Ro and Freddy have their fair share of hidden secrets, intentions, and histories, and as the two draw closer in what is the longest slow burn love story in the history of all sports romances, both Ro and Freddy learn the meaning of what it is to love and be loved.

There were so many moments in this book where I found myself tearing up at the beauty of Ro and Freddy's story and the hardships they've had to endure in order to be able to actually feel and give love again and what it means to be in a healthy and safe relationship. I feel like I have to be very clear in that Unloved is not just your stereotypical college hockey romance with all smut and no depth or plotline. It's actually the complete antithesis of what we've come to expect from authors specializing in this genre. And I would be a liar if I did not admit that this stereotype is exactly why I picked the book up in the first place, loving myself a good hockey/sports romance. I was so surprised when what I got in return was so much more and I'm so grateful to have found this series, as it is now a new love of mine. Unloved is set to be released Feb 4th, just in time for a great Valentine's Day romance. I promise you, you will want to pick this one up immediately as I'm confident will be quickly become a favorite read for many in 2025.

5/5 Stars
2/5 Spice

THIS BOOK. Wow, when the author said on social that we were going to fall in LOVE with Matt/Freddy (in that order) I didn’t know she was SO SERIOUS. Matty is in my top 5 book boyfriends now. So worthy of love but so unknowing that he deserves the best!!

Ro is so sweet and so perfect for Matty and I love them together and how their friendship bloomed first to form a solid foundation for a relationship!! I love how she was able to come to terms with what was happening in her last relationship and start healing in order to love Matty!

And sweet, sweet, cinnamon roll Matty, I am so happy he was able to grow and become more confident in himself and set the boundaries of clear communication he needs!!

Overall, I was giggling and crying and smiling throughout this whole book. The vibes were different from the first book in the series (Unsteady), which I also loved reading, but I think the diversity in the tone was welcomed and a great change of pace!! There were still strong themes of grief, love, and hope in both books, which made them feel connected without feeling like copy and paste.

I can’t wait for this series to continue!! ESPECIALLY what Toren Kane’s story is!! PEYTON COME ON!!!

I’m almosthoping to see a love triangle turned why choose with Bennett and Toren and Paloma??? We shall see!!

4.5⭐️
2🌶️

🏒 Hockey romance
🏒 Athlete x Tutor
🏒 Slow burn friends to lovers
🏒 Mental health & learning differences rep

I was so excited for this book! I loved Unsteady and couldn’t wait for the next book in this series. Ro and Freddy’s story was raw and emotional. I loved every minute of it to the point where I almost stayed up all night to finish reading it. There were parts that made me angry for both MC’s and I really wanted to fight people for them 😂 I truly loved all of the backstory and getting glimpses of their pasts. It really helped bring everything together. I absolutely adored their friendship and watching it grow into something more. I enjoyed getting Rhys and Sadie’s timeline in there too so it refreshed my memory a bit from their book which I now want to read again! I’m loving this series by Peyton and I’m excited to see what else she is planning!

To be loved is to be seen.

I devoured this book and thoroughly enjoyed my time with Ro and Matty. Peyton Corrinne wrote excellent, likeable characters in Unloved. Their journey from friendship to relationship was refreshing. There were bumps and obstacles that made the romance all the better. Both characters unpacked their trauma and developed greater awareness for communication. The emotional intelligence was chef's kiss.

I honestly loved this book.

After reading the first book in the series Unsteady, I knew I had to get my hands on this one and boy did it not disappoint. The slow burn in this book was just chef’s-kiss. If you love your KU Romance stories you’ll definitely appreciate this masterpiece of a book.

I loved Ro and Freddy’s story.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC.

5 ⭐️

Netgalley, Atria, & Peyton Corinne I would lay down in the road for you right now, thank you for this ARC.

Please let the world note that I had this in my hot little hands MONTHS ago but I would not let myself read it because it was my light at the end of the tunnel— like, yes, everything is on fire, but I still have Unloved waiting for me so it’s FINE!!!!

And then the self restraint ran the hell out and I slammed through the whole thing in like 24 hours because I was OBSESSED.

From the moment I clocked these two in Unsteady I was like….. oh that is going to destroy me, actually. And I was so right!!! (And that was before I knew this one was for the Dead Dad Club. So. Imagine my emotional condition right now.)

Matty and Rosalie are so— ALDKFJ DKSLSKFJ they are such beautiful and complex characters, and I simply fucking adore them.

I love how much representation there is in this book— especially adhd—but as always with Peyton’s books, mental health in general.

My only complaint isn’t so much a complaint as…. blatant greed LOL I wish we got to see more of Matty & Archer pre-epilogue (the glorious amazing epilogue chef’s kiss babe) and more of the whole group together. (Local girl reads 60 chapter book and pouts because she wanted even more… On brand!!)

TLDR?

I loved this book so much 🥹🫶🏻

I want to first thank NetGalley, the Publisher, and Peyton for the opportunity to read the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book has easily become one of my top favorite college sports romances. I inhaled this book within one sitting. There is something so special about an author being able to write such beautiful lines when describing character's feelings towards each other. My favorite part of this book was that it was not a bubbly sports romance, it focused on two characters who had real hardships they had to work through. The epilogues also made me cry because I was so happy to finally see two characters who went through so much trauma finally have their happy ending.


"Being around him is like the climb before the drop of a roller coaster - bright anticipation filled with the safety to freefall without getting hurt."

"I made a vow to protect her, the pretty girl with the butterflies in her messy curls, even if she'll never be mine."

(Praying that we get books from Kane and Bennett)

'Unloved' by Peyton Corrine was the equivalent of being struck through the heart by Cupid himself. Our library is always looking to grow our Romance book section and this will be a wonderful addition to our collection.

This book sadly did not work for me. It had everything that should have- nerd FMC tutor x college athlete (HOCKEY!!) but it was genuinely confusing to me. To start, they run away constantly from each other. I'm talking literally. They are supposed to have tutoring sessions and instead of having a conversation or even changing the subject, setting a boundary, etc one or the other literally would just leave before any tutoring even happened. This happened at least 3 times, it was genuinely befuddling.

Also, I understand that he could have been tricked into thinking the extent of academic support he's received for 3.5 years was all he could be accommodated for, I believe that happens way more than it should. But I kept waiting for the villains to be put in their place (esp to stop victimizing others) and was left unsatisfied.

The FMC and her ex and his friends... I have personal experience studying Biology and it is not as male dominated as this book wants it to seem. Engineering I could see a bit more but still, in actual reality it would be very hard to find a whole entire cohort of tutors and/or TAs in any field with only one girl. And to face that level of verbal abuse witnessed by many others for years is a very depressing thought that basically every man in this story sucks except for the MMC. But let's say this is actually happening, the storyline did not call out this behavior enough. I genuinely feel if someone on the younger side read this they may be dissuaded from speaking up about this treatment or at worst not pursuing this field of study at all. I needed someone to come in and say THIS IS NOT NORMAL.

I could go on about this book but I just think my star rating speaks for itself.

Thank you to Atria for the eARC. I appreciate the chance to have read this but I don't think this author is for me.

Let me start by saying I didn't read book one in this series but Unloved can definitely be read as a standalone. My goodness, this book was way better than I expected. Heavier and more serious but good nonetheless. The issues in this book were very relatable and I really loved the characters. Start to finish I could not put it down. The pace was great. The spice was good and not so much that it made me want to skim those pages.
Thank you for the opportunity to read this arc.

ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE! I’m heartsick over these two! I loved the first book so much, but this one simply goes above and beyond. Freddy and Ro are soulmates; I highly recommend this book!

What a whirlwind of a story! Unloved is the sequel to Unsteady, the hockey romance that stole my heart even before it was traditionally published. Getting the ARC for Unloved from Atria Books and NetGalley was a dream come true, as Peyton Corinne has quickly become one of my favourite authors of all time.

Unloved follows Ro and Freddy, best-friends of Unsteady couple Sadie and Rhys, who’ve gone through life feeling misunderstood and unloved. Ro, a hopeless romantic to her core, is dealing with an on again/off again boyfriend who devalues her, while hockey player Freddy struggles with his playboy label and troubled past. When Ro is assigned to Freddy as a tutor, their paths cross—but not for the first time. Together, this is a story of growth, found family, and healing with the help of others along the way.

Focusing on self-worth, Ro and Freddy’s relationship is big on building trust in their friendship first before anything else. This was the slowest of burns in that regard, but this felt organic (and necessary) for their growth both together and apart. This book explores a soft and gentle love that feels light and healing, despite the intricacies of both characters and their needs/pasts.

Peyton is a master of her craft who creates romances that are dazzling in their own right. Deeper and more complex than a lot of the books I’ve read previously, Unloved delves into tough topics and handles representation with the upmost care.

I highly recommend you check out the Undone series if you haven’t already, and mark your calendars for Unloved. It releases on February 4!

This book was SOOO CUTE! I enjoyed this more than the first book. I just love Matt and Ro so much. The way that Tyler treated her had me screaming. When Matt and Ro meet they become friend instantly, I was rooting for them the entire time. I loved watching them change from tutor/student to being vulnerable with each other. Reading about how both of these characters were treated so badly and taken advantage of was horrible but being able to see them come together and help each other was amazing. I just want to say thank you so much Peyton and NetGalley for this ARC!!

I absolutely adored this book. The characters are brilliantly written and so complex. Ro was so relatable. Matty made my heart hurt (but he also healed me).

The writing is stunning. Peyton approaches sensitive topics with so much care and caution.

Coming to the romance, I'm a big sucker for both the tutor trope and slow burn and this book delivered! Matty and Ro have my heart 💞 I loved their progression from friends to best friends to lovers.

Peyton is officially an auto-buy author for me :)

I really enjoyed this book. It hit all the hockey romance needs and was a cute story between a popular guy and the nerd girl. It was an enjoyable and quick read.

This book was amazing from beginning to end! I read it because of the first book and was not disappointed. Considering Tyler got on my nerves. I was so glad Matt found and accepted the love Ro gave him. It’s wonderful when you have someone to have your back in all parts of the relationship. I loved Archer. This book was everything!