Book Rating: ⭐️ 4.25/5
Spice Rating: 🌶️ 2.5/5
Format: Audiobook 🎧

I liked the first book in the series, but book two is where things really picked up for me! I love a good redemption story, and this one delivered. Eli and Becca’s second-chance, slow-burn romance had me hooked from the start.

If you weren’t a fan of Eli in book one, this one might just change your mind. Getting his backstory added so much depth, and you really start to understand his actions, even the questionable ones. And Becca? She was a whirlwind of surprises. Her journey put me through every possible emotion, and I loved every second of it.

Fair warning, this book does not hold back on the heartbreak. It crushed me in the best way, and now I’m even more excited to finish this series!

Book Review: Beneath the Stands by Emily McIntire

Emily McIntire’s Beneath the Stands is more than just a story—it’s an emotional journey that left a lasting impression. Experiencing this book through audiobook was truly immersive, bringing the characters to life in a way that made every moment feel intensely real.

Becca’s story, in particular, resonated with me in ways I never expected. Her struggles, her growth, and the raw authenticity of her character made me feel seen—almost as if parts of my own life had been woven into the pages. The tension throughout the story was gripping, the emotional highs and lows kept me hooked, and the character development was deeply satisfying.

This book isn’t just a fleeting read—it’s one that will stay with me forever. Beneath the Stands has earned its place among my all-time favorite recommendations, and I know I’ll return to it time and time again.

"Resentment sticks to your insides. Scraping it off may hurt, but at least it cleans the residue."

These narrators gave me life! Brooke gave the impression of a genuine Southern accent. And Liam gave me tingles down my spice when delivering Eli's lines.

This story artfully blends tension and chemistry between the main characters, with dramatic family dynamics that mould and shape the way they function in relationships.

Recommend all around.

Emily McIntire does it again! Beneath the Stands is an emotional, angsty, best-friend’s-brother, second-chance romance that hits all the right notes. The story unravels beautifully, with a realistic progression and perfect pacing that keeps you hooked from start to finish.

The audiobook? Fantastic. The narrators did an amazing job bringing Becca and Eli to life, keeping my interest throughout the entire listen. Their performances made every moment—the tension, the heartbreak, the heat—that much more immersive. I’d love to see Emily explore duet narration in the future, with the same voices for each character. I think it would add even more depth to her already captivating stories!

I’ve been a fan of Emily’s writing ever since Hooked, and there’s no turning back now. If you love angsty, emotional, and deeply addictive romances, this one is a must-read (or in this case, a must-listen)!

Thank you, Blackstone Publishing Audio and Netgalley, for a copy of this e-audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second book in the Sugarlake series, and I enjoyed it. I would say the first book is a little bit better, but overall, this is a solid romance. This book follows Becca and Eli's story. I like how it recapped their story from college and then into adult life that overlaps with book 1. I did love the tension between Eli and Becca and felt like they truly loved each other. I do think some of their choices were annoying, and why I would say Beneath the Stars was better. The narrators did a great job adapting the book. I love a dual narrator, and each one did a great job with the country accent. Overall, I would recommend and I am super excited to read Jackson's story next.

To say that I loved this audiobook is an understatement. This was a audiobook I didn’t want to stop listening to. Although this is book 2 of the Sugarlake series, it can be read independently. The voices aligned with the characters well, which is a must for me in audiobooks. This was my first time reading a book by this author, but it will not be the last. I loved everything about the plot, well-developed characters and McIntire’s writing style. It’s the perfect balance of love and spice.
Rebecca Sanger might be the preachers daughter, but she can have a mind of her own, even if it means falling hard for her best friend’s brother, while she’s away at school. Elliot Carson can’t believe his luck, when he runs into his sister’s best friend on his first day of work, coaching FCU basketball.
As the days go on, he can’t seem to keep his mind or his mouth off of her. Just when Elliot thinks they could be a match made in heaven he wakes up to Becca suddenly gone from his life. Years later, Becca realizes how messed up her family really is, and all the mistakes she’s made, especially with Elliot, just in time for him to return to town with his fiancé.

Tropes:
-sports romance
-small-town romance
-second chance
-enemies to lovers-ish
-best friend’s older brother
-dual POV
-forced proximity

I adored Becca and Eli. This book had everything you could ask for in a romance. I love Emily’s books and can’t wait to read more from this series. I received the audiobook from Netgalley, so I started with the second book in the series. I will be going back to the first one. I did not feel I was missing anything when I started on book 2.

The spice was hot. Emily knows how to nail the spicy scenes.

The “drama” of the book brought so much more to the story. My heart ached for all the characters. Their lives in a small town haven’t been easy.

My only complaint was that their relationship could have been mended if they had talked. Five years of avoiding each other is a lot. Don’t get me wrong; I still loved the book. I just get frustrated when characters avoid each other when a conversation could have helped.

I highly recommend checking out this book and Emily’s other books. They are all great reads. I hope you read it and love it, too. It is available on KU.

Quotes:
But you can’t grow in the dark. You’ll shrivel and wilt until you’re nothing but dried up remnants scattered along the ground.

I’d say this book is more than just a spicy small town romance. There are some great life experiences and learning who you are as an individual as you grow into an adult role.

But hard emotional parts aside.
The romance was great! The relationship was fun and the main characters past make the ups and downs of the relationship make sense. This was a spicy romance superficially but so much more deep down.

Loved the thick southern accents. The male voice actor was not the best at them, especially the women voices but the voices made me giggle. The voice actor for Becca pov was on point though. Loved it.

Deeper to the romance, addiction is talked about among the family and friends in the main characters lives. Addiction is hard to accept, and when someone recovers their family and friends are definitely recovering right along with the addicted, just in different ways.

This one got me. I don’t know if it’s because her name is Becca Jean and my name is Becca Jane so it just felt like those Southern parents were just talking to me or what but I really enjoyed this book!

I love that her relationship with her parents impacted the story so much because it really makes sense. So much of her trauma or parts of her life that shaped her personality had to do with her parents the fact that we had so much insight into those events and her evolving emotions around her parents was great. That element of the story was impactful and gave the book depth. The romance was steamy and sweet. I love that they were too afraid to ask or want more from each other but clearly falling in love. There were so many obstacles in the way I really loved how much they had to overcome. And the flash forward five years … the way I GASPED! I said “FIVE YEARS!?! A lot can happen in five years!” And a lot did. I liked how realistic that was. It made sense and was so frustratingly real.

I recommend this book to anyone looking for a sporty best friends older brother romance. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Elliot and Rebecca strike sparks between them whenever they're together, but neither one of them realizes it till they're away from Sugarlake and wind up working with the same basketball team. The sparks turn into flames that they can't resist and the fire burns brightly till Eli and Becca come up against issues from home. I enjoyed seeing some of the characters from the first book and the relationships between all of them. There are some heavier topics in this book, but handled with sensitivity. The audiobook is a great way to enjoy this love story.

Emily McIntire is BY FAR one of my favorite romance authors. She is the queen of the slow burn with the most satisfying build-up. her characters are well developed and there is a perfect balance of spice to story for a good cozy read.

Beneath the Stands should be enjoyed in order, as book two of the Sugarlake series. This is Emily's debut series (check out the Never after series!!) but it does not read as such. Emily is perfection and you can't convince me otherwise. Her writing style is absolute perfection for this genre.

Eli is officially my new book boyfriend. he is just such a perfect ball of butterflies, steam and all the feels I wanted to feel. The build up to the climax (ha!) of this story is just as satisfying. There is snark, and passion, and angst....sigh. I need to go back and re-read.

I enjoyed this book as an audiobook and it added SO much! The narration had me turning this on and falling asleep to Becca and Eli with a smile on my face.

Highly recommend!!

Like many of us, I first discovered Emily McIntire through her Never After series, but here, she takes us into a new and deeply emotional world—Sugarlake. Beneath the Stands is the second book in this series, and let me tell you, it absolutely delivered.

This book follows Becca and Eli, two people from the same small town who find themselves reunited at Florida Coast University—but under very different circumstances. Eli, once a golden boy, is now the new basketball coach, while Becca is a final-year student still trying to navigate the weight of her family’s expectations. Their history is complicated: Becca is Eli’s little sister’s best friend, and she’s never forgiven him for walking away when his sister needed him the most. But, as always, things aren’t quite what they seem. When their undeniable chemistry ignites, they embark on a forbidden, slow-burn romance that’s equal parts heart-wrenching and electric.

💫 What I Loved
🔥 Becca’s character was everything. She’s fierce, feisty, and full of fire, yet underneath, she carries the burden of her family’s rigid beliefs. Her internal conflict was so beautifully written, and I know so many readers will see themselves in her struggles.

💖 Eli ’s sweet, protective, and deeply conflicted. Watching his character growth, especially as he starts to recognize the truth about his sister and father, was incredibly satisfying.

⏳ The time jump. Okay, I don’t always love time jumps, but this one worked. It was painful (my heart definitely shattered a little), but knowing this story promised an HEA kept me going. The emotional weight of that separation made their reunion even more powerful.

✨ The romance was forbidden, angsty, and sizzling—everything I crave in a small-town, second-chance love story. The tension between Becca and Eli was so well done, and when they finally gave in? Fireworks.

😕 What Didn’t Work

💔 Eli’s character could’ve been stronger. While I liked his personal journey, I didn’t feel as emotionally connected to him as I wanted to. His struggles were there, but they didn’t hit as hard as Becca’s.

⭐ Final Thoughts - 3.5/5
Beneath the Stands isn’t just a romance—it’s a deeply emotional journey of self-discovery, love, and breaking free from the past. If you love forbidden romance, small-town settings, and emotionally charged stories with undeniable chemistry, this book is for you.

I absolutely loved this audio of Beneath The Stands by Emily McIntire. The narration was done so well. I really enjoyed the characters and the second chance romance element. His basketball career is over after his injury, and he won't go home. So he takes a coaching job and winds up being the coach of his sisters best friends team.

Emily McEntire does it again! My first intro to her was Hooked from the Never After series. I am so glad this indie series has been picked up and especially excited I got to review two of them on audio as I didn’t do any of the NA series on audio. Collect all this series! And soooo looking forward to her new series coming later this year!!!

I love Emily Mcintire and her romance books!!! This was perfect as expected! I’m loving getting more of Lee and Chase while now getting to know Becca and Eli too! I ate this up. The audio was fantastic. I love a dual pov with 2 narrators! So good! Ready for the next!

Emily McIntire has a way of weaving stories that don’t just pull at your heartstrings—they yank them. Beneath the Stands is a beautifully emotional, second-chance romance that completely consumed me. From the very first page, Becca and Eli’s story had me hooked, and by the end, I was left breathless.

Their journey is raw, messy, and deeply moving. Becca is strong yet vulnerable, a character you can’t help but root for, and Eli? Oh, Eli. He’s the kind of hero who breaks your heart and pieces it back together in the best possible way. Their love is complicated, full of past hurts and unspoken words, but the connection between them is undeniable.

Listening to the audiobook made this story even better. The narrators brought Becca and Eli to life in such an incredible way—I felt their emotions so deeply, as if I was right there with them. Every moment of tension, heartbreak, and longing was amplified, making the experience even more immersive.

What I love most about Emily McIntire’s books is how real they feel. She doesn’t just write love stories—she writes life, with all its ups and downs, pain and joy. Beneath the Stands is a story of love, loss, and second chances, and it’s one I’ll be thinking about for a long time.

If you haven’t read this book yet, do yourself a favor and pick it up—especially in audiobook format. Highly, highly recommend!

#EmilyMcIntire #BeneathTheStands #AudiobookPerfection #SecondChanceRomance #Unputdownable

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 3.5 Stars

I wanted to love *Beneath the Stands* because Emily McIntire is an auto-read author for me, but unfortunately, this one didn’t quite hit the mark.

There’s no denying the angst and emotional depth McIntire brings to Becca and Eli’s story. The best-friend’s-brother and second-chance romance tropes had all the potential for a gripping, heart-wrenching read, and the premise was compelling. Becca’s struggle against her strict upbringing and Eli’s battle with his own demons were raw and relatable, making their journey one I really wanted to root for.

That said, the pacing and execution didn’t fully land for me. The back-and-forth timeline, while necessary to build tension, made it difficult to fully connect with their relationship in the present. Their chemistry was there, but I found myself wanting more emotional payoff and a deeper look into their healing and growth. The drama was intense, but some conflicts felt repetitive, and the resolution didn’t pack as much punch as I had hoped.

As for the narration, Brooke Bloomingdale and Liam DiCosimo did a solid job bringing the characters to life. Liam’s performance captured Eli’s brooding nature well, and Brooke added depth to Becca’s emotional struggles. However, there were moments where the delivery felt a bit flat, which may have contributed to my disconnect from certain pivotal scenes.

Overall, *Beneath the Stands* had its moments—angsty, steamy, and emotional—but it didn’t quite live up to the high expectations I had. Still, McIntire’s writing shines, and fans of small-town second-chance romances with plenty of heartbreak and drama may enjoy this one more than I did.

This book had all the makings for a powerful love story, but unfortunately fell short.

The characters felt very superficial, no real depth to them. The only character that had any redeeming qualities and turned out to be a side character was Jeremy. Everyone else is so self-centered, even the parents are aweful. The miscommunication/ zero communication is at an all time high here. Nobody talks about anything, just tantrums and straight to sex. The main characters had minimal chemistry throughout the book. In the begining they despise each other and all of a sudden, within a couple of pages, they can't stand to live without the other. Some of the spicy scenes gave me the ick, Eli keeps following Becca into rooms cornering her and then the spice starts..... while the other believes that the "love of their life" is still in a committed relationship! Hard pass for me.

I wish the author would of put more thought into the characters and the plot, dug more into the emotions and happenings of their lives instead of skimming through some aspects of he story.

*Thank you to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5. I think I liked this slightly less than Beneath The Stars, purely because of the relationship. It was honestly pretty toxic and insta-lovey. But the family drama aspect was great. The audiobook was not very well produced though. The male narrators chapters sounded like he had a muffler on the microphone, but ONLY on his chapters

This book was amazing I hadn't read the book before I started listening to the book. I love the narrators they are so good, the woman who does Becca's accent made mine come out so I'm so excited that I got to listen and read this story