Beneath the Stands by Emily McIntire is an angsty second chance romance that ultimately fell flat for me. While Eli and Becca's connection is fiery, I did not think that the plot was especially believable. The second half of the book felt like our main characters were toeing the line of cheating. The audiobook narrators exaggerate the southern accents to the point that my southern ears could barely listen to it.

Rating: ⭐ (1/5) – DNF @ 50%

This book was just not for me. I gave Beneath the Stands a fair shot, but after reaching the 50% mark, I had to walk away. While I can see why some readers might enjoy this story, it just didn’t hit the mark for me in any meaningful way.

First, let's talk about the female main character. She came off as incredibly unlikeable, full of herself, and honestly, she just didn’t have the kind of personality that made me want to root for her. Instead of being a compelling, multidimensional character, she felt shallow and way too fixated on “screwing everyone” without any depth to her motivations. It was hard for me to engage with her or care about her journey because her actions seemed so self-centered and off-putting.

As for the male main character, I didn’t mind him as much, but the relationship dynamics were a huge turn-off. They went from hating each other one minute to being all over each other in the next chapter. It didn’t feel earned or believable. The classic "we can’t do this again" declaration was immediately followed by... them doing it again. That’s the kind of repetitive, contradictory back-and-forth that makes me roll my eyes and lose interest.

And honestly, the whole “I’m in love with her” moment from the MMC *before* the 50% mark? Really? That felt completely rushed and out of nowhere. It’s hard to take the emotional beats seriously when the pacing is this jarring and everything seems to move at a pace that doesn’t align with the characters’ actual development.

There were just too many eye-roll moments for me to push through to the end. The chemistry was there, but everything else felt forced, unrealistic, and a little too dramatic for my taste. I’m sure there’s an audience for this kind of fast-paced, intense romance, but I’m not one of them.

Overall, Beneath the Stands didn’t work for me on any level. Between the unlikeable heroine, the rushed romance, and the lack of emotional depth, I couldn’t bring myself to finish it. If you’re into relationships that feel more like a whirlwind of clichés than a gradual buildup, this might be your thing. For me, though, it was a definite pass.

However, I will say the audiobook was good and liked the narrators.

What a cute romance book by Emily McIntire. I really like getting to know the characters. This book had tropes like, 2nd chance romance, miscommunication, best friend’s brother, small town. Even though I’m not usually a fan of miscommunication trope I didn’t mind it in this book. It was well through out. Not too much spice so if you’re grabbing this because you’ve read spicy books from her this one wasn’t as spicy, but it was very good!

Thank you NetGalley for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this audiobook.
Great narration, but I didn’t love the book. Nothing to do with the quality of the story telling - Emily McIntire is always a great read - but I’m not crazy about books with major time jumps in the middle.

This book is the perfect choice for readers who are captivated by emotionally charged, forbidden romances. It delves into the complexities of relationships where societal norms and personal desires clash, creating a sense of moral ambiguity and a heightened intensity. The characters navigate through a passionate entanglement that blurs the lines between love and resentment, leaving readers questioning the boundaries of acceptable behavior and the true nature of their own emotions.

The narrative explores the forbidden allure of these relationships, where the thrill of the illicit intertwines with the fear of consequences. As the characters grapple with their conflicting feelings, they are forced to confront their own vulnerabilities and the societal expectations that threaten to tear them apart. The story delves into the psychological impact of forbidden love, showcasing the internal struggles, the sacrifices made, and the lingering sense of longing that permeates their lives.

Through its exploration of complex dynamics, the book challenges readers to examine their own beliefs about love, morality, and the societal constructs that shape our relationships. It invites them to question the boundaries we set for ourselves and the sacrifices we are willing to make in the pursuit of love. The intense passion and emotional turmoil depicted in the story will resonate with readers who crave stories that push the limits and explore the darker shades of human emotion.

Beneath the Stands Honest ARC Review:

4.5 stars

Rebecca and Eli grew up in the small town of Sugarlake. Both left and never cared to return. Revered as the next big thing in Basketball, Eli is injured in a career devastating way. The last thing Eli wants is to go back home to Sugarlake. He accepts a coaching position at Florida Coast University.

In a college town in Florida, the two meet as employees of the college basketball program as Becca has just been hired as the team’s manager.

Filled with angst and a ton of chemistry, this is a basketball themed, best friend’s brother, small town romance.

Both the MMC and FMC are complex and develop further throughout the novel as they reflect on their own life and open up to one another.

Plot twists and turns lead this novel to be a fantastic success and definitely 💯 one to add to your TBR! This novel gave me all the feels. I really enjoyed this!


⭐️Forbidden romance
⭐️office romance
⭐️small town romance
⭐️best friend’s brother
⭐️basketball themed

This is the second of a series, but it reads as a standalone. I don't feel like I really missed anything by not reading the first book. I listened to the audiobook version of this story.

The chemistry between Eli and Rebecca was amazing from the start. There were a few spots during the book that make you want to shake your head a little, because miscommunication never helps anything, but there wouldn't be a story without the drama. Right?

The spice was amazing, as it usually is in Emily McIntire's books. It had me making up more chores to do while I was listening, so I didn't have to turn it off!

The book finishes on a good note and entices you to read/listen to the next one in the series. I'm definitely going to find the first, and then the next. This one was definitely a winner!

Don’t let the cute cover fool you; Beneath the Stands is full of spice! I had a good time listening to this <3

I went into this with fairly basic expectations of what to expect and I was really surprised at where the story went. It took Rebecca and Eli, both in terms of character development and plot to a place I didn’t expect. Of course, this is a cute and hella hot sports/college romance,e but there are some really important and thought-out themes in there that I love to see were not rushed over yet not sat on too long for a romance!

I initially thought the plot was going very fast but the twist was amazing. If you’re looking a fun yet yearning filled romance book, this has got you.

What to expect:
- Sports Romance
- College Romance
- Forbidden Romance
- Best Friends Brother/Sisters Best Friend
- Student x Faculty (He is the basketball coach)
- Workplace Romance
- Dislike-to-Lovers
- Insta Lust
- Religious Trauma (TW*)
- Grief (TW**)

The female narrator (Brooke Bloomingdale) is definitely going on my instant narrator listen list. She did such a great job with the dual narration and bringing Rebecca and the range of cast to life. I was living for her Southern accent! The male narrator (Liam DiCosimo) was great as Eli; no notes. However, I struggled with his narration of others, but this tends to be the case for me with dual chapter narration, so if this normally doesn’t bother you, then you’re likely cool as I am picky.

As for what I was not as fond of…
I did find some of the dialogue cringy between Rebecca and Eli. Personal preference of course but a lot of what he said was hot, other times it gave me the ick.
I took some issue at time with certain events and how Eli came to terms with certain plot points. I felt he listened to a male character at a critical point more than his own sister and it disjointed me.

Trigger Warnings:
*Religious Trauma
Daughter of a Pastor, raised with little control of own life and a lot of religious guilt.
**Grief
Loss of mother off page and before events of the book.
Also Alcohol Abuse
On page abuse father but with resolution.

ALC Review
Beneath the Stands by Emily McIntire
Sugarlake - Book 2


I saw a few reviews that said to trust the process...and I somewhat agree with that. I absolutely loved the first half of the book. I have mixed feelings about the second half. I feel like it could have been handled in a way that didn't make the fiancee look like a complete boob. It also made me dislike Eli for awhile. Everything did get resolved, but it was not done my favorite way.

Pick this one up if you enjoy:
* Basketball romance
* Forbidden romance
* Second chance
* ALL OF THE ANGST
* Best friend's brother

This book is steamy, sexy, and spicy. You can witness the drama, the highs and lows, and how the characters overcome various obstacles to be together. While I usually prefer a slow-burn romance, this is not a bad book. It’s a fast-paced romance novel. You can read this a standalone.

Thank you Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing - Audiobooks for providing this ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley & Blackstone Audiobooks for the chance to listen to an ALC of Beneath the Stands.

3.5 ✨

I really enjoyed the narration on this, I normally struggle with any sort of accent in an audiobook recording but found the FMCs narration to be lovely. I did have a hard time with the MMCs narration of the female speaking parts (but, I think this is a me thing) otherwise both narrators were enjoyable to listen to and really brought the characters to life.

As for the story - I haven't read the first book in the series and got through just fine but I do think I would've had a slightly better understanding of some characters having read the first one. BUT overall, I enjoyed this - it was a bit spicier than I antipated! I really felt a lot of parts of Becca's story arc and finished the book feeling proud of her and many of the other characters. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

I also recommend checking the authors website for the CWs as I do think some topics cover in this book may be heavy for some people and they are not currently listed in audio format.

Beneath the Stands by Emily McIntire - 5 stars! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Audio Narration: Fantastic! This narration is done in dual narration-style, so two narrators narrate the entire POV chapter for their character. The emotions from our narrators really brought me into the scene. The little touches, like Eli’s southern drawl coming out when he’s angry, were so well-executed. Both narrators did a fantastic job bringing emotion into their performance.

💔 “I’ve ignored a lot in my life—I’m a master of avoidance. It’s not a badge I wear with honor, but it’s one I wear all the same.” 💔

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing for an audiobook ARC of this book!

This is my first contemporary romance by Emily McIntire. I have read her darker Never After series and loved it like so many. Emily promised angsty in this book, and she truly delivers! I DEVOURED this book over two days!

Elliot and Becca were amazing characters to follow. The start of their relationship begins with a bit of hate to love. After some nasty interactions, they both quickly realize that they have misunderstood each other’s experiences, and begin to grow closer. As a personal lover of a very, VERY slow burn, I was skeptical when they were making the beast with two backs about 15% into the book. I stood corrected, however, because it was so vital to their story to burn quick and fast.

Both of our characters, Elliot and Becca, are battling their own demons and imperfections. They have family struggles that weigh them down and bring their insecurities to light. It’s ultimately these internal struggles that rest at the heart of why this becomes a second-chance romance.

I’ll admit, I went into this story completely blind. I didn’t read the synopsis, so I was surprised when we jumped to several years later. However, it was so well done! We are following imperfect people who are acting in ways that we wish they wouldn’t, but understand why they do. It was so beautiful watching them grow and change over the course of years, and join them on their journey to become who they need to be to find happiness.

I’m excited to proceed into book 3, and will likely then circle back to book 1! I love Emily’s dark romance titles, and was not disappointed in this contemporary, angsty read.

wouldn't even recommend this to my enemies. all i wanted to read was super cute and romantic book and it was all smut??!! where is the chemistry and emotional attachment? why they both were so lustful?? ruined my mood fr

First I want to thank NetGalley and BlackStone Publishing for this audiobook ARC in exchange for my honest review!

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️🌶️/5

This is a dual POV, dual timeline, second change sports romance. This is a part of the Sugarlake series but can be read as a standalone!

I absolutely LOVED the first half of this book! It was cute and fun and made me laugh! I love the narrators, their southern accents were incredible!

That being said I feel like there was some plot missing. I don’t think we got enough for the MMCs relationship and was honestly left with some questions. I wasn’t a fan of the subplots either, I just don’t think they were needed personally.

I know these are some mixed signals but at the end of the day I would recommend it if you’re looking for a cute, southern sports romance! 🏀💕

I received an early copy of the audiobook from Blackstone Publishing and Netgalley.

I really loved book one and was so excited to jump into the second book to see where this story would go. Book one left off with kinda a cliff hanger (with one story needing more clarity). We really did not get that story too much with book two, but I am hoping we will in book three.

Book two is the story of the brother and best friend which we met in book one! I liked going back and seeing more into their story. I did not love that some scenes were identical to the first book though.

Overall, this was ok but I did not love it as much as book one. I still cannot wait for the next book and to see who's story we will follow next.

Story Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ /5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️ /5
Genre: Fiction | Romance | Contemporary Romance | Mature Content
Theme: Sports Romance | Second-chance romance | Forced proximity
Author: Emily McIntire
Book Publication date: Feb 11 2025
Audiobook Narrator: Brooke Bloomingdale & Liam DiCosimo
Audiobook Length: 10 hours 21 minutes
Narration: 🎧🎧🎧🎧 /5

One Liner: Cute second-chance romance in a small town with a little spice

Story Review: This is Book 2 in the Sugarlake series following Beneath the Stars. Each book is a standalone story. We get to follow Elliot and Becca forced together after both leaving Sugarlake and ending up at the same school and not just that but forced to work together. I thought the story was cute, fun and exciting. I didn’t find myself bored with can sometimes happen with some romance series for me. The writing style reminds me of Hannah Grace’s standalone series.

If you love a cute fun romance with some spice you will love this one! I plan on reading the others in the series!

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Thank you to #NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing - Audiobooks for the ARC (Advance Reader Copy) of #BeneathTheStands by #EmilyMcIntire @itsemilymcintire
All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date Feb 11 2025. This review is being shared on NetGalley, Goodreads and Amazon.

I loved Becca and Eli's story. Emily is an amazing author. this book kept me engaged. It really hits home if you or a family member are in an active addicton. (Alcohol in this book.) Nott gonna lie Becca made me mad at times in this book and so did her mom and dad. Second chance/ best friends brother are one of my favorite tropes!! Have already recommened this whole series to my book friends.

3.25-3.50 stars

I saw this was part of a four book series and this was book 2 so I read books 1 first. I think it really set the stage of the friend groups, town, and is important to read. I feel their romance would have been more endearing if we saw a little more tension build up of their attraction. While the first book help me know the characters a little I would have liked to know more about their motivations wants and dreams. It was a different take to have some events have the same time line as book one. Overall its a very spicy small town romance.

I DNFd 9% of the way through because I just couldn't handle the way the male narrator handled female voices—both the pitch of his voice and the old deep southern drawl for Becca—it's not Tennessee at ALL, and is a distinct enough accent that even if the rest were working for me that would have really pulled me out of the story. I did like the female narrator so far though!
As far as the story itself I didn't have strong feelings either way at 9% of the way through so I may check out the ebook at some point.

Absolutely loved Eli and Becca.. it made me happy getting to see their journey. This is definitely going to be a story i remember for a long time. ❤️ the family dynamic, everything was perfect.