DNF at 52% (which btw is still 300 pages so)
Sure the concept of this was something I’d usually eat the hell up. Boy on the football team, girl who hates athletes. But please they fell for each other in the first page and every other chapter it’s “ugh I love you so much I want you right here right now” and then “I hate you you’re the worst thing to ever happen to me do not speak to me”. I cannot do 600 pages of that! Chapters were short which is great but genuinely cut it in half it was dragging fr. Hate to DNF a book especially this far in but it is seriously putting me in a slump.

Thank you so much for this ARC! I feel like I have to go back and read the other books in this series because this one was cute! I think it had way too many pages than necessary, but I enjoyed the main characters and their story!

Okay, I´m going to try to keep this review as short as possible. I recieved this ARC a few weeks before the publication date and I really want to thank Bree Hayden for the chance to be a ARC reader for her book 'against the rules´. I got this book in exchange for an honest review so here it is. I devoured this book and rate it 4.5 ⭐️ It was amazing and I loved every moment of it. I´m in love with the main charachters aswell as with the side charachters. I kept wanting to read more (wich made me pull 2 all nighters because I couldn´t put my phone down, wanting to know more) I kept kicking my feet at good parts and really felt the emotions brewing Inside me while reading. The only reason I didn´t rate it 5 ⭐️ is because there were a few moments were I felt there were a few things missing (mostly near the end). Despite that I really enjoyed the story and really got pulled into the book. It pains me to leave Willow and King behind but I´m very exited to read more from Bree Hayden in the future.

MBree Hayden’s *Against the Rules* is a captivating blend of tension, banter, and forbidden romance that kept me hooked from the first page. With a brooding bad-boy athlete and a fiercely independent heroine, this story delivers all the angst and heat you could want—plus a few surprises along the way.


What follows is a deliciously tense dance of push and pull. King, with his quiet intensity and guarded past, is tasked with keeping an eye on Willow, and their chemistry is off the charts. The forced proximity, stolen moments, and simmering tension had me glued to the page. And when they finally give in? Let’s just say the payoff is as satisfying as it is steamy.

Hayden excels at building slow-burn tension, and the banter between Willow and King is sharp and engaging. Willow’s secret identity as a singer adds an intriguing layer to her character, while King’s loyalty and vulnerability make him impossible not to root for. The side characters bring humor and warmth, balancing out the emotional highs and lows of Willow and King’s relationship.

This book had me kicking and screaming, looking at my imaginary audience and gasping all the totally normal things you do when you love a book right… right??
This book is exactly what I mean when I say bring back yearning bring back tension bring back the build up I loved it!!

I loved everything about this book! It had sports, always a bonus, sizzling chemistry and banter! It was such a swoon worthy read!!

3.5 ⭐️ rounded up

What i loved:
* Adam Russell's commentary
* banter between Willow and King
* the cover
* Willow slapping Elijah

What didn't work for me:
* Did i miss who the hell released King's info to Elijah and sent those anonymous texts? Because your girl really wants to know....
* it was kinda long

I hadn't read the first three in the series but still enjoyed this book. I appreciated the care given to the storylines on sexual dysfunction and diabetes. That said, I wish the characters were aged up to be pro athletes because some of the storylines were pretty extreme for 20 year olds. It often took me out of the story, more than in other college sports romances because they didn't feel that age at all.

Wow my expectations were honestly exceeded with this one. I was a bit wary going in since the page count was a bit higher than your average romance but I can’t honestly think of anything I would have cut out. The storyline gradually progressed with new challenges and relationships growing, it reminded me of a tv show the almost episodic way the characters treated each challenge, etc.

King and Willow, god I love them so much. Is King a bit problematic? Well yeah but he’s a book boyfriend not a real one so we’ll give him a pass. Perfect combo of cinnamon roll and touch her and 🎲. Willow facing her real challenges in her life to learn how to have a healthy relationship with her partner. I’m almost bummed I started the series backwards, not sure the other relationships will hit me the same way. But I’m willing to give it a shot 😊

Thank you Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

unfortunately this book was not for me. i did not get on with the writing from the start and sadly dnf’ed at 20%. i can see why people would love this book, however it just wasn’t my cup of tea. what i did read, the plot was fun but not my vibe. i am so thankful to have received this arc and wish the author all the success xx

(rating 5 stars as i dnf and cant therefore give a fully informed rating)

Agains the Rules by Bree Hayden is my firs book form this author but i'll give it another try. This is an insta love story with a good character grown but there were a lot happening at the same time. The book became a bit repetitive halfway through and it made me feel less invested in the ending. I felt like 600 pages for this story was way too much and i felt like the book loses points because of it. I felt like the ending was too rushed and since this is a big book it was not great. But it was an interesting read and i look forward to read other books from this author since the writing was very good.

Thank you to Netgalley as well as the publisher & author for an advanced reader copy. All thoughts are my own.

4/5

I really enjoyed this book. It was an easy read. Characters were engaging. I rooted for them, flaws and all. I desperately wanted the FMC to stand up for herself more and find her place. I wanted the MMC to just communicate.

That said, there are some elements that are a little unrealistic. But that is what made the book fun.

I did not expect to love this as much as I do! I found myself giggling almost the entire time. The spice was 🤌🤌 and I love the absolute obsession king has with willow. They're so freaking cute together. Highly recommend!

Also to note- I did not read any of the previous books in the series, but i wasn't lost with any of the other characters.

Thank you to the publishing company and NetGalley for an ARC!

Thank you for the arc but unfortunately this book was not for me. I loved the premise, but the insta-love was too instant. I also had not read the prior books in the series and had a hard time keeping up with the characters/friend group dynamics. The book read more like it was checking tropes off a list than telling a cohesive story.

4.25⭐️ Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to ARC read!!

Let’s start off with the good stuff: King pining over Willow and being an absolute romantic sap just for her was ~beautiful~. Each character had the perfect amount of depth and back story. The spice scenes were verrryy spicy. Definitely loved the initial banter and slow burn between the two MCs.

I also really liked the growth shown between the main characters and their side characters. I loved seeing the two MCs grow together and get closer with each other and their friends/family. Overall, it was very well written. I found myself smiling at the screen MULTIPLE times. Also, I loved that I could jump into this book without having read the ones before it. But I will say, now after reading this one I definitely will be reading the others!!

Now, for the not so good stuff: The story started to lose me at the end. It felt very repetitive and got boring, where I didn’t feel as invested in the ending as I had in the beginning. I loved the characters, but didn’t need to read 600 pages of them.

King and Willows relationship started of rocky to say the least. I was worried that there would t be much plot to this book but I was pleasantly surprised to find it intriguing, funny, and sentimental. I laughed more times than I could count and ever started to tear up a few times. Bree Hayden wrote a phenomenal sports romance with great main and side characters. If you are into sport romance novels with lots of spice this is for you.

Against the Rules by Bree Hayden is a college sports romance with great tension, banter, and a guaranteed happily ever after. The characters have strong chemistry, and their back-and-forth adds a fun touch to the story. There’s a nice hurt/comfort element that brings emotional depth to the plot.

The book is an easy and enjoyable read for young adult fans of the genre. If you like sports romance with a happy ending, this book is a good pick.

Nobody prepaid me for how invested I was going to be with this story. The begging? top tier. The middle? I was cheesing up a storm, highlighting almost the whole book and amused as hell. The ending? Stop I actually love them so much. I cried. Happy tears. It was unexpected but I love.

I love a down bad man and king? He was DOWN BAD. The things that came out from this man’s mouth— not just spicy content wise but also his absolute devotion to Willow. The way he was so enamored and taken by her from the moment they met. The way he worshipped her body, Talked about her mind, was invested in her music. The way he respected the people that meant so much to her. The way he jumped right into making her his world.

They were a little toxic Atleast at first 😭😹 but in a fun way and damn I ate it up! It added an edge of uniqueness to the story that made the plot line go in a direction that was not predictable and entertaining as hell.

I was invested in all the characters, their stories as individuals and couples. The authors writing was easy to follow. The pacing was also really fun lowkey keeping me at the edge of my sit even when I was almost Atleast 50% sure I knew what was going to happen next.

I do wish we got more context on king backstory tho. I feel like that was wrapped up pretty vaguely compared to the other focal points of the plot.

But it’s safe to say that this author is now on my radar. Thank you NetGalley for arc.

This is the first book ive read frim this author and im excited to pick up some of her other books.

I absolutely enjoyed this book, however I perhaps have to admit it wasn't necessarily my type of book? I did kinda learn to like the characters as the story went on and they did have a visible growth in character which was great!

As it was an insta love story I did struggle with how long this book was, i would have enjoyed perhaps more of a slow burn. And yeah there was a lot going on which kept the plot interesting, however I felt like there was perhaps a bit too much going on. Like there was a lot of side plots happening but the main plot felt a bit unimportant until the last few chapters where everything had to be wrapped up and made it feel like a rushed ending.

I liked how willow developed her different relationships with different people and I wish we could have seen more of her relationship with her mother.

All in all I absolutely enjoyed this story but I feel like certain parts of the book just wasn't for me.

Thank you to Netgalley as well as the publisher & author for an advanced reader copy. All thoughts are my own.

I enjoyed this book and it’s the first I’ve read by this author.

Against the rules is a coach’s daughter, forced proximity, he falls first spicy sports romance. The book is centred around King and Willow. Willow meets King at a gig and they have an instant connection however circumstances cut their night short only for them to meet against later when Willow starts the same college as King. Willow is adamant she won’t date a football player but can King convince her.

I loved the dual POV of this book, I definitely enjoyed getting to see Kings side of things. Although I didn’t understand why he hid the tattoo, it was made such a big thing but made no sense to me. One of my favourite things about this book was the fact that there was no third act break up.

At just over 600 pages it’s quite a long read for a romance and at times I felt the story seemed to drag. It may just be me but I would have liked more at the ending, it seemed to have an abrupt end, I would have liked to see how the first dinner went down. We also never saw any of Willow at music college, it was only referenced in the epilogue. However despite that I would certainly recommend. A solid 4 🌟 read for me