I enjoyed reading Off Your Game by Susan Renee. It was such a fun hockey romance filled with angst, banter, and heartbreak.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️

🏒Enemies to Lovers
🏒Forced Proximity
🏒Hockey Romance
🏒Grumpy x Sunshine
🏒Slow Burn
🏒Whitty Banter

Carissa and Colby have undeniable chemistry right off the bat, starting at the local super market. And they both complement each other perfectly. Carissa is a very sassy and bold, whereas Colby can tend to be quiet but also broody. They do have a little bit of a push - pull dynamic throughout the book but once they give into their relationship more they seriously become the cutest.

Fans of hockey romances, this needs to be top of your TBR list! It starts with an argument over Lucky Charms, but quickly blooms into so much more. I really liked Carissa from the start, and even though she has a lot going on in her life, she does great at her job, and enjoys her time with the team. Colby I was a bit on the fence about, he seemed a bit caught up in his head at first, but he definitely grew on me. The banter between them had me giggling, and I’ll admit at times I just wanted to shake them and ask why they didn’t realize they were meant to be together. The pacing is pretty good, and the tension mixed with a bit of spice keeps you hooked. Definitely recommend!

If you loved the briar u series by elle kennedy you will love this one.

Amazing hockey romance, spice off the chart. A must on your TBR

Off Your Game is an absolute delight from start to finish. The chemistry between Colby and Carissa leaps off the page with every witty exchange and lingering glance. From their hilarious cereal aisle showdown to their undeniable connection on and off the ice, this enemies-to-lovers romance is packed with charm, banter, and heart.

Colby’s brooding hockey captain vibe pairs perfectly with Carissa’s bold, sunshiney confidence. The dual POV adds just the right emotional depth, letting us fall for both characters in equal measure. I couldn’t get enough of their push-pull dynamic and slow-burn tension that built to a swoony, satisfying payoff.

With humor, heat, and heart, Off Your Game is a fantastic kickoff to the Chicago Red Tails series—I’m already loving the direction it’s heading!

✨Enemies to Lovers
🏒Forced Proximity
✨Grumpy/Sunshine
🏒Slow Burn
✨Witty Banter
🏒Opposites Attract

Thank you the author, R&R Book Tours and Page & Vine for the gifted e-arc!

People. PEOPLE. Hear me out — this book was so good! I loved every second of it. The attraction and tension between the MCs? Off. The. Charts. There were moments I had to pause and take a few deep breaths before continuing because the chemistry was that palpable.

Watching the MMC fall fast and hard for the FMC was an absolute treat — and getting his POV during some of the best moments? Chef’s kiss. It added so much emotional depth to the story and made it even easier to root for their connection.

Let’s talk about the spice… because whew! It was HOT. Like, fanning-yourself-as-you-read hot. 🔥

If I had to nitpick, I would’ve loved a bit more of a slow burn. What pining we did get was amazing, so I found myself wishing there was more. Their rapid shift from a chaotic meet-cute to hating each other to a quick friendship and romance was a bit jarring at first — not quite insta-love, but close enough to catch me off guard. Still, the connection felt genuine and fun once I settled in.

Overall, this was a light, spicy, and totally enjoyable read. I’m so excited to dive into book two — Unfair Game, which is already out?! Let’s gooo.

Thank you to NetGalley and Susan Renee for providing me with this eARC!

Super cute! Really loved the characters and side characters! I am an absolute sucker for a 1. Hockey romance and 2. A woman who can give the MMC a run for his money. As team captain woman are supposed to bow down, but Carissa does anything but and I loved that for her!

Super sweet!

Emotional, endearing, and humorous. A really fun story with a great cast of characters.

I voluntarily read an advanced copy.

⭐️⭐️⭐️
Off Your Game by Susan Renee — out today! — is a light and cute hockey romance that's perfect for when you want an easy, feel-good read. The chemistry between the characters was definitely a highlight — full of flirty banter, sweet moments, and a spark that kept things fun. While the story didn’t completely sweep me away, I still really enjoyed the playful dynamic between the leads and the cozy, sportsy vibe throughout. If you're in the mood for a charming romance with a little heat (and some hockey magic), this one is worth a try!

I love sports and hockey romance books, this was not the first one I’ve read. While this book had some good moments, overall it was not the best. It often had immature moments and vocabulary that I felt like weren’t necessary.

OML I had such high hopes for this. It started off so fantastic and their meeting was so cute and funny. But then it just declined and we didn’t continue to delve into the main characters further.

At 36% the strangest thing happens ok. So they’ve just suddenly become besties and are practically in love after just having a huge fight and he goes “”And now Im famished”. I pay her gorgeous ass a few times”. Ew never again.

Bro is literally the biggest man whore ever.

Now she wants to have him sleep in her bed. Dude you just met.

Doing my best not to gag rn. It’s like the writing is trying to tell me about the chemistry but the characters are not very convincing.

Oh don’t worry guys now they’re are going over how to date first 🤦‍♀️

They’re already fighting again.

Yuck.

This poor girl just wants a hug and he’s like 😈 I can give you more than a hug 😈

I’m so sorry, bumfuzzle?

Well we wrapped it all up in 2 chapters. Quite possibly one of the most disappointing sports romances I have read unfortunately.

A meet cute or rather fight at a grocery store over the last box of Lucky Charms is how a grumpy hockey player and his new team's PR girl meet and possibly fall in love. Colby is the captain of his hockey team that has one ritual: eat Lucky Charms before his games... but he ran out so when he goes to get it a woman takes it and despite him offering to take her out and sleep with her for it, she refuses. Turns out she is the new PR woman for their team and they immediately get off on the wrong foot. Carissa is determined to make her new job work, despite getting on the bad side of the team's captain... yet the more time they spend together the tension is beginning to feel a lot like falling in love. I wish I could like this better because who doesn't love a ridiculous meet cute however they both gave me the ick. Colby is just so up his own arse and Carissa is no better, they both act like teens and its just frustrating. Their relationship just felt toxic and I just did not vibe with it one bit. As a lover of hockey romances, this one just was not for me. I didn't care for the romance or the characters. I do think if you like hockey romances you should just give it a try to see if you'd like it better than I did.

Release Date: April 29, 2025

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and ARC provided by Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op | Page & Vine for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

This book is your typical hockey romance. I did enjoy the characters and I did laugh out loud a couple times. I do think a lot of people really enjoy this however, nothing really stood out for me.

This was fun. The banter was hilarious and spectacular honestly, it kept the book going because at points it was a little cringey. It was easy to read, had some spice and overall a pretty solid book.

I enjoyed reading Off Your Game by Susan Renee. I enjoy Hockey Romance books, and this one was no different. I really like Colby and Carrissa together. I laughed so hard while reading this book. I love books that make me laugh. I thought the bickering between Colby and Carrissa was funny. I couldn't put it down.

I thought the world-building and characters were amazing and relatable. I can't wait to read book two.

Thank you to the author for this ARC.
From the first chapter, I was cracking up! The witty banter between the two MCs in this book was amazing. Carissa was such a fun FMC, but I found myself getting frustrated with Colby so often. I honestly felt like she deserved better than him. That reason, i gave this 4 stars. Overall it was a good time and I'll read more in the series.

⛸️⛸️⛸️⛸️/5

I have never read this author before but I can definitely say this won’t be my last book by them!

This book had some things I really enjoyed and some others I wasn’t a huge fan of. But nonetheless it was a quick and fun read.

I enjoyed the slight forbidden element of their relationship. I was on edge watching them navigate those hardships and waiting for the other shoe to drop. But at the same time, they really could’ve handled the entire situation better and been more adult about it.

I did not like their meet cute, but it did set the stage for their feelings in the beginning and the tension and banter that came with that meeting. But I liked their tender moments the most. I liked that they were the only people they’d open up to about deeply personal stuff and it really created that depth to their connection. With that being said, their relationship was toxic ever since they met. And while I never support that, I did find it drama filled and enjoyable to read.

I did love the hockey aspect of this story though. I feel like sometimes we get hockey romances that don’t involve the sport at all, and so it was nice to actually read about the game, the rules, the lifestyle, and all of that on top of the romance.

Overall it was a quick and easy read with some good moments, despite it not being perfect!

Lots of laughs. Lots of high, hot tension… and also a ton of sobbing along the way.

Clarissa and Colby have the chemistry I seek in romance books, and by golly the author understood the assignment. This hockey romance has it all— a healthy amount of tension along with drama that I didn’t see happening and then the tragic bits along the way. Colby may have turned out to be a little broken, but I swear Clarissa pieced him together slowly but surely when she landed that job with the hockey team.

All of the side characters were great and honestly I can’t wait to start reading the next book. 10/10 read for me.

This book was so fun and entertaining. I was hooked from the beginning. Carissa and Colby's meet cute was so different from everything I have read in the past but it made sense for them. I loved seeing how these characters grew throughout the book. I highly recommend if you are looking for a quick sports romance book. Thank you NetGalley for the arc.

Hockey romance is where it’s at these days. This spocy, sweet read will fill the gap whilst you wait for the next Becka Mack, Stephanie Archer or Gracey Reilly.

I really enjoyed this book. I enjoy sports romances in general, and hockey romances are always fun, so this book is right up my alley. I started out a little dubious about whether this is a romance novel because the cover doesn't say romance to me, but it is most certainly a romance novel.

The story has great romantic tension, there's a villain we don't really meet until the last chapters of the book, and the characters have heat. They're attracted to one another almost from the start of the book, even though they start out enemies over a box of cereal!

I have to say, at the beginning of this book, I was doubtful that I would like Colby. He starts out kind of mean, but when he comes around what you see about him is that he's protecting himself. He's vulnerable and doesn't necessarily want to want Carissa.

Carissa is strong and likeable from the start. I liked her and her best friend from the beginning pages to the end. There are some great scenes with her, particularly at the end when she's covered in water.

The pace of the story is a little bit strange because even though there's a villain, and she's mentioned a few times, we don't see her until almost the end of the story. To me, that feels a little bit rushed. But, the story plays itself out completely with no loose ends.

The book also doesn't have an epilogue, which I suppose isn't required but is something I always look forward to. I want to see what happened to the characters a few months (or years) later. I want to know things worked out for them and they're living their happily ever after. This book is missing that element.

Overall, I really enjoyed Off Your Game and would definitely recommend it to other hockey romance readers. It was fun, light in most places, and the characters had great chemistry.