This is a very, very fast paced cute hockey, romance. That being said, I personally would not recommend it to anybody over the age of 16. It reads like a Wattpad story, and at times, I found myself cringing at the characters actions.

It is a very new girl meets hockey story, and I do genuinely think that a younger demographic would love this book , it is just not for me.

I did enjoy that the chapters were very short, and I think it took me less than 3 1/2 hours total to read this entire book front to back, so it’s a great option for a younger person wanting to get into reading.

Thank you NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book got be out of my slump. It made me remember why I love to read and the emotions it can make me have, awkwardly screaming cause it is so cute and kicking my feet like a little girl. Ally is such a fun main character and really nails home recovery and finding yourself but also opening up to people along the way. Noah, AHHHHHHHHH. This main mc, wooo, I don’t know how to describe him besides perfect and imperfect at the same time and it is absolutely beautiful. This is a staple to read for any hockey romance reader.

Katie and Leah have created a 5 star read!

From the very first chapter I was drawn into Ally's story and Noah's grumpy approach. Unless he was around his nieces you same the man he was behind the wall. I wanted to have the opportunity to live in that loft with Noah, Pen and Fischer. The guys were funny and protective to Ally. I was laughing and swooning through the this story thanks to the guys.
Katie and Bailey did a great job of not making the story predictable in some areas that created suspense. They did a great job of touching on real time issues and the path to healing through multiple different aways.

Overall this book was easy to read and keep me wanting more. I can not wait for the details for book two to come out.

Tropes:
Hockey Romance
Grumpy Sunshine
Forced Proximity
Protective MMC
Spice 1.5

Rookie Season is the funniest book I’ve read in a long time and fully bingeable. I sat down at the pool and read this in one sitting - I was fully giggling, kicking my feet, and tabbing lines left and right. If The Deal by Elle Kennedy and New Girl had a closed-door hockey-romance baby, this would be it. I think it's the perfect mash-up of hockey, forced proximity, and just-kiss-already tension, while still keeping things totally clean (kisses only, although the banter does dip into spicy language).

It also unexpectedly reignited my love for hockey and sports romances. I forgot how much I love these tropes when they’re done well, and Katie Bailey and Leah Brunner absolutely delivered.

Thank you to the authors and NetGalley for this early copy!! I already know I’ll be shoving Rookie Season into everyone’s hands when it releases on August 21st!

I loved the Leah and Katie team writing a book together ! This book was so good and I really enjoyed Ally and Noah together , I also love the sports books since Appies series .
This is a fade to black book closed door but some curse words .
Thank you for arc NetGalley and publishers

Rookie Season was everything I hoped for and more — fun, flirty, heartfelt, and full of charm! From the very first chapter, I was completely hooked on the chemistry, banter, and emotional depth that Katie Bailey and Leah Brunner brought to this story.

The romance felt so natural and earned, with a perfect blend of laugh-out-loud moments and those tender scenes that make your heart ache in the best way. The main characters had such vibrant personalities, and their dynamic was electric. I loved watching their relationship grow — the slow-burn tension, the vulnerability, the swoon-worthy moments… it was all so well done!

As always, these authors nailed the balance between humor and heart, and I flew through the pages, smiling the entire way. If you love a good sports romance with a genuinely lovable cast, witty dialogue, and the kind of romance that feels like a warm hug, this one’s for you.

the writing was good! I just am more of an open door fan. the fade to black scenes were still very intimate though. overall a really sweet story & i loved getting to know the characters. the resilience of Ally was very fun to see. seeing noah as an uncle is so sweet & fun. i would recommend it to anyone who likes a good dual pov hockey romance without the smut!

I picked up Rookie Season thinking I was in for some light-hearted hockey fluff and ended up emotionally invested in a grumpy rookie and the girl with a haunted past who crashes into his perfectly controlled life like a wrecking ball in a crop top. ICONIC BEHAVIOUR.

Let’s talk about Noah Downsby first. This man? An anxious little bean wrapped in a 6-foot-tall wall of muscle and repression. Sweetheart core. Hockey boi core. Constantly worried, deeply caring, and totally clueless about how hot he is. Basically, if you’ve ever panic spiral-texted someone and then immediately wanted to throw your phone into the ocean, you will see yourself in this man. Protect him at all costs.

And Allegra “Ally” Callahan? GIRL. She’s been through it. She moves cross-country to escape small-town BS, ends up living with three hockey bros, and immediately starts stealing their jerseys (a queen). She’s sarcastic, sharp, and wounded in ways that make you want to hug her and hand her a margarita. Her chemistry with Noah is off the charts - like, sir, stop brooding and kiss her already energy.

Now Penn and Fisher??? THE CHAOS. THE VIBES. Honestly, spin-off novels WHEN. I’m ready. Penn is the designated hot mess with heart of gold and Fisher is giving golden retriever energy. The potential for more antics is too good to ignore.

The romance? Soft. Tender. Emotionally devastating in the best way. Also pretty clean, which is not usually my jam - but I can’t even be mad because the slow-burn tension and feelingsssss were THAT GOOD. It’s fade-to-black but make it smoldering glances and emotional growth.

Also yes, this is apparently connected to another series and I had no clue - but it didn’t matter. I was fully in it from page one.

✨Final Thoughts✨
- Read in 2 sittings. That’s how addictive it was.
- Emotionally resonant without being heavy-handed.
- Give me more from this universe, immediately.
- I’d die for Noah and his bestie Harry Styles.

Would recommend to fans of slow-burn, roommates-to-lovers, and girls who like their romance sweet but a little angsty.

4.5 ⭐️

This was such a feel-good read that had me fully hooked from the start. It was emotional, fun, and had just the right amount of tension. I flew through it and didn’t want to put it down.

The connection between Ally and Noah was everything. Even without open-door scenes, the chemistry was intense—you could feel it every time they were near each other. Their dynamic had this perfect balance of awkward, sweet, and charged moments that made their slow burn so satisfying. 🫠🔥

I really loved the roommate setup and the close-knit friendships throughout the story. That found family vibe added so much warmth, and the way everyone cared for each other gave the book even more heart.

This was also my favorite read from either Leah Brunner or Katie Bailey so far. Their voices blended so well, and the story had a great rhythm. I also appreciated the little connections to previous books without it ever feeling like you had to read those first.

The only reason this isn’t a full 5 stars is because a couple parts in the middle felt a bit slower for me—but honestly, I still loved the journey and was smiling through so much of it.

This one had heart, heat, and just the right amount of emotional depth. Definitely a new favorite! 💖🏒

Tropes:
✨ Roommates
✨ Friends to lovers
✨ Found family
✨ Mutual pining
✨ Slow burn
✨ Hockey romance
✨ Dual POV
✨ Soft hero + guarded heroine


Thank you NetGalley for the Arc 💕

I really loved this book from start to finish. It had the perfect mix of humor, emotions, and sweet romantic moments. Noah and Allegra were such a great couple, and I felt their chemistry right away. The roommate and found family dynamic made everything even more fun and warm. The story had some deep parts too, but it stayed light and enjoyable. I liked how the romance built naturally, and nothing felt rushed. It was cute, cozy, and full of heart. I finished it fast and already want to read it again. Thank you so much to the author and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read the book in advance, I received this for free and I'm leaving an honest review.

Eek!! I loved every minute of this book! Once I started it I couldn’t put it down. I’ve read the books in the connected series but you can read this one as a standalone.
I’m really hoping there are more books about this friend group!!

You’ll love this if you enjoy
-roommates
-sports romance
-found family
-protective MMC

My ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is such a clever idea to work characters from two authors into the same universe. So glad to see Noah’s story and I hope the other roommates and even sandine and maybe even the assistant coach get their own stories

Roommate romance with a New Girl feel. As always, I love a found family storyline and these roommates were fantastic.

Please read the TW as there is discussion of a previous sexual assault.

This book is by two authors, and the main characters were children in previous books by each. I read Noah’s sister’s story previously, but you don’t necessarily need to. This was written well as a stand-alone.

Thanks to Eleventh Avenue Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Watch for Rookie Season to come out August 21, 2025.

New Girl meets Hockey Romance — I loved getting to read Noah and Allegra (Ally’s) story.

Allegra moves to California to escape from a bad situation at her college. She moves in with a friend and his two teammates that are living together for their NHL rookie season. After getting off on the wrong foot with one roommate almost immediately, they all navigate their new living situation. Can Noah learn that it’s ok to let people in (including the beautiful new roommate) & still stay focused on his hockey career?

I have actually ready Desire or Defense and didn’t realized it was the next gen until Noah mentioned his Brother-in-law being his youth coach. So, loved that aspect!

Review is posted on Goodreads and TikTok

I don't think I have sobbed my way legit through the entire book than I have this one....

Rookie Season was a book where it gets all all the five stars!! I mean you have Noah, Allegra all grown up and meet their wonderful roommates Penn and Fisher. And literally the appearances of characters from Leah and Katie's other book just make icing on the cake. I will say that the age range for these characters are 21-23 so they are literal babies who grew up way to fast.

The protective nature of these men was so amazing and the found family was top tier. Every situation is this book was well thought out. This book is 100% closed door and never crossed any lines even in the make-out scenes . I loved this book because it showcases the real raw honest deception of what hockey romances look like today in Barnes and Noble

Got the ARC today and thought, ok I’ll just start it and see how it begins. Finished in one sitting. I was literally so excited and invested in Noah and Allegra’s story.

I am not a sports romance fan, and I can say other than the fact that is what Noah does this is not a hard sports book. However- as you’ll see both of the main characters are athletes and what they do play a big part in their lives. But in a “it’s what I do and not who I am” kind of way.

The big topics that were covered were done so well. And honestly so relatable. I totally connected with Allegra’s story and really felt her emotion explaining about her past trauma. There’s no real spice (passionate kissing), but very good sweet romance. Great romcom vibes!!

While I have read a few Katie Bailey books this was my first from Leah Brunner. I’ll be checking some out for sure. This book releases Aug 21 and I highly recommend it!!

Thank you NetGalley & Victory Editing for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own. :)

Noah Downsby… what a man. From the quiet 11-year-old who broke our hearts in his sister’s book to watching him become the emotionally open, protective, secretly soft KING he is now? Obsessed. Fully obsessed. 🥹

Allegra was totally new to me (I haven’t read her parents’ story), but I fell hard for her character. Watching her slowly lower her walls with the help of Noah and Fisher?? So tender and healing 💔➡️💖

Also: the roommate vibes? Perfection. Three lads, no toxic masculinity, just emotional intelligence and shared snacks. The way they included Allegra in their world felt genuinely warm—a found family without trying too hard

And can we talk about the cat named Harry Styles? Iconic. Although as a proud Niall girl, I feel like a cat named Niall would’ve had even more ✨main character energy✨—but we’ll let it slide 😌

Seeing Andie and Mitch pop in with their family moments?? Just enough nostalgia to make your heart swell 🥹

Rookie Season was so good. It may by 2:30am but I had to finish it. It was so good. I am so glad I got to read it early! Katie Bailey and Leah Brunner are two of my favorite authors. They were great co-authors! They make you feel like you are right there! I could picture everything in the book. Yes there is some language in the book. And there are some tough topics that come up in the book. But this one was 5 out of 5 for me! It was so great to hear about characters from their other books too! I hope we get more of Allegra and Noah!!!

I genuinely feel like this book was a love story to the authors themselves and it was so beautiful… But. I struggled with the first half of this story. Now, by all means, if you are a mood reader for the vibes and writing style is and plot holes (or misses) are something that doesn’t bother you, you’re gonna enjoy the story.
But I on the other hand, can be pulled out of the story when things feel a little flat. The idea was there, but the execution felt a little bit like the writing style was more for YA audiences rather than a New adult. That’s not for the lack of spice in the book, but more due to the how the main characters acted. It felt like the book was written half and half by two completely different authors where one wrote the first half and the other wrote the second. Or the second half was written at a completely different time span where you could tell the author had grown and changed. For “men” as the book refers to the characters felt super flat in the beginning with the first 15 or so chapters set up in a very “I did this, I felt this” show don’t tell sort of manner. Even in conversations with the coaches, the dialogue didn’t seem to flow well, or seem anything like a coach would say. The older of the characters felt as if they were the same age level as the main characters in how they spoke and their mannerisms, The dynamic of how things rumors traveled around a college and the boys saying puck instead of F*ck but also going out and talking about sleeping around doesn’t quite match up for men out of college and in a professional team setting. Or her taking the cat into the bar? This is a 20 year old acting like a child, but also her being underage she shouldn’t have even been let into the bar in the first place or tried to walk in. The timeline at the beginning may need to be revisited a little bit because I noticed multiple situations where someone would be in the room, make a comment, somehow teleport out of the room and then walk back in saying something else. The timeline of how she seemed to meet fisher once and then five months later she just randomly asks to move in with a man when she seems as if she can’t be around them. The weird situation of a man who comes from lots of money needing roommates? And four at that. Sometimes it felt as if the authors were just reaching a little bit too far into a situation they might not have properly understood, and just took some guesses that would make someone who has experienced things like that question it a little bit. But overall I did enjoy the story idea and how it was wrapped up in the end.

I was so excited when I heard that two of my favorite authors were writing a hockey book together and that it included characters from their previous works! It was nice to see Allegra (Ally) and Noah all grown up and finding love just as their mom/sister did. This book was very well written and I loved that Ally and Noah's relationship felt natural and not rushed. Closed door hockey romances are some of my favorite to read, (I literally read this book in two hours) and this book still had that needed tension and swoon but without the spice. I am excited to see where the authors go with the series because I need Fisher and Penn books now!!!