The Play (Briar U)

There are many talented authors out there but for me Elle Kennedy is one of the best when it comes to College Romance/New Adult Romance/Sports Romance and I'll read anything, literally ANYTHING she writes. So when I started this one I read every free minute I had (which is a feat with school just having started again).In THE PLAY we finally get Hunter's story and boy, I was not expecting to love him the way I did. I was a little worried that he'd be bitter, the way he acted after Summer and Fitzy went behind his back. But no! He gave me Dean vibes with his goofy sense of humor. I tumbled into love with him. Hunter was the was the full package - smart, kind, hilarious, sweet, entertaining and honest. He gave me so many laughs and favorite scenes throughout the story. There is his handling of Pablo Eggscobar, the boiled egg the team was tasked to take care of, when he and Demi were locked up in jail and he took a picture of her and so many more!Demi is being introduced as a new character and the heroine of this story. In the beginning she can't help to think that Hunter is the stereotypical hockey player with puck bunnies lining up to get in his pants. She couldn't be farther from the truth because Hunter has been celibate for a couple of months after the disastrous ending of the team's hockey season, blaming himself for it. I have to say I was pretty impressed that he resisted as long as he did but that Demi had a boyfriend definitely helped. Anyhoo...Demi...her dad wants her to follow in his footsteps and go to med school but Demi has a completely different idea of what her future is going to look like. Her passion is psychology, she only needs to grow the cojones to tell her dad.When her boyfriend becomes her ex-boyfriend Demi is hurt and I loved Hunter for being such a wonderful friend. In that regard Demi really showed backbone and it was then, when her dad was taking her ex's side and she stood up to him that I fell in love with her too. Speaking of, I thought Demi's parents were jerks. I didn't think they had a lot of redeeming qualities when they defended a young man who hurt their daughter so deeply. Ugh.Demi and Hunter's connection is so palpable - their friendship is amazing, so laid back and natural and I loved how important it was to Hunter that he didn't want to ruin it. But there is also a spark, an explosive chemistry that is just waiting to be ignited. And when it does? Oh my! So good, so hot, so sweet.We get to catch up with most of the Off-Campus characters which was a treat and I loved to visit with them and see where they are in life now. There are also a couple of characters that have huge potential to get their own books and a front runner is Conor, the man-ho that actually reminds me even more of Dean. That guy begs to be brought down to his knees!I loved Summer and Fitzy, I worshiped Brenna and Jake but I think my favorites are Hunter and Demi. I'm walking on clouds after finishing this book and in my opinion Elle Kennedy did these two justice. I laughed, I giggled, I swooned - this story was so much fun. There was no unnecessary drama, only delightful banter, awesome characters and a sweet slow burn romance written in Ms. Kennedy's crisp, impeccable writing style. I think the author said that this would be the last installment in the Briar U series (for now) but there is potential for a new series. So let's see what happens!

3.5 starsARC from the AuthorIf you’re a New Adult reader, you probably don’t need this introduction, but being the responsible blogger I am, I’m giving it to you anyway. The Play is the third book in Elle Kennedy’s Briar U series, which is a spin off of her wildly popular Off Campus series. Every book in this series is so addictive and fun, and Elle Kennedy really shows she’s the queen of the genre with each new release. There was so much to love about this book, but unfortunately a few things got under my skin, so let’s break this up:What I Loved:Hunter: Hunter gets to be first because we already know him, and we’ve been waiting for his story for what feels like ever. (I know we haven’t, but when you love a character and want their book, time just crawls.) You know this is a man who, when things hit him, they hit him hard. We saw that from The Chase, and then even more in The Risk. But what we didn’t see was how damn sweet and charming Hunter could be. I mean, Elle Kennedy’s writing him, so you know it’s there; you just haven’t gotten a chance to see it yet. But we see it here, and man does it make me love him even more. Also, his past was pretty freaking devastating, and he’s done a fairly good job of not letting it affect him, though it’s something he can’t escape completely, but we see a lot of growth in him in this area.Demi: Ok - so you know that super cheesy saying that you sometimes hear - ‘all the guys want her and all the girls want to be her?’ That’s Demi in a nutshell; Elle Kennedy makes that abundantly clear without having to say it. Demi was so sexy and confident that I wanted to be this chick. That she was so hot and knew it, but then didn’t because she’d been with the same guy for so long she didn’t quite know how to use it (she got that down real quick, though,) was so hilarious. That her love for psychology hindered her dating life - I loved it! It left Hunter and I in hysterics. I just loved everything about Demi.The Conflict with Demi’s ex-Boyfriend: This one made me nervous. Would enough time pass for me to believe Demi could fall for Hunter? Would too much time pass, and the pacing of the book falter? No to both of those things. There was a cooling off period for Demi (kind-of) and I felt her starting things up with Hunter happened at a believable rate.The Camaraderie: As much as I love the steam that Elle Kennedy writes, there’s something about the camaraderie between the people she pairs up that just hits me right in the feels. Hunter and Demi had a lot of fun together, they were fun together, and their friendship was just so damn sweet.How Much Fun These Love Scenes Are: Look, I know this author writes fun love scenes, OK? I never forget that. But even though my re-read of The Risk was like last week, I forgot how fun they are. The witty dialogue and endless teasing are sexy in and of themselves. That they are so damn steamy is just the ‘icing’ on the cake.The Female Friendships: This angle of the story has been knocked out of the park from book one with Summer and Brenna’s friendship, and that doesn’t change here. As soon as they meet Demi, she’s in, and I continue to love them for that. No cattiness with these girls.Hey, hey, the gang’s all here: We get to see a lot of the people from the Off Campus series, and I, of course, loved every second we spent with them. Though I have a serious soft spot for Dean anytime he is mentioned with the girls he coaches. It’s a facet of his character that I love, and I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of it. And I love that, as always, the newest female to crash the group gets pulled right into the friend fold. Also, Rupi and Hollis were here and oh. My. God! I love them as much as ever! There’s also a particularly hilarious Jake and Brenna scene where they’re skyping that had my dying! None of the Briar U characters were left out, and I loved seeing them.The Newbies: There are a lot of new people in this installment - Pablo and Conor were my favorites for sure, though. And I’m telling you right now, if Conor doesn’t get his book, I will be throwing a tantrum of epic proportions! (Not really...probably.) OH! And bonus points if you can spot the Sarina Bowen character in the book. That was a fun surprise!Now Here’s What I Didn’t Like:The Last Conflict: I had to remove this due to it being a spoiler, but it can be found on my blog, Books & Beauty Are My Bag but here's the non-spoilery gist - The last major conflict in this book wasn't even between Demi and Hunter, and it led to something that I can never buy in a story. It also made me reflect more on the events of the story, and I felt like, at the end of it, Hunter was doing all the giving. To be clear, this didn't make me like Demi less. I still loved her. I just struggled to see what she brought to the relationship that none of Hunter's other lovers did.Even with that frustration, I still loved this book. And as for whether or not you could start here? I really don’t think it matters. I think you could pick up any book in this series, and you’re going to be so hooked you have to read the entire thing. Even if you start here, you’ll go back to book one and by the time you cycle back to book three, you’ll already be thirsting for a reread. These books are just that good. Still wondering if you should read The Play? There is only one answer to that question: Yup yup.

Kurz gesagt: Ein weiteres Buch von Elle Kennedy, das ich einfach liebe ❤️ Ich liebe die Charaktere, die Story, die Freundschaften, die ganzen Nebengeschichten, das ganze Briar University Universum ist einfach wundervoll ✨ Dieses Buch hatte vor allem auch einige echt spannende Stellen, an denen ich gar nicht mehr aufhören konnte zu lesen. Demi ist ein interessanter Charakter und auch Hunter näher kennenzulernen war echt schön 🥰 Danke für dieses schöne Buch ✨

I started reading this book expecting to be disappointed because I saw many reviews saying that it was the weakest one in the Briar U series and many of those comments were also saying negative things about Demi. I am so glad I was proven wrong! I finished the book in a day. That’s how much I loved it!I was already in love with Hunter based on previous books and I’m so glad this book brought out different aspects of him that made me love him even more. And Demi was the perfect heroine for him. She’s the perfect mixture of sweet and devilish and can consistently keep Hunter on his toes, which is exactly what he needs.Their book is more of a slow-burn compared to the other ones. It can get a bit frustrating in the beginning because the previous couples had it all much faster (except perhaps Summer and Fitzy, but they were hot for each other since the beginning so it doesn’t count). But this kind of relationship is just what Hunter needed. He needed to get to know Demi on a purely platonic level first, learn to trust her, be her friend and then move on to something else. And Demi needed it even more considering her previous experience. They were there for each other when they needed each other the most and the development of their relationship felt so genuine and natural. Love them!Can’t wait to jump to Connor’s book next. I already have a feeling he’s gonna join the top position of my favorite Elle’s boys alongside Garret and Jake. But love them all, really and can’t really choose.

Oh my god Hunter Davenport and Demi Davis. They were the best couple so far in Briar U series.They understood each other perfectly, there was no miscommunication, it was fun ,it was emotional, there was romance and all the side characters were chefs kiss. A definite 5 star read.

The change of pace in this book worked beautifully. Hunter and Demi become friends before becoming lovers and their relationship progresses without much trouble, their drama comes from outside forces and is not agains them but who they want to be professionally and realising who they are while letting go of past hurts. This book is funny, sweet and steamy with a good dose of drama and sports, all in all a great read.

Como siempre Elle Kennedy no decepciona! He leído todos los libros anteriores de la serie y no me cansaría de leerlos una y otra vez. Súper divertidos con historias que te hacen sentir parte de ellas. 100% recomendable.