Library Loans - Five Star Edition

---

Fangirl Down by Tessa Bailey
Published by Avon Books on February 13, 2024
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Goodreads

#1 New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey launches a super sexy sports romance series with a rom-com about a bad boy professional athlete who falls for his biggest fan...

Wells Whitaker was once golf’s hottest rising star, but lately, all he has to show for his “promising” career is a killer hangover, a collection of broken clubs, and one remaining supporter. No matter how bad he plays, the beautiful, sunny redhead is always on the sidelines. He curses, she cheers. He scowls, she smiles. But when Wells quits in a blaze of glory and his fangirl finally goes home, he knows he made the greatest mistake of his life.

Josephine Doyle believed in the gorgeous, grumpy golfer, even when he didn’t believe in himself. Yet after he throws in the towel, she begins to wonder if her faith was misplaced. Then a determined Wells shows up at her door with a wild proposal: be his new caddy, help him turn his game around, and split the prize money. And considering Josephine’s professional and personal life is in shambles, she could really use the cash…

As they travel together, spending days on the green and nights in neighboring hotel rooms, sparks fly. Before long, they’re inseparable, Wells starts winning again, and Josephine is surprised to find a sweet, thoughtful guy underneath his gruff, growly exterior. This hot man wants to brush her hair, feed her snacks, and take bubble baths together? Is this real life? But Wells is technically her boss and an athlete falling for his fangirl would be ridiculous… right?

When Wells Whitaker embarks on a comeback, he enlists his biggest fan to be his caddy and finds his fangirl may be the owner of his heart.

I have been enjoying Bailey's recent books so much, and Fangirl Down may be my new favorite. It was love at first page, I swear! There was something about this grumpy golfer and this sunshine fangirl that I could not resist, and that was before I even knew their backstories. Once I had more details, I was all in, cheering them on as they attempted to conquer the PGA tour.

Grumpy-sunshine is a trope I enjoy, and it was such a pleasure seeing Josephine's sunshine rub off on Wells. He didn't turn into Mary Poppins or anything like that, but he did learn to let down his guard and allow his true, big heart of gold self to shine through. Wells' feeling of abandonment really broke my heart. He had been let down by so many people in his life, so it was wonderful that fate brought Josephine his way.

Josephine was Wells' biggest fan, but it wasn't just because of his golf skills. She had see beyond his gruff exterior. She observed him committing random acts of kindness on the down low, and here he was wanting to help her after her family's shop was destroyed by a hurricane.

Fangirl Down was such an amazing read. A great story, fantastic characters, and a sizzling romance were all things that had me flipping those pages, but it was also packed with humor and warmth. The number of times I smiled because I was amused was just about equal to how many times I smiled because I was so darn happy for everyone involved. That last chapter and the epilogue had the happy tears flowing. And when I was done, I sat back, let out a breath, and just basked in the happiness this story created.

After reading Fangirl Down, I can count myself one of Wells' Belles. I simply could not get enough of these two, and I am so glad I had the opportunity to follow them on tour.

---

The Cheat Sheet by Sarah Adams
Published by Dell on August 17, 2021
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Goodreads

Is it ever too late to leave the friend-zone?

Hi, my name is Bree Camden, and I’m hopelessly in love with my best friend and star quarterback Nathan Donelson (so is half of America, judging by the tabloids and how much the guy dates). The first step is admitting, right? Except, I can never admit it to him because he clearly doesn’t see me that way, and the last thing I want is for things to get weird between us.

Nothing but good old-fashioned, no-touching-the-sexiest-man-alive, platonic friendship for us! Everything is exactly how I like it! Yes. Good. (I’m not crying, I’m just peeling an onion.)

Our friendship is going swimmingly until I accidentally spill my beans to a reporter over too much tequila, and now the world seems to think me and Nathan belong together. Oh, and did I mention we have to date publicly for three weeks until after the Super Bowl because we signed a contract with...oops, forgot I can’t tell anyone about that!

Bottom line is, now my best friend is smudging all the lines and acting very un-platonic, and I’m just trying to keep my body from bursting into flames every time he touches me.

How am I going to make it through three weeks of fake dating Nathan without anything changing between us? Especially when it almost-sort-a-kinda seems like he’s fighting for a completely different outcome?

Send help.
XO Bree

I have read and enjoyed other books by Adams, but there was something special about The Cheat Sheet for me. I don't know if it was the right book at the right time, but I LOVED IT!!!

Friends to lovers is one of my favorite tropes. Here we had a rock solid friendship between Bree and Nathan. I adored that they found each other again and renewed their friendship without skipping a beat. Coffee, donuts and jogging Tuesdays, keys to each others homes, and Bree always being the one he picked when love interests challenged Nathan to choose. They had a great friendship and great energy together.

Then there was the mutual pining. Ah, yes, these two had fallen for each other way back when, and that flame never went out. THIS is my lifeblood, but it also drove me to the edge at times. Bree and Nathan had their "reasons" for why they didn't cross that line, but OH MY GOD!! It was so obvious that they should. Since this was a romance, I told myself to be patient, but it was tough at times.

Nonetheless, it was so much fun watching them together. They stumbled into a fake dating situation which gave them both the perfect opportunity to see if the other wanted more. They were both pretty adorable as they tested the waters here, too.

A great thing that precipitated from the "dating" situation was the cheat sheet. I am always up for a good bromance and Nathan had that with his teammates. The "meetings" they held as they plotted Nathan's romantic future were extremely amusing, and I could not wait for Nathan to put that cheat sheet into action. 

Overall, I had a stupendous time watching Nathan and Bree FINALLY act on their feelings and find their HEA together. I laughed, I smiled, I swooned, and because of that, I had to throw all the stars at this book.

What are you a fan of?
Let us know in the comments!