Despite being total opposites, star university quarterback Drew Baylor is immediately drawn to the headstrong red-head, Anna Taylor, in his class. When a steamy hook-up at a party leads to a friends with benefits situation, Anna is determined to keep Drew at a distance: no kissing on the mouth, no sleepovers, and no catching feelings. But Drew has other plans…he wants the type of relationship that his parents had and he’s willing to fight for the chance at something more, with Anna. Can Drew break down Anna’s defenses and convince her to give him a real shot?
The Hook Up is an opposites attract football romance and the first book in the Game On series. It deals with themes and topics like body image, self esteem and self worth, mental health, dealing with past trauma, bullying, death of parents, parental abandonment, parent-child relationships, love and heartbreak, fear of commitment, cheating, finances, friendships, and injury. This would be perfect for fans of sports romances like The Deal by Elle Kennedy, The Wall of Winnipeg and Me by Mariana Zapata, The Rule Book by Sarah Adams, and Fall with Me by Becka Mack.
I thought that The Hook Up was unique in that there was lots of spice at the beginning of the book and the majority of the relationship building happened in the second half of the book, which seemed almost the reverse order of most other romances I’ve read. Furthermore, even though Drew and Anna’s physical relationship was the opposite of a slow burn, the plot was slow to start and hard to get into, however the second half of the book was a lot more engaging and hard to put down! This book also dealt with some more serious and emotional topics in comparison to other books, including dealing with grief and trauma, which made the plot more memorable and meaningful. I also have book two, The Friend Zone, on my TBR list and I really appreciated that the male main character and even some plot points for book two were introduced in The Hook Up to create more anticipation!
The Hook Up is told from a dual point of view, which was great, but I found that the point of view changed a lot, sometimes multiple times per chapter, which I found unnecessary and challenging to keep track of. Additionally, there was almost too much conflict in The Hook Up; I’m typically not a fan of conflict or break-ups in romance novels so this was definitely a negative for me.
If you’re like me and The Hook Up has been on your TBR list forever, this rerelease is the perfect excuse to finally pick it up, especially if you are a fan of spicy football romances!
The Hook Up is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of January 7th 2025.
Will you be picking up The Hook Up? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
An all-new print edition with exclusive bonus content, the #SpicyTok favorite GAME ON series by New York Times bestselling author Kristen Callihan brings the heat. Are you ready for it?
The rules: no kissing on the mouth, no staying the night, no telling anyone and above all…no falling in love.
Anna Jones just wants to finish college and figure out her life. Falling for star quarterback Drew Baylor is most definitely not on her to-do list. Confident and charming, he lives in the limelight and is way too gorgeous for his own good. If only she could ignore his heated stares and stop thinking about doing hot and dirty things with him. Easy, right?
Football has been good to Drew—two National Championships and the Heisman. But what he really craves is sexy yet prickly Anna Jones. Her cutting humor and blatant disregard for his fame turn him on like nothing else. But there’s one problem: she’s shut him down. Completely.
That is…until a chance encounter leads to the hottest sex of their lives. Anna wants it to remain a hook up, but Drew sees the possibility of something great. Now it’s up to him to persuade her. It’s a good thing Drew knows all about winning. As the saying goes, All’s fair in love and football…Game on.
