The Graham Effect: Campus Diaries, Book 1

With the second book, The Dixon Rule, coming out on May 14th, I wanted to binge this one and was successful in two days (i blame being sick and needing nap breaks for not finishing this quicker). This story was so good. If you are a fan of @ellekennedy33 Off-Campus and Briar U series, the easter eggs are fantastic but you don't necessarily have to have read them to enjoy this wonderfully delightful, spicy and overall joy of a college hockey romance.Gigi Graham and Luke Ryder, both star hockey players, start spending more time together to help each other with their goals but their chemistry is undeniable. The way their relationship unfolds is spicy, funny, heartwarming and surprising in the best ways. I absolutely love the way their relationship is written and how they both complement each other. Both Luke and Gigi's individual arcs are also so captivating and emotional, I really enjoyed seeing their development. Gigi is a powerhouse, strong and stubborn. She always says what is on her mind. Luke is more reserved, opinionated and says a lot with few words. The way Gigi pulls Luke out of his shell and the way Luke creates a safe space for Gigi was written so delicately and just lovely.I don't like giving spoilers so I will just say that this is a unique college hockey love story with two people who respond differently to similar emotions and when they realize they can't deny their feelings for each other, it's just squeal-worthy beautiful. Sweet and sexy and just pure joy is how I would describe this first book. Gigi's and Luke's friends, who we meet in this first book, are also so fun and I can't wait to read how their stories unfold starting with Shane and Diana in book 2 coming out soon!Tropes & Elements:🏒 College Hockey Romance⚡️ Forbidden Romance➶ Enemies-to-Lovers☀️ Grumpy x Sunshine🏡 Found Family✌🏻 Dual POVMy rating: 4.5 out of 5 ⭐️

I unabashedly love Elle Kennedy’s books. She’s writing for the feral little 20 year old inside of me and nearly 30 year old me is still living for it.Gigi Graham is destined for greatness. She has her sight set on joining the National Team so she can win Olympic Gold, but there’s one giant hurdle standing in her way: She’s struggling to handle the puck when she gets stuck behind the net, and the coaches have taken notice. Determined to overcome this set back she turns to the only person she can trust to give her honest feedback and up her game. He’s kind of a jerk, but there’s no denying that he’s an incredible hockey player.Ryder is navigating the merger of two rival hockey teams, his new position as co-captain, and a horrible first impression with THE Garrett Graham and he needs Gigi’s help. He’ll agree to teach her how to keep her cool under pressure behind the net, but only if she’ll do him a favor of his own. He’s aiming for a summer coaching job with her legendary father which seems impossible after they got off on the wrong foot. Now she’s the only one that can change her dad’s poor opinion of him.Normally next gen series are cringey because they feel like beating a dead horse but gosh dang, if this wasn’t the most fun way to continue the series. I love the direction Elle took with this! Making Gigi the hockey star was just chef’s kiss!!! It can feel so redundant when it’s a son falling in his fathers footsteps with just slightly different tropes, but this book was so different & UGH, THE GIRL POWER!!!!! Gigi is so hardworking and ambitious. And I love the way her character and Ryder were portrayed. Strong characters don’t have to be tough 100% of the time, and true strength is knowing when to lean on others.I laughed, I cried, and laughed again. This book had so much heart and I don’t know how to properly convey how cute it was. Gigi and Ryder are an excellent pair. They had such great banter and complement each other so well even when they’re being rude. I think the part of I loved most about this book was how things didn’t always work out for them. Instead, there was a healthy dose of reality. Things aren’t always going to be shiny and wonderful and seeing the way the characters handled those struggles was awesome. The characters in general were just so fun. There are a million new side characters that I want books for, and I hope Elle Kennedy delivers all of them.That’s not to say it was PERFECT. If we’re being completely honest here I lost the plot about mid way through. And when it finally wrapped up at the end I definitely had a moment of OH YEAH. That WAS the whole point of this book. But, I was still living for it. It’s was cute and fun, and made me smile. I cannot wait to see how the rest of the series unfolds. Consider me hooked!

Hands-down this is my favourite Elle Kennedy book I have read! To say I couldn’t put this down is an understatement. I haven’t stayed up as late reading as I did with this book in a very long time.I was instantly hooked and connected to both Gigi and Ryder from the prologue. I smiled and laughed so much while reading. The found family vibes between all the friends was amazing, it was such an wonderful collection of characters. Although the guys started out rough after Briar and Eastwood merged colleges, and men’s hockey teams, this really added to the character arc of Ryder in a beautiful way.Honestly, I have nothing bad to say about this story, Gigi or Ryder; I loved it all. The progression of their friendship and relationship was organic, addictive and beyond sweet. Let’s not forget the delicious tension and playful banter between these two. They did not lack in the spicy department and their chemistry was off the charts, and they had no problem showing that with one another.Gigi is hilarious, I enjoyed her inner thoughts so much. She is strong, fun, hardworking and determined. Ryder is quiet, stern, comes across his grumpy and closed off man is he so much more than meets the eye. What they both brought out of each other was real and the connection showed was easy to feel-there was support, care, understanding and no judgment ever, they truly made each other and their lives better. Not just with their respective hockey careers, but finding someone to trust with all the things they kept locked inside.There was even a couple fun twists in this read and I loved every second of it!It was so great getting to see a few of the ‘Off-Campus’ characters, especially Garrett and Hannah. The introduction of new characters leading into the next book, I am beyond excited to continue this series.5+

4.25 ⭐️I absolutely ENJOYED this book. This universe is one of my favorites! Garret Graham and his family are everything I like, and updates about Jake Connelly are MY FAVE!Gigi was really funny and her dynamic with Ryder was entertaining, charming and adorable. I loved their connection, their story and felt pretty happy with everything that happened in their lives.I’m loving the new gen of Briar hockey players and I’m waiting for amazing stories with Beck, Shane, Colson and everyone else!Shipping Shane and Diana obvs! And would love to read a novella about Alex and Owen. I liked that.Also, Colson’s story is promising!It was a pleasure to come back to these family, and the new additions are perfect. 🩵🩷

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌶🌶🌶✨️Sports romance✨️Gigi's a hockey player✨️Briar U cameos✨️SpicyGoing back to the Off-Campus world is amazing. In this story, besides getting to know new lovely characters, we get to see the one we all love so much.Gigi and Ryder are two characters who grab your attention right from the start, and I loved how they met. Gigi reminded me a lot of Garrett, and I have to say I saw a bit of Hannah in Ryder. Despite comparing the characters in some aspects, they have their own story, and I loved every moment.Gigi and Ryder have undeniable chemistry, and one of the things I loved the most was how honest and communicative they are. Ryder starts off as that grumpy guy who hardly speaks, but as he gets involved with Gigi, he starts to open up, and it's heartwarming to watch. They come from very different worlds, but I think they end up complementing each other.And I have to say, Garrett Daddy is *chef's kiss*. Seeing Gigi with the uncles is hilarious.Just like in the Off-Campus series, the secondary characters are wonderful, and I can't wait to see more of them. Beckett reminded me so much of Dean.This book is the sequel I didn't know I needed. I couldn't put it down and finished it in a few hours. Elle Kennedy nailed it again; "The Graham Effect" has the perfect mix of laughter, cameos of the other Briar couples, sweet and spicy moments.

I loved the book! Idk why I put off reading it until now. I was expecting a bad breakup from page 350 onward and damn if my heart didn't soar when it d9dnt happen and with the conflicts, drama unfolding, Garrett Graham, Wellsy, GG, Ryder, could not have been better

Me ha encantado, lo preferiría en castellano para disfrutarlo mejor, pero el libro es GENIAL, tanto Gigi como Ryder, siguen la linea de personajes MARAVILLOSOS a los que nos tiene acostumbrados Elle Kennedy, pero es que, además, hay bastantes cameos de mis dos jugadores favoritos de su NFL, Mr IRRESISTIBLE Garret Graham y Don ADORABLE Jake Conelly🤤😍