The Chase (Briar U #1)
"The Chase" by Elle Kennedy, the first installment in her Briar U series (a spin-off from the beloved Off-Campus series), is the perfect blend of humor, heart, and steamy moments that Kennedy fans have come to expect!
Our main FMC, Summer Di Laurentis, isn't your typical college freshman. She's vibrant, quirky, and yes, a bit spoiled after growing up with wealth and privilege. After being academically dismissed from Brown University, she's starting fresh at Briar University with something to prove—especially to herself. Summer's character is refreshingly complex. Underneath her bubbly exterior lies determination and vulnerability that made me root for her from page one.
Colin "Fitzy" Fitzgerald is the brooding, tattooed hockey player who values his privacy and solitude. As a talented graphic novel artist with social anxiety, he's the perfect foil to Summer's extroverted personality. His resistance to Summer's charm creates that delicious slow-burn tension that makes you want to keep turning pages late into the night.
The enemies-to-lovers dynamic between Summer and Fitzy crackles with chemistry and witty banter. Kennedy excels at creating authentic obstacles to their relationship - it's not just trivial misunderstandings keeping them apart, but genuine personality differences and emotional barriers that need to be overcome.
What I particularly appreciated was how both characters grow throughout the novel. Summer learns to stand on her own two feet while Fitzy gradually opens himself up to letting someone into his carefully guarded world. Their journey feels earned rather than rushed.
"The Chase" balances humor, emotional depth, and steamy scenes with Kennedy's signature style. The novel tackles themes of identity, independence, and learning to be vulnerable in ways that feel relevant to the new adult experience. If you enjoy college sports romances with compelling characters and genuine chemistry, "The Chase" should absolutely be your next read.
Rating: 4.5/5 Hockey Pucks✨
