The Goal - Book Review

By Elle Kennedy

Synopsis

She’s good at achieving her goals…

College senior Sabrina James has her whole future planned out: graduate from college, kick butt in law school, and land a high-paying job at a cutthroat firm. Her path to escaping her shameful past certainly doesn’t include a gorgeous hockey player who believes in love at first sight. One night of sizzling heat and surprising tenderness is all she’s willing to give John Tucker, but sometimes, one night is all it takes for your entire life to change.

But the game just got a whole lot more complicated

Tucker believes being a team player is as important as being the star. On the ice, he’s fine staying out of the spotlight, but when it comes to becoming a daddy at the age of twenty-two, he refuses to be a bench warmer. It doesn’t hurt that the soon-to-be mother of his child is beautiful, whip-smart, and keeps him on his toes. The problem is, Sabrina’s heart is locked up tight, and the fiery brunette is too stubborn to accept his help. If he wants a life with the woman of his dreams, he’ll have to convince her that some goals can only be made with an assist.

Review

Despite having read the previous books, I couldn’t remember Sabrina, but apparently she was considered by many people to be a bitch. In this book, we learn that she’s not a bitch, but is instead a woman who’s incredibly focused and determined to succeed. She has two goals: get into Harvard Law School and get away from her stepfather. Because of that drive, she doesn’t have time to let people in and she really hates to see people get a free pass, which is why her feud with Dean is so strong. Reading about her home situation was disturbing, and her interactions with her stepfather made my skin crawl. In the end, I liked her. I thought she was strong and capable, but I liked her best when she realised there’s more to life than just good grades and achievements. A life isn’t a life when it’s not filled with love, laughter and friendship.

“We have a baby in this truck, Sabrina.”
“I know.”
“This is fucked up. We shouldn’t be allowed to leave the hospital with a kid. I’ve never even had a pet before.”

Tucker surprised me. Why? Because he snuck up on me and has become one of my favourite book boyfriends. He knows he’ll never be an NHL player, and he’s more than ok with that; he’s just happy to be good enough to keep his scholarship. He’s easygoing and carefree, but he doesn’t coast through life; he has plans for his future and is determined to see them become reality. He was kind, endearing, soothing and beyond patient. What I loved most about him was that he was deliciously dirty when it came to sex, but was an absolute gentleman outside of the bedroom.

“I’m bringing my friend Carin and u need to bring the hottest guy u know.”
“I am the hottest guy I know. Will look for 2nd hottest guy on campus.”

THE GOAL is told in dual POVs and while it’s part of a series, it can be read as a stand-alone. This book doesn’t take place after THE SCORE, instead a good portion of it runs in conjunction with THE SCORE and certain events in that book are mentioned again here. As with the previous books, there were laughs to be had, but I felt the humour was a little light on and more subtle. But there were a couple of scenes that did get me laughing out loud, mainly the ones surrounding Garrett and Logan and their competition for Godfather rights. Will we see more books in the Off-Campus series? I’m not sure, given that the original four boys in the house have graduated and left. But there were a few other teammates mentioned who will be moving into the house, with special attention given to Fitzy. Maybe he’ll get his own Off-Campus book, or perhaps a spin-off. Only time will tell.