Sophie Reads YA: January 2026

January

January Summary

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January

Stacking the Shelves: January 31st 2026

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4 Stars

ARC Review: Crossing the Line by Kelly Jamieson

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Crossing the Line
Series: None
Author: Kelly Jamieson
Published January 12th 2025 by Boldwood Books

Goodreads Synopsis
Rule #1 Do not cross the line with best friend’s sister

Ben
On the ice I’m formidable, relentless and I lead by example. Now my coach wants me to step up as Captain – and lead the team off the ice too. But this is my worst nightmare; I’d rather play hockey naked than do any kind of public speaking! To make matters worse, my best friend’s sister has shown up out of the blue to live with us temporarily. We have a history… it’s awkward, she’s starting to invade my fantasies and I can’t seem to escape her. But maybe she could be the answer to my problems…

Mabel
Moving in with my brother was not part of my life plan, but I have no choice at the moment. I need to get away and start my life over. I just wish I didn’t have to share the condo with Ben. I thought I’d buried my teenage crush, but seeing him all the time has me fascinated with him all over again! But now he’s asking for my help to be more outgoing and confident, and basically fake it until he makes it. Sure I can help, but that would mean a lot of time alone. I need to stay strong and resist the obvious temptation...
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

As his career has progressed, it makes sense that Ben Antonov is being put forward to captain his team. The only problem is that he's a huge introvert and the idea of public speaking or being that sounding board to bolster the team is a nightmare for him. And then to make matters worse, his roommate's little sister is moving in, and they have a history. Mabel Smits thought she had gotten over the hurt of being rejected by her brother's best friend, Benny, when they were younger. But now she's had to flee her home and ex, and move in with her brother, Malek, and Ben. The feelings come back and hit her like a truck, and Ben asking for her help to make him more sociable is not going to help at all!

Hockey romance: check! Brother's best friend: check! Childhood crush: check! Okay, sign me up! Crossing the Line is my first book by Kelly, but my god, it will not be my last. As soon as I saw the cover and read the synopsis, I was in, and I was hooked from the first page. Both of the main characters were so compelling, and the way their shared history was woven into the plot helped us to fall for them even more. It was hot, steamy, but also really emotional and heartfelt at times. Mabel had been hurt by the rejection she felt from Ben all those years ago - he did have a very good reason for it though, so he's somewhat forgiven - and then the relationship she's just escaped had left her with scars. She needed to find herself again, and helping Ben really gave her that opportunity, while also allowing her to feel worthy of love again. Ben was such a sweet character, and as soon as he spotted that Mabel needed him, he was there! I was so invested in their romance, and it was worth it. I can't wait to get my hands on Kelly's next book!

Dates Read:
February 4-5, 2025

Rating
4 Stars

January

Stacking the Shelves: January 24th 2026

10:00

3 Stars

ARC Review: Send Off (Beaver County #0.5) by Terra Weiss

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Send Off
Series: Beaver County #0.5
Author: Terra Weiss
Published November 18th 2025 by Autumn Sky Books

Goodreads Synopsis
Fall in love with the enemy? No way.
Help him as he grieves his twin sister, my late best friend? All bets are off.

A year after the crushing loss of Eleanor, my best friend, the blasting bar TV announces that her brother, pro hockey star Sawyer McDavid, has fallen off the grid.

I have to do what Eleanor can’t: head to Dickens, Idaho and pull his rock hard ass out of the dumps.

I don’t care if he and I were college nemesis—I mean, he was nicknamed The Bra Claw for damn good reason. Case in one scorching night with that frustratingly beautiful man, and then… silence.

Whatever. Now, if he doesn’t want to see me? So what.

If he continues to forget what happened between us? Too bad.

I’m going to drag him out of bed whether he likes it or not.

Even if I have to force him to do that ridiculous holiday scavenger hunt Eleanor had planned for us last year—which he begrudgingly agrees to. We owe her an overdue final send off.

And as we carry out silly Christmas traditions, raising money for charity dressed as elves, decorating trees, and saving puppies, I know good and well how to ignore our whirlwind kisses and fiery tension. Admittedly, it gets a notch harder after the night he makes me see stars under the snow-flurried sky, if you know what I mean.

Old chemistry and new wounds ignite a rare connection—Sawyer’s more beautiful than ever, scars and all, and I know we’re exactly what each other needs.

But after the holidays, he’s off-limits. Hockey calls him back, and I refuse to compete with all the bras he’ll claw off only to jeopardize my piling caseload. We’ve tried this before—how many chances does true love get?
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via BookSirens. This in no way impacted on my view.

Dylan's world imploded when her best friend, Eleanor, died a year ago. She's been struggling ever since, and as much as she doesn't want to return home to Dickens, Idaho, she knows she has to for Eleanor. Eleanor's twin brother, Sawyer, is a pro hockey player, but since losing his sister, he's disappeared, and Dylan can't let him destroy himself in his grief. Arriving home, they both learn that before her death, Eleanor organised for the pair to complete a holiday scavenger hunt, and they need to let bygones be bygones to solve it, for her.

I really enjoyed Fake Off and when I saw that Terra had another book in the series coming out, I knew I needed to read it. This book was so heartfelt and moving, and really blew me away with how it dealt with such a sensitive matter. Harper and Dylan's relationship was fun to read. They had always had a love hate relationship, only really tolerating each other because of their connection to Eleanor, but had secretly been hiding feelings for each other. Being back in Dickens, they are forced out of their comfort zone, into situations they would never have dreamt of, but that they needed to be able to start to heal. I can't wait to see what Terra releases next!

Dates Read:
December 6-7, 2025

Rating
3 Stars

4 Stars

ARC Review: Dear #47, You're the Worst (Seattle Havoc #1) by Vivian Wood

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Dear #47, You're the Worst
Series: Seattle Havoc #1
Author: Vivian Wood
Published November 5th 2025 by Vivian Veritas Publishing

Goodreads Synopsis
The league’s biggest hothead just got engaged to his worst enemy.

After escaping a relationship that’s splashed across every sports headline, Juliet Monroe moves back to Seattle and swears off hockey players for good.

Then Seattle Havoc enforcer Hunter Huxley punches a fan on live TV. Now the team’s grumpy, six-foot-six problem child has a PR disaster on his hands, and Juliet’s the only consultant desperate enough to take the job.

They can’t stand each other. He’s all muscle and menace. She’s all bombshell lipstick and cutting comebacks. But the team’s solution is simple: fix his bad-boy image with a fake engagement, smile for the cameras, wear the ring, and live together until the story sticks.

Juliet can fake the smiles. What she can’t fake is the chemistry that crackles every time he looks at her like he’s imagining her in his bed instead of in a press release.

Hunter doesn’t care about redemption. He cares about winning. But living with Juliet turns every fight into foreplay and every touch into a losing battle.

What starts as a contract starts to feel real. Because the league’s angriest player is about to break his own rules… and fall for the woman he is never supposed to touch.
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via BookSirens. This in no way impacted on my view.

After her last relationship showed her that she can't trust a man, and especially not a hockey player, Juliet Monroe has sworn off love altogether. She wants to be able to reclaim her place in the PR world, but it's hard to get the foot in the door as a single woman. Enter Hunter Huxley, Seattle Havoc's enforcer, with a bad boy reputation to boot. He's on his last chance with the team, and needs to refresh his image. After a chance meeting in a bar, in which Hunter and Juliet look very close, it's seen by the team that they have a chance at redemption if they pretend to be engaged. And after all, when has a fake romance every gone wrong?

This was a hefty book, but I couldn't put it down. Both Hux and Juliet were great characters, will such compelling backstories that I needed to know more about them. Neither had had it particularly well in life, and they were very slow to trust anyone with their hearts. I loved the way the pair went from enemies, to begrudging friends, to lovers, with everything dealt with so well. They had known each other in college, but Hux's jealousy turned Juliet into a laughing stock, and it was definitely a uphill struggle for him to regain her trust, and her love. A great book, I look forward to reading more from this author.

Dates Read:
December 11-12, 2025

Rating
4 Stars