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Sunday, 9 March 2025

๐Ÿ‰ 2024/050 | JENNIFER SUCEVIC - “CAMPUS PLAYER” | 4.5★

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Synopsis

He has a reputation. She's about to discover the truth. Trust me when I say that Rowan Michaels fever is alive and well at Western University. His fanbase is legendary. The guy is a major player. Both on and off the field. Girls fall all over themselves to be with him. They fill the stands at football practice, show up at parties he’s rumored to be at, and basically stalk him around campus. It’s a little nauseating. Don’t these girls have any self-respect when it comes to a hot guy? Fine...I’ll admit it, he’s good looking. If you’re into that kind of thing. Which I’m not. I’ve got school and soccer to keep me busy which is exactly why I avoid him like an unfortunate clap diagnosis. Too bad for me that Rowan is my father’s star quarterback. He’s practically part of the family, attending Wednesday night dinners with us. To make matters worse, we’re in the same major and get stuck together in classes every semester. It’s like the universe is trying to play a cosmic joke on me. The one guy I’d like to steer clear of is the very same one I can’t seem to get away from. But what if Rowan isn’t the player I pegged him to be? What if one little secret has the capability to change everything between us?

 

Chapters In Total

Prologue

:

-

Chapters

:

40

Epilogue

:

01

Pages

:

-

 

Note(s)

·       Campus #1

·       Dual POV

 

Main Character(s)

Male

:

Rowan Michaels

Female

:

Demi Richards

 

Other Character(s)

Rowan Michaels

:

Quarterback

Student at Western University

Major: Exercise Science

Division I athlete

Demi Richards

:

Third year student at Western University

Major: Exercise Science

Soccer player

Division I athlete

Gary

:

Stadium custodian

Nick Richards

:

Head coach of Wildcats

Demi’s father

Ethan

:

Baseball player

Sydney’s boyfriend

Sydney

:

Demi’s housemate

Justin Fischer

:

Baseball player

Teammates with Ethan

Demi’s ex-boyfriend

Professor Andrews

:

Justin’s professor

Professor Peters

:

Statistics professor

Annica Weber

:

Junior soccer player

Scott Michaels

:

Rowan’s father

Greg Abbot

:

Rowan’s sports agent

 

Quote(s)

1.    Every Wednesday night, Dad and I get together. our weekly dinners became a thing when I moved out of the house and into the dorms freshman year. He’s busy coaching football, and my schedule is packed tight with school and soccer. Getting together once a week is the best way for us to stay connected. It doesn’t matter if we’re in the middle of our seasons; we always make time for each other.

2.    He’s the son my father never had but secretly longed for.

3.    I am not attracted to Rowan Michaels.

I am not attracted to Rowan Michaels.

I am not attracted to Rowan Michaels.

4.    I’ve made it through the last seven years trying to convince myself of this. I only have to get through our final year together, and then we’ll go our separate ways.

5.    Maybe I’ve been reluctant to admit it to myself, but that kiss sums up our relationship perfectly.

Awkward and a step out of sync with each other.

6.    I search his face and wait for any telltale sign of sexual chemistry to ping inside me. Unfortunately, my insides remain completely unfazed, which is disappointing but not altogether unexpected. I had a sneaking suspicion when we first got together that it might turn out this way.

7.    And being a Division I athlete is more like a job. If you’re not ready to put in the work, don’t bother showing up. There’s no half-assing it around this place.

8.    It’s another nail in the coffin of this relationship as far as I’m concerned.

9.    If Ethan hadn’t introduced us, he’s not someone I would have looked twice at. We don’t have a ton in common.

10. As much as I hate to admit it, this relationship has probably reached its expiration date.

Now it’s a matter of pulling the plug.

11. I shrug, unwilling to tell her that the one guy who makes my heart beat into overdrive isn’t necessarily the one I’m going out with. There is nothing about Justin that makes me want to know him on a deeper level. And that’s a problem.

12. I thought it might take some time to feel a spark, but so far, it hasn’t happened, and after a month, I’ve lost hope that it will.

13. You know better than that. Sparks are instantaneous. They’re either there or they aren’t.

14. And I don’t even want to acknowledge that Justin has come up sadly lacking in the evaluation.

15. On the surface, everyone got along fine. It was the undercurrents that almost suffocated me.

16. Teams that are fractured from within don’t bring home championships.

17. What I’ve come to learn over three years at WU is that most of these girls are a carbon copy of each other. The hair, eyes, and body size might be different, but beneath the exterior features, they’re all the same. They want the notoriety that comes from being with a high-profile athlete on campus. Throw in someone who has a chance of turning pro and making millions, and you got yourself a stage five clinger.

18. You know what the definition of insanity is?

Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome.

The lesson I’ve learned from this experience is to steer clear of the athletes on campus. Maybe it’s unfair to paint them all with the same broadbrush stroke, but I’ve been burned to many times in the past. The guys around here have too many options available. Every men’s team at Western has their own set of jersey chasers, cleat sniffers, or puck bunnies.

19. In one regard, it’s nice to be with someone who understands the physical demands of playing a sport at a high level. There’s a dedication that other people can’t comprehend. But the cheating is the ugly side of it.

20. Once trust is broken, it’s almost impossible to earn it back again.

21. Rowan is Dad’s star quarterback. And I’m the coach’s daughter. I’m not the type of person who believes rules are in place to be broken.

22. The ones that leave me questioning my own talent. It sucks how one little comment can fill you with so much self-doubt.

23. I hate that I’ve let her fuck with my head. As an athlete, the worst thing you can do is allow an opponent to get to you. Even though we’re on the same team, we’re adversaries.

24. Maybe that’s how it appears on the outside, but that’s not how I feel deep inside. I’ve always been scared of making a mistake and fucking up. Of embarrassing my father. Or taking a chance and giving my heart to someone who will crush it. When it comes down to it, I’m a puddle of insecurities. it might not be how I project myself to the world, but it’s still the way I feel. Maybe I’m just better at faking it than other people.

25. If I’ve learned anything over the years, it’s that you can’t force feelings that aren’t there to begin with.

26. My past is ugly and dark. I don’t want it to ever touch Demi. She’s everything that is light and happy. Maybe that’s why I’ve always been so attracted to her. She’s the opposite of everything I grew up with. She’s like the vibrant store window I had my face smashed against as a kid. Always looking in from the outside. Not quite good enough. Always dirty and hungry and left wanting.

27. The challenges we work through and ultimately overcome are there to help shape us into the people we were always meant to be.

28. I wince at the snarky thought. That’s not who I am. I don’t hate other girls for being different. I have my priorities, and they have theirs. Neither is right or wrong.

29. Except that’s not how I tackle problems. I meet them head-on. I learned at an early age that it’s the only way to deal with shit.

30. It goes to show that with the proper motivation, anything is possible.

31. As much as it pains me to lie to Coach, there’s no way I can tell him the truth. I can’t drag him into my shit.

32. Hello, Scott. I didn’t realize you’d been released.

33. You’ve overcome a lot of challenges and worked hard to get to where you are. I wanted to make sure nothing interfered with that.

34. Then I’ll personally call your parole officer and fill him in on what’s been going on.

35. Nick Richards knowing about my past, accepting me, and continuing to stand by my side, feels like a massive weight lifted from my shoulders.

36. You’ve got nothing to thank me for. Everything you’ve achieved has been because of your drive and determination. It’s your work ethic that will get you everywhere in life. Do you understand that?

37. Maybe I should have been honest with her from the very beginning, instead of trying to hide my past. “She might not forgive me.”

“You’re right, but you won’t know until you try.”

38. Most people understand that a team can’t succeed unless they band together to achieve a collective goal. Does that necessarily mean every player’s personality will mesh? Of course not.

39. Whoever said – it’s better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all was seriously mistaken. The whole loving-and-losing thing sucks major ass.

 

BOOK JOURNEY

Thoughts

(2)

Son-in-law is no difference (smirk)

—————— เธ…՞• •՞เธ… ———————

(3)

Wow.

—————— เธ…՞• •՞เธ… ———————

(4)

Seven years! That’s a long time!

—————— เธ…՞• •՞เธ… ———————

(6)

You really are attracted to Rowan ha!

—————— เธ…՞• •՞เธ… ———————

(8)

So… you’re ending it?

—————— เธ…՞• •՞เธ… ———————

(9)

Wow. That’s bad in a relationship.

—————— เธ…՞• •՞เธ… ———————

(10)

Yeap.

—————— เธ…՞• •՞เธ… ———————

(14)

Then why didn’t you just admit your feelings to Rowan? URGH!

—————— เธ…՞• •՞เธ… ———————

(31)

No, you can. This is not something you can deal on your own. Man! He could have helped!

—————— เธ…՞• •՞เธ… ———————

(32)

SEE!!!!! All the heart pain could have been avoided!

—————— เธ…՞• •՞เธ… ———————

(33)

I TOLD YOU SO!!!

—————— เธ…՞• •՞เธ… ———————

(34)

IF ONCE IS NOT ENOUGH, I TOLD YOU SO!!!

—————— เธ…՞• •՞เธ… ———————

(35)

I don’t know how many times I have to repeat myself.

—————— เธ…՞• •՞เธ… ———————

(37)

You bet!

 

Reading Experience

I was so happy at reading the novel until I stumbled upon where Rowan decided to cut Demi out of his life because of his father. Seriously?! A dedicated coach would have helped him out if he were to ask for help! Geez! Calling out for help is not a shame you know! Especially when you are twenty-one years old and not yet out in the working world. I got so pissed and annoyed that he would pull such act without asking anyone! Honestly, Rowan should feel great that Demi accepted him back because he had excluded her once, he may have done something like this in the future if he were to encounter difficulties. *Eyes rolling*

 

Question(s)

1.    -

 

Three Most Important Concepts in This Book

1.    Calling out for help is not a shame. In contrary, not calling out for help is.

2.    Love is where both parties have decided to face the difficulties together and solve it together.

3.    Giving someone a chance when you feel a pull towards that person. Never know what you would miss out if you wouldn’t.

 

Suitable For People Who

1.    Please refer to “Tags

 

Reading Start and End Dates

Started

:

26.08.2024

Finished

:

09.03.2025

 

Total Reading Duration

8

Hours

23

Minutes

 

Reading Progress (In Chapter)

26.08.2024

:

01

ร 

04

27.08.2024

:

04

ร 

04

31.08.2024

:

05

ร 

05

05.03.2025

:

06

ร 

06

07.03.2025

:

07

ร 

07

09.03.2025

:

08

ร 

Epilogue

 

Tags

Fiction; Contemporary; Romance; College; Sports

 

Pace

·       Medium

 

Spiciness

·       ๐ŸŒถ️ ๐ŸŒถ️ ๐ŸŒถ️ ๐ŸŒถ️

 

Rating



 

Social Media

Goodreads

Instagram

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