Fragile

Cedar Lakes University #2

by Meghan Hollie

Quinn

I have been in love with my brother’s best friend for as long as I can remember.

And he has no idea.

He doesn’t see me the way I see him. He doesn’t see past the platonic friendship we’ve built since we were little.

Miles Cooper is destined for greatness, on the path to NFL glory, only behind his superstar facade hides a dark secret.

One I never thought possible.

Now, he needs me in a way that could break my naive heart. But isn’t it better to have loved and lost than never loved at all?


Miles


I’ve got my entire future ahead of me, meticulously planned right to the second I graduate.

Until suddenly, it’s not.

I’m drowning, sinking fast into deep waters. The only life preserver, my best friend’s little sister.

Quinn Dawson is good and kind and sweet, and the more time I spend with her, the more I notice things I’ve not seen before.

She’s the calm to my storm, the light in the dark. The only one who sees how fragile I really am.

But will she still love my broken pieces when she discovers my secret?

I want to be worthy of her, I’m just not sure I am.

Genres: Sports Romance, Romance, Football, Friends To Lovers, Sports, College, College Romance

422 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 5, 2024

About the author

Meghan is a British author living in East England with her husband, two children and their yappy dog.
You can find Meghan reading and escaping into fictional worlds or with her head in her laptop creating brand new ones for you all to enjoy.
She writes adult contemporary romance novels, with happily ever afters, swoony and sexy men and strong capable women with a sprinkle of spice.

Connect with Meghan on her social media:

https://www.tiktok.com/@authormeghanh...

https://www.instagram.com/meghanholli...

Website and newsletter sign up coming soon!

Reviews

[Hope]

he is a major manhoe and she is a virgin watching him screw other people while patiently waiting for her turn 🙉

[faye ✮ · Rating 5 out of 5]

— ARC Review : 5 stars ✰

tropes :
🏈 brother's best friend
🩷 football player x cheerleader
🏈 childhood friends to lovers
🩷 college romance

╰┈➤ I could hardly contain my excitement when I received this arc! I dove in as soon as I got the copy, and let me tell you, it was absolutely worth the wait!!

The brother’s best friend trope was portrayed brilliantly here. I could feel the connection between Miles and Seb (Quinn’s brother), as well as the undeniable spark between Miles and Quinn herself. The prologue had me prepared for an emotional rollercoaster, and it took me even deeper than I anticipated (in the best possible way). This story felt unique, especially with the way it tackled addiction. Seeing Miles struggle with his strained relationship with his father and the path it led him down was heartbreaking, but Quinn’s unwavering support made all the difference. She was his anchor, never giving up on him. And Quinn’s secret, long-standing crush on her brother’s best friend? That pining was exactly what I was living for! OH have I mentioned the scrapbook scene? That was my MOST favourite! The ending, adorable is an understatement. I swear, I’m falling even more in love with Miles!!

This book perfectly reflects its title and is just not your typical college sports romance kind of book. Now that I’m done, I’m eagerly looking forward to Jay’s book!

── .✦ favourite lines:

“I will always save you. No matter how deep you go, I'll be right there to pull you out.”

“There's nothing past tense about how I feel about you, Miles. I've loved you since I was five years old.”

────୨ৎ────
Thank you to Love Notes PR and Meghan Hollie for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

[Jess - Reader of Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fragile by Meghan Hollie 🩷
Cedar Lakes University, Book 2
Interconnected Standalone

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
NA • Sports Romance
ARC Review
406 pages
🗓️ November 5

🩷football player/cheerleader romance
❤️childhood friends to lovers
🩷best friend’s sister
❤️college romance
🩷no 3rd act breakup
❤️secret relationship

📍“Kissing Quinn was like waking up on Christmas morning to snow. I’m in trouble.”

📍”Falling in love with Miles was never a choice. It always felt inevitable.”

📍”She tastes like chocolate and cinnamon and everything about her feels like home.”

So, I panicked and signed up for this ARC twice. In my defense I had none 🎶 (what, you don’t quote Taylor Swift any chance you get? No, just me? Oh well 😌) But seriously, after that first CLU book, I was hooked. And also… I knew this one was going to be special. I needed it as soon as possible 😭

And to my husband’s dismay… I was right yet again 😜 This one was special.

This one was for the readers who feel so much, all the time, everywhere.

This was for all of us who, at some point, felt like we weren’t enough.

This was… everything.

Quinn is my book best friend.
Miles, the book boyfriend who I will always want to hug not only because he needs it but because I need it too.

Seb and Indie are still the standard.

Hudson, I see you.

Jay, estou pronta. (I’m ready)

[Shana · Rating 3 out of 5]

fragile | an arc review 🏈

3.25⭐️

miles & quinn. they were good together. didn't really care for miles' dad. I hated how hard he was on miles. levi peeved me off big time. I also think I read this at the wrong time. I read it during a slight slump (which is completely on me). But this was good.
thank you to love notes pr for this arc.

[Zoë Nira · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 stars)

This book was so cute!

Quinn is such a sweet, thoughtful, and caring character, you can tell right from the start how much she cares about Miles, and I was rooting for her (and them) from day one.

Miles, on the other hand, is attentive, considerate, and completely devoted to Quinn. The moment he realizes she’s the one for him, he’s all in, and it’s impossible not to love that about him.

What I also appreciated was how the book didn’t shy away from showing the darker sides of sports, the pressure, the setbacks, and the reality that things don’t always go according to plan. It added depth to an already heartfelt romance.

Overall, Fragile was a sweet, somewhat emotional, and enjoyable read. I really liked it!

[Cristina]

The H likes to hookup and the h is not inexperienced but prefers relationships to hookups.

Obviously this is not love or lust at first sight since the MCs have been friends for years.

It just wasn’t for me to believe that all of the sudden the H has feelings for the h. On the h’s side, she’s pining away for the H. *sigh* 😐

[Milla (millasreadingroom) · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC REVIEW
Fragile by Meghan Hollie
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️🌶️/5

This book is for you if you like:
🏉 Brother’s best friend
🏉 Childhood friends to lovers
🏉 College romance
🏉 Football player x cheerleader
🏉 Secret relationship

BLURB
Quinn and Miles have always known each other. Quinn is the baby sister of Sebastian. Miles and Sebastian are best friends and play football together.

Quinn has always been in love with Miles, being in his close proximity. Quinn is a sunshine girl full of joy and love. She is head over heels for Miles, crushing on him since she was little.

Miles has never viewed Quinn as anything more than a friend, but that changes when something is triggered inside him and a secret romance begins.

REVIEW
I loved this book! A friends to lovers trope is always something I enjoy reading. Thank you Meghan for this beautiful ARC!

Meghan’s writing is filled with so much love and passion, and that certainly translates through the characters! Fragile is book 2 in the series and a standalone. I will definitely be reading book 1 and all other books Meghan writes.

The slow burn between Quinn and Miles is riveting. Quinn and Miles know so much about each other and the chemistry that developed between them was fire. 🔥

Sharing a secret romance, Miles grows extremely protective over Quinn. Miles really becomes a man when he and Quinn start their romance and I am here for it!

If you like a sports romance, friends to lovers, and banter, you will not regret reading this book!

Thank you Meghan Hollie and Love Notes PR for the ARC 🫶🏼

[Rebecca Laidlaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so cute!
Friends to lovers isn’t always a first go to for me but this one really hit the spot.

Quinn is a really sweet, thoughtful and caring person! You can see how much she cared and wanted Miles from the beginning. You were rooting for her the whole book! She deserves the world and more.

Miles is as a great MMC. He was attentive, considerate and all about Quinn. Once he realised he wanted her that was it for him, she was it for him and he wasted no time taking what he wanted and we LOVE that for them!

The storyline was really good and wasn’t a typical sports romance it showed a darker side that can happen in sports and that not everything goes the way you plan it too and I really enjoyed reading that also.

“It means, I want a do-over. I want to ruin our friendship because I need to kiss you again.”

“And tonight, I realised I had more to remember than forget.”

[Lalbumdellamiavita · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️
Okay Meghan just might be my new favourite author.
Guys this book has wrecked me and put me back together like I love Quinn and Miles so much💗
I’ve read this book in under a day too, I couldn’t stop reading. I love the author’s writing style, you could feel all the feelings and emotions the characters were going through from the book. I love their story, it was so raw, real a little heartbreaking but beautiful🥹

“𝘐’𝘮 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘫𝘰𝘺 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯, 𝘔𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭.”

”𝘔𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦.”

𝘚𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘶𝘮𝘱 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘵, 𝘐 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘮 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘢𝘺. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦.

I didn’t expect this book to be this… deep but I didn’t mind it, the opposite actually. This book showed exactly what is going to happen if people who need help won’t get it, won’t try to get better, be better and I appreciated that. This whole thing about drugs, the pressure from a parent who’s pushing you over the limits and combined with school responsibilities Miles had to deal with was a lot.
He’s so caring, sweet and gentle with the people he cares about and I loved how easily he accepted his feelings toward Quinn. She has loved him her whole life without his knowledge, hiding her true feelings thinking she could never have him and even though Miles hasn’t seen her that way until recently he has always been protective of her and treated right. Even when the relationship, talking about feelings scared him and he thought he’s going to mess it up he tried his best and was honest with Quinn🫶🏻
I adore Quinn so much. She was the sunshine in Miles’s life when he couldn’t find the light in his dark, the support and help he needed at the time. She never gave up on him was always there for him even if it was hard for her.
My heart was breaking while reading her pov and the same with Miles’s. And then when I read the epilogue and it was clear he wasn’t playing in pros my heart shattered, but i know he’s truly happy with Quinn and his new job. Just the line where he was thinking about that he should be playing out there with his best friend, even if this crossed his mind for only a second, it did something to me that made me want to cry ahh
Oh wait wait, the yoga studio scene? Ahhh🤭

Thank you Meghan Hollie and @lovenotes.pr for this arc copy I’m so grateful I got the chance to read it and I really can’t wait for Jay’s book!!💗

🌶️3.5/5

🏈tropes:
• brother’s best friend
• reformed play boy
• childhood friends to lovers
• found family
• football player x cheerleader
• broken boy x sunshine girl
• he’s keeping secrets

[Isabella Maraschi · Rating 5 out of 5]

INFINITY STARS!! I don’t think I have enough words to describe how absolutely incredible this book was and how much love I have for Miles and Quinn 🩷

I had the absolute PRIVILEGE of beta reading this story and even in that stage, the story was so incredible and so beautifully written, these two were tugging at my heart strings HARD. Meghan’s writing is truly amazing & I absolutely love the world she’s created & the depth of these characters that you can’t help but absolutely fall in love with 🥹

Quinn might just be one of my absolute favorite FMC’s I’ve met to date & Miles has easily made my top 10 perfect book boyfriends list. These two were made for each other & their love story was so sweet. These two had me laughing, smiling, crying, swooning, the spice had me BLUSHING, and Miles’s struggles & internal conflicts had me absolutely hurting for him 💔 I love that Quinn stood by him no matter what & really made sure he knew there was someone in his corner. Gosh, I just love these two so much!

Thank you Meghan for the incredible opportunity to walk this journey with you! Proud of you 🫶🏻

Fragile is officially out so go add it & this entries series to your TBR!!! ✨

Tropes:
- College sports romance
- Childhood friends to lovers
- Unrequited love
- Reformed playboy x good girl
- Found family
- Mental health rep

[Pamela Valentine · Rating 2 out of 5]

The summary for this book is what made me sign up for the ARC.

It was very different from what I thought it would be. Mainly, the writing style is not for me.
Basically, he’s a hoe under pressure and she’s waiting for her turn, because she prefers relationships. She helps him recover. Miss Girl pined for him for years and helped fix him, he suddenly got on board. Didn’t care for the relationship. It felt forced. It feels like I’ve read the same books over and over and maybe time to switch genres.

Thanks to Love Notes PR for the ARC.

[Cassie Hacker · Rating 1 out of 5]

After reading this book and the first one in the series here are a couple of things I am assuming about the author:

1. She has never seen an American Football game:
- players are referred to as footballers? (Literally no one in the US says this)
- the only positions ever mentioned are the QB and a receiver, no one else exists apparently
- I don’t think she can decide if a touchdown is 6 or 7 points, it was referred to as both
- Extra point? Two-point conversion? Never heard of her. Multiple games end after a touchdown with no mention of the extra point. WHAT HAPPENED ON THE EXTRA POINT? More importantly, WHERE IS THE KICKER?

2. She has no idea how college athletics work:
- Several mentions of a team physio and a team medic. Athletic trainer? No way. Team doctor?
- The cheerleaders practice on the field while the football players are also practicing. In what world, would a Division I football team (defending national champs mind you) not have a practice field??? Also the cheerleaders would have their own practice area as well, NOT ON THE FOOTBALL FIELD.
- There was no mention of cheer nationals, like at all, or barely any mention of them practicing. Cheer is a sport! A highly competitive sport!
- Athletes going home for Thanksgiving. Babe. It’s RIVALRY WEEKEND! Football and Thanksgiving are so tied together it’s ridiculous. NO ONE IS GOING HOME.
- Cheerleaders who travel to away football games to cheer also take buses or vans, like the football players, they don’t just drive themselves??
- The athlete dorms. Yes this is a thing BUT why is Quinn not in the athlete dorms!!! She is an athlete!!!
- Drugs. Okay yeah yeah yeah mental health drugs are bad, whatever. Athletes are randomly drug-tested during their season, no mention of this? ALSO. The coach would have to disclose that one of his players was using while they won the national championship and the NCAA would likely strip them of the title AND they would have to forfeit all the games he played in.
- The national championship game was referred to as the fiesta bowl and that really irked me. Also, the athletes are not going home for the entire Christmas break… that’s when bowl games are played! They have the championship in January, COME ON!

3. She did not attend college in the U.S.:
- Implying it’s normal for a junior to have an undeclared major. THAT IS NOT NORMAL. Most places make you declare your major by the end of your sophomore year AT THE LATEST.
- A college level class was referred to as AP Calculus. Need I say more?
- Christmas break being 2 weeks? Usually the break between semesters is closer to a month.
- People living in the dorms all four years. Most people do not do this. They get apartments.

4. She does not do drugs:
- I’m sorry. I’m supposed to believe that someone is immediately going through physical withdrawals from taking one (☝️) adderall a week for five weeks? Give me a break.

I liked the characters, I did. However this book was so poorly researched and inaccurate that honestly I’m surprised I finished it. I am not at all surprised to discover that the author is indeed British.

[Anca A · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Fragile* - Meghan Hollie - ARC [18+]
4.8/5✨
2.5/5🌶️

A sports romance book? Yes! Than it's obvious I'm gonna read it🤭 Thank you so much Meghan and Love Notes Pr for this chance!

Quinn is the baby sister of football player Sebastian. His best friend is Miles, so Quinn has spent a lot of time in his proximity. That made the inevitable to happen. She had a crush on him since she was little, but Miles didn't see her in that romantic way, until something was triggered inside him. And it was a surprise for him too. Now he doesn't know what to do with those feelings, because he cannot betray his best friend, but he cannot stand to see other boys around her either.

This story was built really good, having moments of fun and also parts which were more sensitive, like parents issues, coping with the pressure of being the best version of yourself in order to not let anyone down, drug abuse, mental health. Miles had to struggle with many things because of his father, who put a lot of pressure on him, to be the best football player. But that pushed Miles into taking drugs, which he thought made him invincible on the football field. Quinn was the one who opened his eyes about this problem, but it was tough to ignore his past addiction.

The secret romance of Quinn and Miles was my favourite to follow. From Quinn's impossible wish to have something with Miles, to having it come true. Everything seemed like a dream to her and couldn't believe that the boy, for which she had a crush her whole life, is finally seeing her. This transformed Miles in one protective man and he wanted to do anything he could to make Quinn happy. This included one of ny favorite parts: a random day to watch a concert on TV and eat junk food, when Quinn wasn't feeling the best.

Sports romance books haven't failed me so far, so this one was another story which I enjoyed so much! It's so easy to fall in love with the characters in these kind of books! It's one on my favourite things when it come to these kind of stories.

✨Tropes
#SecretRomance
#FirstLove
#SportsRomance
#BrothersBestFriend
#CloseProximity
#ProtectiveMMC
#HeFallsHarder
#MentalHealth

[Natalie Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do I have a new meghan Hollie book boyfriend to add to my collection?!? Yes, yes, I do!!

Miles and Quinn had me so deep in my feels with this book. The slow burn was on point, and the pining and the chemistry between Miles and Quinn was totally off the charts. This book is an emotional rollercoaster. It was so raw at times and perfectly portrayed the struggles Miles was facing.

Friends to lovers is a trope that makes me so happy. The characters know so much about each other, and it makes their connection that much deeper and Miles and Quinn are the epitome of the perfect friends to lovers couple.

Quinn is the perfect FMC she is an absolute powerhouse, and she brings the friendship group together and definitely makes them stronger.

Miles and Quinns relationship had me giddy. The connection they have is undeniable, and this becomes more apparent as their relationship develops.

If you like sports romance with the perfect mix of banter, friendship, spice, and all the feels, this book is definitely the one for you.

[Ashlee B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quinn + Miles

-college romance
-football romance
-unrequited love
-childhood friends to lovers
-brothers best friend
-broken boy/sunshine girl

omggggg the wayyy this book had me in a constant state of ANXIETYYYY!! i was just waiting for the foot to drop & sure as shit...it did! haha but they were so special & highlighted a level of support from partners that i think isn't showcased enough!! i can't wait for more!

[Mariah Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC Review 🖤

Childhood friends to lovers
Best friends sister
It’s always been you
Football player/ Cheerleader

Miles Cooper 🥹😭 That man had me bawling towards the end of the book. This was such a good childhood friends to lovers book. I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to read Jays book! Thank you Love Notes PR and Meghan Hollie for the ARC!!

4⭐️
2 🌶️

[Solara! · Rating 4 out of 5]

(3.75/5) perfect end to the year. quinn and miles were so cutsie and i love a good childhood friends to lovers no matter what!!!

[claire ༘˚⋆𐙚｡⋆𖦹.✧˚ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️

quinn and miles have always been best friends, he is also best friends with quinn's brother but she has always been in love with him. miles can't see past the training he does to be the best on the field and for his father.

the tension felt between the two is something unique, you can feel it from the pages!!! this book made me laugh, cry and grow along with the main characters 🥹

miles has joined my favorite book boyfriends, he deserves all the happiness in the world 💖

tropes:

🩷 college romance
🩷 brother’s best friend
🩷 football player x cheerleader
🩷 childhood best friend
🩷 dual pov

[Melinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC REVIEW ⭐️4.25⭐️

This book wasn’t what I was expecting, but I loved it! 😍 I honestly thought it was going to be a cute, little, fluffy college romance book and I’m so glad I was wrong 🤣 This book really pulled at my heart strings, with a beautiful friends to lovers story, an incredible group of college friends who face important, real-life challenges. This story captivates the importance of caring for our mental health, being courageous to ask for help, and realizing that you deserve to be loved no matter what 🥹❤️

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so much more than just a sports romance. It shows the pressure, and stress of living up to expectations when playing a sport, how it can affect your mental health and the decisions you make to deal with it.

Sweet baby Miles 🥺 Kinda just wanted to reach through the kindle and give this guy a cuddle, this beautiful broken man. Quinn, was there though. His rock through everything.

🏈 childhood friends
🤍 unrequited love
🏈 sports romance
🤍 brothers best friend

I loved how even though Quinn was clearly working through her feelings for Miles, trying to date other people (which didn’t work out thanks to Miles 🤭) she was his support system when she realised what was going on with him. This girl really is a ball of sunshine with a heart of gold 💛

“𝙁𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙣.”
“𝘼𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙮.”

I loved seeing group back together, and the scrapbooking club? How does one get an invite to that? 🤭 Can’t wait for the next instalment!

[Abbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arc review

Fragile is book 2 in the Cedar Lakes University series but is an interconnected standalone.

I love friends to lovers but my absolute favourite is childhood friends to lovers this book was so amazing! I loved the friendship between Seb, Miles and Quinn but you could really see from the start how special and strong Miles and Quinn’s connection was.

The story was not what I was expecting but so much more. I loved the way Meghan handled the tougher subjects within the story especially Miles struggles I don’t want to spoil anything but I think it was handled perfectly and was written with a lot of care. Quinn’s unwavering love and support for Miles was so emotional to read even after she finds out his secret she still stands by him no matter what. Miles relationship with his father and the dark path that lead him down was so heartbreaking but I think so important as it shows the dark side of all the pressures put onto athletes.

Some of my favourite parts were the flashbacks to when they were kids gosh they were so cute. Seeing how much Quinn loved Miles from when she was 5 years old to now and Miles finally seeing everything he had infront of him his whole life had me in tears. This story was so beautiful and I really enjoyed it a lot I can’t wait to read the next book in the series. I also now really want to be apart of a scrapbooking club too! Haha

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miles Cooper 🥹 if I could jump into this book and give this boy a hug, I would. He's our vulnerable MMC and I was so here for this. He's got the weight of so many expectations on him and he's struggling. He has some amazing character growth in this book which I loved. I won't say much else on this as I don't want to spoil anything.

Quinn Dawson (or Queenie as Miles calls her 🫠) she's the girl everyone wants as their bestie. She's a really sweet and caring person. And so damn supportive, especially after Miles opens up to her. I loved her in Trouble so I knew I was going to love her book.

✨Childhood friends
✨Brothers best friend
✨Football player & cheerleader

This one covers some sensitive topics, so make sure to check those before diving in 🤍

Absolutely love Meghan's writing and I am loving this series so much. I can't wait for what's to come next!

[Kelsey Blue · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS WAS SO CUTEEE, I loved it! It was slightly physical for my taste (but well-written for those who enjoy it)! 💗 The characters were cute, I loved the sports romance and how they were both on the field! Their movie nights and gummy worms tradition was sweet! I also loved that it was a long book, and I thought the pacing was great! 🥰 There was a perfect mix of emotion-based love in it too, and fluffiness so this is definitely one of my faves!! (The FMC having the same birthday as me was also really cool 😂)! 💗💗

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

If anyone's my forever, it's her

Tropes:
🏈 Football Romance
💗 College Romance
🏈 Brother's Best Friend
💗 Childhood Friends to Lovers
🏈 Reformed Playboy
💗 Found Family
🏈 Sunshine x Broken Boy
💗 It's Always Been You



💗 ARC Review 💗

MEGHAN I'M SO IN LOVE WITH THIS BOOK 😭💗

Meghan's writing is pure magic – she makes you instantly fall in love with her characters and writing. I’m so in love with this series that I couldn’t wait to read Quinn and Miles' story. This is my absolute favorite book of the series. Meghan absolutely created another masterpiece - Miles and Quinn are everything to me 😭💗 Every time I read Meghan's books, her characters give me so much warmth and comfort that I feel like I am a part of the family - I love them so much 🥺💗

Miles Cooper – he’s the love of my life 😭💗 I love how he truly cared about Quinn and showed her how important he is to her. It was so cute to see how Miles realized he had feelings for Quinn – he was so in love with her. The friendship with Seb was one of the cutest friendships I have ever seen, both of them care so much for each other and will drop everything to be there for each other. Miles means the world to me and I want to protect him from the world – he deserves the world and I love that Quinn is the sunshine in his world.

Quinn Dawson, my sweet sunshine girl – she is everything 🥺💗 She has been in love with Miles forever – she dedicated her whole scrapbook to Miles. What I love most about her is that she is very protective over the people she loves and will do anything for them – she learned Portuguese to talk to Jay which is the absolute cutest 😭💗 Quinn and Indie’s friendship is the cutest ever – they love each other so much and Indie is very protective over her. Can I be a part of their friendship?

Miles and Quinn are my ultimate version of friends to lovers. Their bond is so strong that they can get through anything, and they prove it. I love them and their group of friends so much. Indie will always be my favorite little black cat with a soft side and Seb made me love him even more with his words to Miles 🥺💗

Also, Quinn being a swiftie and Miles being a softie made me love this book more. And their ritual they always did before a game - I LOVE THEM 😭💗

I can't wait to read more of the Cedar Lakes University universe 🥹

Thank you so much Meghan & lovenotes.pr for the ARC 🫶🏻💗

Favorite Quotes:

"I'm yours," I whisper. "All of me, Quinn. I'm yours."
"You're my Queenie"
But I want her to be my sunshine girl, not theirs

[hopelessromanticslibrary · Rating 3 out of 5]

— Arc Review 🌌

•*⁀➷ tropes
✧ brothers best friend
✧ sports romance
✧ childhood friends
✧ unrequited love

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

• Plot •
In the beginning I was really hooked, specifically by the doping storyline. I think the author handed it amazingly, and you truly see and feel the struggle Miles was going through. I also love how this was linked to his fractured relationship with his father, seeing them two interact and how Miles thought about it and how it affected him. I liked that he made real choices, ones we disagree with, but you understand why he did that. In the middle I did feel like there wasn’t much going on with the plot and there was a fair amount of filler of them just going for food or just something I personally didn’t think needed to be there.

• Quinn & Miles • {Possible spoilers ahead}
I was super excited to get into this book with the trope of brothers best friend and one falls first but I didn’t feel the chemistry or connection between Quinn and Miles until the last parts of the book. Throughout their relationship during the book I felt like I couldn’t feel the chemistry from Miles to Quinn, it just sorta happened out of nowhere, where he noticed her for the first time and I don’t think any real chemistry was built from the beginning. I did love how Quinn handled everything when she found out about the doping, I don’t think her character could’ve handled it in a better way the whole scene was just perfect and then everything after with her helping him I think was realistic. After that though, I do think the doping storyline disappeared until the end which I didn’t think really made sense. Although we know that Quinn has liked Miles for a long time, it began to feel like her chapters mostly consisted of her talking about liking him, wishing she could to be with etc. I wish there was more to her chapters like there was more to Miles.

• Supporting Characters •
I really loved the supporting characters, the whole friendship group was some of my favourite scenes. It feels like the group is complete and if you take one person away, it just wouldn’t be the same and wouldn’t work. I looked forward to reading about them all interacting!

[Jennifer Squillante · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Cedar Lakes University series, but could be read as a complete standalone.

Fragile is a childhood best friend's to lovers novel, which for me is not my usual go-to, but this one was written wonderfully and in such a way you could understand how he didn't "see" her before.

The emotional rollercoaster that this novel had me on was one I will willingly experience again.

This book really had me at the dedication. "To anyone who has ever lost themselves only to build themselves back up to be stronger. Your strength is greater than any struggle." This right here was the driving force of the whole book, and Meghan did an excellent job at showing us this throughout the novel.

There is a line in this novel that Miles says, something to the affect that he is the fragile one, and I love that Meghan writes a vulnerable MMC, more so than the FMC (in my opinion). It's been a while since I have read a novel that does this. It was an excellent reminder that men are just as vulnerable as women but have been conditioned (in some capacity) to hide it.

The strength of Quinn in this novel is for her to watch "her person" dealing with everything and quite literally not being able to do anything about it other than support and show up. The moment when she let's him see just how clearly she sees him had me smile-crying. I do not think we get enough of this type of relationship and I loved it all the more.

I really loved the fact that this wasn't a brother's best friend, but rather that the three of them grew up together, but Miles considers Quinn his best friend just as much as he considers Seb his best friend.

The mental health rep was written realistically and with love and compassion for those who are dealing with these issues. It is clear that Meghan wanted to honor those who are living with these constant issues, and they are not glossed over or have a quick and easy fix.

The friend groups. and dynamics are great; I really hope we get a Hudson novel. The "advice" scene quite literally has to be one of my favorite moments in this novel. Hudson was a much-needed friend. It is clear these friends have each others backs and will be forever in each other's lives.

While this book was an emotional rollercoaster. It was worth every up and down.

Thank you, Meghan Hollie and Love Notes PR, for this ARC in return for an honest review.

[Yessenia · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC Review 
4 ⭐

"You’re my Queenie. And maybe now I realize I’ve been too blind to see what’s right in front of me.”

Overall this was different from my normal sports romance reads. I enjoyed the read overall and enjoyed how there was no third act breakup  and how the found family played into the story. 

Quinn and Miles were sweet and how it grew from best friends to lovers who are there for each other through anything was well done. Once you learned what Miles was going through alone and keeping from his friends, thinking it was best for them not to know. However in the end he opens  up to Quinn and then to all his other friends trusting that they would be there for him through the tough times and not judge him for his mistakes. 

You see the stress that is put on him throughout the story with his dad and how even when he's avoiding his calls and emails it's still weighing on him. And once he has a chance to finally face his dad he lets him know how he feels and lets it all out. Which in the end causes them to have no contact but also opens his dads eyes. In the end they reconcile and are going to try to fix their relationship which was good to see in the end. 

Quinn and Seb's relationship is good to see of the older brother who is protective of his younger sister, but dating her best friend so Indie helps him to give Quinn space to date more. In the end that's when Miles and Quinn begin their relationship and decide to keep it between them. I enjoyed how once Miles came clean to Seb about his issues and what he's done with taking the pill. You can see the strong friendship that has grown throughout the years and how Seb loves and is there for him. When he tells him about his relationship it was not too dramatic or "protective" older brother. 

The story is good and talks about things that may trigger some people but if it's not triggering for you I would recommend that you learn a lot and overall the story is well written. 

[iowagirlreads · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
2❤️‍🔥

I just want to start by saying that I am so grateful that this community has brought so many amazing Indie authors into my world! I will be honest, I knew a whole lot of nothing about the Indie community before I started this acocunt and I can't imagine my reading world without them now! This is book two in the Cedar Lakes University series and I would definitely recommend reading book 1, Trouble, first. Yes it is amazing, so there is that, but also the two MCs from Trouble play a pretty big supporting role in for the MCs in this book. I just loved Quinn and Miles and getting to see their lifelong friendship get to bloom into something so much more. This isn't just a football romance, this touches on some pretty deep topics and Miles especially is dealing with a lot. I loved how supportive Quinn is of Miles as he navigates the challenges he faces, all while also showing Quinn how much she means to him and how she deserves to be treated. The supporting cast are all great additions to the story and I can't wait to get their stories in the future! If you are looking for a college sports romance with strong and loyal relationships that will have you feeling all the feels then I think you will love this one!

TROPES
🏈Football Romance
🏫College Romance
💞Childhood Friends to Lovers
🚫Brother’s Best Friend
❤️‍🩹Broken Boy
☀️Sunshine Girl
💗Unrequited Love

ONE SENTENCE SUMMARY
Quinn has secretly loved her brother’s best friend, NFL-bound Miles, for years, but when his carefully planned future starts to crumble, he turns to her for support, forcing them both to confront hidden feelings and the dark secret that could either bring them together or break them apart.

[Brittny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pub-day *ARC Review*

Brother’s best friend, but he’s also your best friend, and you’ve loved him since you were little… Yeah, this was scrumptious!

Quinn wears her heart on her sleeve, and will always put others before herself. Quinn is the girl you want to be friends with forever! She’s attentive and intuitive, and always seems to know exactly what to say or do in every situation. She’s also a rambler which was so adorable to read about. Watching her get flustered or stumble over words was so endearing!

Miles was so precious though! Unfortunately, he’s been carrying so much beneath the surface for so long that he felt he couldn’t open up about it. To him the voices were so loud, he could barely drown them out. For him he found that silence and solace with Quinn. Once he opened his eyes and realized that she’d literally been right in front of him the whole time, he was a goner.

This was wonderfully paced, and watching Miles and Quinn slowly explore what a relationship beyond their friendship could be was beautiful. They were so patient and gracious with one another, especially when Miles finally shared the weight he’d been holding. Quinn of course wasn’t angry with him, but scared for him, and I loved that instead of shutting him out her immediate thought was how to help him.

I also really appreciated how realistic this book felt. Miles was facing some intense pressure and coping with it in dangerous ways. I felt that the way this issue resolved was real and I liked that Miles accepted it without argument.

Thank you to Meghan Hollie and Love Notes PR for the opportunity to read this ARC!

[lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was everything!!

I love how the story unfolded, you can clearly see how much Miles was struggling and how he tried to cope with it. It had some important things and topics which I always love!!

And if you know me, I definitely was not sobbing near the end 👀
Like I knew that something bad was coming, it was way too peaceful and perfect for a while (I blame my trust issues)

But more about the book, Quinn and Miles have been best friends for a very long time and she's been in love with him for years. I know, unrequited love sucks. So she tried to date other people but obviously, no one ever compared to him, miles is just better.
And Miles? Well miles has been going through his own problems and struggling with all of the pressure that his dad puts on him. And you know what people do when they're stressed and feeling bad? They make very bad decisions, like Miles unfortunately did 😭
He lost something important but also gained so much more

I'm not going to lie, this was such a rollercoaster. I love all of the characters, especially Hudson he's just special, and I loved seeing Quinn and Miles get their happily ever after!!