First Down (Beyond the Play, #1) (2024)

3.75 ⭐️ SO CUTE AND FUN. a bit spicy. a lot fluffy. nothing too special but a fun time.

This was just okay. There were things that I really liked, but there were also things I hated. First off, I really liked the fake dating trope and I also liked that it was fake dating to save the other. BUT what did the fake dating accomplish? Literally everyone knew they were fake dating the whole time including Darryl. So what was the point? They both liked each other from the beginning so they might as well have just dated for real. They only went about it this way so that James could pretend he was still focused on football (he wasn’t) and Bex could pretend she didn’t have time to date. All pointless in my opinion. However, I could forgive all of that if not for James’ savior complex. He made a terrible decision on the field about Bex and ruined the book for me. Literally everyone told him the he couldn’t date because he gets blinded to absolutely everything else in his life. It’s like he couldn’t prioritize more than one thing in his life. I guess he was not able to have a career and be in love. I also did not like the book villainizing his dad for trying to protect his son’s future. He never said anything bad about Bex. He just told him that he couldn’t handle both a relationship and football at that time, and his dad was proven right. He did the exact same thing at his other school, and he kept lying to his dad the whole time. He proved his dad right after the championship game. What about his teammates? They didn’t deserve what James did. There were so many other things that could have been done to get back at Darryl instead of that. Also, James thinking about becoming a math teacher. Really? A possible first round pick, dropping out of the draft to become a math teacher. Yeah, okay. Why wouldn’t she ever be supportive and put his career first? I was so mad at her for telling him what happened with Darryl before the championship game. It really couldn’t wait until after the game? Bex was also terrible for not telling her mother she wasn’t going to run that stupid diner. She was her mother’s doormat until the very end. She never stood up to her about her future. Even in the end, it was her mother who finally got her head out of her ass not Bex. Takeaways: James deserved better than Bex and he also needs to focus on his career instead of always saving the damsel in distress. Bex just needed to stay with her terrible mother at the diner. If she couldn’t ever choose herself over it, then that’s what she deserves. Okay. I guess there was more that I hated about this book than I thought. Really if James didn’t mess up the football aspect of this book I would have liked it more. I am too much of a football fan for all of that mess. I loved James’ brothers and sister (really his whole family) so much though. Hopefully I will like their books more.

Solid 4⭐️ Cute, short, sweet and fluffy. Wasn’t life changing but I didn’t need it to be! 😌

3.25 stars

New adult sports romance, quarterback and tutor, fake dating. Lots of troupes I love. It wasn’t anything groundbreaking but it was enjoyable. I’m curious about the hero’s brothers so I will definitely check out more in this series when they come out!

Okay, you can call me basic, but I really enjoyed this book. Fake dating, sports star, college romance – yes, it’s been done before, but what’s not to love?

First Down follows Bex and James – Bex has recently split from her cheating ex, but he’s not getting the message that they’re over, so she enlists the help of her new friend James, the star quarterback of their college football team.

👇The tropes:

💝 Fake dating
🏈 American football
🏫 College
🌶️ Spicy
🙅 Sworn off relationships
🧁 Cinnamon roll mmc
🎭 Family drama

As I said, this plot is very familiar, but if you enjoyed those other books, you’ll probably like this one too. Bex and James are really cute together, and yes, they make some questionable decisions, but it all comes good in the end.

I’m looking forward to picking up the next book and will watch out for the rest of the series when it’s released.

Really ?

Did not finish the book :/ Tried really hard to get myself to push through and finish, especially since I was over halfway in, but the book just wasn’t clicking for me.

In my opinion, the characters lacked depth, there was no lead up to the great emotional conversations where they finally know each other on a deeper level, there was barely any growth before they decided it wasn’t a fake relationship anymore, etc.

Just didn’t vibe with this one and couldn’t get myself to finish it :(

why did she act like a child during so much of this book???? be so serious rn. also why is james so stupid? doing the one thing he “forbade” himself from doing? HOW DUMB ARE YOU???

2.5 rounded up

it was cute for the most part but almost everyone lacked serious critical thinking skills and by the end i was just so annoyed by everyone’s immaturity

4 Stars

MF contemporary. New Adult. College setting. Fake relationship. Sports romance.

First Down was everything I wished over-hyped Icebreaker would have been.

You see, I read these two popular books back-to-back so the comparisons run deep, but I unequivocally enjoyed First Down a hell of a lot more and I’m damn happy about it.

James Callahan and Beckett “Bex” Wood made for a fun, flirty and memorable new adult couple. I liked the way they came together, initially as new friends and quickly as a fake couple, in a mutual arrangement that allowed Bex to get an annoying ex off her back and for James, college superstar quarterback, to get Bex’s tutoring help in a class he was tanking.

The set-up was nothing new, with the popular jock falling for his tutor, but it worked well here—probably because their chemistry as lovers AND friends was so strong and immediate, that it made it easy to be immersed within their blossoming romance.

As for the drama that pushed the narrative along, well, I could take or leave some of it, but for the most part I liked that Bex and James stayed true to themselves, facing most of their trials and tribulations together as a unit… even when I didn’t quite agree with their behaviour or decisions.

I appreciated that they were still young enough to be making plenty of mistakes in trying to work out who they are and what they want from life, but they were old enough (maybe 22ish?) to have their new relationship feel like it could definitely stand the test of time if they were committed enough and communicated appropriately—which I think they were doing well by the stories end.

For the most part, I also loved the secondary cast. James’ family were particularly lovable (not his father), making it a no brainer for me to want to continue reading this series, with each sequel featuring another of the Callahan kids meeting their romantic match.

This was easy, light-angst, new adult fun, and I enjoyed spending my time getting to know James and Bex and look forward to reading more in this college sports world.

i don’t know what i was expecting from this book…but it certainly wasn’t what i got. i came to this book for it to be a pass-time. something trashy. something i planned on only reading half of because i’d get bored…however, this surprised me. it was actually pretty good.
i think my 4 star rating comes from a little bit of shock from the fact that i quite enjoyed this book but it’s still a 4 star read nonetheless.

to quickly summarize what this book is about, it’s a collage and sports romance that follows our two main characters, james and bex, as they make an agreement to fake date. bex will tutor james in a collage class he failed while james will pretend to be bex’s boyfriend so her asshole ex would leave her alone.
a pretty standard, trope-filled plot, yet still a recipe for success.

i think what worked for me most in this book was the characters. they had depth and felt real. they weren’t 2D and had to work through their issues, both separate and together. the romance between the two also just worked for me. i liked seeing them become friends through their farce, then realize they’ve become more, and have to face it.

overall, I would honestly recommend this book if you want a solid collage + sports romance.

“Vintage BRITTANY Spears?”😒🥴

I’m sorry, what? It’s “Britney,” bish.🙋🏼‍♀️

If an author can’t take the time to google a freaking celebrities name, then I’m assuming they didn’t put much effort elsewhere in the book.

I read wayyy too many 5 stars bruh😭😭. I honestly didn't expect this to be so good. James might just be my new book bf...

3.5 stars

did not finish. hated this book and i refuse to read any other books in this series no matter what tik tok says

6/8/24: “so why is this on your tbr?” “my friend said it mentions joe burrow” 🥲🥲

It’s definitely an easy to read fluff sports rom but I felt like the flow of the story was choppy at times and skipped ahead abruptly which messed with the flow of the story and I had to try to figure out if the story was hours later or weeks later. The conflict wasn’t done the best too and I found myself questioning why it was even happening multiple times. All in all, it’s a good read in a day book if you’re looking for something little and cute.

3,25/5
Nie jest to książka bez wad, ale ładna była no🥺 jej druga część to już w ogóle, po połowie i to jacy zaczęli być do siebie, jak im zaczęło zależeć - podobało mi się!

I should have dnf like my elders before me (Jade)

totally judged the book by the cartoony cover, but I'm glad to report it was actually really great! 🙌🥳

This was such a fun new adult, sports romance! With fake dating, football star and a college romance, this was right up my alley. First Down was my first book I’ve read by this author, but it won’t be my last!
The romance was a great mix of fluffy and spicy. It was hot and sweet and genuine. The third act conflict was believable and I was happy with how everything resolved. It felt like the characters actually worked through things and didn’t just gloss over it. Bex and James were a perfect fit.
James Callahan. Enough said. He has my heart. He was so cute and just impossible to not fall for. His love for Bex was adorable, he was all-in from the start and wasn’t afraid to share his feelings.
I was so happy this was written in dual POV! It really made the two main characters shine. They felt real and had depth captured through their fears and dreams. I always love a dual POV romance, I want to be able to read about both characters falling for each other!
I can’t wait to read the rest of this series! Cooper’s book is up next!

My booktube: https://youtube.com/@_stateofmind_?si...

Romance spotlight:
- fake dating dynamic
- Tutoring
- Sport romance , football

Review

A cute and easy-to-read sports romance. If you enjoyed 'The Deal' from the Off-Campus series, you'll probably like this too. The characters are interesting, and I'm curious to read more about James's brothers. I appreciated the interaction between the two protagonists... although I didn't find the dialogues particularly charming, captivating, or interesting as in other novels. Basically, I enjoyed the story, but something is missing. The sports dynamic is quite present, and I appreciated that even though football isn't among my favorite sports.

3,5 / bardzo lekka i przyjemna, spicy, jak ktoś lubi „układ” od Elle Kennedy to przypadnie mu do gustu (ale i tak układ jest niezastąpiony)

꒰🏈 ˋ°•*⁀➷ 𝟑.𝟓 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬 -- “𝐈'𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐦𝐞.“

this was such a cute little book and i haven’t read a rom-com in awhile so I rlly enjoyed it. there a couple like mild spicy scenes i guess but it’s nothing too crazy.

ˋ°•*⁀➷ 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔

꒰🏈ˋ°•* 𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐭 𝐖𝐨𝐨𝐝 ⋆˙⟡♡

Bex was such a sweet and relatable character. I mean she worked constantly, had college, and had to help her mom with her diner because well her mom sucked. She felt the need to be there for a mom and therefore held herself back from what she really wanted to do. And when James came into her life she believed she didn’t deserve it which I thought was sad but I completely understood why she felt that way.

꒰🏈ˋ°•* 𝐉𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐡𝐚𝐧 ⋆˙⟡♡

James was so sweet to Beckett and just rlly devoted to the things he loved. I mean as much as football has his heart, he would always put his family and Beckett first.

꒰🏈ˋ°•* 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 ⋆˙⟡♡

I rlly loved all the interactions with James and his family so much especially the ones with Izzy because she was all their younger sister and it was just rlly sweet. Also James’ mom was actually the sweetest thing like where can i get a mom like that please? James’ dad lowkey got on my nerves with all the “you don’t need a relationship, football comes first.” like i get you want your sun to have a great career but like shut up and let him be happy.

ˋ°•*⁀➷ 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒍𝒐𝒕

The plot for this book was rlly sweet. like fake dating trope? yes please. I just can’t wait to read the next two books with the other brothers. also the writing for this book is rlly easy and fast-paced so if you need a quick and easy read this is one <3

ˋ°•*⁀➷ 𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑𝒔

꒰🏈ˋ°•* 𝐉𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐭 ⋆˙⟡♡

James and Beckett were just so sweet. I loved their conversations although I wished there had been a bit more banter. I feel like their relationship went from 1 to 100 very quickly even though they hasn't put a label on it yet.

ˋ°•*⁀➷ 𝒒𝒖𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒔

“𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐟 𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞.”

“𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐨 𝐛𝐥𝐮𝐞.”

“𝐢𝐟 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞, 𝐈'𝐝 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚 𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫.“

just your usual fake dating college romance, i read a couple of similar stories just pretty much the same as the other

2⭐

3.5

this book was cute and fun, however: i have not thought about this for a single second after finishing and i dont remember the mc’s names

No, no, no, no, NOOOO.

No funcionó para mí. Pensé que iba a ser un libro de college romance y pensé, bueno duh, me va a encantar y lo voy a disfrutar muchísimo.

Pues no, it’s giving ✨wattpad 2014✨ vibes, y no son vibes agradables. Comenzando que el primer pensamiento del primer capítulo del libro es James queriendo coger 🤩 lo cual no se aprecia para nada porque da demasiado cringe. Los pensamientos del tipo eran fútbol, fútbol siempre fútbol and later sex. Y justo en ese orden.

El primer encuentro de James y Bex fue súper raro, ni siquiera se sintió la química pero ambos querían saltar y hacerlo como conejos. Los pensamientos de Bex también eran demasiados sexosos para mi gusto en todo momento, y sus acciones ni siquiera tenían lógica. Cómo vas a decirle a tu ex que estás saliendo con alguien, proceder a besar a James y salir corriendo??? Y PRETENDES QUE TE CREAN? I-????

Los dos actuaron como niños de 15 años y en general el resto de la historia me pareció muy malo también.

It's a super cute romcom! if you liked The Deal and Icebreaker, you might like this one too - but instead of hooky, it's football

However, for me, it felt like I've read this before in different books. If I had read this a year ago, I might've enjoyed it more.

written like bad fanfiction. I did not finish it.

First Down by Grace Reilly is an irresistible fake dating, college sports romance that deserves a place on any reader's shelf! It has likable characters, hefty drama, and plenty of satisfying spice.

James Callahan is a college football player coming off a disastrous year and has recently transferred to a new university. He is determined to avoid all distractions, including girls and relationships. His only priorities are getting his football life back on track and getting drafted into the NFL.

Beckett Wood is a college student pursuing a business degree with a passion for photography. But her family's diner is her future - a promise she made to her mother after her father walked out on them. Life is complicated for Bex, with the responsibility of caring for her mother and the diner.

When Bex and James cross paths at a college party, she kisses James out of panic to keep her sleazy ex-boyfriend at bay. Sparks ignite, but getting involved would be the definition of a distraction for James. And the last thing Bex wants is to get involved with an athlete.

James and Bex had me hooked from the very beginning! What starts as a fake relationship to shield Bex from her persistent ex-boyfriend soon becomes real. Though they try to deny their feelings for the majority of the book, their undeniable chemistry inevitably turns into love.

✨ "I love you, Bex. I love the way you scrunch up your nose when you're concentrating. I love your laughter. Your talent with a camera. I love your passion and your loyalty and how f*cking smart you are. You're everything to me...."✨

Bex struggles with the worthiness of James' love, and James struggles with finding a future where football isn't his entire life. The progression of their relationship and the core obstacles they face are relatable (with some dramatic flare to make things interesting), making their story engaging. The satisfying ending and extended epilogue were a nice touch. It's a great reminder that love can overcome any obstacle and that we are all worthy of happiness.

📚 Book 1 of Beyond the Play Series - a standalone
👥 Dual POV
💋 Safety Spoilers:no cheating, no sharing, no OW drama. OM drama - h's ex-boyfriend attempts to interfere but Mcs only have eyes for each other. Two-week separation. No virgins.
⚠️ Content Spoilers: profanity, on page sex (praise kink, anal), sexual misconduct (not between MCs), violence (not between MCs), brief mentions of miscarriage (not involving MCs), mentions of a suicide attempt (not a MC), mentions of substance abuse (not a MC), cheating (not between MCs), house fire.