ALL PLAYED OUT BY CORA CARMACK
Genre: New Adult, Romance
“And when that day comes, it won’t matter so much whether every step was in the right direction because life is not a straight line. It will only matter that you took them. That you never let yourself stand still.”
― Cora Carmack, All Played Out
Series: Rusk University Series
All Lined Up (#1 Rusk University)
All Broke Down (#2 Rusk University)
Synopsis:
First person in her family to go to college? CHECK.
Straight A’s? CHECK.
On track to graduate early? CHECK.
Social life? …..yeah, about that….
With just a few weeks until she graduates, Antonella DeLuca’s beginning to worry that maybe she hasn’t had the full college experience. (Okay… Scratch that. She knows she hasn’t had the full college experience).
So Nell does what a smart, dedicated girl like herself does best. She makes a “to do” list of normal college activities.
Item #1? Hook up with a jock.
Rusk University wide receiver Mateo Torres practically wrote the playbook for normal college living. When he’s not on the field, he excels at partying, girls, and more partying. As long as he keeps things light and easy, it’s impossible to get hurt… again. But something about the quiet, shy, sexy-as-hell Nell gets under his skin, and when he learns about her list, he makes it his mission to help her complete it.
Torres is the definition of confident (And sexy. And wild), and he opens up a side of Nell that she’s never known. But as they begin to check off each crazy, exciting, normal item, Nell finds that her frivolous list leads to something more serious than she bargained for. And while Torres is used to taking risks on the field, he has to decide if he’s willing to take the chance when it’s more than just a game.
Together they will have to decide if what they have is just part of the experiment or a chance at something real.
*Warning this may contain spoilers for the first books in the series*
I was so excited to pick up this book because I love Mateo! (Almost as much as I love Brooks!) I was also interested to see and learn more about Dylan’s quiet bookworm roommate Antonella. So far in the series this has been my favorite book! I found the MC’s to be much more relatable and the relationship to be more intense and interesting. (Which is saying a lot because I really enjoyed Silas and Dylan’s relationship).
Nell is planning for the future and is trying as hard as she can to make a successful future for herself and because of this she has put her social life on the back burner. It was so fun and adorably cute watching Nell open up and find herself and want she wants in life. The fact that she has to make a college bucket list added an intriguing element to the book and made it loads of fun! Nell is nerdy and awkward but you can’t help but to love her. She is definitely my favorite female in this series (besides Stella, I cant wait for her book!)The way Torres falls so hard for her and is so protective and devoted was so cute. The relationship was intense and sweet. I fell in love with these characters and loved how even though completely different end goals both are striving for the same things. I also loved how fun, flirty and filled with banter this book was. The interactions and conversations between Nell and Mateo had me grinning and unable to swipe the smile from my face. He adds a sense of fun into her life and she is able to reign him in. That is the perfect kind of relationship were they make each other better! I also enjoyed the appearances and development of the other characters throughout this story. The interwoven stories and continuation of the other books MC stories are perfect.
Overall this book continues to build on an amazing foundation that Carmack has written in the previous books in this series. It is flirty, cute and filled with swoony men you just cant help but to love. Carmack really drives home the importance of following your dreams and finding yourself. This book does not fall short on fun characters full of personality and adorable moments. It has real life struggles and beautiful relationships that tie up to make a perfectly fun read!
