The Dare

Nice book!

I love that Elle finished her Briar U series with a fake-dating trope. That's always a win for me. Conor and Taylor won me over as a couple literally from their first interaction and I couldn't stop reading. Finished the book in a day. :) That being said, they were probably the most flawed of the whole Off-Campus universe couples and the miscommunication was the strongest with them, and I don't particularly like that trope. However, I could see where it was coming from. They both had insecurities and trauma they had to deal with, and they were just what the other needed to help them face their truths and overcome their fears. I loved Conor from the moment he was introduced. He was a Dean 2.0 and who doesn't love Dean (if you don't there's something wrong with you lol)? But reading this book made me realize his personality is nothing like Dean's. Conor is a sunshine and much more of a golden retriever. He's incredibly patient and understanding with Taylor and that's what made her overcome her insecurities. And his love for her made him fight his own demons which just proves they were made for each other. I give this book 4 stars, however, because the second miscommunication situation that happens near the end of the book felt so forced to me. They both grew as people, they overcame together one difficult miscommunication situation and then when the second happened it felt like all of Taylor's character development was thrown out of the window for no good reason other than to create unnecessary drama in order to prolong the book by 20 pages. If that whole situation happened at an earlier point in the book I would have understood. But to put it just after they overcame a huge obstacle and solidified their relationship felt so forced. I have to admit that Taylor is my least favorite Elle heroine and she pis*ed me off a couple of times with her insecurities. But I don't hate her and I understand that many girls might identify with her and I'm glad she found Conor who helped her build confidence and taught her how to love herself more. I guess it's just a question of personal preference, as I prefer to read about confident heroines. And Conor definitely occupies the same place in my heart as the rest of the Off-Campus and Briar U boys. He's a perfect alpha male and at the same time such a sunshine, that it is not possible not to love him. I loved the overall story of the book, loved that it all started out of a dare, then turned into a beautiful friendship because they both needed that first and it finally blossomed into a relationship. I truly felt how their feelings were evolving with each new page. So now that I finished the whole series I can say that I loved every single book, but Garret and Hannah will always come at the top, followed closely by Jake and Brenna. My least favorite couple are probably Tucker and Sabrina, because I somehow connected the least with them. Tucker was what Sabrina needed, but I'm not sure Sabrina is what Tuck needed. Still love them tho! Love all of them! Last but not least, I adore Elle's writing. She makes it so easy to read. I finished the whole Briar U series in a week (while having a full-time job and going to school at the same time!). Can't wait to start The Graham Effect next and dive right back into this world. :)

dit is wat je krijgt in plaats van wat je op het plaatje ziet

If you’re fans of the off-campus and briar u series and specifically like seeing small moments of past couples in the books and originally mentioned characters getting their own stories I personally thinks this one would be the least favourite of yours. It was for me since it follows the story of someone not mentioned until briar u and it’s harder to cheer for them to find love comparatively to the other couples. That’s just my personal opinion, the writing itself is still the good Elle Kennedy standard and worth the read but maybe not the hype.

I love this book w a burning pations. Finally a main female character who doesn't fit the mold of "society beauty standards" This book is hilarious, romantic, thrilling and downright entertaining. Read it, just do it