Thank you to Helena Hunting and her team for the advance reader copy of Mac Meyers Needs Me, the second interconnected standalone in the Tilton University series.
I have been chomping at the bit to return to Tilton University ever since we were first introduced to the Toronto-based school in Chase Lovett Wants Me. That book was adorable, quirky, and full of heart, so no surprise, so was Mac Meyers Needs Me.
I am a Helena Hunting review team member, but I remain honest and genuine in my reviews.
From NYT Bestselling author Helena Hunting comes a fake-dating, friends-to-lovers, college hockey romance.
Mac Meyers.
My secret crush.
Most unattainable guy on campus.
Relentless flirt (except with me).
Being friends with the guy on campus that everyone wants comes with its own set of problems.
None of us can eat in the cafeteria without being interrupted ten times.
Well, I’ve had enough.
So the most unhinged thing comes out of my mouth: I tell them to leave my boyfriend alone.
Except Mac is not my boyfriend.
Not even close.
Until he looks at me like I have the most inspired idea.
My name is Ophelia Forrest-Hammer, and Mac Meyers wants to be my fake boyfriend.
But I wish he was my real one.
Check out my more detailed thoughts below…
- Characters: Ophelia Forrest-Hammer, a.k.a. Fee, is such a relatable character: a girl with a secret crush, and that secret crush, Mac Meyers, isn’t just the envy of all on campus but also her good friend. I adored both characters; they were supportive of each other and those around them. Helena balances these characters out with real struggles; for Fee it is the loss of her parents and for Mac the pressures of his future with hockey. The best part of a Helena Hunting story isn’t just the two main characters but the wider cast, a found family friend group that keeps you reading from instalment to instalment. So if you have read the previous books in this series or Toronto Terror, get ready for cameos galore.
- Setting: This is the second time we have visited Tilton University within the city of Toronto, and all I want to do is keep visiting. It makes me jealous not to have had more of a university experience like this myself. I love getting the blend of city-time, university-time, and time with the hockey team with everything being in the same city. This is some bias showing, but I do also love
- Pacing: These books are delightfully paced, easy-peasy reads that just fly by as you are having so much fun reading them. This book is much more of a slow burn, maybe a bit less plot-heavy even, but the characters really shine; it is low on angst and drama, such an easy book and world to escape into.
- Romance: A fake dating scheme between friends-to-lovers who never thought the other would care for them in a way that is more than friends, a recipe for a delicious romance. I tend to be more of an enemies-to-lovers person, as I love the tension those create, but Helena weaves a different sort of tension between Fee and Mac. They both have feelings for the other but are scared to say it, a perfect romance for a college setting. The transition from friends to lovers to a relationship reads in such a natural way. This book is very sweet, with still some of the signature funny moments we’ve come to expect worked into the spice in the extended Toronto Terror/Tilton University universe, still some banter but nowhere near as boundary-pushing as precious or cucumbers. Much more of a classic, cute, new adult college romance.
Mac Meyers Needs Me is 4/5 stars
You can pick up the story here.
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Thank you again to Helena and her team for the review opportunity. Thank you for reading and supporting my blog!
