I loved The Deal by Elle Kennedy so I decided to see what books other readers enjoyed and read some of them. Here is my opinion of six of the books featured on the Goodreads list for books other readers enjoyed if they liked The Deal.
1) The Wall of Winnipeg and Me by Mariana Zapata:
3/5 Stars
Trigger warnings: abuse
This book was very slow at the beginning. However, after I got into the story I was hooked. I loved seeing the relationship growth between Aiden and Vanessa. I also enjoyed the twist closer to the end of the book where Vanessa found out something from Trevor. Also, this romance is definitely a slow burn taking the whole book for the characters to say they love each other. There is a marriage of convenience in this book so if you like books with that trope you may like this one. I definitely understand why this one was on the list because like The Deal it is a sports romance even though in this one unlike The Deal it is dealing with a football player and neither him nor Vanessa are still in college. I would have loved to see from Aiden's perspective as well in this book though since this book is only in Vanessa's. One of the things I loved about The Deal is the duel P.O.V. between the two main characters. This book is also available on Kindle Unlimited so if you have that I definitely recommend checking this one out, even though I only rated it 3/5 stars.
2) Wait for You by J. Lynn (Jennifer L. Armentrout)
3.5/5 stars
Trigger Warnings: sexual assault, rape, attempted suicide
This book was a trip. In this book, we follow Avery through her first college experience. In high school, she was severely bullied after what happened to her at a Halloween party, and she attempted to kill herself. On her first day of school, she literally runs into a very attractive guy named Cameron Hamilton (Cam). I have to admit I loved the romance between Avery and Cam however I hated the moment where Cam thought it was okay to tell Avery she had to tell him what happened to her because he told her his experience with what happened with his sister. That was not okay. It takes time for a person to share what happened to them and the fact that he tried to force that from her by saying he didn't want to be in a relationship with her anymore if she didn't tell him the truth was wrong. Also, the fact that the girl who experienced the same thing she did calling her and blaming her for what happened because she couldn't do anything was wrong as well. However I still enjoyed elements of this book, and for the most part, really liked reading it. I definitely see why this book is recommended for people who like The Deal. Like The Deal, this is a college romance and Hannah and Avery went through similar experiences. This is another one however where I thought it might have been nice to have both the perspectives of Cam and Avery but I didn't mind it.
3) Bully by Penelope Douglas
3.5/5 stars
Trigger warnings: Abuse, sexual assault
This book follows a girl named Tatum also referred to as Tate. Her father is in the military and is currently in Germany while she is back at her old school for senior year after being part of a foreign exchange program the year prior. Tate used to be childhood friends with the boy next door named Jared, however, when Jared started high school he became her Bully. There were things I liked about this, one of which being it was really fun to read. However the fact that Jared was bullying Tate to keep guys away from her, and the fact that he was mad because of what happened during his summer with his Dad does not make what he did to her okay. However, Tate was able to forgive him and they are very much in love by the end of the book. This one takes place while the characters are in their senior year of high school. I would not necessarily recommend this book for people who really like The Deal. Yes, this is a hate to love romance, however, I didn't particularly care for the things Jared did. Also while I liked Tate for the most part she wasn't always the best either.
4) Punk 57 by Penelope Douglas
4.5/5 stars
Trigger warnings: loss of loved one, sexual assault, drug/alcohol abuse, bullying
This book follows a girl named Ryen and a boy named Misha. When they were in the fifth grade their schools partnered them up for this pen pal project thinking that Misha was a girl, and Ryen was a boy. However, the two continued writing to each other afterward becoming close friends. When Misha's band is hosting an event he ends up meeting Ryen by accident. After what happens to Misha's sister Annie Misha shows up at Ryen's school using the name Masen. I enjoyed the fact that at the end Ryen was able to find a real friend group instead of remaining with some of the people she hung out around at the beginning of the book. I also really like how this book brought up some important topics such as bullying, growing up in a single-parent home, losing someone important to you, and more. I thought the way this book handled those topics was done really well. Overall I really liked this one. And I do see why people who liked The Deal by Elle Kennedy would like this one. It features a hate to love romance, and it has the point of view of both Ryen and Misha. Also, I liked the sassy moments the characters had at times which definitely reminded me of The Deal in a way. I also liked this book even better than Bully which is the book right before this one on the list.
5) Bossman by Vi Keeland
4/5 stars
Trigger warnings: Loss of loved one, and other
Bossman is about this girl named Reese who while on a date with this guy which is going terribly runs into the other main character Chase. Chase judges her while she is talking on the phone with her friend who she is asking to make up an excuse for her to leave when she gets back to the table. After she gets back to the table though Chase and the person he is out with join them. That night ended up being one that stuck with her because of Chase's made-up story he told. Then she meets Chase again while out with another guy, and after he finds out she is looking for work he has her meet Sam who works at his company. Sam ends up giving her a job at the company Chase owns and from there the relationship between her and her Bossman commences. Both characters also have past experiences though that they haven't yet been able to overcome which impact their relationship. However, I won't go too far into it because if I did that would be major spoiler material. I kinda understand why this one was recommended for people who like The Deal but I also don't. Like The Deal characters have to overcome traumatic past experiences and both main characters have their point of view in the book. However, this is not a college romance or a sports romance. Also, the characters in my opinion aren't as sassy as Garret and Hannah. This book is definitely an enjoyable read though and I would recommend it. Also usually I am not a big fan of nicknames but I loved the fact that Chase nicknamed Reese 'Buttercup' as in a Reese's Peanut Buttercup.
6) Corrupt by Penelope Douglas
4/5 stars
Trigger warnings: Sexual assault, attempted murder, and others.
This book was something else. I feel like I shouldn't have liked this as much as I did. The things Michael did to the main character, in the beginning, were not right. At all. I really liked the characters of Erika and Michael. Even though part of me thought I shouldn't like them because of the things they did at times I still did. Now I do not think this book should be on the list of books for people who liked The Deal. While this is another athlete romance (which is a very small part of the book) since Michael is a basketball player it should not be on that list. This book is so much darker in many ways. From the events that happen to the characters themselves. I am interested in reading the other books in this series though. But this is definitely a dark college romance. There were many times while reading this where I thought, what on earth am I reading, and why am I liking it? I still don't know the answer to that question. This is probably a guilty pleasure read. Because there are many reasons I can think why I shouldn't have liked this book, and I should've rated it lower. But I didn't. And I will stand by this rating. In fact, I would recommend this book to people who are looking for a dark romance.
What book should I do some of the books on the readers also enjoyed list next? Comment down below.
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