I thoroughly enjoyed this read, seeing George and Lucas bond and helping each other out in different ways. They both showed each other there is more than what meets the eye - the slow burn definitely hits!!

OH MY GOD A ROWING ROMANCE?! This was so cute! I went in with super high expectations and it definitely met them all.

Lucas is the cox (he steers the boat) of the Cambridge University Blues boat (the Uni rowing club), while George is the stroke seat (the guy up front who drives the speed of the crew). After a cataclysmic race, both are forced to defend their place in the boat and, in George’s case, this means actually passing his exams on his own merit. Thank goodness Lucas is top of their year. If only he didn’t hate him. Fortunately, George also has something Lucas needs: advice on how to seduce a man.

Read if you like:
🩵 Forced proximity
🩵 ‘You teach me, I’ll teach you’ trope
🩵 Grumpy sunshine
🩵 Opposites attract

As a former rower, I was beside myself with joy when I saw this was a Cambridge rowing romance. For me, I loved all the rowing scenes and the nods to Cambridge. Being able to picture locations as I read the book made it super special for me.

But that’s not the only reason I liked it. Even if you’re not a rower or cantab surely you can appreciate a sweet funny romance about hot men in lycra. It’s really witty and I totally appreciated the opposites attract chemistry between Lucas and George.

This book is out 8 May and I highly recommend you go check it out!

I don’t know about you but I am very much on the count down to the Boat Race and I was very excited when a package from Zaffrebooks arrived on my doorstep with this delightful story.

The relationship between the stroke seat and the cox is always a unique but powerful one. It has the ability to make or break a boat. As the stroke seat you have to trust in your Cox to make the right call at the right time and as the Cox you have to trust that your stroke seat will follow your commands.

When George and Lucas come to blows after losing the Boat Race last year and it comes to light that George received special privileges in terms of his place at Cambridge, they need to come up with a plan. Lucas reluctantly agrees to help George with his academic problem in exchange for some help in getting his crush to notice him.

Along the way, the once team mates, turned enemies, turn partners in crime realise that they might actually enjoy being friends and maybe something more as roman feelings begin to blossoms between them.

I thoroughly enjoyed this read, seeing George and Lucas bond and helping each other out in different ways. They both showed each other there is more than what meets the eye - the slow burn definitely hits!!

If you love the below you’ll love this book
🫧Rowing Romance
🫧Slow Burn
🫧Opposites Attract
🫧Enemies to Lovers

Thanks to the author and publisher for the copy 💕

It's been a while since I read a mm romance and I really enjoyed this!! I loved the characters personalities as well as reading as their relationship progressed in both positive and negative ways. It was pretty slow burn which usually I'm not a big fan of long slow burn but I think it really worked with how the plot was set out and how the enemies to lovers worked. I was also really invested in both their rowing careers throughout and how they'd play out (and it definitely surprised me towards the end) as well as their uni exams and how it were a big threat in the plot

I enjoyed this, it took me a little while to warm up to the main characters, like their relationship with each other, I really liked them and thought their relationship was very cute

I could see sh!t was going to hit the fan in the 3rd act and it was so good, I didn't see what happened after coming

- MM romance
- sports romance - rowing
- university setting
- slow burn

✨4 stars✨

I devoured this in less than 24 hours!

I’ve read a lot of sports romances but never one about rowing so that initially piqued my interest and thankfully I really enjoyed this book. I found the writing engaging throughout, the characters entertaining and the romance between George and Lucas adorable!

I would 100% recommend this book if you’re looking for an entertaining queer romance or a fun sports romance in general! I look forward to seeing whatever this author writes in the future.

I received an ARC from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

This was such a fun read with some actual laugh out loud moments. I enjoyed the slow burn of George and Lucas as they navigated their way through the trails and tribulations of exam time at Cambridge University whilst also being on the rowing team. There were some really sweet moments and the sexual tension in parts was delightful. The latter part of the book seemed to move at a much quicker rate than the majority but this didn't detract from the overall enjoyment of this book.

A good solid romance with fun tropes. I just didn’t find it a stand out in the queer romance genre.

I did appreciate that it was set around the sport of rowing as that isn’t a sport I’ve seen represented much in novels.

Think I’d have liked more of the characters being enemies before the friendship stage.

A lighthearted fun romance if you want an easy read. Just didn’t blow me away

This was such an enjoyable read - I honestly can’t remember the last time I laughed out loud so much as I had reading See You at the Finish Line. Both Lucas and George are hilarious in their own way and I loved their sense of humour and jokes. It was so nice to see them grow as individuals as well as see their relationship develop throughout the book.

As someone who used to row for several years (though never that competitively) I thought the sports aspect of the book was really well done. I love a good sports rivalry and this book hit the spot with the Oxford-Cambridge Rivalry as well as the intra-club rivalry (hello Tristan)!

What didn’t quite make this a five-star read for me was how both our MCs made some questionable decisions throughout the book, though I guess they were acting like the 21-year-olds they are. I also felt the pacing was a bit off towards the final 20% of the book. It felt like they resolved their issue a bit too quickly (but maybe I would just hold a grudge longer). It reminded me of the pacing in a typical rom-com movie, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing and is more of a personal preference.

Overall, I would recommend the book if you are in the mood for a rivals-to-lovers sports romance with great banter that will make you laugh out loud!

DNF after 22%.

Okay, first of all, I’m sorry. My previous read was a gem and might have influenced my reading journey. So, basically, there’s nothing wrong with this story. The thing is, though, the part I read didn’t feel groundbreaking or unique or anything like that. Except for the rowing, it felt like it was done a thousand times before. It was okay, nothing more, nothing less, and I was bored. So, I decided to DNF. Please check out other reviews if you want to read this one.

This isn't a negative review, despite the three star. I think this book had some really great moments, i just wanted more of them! There was enough there for me to get invested, especially in George as a character. I liked Lucas though some of the decisions he made were baffling. However! Like I said, I enjoyed this. I really liked the setting and seeing rowing at the main sport was something a bit different.

Initially I wanted a bit more of the enemies section of enemies to lovers, but i understand why it didn't last that long. I really liked the development as friends. There was just some fleshing out that I felt was missing. Maybe it was the dialogue? I don't know. I think this author could really become great, there's potential, but it just felt a bit rushed, especially toward the end. I think considering the fall out it was resolved pretty quick. I did understand some of Lucas's thinking, but i think telling the story of how he made the same mistake before but didn't learn a single thing from it was kind of a weird choice (especially since i'd forgotten he even had a sister).