Disclaimer, if you are going to force your dad to read a book that you love over the holidays, maybe take a moment to reflect on your goals. Do I really want my dad to know what I read on the daily? No, I do not. Big mistake.
“The Graham Effect” by Elle Kennedy was one of my favorite books of the year. I wouldn’t say it beat the hype of “Fourth Wing,” but the two books are just in different leagues. “Fourth Wing” is the NBA, and “The Graham Effect” is the NHL: both are great, but for different reasons. Now, who am I kidding, I don’t watch the NHL (who does?), but I do know quite a bit about hockey, all thanks to Elle Kennedy.
If that name sounds familiar, it’s because she wrote the critically acclaimed (and by “critically” I mean me) book series “Off-Campus,” which focuses on a group of four college hockey players at the elite Briar University. Kennedy has a penchant for hockey romances with each being better than the last, and “The Graham Effect” is no exception.
“The Graham Effect” focuses on Gigi Graham—the star of Briar U’s women’s hockey team and the daughter of Garrett Graham, a fictional hockey legend and protagonist in Kennedy’s first novel—and Luke Ryder. There’s not much on the surface special about him, but come on, he’s a man: I didn’t expect much to begin with.
The book begins with a flashback to Gigi’s father hosting a hockey workshop somewhere outside of Boston, where the story takes place. Luke Ryder, who just goes by his last name, signed up for the practice and showed up early that day to make a good first impression and warm up before the workshop.
However, Gigi, who was there to help her dad teach some hockey drills, was on the ice before it started, practicing some old skating routines, and let’s just say Ryder didn’t score. He made an incorrect assumption about Gigi, claiming that she had no right to take up his ice time, and the two got into a bit of an argument, which Gigi won—obviously.
The book then skips forward six years to the present day, where both Gigi and Ryder are juniors in college. As mentioned, Gigi is the star hockey player on the Briar U’s women’s team, and Ryder plays for their rival school, Eastwood. Problems ensue, some antics occur, and Ryder ends up on Briar’s men’s hockey team, meaning both Gigi and Ryder are attending the same school, in the same grade, playing the same sport. Now, old habits die hard, because the two clash on more than one occasion in some very tension-filled moments.
After some much-needed hockey angst, the two soon strike a deal where they each help the other improve their lacking hockey skills: Ryder helps Gigi with her “behind the net” skating (whatever that means), and in return, Gigi hypes up Ryder to her dad so that he can get a hockey job for the summer. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship. I mean, it is the perfect situation for them. The two are spending hours on end with each other, week after week, getting to know one another both intellectually and athletically in a high-pressure environment that is both top secret and completely platonic. I mean, what could possibly go wrong?
Now here’s where my writing skills come into question. I’m not sure if you caught the sarcasm or not, but let’s just say, something went wrong. Sparks began to fly, saliva was swapped, and butterflies started to flutter. In common terms, they kissed.
Now at this point, one would expect them to pursue a relationship of sorts, but there is one major thing holding them back from the possibility of romance. Gigi just broke up with her cheating ex-boyfriend who is the co-caption of Briar’s men’s team, and Ryder can’t afford to make any enemies. He is new to the team and doesn’t want to mess up. So, like any stupid college students, the two decide to pursue a friends-with-benefits situationship where everything is kept secret. No one knows, no one tells, nothing goes wrong.
If life were that ideal, I would have finished my college apps in November, written all of my book reviews as I read the book, and spent my two-week winter break relaxing with my family playing games, and eating food. Instead, here I am, back at school after a one-and-a-half-week break, stressed out, busy, and exhausted. Life is not ideal. And neither is this book, because, as you can imagine, things don’t go according to plan. But luckily their misfortune makes for an entertaining novel. I’m not going to spoil any more of the book, but I’m just going to say that I ate this story up like a middle schooler eating guac. I was swift, I was deliberate and I didn’t leave a dollop (btw middle school, the seniors like guac too).
Nonetheless, “The Graham Effect” was the perfect book for the moment. I read it just before Thanksgiving (see what I mean about delayed reviews), finishing it in less than 48 hours. The novel contains a dual POV, which is essential when you have multiple storylines. The first and most obvious storyline is the romantic plot, but there are also the added layers of Gigi’s national team ambitions and Ryder’s hockey team drama.
Given the length of the book at just over four hundred pages, I felt this story was perfectly paced. The multiple storylines combined with Kennedy’s ability to drag out the entertaining scenes and speed up the dull make for a very well-crafted romance novel. Likewise, the connection to the pre-existing series (“Off-Campus”) allows returning readers to satisfy their Garrett Graham cravings as long as they can suspend disbelief. Without getting too into the details of the other series, let’s just say “Off-Campus” is set in 2015. I don’t know too much about reproduction (I mean, who actually pays attention to the Sex-Ed lectures), but that’s a pretty quick turnaround from having just met his future wife to having juniors in college.
Either way, as a returning reader myself, I enjoyed the Garrett Graham cameo. But if you’ve never read the original series, this is still a great read. Although there are references to the old characters from the previous books, they are always explained and contextualized.
As a new reader, my dad can testify that he was never confused by the addition of returning character names such as Garrett Graham, Jake Connelly, or Hannah Wells. He was, however, confused by my insistence that he read this romance novel, and stated on at least two occasions that all my friends, including him, should seek group therapy to help them recover from the collective trauma of listening to my romance rants. In that case, I guess this included all the readers as well. So if you all want help facilitating a group chat, just let me know. It’s the least I can do.
But that’s beside the point. What I’m trying to convey is that this novel is for both seasoned Elle Kennedy readers and new adventurers alike. There is a lot to enjoy from the multiple storylines, the hockey aspect, the college setting, and the intense romance. The main relationship itself is very lively and, in my opinion, has a pretty realistic developmental arc.
Likewise, the ending of this book was not what is typical for the romance genre. Instead of being handed the solution to all of their problems in a Deus Ex Machina moment less than 20 pages from the end, the two work continuously throughout the novel to achieve their goals and are met with both success and defeat.
Similarly, at around the third act marker, the “goals” take the backburner in the plotline as the story begins to focus on more important topics. Now, I have much more to say about this book, but I don’t want to go on for too long. We’ve just had Global Week, and I think we can all use a break from relentless speech (although I truly loved the speakers this year).
With that being said, I think it’s time for a rating. I give “The Graham Effect” by Elle Kennedy five out of five C’s. It was perfect in every way: My only downfall was giving it to my dad.
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