Facing Off - Soohk Kaur
★ ★ ★ ★/5
Not only did I receive an arc of this book (thank you Sookh!), but I also had the privilege of being a beta reader. Because of this, I feel extra attached to these characters after seeing how they've developed through multiple stages of writing. This the third book I've read from Sookh and I must say, her writing style is soo much fun. One thing she does very well, especially in this book, is seamlessly blend the romance amongst the conflicts the characters are experiencing. For Sonya, it's learning to let people in through the walls she's built around herself after not relying on anyone for years. For Adrian, it's the pressure he faces as captain for his team and provider for his family.
I deeply appreciate how they are both complete people on their own, and them coming together makes them stronger, not "fixed" or "whole." Adrian, for example, never implies that Sonya needs him. In fact, he continuously tells her that she is strong enough on her own, and he's only there for when she doesn't want to be. This book being a slow burn works perfectly with Sonya's character arc as she's learning to trust and rely on other people. And Adrian, ever patient and full of energy, makes it worth her while. The spicy scenes were satisfyingly smutty and full (and I mean full) of banter and devotion. Adrian's desire for Sonya is never in doubt, that's for sure.
Another thing I wanted to touch on is the family that's beginning to form. We saw some sneak peeks of it in Breaking Away, but in this book, the friend group family is in full force. With appearances from everyone's favorite resident grump, Dmitri Lokhov, and his pink-haired better half, Kavi Basra, my found-family-hunger was definitely sated. Add in Quinn, Sonya's actual family, and you've basically got all the group dynamics one could wish for (fingers crossed for Quinn getting his own book…).
Overall, this book was cute, fun, smutty, emotional, and probably everything in between.