[Portia’s Review: The Heartbreaker by Claire Contreras]

They say you never forget your first.

Jagger Cruz, the popular, gorgeous, athletic, heartbreaker, was my introduction to college flings.

Over the years, I’ve tried to pay no attention to every wicked rumor I heard about him, even though deep down I knew they weren’t just rumors. Unable to face the consequences of what we’d done, if we were ever in close quarters, I ran in the other direction. If we were coincidentally put in the same class, I dropped it.

Avoidance was the name of the game and so far I was winning.

That is, until we’re assigned the same apartment.

Living with Jagger during my last semester was definitely not in my plans, but I’m determined to make it work. As long as I don’t look at him for too long or let his innuendos get under my skin, I should be fine, right? I have to be.

They say hooking up with your roommate can be messy, and losing my heart to Jagger would be disastrous.

100% standalone
enemies-to-lovers
sports romance
roommates

I received this book for free from Author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Eventually everyone will get tired of hearing me talk about how amazing Claire Contreras is, but I’m not going to stop. For those of you who don’t know, she is one of my will-read-anything-they write, favorite authors. So lets jump into her new release, The Heartbreaker.

I don’t often venture into sports romance. It is few and far between. But I had to read this, so that didn’t stop me. It was nice to discover it didn’t focus TOO much on the sports aspect (I start to get bored when it does).

Childhood friends turned enemies Jagger and Josephine find themselves as roommates. Jagger and his band of brothers are your obviously hot, college sports guys, but they are big on family and heart. I liked him and his brothers. Josephine on the other hand…. often felt like I was reading about a teenager instead of a over 21, almost college grad. They both had their fair share of wishy-washy moments which make me absolutely crazy.

They are both forced to become civil, face their pasts, and move towards the future. But a lot of drama ensues in-between. One of my least favorite but so often used tropes came into play here…. lets call it The Big Miscommunication. Romance novels of all types love this but I don’t! Lol I scream at books when this is happening. JUST TALK OR CONFRONT EACH OTHER GGGAHHAHHH

I do like the back and forth dynamic of enemies to lovers, but I feel like the lovers part came almost too quickly… but the book is kind of short (I love a good quick read tho) so for moving the storyline along it didnt bother me. And when they were on, boy were they ON. The sexy times in the book are just right, not trying too hard, but also not fade to black.

The end is so sweet, even if too quick to forgive each other without explanations and talking things through more but honestly, this book put a smile on my face and warmed my heart. It is definitely not my favorite Claire Contreras novel (it would be super hard to top that…. or those… because I cant decide…) but I still enjoyed it. Its a light, quick and easy enemies to lovers romance!

Portia

Hi, I’m Portia! I’ve been an obsessive reader and pop culture addict my entire life, with a particular passion for horror and thrillers. I love being a part of the book community and can regularly be found working various book events. I’m an admin here at Ideally Inspired Reviews!

When I am not binge reading or obsessing over true crime podcasts and shows, I am a bar manager by night and a mom and wife by day. If I find any time after that, I love to travel, spend time outdoors, and fit as much live music into my life as possible. You can find me on Instagram @Ideally.Portia or TikTok @itsportiabitch.