This one book takes place in the Planetary Pairing Program world, but with a dark twist. Starting with the world, or at least the U.S. as we know it, being this post-apocalyptic mess post this second trump term, and given the current state of the country and the world at large, it makes perfect, scary sense. This story seems to take place 20-30 years after the events of the main PPP crew that we know and love. This also gives me hope that Nala and the gang make it out alright, as I still eagerly await the third installment of Nala’s story.

Echo is all grown up from when we saw him and Willa last, he is twenty years old and has Seer abilities and has seen his amoroso (fated soulmate) and known about her for years, but he doesn't know her name, and she is human. So he hasn't been able to reach her because Earth is out of bounds. But he has hatched a plan to get through the ward around earth get to her, and he is more than a little obsessed with her. Sira is dealing with an emotionally and physically abusive mother on an Earth that has been completely decimated and not as we know it now so somethings seem confusing at first (like why Sira is graduating high school at 20 and not 17/18 like we’re used to).

Overall the story certainly lives up to the title of the book, but given all the things the characters go through during the book it makes perfect sense why. If you’ve read Gigi’s other books, you’ll love this one as well! Buckle up, its a wild ride! ;-)

Charlie Lajoie, a disciplined hockey star with a family legacy in the sport gunning for gold as the Captain of the Canadian Olympic hockey team. Olive Miller is an all-business Canadian woman who was supposed to be on an anniversary trip to Italy, but was dumped by her girlfriend the day before. Thankfully, her sister talks her into going on the trip anyway, and she meets Charlie in a bar, and they hit it off. This one-night stand feels like more to both characters, and they struggle to find their footing between enjoying the time they have and hoping for more. Which leads to lots of miscommunications as both try to wrestle with their feelings and not put pressure on the other. Especially since Charlie is competing in the Olympics and needs to keep their head in the games. But it seems this pull for a relationship with Olive also brings to light some of Charlie’s struggles with their identity. This book is dual POV, fast-paced, with a lot of heart and lots of spice and HEA. Heartwarming and a joy to read. I can't wait to read the others in the ‘Love on the Podium’ series!

Dual POV, semi slow burn, age gap, beautiful representation of kink and consent. Also, a very realistic portrayal of an eating disorder, which was hard to read, not in a triggering way for me. It was still difficult because you get to love the character and what she is going through so quickly. Especially being a black woman myself, I sympathized with how hard she was pushing herself to be the best. But not so difficult that it distracted from my enjoyment of the story. However, if reading about someone struggling with an eating disorder is something that could trigger you, certainly be cautious.

Blake is adorable, sensitive, and caring. Imani is so relatable in her drive and ambition, and the constant obstacles and microaggressions she dealt with as a black woman dominating an Olympic field. If the author isn't black, they definitely did their research and/or had sensitivity readers.

Also, after reading Charlie’s story in ‘A Good Puck’ by Rochelle Wolf, it was cool to see Blake's story and see the other side of the hockey game. It seems this ‘Love on the Podium’ series has some crossover characters which I always appreciate. If you like sports romances definitely give this book (and the series) a shot!