The Chase by Elle Kennedy - Slow burn or just plain slow?

Elle Kennedy is one of those authors who just gets the college sports romance genre. She nails the humor, the friendships, the angst, and the spice, all wrapped up in fast-paced, bingeable books. The Chase kicks off the Briar U series, a spin-off of her Off-Campus books, and while it had all the right elements—hot hockey players, witty banter, a fiery heroine—it also had a few frustrating ones that kept it from being a five-star read for me.

Let's break it down.

The Plot

Opposites attract with a LOT of miscommunication...

Summer Di Laurentis is everything a main character should be-bold, confident, and unapologetically herself. She is bubble, fun, and comes from an ultra-wealthy family(She is in fact Dean's sister, from the original series Off Campus), but she is far from the spoiled rich girl stereotype. Instead, she struggles with ADHD and feeling she's always being underestimated. Fits on the other hand, is quiet, unbelievably artistic, and basically just the opposite of her in every single way.

The Tension

It is there from the start-Summer wants Fitz, Fitz wants Summer...but also, who doesn't? He pushes her away for reasons that make sense(kind of...to him at least), but the constant push-and-pull got exhausting if I'm being honest here. The 'will they, wont they' dragged on a bit too long(75% of the book to be exact), and at a certain point, I wanted to shake the crap out of Fitz and tell him to make a decision.

The Characters

I loved one and tolerated the other(you choose)

Summer

Loved her. She’s confident, but not in an arrogant way, and I liked how her struggles with ADHD were actually a key part of her story rather than just being a throwaway detail. She’s very self-aware and doesn’t let people walk all over her, which made her such a refreshing heroine.

Fitz

This man. I wanted to like him—I really did. He’s talented, quiet, and introspective, which is a nice contrast to all the cocky, arrogant hockey players we usually see. But his indecisiveness drove me insane. He had feelings for Summer, he knew he had feelings for Summer, yet he kept pulling away, and his reasoning for doing so didn’t always feel justified. Also, at one point, he was pretty judgmental of her, and that did not sit well with me.

The side characters were amazing though! Hollis in particular stole the show every single time he showed up, completely bummed he doesn't end up getting his own book not going to lie.

The Romance

slow burn or just plain slow?

This is supposed to be a slow burn, but honestly, it felt more like a slow crawl. The chemistry was there, no doubt about it, but Fitz’s constant back-and-forth made it drag. Every time I thought we were getting somewhere, he’d slam on the brakes again. The payoff was decent once they finally got together, but it took a lot of patience to get there.

What Worked

• Summer's personality

• ADHD representation

• Fun and lovable side characters

• The VIBES of Briar U

• When the romance FINALLY happened, it was really solid

What DIDN'T Work

• Fitz

• Fitz's indecision and constant judgment

• Miscommunication trope(almost as bad as accidental pregnancy)

• Pacing, so so slow

Final Verdict

3.5 Stars

Was it entertaining? Yes. Did it have some frustrating moments? Also yes. If you love Elle Kennedy’s writing and don’t mind a hero who takes forever to get his act together, you’ll probably enjoy this one. But if you’re easily annoyed by indecisive love interests, this might not be your favorite in her lineup.