The Goal (Off-Campus, #4)

by Elle Kennedy

Discover another binge-worthy romance from New York Times and international bestselling author Elle Kennedy!

She's good at achieving her goals...

College senior Sabrina James has her whole future planned out: graduate from college, kick butt in law school, and land a high-paying job at a cutthroat firm. Her path to escaping her shameful past certainly doesn't include a gorgeous hockey player who believes in love at first sight. One night of sizzling heat and surprising tenderness is all she's willing to give John Tucker, but sometimes, one night is all it takes for your entire life to change.

But the game just got a whole lot more complicated...

Tucker believes being a team player is as important as being the star. On the ice, he's fine staying out of the spotlight, but when it comes to becoming a daddy at the age of twenty-two, he refuses to be a bench warmer. It doesn't hurt that the soon-to-be mother of his child is beautiful, whip-smart, and keeps him on his toes. The problem is, Sabrina's heart is locked up tight, and the fiery brunette is too stubborn to accept his help. If he wants a life with the woman of his dreams, he'll have to convince her that some goals can only be made with an assist.

• ISBN10: 1775293963
• ISBN13: 9781775293965
• Publish Date: 26 September 2016
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 31 October 2023
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Bloom Books
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 384
• Language: English

Reviews

[Sam@WLABB]

It's been a while since I read the last book, but I loved being back Off-Campus with the boys. Tucker's story overlapped with Dean's, and therefore, we had gotten peeks of it in the last book.

I always had love for Tucker, and getting to know him better in this book, made me love him even more. He was a fantastic hero, who had a goal, and that goal was to win Sabrina's heart. He was patient and supportive and giving. I had to commend him for his effort, because Sabrina was a tough nut to crack, but I really loved watching her grow and change. I also loved these two together. I thought they had great chemistry, complimented each other well, and the interactions were fun.

Sabrina's family was really horrible, and I have to admit, those scenes were sometimes sort of cringey, but they helped paint of a full picture of what she was dealing with.

I appreciate many of the things Kennedy did in this book, as it was the finale. She gave us an ending for all four boys, and since endings are really, really important to me, I was quite happy about that. She also gave us a little peek into the future with an epilogue that made me smile.

Overall: Another solid Off-Campus book.

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[Kait ✨]

i’ve been looking forward to the release of this book for a while as i loved the rest of the off-campus series. unfortunately it fell a little flat for me. the premise was OK, although i don’t love the accidental pregnancy trope. i really liked sabrina and tucker as characters and as a pair. but the pacing felt pretty wildly off to me - the lead-up to their relationship is very slow, and then the pregnancy feels like it’s over in 0.5 seconds. i would have loved this more if the timing felt more deliberate and was tightened up, and if kennedy relied less on tropes. an enjoyable read, just not what i expected after loving the other off-campus books, particularly [b:The Deal|24920901|The Deal (Off-Campus, #1)|Elle Kennedy|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1431282052s/24920901.jpg|44100599].

[Linda]

The Goal is the perfect ending to the Off-Campus series! I truly loved getting to know Sabrina and Tucker.

[Cocktails and Books]

Sabrina was so hard to like in this book. I knew why she was the way she was and could sympathize with her. But she just kept pushing Tuck away and it made me wonder what kind of Saint John Tucker was.

Tuck rivaled Dean as my favorite. There was so much more to this strong, silent man. It was hard to not love Tuck and want him to get everything he wants...even if that included Sabrina.

If you haven't been introduced to the Briars' Hockey team, this is definitely a series to pick up.

[Ashley]

Sabrina... do not like... I actually liked her at the beginning but disliked her more and more as the book went on. -.-

Urrghh I thought this book would be a slam dunk epic read.

[leelu92]

Not sure on my rating yet, I need to think about this one a bit.
I LOVED Tucker, absolutely adored him, I'll say that much right now.

[stacey_is_sassy]

Sometimes your goals need readjusting.

Well, that was kind of heavy. I guess I wasn’t expecting it to be as heavy as it was, to be honest. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, it was just a lot more serious than the other ones. The Off-Campus series definitely had serious parts but it was filled with humour, cheeky shenanigans and sexy times as well. The Goal had some of these qualities but there weren't a lot. When I sat back at the end of the book, though, I realised I shouldn’t have been expecting shenanigans. Both Tucker and Sabrina are far from shenanigan makers. Tucker is the “MOM” in the hockey boy’s house and Sabrina is the serious “Ice Queen”.

We start The Goal and it’s pretty obvious that all the thoughts I’ve had up until now about Sabrina were a wee bit off base. From the previous books (don’t ask me why) but I had her pegged as a snooty nosed rich, b!tch. I thought Sabrina was a bit of a snob. Maybe my memory is faulty but I never got the impression that she struggled with money.

Unfortunately for Sabrina, it’s worse than that. She definitely struggles with money, but she also has a douchewaffle (icky blech) Step-dad to deal with. This guy made my skin crawl. She also lives with her Nana. Now, Nana is not real flash, but she’s not all bad either. Sabrina’s mum is not on the scene at all. So, between the struggles with money, her home environment and studies, she also manages to hold down two part-time jobs. So she’s in no ways a snooty she’s just extremely busy. Sabrina has a goal to make something of herself and she does not mind planning every minute of her day to get there. Sometimes, the road you pave needs to take a few twists and turns to find out what's important.

John Tucker is a southern gentleman and an absolute sweetheart. He is on a hockey scholarship but knows that hockey is not going to be his future. His goal is to put his business degree to good use. Being the type of guy he is and the upbringing he had, Tucker has somehow become the mature one in the hockey house. He does all the cooking and most of the cleaning too. He’s still a hockey guy, though, so he’s hardly a saint and manages to pull his fair share of hot chicks. One night, out with mates, he sees her…and knows that his life will never be the same again.

Tucker and Sabrina’s relationship starts off very casual. Sabrina doesn’t have time for a relationship and Tucker is not the type of man to push. Neither of them can deny the attraction and it’s not long before they start to spend more time together. Tucker sees beyond the pretty surface and icy attitude Sabrina gives out. When he gets to know her more, he realises how badly she is misjudged. Sabrina cannot believe how kind, sweet and sexy Tucker is. She feels like he might be a bit too good for her. Things are moving along slowly until a wee bit of a surprise rocks their world.

I enjoyed The Goal and seeing how both Tucker and Sabrina have lived their lives, planned their futures, then had to readjust. It was interesting seeing them change their priorities and grow up over a short period of time.

There were some funny times and some sexy times too, but it definitely wasn’t as much as the previous books. My favourite parts of the story were when we get to catch up with the gang and meeting Sabrina’s two closest friends, Hope and Carin. The standout character for me though was Fitzy. I really want to know more about him.

I think because I was expecting a typical Off-Campus story I was a little disappointed. It was still really great, just a bit more serious than I expected.

Not sure what is in the future for this series…I just hope there’s more.

Purchase Links

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I’m an Aussie chick who loves to read and review romance, drink coffee, be a Style Setter and stalk David Gandy. To see more of my reviews, fashion, food and pervathons -

[whisperingchapters]

This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews.


Sabrina only has one goal: get into Harvard. She's desperate to get out of where she lives, away from her grandma and her mom's sleazy ex-boyfriend. Tucker is a guy who doesn't like much attention, he's quiet, calm. One night with Sabrina has him wanting to keep seeing her. Unfortunately, an "oops" happens and now they both have to straighten their priorities. Tucker is all in, but Sabrina keeps holding back.

Ever since The Score ended with an opening for Tucker's story, I've been wanting to get my hands on The Goal! Tucker is the quiet one of the bunch and I wasn't quite sure what to expect from his story. Let me tell you, it wasn't what I got! It's the quiet ones everyone needs to watch out for and Tucker is the perfect example for this.

Not only is Tucker a charmer, he's also a great guy overall. He's the kind of guy you want to go to so he can comfort you. He treats women with respect, especially Sabrina. With the unplanned pregnancy, Tucker really stepped up. He wasn't sure where it would lead for him and Sabrina as a couple, but he knew he wanted to be there for the baby.

No girl on this damn planet would ever Carrie Underwood this guy and key his truck or bash it in with a baseball bat. He's too fucking nice. It's impossible to hate him.

What I loved about this story is that it goes hand in hand with Dean's story. By this, I mean that both stories are happening at the same time, which is why the very sad scene that was in The Score is also in this one. I admit, I had forgotten about it until it happened. I was shocked completely once again, even though I had read what happened. This time, we get this scene through Tucker's and Sabrina's perspective. It was definitely hard to read and I got tears in my eyes while reading this.

I love that once again friendship is very important in this story. Elle Kennedy always gives focus to friendship in this series and I was glad to see it done again, especially with Sabrina. She has two very close friends who I saw as my own friends. One of them, Carin, has to be the best one and she actually acts like one of my friends with her outspoken ways. I was laughing so much with her. She brought so much lightness to the story and I hope there's a novella or a full-length novel on her because I know it will be a hilarious treat.

WHAT DIDN'T DO IT FOR ME:

I wasn't a fan of Sabrina's. She would be so cold and...unemotional towards Tucker. She either wouldn't treat him right or would push him away. Also, I was expecting lots of sassiness from Sabrina since that's how she is in the other books. In this one, it was toned down a lot! I feel like it would have made this book really fun if her character had that personality.

There wasn't much romance involved in this book. It was focused more on the physical aspect. I don't think Tucker and Sabrina got to fully know each other as the other couples in this series, which bummed me a lot. Tucker and Sabrina are very wise for their age so I was expecting conversations with lots of depth, but it was kept superficial.

Overall, The Goal is a good addition to the Off-Campus series. I expected more from it, but it was still sexy, at times emotional, and fun.

I received an eARC from the publicist for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews.