The Goal (Off-Campus, #4)

by Elle Kennedy

[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

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2aRzw0v
Nook: http://bit.ly/2aNXrhC
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2aW2hIK
iBooks: http://apple.co/2b2IaKb




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 -