The Understatement of the Year (Ivy Years #3) (The Ivy Years)

Omg!!!!!! I love this book it was awesomely written. Could not put it down if someone begged me too that when it ended I felt so sad I wanted more. Pls Sabrina write a follow up on these guys pls pls pls pls pls.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was captivating. It was heartfelt. You felt each and every emotion the two characters were feeling. You understand why they did or didn't do something. I fell in love with Sarina Bowen's previous novels but this book really solidified her place as one of my favorite authors. I can't wait to see what she has in store for us next.

My Review:
Overall: 4.75
Performance: 4.5
Story: 4.75

I have so much utter love for this book. Wow, it was absolutely incredible.

The setup for the story is fabulous. Graham and Rikker were best friends in high school...and then more. But one night they weren't as discreet as they should have been and were the victims of a hate assault. Graham took off and abandoned Rikker...who could have died. They never saw one another again...until college. They both play hockey and for a while both were safely hidden in the closet. But then Rikker was outed and thrown off the team at his last college...something the governing body of college hockey did not take well. They transferred him to Harkness, where Graham goes to school.

Graham is DEEP within the closet whereas Rikker has made national news for what happened to him...everyone knows he's gay. As a result, Graham acts like he doesn't even know Rikker, although the chemistry between them is just as powerful as ever. But for Rikker, that's easier to ignore because Graham continues to be such a jerk.

There is so much to love about this book. There are a TON of really complex and angst-filled emotions going on here. Graham is an absolute mess. He won't even admit to himself that he's gay. He has sex with women...usually drunk so he doesn't notice who he's sticking his dick into. As the reader/listener, I wanted to hate him, but he's just so lost and scared about being discovered. He's truly a hot mess. On the other hand is Rikker, who never planned to be out, but now handles it all in stride although he hates being the "gay guy" on the team. He just wants to be a hockey player...easy...done...at least it should be, but that's never the way it works. I absolute ADORED Rikker's character. While he hates Graham's actions, he understands why he's doing what he is. Rikker has amazing empathy.

And then there are the side characters who I love...Bella, the team assistant and resident ho...I did not think I would like her so much, but wow, she turned out to be incredible. She's such a support system for Rikker which is huge since he's basically the outcast at the school. Then there's the team captain, Hartley. I love how he simply accepts the situations Rikker brings in stride.

This book was absolutely fabulous on audio. I highly recommend reading it this way, although I will admit to ordering a print copy of the book for my keeper shelf. I'm looking forward to sitting down and reading the book to see if I enjoy it as much in that format.

I think this story sheds light on things that many don't want to acknowledge. I've known the equivalent of the protagonists in my life. It gives me hope for others and hope for more understanding. They are impeccably written and developed. Their struggles are genuinely heart wrenching, and I completely recommend this book.

I am going to be extremely tired at work tomorrow...well, today, considering it's nearly 2 am, but I just couldn't stop reading this book! Homophobia in sports is a major issue and this book was able to highlight the problem while telling a captivating story about love. I hope there's more. I'm not quite done with G & Rik quite yet!

Engaging characters, interesting locale, credible supporting cast and a plot that doesn't require a suspension of not only disbelief but also rational thought to believe.

We assume from the beginning that the two main characters will eventually reconcile; we do not at all expect what happens when they do. Unlike many books of the same genre, this portrays fairly realistically the issues surrounding a gay athlete who comes out. His concern isn't with how to make his hair look fabulous or how to redecorate the house. Instead, his concerns include relating to his teammates, the fans, those close to him at school, his family, and those whom he failed earlier to defend.

Well done.

Wow! I enjoyed every snide comment, every heart-aching angst, every sweet gesture, and Rik and G! It took them a while to get to that Happily Ever After but it was a fun emotional roller coaster to get there!

Fabulous writing, fabulous story telling!

I really enjoyed all the ivy years books. I thought this one was a little angst-filled but I could understand it given the situation. Great story line and heroes faced realistic issues and conflicts.

Great Book! I loved the turmoil that the character goes through and how tolerant the other character is. It shows the different places the that a person can be in for the same journey of life. Can't wait to see what the next books bring.

After reading Bowen and Kennedy's "Him" I found myself in a romance book slump. I finally picked this one up after months of staring at it, and it's really good. Hockey? Check. Hot guys? Check. Hot guys figuring they love each other? Check. Used to be best friends trope? Check. You can tell where Sarina contributed in the "Him" novel. She's amazing!

Sarina Bowen writes gorgeous books. Her characters read real without false drama or heightened carry-on often associated with YA/ NA. They're intelligent and admirable and the Ivy Years series is a complete joy to own.

Wonderful characters. Well written, honest, and true to reality love story. If you've never read a m/m genre book before, please give this one a try. It's quite mainstream, obviously, you, can't control who you love.

I definitely fell in love with their story and just wished there would be more to their story since the ending was really like the true beginning of their story. I hope that there will be some sequel for this two.

I love this series Hartley, Bridger, rikker & Graham are great characters but I enjoyed the fact that we got 2 completely different sides of what being gay means to someone and the people around them yet let me tell you I cheered when Graham got his head out of his ass.

Before these blokes I had never heard of this author but I can't get enough of rSarina Bowin bookes! I highly recommend all of her books and haven't been disappointed in a single one. Please keep up the God Wookie. heard

A pro hockey player totally closeted freaks out when his HS boyfriend transfers into his team and is soon outed. But ho many times can you watch these 2 adults acting like spoiled brats and making each other miserable in return before your headache matches the post-concussion headache that finally resolves this conundrum.

I reaaly like her writing and storylines but I didn't feel as much connection between the 2 characters here as I did in her other books. When it came to the sexual scenes they felt more lacking than her other books. I didn't believe the characters as much in those scenes. I'll still keep coming back for her books and it was a solid read, I just thought it could have been more.

A pro hockey player totally closeted freaks out when his HS boyfriend transfers into his team and is soon outed. But ho many times can you watch these 2 adults acting like spoiled brats and making each other miserable in return before your headache matches the post-concussion headache that finally resolves this conundrum.

I reaaly like her writing and storylines but I didn't feel as much connection between the 2 characters here as I did in her other books. When it came to the sexual scenes they felt more lacking than her other books. I didn't believe the characters as much in those scenes. I'll still keep coming back for her books and it was a solid read, I just thought it could have been more.

‘The Understatement of the Year’ is the third book in Sarina Bowen’s New Adult romance series, ‘The Ivy Years’.

‘The Ivy Years’ has fast become one of my favourite romance series, ever. Sarina Bowen hasn’t simply set her New Adult series inside an elite American college, she’s using that microcosm setting to explore serious issues – sometimes ripped from the headlines.

From first book ‘The Year We Fell Down’ which featured a disabled heroine, to second book ‘The Year We Hid Away’ with a plotline that echoed the Jerry Sandusky/Penn State sex abuse scandal. Latest and fourth book ‘The Shameless Hour’ even deals with slut-shaming and the rape culture on college campuses. Third book ‘The Understatement of the Year’ focuses on the inherent machismo in the sporting culture at school, by introducing an openly gay player to the Harkness hockey team.

John Rikker has transferred schools after he was intensely bullied by his teammates for his sexual orientation. There are those who welcome him to the Harkness team, and the odd teammate like his previous who are unimpressed with his transfer. Then there’s Michael Graham who is so thrown by Rikker’s appearance on his team, that it sends him into a hate-spiral. Because Graham and Rikker knew each other once, and they certainly both know Graham’s biggest secret that no amount of casual sex with enthusiastic female freshmen can keep buried … Graham is gay, and as a teenager was in a relationship with Rikker.

I loved this book. Rikker and Graham had such seemingly insurmountable odds stacked against them, that were all the more heart-wrenching because they stemmed from Graham’s fear and self-loathing. But is it any wonder Graham is so fearful – when satirical newspaper ‘The Onion’ highlights the absurdity in the sport’s lack of diversity with a headline like “Report: NHL Actually Has Had Hundreds Of Openly Gay Players For Years.” Being an Australian, I must admit I’m not exactly up on the NHL – but I believe it remains the only league without representation, when the likes of basketball player Jason Collins and Michael Sam from the NFL are openly gay players. The lack of representation is something that Bowen absolutely touches on.

And Graham is even more spooked to start confronting his own sexuality when he sees the way some of his team treat Rikker. For his part – and an overarching theme that Bowen touches on again and again – Rikker doesn’t want his sexuality to be the most interesting thing about him;

"I usually left early, quitting while I was ahead. It wasn’t exactly healthy, the way I still felt like I was apologizing for myself half the time. But there was no road map for being me. I was operating under the vague assumption that if I played really great hockey this season, things would just get easier. My teammates might accept me as a true friend, rather than That Gay Guy who can make tape-to-tape passes.
Because everybody loves a winner, right?"

I loved that while Bowen touched on the big issues in this book, Graham and Rikker’s is ultimately a sexy as hell love story. For all the turbulence of their affair, Bowen pays readers back ten-fold in the romantic peaks. They are now, quite possibly, my favourite of all the romantic pairings in ‘The Ivy Years’.

Go ahead and place another tick mark in Sarina Bowen’s “winner” column. If you’ve ever been curious about reading M/M romance, The Understatement of the Year makes an excellent introduction to the genre. It’s a college sports romance that focuses predominately on relationships and emotional intimacy rather than overly explicit sexual activity. It’s more like M/M light, if you will.

Rikker is an out and proud college hockey player who transfers to Graham’s college. Graham is decidedly less than happy to have Rikker as his new teammate. The two former best friends share a complicated past that Graham is determined to keep secret from the other players on the team.

Rikker is having a hard time fitting in, and Graham isn’t making the situation any easier. He is so deeply closeted, afraid, and in denial of his sexual orientation that he repeatedly hurts Rikker by shunning him. Basically, Graham is a selfish coward—something he himself admits. His treatment of Rikker was difficult to swallow.

I just wanted to hug Rikker throughout the book. His kindness, understanding, and strength in the face of bigotry and betrayal make him a model for other gay youths. Graham’s behavior and Rikker’s life experiences may be painful, but they are what make the story so real. Coming out to your friends and family as a teenager or young adult can be terrifying. Understanding the cost made me appreciate their journey even more.

I really enjoyed this absorbing story as well as the diverse cast of characters. I’m looking forward to reading all the stories in the Ivy League series.

This was the perfect balance that left me incomplete. Usually, I either get stories of characters wide open and out of the closet and others where characters accept that they are gay and try to find ways to get out of said closet. This go, we had an open gay who wasn't ready and one who can't say the word. No. He isn't mute.

Graham is so deep in the closet that you might need a 100ft rope to get him out. His theories were half sad and half hilarious because of the details placed in every day things like the colour of his sheets o.O

I can't imagine anyone putting in the time and logic that Graham used to keep that closet door close but it made for an interesting story to get the views of a self-loathing gay. It also gave the story another mystery because you leave not knowing if it was the traumatic event as a teen or society's views that made him a paranoid alcoholic for the most part of this story.

Then we have Rikker, who should be the paranoid drunk, but instead is the poster boy for 'gay but manly all the same'. He isn't shopping, sipping cosmos and gossiping. You just don't need glaringly obvious reminders that he's gay. It's who he is. He was funny, scratch that, he was hilarious! He took everything in stride and flipped Big-D's comments when necessary.

I hate spoilers and I hope this isn't one for someone, but you really do wait until the very end for any revealing scenes. Then, I was left with so much unsaid and unresolved that I wonder if I got the complete novel and if perchance, book 4 will answer some of the questions I now have.

M/M romance novels normally carry the hot and angry sex scenes but this is 'The Ivy Years' series, so blow by blow sex scenes were bypassed for a steamy build up and a little cuddling after.

This novel was the most hockey based novel in the series, but I still didn't feel overwhelmed, so that's a plus. Unfortunately, due to Graham's phobia of his sexual orientation and all the time spent on the ice, we hardly spent any personal time with Rikker and Graham as a couple.

Sometimes, the story even dragged because we were stuck in the back and forth that is Graham's mind. Then came the really fast crescendo that began and ended before we could blink. I am now anxious to know what happens next and it's not even me being greedy, it's just that a whole new world now awaits.

Sarina Bowen has never been afraid to tackle major issues and this was no different. There is more to this novel than "coming out" and I think that's why the end left me feeling incomplete. There were also a few more grammatical errors than I am used to from a Sarina Bowen novel but I'll just chalk that up to it being an ARC. A purchased copy should have less grammatical errors. I hope.

Still, it wasn't enough to deter me and my interest was captured and held until the end. There is drama, lessons, fun, friendship, first love and acceptance all wrapped in two Harkness Hockey jackets.

I love it when an Author writes a series highlighting a different character in each book, and dedicates a book in the series to a M/M couple. It's happening more often now and I think it's a great way to introduce new followers to the Author, and also introduce a new genre to existing fans. With that said, I have not read any of the previous books in The Ivy Years series and had no issues at all following along with The Understatement of the Year. This can definitely be read as a stand-alone.

If you are a fan of Ice Hockey, hot guys, romance, and a bit of angst then this is the book for you. Although it is a New Adult book, taking place at an Ivy League college, it's sort of has a YA feel to it. The main characters are 21+, but I could totally see this taking place in High School, as the characters and story do have a certain immaturity to them. It is also a very easy and light read, that had me wishing I didn't have to go to work or take care of my kids (just kidding!) so I didn't have to put it down. I was really invested in the relationship between Graham and Rikker and would still keep reading about them if given the opportunity.

My favorite types of M/M reads are those that deal with childhood best friends who fall in love and have to go through the pain and angst of accepting who they are, and then coming out to their family and friends. This was very much the story line of The Understatement of the Year. Michael Graham and Johnny Rikker went to the same Christian School as pre-teens. As they get older, hours spent playing video games in the basement of Graham's house, turns into much more. At 15, they are caught in public and Rikker is beaten up to the point of a lengthy hospitalization. Rikker's parents are very religious and conservative, and when they find out the reason behind the beating, they ship him off to Vermont to live with his much more accepting grandmother. Graham, on the other hand, is scared to death about what has happened to Rikker and fearful that people will find out that he is gay. He never sees or talks to Rikker after the beating and it's something that sticks with him as the years go on. He stays involved in Ice Hockey as it's the one thing that they both had in common and it reminds him of Rikker.

Fast forward several years, and Graham is on the Ice Hockey team for Harkness, an Ivy League college. After his coach finds out he is gay, Rikker is thrown off the Ice Hockey team at the conservative Saint B's and is accepted onto the Ice Hockey team of the much more liberal campus of Harkness. Graham and Rikker come face to face again after all these years, and Graham is terrified. He has still not accepted who he is, to the point where he is sleeping with women, including the manager of the team, Bella, in order to hide his true self. He thinks that Rikker is going to "out" him, so he avoids him at all costs.

I REALLY liked Rikker. He was mature and confident, and someone I would be proud to call a friend. He came out in high school, so he is used to the public scrutinization associated with being gay. Although there are guys on the team that are extremely narrow-minded (I'm talking to you Big-D!), there are also those that are extremely supportive (love you Hartley!). He has been through a lot but has come out stronger from it. I REALLY disliked the way that Rikker was treated by Graham. I understand that Graham is scared, but he treated Rikker like s*** and he didn't deserve it. He wouldn't allow Rikker to stay overnight in his dorm, practically not allowing him to use the bathroom, for fear that people would find out he had another guy in his room. He wouldn't even make eye contact or speak with Rikker anytime they were in public, and this was his teammate. But love will make you do crazy things, and that's what makes Rikker put up with it. After a head injury during a game, Graham finally starts to let down his defenses and relax around Rikker in front of certain people, and I was very happy to see it.

My main gripe (if that's what you would call it) though, is that there was no Epilogue!!! I need closure Ms. Bowen! The ending was extremely rushed and I don't feel that Graham fully came to terms with being gay. I would have liked to have seen him not only accept who he was, but also be truly happy with himself and proud of his relationship with Rikker. As a side note, there was a conversation near the end between Graham and Rikker about topping and bottoming. Rikker is a top but said he would bottom for Graham. I don't think anything ever came of this. Either I missed it or the author forgot about the plot point. I wouldn't have minded if that was followed through ;) . As for Big-D, it would have also been nice to see him finally accept Rikker.

I'm definitely going back to read the first 2 books and novella in the series. Book 4 will be Bella's story and I'm really interested to read that one. I do hope we continue to see Graham and Rikker in future books in the series. This was an excellent New Adult and M/M Romance by Sarina Bowen and I absolutely recommend it to all readers. This is also the perfect book for a first time M/M reader. Enjoy!

This book is about two hockey players, who were best friends and lovers in high school but were separated due to a hate crime. That incident changed their lives forever and has so much impact on their thought process than they realize. When the openly gay Rikker transfers to Harkness, Graham gets the shock of his life. The story follows them on their journey to find themselves, their friendship and love again.

Rikker is such an amazing character. He is honest and caring and so full of love, it was a joy reading about him. He doesn’t choose to be the only openly out player in Division One hockey but when circumstances force him to, he doesn’t let it change his love or focus for the game. He is also totally comfortable in his sexuality, but can’t escape the homophobic comments of his teammate or rival teams. But his biggest weakness is his first love, Graham.

Graham is a self loathing, paranoid guy who is dead set on trying to prove that he is not gay but he cannot keep away from Rik. But he is also such a douche. He treats Rik so badly for most of the book, first by being so uncomfortable even being in the same room as him and not even acknowledging their past and then being secretive about their relationship. It was good to see him finally accept the truth about himself but I wish he had treated Rik better.

I also loved the characters of Graham’s mom and Rik’s grandma. They are so sweet and supportive and love their children no matter what, and irrespective of their religious beliefs, it was just so endearing. Bella is also a great friend and I was so sad for her, but she is so understanding and caring, it made me tear up. Rik’s ex Skippy is an absolute live wire and brings some amazing humor and laughs whenever he appears.

If I ignore the stupidity of Graham for a bit, I really loved his relationship with Rik. They share an old and beautiful friendship, understand each other deeply and it felt so good to see them get together. It broke my heart to see Rik love Graham so much but still have to hide it from the world. The ending definitely warmed my heart but it was also so abrupt and I was disappointed to not get to read more about them being together and happy.

This is an amazing book about friendship, first love, second chances and trying to find happiness by being and accepting yourself for who you are and not what the world wants you to be.