[REVIEW] “The Second We Met (Fulton U #2)” By: Maya Hughes

“The Second We Met” is the second book in the Fulton U series! This review may contain spoilers for the first book, “The Perfect First.”

Synopsis:

Dear Jerk Across the Street, sorry for accidentally walking in on you and catching an eyeful of your—equipment. And hard pass on the open invitation to join you in the shower “anytime”, A-hole.

That’s the note I should’ve written. Instead I sent a pleasant and apologetic version.

Had I known Phoenix “Nix” Russo would’ve been the neighbor from hell, I’d have told him right where he could shove my words.

Nix is the big man on campus with everyone lined up at his games to make sure he knows it. Sure, he’s got piercing blue eyes, abs that don’t quit and a smile that could set fire to a set of panties from a hundred yards away, but he’s also the biggest pain in my ass.

Dear Pink-Haired Menace, learn how to take a joke and stop being such a kill-joy…

Elle Masterson called the cops on one of my parties—again. My sweet talking usually gets me out of trouble, but this time it got me into a nice pair of silver handcuffs. Now I’m on a reputation rehab tour with a stop at a spring break community service project.

Guess who’s my new boss?

Now we’re shoulder to shoulder, sweaty, tired and…she’s not anything like I expected. There might just be a heart under that hardass exterior. She’s invading my dreams and I can’t shake the feeling she’s the key to unlocking a piece of me that I’ve hidden away.

It’s only a matter of time until she finds out why I’m really here.

Maybe I can break through her walls and into her heart before that happens…one screw at a time.

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

Review:

“The Second We Met” can be read as a standalone, but it’s actually the second book in a series! The Fulton U series follows different students from Fulton U, but we meet them in the previous book(s). Elle was mentioned a few times (although not by name) in “The Perfect First,” and we met Nix in that book too. So, you don’t need to read the books in order, but it makes the reading experience more enjoyable if you do! TSWM is told from two POVs — Elle’s and Nix’s.

The book is perfect for those of you who love the enemies-to-lovers trope. Plus, for those of you who have read “The Perfect First,” Reece and Seph make some appearances too! We also get acquainted with Elle’s best friend Jules, who is one of the main characters of the next book, “The Third Best Thing.” They have such a sweet, supportive friendship, and balance each other out well.

Maya has a great writing style that flows ridiculously well, which allowed me to easily get sucked into the story. As I mentioned in my review of “The Perfect First,” she’s a master at planting the seeds and easter eggs for future books.

One of the biggest breaking points in the book that happens towards the end broke my heart, and it was never truly resolved. Nix and Elle made up, obviously, but the wrong was never righted. It still makes me angry to think about it. Ugh. I feel like something could’ve been done to reverse the (totally wrong, bad, and unfair) decision, and I would love a bonus scene that did just that. That part of the book aside, I really did love Elle and Nix together. Another bonus scene that would be great is to see any previous interactions between them that would’ve happened during “The Perfect First,” such as when Nix keeps checking his phone during Seph’s party.

Overall, this was a great addition to the Fulton U series! Whereas Seph’s story was a bit more removed from the Fulton U crew, Elle’s was more immersed; we got to see a lot more of the other guys in their house, and it was a great set up to the next book.

*As always, my disclaimer for new adult books: they have more sexual content than young adult ones! It’s basically (not always, but with this series!) the nature of the genre, so read at your own risk!

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