Make It Count by Megan Erickson
Series: Bowler University #1
Published by William Morrow on June 3, 2014
Pages: 384
Format: eARC
Source: Edelweiss, Publisher
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Kat Caruso wishes her brain had a return policy, or at least a complaint hot-line. The defective organ is constantly distracted, terrible at statistics, and absolutely flooded with inappropriate thoughts about her boyfriend’s gorgeous best friend, Alec…who just so happens to be her brand new math tutor. Who knew nerd was so hot?

Kat usually goes through tutors like she does boyfriends—both always seem to bail when they realize how hopeless she is. It’s safer for her heart to keep everyone at arm’s reach. But Alec is always stepping just a little too close.

Alec Stone should not be fantasizing about Kat. She’s adorable, unbelievably witty, and completely off limits. He’d never stab his best friend in the back…

But when secrets are revealed, the lines of loyalty are blurred. To make it count, Alec must learn messy human emotions can’t be solved like a trigonometry function. And Kat has to trust Alec may be the first guy to want her for who she is, and not in spite of it.

The first book in the Bowler University new adult series was adorable. While it didn’t rank among my favorite new adult novels, it hooked me with the characters and has me excited for the follow up books in the series.

Kat is not your typical character.  She acts like an airhead but deep down she’s really smart.  However, she’s an undiagnosed dyslexic who might have ADD.  Not a good combination in college.  Kat hates it but she does require tutoring for some of her classes.  It gets worse when her newest tutor is also her boyfriend’s roommate and best friend.  Kat doesn’t let many people know about her struggles and she doesn’t want her boyfriend to find out.  That’s the main reason she hates that Alec is her tutor, at least at first.  It gets worse when Kat starts to be attracted to Alec.  I won’t get into the specifics of their relationship but I will say this: there is no physical cheating in Make It Count.  Woo hoo for that.  I know emotional cheating is kind of worse but you’ll just have to read the book to judge it for yourself.

While Kat came across as a ditz at first, Alec is very clearly a smarty pants from the very start.  He’s a major nerd and he’s not afraid to show it.  Yay for nerdy boys!  Alec is also a very loyal friend and he’s not willing to do anything that would compromise his friendship with Max, Kat’s boyfriend.  However, it’s pretty obvious that Kat and Alec have some crazy chemistry and they really get each other.  It was wonderful seeing Kat and Alec’s friendship progress since they were kind of stuck as friends.  They took the time to get to know each other and look past the physical attraction.

The secondary characters were some of the more awesome characters in the book.  Sure I loved Kat and Alec but they weren’t the only ones.  Alec’s female friend, Danica, provided a lot of the laughs throughout Make It Count.  I know she doesn’t get her own book but I really hope she plays a prominent role in the next two books as well.  The introduction of Lea, the main female character in the second book, was also great.  I wasn’t sure how I felt about her at first since she does come across as rather quiet and kind of standoffish but I think she’s the perfect balance for Max.  I look forward to reading their story in Make It Right.

Overall, Make It Count is a fun, fast-paced read that will leave readers with a smile on their faces.  If you’re a fan of new adult novels I definitely recommend checking this one out.

What others are saying about Make It Count:

Ramblings From This Chick’s review: “This one was hard for me to rate, because there were things that I liked and didn’t like and my opinion of the book was constantly changing as I read it.”

Emilie’s Book World’s review: “This was a fun story that kept me turning the pages almost faster than I could read them.”

Lilybloombooks’ review: “Megan has created such a fun, fresh and unique romance.”