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Fulton U #4

The Fourth Time Charm

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“Are you sleeping with my daughter?”

Not a question I want to hear from my coach. The man holding my pro future in the palm of his hand.

The answer: No, sir.

The real answer: I’d sure as hell like to be.

Marisa’s been my best friend since third grade. And now she needs my help—and a place to stay. Senior year was supposed to be the year to keep some distance until the season finished and my draft prospects were safe.

But resisting her is becoming impossible. Movie Thursdays under the blankets. Study sessions on my bed. Wild party nights where I kept any guy interested at bay with a single glare.

Her dad can bench my ass for the entire season, so she’s off limits—for now.

She’s the only woman I’ve ever loved. And one heated night, I can’t stop fighting every cell in my body and can’t stop myself from sampling her sexy smile, her sweet smell, and her sultry curves.

We’re walking a tightrope with my future on the line. Let’s just make sure Coach doesn’t find out...

354 pages, Paperback

First published January 7, 2021

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About the author

Maya Hughes

38 books6,244 followers
Maya Hughes is an Amazon Top 20 author of swoon worthy, laugh out loud, and emotional new adult and contemporary romances.

Add Maya's next releases to your Goodreads Shelf!

The Art of Falling For You (Falling, #1) by Maya Hughes The Sin of Kissing You (Falling #2) by Maya Hughes The Hate of Loving You (Falling, #3) by Maya Hughes

NEW AUDIO!
The Art of Falling For You (Falling, #1) by Maya Hughes The Sin of Kissing You (Falling #2) by Maya Hughes The Hate of Loving You (Falling, #3) by Maya Hughes
The Perfect First (Fulton U, #1) by Maya Hughes The Second We Met (Fulton U, #2) by Maya Hughes The Third Best Thing (Fulton U, #3) by Maya Hughes The Fourth Time Charm (Fulton U, #4) by Maya Hughes

RECENT RELEASES

The Perfect First (Fulton U, #1) by Maya Hughes The Second We Met (Fulton U, #2) by Maya Hughes The Third Best Thing (Fulton U, #3) by Maya Hughes The Fourth Time Charm (Fulton U, #4) by Maya Hughes

Shameless King (Kings of Rittenhouse #1) by Maya Hughes Reckless King (Kings of Rittenhouse, #2) by Maya Hughes Ruthless King (Kings of Rittenhouse, #3) by Maya Hughes Fearless King (Kings of Rittenhouse, #4) by Maya Hughes Heartless King (Kings of Rittenhouse, #5) by Maya Hughes

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,010 reviews
Profile Image for jordane.
728 reviews224 followers
December 20, 2020
“I love her.”
He squeezed the back of his neck, shaking his head. “Will you still love her in a year? In two years?”
“I’ve loved her since we were fifteen. It’s never going away.”


MARISALJ CAME AND SAVED 2020 PERIOD.

I've been obsessed with Marisa and LJ since I read my first Maya Hughes book, The Perfect First over a year ago and this quote was IT for me:

“LJ and his completely platonic but always around him best friend had been practically joined at the hip since they’d arrived at Fulton U.”


Since then, I've been (im)patiently waiting for their crumbs in other books of the series and for their book. What I can say now is that the wait was SO WORTH IT because The Fourth Time Charm was everything I wanted and expected and even more. It was probably my most anticipated release of all time and my love for (childhood) best friends to lovers romance definitely started with Marisa and LJ. I was torn between devouring this book in one sitting or taking my time with it, but I just couldn't stop myself from reading it. I was immersed in the story from beginning to end and on cloud nine the whole time, it was PERFECT and I loved every single moment of this book. And the fact that Maya Hughes decided to start the book with that scene!!!!

It was great to finally learn more about Marisa and LJ as individuals, but also as best friends. I instantly fell in love with Marisa and wanted to hug her the whole time. She had a rough childhood and had to take care of herself at such a young age and she became an independent, sarcastic and passionate young woman. But her fear of being abandoned and losing her best friend also made her cautious. LJ was the sweetest and softest person and had the kindest soul ever. He was such a supportive friend and would literally do anything to help his loved ones, even if it meant jeopardizing his future.

NOW ON TO MY FAVORITE PART: THE ROMANCE. The best friends to lovers trope always has the most angst and the best domestic parts and Marisa and LJ served it perfectly!!! It was clear from the beginning that they loved each other more than best friends, but this trope wouldn't work without the two best friends being idiots and thinking that their love is unrequited when it's actually mutual pining. Marisa and LJ were the cutest together and I loved how everyone around them was rooting for them to get together and know that they were in love. The domestic parts were probably my favorites like them sharing a bed!!!!! And Thursday movie nights!!!!! The intimacy and the fact that they knew each other by heart!!!!! THE CUTEST. I also loved how protective and supportive of each other they were to the point where they were willing to risk their future. They supported each other's dreams so bad and the fact that they both got what they wanted in the end made me even happier. The flashbacks of teenagers Marisa and LJ were also so good, seeing them being so supportive of each other at a young age was so beautiful and I'm glad they had each other's back growing up <3

What I also liked was getting to know a little more about Keyton, he's still pretty much mysterious, but I found him and the insight about his past so interesting!! I hope Keyton will have his book in the future because I'm SO CURIOUS about him. Liv from the Kings of Rittenhouse series also appeared a few times, she was so funny and I liked her friendship with Marisa a lot.

This was probably a very messy review because my feelings are still all over the place after finishing this book. MARISA AND LJ WERE PERFECT. I LOVE THEM SO SO MUCH. Best book of 2020 and best couple ever. Marisa and LJ will forever rule over the (childhood) best friends to lovers trope. I'm bittersweet that this the end of the Fulton U series because I loved these characters and their story a lot, but hopefully, we'll see more of them in the future. In the meantime, I'll probably reread this book one or a hundred times 👋

*Arc kindly provided by the author in exchange for an honest review
Profile Image for Melanie (mells_view).
1,777 reviews364 followers
January 7, 2021
”Every taste was always too short and left me starving for more. She stole my restraint and my breath away.”

The Fourth Time Charm is LJ and Marisa’s story and I know most of us Fulton U fans have been dying to read this childhood best friends to lovers romance. We’ve been getting breadcrumbs of their friendship and little moments in previous books with the other characters noticing their “more than friends” potential, so it feels like we’ve steadily watched this relationship grow. Now that I’ve read their actual story, I can safely say that it was worth the wait.

I do need to say that LJ and Marisa both get in their own way a lot. Both of them are dealing with things inside of their head whether it be past trauma or fear of the future and fear of losing one another if they open up about their feelings. I honestly did have my moments where I just wanted to shake each of them and yell how perfect they were for each other. Outside of that I honestly did not expect HOW emotional their story would make me. Their friendship runs deep, but also one of their individual stories really hit close to home for me. I think Maya really did a great job of showing how it is when you grow up with an absentee parent and the sort of journey as an adult to either having a relationship with them or cutting them off. I don’t want to spoil anything, but I did want to say how much that plot really impacted me in the end. It made me feel so many emotions when I was already feeling them while reading the love story plot.

Ok, to sum it up and not continue my long winded spiel I just want to say that this was a good read. If you’re looking for best friends to lovers mixed with college sports romance, then this is where it’s at. It’s emotional, it’s sweet, and it’s romantic. There is a bit of miscommunication, but I think it’s understandable as you go on, because these characters really don’t want to lose each other. So if you’ve been waiting for this couples story, I highly suggest you dive in as soon as it’s live!


AVAILABLE NOW!!
*ARC
January 12, 2021
4.25 Stars

*Safety Spoilers*

I love LJ😍💕 not only was he everything we need in a book boyfriend, but my favorite part of him is definitely how much he cares for Marissa. Like he legit wanted to be there for her in all ways and root her on and I just feel like that support is something we have been missing in heroes and books nowadays. Marissa needed a bit of work in some areas, but she knew she had problems and she actively tried to fix them, and I can say I would probably do and say the same things she did tbh🤷 I also love how how she told it like it is, especially to her dad (my daddy issues def came out to play in this one).

This one reminded me a lot of the first book minus the childhood friends part too. I didn't like this one just as much though, but I think I was a bit more emotional with this plot because #relatableAF. I'm also super freaking glad they were both virgins roo! It would have been better if neither of them did anything with anyone else, but I'm still glad with what I got. So bravo for actually doing friends to lovers right without all the drama👏👏

One thing I didn't care for though that made me take a star off, is I didn't feel completely satisfied with how everything came together at the end. I don't feel like the dad fully redeemed himself. Yes, the emails were sad and all and showed he did care about her, but I still feel like he didn't really try to connect or see her more, and his reasoning with the whole LJ thing was just eh. I also never got any closure on her mother. Maybe that's more realistic though, so oh well🤷

Overall, even though it wasn't my favorite in the series, I still totally loved this book. It never dragged, I was always entertained, I connected to the plot, it was everything I needed for LJ and Marissa's story, and I'm so glad this book did them justice👏Amazing series and I'm so happy it might not be over just yet❤

Edited to add: Love the second epilogue and it does clear some things up about her parents that was missing in the actual book.

*ARC Provided In Exchange For A Honest Review*
Profile Image for 〰️.
205 reviews17 followers
Currently reading
September 23, 2019
for some reason i remembered the lj and marisa breadcrumbs we got from fearless king and i'm emo all over again bc i. want. this. book. nOW.
Profile Image for Lana ❇✾DG Romance❇✾.
2,120 reviews13.1k followers
January 5, 2021
4 STARS
Tonight, I’d hold her in my arms. Tomorrow, I’d figure out how to deal with being in love with the coach’s daughter.

Confession time, friends to lovers isn't my usual choice of trope. Don't ask me why. I have no idea. I'll read it but it's just not a trope I yearn for or gravitate towards. But when it came to LJ and Marisa's story? I had to have it. I was downright ravenous for it. Ever since we met them as secondary characters in the beginning of this series, I've been dying to finally get to read their HEA. This book blew every expectation I had for their book away. I absolutely adored this story!
Sometimes it felt like I could disappear and no one would really care. It felt like I was a temporary fixture in someone’s life until they moved on. But with LJ I felt like I mattered—always.

LJ and Marisa have been friends since they were kids and their connection is one of the most heartwarming things I've ever read. They're so solid together. Always there for each other. And while it could be a sibling sort of connection, there's simply too much chemistry between them to ever think anything else. Unbeknownst to each other, both Marisa and LJ have feelings but think the other one wants nothing romantic. So if you want unrequited love angst, this has it.

LJ grew up with an amazing family, while Marisa's parents definitely left something to be desired. Her recent reunion with her absentee father is anything but smooth. She wants nothing to do with him and she has no idea that he's punishing LJ for their friendship and what he suspects may be going on between them. As much as I hated the coach for the majority of the book, it suddenly took a turn at the end, and I loved how Maya handled this particular story line.

LJ is absolute perfection of a man. He's sweet, loyal, and doesn't play games. He's not interested in doing around even though his football god rep would more than ease that way. I loved how he's always there for Marisa and their love for each other is so unique and sweet.

Marisa deals with a lot throughout the course of this story and at times it was tough to read. I'll admit to shedding quite a few tears at the end of the book. My cold black heart broke a little for her.

I'm not going to lie, in parts these two frustrated me and I wanted to shake them to make them see reason and for LJ to just tell Marisa what's been happening. But I also completely understood his reasoning and had so much respect for him because of it.

If you're looking for a sweet and heartwarming friends to lovers romance, you won't want to miss this. Now I'm slowly dying for a particularly mysterious male character to get his story next because it sounds like it'll be a juicy one.

ARC courtesy of author in exchange for an honest review

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Profile Image for Rachael*Caribbean*girl*bibliophile.
1,765 reviews395 followers
January 12, 2021
Spoilers ahead, 4* bumped up to a very RARE for me 5 😯😳




original thoughts
Please don't let this be another friends to lovers where the H was sleeping with OW even though it's clear he has feelings for the h! *fingers crossed






Current review
Evidently from the update above I had high hopes for this book and thankfully the author delivered.

So the backstory
LJ and Marisa are best friends and have been for years, there were a couple of kisses over the years that didn't go further and they both settled into friendship. Marisa has a lot of issues stemming from her dad's abandonment and her mom's ill treatment and neglect. Now they both attend Fulton FU where Marisa's estranged dad is LJ's coach, in exchange for paying Marisa's tuition he asks that she have dinner with him on Monday's. LJ agrees to accompany Marisa. Coach turns his focus on LJ and he's benched for most of the season putting his entire future at risk.


*******

This is the way I like my friends to lovers, the emotions between these two....wow. The way LJ loved her was just magnificent. He sacrificed so much,maybe too much but it's clear he'd do anything for her.
Marisa did a ton load of pulling away, something I usually can't stand when the H is ALL in like this but I understood her reason. She'd been hurt by her parents too many times to believe that things with LJ would be different
A whole boatload of miscommunication which I usually can't stand but it actually worked for me with this one.
Which brings me to her Father, his letters didn't earn him forgiveness in my book.....he was weak and should've tried harder. I'm not sure of the laws concerning custody in the US but he didn't try hard enough for me. Then his choice to bench L.J putting his future at risk for his own reasons was just despicable.....I hated her dad and still don't forgive him.
Out of everything in this book the most important for me was that they were both Virgins.....now apparently they both fooled around a bit but it never felt right so they never went further with anyone else...maybe not ideal but I still appreciated the fact that he wasn't secretly in love with her yet having sex with multiple other women.....maybe I could email some of his words to other authors of sports and friends to lovers romances 😂
Anywho thank you dear author for not taking this into the dreaded Manwhoresville!


*** If L.J hadn't made the draft I'd have NEVER read another book by this author that's how invested I was in these characters. I actually made it to 70% before I flipped to the end to make sure he was drafted lol

#nomoremanwhores2021
#loyalheroes2021



No cheating
Dual virgins
Very insecure h due to her horrid parents
Slight OW drama, I was scared at the end I admit thankfully I didn't have to snap my kindle over a fictional character's head




Looking forward to Keyton's story hopefully and yes I'm going to plead that he wasn't pining after someone while sleeping with others....it worked with this book so I'm sending it out to the universe lol.
Profile Image for Christy.
4,081 reviews34.6k followers
January 26, 2022
3.5 stars



LJ and Marisa’s story is one I’ve been looking forward to for a while. I love a good friends to lovers story and the fact that this was a mutual kind of love made it all the better. While I liked this one, I wanted more romance, more LJ and Marisa and less of Marisa’s family stuff. I did absolutely love LJ and he’s one of my favorite heroes in this series. This one was good, just missing a little something for me.

Audio book source: Audible
Story Rating: 3.5 stars
Narrators: Jason Clarke & Emma Wilder
Narration Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Length: 9h 20m

Profile Image for Maditales.
609 reviews29.9k followers
November 16, 2022
This book would have been 3 stars if the father did not exist.

First of all I love childhood friends to lovers story and honestly the start was great. I understood why Marisa had worries about her friendship with LJ and why he was friends with her. It made a lot of sense and I would have probably had the same doubts about his intentions with our friendship.

LJ was a great character. He was kind and loving but he had his flaws especially when it came to listening to his friends. Aka: when you friends tell you there are probably feelings, they probably are.

But now let's talk about the fucking father:
Why the heck did he get a redemption arc? Hello he left his 8yo daughter for football.
Yeah no fuck you.
NO redemption do not even pretend and those letters???? What a sob story I mean if you missed her so much you could have come home.
Profile Image for Syndi.
3,133 reviews910 followers
July 30, 2023
The Fourth Time Charm is not as good as I expected. From Miss Hughes, I certainly expecting so much more. Sadly, I was left high and dry.

I love the friendship between Marisa and LJ. Their friendship is strong and worth to be worshipped. But thats about it. Friednship. When their relation changed into romantic, I lost it. I do not feel strongly about their romantic relationship.

3 stars
Profile Image for M..
507 reviews702 followers
December 23, 2020
❝Sometimes it felt like I could disappear and no one would really care. It felt like I was a temporary fixture in someone's life until they moved on. But with LJ I felt like I mattered— always.❞


Let me start this review by saying that I have been waiting for this book for a long time. Ever since I read The Perfect First I have been drawn to MarisaLj, their easy friendship and underlying tension, and after THAT scene in The Third Best Thing I was very impatiently waiting, and the wait was so worth it. My expectations for this book were very high and it met them all, one by one.

Marisa and Lj have been just friends forever, although there has always been something else to explore between them. For whatever reason, this was the case of "they are meant to be together, but the time is not yet right". That is, until Marisa got tired of waiting for someone to make the first move and took matters into her own hands (literally), and LJ realized that perhaps his plan was running out of time, so ready or not, the moment for them finally arrived.

Marisa took me by surprise. Until now we had only seen this funny girl with an incredible talent to food poison her friends and was always attached to LJ's hip, but her story went much further. I just wanted to hug her because what she went through really made my heart clench, and the way she kept that to herself for all these years and that made her into the sarcastic, ready-to-run girl she was now? My poor baby :( She really infuriated me at times with her reasoning, but once you have the whole story and can understand where she comes from and what her fears are, you have no choice but to say "oh, fuck" and adopt her. That simple.

As for LJ... I just know there are no men like that in real life and it's a shame. He was the perfect knight in shining armor, and more importantly, he was the best friend ever. He was just so sweet and understanding, the perfect complement to Marisa's noisy mind. And on top of all that, putting aside the dream of the ideal man, he was so noble? I just find beautiful that all the sacrifices he made over the years have always been to put his family and Marisa in a better place, and that he had this whole plan crafted about what was going to happen when he was drafted and who was going to be next to him.

Now, I enjoyed this book from star to finish, but my favorite part? The romance that only friends for lovers can provide. First of all I want to thank Maya Hughes for giving me THAT scene that I wanted so badly from LJ's POV, and in the first chapter no less! thank you, no one has ever cared so much about my sanity. And to put it simple, this romance had it all; sharing a bed trope, the flashbacks to their years of friendship, the domestic and intimate moments that only they could have after knowing each other for so long, the angst and longing, their easy and funny talks, their routines and dynamics that they had for a long time, always spending time together, and most importantly, how they always had each other's back, regardless of whether those dreams led them down different paths.

And the crumbs! I loved seeing the other characters too, those little mentions, and also knowing a little more about the mysterious Keyton! I can't wait for his story, and if his conversations in this book were any clues, I bet I'm going to love it because that's my favorite trope.

So yeah, this review is probably all over the place, but I'm still on cloud nine and in a big slump because I can't think of anything but them. Maya really saved 2020 with this book for me because I loved it from start to finish, and I can't wait to see what else she has in store for us. Also, I can't wait for release day to get the extended epilogue!!

ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Hiba ✰.
113 reviews67 followers
January 8, 2021
So, this was not the ideal way to start 2021...
Am I the only one that found this book..boring??
I really liked the understanding between the two but the plot was imo like every other friends to lovers. The relationship between Marisa & her father was extremely heartbreaking and the way Maya ended was amazing. However, I just did not connect with the plot. I felt it was a bit cringe. 🤷🏻‍♀️
Profile Image for Sabrina.
3,592 reviews2,289 followers
January 7, 2021
NOW LIVE!
Amazon US * Amazon UK



I finished this book last night and I'm still thinking about these characters because I just loved them so hard. Marisa and LJ were so amazing together and I'm not usually a huge fan of friends-to-lovers romances but I was a huge fan of them and they made this book a really fun read.

I really enjoyed that they didn't just fall into a romantic relationship easily and instead they both kind of struggled with their feelings at times. It made the story feel very real and made it easy to connect to them as a couple and as separate characters. I adored how they were together even as just friends because they never failed to put a smile on my face.

I liked Marisa and LJ as side characters and all the little hints we got of them in the previous books had me dying to get their story and now I can say without a doubt that it was so worth the wait. I'm pretty sure I smiled the entire time I was reading this book even during the moments that I wanted to just shake both Marisa and LJ and make them see how right they were for each other. Bottom line, this book is amazing and I definitely recommend giving it a try.

ARC kindly provided in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for ✨ Lucy ✨.
327 reviews96 followers
April 13, 2021
"I've loved her since we were fifteen . It's never going away"



Finally we got Marisa and LJ’s story.

I was waiting for this moment since the first book in the series.

And I have to say it was definitely worth the wait .

It has become one of my favorite best friends to lovers romance .

It was a rollercoaster of emotions . Their relationship was so special. A bond like that is meant to last forever . No matter what .

“Sometimes it felt like I could disappear and no one would really care. It felt like I was a temporary fixture in someone’s life until they moved on. But with LJ I felt like I mattered— always.“



This was a real journey . The evolution of their relationship was so slow at first , but there were all the signs that showed how it was inevitable .

Marisa has always felt like LJ’s saw her only as the girl who saved his father ‘s life . She loved him since they were kids but there was always something stopping her from making the next move . But then something changed …

Living together took their relationship on the next level and somehow finally speed things up .

Something changed , now every touch , every glance and every word has a weight .

There was so turning back now .

The chemistry , the passion and the feelings were all there on the open .

It was like fireworks . I just loved it.

”i’ve loved you from as far back as i can remember.”



I was hooked since the beginning . A real page turner.

I gave it 5 stars .⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I hope you’ll enjoy it like I did!

ENJOY!
Profile Image for zaraa.
397 reviews
December 20, 2020
3.25/5

this turned out to be definitely a “it’s me and not the book” type of situation because there’s nothing really wrong with the book honestly, but it just didn’t do it for me and here i will present you with two reasons for it as to maybe why.

1) i’m beyond— just annoyingly very picky when it comes to the best friends to lovers trope and i’m just so hard to please because not every story with this trope works for me. maybe because it’s not really my favorite trope, don’t get me wrong, i do like it and love it sometimes in certain stories, it’s just not my number one go to trope. therefore, i was never really invested in LJ and Marisa’s story from the beginning. i like them both individually and as a couple, yes, but they are not my favorite couple out of the four couples of Fulton U, hence moving onto my reason number two.

2) again, this is another - why am i like this - habit of mine like my mind is just programmed this way, i don’t even know why. but once, i find my favorite couple of the series, that’s it. doesn’t matter if it’s the couple from book 1 or book 3 like for some reason, then no other couple of that series would match up to that couple and it becomes so hard to connect with others which makes some sense right? therefore, my favorite Fulton U couple is actually Seph & Reece so fortunately, i found my best in book 1 though I do love Berk & Jules as well. however, this is a reason why LJ & Marisa probably didn’t do much for me. it’s something that cannot be explained in words, it can only be felt.

now, let me talk about the book some:

characters -
even though i couldn’t connect to LJ & Marisa as a couple that well, i loved them both individually. Marisa especially because she turned out to be such a well written female character with loads of sass, but at the same time so pure. her backstory made me want to give her so many hugs and every bit of happiness because she truly deserves it. and, LJ in fact, both of them are just simple characters who are just so genuine. LJ is such a sweetheart type of character and the way they both deserve each other with every bit of love, it’s real. because the way LJ adores her so much and really worships the ground she walks on, there’s no doubt about how much he loves her and at the same time, the way Marisa looks up to LJ with trust and safety, something she never felt before until LJ— they both clearly know that no matter what they share a forever type of bond with each other that they don’t share with anyone else.

romance -
the romance between LJ and Marisa was slow & sweet. the level of comfort they shared with each other because of their 14 years worth of friendship warmed my heart especially during this cold winter. they cute alright.

plot -
the plot was actually LJ and Marisa. literally. as compared to the other three books, the plot of The Fourth Time Charm is just heavily based on their relationship with just a few side touches, but even those side touches were just really meant to see how they affect their relationship overall.

final two cents: if you know me, then you know how much i love and adore the friendship between the Brothel Boys: Reece + Nix + Berk + LJ. their friendship and just them is probably my most favorite thing in this series and what i was actually looking forward to in this book and to not get enough of them together in this book disappointed me so much. because in the last three books, we got plenty of their scenes together and i was expecting something similar, but there were hardly any scenes of them together. why maya hughes why?! i just want more of them together please especially now since they all have their girls too. *cough keyton’s book cough*
also, there weren’t many scenes of the other three couples either and here i thought, i would get breadcrumbs for Seph and Reece, yet there was that one line that Marisa had said about them being “practically married” that made my heart so soft.

one last thing (i promise) i do want to say that despite this book not really having any issues, i still just couldn’t really get myself to be absorbed into LJ & Marisa’s story, and it also could be due to my mood and the fact that maybe i wasn’t just feeling it this time around, but hopefully in the future when i pick it up again who knows, the experience might be better and i might actually form some kind of attachment towards the characters. because again, it’s really not the book, it’s just me who doesn’t really feel that invested in the main characters of this book like they’re cute, but something was still just missing for me.

arc provided in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for nati.
65 reviews28 followers
January 13, 2021
OMG!!!!! THIS!!!!! BOOK!!!!!!!!!!

Ever since I first read The Perfect First, I knew LJ and Marisa’s book would be my favorite and, sure enough, they did not disappoint. I’ve always been so intrigued by their friendship and the secrets I knew they kept from the rest of the gang about their past, but thinking about it and actually reading it are two different things — and let me say, reality was so much better than anything my imagination could ever achieve.

The friends-to-lovers trope has been my favorite for a while now, but there’s something extra special about childhood best friends falling in love that makes me torn between being so happy I’m reading that and crying because I know I’ll never have a love like that. And with Marisa and LJ it wasn’t any different. Their relationship was so deep and their bond was so special, it made my heart warmer during every page.

Now let’s talk about them individually. Marisa was a BIG surprise for me. I mean, I knew I’d love her no matter what, but the complexity of her character made me fall in love with her personality so much more than what I’ve anticipated. And her feelings and insecurities were things I could really relate to, although in a different way, but even so my heart felt for her just the same. She ended up becoming one of my favorite characters ever.

And LJ... sweet, amazing and caring LJ... He was everything I expected him to be and more. I’ve been rooting for him ever since the beginning, whenever he was mentioned or appeared in the previous books. And I don’t want to give anything from the story away, but his relationship with his family was one of my favorite things ever. Like seriously. Where can I get a fam like that? Anyway, I fell in love him just as I did with Marisa, and knowing that I enjoyed them as individuals as much as I did them as a couple made me love this book even more.

In the end, this became my favorite book in the series (and even one of my favorite books overall), and that really means something, considering I absolutely adored all the other couples and storylines. I’ve started reading Maya’s books through them, and now, I simply can’t stop reading everything she writes. And I tell you that: get ready for our Fulton U’s beloved characters’ finish line, cause trust me — you will NOT be disappointed!

*ARC kindly provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for patty.
243 reviews30 followers
February 26, 2021
“𝗜’𝘃𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗻. 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆.”

I waited so long for this book, didn't disappoint me. Was everything i wanted and more. This book is so perfect and emotional and I have so many feelings about Marisa and Lj.

Marisa is definitely one of my all time favorite characters. She's was everything, funny, sarcastic, sweet, so strong. Your story made me cry so much. I have no words to describe how much i love her.
    
Lj will definitely be one of my favorite male characters. His love for Marisa is one of the purest things, he's obsessed with her and I love it. I love how Lj always taken care of Marisa, supports and protects. He's perfect, so soft always present in his life, no matter what.

It's been so long since I've read a good childhood/ best friends to lovers book where I was immersed and attached to the characters from the get go. Marisa and Lj they are perfect duo, made me laugh and cry. The domestic scenes are everything. I can't put into words how i love them. their scenes were immaculate. I just loved everything about the book. For sure becomed one of my favorites couple of life.

FULTON U GANG I LOVE THEM SO MUCH.

Maya Hughes is one of my most favorite authors. She's amazing.

*ARC kindly provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.*
Profile Image for mika.
254 reviews36 followers
January 6, 2021
someone give marisalj a physics textbook because they need some chemistry
Profile Image for eli.
291 reviews193 followers
August 25, 2022
I feel like I've been waiting for this book for years and Im so glad I didn't get disappointed
- the tropes: even if I love the concept of best friends to lovers there's a few that actually make me feel something, the fourth time charm checked all my boxes with that trope there's development, there's angst, and there's a little bit of forbidden romance in it.
- the characters: Marisa was beyond incredible here, she's amazing and incredibly strong, she's the best main character Maya has written especially since her life history is so hard, I think she did an amazing job capturing her feelings and her process of forgiveness with the people that hurt her.
LJ on the other hand was a very stable person, he does struggle a lot with his feelings toward Marisa, his love for football, and his commitment to his family, overall his character was well written, hes really sweet and supportive, love him a lot <3
- I wrote this review a month after I read the book so I don't remember what thing I dislike about it, but I think it was that I found it slow at times, but it doesn't matter because their love story is AMAZING!!!
Profile Image for lxvanessaxl.
234 reviews263 followers
March 8, 2022
4,5/5⭐️
Ich mochte die gesamte Reihe von Maya Hughes, unglaublich gern. Super tolles Setting und die Charaktere waren einfach mega. Und auch „The Rules we Break“ hat mir wieder unglaublich gefallen. Auf die Geschichte von LJ und Marisa hab ich mich, seit sie das erste mal in Buch eins aufgetaucht sind, gefreut.😊 Der Schreibstil in den Büchern, ist sehr angenehm und ich kann die Bücher einfach nur empfehlen. Definitiv ein Leseempfehlung.😍
Profile Image for a.
1,224 reviews
January 7, 2021
4.5 stars





Ahh I just want to scream at how good and cute this book was!! I've been waiting for Marissa and LJ's story since I read the first book and heard about their friendship and oh my god was the wait worth it because this book met all my expectations and more!

Maybe it's because I don't think I've read a single college sports romance this year and thought I was done with this trope, but Maya Hughes just proved me wrong. I mean don't get me wrong, I'm still very much done with the "the football college guys are god and have girls throwing themselves at them and everyone kissing their feet" but the thing that I really like about this book is that LJ is not one of those cliche guys we see in NA books all the time or the "mean alpha hole" but rather a really good guy and one who doesn't treat people that he cares about like crap.

I love a good best friends, childhood friends to lovers romance and this book gave it to us in spades. This boo just gave me all the feels, ugh the angst and yearning and stupid misunderstandings that make you want to shake the characters (but this time it wasn't ridiculous misunderstanding), I just loved it all. I also loved how both characters had to do some growing, but especially Marissa. It was so beautiful and raw and I shed quite a few tears for her and what she's been through.

This is definitely the best book of the series and the perfect way to end it! Fans of this series will not be disappointed and I'm going to miss this gang so much!
Profile Image for sana.
366 reviews277 followers
March 20, 2021
”i’ve loved you from as far back as i can remember.”


4.5 stars. my heart is so full. for me, this was easily the best book in the entire series and everything you’d expect a childhood bestfriends to lovers book to be! the plot in this book was also the strongest compared to the other fulton u books. reading about marisa’s childhood story, her relationship with her parents and how it gave her this fear of abandonment made me really emotional. but the romance in this book takes the cake. marisa and lj’s shared history together, them making sacrifices for each other, being so supportive of each other’s dreams, their angst in the end, etc. i love them so much. this book was definitely worth the wait. also i loved the hints this book dropped for keyton’s second chance romance, i’m so excited to meet his love interest and read his book.
Profile Image for Laura.
471 reviews564 followers
February 3, 2021
It was cute and there were some really interesting moments here and there but I kind of wish this book was released earlier because I sort of fell out of touch with the series as a whole and so this separate story felt just there.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed pretty much all of it but there were some things I just didn’t care for. Marisa’s relationship with her parents and the way that shaped her was one of the highlights of the book and I wish that was explored way more. And I think that’s my issue with the book as a whole -it needed to turn it up a notch.

And while this is super personal and maybe a nitpick of mine, I really don’t like when one half of the couple is already there. I think the story is so much better when both parties need to grow and work individually to be better and then being better together. So, LJ was already super balanced and knew exactly what he wanted (super jealous of him omg) and that created a shift and there was a struggle only reading about Marisa being the one that needed to outgrow stuff.

That kind of dimmed my enjoyment but there was a solid book overall. I think I’ll re read a few books of the series this year.
Profile Image for Meredith Wilson.
383 reviews39 followers
January 5, 2021
The Fourth Time Charm is the fourth book in the Fulton U series by Maya Hughes. Told in dual perspectives, this is the long-awaited story that follows LJ and Marissa. I knew their story would be nothing short of amazing, and without a doubt, it mostly certainly was. It was such a sweet, sexy and heartfelt read that I truly loved.

Marissa didn't have the easiest life growing up. The people that were supposed to love and care for her failed her. Her dad left when she was young, and her mom was rarely home, only caring about herself. But thankfully, she always had LJ. He was the one constant in her life. Her best friend through thick and thin. Her feelings for him went beyond friendship, but she never acted on these feelings for fear of losing him.

LJ has a lot riding on his shoulders. His dad has been battling an illness. His sister wants to go to some fancy art school. So he's feeling the pressure to go pro in order to care for his family. He truly has a heart of gold for those he loves and cares about. One of those people is Marissa, his best friend since childhood. The girl that he's always wanted more with, but the timing was never right.

When these two finally give in to their feelings, they are explosively hot. I absolutely loved them together. But I will say there were times when Marissa irritated me. Her insecurities, her fears and the secrets that she kept from LJ for so long. But once you get her full backstory, it makes sense as to why she's the way she is. And it makes you feel for her and love her all the more.

All in all, I am so glad that I gave this a read. I absolutely loved it and really hope that you will take a chance on it. It's breathtaking, touching, and I felt every word, every moment. The realness, the rawness, the heart and the love. It's a fantastic ending to a truly phenomenal series. 5 magnificent stars for LJ, Marissa and The Fourth Time Charm! ♡

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Profile Image for M.
646 reviews265 followers
January 11, 2021
I loved the little tid bits we saw of the sweet friendship between these two during the previous books. It was like looonnnngggg drawn out foreplay. You know what's coming and it's going to be even sweeter when it gets there! It helped build up the anticipation for the reader.

Marisa's apartment building ends up catching fire and her bestie is the white knight who swoops in to save her. He offers his bed(room) to her until she can find something else. If he had anything to say about it though, she would never be leaving.

I ADORED LJ! Like seriously. He melted me. Oh my gosh. I mean, how could you not LOVE him. He and Marisa are the best of friends. They have an amazing foundation already built so when you add a new type of love, what will happen? Will it crumble or will it be indestructible? They had been through so much alone, with each other and with their family. Marisa has been a part of LJ's family for so long. She helped his family with something very critical and feels a bit like LJ keeps her around sometimes just because he feels like he owes her for that.

Their feelings are strong.. The love is strong and when they finally come together it was SO SO sweet. Oh my gosh, his mantra. LOVED IT! I loved everything about that part of the book. It made my heart happy.

There was a bit of angst and push/pull, but it ended well. Looking forward to the next Fulton U book.



Profile Image for abire.
855 reviews91 followers
February 8, 2021
“When the choice presented itself to do something with or without LJ, there was a hands down, no contest, clear winner.
He was my rock, and the one person I could count on to have my back”


MARISALJ FINALLY CAME AND THEY DID NOT DISAPPOINT!! this was sooo good!!!

I've been waiting for this book ever since I read both Fulton U and Kings of Rittenhouse, Marisa and LJ were the couple I was most excited to read about alongside Berk and Jules, and like the Berk & Jules', their book did NOT let me down.

There is something about the childhood best friends to lovers trope that remains unmatched by others. Be in the intimacy between the characters, the more-often-than-not mutual pining that both characters think is unrequited, the undeniable truth that they're both the most important person in the other's life... or something else, but this trope just has that THING. And MarisaLJ absolutely delivered on it in spades.

The angst these two had left me on edge from the very first page until they finally both got their heads out of their asses, and even then, I was still on edge. There was no doubt over how much they loved each other, but there was also no doubt about what dumbasses they were about it. My favorite thing about the general best friends to lovers trope is the whole "everyone know they're in love with each other but them", and MarisaLJ embodied that trope.

The romance was absolutely my favorite thing about this book (naturally). Marisa and LJ's chemistry was unquestionable, their scenes were perfect, and the length they both did not hesitate to go to in order to protect one another even to the detriment of their own selves, especially on LJ's side, as well and how they both were SO supportive of each other's dreams even if it meant they might get separated just made me fall in love with them more.

The romance aside, I also loved how much of Keyton we got in this book and the little insight into his character! I smell a second chance romance for him in the future and I'M HERE FOR IT, YES GIMME!!!!

I was sad however that we didn't as much scenes with the guys as in previous book, the friendship is one of my favorite things about this series, but even without it, this book was still amazing.

I also, without going into spoilers, wanna mention how much I fucking HATED Marisa's parents, I don't give a single fuck about what her dad did at the end, it didn't do shit for me after all the shit he put both Marisa and LJ through, I still hate his guts. - LJ's family on the other side? LOVE THEM!!!

All in all, this book was the perfect (not??) end to a series everyone should read.

*ARC kindly provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Lynsey A.
1,826 reviews
January 22, 2021
2.5 - I Still Want to Smack Marisa - Stars

This book had so much going for it: friends to lovers trope, H and h both virgins trope, sports romance. All things I enjoy. Heck, even the fact the two needed to use their words just made me laugh. I was enjoying it. Then the heroine had to become completely stupid and forget everything that LJ had ever done for her, every time he'd been there for her.

I mean at the beginning she thinks this: Sometimes it felt like I could disappear and no one would really care. It felt like I was a temporary fixture in someone’s life until they moved on. But with LJ I felt like I mattered—always.

But somehow, we went from feeling like with LJ she would always matter to, 'oh well, he didn't mention me on tv' (forgetting she wanted to keep them quiet), as well as oh, 'he didn't answer his phone and doesn't have time to talk so he is set to dump me now that he might be famous'. Then let's not forget how she accused him of hooking up with random girls she saw him with in their social media, never mind he had never given her any reason to doubt him.

I wanted to throw my tablet at the wall, I was so mad at her. LJ was so sweet and did all of these wonderful things for her, treated her so well. None of that mattered, though because she let all of her issues turn into this bitch.

With one text, he’d wrecked all the things I’d given him. My friendship. My trust. My love.

Seriously, with one text? A text! Because you can completely understand context from a text.



Now, I'll admit she had issues what with her horrible mother and her father disappearing from her life when she was eight. However, LJ had been her best friend since they were like 8. Oh but he only wants to be with her because she saved his dad's life with her bone marrow. Yeah, that's the only reason you were in his life.

I can't with her.

So, that's liking two out of the four books. Seph and Jules were perfectly normal heroines who I didn't want to heave through a glass window.

Do I care she woke up and realized she was a frickin idiot? Nope. She still made me mad and tainted what was a cute story.

OK, so had to vent on that. Annoyed.

Well, onto hopefully something that doesn't make me want to break my $600 tablet.
Profile Image for bruna.
230 reviews136 followers
December 31, 2020
”’I love you, Marisa.’ This wasn’t the first time he’s said it, but this time it felt different. It felt heart-stoppingly, soul-scorchingly different.”

Rating: 2.5/5

As you all must know by now, “The Fourth Time Charm” is a best friends to lovers romance. This is a tricky trope because the main conflict is often about the fact that the main characters love each other, but they don’t want to ruin their friendship. However, most of the time they end up ruining their friendship anyway because they stop talking about anything of importance and start treating each other differently.

Unfortunately, that’s what happened in TFTC and one of the reasons I didn’t enjoy Marisa and LJ’s relationship like I thought I would. Hiding your feelings for each other is one thing, but hiding important stuff that’s happening in your life and refusing to talk things out is another thing entirely. The amount of miscommunication in this book was just too much for me because that’s not how best friends friends are supposed to behave. At least, not in my eyes.

Another thing that bothered me was that LJ and Marisa didn’t have a significant growth throughout the book. I don’t know, they just felt a little bland to me so I wasn’t even rooting for them to be together. I was expecting their connection to be that much stronger and intense considering they’re bffs, but nope. It felt like they were more in love with the idea they created in their minds than with who they really were in real life.

Don’t get me wrong, there were a bunch of sweet scenes because LJ is just one of the softest and most selfless heroes in the world. They were just not enough to convince me because the rest of the book was full of drama and miscommunication. If you don’t mind that kind of stuff, then you’ll probably love this book.

One thing that I liked in this book was Marisa’s friendship with Liv (my favorite character in the Kings of Rittenhouse series). Their scenes together were everything! I also can’t finish this review without mentioning Keyton. He was probably my favorite character in this book to be honest. I loved how he defended Marisa and made LJ finally deal with his bullshit. He seemed like a great guy and I’m curious as heck to find out what happened with the girl in his past.

*ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review*
Profile Image for ABookLover73.
375 reviews217 followers
January 14, 2021


FIVE CHARM STARS for Marisa and LJ 💙💙💙!!!

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Although it’s been a few months since the third book of "The Third Best Thing" from the "Fulton U" series came out, I have to admit it was worth the wait for Marisa and LJ’s book for so long.

Unlike the other books in this series, Marisa and LJ’s book was more than a romantic comedy that will make you laugh constantly while reading.

As I was reading, many emotions swirled inside me.

There were times when I wanted to get into a book and hug Marisa and LJ just to drive away their pain.

Maya has written another amazing college sports romance that you'll read in one breath.

"The Fourth Time Charm" is a college sports romance with best friends to lovers trope.

Marisa is a female character that I have fallen in love with from the very beginning of the book.

I loved how her character changed through the book to eventually after all the ups and downs in her life become a strong young girl who managed to make her dreams come true and open her heart to people who love her immensely, especially LJ.

LJ is a male character who is hard not to fall in love with.

Same as with Marisa, I fell in love with him from the beginning.

I was especially impressed by his love and dedication to the people he loves no matter the price.

Marisa and LJ’s love story is one of those that rarely happens, and that’s why they're so special.

Their relationship experienced many ups and downs throughout the book, but thanks to its strength it eventually remained intact and became even stronger.

That way, Marisa and LJ proved that nothing can separate them.

No matter what life puts in front of them.

If you're looking for a college sports romance and you also loved the previous books from the "Fulton U" series, then this is a book for you!!!

Highly recommended!!!

P.S. I want Keyton's book too!!!
Profile Image for Z - literaryeffect.
274 reviews159 followers
January 2, 2021
Release date: January 7, 2021

I felt like I’ve read Marisa and LJ as side characters from this series + Fearless King for so long, and now their own story is finally here.

They've been friends for so long and over the years they've set aside their growing feelings and stayed within the boundaries of their relationship. Now in college, the football team's coach is Marisa's dad. LJ is working hard because he wants to help his family out if he gets drafted to a professional football team. Marisa is also working towards her own career and getting internships in Europe. She also knows LJ is going to leave after college, possibly drafted to a football team, and she didn’t want to be left pining for him (like what happened when her dad left her & her mom).

What I liked:
- Marisa is different from what I expected but in a good way. I love her strong character despite everything she went through with her parents.
- Marisa and LJ's romance had mutual pining, knowing each other down to the little quirks, finding comfort in each other, platonic moments that start to turn into something more which I loved. All the flashback moments that show Marisa and LJ's relationship are so sweet as well.
- It was easy to fall back into this series, I missed the Brothel so much. (looks like my early 2020 theories about Keyton are coming true!!)

I'm giving 3 stars because:
- While I liked LJ's as Marisa's love interest, I felt like he just stayed mostly the same throughout the book, like there wasn't much character growth that happened.
- Though I did enjoy the romance aspect, Marisa and LJ have been best friends for that long, and yet they started keeping things from each other which resulted in a few miscommunications.
- This part is more for me, but I truly loved The Perfect First and The Third Best Thing from this series, so maybe it made my expectations higher for this one.

Despite that, this is still an enjoyable book. Marisa and LJ's story will surely be appreciated by those who have been waiting for their own story.

ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for jazmin ✿.
565 reviews805 followers
January 27, 2021
"Third time was the charm, right?"


A heart-wrenching sports romance filled with unrequited love and mutual pining. This book really proved that friends-to-lovers is the superior trope.

LJ and Marisa
LJ and Marisa? Mutual Pining at it’s finest. They were an amazing couple and the long wait was 100% worth it! Also, usually in (hetero) romances, it’s the male character who creates the final conflict that tests the relationship of the main characters, but I really liked that this time around it was actually Marisa who made that mistake! It was definitely a fun twist. I loved seeing their relationship progress from best friends, and I really enjoyed all the flashbacks we got to see!

“I love you, Marisa.” This wasn’t the first time he’d said it, but this time it felt different. It felt heart-stoppingly, soul-scorchingly different.


The Timeline
I don’t always like when books span over the length of others in the series but it worked well here! Although Jules and Berk’s book was sort of ongoing, it never felt like we were reading the same parts of the story twice, and it was fun to see the spots where the two books aligned. 


The Plot
I feel like the plot of this book was less memorable simply because when I think of this book I only think of how good the couple was, but it was definitely still a really enjoyable plot! I liked seeing Marisa and her father’s relationship slowly heal. I wish we saw more of LJ’s family!

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