Title: Unbound
Author: Peyton Corinne
Series: The Undone #3
Genre: Contemporary Romance/New Adult/Sports Romance
Author: Peyton Corinne
Series: The Undone #3
Genre: Contemporary Romance/New Adult/Sports Romance
Publisher: Atria Books
Publication Date: April 7, 2026
Edition: Ebook
Source: NetGalley
Pre-Order: Amazon US | Barnes & Noble | BAM | Bookshop | Kobo | Powell's |
Publication Date: April 7, 2026
Edition: Ebook
Source: NetGalley
Pre-Order: Amazon US | Barnes & Noble | BAM | Bookshop | Kobo | Powell's |
Synopsis:
Paloma Blake is, at best, antagonistic. But beneath the hairspray, attitude, and promiscuity is a scared girl whose trauma runs deep. Still, the walls she’s built are strong, ensuring everyone only sees Paloma’s sexy façade. Everyone except for Bennett.
Bennett Reiner, the carefully controlled, neurodivergent goalie, has his routines and sticks to them, which helps him keep a hold on his OCD compulsions and the crippling anxiety that comes with them. The quiet and meticulous Bennett sees everything, especially the girl beneath Paloma’s ever-present masks. And he always has.
Unbeknownst to their friends, Bennett and Paloma were each other’s first real love, which ended in crippling heartbreak. Bennett still doesn’t know what happened, and Paloma is determined to stay away from the comfort she used to find only in his arms. For years, Bennett has remained her protective shadow, coming to Paloma’s rescue whenever she asked, keeping her as close and safe as she’ll let him. But, like a tumultuous sea to a constant shore, Bennett and Paloma find each other once more.
Alternating between scenes from their past and present, Unbound contrasts the tentative tension and passionate beginnings of first love with the devastating loneliness and deep yearning of having that love ripped away from you without truly knowing why. As Bennett discovers the truth about Paloma’s past, the threads to his careful control start to come unbound, and both begin to realize that letting go of everything else might be worth it, if it means they both get the real love they once shared again.
Bennett Reiner, the carefully controlled, neurodivergent goalie, has his routines and sticks to them, which helps him keep a hold on his OCD compulsions and the crippling anxiety that comes with them. The quiet and meticulous Bennett sees everything, especially the girl beneath Paloma’s ever-present masks. And he always has.
Unbeknownst to their friends, Bennett and Paloma were each other’s first real love, which ended in crippling heartbreak. Bennett still doesn’t know what happened, and Paloma is determined to stay away from the comfort she used to find only in his arms. For years, Bennett has remained her protective shadow, coming to Paloma’s rescue whenever she asked, keeping her as close and safe as she’ll let him. But, like a tumultuous sea to a constant shore, Bennett and Paloma find each other once more.
Alternating between scenes from their past and present, Unbound contrasts the tentative tension and passionate beginnings of first love with the devastating loneliness and deep yearning of having that love ripped away from you without truly knowing why. As Bennett discovers the truth about Paloma’s past, the threads to his careful control start to come unbound, and both begin to realize that letting go of everything else might be worth it, if it means they both get the real love they once shared again.
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I went into this book not knowing that it's the third book in a companion series. Which, typically, shouldn't matter but I think if I had read the other books first it would've added more context for some of the side/background characters. The sexual content aside, this book felt a little juvenile at times. A lot of heavy topics were touched on in this book, and while it was handled with care, it also felt like it was glossed over a little as to not to go too in-depth.
The to MCs were very frustrating to read from. Neither ever really talk to each other. I know that there's trauma and neurodiversity to think about with the characters. But ignoring the past issues and what broke them up in the first place for 300+ pages isn't a good idea. They had no problem talking about other things, but when it came to their relationship they both clammed up while mentally lamenting over the unknown.
The narrative structure of this book was also a little confusing. The jumping back three years when they first dated and the present would've worked better if there weren't times in the 'present' chapters also didn't focus so heavily on the past as well making me forget halfway through the chapter if it was set in the past or present.
The twist at the end, of who it was who hurt Paloma when she was a child felt rushed. It was revealed, and settled in the course of a few paragraphs. And life is never that easy. It felt very convenient, that it "needed" to be settled for Paloma to move on and heal. And I'm not sure how I feel about that kind of message.
My main issue is that I feel like reading the first two are required to read this one, and it shouldn't. The point of companion series' is that it follows other characters, but with this one, it does feel like I've jumped halfway into the story. I'm also very picky when it comes to second chance romance, and I never felt like these characters talked enough before jumping back into a relationship. There was a lot left unanswered before a huge time-jump at the end.
I'm considering going back and reading the other books in this series and then rereading this one, depending on who the next book is about.
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