Reviewed by Valerie
TITLE: The Underdog
SERIES: Better With You #3
AUTHOR: Briar Prescott
PUBLISHER: Self-Published
LENGTH: 282 pages
RELEASE DATE: October 14, 2021
BLURB:
Anders:
There once was a guy who told a little white lie. That didn’t turn out so well. I would know. I’m the guy.
Once upon a time, I told my brother and sister that I wanted to do a triathlon. I never expected them to sign me up for one! Now I’m forced to deal with my very cantankerous personal trainer. Wells Montgomery is an angry, rude, judgmental bastard. Frankly, I’m surprised the chip on his shoulder hasn’t crushed him yet.
But the more time I spend with him, the more I realize that the anger is just a facade that conceals a man who is more than a little lost.
The more time I spend with him, the more I start to think that maybe somebody should find him.
The more time I spend with him, the more I start to think that maybe, just maybe, that person could be me?
Wells:
There once was a guy who flew unimaginably high. That didn’t turn out so well. I would know. I’m the guy.
A year ago I was on top of the world. It only took a handful of seconds for my life to irreversibly change course. Needless to say, I’m not happy. Neither am I happy when my dad and one of my so-called friends trick me into becoming a personal trainer for some guy who wants to do a triathlon. Now I need to get this Anders Kelly to fire me.
It’s a good plan, if only Anders wasn’t so unbelievably stubborn. And too nice for his own good. Annoyingly fun. Irritatingly kind. His faults just keep piling up.
But the more time I spend with him, the harder it becomes to keep my distance.
The more time I spend with him, the more I start to see the possibilities life still offers.
The more time I spend with him, the more I start to think that maybe, just maybe, Anders might not be an unattainable dream after all.
REVIEW:
The Underdog is a fun, enemies to friends to lovers romance. It’s another great edition to Briar Prescott’s Better With You series, although it’s very different in tone to The Dating Experiment. While it contains sarcastic and self-deprecating humor, it doesn’t serve up the hilarity of the previous book. It’s low key, slower-paced, and downright sad in the beginning. I enjoyed the friendship between the men a great deal. There are communication problems, though, because they both deflect rather than be open about their feelings.
In this clever plot, it’s stupidity that lands Anders in a lie that he can’t back out of. He led his younger, twin siblings, Isac and Cassi, to believe his greatest desire in life is to compete in a triathlon, so they arrange it for him as a birthday present. I personally can’t imagine a worst gift than being registered for a triathlon unless the three-part competition is comprised of eating, reading, and sleeping. Wells is roped into being Anders’ trainer for the event by his meddling father and a mutual friend, Max.
Neither are happy about it; in fact, Wells – who is a Grumpypants at a bad point in his life – is initially rude and nasty toward Anders. But they persevere and eventually settle into a comfortable coach/faux athlete relationship. They become good friends and help each other improve their lives and find happiness. Part of that happiness comes from jointly ending their sexual dry spells when they become friends-with-benefits, and then more.
Both Anders and Wells have something significant in common. They each had a single moment in their pasts that changed their lives irrevocably and shaped who they are today. Wells doesn’t know who he is anymore after losing so much of the man he was a year ago. Anders helps him see that he’s allowing his life to waste away. Wells doesn’t feel normal anymore but Anders treats him as such and helps him feel human again. For his part, Anders doesn’t think he’s worthy of Wells. He didn’t go to college, works in a movie theater at the age of thirty, and doesn’t even know how to drive. He believes he has nothing to offer. He doesn’t fit into Wells’ life and wonders if they met under other circumstances, would Wells have given him the time of day? Wells works to convince Anders that just because he hasn’t fulfilled his earlier dreams, he’s not broken. He’s a selfless, kind, funny guy who is a natural caretaker.
Ms. Prescott had written Jamie and Connor into the narrative, which occurs five years after the end of their book. Max, a mutual friend of Anders and Wells’, is a great guy, and the twins bring lightness to the story. There’s a definite set-up for a book starting Isac.
If you begin this book expecting the laugh fest that Ms. Prescott served up last time, you could be disappointed. The weightier subject matter is interspersed with humor, though, and the skilled writing results in a satisfying read with a sweet ending. It can easily be enjoyed as a standalone book. I happily recommend The Underdog.
RATING: 
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