The Palm South University Series Box Set, Books 1-3

Rush, Anchor, and Pledge

By: Kandi Steiner

Narrated by: Hannah Chiclana, Megan Wicks, Amy L. Levin, Miranda Dyer, Mariah Bird, Mel Germaine, Chris Williams

Length: 23 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

Best-selling author Kandi Steiner delivers an addicting college romance series set at a private university in South Florida where the weather isn't the only thing hot and steamy. Listen to the first three books in this epic box set!

Included in the collection:

• Rush (book one)
• Anchor (book two)
• Pledge (book three)

Drama. Lies. Sex. Welcome to Palm South University.

At a college in sunny South Florida, the weather is hot, and the guys are hotter.

Cassie McBee is a freshman, brand new to campus, and it doesn’t take her long to figure out that the rules are only set to be broken at PSU.

A pre-med bio major, she’s got more important things to worry about than joining a sorority or partying at fraternity houses. But her best friend is rushing, and when she tags along, she discovers there’s more to Greek life than she thought.

And when she meets Adam Brooks, the sexy soon-to-be president of Alpha Sigma, she kisses her heart good-bye right there on the spot.

There’s just one small problem.

Adam is dating Skyler, Cassie’s new big in Kappa Kappa Beta.

And if you think that sounds like trouble, just wait until you meet the rest of the crew.

©2015, 2016, 2017 Kandi Steiner (P)2022 Kandi Steiner

Critic reviews

"Like binge watching your favorite TV show, PSU is unputdownable." (Number one NYT best-selling author Rachel Van Dyken)

Fantastic Audiobook!

Loved all the different voices that brought the PSU world to life. It was a great to revisit these books in audio form.

Such an interesting way to tell a story!

This was totally different from anything I've read before! It was also pretty fun to read as an audiobook given all the different POVs. I think the narrators were fantastic and this really read like a kind of college drama TV show. I'm invested in these characters and listening book to book has been so fun! It gets better and better as the story progresses. I love the different voices and character POVs. I think the chosen narrators have been perfect for their characters. This is a fun ride!

Exactly like reality tv

If you’re a fan of binge-watching reality tv and the drama that comes with it, you’ll adore this series.
It follows both the sorority and fraternity life of multiple college students and their intertwined relationships.
All of the issues and topics were so real and valid, and dealt with with the utmost of care.

Some of the narrators weren’t what I expected/didn’t have the greatest range, but I love that there are multiple for each POV.

Highly relatable story & a neat experience with multiple narrators.

“How many times have you had to rise?”

Palm South University is set up in a way I’ve never experienced. Episodes like a tv show, but different. It was a little tricky for me at first (due to so many main characters) but overall a pretty creative idea. We start with Rush. The beginning of a new adventure. College. Such a monumental and important step for so many. In Rush we meet, well everyone. It was a little difficult for me to keep everyone straight. It ends on an ultimatum. A pretty serious situation but probably one that happens more often than we think. Great world building to set the stage. Anchor is book two. It deals with so many relatable issues revolving around college life. The connections, relationships, parties, spring break, bad decisions, growth, betrayal, break ups, racism, and so much more. Some are very heavy and extremely emotional. I felt the storylines blend yet stand out and really hit their stride during this book. I was definitely more invested in each character and now I can’t wait to start Pledge because you can’t end a story like that and not know how things turn out. At the end of Anchor there is a note from the author. It made me cry. I just want to thank Kandi for her words. They will mean everything to the girl who unfortunately can relate to them. Thank you, Kandi. Pledge-I’m really invested now and look forward to the rest of the series. The narrators really brought the characters to life. They helped to differentiate personalities, moods, experiences. I think multiple narrators for a series like this made all the difference. I can understand why there are so many books now-you just don’t want it to end.

“There are some people who help you through tough times, but then there are some who help you hold on when you think you have nothing else left to grip.”

“You can’t chase someone who’s not running.”

The characters and drama are all performed well

How can you not get a boxed set of 3 books for one credit?! 3 Kandi Steiner books that all take place in college with a cast of characters that are full of love, angst and drama. Each book just gets better and better. Pick this one up NOW!

Rush, Book One:
Rush is "Season one" in the Palm South University series. Be ready for some partying, drama, sex, and all the intense stuff you'd expect to find in a college book about the greek life. I had the chance to listen to the audio, so my review will be focusing on that.

This is the beginning of a series that plays out like a tv show. You have multiple characters all voiced by different narrators that definitely helped distinguish each person well and you have multiple episodes. I really liked how Ms Steiner broke up each section by "episodes". It made the book play out more like a tv show that way. Very creative and easy to read or listen to.
Rush tells the story from 7 different characters POVs. Erin, Cassie, Skyler, Jess, Ashlei, Bear, and Adam all have their time to shine. For the first "season", it did take me awhile to figure out who was who and what their "story" was. By the end of the book, I had everyone figured out and am curious what future seasons will bring for this crew.

If you're a fan of shows like The OC, Gossip Girl, The Sex Lives of College Girls, or really any show that is filled with young adults and their drama, friends, sex, etc., I think you'll like this series. Rush is only the beginning and it felt like a really solid start to what we will see in the future.
While I’m rating this a 4 star, I’ve giving it just shy of 4 full stars because I'm not 100% sold on the male narrators....yet. But the episodes format? Totally loving that aspect of it.

Anchor, Book 2:
If you liked 'Season One', aka Rush, you are going to love Anchor!
Anchor is just MORE. It brought MORE angst, MORE drama and MORE surprises around every corner. While we were basically introduced to everyone in Rush, Anchor is all about really diving into this group of characters and experience their love, friendships, hardships and a lot of emotions.

Anchor takes us to spring break and it was filled with everything you would imagine and then some. And some of those antics were brought back to campus with them causing some major tension between some people. I especially loved the friendship of the “sisters”, but there's just one guy that does it for me and I hope he ends up who I want him to end up with. Don't ask. I'm just going to cross my fingers right now.

Anchor not only has the fun of spring break, but Kandi touches on some very serious topics such as racism, rape, sex tapes, drugs, abortion and so much more. But through it all, you get to see this very strong bond between the 7 characters telling the story and you can't help but want more.

Each and every narrator is definitely growing on me. I'm excited to see where Season 3 goes.

Pledge, Book 3:
These seasons just keep getting better and better! And boy are they addictive!

Pledge is book/season 3 of Palm South University and I'm loving the way Kandi has created a "show" out of a series of books. They all play out like a full season on tv, where you have all the separate characters having their own stories going on in each "episode" and then the stories with them together. And it works! The drama, the sex, the college and greek life. It's all done with careful precision.
We've followed along with some crazy rush and spring break antics and then also get the intense stories that have you feeling for the characters. The characters are getting older and are handed some more responsibilities, but there is no shortage of love and drama here.
I'm not going to say much else, but just experience this! The unique way these books are written are meant to be consumed. I don't always agree or like all the decisions these characters are making, but man do I feel like I am experiencing the college life and all the ups and downs that come with it.
Can't wait to continue on this ride because this series is ADDICTING. But you can't beat a boxed set!!

Obsessed

Look, I hate reality TV. I know I know, that’s crazy. But it’s also true. I can’t stand it. So when I learned this was a book spin on a reality show I put it off for a year. The second I started, I’ve been mentally slapping myself ever since.

This is addicting.
It’s SO COOL how it’s told from seven POV and all the voices are incredible. I’m blown away. I also NEVER listen to audio books because I never like the voices. And the steam scenes. Especially in book 3…. Honestly they rival “blindside.”

This is a terrible review because all I can think to say is how it not just exceeded my expectations for an audio book and reality show vibe but its also one of the most underrated Kandi Steiner books/series.

I’ll revisit the thought when I finish all 7 but as of right now… this moved to my top fav spot. Just trust me and do yourself a favor and listen.

And Adam is also now my fav Kandi Steiner man.

Love how they were brought to life

Love how these 3 books were brought to life by the narrators.
I loved Bear, Erin and Cassie. I do love all of the characters.
I didn’t expect Adam to sound the way he did. But I got use to it.
These books are very addicting and I loved to listen to them after having read them not so long ago.

Super fun, steamy, and dramatic college romance

This book has everything I was looking for! It was giving gossip girl meets greek life in the BEST way possible. I loved every single second of it and now I need to read the rest of this series!

The PERFECT box set!!

Great Job

If you haven’t read Kandi’s PSU series yet then you are in for a real treat. This series is told like no other. It is a perfect combination of the drama and relationships of Gossip Girl and the fun greek life of Greek. Each book is written like chapters with multiple POVS throughout. There are many storylines told at once and all they all are connected in the same friend group. I thought I would get confused with names and what everyone's stories are but it was so easy to follow along and get invested in the characters' storylines. I love the variety of topics that Kandi tackles within these books. Nothing is off limits and some of it is fun and light and some of it is heavy and emotional.

The audio for this boxset is SO GOOD! I mean what a steal to get 3 books for 1 price but also that narration cast is PHENOMENAL. I have a hard time distinguishing voices sometimes but I had no trouble. Especially for whoever is the narrator for Bear, his voice really stands out. But each narrator was able to bring their character to life. I am glad that they each had their own voice.

amazing story filled with so much angst, tension, & emotions!

currently doing a reread of one of my all time fave series! decided to try the audio the second time around and it did not disappoint! the full cast was amazing and i loved getting to hear my fave characters brought to life. this series is full of various tropes and includes lots of drama, i think all the narrators did an amazing performance in showcasing the emotions and feelings behind the plot. would definitely recommend for anyone who loves interconnecting stories with lots of twists and turns🧡