Tag: sports romance

Book Review: Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Audience: YA Contemporary + Romance
Length: 350 pages
Author: Yamile Saied Méndez
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
Release Date: September 15th, 2020
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

An #ownvoices contemporary YA set in Argentina, about a rising soccer star who must put everything on the line—even her blooming love story—to follow her dreams.

In Rosario, Argentina, Camila Hassan lives a double life.

At home, she is a careful daughter, living within her mother’s narrow expectations, in her rising-soccer-star brother’s shadow, and under the abusive rule of her short-tempered father.

On the field, she is La Furia, a powerhouse of skill and talent. When her team qualifies for the South American tournament, Camila gets the chance to see just how far those talents can take her. In her wildest dreams, she’d get an athletic scholarship to a North American university.

But the path ahead isn’t easy. Her parents don’t know about her passion. They wouldn’t allow a girl to play fútbol—and she needs their permission to go any farther. And the boy she once loved is back in town. Since he left, Diego has become an international star, playing in Italy for the renowned team Juventus. Camila doesn’t have time to be distracted by her feelings for him. Things aren’t the same as when he left: she has her own passions and ambitions now, and La Furia cannot be denied. As her life becomes more complicated, Camila is forced to face her secrets and make her way in a world with no place for the dreams and ambition of a girl like her. 

AMAZING.

Wow did this book hit me. It was amazing. I love a great sports book and this ranks up there.

Furia covered so many topics. Camila is immersed in a world where she isn’t as valued as she should be. Wanting to play soccer, fall in love, and escape from her situation. She was incredibly strong and I love her passionate nature. Camila had resiliency that brought me to tears and I felt like this book taught me a lot too.

Getting into a deep dive of Argentina and the way that soccer is tied to many lives and the issues that continually plague the country was intense. Reading about missing and murdered girls and domestic abuse were tough subjects to cross but I love how Méndez approached it all. And I love how Camila and her mother were able to lean on each other. When Camila brought up breaking the [domestic abuse] cycle it was powerful.

The little romance was so sweet. A bit of second chance + childhood friends. I wish the ending didn’t feel so rushed with the romance and everything else that had happened. I wanted a little more epilogue-ish rundown of how Camila’s family was doing, etc. I do love that Camila’s love of soccer and wanting to continue to play was clearly the forfront of the story. Besides the hurried ending I did love where Camila ended up.

A book that will easily resonate with many. I can’t recommend this enough. The audio was great too if you’re interested in reading it in that format!

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Contemporary + Romance
  • Language: some
  • Romance: kisses/make-outs
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: domestic abuse (physical, verbal & emotional), teen pregnancy, mentions of kidnappings and murder of young girls

Instagram || Goodreads

Book Review: Kulti by Mariana Zapata

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
Audience: Contemporary romance
Length: 570 pages
Author: Mariana Zapata
Publisher: Self-published
Release Date: March 20th, 2015
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

“Trust me, I’ve wanted to punch you in the face a time or five.”

When the man you worshipped as a kid becomes your coach, it’s supposed to be the greatest thing in the world. Keywords: supposed to.

It didn’t take a week for 27-year-old Sal Casillas to wonder what she’d seen in the international soccer icon – why she’d ever had his posters on her wall or ever envisioned marrying him and having super-playing soccer babies.

Sal had long ago gotten over the worst non-break-up in the history of imaginary relationships with a man who hadn’t known she’d existed. So she isn’t prepared for this version of Reiner Kulti who shows up to her team’s season: a quiet, reclusive shadow of the explosive, passionate man he’d once been.

A NEW FAVORITE.

All Rhodes Lead Here and Kulti are officially my favorite MZ books.

THIS SOCCER ROMANCE WAS EVERYTHING.

I absolutely loved Sal. The focus was clearly on her and her soccer career. I adored her as a character and the type of person she was. Sal was loyal and kind with a temper. Enter in Reiner Kulti who is silent as stone and immovable in emotions. CHEMISTRY FLIES. I love how they went from barely acquittances, to actual friends, and THEN to a romantic relationship. It all felt so natural and hot dang was fantastic. I love MZ’s ability to make me swoon over every tiny hand hold or hug. Those soft moments when you realize that stone is actually clay and is forming a new bond right in front of your eyes.

You won’t even notice that this is 600 pages. The progression is flawless and the pacing is everything I love about a stellar slow burn. My heart was an absolute puddle in the last pages with confessions and acknowledgements of feelings. A PUDDLE. Wow does Rey know how to lay out some tender words when he wants too. His support for Sal was EVERYTHING.

I really loved this story. It was heavily focused on the soccer season and yet never felt like it was overshadowing the fact that this is a romance book. Both plots wove seamlessly and I am smitten. Not to mention, smitten with the side characters too. Sal’s Dad was a GEM. And made me laugh and smile along with her other friends. I have nothing but good things to say about this book and highly recommend for anyone looking for a sports romance to turn their heart to mush.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary romance
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: kisses to open door scenes
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: slut-shaming

Instagram || Goodreads

Book Review: The Cheat Sheet by Sarah Adams

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 300 pages
Author: Sarah Adams
Publisher: Self-published
Release Date: August 17th, 2021
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Is it ever too late to leave the friend-zone?

Hi, my name is Bree Camden, and I’m hopelessly in love with my best friend and star quarterback Nathan Donelson (so is half of America, judging by the tabloids and how much the guy dates). The first step is admitting, right? Except, I can never admit it to him because he clearly doesn’t see me that way, and the last thing I want is for things to get weird between us.

Nothing but good old-fashioned, no-touching-the-sexiest-man-alive, platonic friendship for us! Everything is exactly how I like it! Yes. Good. (I’m not crying, I’m just peeling an onion.)

Our friendship is going swimmingly until I accidentally spill my beans to a reporter over too much tequila, and now the world seems to think me and Nathan belong together. Oh, and did I mention we have to date publicly for three weeks until after the Super Bowl because we signed a contract with…oops, forgot I can’t tell anyone about that!

Bottom line is, now my best friend is smudging all the lines and acting very un-platonic, and I’m just trying to keep my body from bursting into flames every time he touches me.

How am I going to make it through three weeks of fake dating Nathan without anything changing between us? Especially when it almost-sort-a-kinda seems like he’s fighting for a completely different outcome?

Send help.
XO Bree

ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE.

Y’all.

Sarah Adams has done it again. WHAT A GEM OF ADORABLE CUTENESS OVERLOAD.

Nathan was *everything*. I was in love with that cinnamon roll of a man and did not hate for a second that he was a NFL quarterback. All of the sweet things he did for Bree to show he cared. And WOW do I love a group of friends coming together to help and support each other. I loved all of his teammates and I found myself laughing multiple times because of all of the antics.

Bree was great too! I really liked her as the heroine and found her feisty and utterly loyal companion. Someone with so much strength and still filled with a soft heart. Watching both of these two dance around each other brought out all of the angst. Bree occasionally annoyed me because I felt like she was resisting Nathan too much, but it didn’t detract from my overall impressions.

Everything flowed beautifully. The writing, as always, amazing. The pace moved well, I’m pretty sure after the first two chapters I was already shouting KISS ALREADY. And that’s the kind of feelings I was all over for Nathan and Bree’s story.

I can’t leave this review without telling you THAT ENDING WAS PEFECT. The impeccable way that that rolled out. I sat there smiling at my book with tears in my eyes because I didn’t even know I needed that kind of movie-like closing. Every book of Adams becomes my new favorite.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: very little
  • Romance: kisses to closed door scenes
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: on page depictions of anxiety and panic attacks

Instagram || Goodreads

Book Review: Throw Like a Girl by Sarah Henning

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Audience: YA Contemporary Romance
Length: 368 pages
Author: Sarah Henning
Publisher: Poppy
Release Date: July 20th, 2021
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Friday Night Lights meets Morgan Matson’s The Unexpected Everything in this contemporary debut where swoonworthy romance meets underdog sports story.

When softball star Liv Rodinsky throws one ill-advised punch during the most important game of the year, she loses her scholarship to her fancy private school, her boyfriend, and her teammates all in one fell swoop. With no other options, Liv is forced to transfer to the nearest public school, Northland, where she’ll have to convince its coach she deserves a spot on the softball team, all while facing both her ex and the teammates of the girl she punched… Every. Single. Day.

Enter Grey, the injured star quarterback with amazing hair and a foolproof plan: if Liv joins the football team as his temporary replacement, he’ll make sure she gets a spot on the softball team in the spring. But it will take more than just a flawless spiral for Liv to find acceptance in Northland’s halls, and behind that charismatic smile, Grey may not be so perfect after all.

With lovable characters and a charming quarterback love interest, Throw Like a Girl will have readers swooning from the very first page.

SUPER CUTE SPORTS ROMANCE.

Okay, read this in a day (via audio, great narrator!!). Really enjoyed. Highly recommend.

I could probably leave it at that, but I’ll go in a little bit deeper.

I loved these characters. Everyone felt like they actually belonged in high school, but that it wasn’t rudely dramatic. Liv (and others) learned to apologize and accept mistakes and consequences. New friendships formed and the girl vs. girl hate was tamped down to appropriate levels. I just love that this team felt real, and Liv’s family felt real. Fantastic characters who really sold my love for this book.

The rooooomance was one you wanted to root for. Grey and Liv hit it off with a bit of banter and a whole lot of swoon. There was a natural flow to their story and the sweet kisses gave me all the heart eyes. I love the support Grey gave Liv and the trust they showed in each other. All around a wonderful YA love story.

You never know how a sport is going to come off in a book. For the football aspects, I thought this did a great job. I don’t remember glaring inaccuracies that took me out of the plot. And it never overshadowed either. Those final scenes with Liv on that field were those magical movie sports moments you love to see. I found myself cheering alongside everyone else.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Contemporary Romance
  • Language: a little
  • Romance: kisses
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: recount of drunk driving accident (only involving the driver, no one else harmed), sports injuries (bruises, concussions, etc.), homophobic remarks, school expulsion, parent with cancer

Instagram || Goodreads