I may know everything there is to know about baseball, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. Or like him. Garrett Reeves: sidelined player and the embodiment of everything I’ve learned to hate about baseball. He’s gorgeous, he’s cocky, he’s laser-focused on getting back in the game, no matter the cost. When he convinces me to call games alongside him, our chemistry heats up the booth. We’re … the booth. We’re good together, whether I want to admit it or not. I’m finding that I like baseball again, but even worse, I’m liking Garrett. A lot.
But when he has to decide between our future and a new shot at his dreams, I know baseball will win out every time.
Disclaimer: This Entangled Teen Crush book has tons of hilarious banter, lots of sexual tension, and a hero who will throw a wild pitch right at your heart.
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Rating: 4.5 Stars
Josie Walters doesn’t like it but she knows a lot about sports. Garrett Reeves gives her a chance to see if she’s got the chops to do the job. He seems to enjoy dangling a carrot in front of her. Giving up doesn’t seem to be part of his vocabulary. Josie has a great friend named Mai and she will give you plenty of chuckle moments. I didn’t think Josie’s mom was half bad especially since she watches one of my favorite programs.
As I read and get to know Josie, I have to wonder if the author created a situation where the thoughts of the parent are pushed onto the child. But as the story progresses, the author reveals certain things that had me rethinking part of that. Ms. Dominy may give the reader some other things to think about.
This is a good book for teens especially for those who are unsure what they want to do, as they get ready to graduate from high school. It’s more than finding your high school crush. It’s more than a sports romance. It’s a story some people may be able to find a connection – whether it be with Josie or Garrett. And you won’t have to worry about your teen reading something that you’re not comfortable with. You can always read it first and you might find that you’ll want to check out more work by this author.
The story doesn’t get bogged down with the high school experience but you get the feel they’re in school. You know that baseball is the main sport here but the scenes don’t get too wordy or have you rolling your eyes. It seemed as if the author knows her stuff when it comes to the game. She shows that even girls can like sports. There’s even a slight lesson that filters into the story. Life has become so complicated – may have you remembering the saying “life was so much simpler back then”. I can’t say that this book has an ending since our main characters lives are just beginning.
I was not compensated nor was I required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
Such a fun read! I don’t even like baseball (for reasons not nearly as good as Josie’s; it’s just so darn boring) but it didn’t matter at all…and for a change it had nothing to do with characters in tight-fitting baseball pants 😉
Josie and Garrett’s story was my first read from this author, but definitely not my last! Announcing Trouble is more than just a YA sports romance–it’s a book about letting go of the past and finding your own path to a new beginning. It’s a story about first love that is refreshingly free of OTT angst, with characters it’s easy to root for. The story is told in first person POV (Josie’s) which really worked for me here. Initially I was a bit bummed that we weren’t going to get Garrett’s POV as well, but a few chapters in I found myself not minding a bit.
The back and forth between Josie and Garrett is some of the best parts of this book (toward the end, Garrett doesn’t even have to be on page to be contributing to their banter, which was genius) and pretty much guarantees that Amy Fellner Dominy is an author I’m going to be keeping an eye out for!
Rating: 4 1/2 stars / A
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
Announcing Trouble…
“Annnnnnnnnnd next at bat is Josie ‘Safe’ Walters. Josie comes from a baseball family. She really seems to know her stuff. Watch how she takes a cautious step back, ‘Safe’ at all times. No risks for this girl!
But on the mound we have Garrett Reeves, some of you may remember Reeves was pulled for an injury. We are definitely going to be watching him for weaknesses or any changes in his play. ”
” ‘Too right,’ says a higher pitched voice. ‘Reeves is definitely a wild card for Walters. They’ve never been up against each other before. Who will come out the victor? Will it be Safe at bat or Reeves rocketing it from the mound…?'”
Only one way to find out ladies and gents, but I can promise you regardless of the victor, you will be guaranteed a good game and a big smile!
Fabulous YA romance
Abandoned at age 13 by her professional baseball player father, whom she adored, Josie has spent the last five years avoiding anything in her life that smacks of emotional risk. She doesn’t have dreams, she has practical plans. Dreams are what her father had in his passionate pursuit of playing professional baseball at any cost. In their family, that cost has been the destruction of Josie’s and her mother’s lives. Her father taught Josie to love baseball, and then he proved that baseball meant more to him than anything else, including her.
From that point on, she wanted nothing to do with baseball. Until the day that her best friend Mai, a lovable geek with a big crush on a baseball player, drags Josie with her to watch their high school’s talented baseball team play. Two high school boys are announcing the game, and one of them is absolutely terrible at it. Listening to him repeatedly blow it becomes more than Josie can bear, and she stalks into the announcers’ booth to confront the awful announcer. His co-announcer, a boy named Garrett, admits the validity of her complaint and cheekily invites her to prove that she can do better. Unable to resist his challenge after the failed announcer storms out, Josie plops down, begins announcing and does a terrific job. She and Garrett have tremendous chemistry, and witty quips fly between them.
Garrett is a handsome, charming, fellow senior who used to be an extremely talented pitcher. He had the potential to ultimately go all the way to the major leagues until he was turfed out of his beloved game when he sustained a career destroying injury to his pitching arm a few months ago.. Though he is no longer able to play, he loves the game so much that he has taken up announcing his high school’s baseball games as a way to continue to be part of the sport he loves.
Since Garrett and Josie are so good together as an announcing team, he pleads with her to continue volunteering with him as a co-announcer. She strongly resists, out of her driving need to avoid anything to do with baseball, until he informs her he wants the two of them to jointly enter a contest which offers the 1st prize winners both a bundle of cash and guaranteed entry into the broadcasting degree program of the University of Arizona’s School of Journalism. This golden opportunity is a temptation that is impossible for Josie to resist.
Unfortunately, pursuing that exciting goal proves to be not only the risk of reliving excruciating memories associated with baseball by being around the game again, but a huge risk to her heart as well. Garrett turns out to be everything she wants in a potential boyfriend except for his fatal flaw. He is someone who loves baseball more than anyone or anything else in life, just like her father.
This young adult novel has an absolutely wonderful romance plot and a fabulous, classic, coming of age plot alongside it which is integral to the romance plot. I personally consider this a romantic dramedy. There is a great deal of hilariously witty banter between Josie and Garrett, which is my absolute favorite source of humor in a romantic comedy. In addition, there is compelling, and sometimes heart-wrenching drama in the form of Josie’s growth arc across the book as she begins to consciously confront the emotional devastation she suffered due to her father’s desertion. I found it extremely moving as she slowly and painfully reclaims her lost trust in herself and others and, most of all, reclaims her love of baseball. In spite of her sometimes unsympathetic, harsh rejection of Garrett due to her fear of abandonment, Josie has a very moving journey from distrust to trust across the length of this poignantly written novel.
Garrett is a fabulous romantic hero. Both vulnerable and strong, he is very compassionate and supportive toward Josie. His discipline and dedication to baseball is admirable, and the tremendous effort he goes to in order to create a relationship with Josie makes him ideal boyfriend material.
I very much enjoyed that Josie has a mutually loving and respectful relationship with her mother. But at the same time, her mother’s inability to deal with her own abandonment issues after her bitter divorce from Josie’s father has caused her to harmfully encourage Josie to be as risk averse in relationships as she herself is. The author does an outstanding job of seamlessly weaving together their mutual journeys of healing which are purposeful echoes of each other.
One of the most significant things that a romance novel can achieve is to prove the inherit premise of the romance genre, that the romantic protagonists are soulmates who have found true love in each other. A major way to achieve that goal is to portray the romantic protagonists making huge sacrifices for each other in order to be worthy of true love. Unfortunately that does not always, or even frequently, occur in romance novels. But this novel absolutely does offer inspiring mutual self-sacrifice and does it brilliantly.
I really enjoyed the overarching theme of baseball in this novel and the fact that it is such an integral part of the evolution of this romance. I am not a particular fan of baseball myself, but I believe the author wrote the baseball scenes extremely well, with enough baseball lore included to give believable color to the scenes, but not so much as to be overwhelming or boring to the uninitiated.
Overall, in every way possible, this is an outstandingly written young adult romance. I will definitely be reading this book again in the future, and it will be a treasured keeper in my Kindle library.
I rate this book as follows:
Heroine: 4 stars
Hero: 5 stars
Subcharacters: 5 stars
Romance plot: 5 stars
Baseball plot: 5 stars
Writing: 5 stars
Overall: 5 stars
Announcing Trouble by Amy Fellner Dominy a five-star read that will have you shouting from the booths. This is such a sweet romance, it has got it all in the story, the banter and teasing as we as the ticking just make this such a good read. Garrett has a love of baseball that leaps of the page, it gives you a passion and makes you take note not just of the game. When you add in the announcing competition and the will they wont they aspect of the story and you have the makings of a really great story.
This one has an unique touch with Garrett and Josie being announcers for their school’s baseball team. Each have some issues in their pasts with baseball that are influencing the way they are looking at their futures. I liked the bantering interaction between Garrett and Josie but it does seem to get lost in the drama as the book goes on. I also felt that too many of the characters around Josie had the same issues with being too cautious in everything. Overall this was a fun summer read. Hope to read more by this author.
Josie carries with her a great pain from the past, something she still can’t forget and that ended up marking her change her dreams when she meets Garrett she couldn’t imagine how her life would change for better. Problem is, she doesn’t want to open up to this change and struggles so hard not to let the boy get too close to her.
Garrett is a prince who is enchanted by the mysterious girl who knows a lot about baseball and who comes into his life in an unpretentious and challenging way.
A cute love story where both of them will have to face changes to move on and overcome difficulties. Josie needs to learn to live in present and dream about the future and Garrett will show and prove he is worth of every risk.
Narrated only by Josie, I could see how much she suffered and how slowly Garrett was gaining her confidence and breaking down her barriers.
This book was literally every single thing that I love about YA romance.
It. Was. ADORABLE.
And sweet.
And heartfelt.
And emotional in a way that I wasn’t really expecting, but that deeply resonated with me.
I was won over immediately by the banter. These are smart, funny, wholly relatable characters. I loved the chemistry between Josie and Garrett. I loved the way they connected and the authentically playful way they flirted, teased, and inevitably fell for each other. I loved how, even when I wanted to give them a good shake, I felt their conflict in my heart. I hurt for them and cheered for them and – not going to lie – swooned like crazy over them.
It’s not even all about the romance. I also loved the way friendships were portrayed here. Some of the sweetest moments occurred between Josie and Mai. I love a strong sisterhood more than anything and these two were the best.
I smiled so hard for almost this entire story. It’s engaging and smartly written and honestly? It felt like good old fashioned YA romance perfection. I absolutely loved it and highly recommend!