Willow Figure skating was supposed to be my whole world. But one unlucky injury and now I’m down…but I’m definitely not out. I just need to rehab–a boatload of rehab–and who’d have thought I could do it on the boys’ hockey team? Of course, the infuriatingly hot captain of the team seems to think I’m nothing but sequins and twirls. What’s a girl to do but put him in his place? Game on. Brodie place? Game on.
Brodie
Hockey is my whole world. I’ve worked my tail off getting my team in a position to win the championships–hopefully in front of major college scouts, too–so what’s a guy to do when a figure skater ends up as our new goalie?
Of course, the distractingly sexy skater thinks I’m nothing but a testosterone-laced competitive streak. And surely she’s only biding her time to heal, then she’s gone. Game over.
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A heartwarming story of perseverance, love and friendship. I truly enjoyed this story! Willow was an amazing female lead! She is strong and knows what she wants and works hard for it. Brodie is such a great guy! Definitely worthy of the book boyfriend list! I can’t wait to see what this author team does next!
3.5
Spanish & English Opinion
ESP ::
Me gustó mucho la historia y la pareja principal, confirmada por Willow y Brodie es preciosa. Tienen química súper linda y se quieren. Su relación es muy sana y realista.
Solo de repente sentí que las secuencias de tiempo y espacio no tenían mucha claridad. Estaban en el locker y de repente ya patinando. Estaban en el estacionamiento y de repente se estaban bajando del auto. También un evento que había sido ayer ya había ocurrido hace unas semanas, pero sin precedente.
Es una historia linda, divertida y súper sporty
ENG ::
The story is great and I loved the MCs. Willow and Brodie have an amazing connection and relationship. I loved their chemistry and also how they interact. It’s realistic, hot but also age appropriate.
I just got confused with the sequence of events sometimes. The time transition was confusing because suddenly something that happened recently was weeks ago. Also, with the space; they were in the locked but suddenly driving with no smooth transition, so yeah… confusing.
The story is amazing and I loved the hockey topic!
After an injury benched her from figure skating, Willow came home to recover. To help build her back up, Brodie suggested she play hockey and fill in for their injured goalie. With a series of other distractions, the two fall for each other.
Opinion
This is a really cute read. I’ll admit to looking up several terms, both in hockey and figure skating. I enjoyed Willow switching sports and proving that girls can be as tough as guys.
I think, with all the side plots, this book does a good job of representing real life. Both Willow and Brodie had things going on that would be devastating to a teen. They persevered though and became stronger for it.
Many thanks to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC of this book.
Toe Pick.
I’m old enough for that to be romantic and adorable before reading Kelly Anne Blount’s and Lynn Rush’s In The Penalty Box.
After a horrendous injury, Willow Covington is home nursing her wounds. She’s doing what she can to work her way back to the Olympic Figure Skating Team she was on before getting hurt. It just isn’t going well. Going to open ice time at the local ice rinks is giving her practice and keeping her sane.
Puck Head.
Brodie Windom is the wealthy and athletic ‘It-Guy.’ Girls want to know him, and guys want to be like him. What does he want? He wants someone who doesn’t fall for the Windom name and doesn’t care about the legacy with which it comes. The girl who just checked him where the sun doesn’t shine looks like his next new mistake. She’s beautiful. And he learned last year beautiful ruins hockey. But when she makes an unlikely save from the stands that put their goalie to shame, he starts thinking of her in a new light.
In The Penalty Box is a cute love story with a lot of baggage. I was halfway in thinking that this was all sweet and precious when the poop hit the fan. There is some brutal reality in In The Penalty Box that many kids will, unfortunately, be able to relate to, and that is a shame.
I recommend this book to fans of Sara Ney’s Kissing in Cars.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary advance copy of this book.
Kissing in Cars (Kiss and Make Up, #1)
In the Penalty Box by Lynn Rush and Kelly Anne Blount is a great book about a hockey player and a figure skater helping each other out.
Will Willow go back to figure skating or continue playing hockey?
Willow Covington
Willow is our first main character, and she is trying to get back in shape to return to figure skating. The problem with that, though, is that what she is already doing isn’t enough. Wind is helping her to get better while she helps his hockey team by being their goalie. Brodie also said that he would help her train for both. Now that is an accomplishment. The question is, will Willow loves playing hockey more than she does figure skating? That is the biggest question that she has to ask herself a lot throughout the book. Along with will she keep her figure skating dreams in the forefront of her mind?
Willow is a great character, and I loved following her journey of recovering from her injury to figuring out that maybe going home wasn’t such a bad thing. She is great because Willow knows that she might not be able to make it back to figure skating, but she is hoping to, yet maybe she could find another passion on the ice that won’t hurt herself even more.
Brodie “Wind” Windhom
Brodie is focused on getting to State Championships again to get into the same college as his grandfather and dad and be on the hockey team to get through college. He has two problems with those dreams. Will that be enough to get his dad to stay at home again? And is spending so much time with Willow be a good thing in the long run for him? Those two questions he has to ask himself throughout the book.
Brodie has two different sides to him that he shows throughout that makes him such a great character. He is a typical jock type of character when he is near his friends, and only certain people see his gentler side that is reserved for his home life. Brodie’s homelife is complex, and I feel so bad for him. I hope that something good happens to him.
Five Stars
In the Penalty Box by Lynn Rush and Kelly Anne Blount is such a fantastic book that I didn’t want to put it down for anything. I admit I love watching the Cutting Edge films, and this book did such a great job of representing both hockey and figure skating life. Both sports require a lot out of the athletes, and that if it helps some people recover from injuries as it does with Willow, that is fantastic. I love the banter between Brodie and Willow. In the Penalty Box by Lynn Rush and Kelly Anne Blount deserves a five-star rating and a recommendation to anyone that likes a young adult sports romance.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the YA Bound Book Tours. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of In the Penalty Box by Lynn Rush and Kelly Anne Blount.
Until the next time,
Karen the Baroness
If you would like to see other reviews like this one, check out BaronessBookTrove.com.
Willow just wants to work on her skating, what she has left of it. The career adjusting injury has made her life something she never thought she would see. Now she has been given a chance for something different. Does she have the guts?
Brodie is attracted to the amazing girl he does not want to like. It seems mutual, but teenage attraction is never that simple. When his teammates taunt him into hanging out with the good looking skater, he may get more than he bargained for.
This story was cute and charming, in a teen snarky kind of way. I am not sure if I liked it at first, but I loved the honesty between the characters. I was fully vested by the third chapter and I couldn’t wait to read the end.
***This early copy was given in exchange for an honest review by its publishers and Netgalley.
I have followed KAB on Wattpad for years but this is the first published book of hers I’ve read and it’s amazing.
Willow and Brodie are going through so much but it seemed like they could get through anything together. Watching their friendship grow was so fun but even better was seeing how fierce Willow is. There’s not a single person that she won’t stand up to and I was totally here for it. I shed more than a few tears for these two and cracked up a lot too. I would love to see more from this group!!