Star basketball player Chelsea “Nitro” Keyes had the promise of a full ride to college–and everyone’s admiration in her hometown. But everything changed senior year, when she took a horrible fall during a game. Now a metal plate holds her together and she feels like a stranger in her own family. As a graduation present, Chelsea’s dad springs for a three-week summer “boot camp” program at a … northern Minnesota lake resort. There, she’s immediately drawn to her trainer, Clint, a nineteen-year-old ex-hockey player who’s haunted by his own traumatic past. As they grow close, Chelsea is torn between her feelings for Clint and her loyalty to her devoted boyfriend back home. Will an unexpected romance just end up causing Chelsea and Clint more pain–or finally heal their heartbreak?
more
This is a YA novel that focuses on how life can change on a dime. One incident can change the trajectory of your life as you know it. Both Clint and Chelsea went through traumatic events that turned their worlds upside down. Neither of them have been able to move forward and live life to its fullest. They meet at a lake resort…Chelsea is there on vacation and Clint works at the resort. They are thrown together during various activities such as hiking, canoeing…they are attracted to each other but more than that together they find a way to move past their grief and start living life. “Promise me” she says, looking me square in the eye, “that from now on, there won’t be anymore living timidly. Not like you did these last two years. No more hiding away from anything that scares you. From here on out, you’ll—get out there and devour life.”
The book is well written and descriptive, you can picture yourself at the lake resort enjoying the summer. Told in dual POV which I like. Though, I have to admit, I did not connect with Chelsea…she was very self-absorbed and I understand that she is trying to find herself again but she really was not cognizant of others feelings. Overall, this book is a pleasant read if you enjoy YA storylines. Copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. 3.5s
Title: Playing Hurt
Author: Holly Schindler
Genre: YA/ NA romance
My rating: 3.5 Stars
:
’ , .
.
“ ’ , .”
“, , —”
“ , ,” .
,
.
I’ve never read a book from Schindler before—so this was my first introduction. We start out with Chelsea Keyes, a star (high school) basketball player on the verge of great success. Quite literally, she’s on the cusp of receiving everything she’s dreamed of. Unfortunately, tragedy strikes. Chelsea survives a horrific accident, altering her physical and mental well-being. Her boyfriend Gabe is there through it all. Helps her wrestle through her trials. However, when Chelsea goes to a 3-week “boot camp” program, she meets Clint who shares some similarities. The pair soon can’t resist the urge to be near each other. Something Chelsea shouldn’t have ever contemplated.
Okay, so here’s what kept me glued: liked that the leading characters seemed to be upstanding people, just having a hard bout at life, and are learning some important lessons along the way.
Here’s where it got sticky for me: I didn’t like how “selfish” Chelsea was. She didn’t consider how her actions would alter Gabe’s life. She didn’t consider the repercussions that would follow, either. She’s young, yes. But that didn’t sway me having a strong dislike for her character. I hated how self-absorbed she was, and felt she kinda got away with murder.
Aside the aforementioned, the story is good and I’m glad to have gotten a copy in exchange for an
Get ready to read a story full of turmoil, and love it! Being that I am not a sports person, at first, I thought this was about people pretending to be hurt, emotionally. It’s not; this story is about athletes playing, or choosing not to play, when they are hurt.
I don’t usually care for books where the main character is already committed to someone else, and meets the other main character. More than a third of the way through, though, I’m finding myself starting to root for Clint and Chelsea. Even then, I still waffled between rooting for them, and not rooting for them.
I like that the title of the book is hidden in the story, like a treasure, waiting to be discovered. I love that these two are healing each other so they’re better than they ever were before. The ending was *incredible*. I. Cannot. Wait for the next book! I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.