I asked for his criteria for bed buddies–that’s the PG version.He swore at me and said he didn’t do groupies. And just like that, our friendship was off to a great start.Reese Forster was the starting point guard for the Seattle Thunder.Gorgeous. Cocky. Loved by the nation.He’s also attending preseason basketball training camp where I used to work.Correction: where I work again, because I was … work.
Correction: where I work again, because I was fired from my last job.
And dumped.
And I might have a tiny bit of baggage, but that’s normal. Right?
Reese and I shouldn’t have become friends. We shouldn’t have become roommates.
And we really shouldn’t have started sleeping together … (Except we did.)
I’m adorably psychotic. He’s in the NBA.
This is not a disaster waiting to happen, at all.
Teardrop Shot is a 107k standalone with brand new characters.
more
“Life’s different at this stage, and I think, I really think, you’re my teardrop shot. You’re the high arch in my life. You’re beautiful inside and out, and you’re rare. So very rare.”
Teardrop Shot, just by reading the blurb sounded like a sports RomCom with the Tijan touch.
Heh… Yeah, right. It’s Tijan so I was surprised. This is emotional and thoughtful as it deals with grief and the aftermath of that grief and the choices that are taken by the lead characters — Charlie and Reese.
Unlike other Tijan books that usually hook me from the get-go, it not only took me a while to get into the book but also what to think of the characters, especially Charlie.
Charlie is… well, think of Summer from Anti-Stepbrother and now dial it up a few notches. Phew! Yeah. She made me look forward to her questions making me laugh out loud at those. Charlie was unlike any of the other female leads Tijan has previously written.
Reese Forster is the starting point guard for Seattle Thunder basketball team. At first glance, Resse might have come across as the typical jock but there is so much more to him than meets the eye and Tijan gave exactly that by writing this story in dual point of view.
Charlie is back to Echo Island Camp and is trying to “recoup” from her past but it just so happens that the Seattle Thunder have booked the camp during their pre-season game, who also just happens to be Charlie’s absolute favourite team and Resse Forester her favourite player.
Charlie & Resse’s first meeting was nothing short of hilarious —
“What’s your criteria for determining your fu-k buddy?
*snort laugh*
This one question lead to a friendship that neither was looking for nor knew they would come to need.
My favourite parts of this book were, easily, the development of Reese and Charlie’s friendship which lead to Charlie’s journey to healing from her past and Reese learning to let go and his journey to healing the wounds inflicted by his family.
The biggest USP of this book is that unlike the previous Tijan this story is low on the drama scale and high on the emotional value and once I was in, I loved the ups and downs and the heartbreak and love that I experienced while reading.
It all started with a random ass question so it only seemed fitting that it ended with one too, what it was… you’ll have to read to find out. *cheesy grin*
4 Stars!
5 Stars
Review by Lisa
Late Night Reviewer
Up All Night w/ Books Blog
This book is nothing like I thought it would be. It is so much better than I could have imagined. Emotional, inspirational, funny, powerful, and so much more. Teardrop Shot by Tijan is absolutely breathtaking. I don’t want to say the best of her work because I absolutely love all her books, but this one just shows what an amazing author she is. How her written words have such a hold and how they can affect you so much. Absolutely brilliant!!!
This is one of those stories that comes down to all the small intricacies throughout the story. All those little details and pieces that just grab you and pull you into their world. You feel every laugh, shake of the head, eye roll, tear, etc. with them. Oh, and those pieces that you just had no idea would sneak up into the story and take your breath away because it’s just powerful.
Life is hitting the proverbial wall for Charlie and it sends her back to to a place she left behind. Life keeps taking shots at her but, when Reese’s first encounter with Charlie doesn’t go so well, what’s the worst that can happen?
This story just has so much power to it. Everyone should read it.
Keep doing what you’re doing, Tijan, because your stories just keep getting better and better and I can’t wait to read what you release next.
This book is so cute oh. My. God! Have you read something that just fills you with all the butterflies? I read it in two nights and it would’ve been one, but I guess sleep is a thing. Teardrop Shot is also somehow the perfect combination of cute, heartbreaking, and HOT. I was laughing at some points, bawling at others, and fanning myself during MANY.
I don’t want to say too much because I don’t want to give it away, but I thought Tijan handled certain aspects of the book really well and that just made the book even better for me.
Fave quote:
“He’d answered my questions. No one answered my questions.”
5/5 “he answered my question” stars
Teardrop Shot is more than a book, it’s a whole experience. HIGHLY recommend!
I loved Teardrop Shot so much! It had all the feels, from laughing to crying to laughing again. Whenever I get something new from Tijan on my Kindle, I devour it in one sitting and this was no different.
: 4.25 stars–TEARDROP SHOT by Tijan is a contemporary, adult, stand alone romance story line focusing on Charlotte aka Charlie, and professional basketball player Reese Forster.
Told from first person perspective (Charlie) and one chapter from Reese TEARDROP SHOT follows the building relationship between Charlie and professional basketball player Reese Forster. For the past several years, our heroine Charlie, has been living in her own private h*ll, a hell of which few people are aware. One year earlier Charlie walked away from the love of her life, and entered into a relationship with a man who broke her heart. A phone call from a former friend finds Charlie the ‘ball girl’ at Echo Island Camp, a private camp where the Seattle Thunder basketball team will be holding preseason workouts. Enter professional basketball player and starting point guard Reese Forster, our heroine’s favorite player, and the man with whom Charlie will fall in love. What ensues is the building but forbidden romance between Charlie and Reese, and the potential fall-out as Charlie pulls away before yet another crack in her already broken heart.
Charlie is what can only be labelled quirky and strange; a little cray-cray with a slight case of rambling Tourette’s where our heroine asked questions that make no sense at all. Struggling in her own personal nightmare, Charlie’s failed relationships, and continuing job losses constantly pushed at her already fragile heart-Charlie’s secrets have built a wall between herself and her friends, friends from whom she walked away eight years earlier. Meeting her idol Reese Forster, stirs something deep within our heroine, something that manifests itself just short of an emotional breakdown.
The relationship between Charlie and Reese is one of immediate attraction. Charlie’s peculiar way of dealing with stress comes across as odd and unorthodox. Reese Forster finds Charlie’s peculiarities wacky but fun, fun enough to answer her constant stream of unusual questions. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.
There is a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters including Charlie’s friends Trent, Owen, Hadley, and Grant; camp administrator Keith Gimpel; as well as several team members –Garth, Terry, Matthew, Juan, and their significant others; and coaches, agents and administrators for the Seattle Thunder Basketball Team.
TEARDROP SHOT is a story of secrets, heart break, love and loss; of friendship and family; of struggle and peace. The premise is fascinating; the characters are flirty, sassy and wounded; the romance is spicy, edgy and intense. TEEARDROP SHOT is a wonderful, emotional and captivating story line that touches on some traumatic times for our story line couple.
I’m a complete and absolute mess, this book has wrecked me and my family thinks I’m a complete maniac .
I was constantly laughing and crying in interval of 5-10 minutes and this all aloud! I don’t know what to do with myself now, that’s over. I’m a slow reader, but I’ve read it in one go.
I loved all Tijans books, but this one is just WOW It might be my favorite
I love it so much
It’s so funny and tragic at the same time. Yes, I know that makes no sense, but it really is. A constant rollercoaster of emotions, feelings and heartbreaks.
A story that starts so hilarious, that you’re not prepared for what comes next. And it’s a heartbreaking story about love, loss and new beginning That book breaks you down and builds you up again.
And let me not start about the characters.
Charlie is hilarious and her thoughts and question games have just cracked me up . Her tragic story wrecked me afterwards .
Reese the NBA player (by the way, it’s my favorite sport), is the hot stuff in the world of basketball . He is the captain of the best team in the NBA league and is celebrated as a good in the sport universe.
Have I mentioned that Charlie is a absolute fan of Reese?
I’ve highlighted so many sentences in this book, it’s ridiculous
Ok, that’s all of the spoilers
Do yourself a favor and read this book. This is THE book for all romantic hearts and drama enthusiasts. A perfect love romances with a epic HEA.
Teardrop Shot has got to be Tijan’s best work to date. And yes, I dare say it is better than my all-time favorite of hers, the Fallen Crest series.
It is hard to let that go, but this book shows this author’s growth as a writer and showcases her spectacular writing talent.
Not only do we have the regular angst of a Tijan book, we get so much more. Humour, tears, loss, pain friendship, love and a story line and characters that really are exceptional.
This book is so much more than I thought it could be and it left me gobsmacked. If there is one book you want to read this year, make it this one!
Charlie is a wonderfully complex character. She hides behind her hilarious verbal diarrhea when stressed or nervous. She also has a past that is both heartbreaking and soul-crushing. You feel every one of her emotions and you empathize. Your heart breaks right along with hers.
Reese is an NBA player that is dealing with family issues. He is a truly remarkable character. His is nothing short of swoon-worthy. Kind, caring and strong are just the tip of the iceberg for his character.
When these two meet, the sparks fly and so does the verbal diarrhea.
But, unlike others, Reese takes notice and spars right back.
Is it possible for someone whose soul has been crushed to move forward with someone new?
This story is told through Charlie’s POV only. It was the only downfall, for me. I would have loved even a chapter or two in Reese’s POV.
This is simply a preference however and does not detract whatsoever from the story or the book as a whole.
This is an EPIC read with an EPIC story but the writing and characters make this book EPICALLY EPIC!
I received an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I really enjoyed this one! A really complicated sports romance where I actually enjoyed the character a LOT.
It does get angsty, but nothing too terrible!
I listened to the audio of this book. I’m not sure why I put off reading this book, but I am glad I finally gave in. Tijan writes the best quirky characters and I loved Charlie from her first question. Getting to know her personality and learning the events in her life that created the person she is today kept me glued to the speaker. The relationship she built with Reese is total relationship goals – starting with a random friendship and growing to a true love story. I was especially happy that he actually answered her random questions. I also loved Charlie’s friends: Trent, Owen, Hadley, and Grant. They were so well fleshed out that I knew them almost as well as I knew Charlie and Reese. Now, I really want to know…who do you think would win a selfie contest between a dolphin and a manatee?
All the feels, from beginning to end!!
“It’s going to mean something.” – Reese Forster
Tijan’s Teardrop Shot is a moving, gut-wrenching new adult sports romance, and is perfect for anyone who is not afraid to feel. As recommended by book friends, I found myself a bit perplexed by the ominous tone that affected Charlie, a heroine who is finding her bearings, after getting out of a “tragically stupid” relationship that molded her into the very person who returns to her old stomping grounds—including ghosted friends, in need of work.
Enter, hot-shot basketball celebrity, Reese Forster. On the fringes of escaping a familial scandal, Reese and his team seek refuge at a secret training camp site. Unbeknownst to Charlie, Reese has no idea—nor any hesitation—in interacting with the oddly, weirdly intriguing Charlie.
“Life’s different at this stage, and …I really think, you’re my teardrop shot. You’re the high arch in my life. You’re beautiful inside and out, and you’re rare. So very rare.” – Reese
I was warned that this book would tear me to shreds piece by piece and the truth was that it did. But then as with Charlie, healing began, thus, merging the journey of her past, with that of the present and future.
I devoured this enemies-to-lovers, b-ball celebrity falls for quirky girl story in a day!? Charlie and Reese’s story touches on not only dealing with the travesties of life, but the journey in healing.
If you enjoy these tropes, than I highly recommend.
Tijan, thank you for this emotional story! I laughed, cried, and everything in between!!!
Tijan
I’ve read this book over a year ago and I can still remember the emotion it packs.
It is on the must-read and re-read category for me.
Charlie and Reese are so unique and wonderful. Their story is heartfelt and sweet and full of emotion.
This is a book that actually broke my heart and mend it beautifully afterwards.
I highly recommend it!
I really liked this book i found it really emotional but couldn’t stop reading it.
I really liked the storyline for this book it was different to what i read before and i am not if it was because i could relate to the main character, but i can’t say way as it will give away the story
Both main characters were broken and for some many different reasons, i really loved Charlie she was weird and a wonderful character with her her questions but it made her so unique, i cried over her story and what had happened to her.
Reese i loved as well, but his story got me all emotional towards the end even though his sad story evolved through the book. The connection these two had was special and i loved that Reese just saw Charlie for who is was.
This was an awesome sports romance with all the feelings so if this is your type of book i couldn’t recommend it more. Another awesome story from Tijan
4.5 stars
So good! I loved Charlie, she was so quirky and weird in a good way. Reese, totally swoon! This book was so much more than just a sports romance. I loved the emotional stuff just as much if not more than the romance. I also liked that they didn’t hop in bed the 1st 10% of the book. Overall this is definitely one of Tijan’s best books that I have read to date.
Another new author for me and I have to say I am hooked! I’m used to most books being writing as dual POV but I absolutely loved Charlie’s inner thoughts. I found her to be the perfect mix of quirky, funny and broken. I don’t think I could ever imagine being in her shoes but everything she went through got me all up in my feels and made me wanna squeeze her. Reese on the other hand took some time to make me fall but make me fall he did. It was the little things that made him the perfect book boyfriend. Even through he was just as broken as Charlie. I could read about these two forever and never get bored. I don’t think I’ve both wanted to cry and laugh on the same page before but Tijah made that happen. I can’t believe I’ve been missing out on this awesomeness for so long.
I enjoy all the books I read from Tijan and ‘Teardrop Shot’ didn’t disappoint just expected. What I realized is, I need to read more from Tijan. While you are reading this book be ready to be laughing out loud one minute and next you might find yourself near the verge of tears.
Reese Forster plays for the Seattle Thunder and he is one of the most popular NBA players. He tries to keep his personal life private but thanks to his brother, Reese’s personal life is all over the media. Because of the media circus Reese is in Seattle Thunder decides to have their preseason training in an undisclosed, not so famous places, where Reese get a chance to find something that he didn’t even realized he needed. After getting fired and being dumped by his boyfriend through his grandfather, Charlie decides to take the job offer from her friends and go back to Echo Island. The summers she spends at the Echo Island holds a special place for her. However, going back to Echo Island is also harder than she thinks. Facing all her friends, who were close to her like a family once but lost contact due to some issues, is more nerve racking than she thought. Her friends Trent, Hadley, Owen and Grant were amazing. I loved how supportive and protective they were. Charlie’s summer in Echo Island takes an unexpected turn when she realizes the guests of the camp are Seattle Thunder. She is a huge fan of the team so when she first saw them she goes all fan girl on them. But being a fan girl has a different meaning for Charlie thanks to her nervous habit. When she is stressed or nervous, she starts asking random questions. OMG! The questions she asks were hilarious. The moment Charlie sees Reese, questions keep coming back to back. Reese cannot decide if she is a stalker/crazy fan or not. With time their relationship develops to a friendship. Even though, they don’t know each other, they somehow understand one another. They start opening to each other.
Even they seem they are doing okay from outside, they have too many layers and masks. Thanks to their past heartbreaks, they both don’t want to put their walls down and risk getting a new heartbreak. It was amazing to see how two broken people came together and start healing each other. It was amazing how both Charlie and Reese had so many amazing people who were there to support them.
‘Teardrop Shot’ is an inspiring, heartbreaking, funny and sweet story that will make you feel all the emotions at one point or another and show you the importance of friendship and letting go off the past and allow yourself to start living again.
Would I recommend this book: Yes.
Would I re-read this book: Yes.
Would I read future books by this author: Yes.
I was not so sure about this book when I started it but I kept on reading because I love Tijan books, they always end up being great. About halfway through I really started to love this book and the characters and their odd sense of humor finally clicked. I laughed so much in this book, I had tears. Charlie and Reese’s banter is hilarious and some of Charlie’s quirks make you stop and do a re-read because you can’t believe she just said or did that. I won’t say more, I don’t want to spoil anything. So go read this book you won’t be disappointed, it’s really good.
Well where to start? This is so much more than a basketball sports romance. I immediately fell in love with Charlie. I loved her random questions and her little quirks but she was struggling so hard with life and what it had thrown at her and an unlikely friendship grew from nowhere with Reese the NBA player. Their text banter was hilarious and I loved how Reese humoured Charlie and her questions. This book gave me all the feels. There were secrets, friendships, laughs, heavy stuff, celebrity shenanigans, a bucket load of heat but most of all this was a rollercoaster of emotions. It was such an emotional journey that Charlie and Reese went through. At some points I feared that Tijan and I couldn’t be friends anymore. She tore me apart with this story but thankfully she put me back together again. Another great story with wonderful characters from Tijan. You should definitely add this to your TBR list.
This book is the best Tijan book I’ve yet to read. Teardrop Shot is brilliant.
Some people just have a lot of baggage. Charlie is one of those people, but she’s carrying hers and yours and mine. There’s also that thing where she’s just lost her job, and her ex-boyfriend dumped her via grandpa. Thank god she has basketball to keep her going. She has a love for it in her heart, and no matter how battered the organ is, basketball has yet to eff her over.
What are the chances that a higher power is looking down on her and is about to gift her with a dream job wrapped up in a hellish wrapper? Really good because she just blindly signed an NDA to work a three week camp working terrible hours, living in a horrible cabin, and she just found out the campers are her favorite basketball team and her favorite basketball player just asked her for a ball.
Reese Forster’s life is crap. He needs some time away, and his coach and manager arranged that, but his biggest distraction is the weird and crazy woman who works aat t the gym. She’s endless entertainment with her questions and her wackiness. Soon he’s built a friendship with her. That turns quickly into an FTHS.
This book is full of emotional depth. The handling of PTSD is done very well. The damage that these characters deal with is serious. It is a struggle for these two to get through the casual to get to something more. Unlike so many of Tijan’s Young and New Adult books, Teardrop Shot feels like it fits together, and no part of it is forced or hard to believe. And the characters are so very easy to love.
These unlikely friends to lovers romance are lovely puzzle pieces that fall together perfectly. I recommend this read to anyone who loves love.
Tijan is definitely one of my “one-click” authors and this story just proves why. She always writes with such emotion and gives us such realistic stories. I fell in love with both Charlie and Reese. They were so perfectly imperfect. Such a connection between the two of them that started as a friendship first and just grew from there. Charlie’s quirks were so endearing, I found myself laughing out loud at times! I really enjoyed this friends to lovers romance… such a great read!