Nico Medina’s world is eleven miles away from mine. During the day, it’s a place where doors are open–where homes are lived in, and neighbors love. But when the sun sets, it becomes a place where young boys are afraid, where eyes watch from idling cars that hide in the shadows and wicked smoke flows from pipes. West End is the kind of place that people survive. It buries them–one at a time, one … one way or another. And when Nico was a little boy, his mom always told him to run.I’m Reagan Prescott–coach’s daughter, sister to the prodigal son, daughter in the perfect family. Life on top. Lies.My world is the ugly one. Private school politics and one of the best high school football programs in the country can break even the toughest souls. Our darkness plays out in whispers and rumors, and money and status trump all. I would know–I’ve watched it kill my family slowly, strangling us for years. In our twisted world, a boy from West End is the only shining light.Quarterback. Hero.Heart.Good.I hated him before I needed him.I fell for him fast.I loved him when it was almost too late. When two ugly worlds collide, even the strongest fall. But my world…it hasn’t met the boy from West End.
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What is it about high school romances that keeps me coming back for more?? I’m such a sucker for them! Naturally, it’s no surprise that I loved Ginger Scott’s recently released romance. It had everything that I liked: all of the classroom angst, longing stares in the school hallway, and cafeteria drama. It’s a romance between an artsy girl and a quarterback, who’s from the other side of town and not quite your stereotypical jock… hmmm my cup of tea!
This is a great YA read! It had me absolutely swooning over 18 year old Nico, and rooting for 18 year old Reagan. Sometimes YA heroines annoy me, but she has her head on straight & a great personality & it all shines throughout the story. I LOVE the football descriptions (we get to see and really FEEL some of the games), the banter, the progression of Reagan & Nico’s relationship… And along w/ all of that, we get to know Reagan & Nico’s families, as well. And how the team is a family. And we get to cheer and cry and LOVE with them. Thumbs way up for this one!! *happy sigh* : 0)
When I started reading The Hard Count , I wasn’t sure what to expect. With every Ginger Scott book, there’s something new and different–this book didn’t disappoint. I’m not going to summarize the book for you–I’ll just tell you what it did to me. It brought out all the feels–I mean ALL the feels. Happiness, sadness, anger, silliness, angst, fear, confusion, and disappointment. My disappointment wasn’t with the book, but with the actions within the pages–discrimination. Sterotyping. Labelling. All I’m going to say is–Nico Medina wasn’t what they expected–he’s so much more. A West End boy who recognizes, accepts, and pummels the challenges thrown his way. He’s intelligent, talented, and has a heart of gold–which makes him perfect for Reagan because she’s exactly the same. Kindred spirits. Soul mates.
The Hard Count is one of my all-time favorite reads–one that I’ll read again and again.
What a fantastic book. Although this is a YA romance and opposites attract type of storyline, it has so much meaning behind the story. The drama and lives of the characters makes the reader really think about empathy for others. Empathy for those who suffer from discrimination. It highlights the fact that here are ignorant people to the deep roots of discrimination, and makes you hope for a better world. Nico and Reagan’s story is a fantastic read!
This is a story that you will want to go back and read on countless occasions. The storyline, characters & background combine to make an exceptional book.
For someone who doesn’t really like sports, I plowed through Scott’s spicy sports romance in record time.
4.5 stars
This book was a great YA sports romance ! It’s so much more then a football romance though . There’s strong brotherhood bonds, family relationships and broken and healed , and friendships formed .
I loved Nico and all he strived for and stood for . He’s smart , kind, loyal , talented and an all round great guy !! And he doesn’t give up !!
Reagan , is smart and independent . She is loyal to her family and friends and not pretentious . She’s a
Film student out to follow her own path and She sees something special in Nico and takes a chance on him.
Their romance is a slow burn , and very young adult appropriate , it’s not the main focus though . Like I said so much more to this story .
The football too .. gees I don’t watch football but I had goosebumps while reading those scenes ! So we’ll written !! I was completely involved in the story and wanted to cheer along with the crowd haha ! That was awesome ! I loved it!
Coming to the end of the story I’m left wanting more! I was really hoping there was spin offs for the side characters – Noah and Izzy or someone Sasha!! and what happens for these guys in college ? Where do they end up … but at the same time it was a great ending ! Inspiring !
As with every new novel by Ginger Scott, I was impatiently waiting for this story and believe me once again, this author did not disappoint and gave us something beautiful.
I’ll start with the main characters, Reagan is a funny, nerd and confident girl who knows what she wants in life, I loved reading about her, she always knew how to defend her place and not be pushed around by politics, gossips or the opinions of others, her growth was so tender to read and her passion for her documentary was one of the things that I liked the most and enjoyed reading it. Now let’s continue with the gorgeous Nico, this is a character I assure you it will be impossible not to fall in love with and not for how handsome he is, which is mentioned very little and I liked that it was not something that important, but for how beautiful he is inside. He is intelligent, loyal, hardworking, honest, fighter, confident and I could continue listing the tons of qualities this character has, in my opinion is one of the most complete characters that this author has written, since he appeared it caught my attention completely. The secondary characters add a lot to the story, Noah, Reagan’s brother, I didn’t like him from the start but it was very nice to see how he grew, the same with Reagan’s dad and mom. Valerie, Nico’s mom was my favorite, Ginger represented her so well! We are talking about a Mexican mother living in the United States, what I liked is how it wasn’t based on clichés but it was so real, as I read it I totally imagined my mom or my grandmother or my aunts. We also have Sasha, he was one of those characters that the moment they appear they caught your attention, I would have liked to read a lot more of him and see him in more scenes, plus I feel the author forgot about him, I have many questions about this character (I’m secretly hoping it will be a history of him, but Ginger says this story will be the only one).
This book is going to hooked you from the beginning, is that good and addictive. I loved how the story developed, it was not the typical love story between rich girl and poor boy living in a troubled neighborhood, it showed the highs and lows on both sides of the coin and how the characters struggled to achieve their dreams through all of that. Be prepared with some Kleenex; believe me that it will make you cry. The development of the love story was very cute and romantic to read, it was not at all rushed and was carried out very well. I loved how they relied on and understood each other.
It mention a subject that have been happening for a long time and that until now it has become somewhat controversial, it talks about how we see a direction, a skin color, a country of origin and automatically we label a person. Nico’s fight to leave everything bad from where he lives and be the man that his mother raised him to be was something so noble and honorific to read, you have no idea of the thousand obstacles he faced and he never stopped fighting or changed who he is, or be rude or find easy ways. Ginger created an extraordinary atmosphere around this book, even though it’s been several days since I read it, it still create chills, to see what was happening in the field through Reagan’s eyes, the feelings and struggles of Nico, the pride and love of Nico’s mother, the frustration and passion of Noah, it was magical!. That’s what I applaud the most, the capacity of this author to create this amazing environment, these feelings about the characters and the many situations that happened in the history.
I appreciate that this book is not full of clichés, when I knew Nico had Mexican roots and it has many Latinos characters in the story, it really got me thinking, whether in a book or a movie they add a character of a different nationality that is not American, ninety-five percent of the time it is based on clichés, here it was not the case! The author captured the characters so well and their situations which for me it made it even better.
I will not stop recommend this book, if you have not read anything from this author but want to give her a chance, start with this book, The Hard Count has become one of my favorite books of Ginger Scott and I’m sure it will be of many of you. I’m left with a great taste and the feeling that despite this long review, my words will not be enough to do it justice, I assure you, you will not regret it.
I was given this book to read along with several others and my initial reaction was “uh oh”. I don’t read YA (I’m a grandmother – a bit past that stage), don’t care for first person narrative, and really don’t like present tense. However, this was one of the best books I’ve read all year. Scott’s writing is tremendous. I was completely drawn in by her characters and after a chapter forgot all of my preconceived dislikes. This outstanding book transcends the YA category – she accurately portrayed the emotions and actions of the teenagers and brought it all to life, with a few tears along the way. It’s a great read and I highly recommend it.
Audiobook review:
The Hard Count is a standalone ya romance told in first person single pov with a guaranteed hea. This author takes two poles apart class of people & artistries a melodious love saga. An enlightened exposition on class, prejudice and kin. The boy from the wrong side of the tracks gets a chance at making a name for himself & the daughter of prestigious high school football coach who Is creating a film about what role football plays in her family life & school.
A blend of melodrama, love, politics, & sports all rolled up together to create a compassionate listen.
Narated by Kai Kennicott with appearances of Wen Ross sprinkled through out the narrative. Kai Kennicott’s performance was flawless. All the right sentiments are visible at the right time. Tone and pace flows through smoothly. Wen Ross never disappoints, but this one is all Kai with her perfect performance. Kai brings the character & narative to the real world.
Ginger Scott writes emotional and sometimes gut wrenching books. I had to take my time with this one because it kept tearing me up. It is beautifully written and very technical at times (I don’t know all of the ins and outs of football). Ginger Scott has definitely poured her heart & soul into this book.
The Hard Count is a story about circumstances. The story revolves around two families and a football team at a prestigious private school – Cornwell Prep. But the circumstances that surround all of that is layered and layered throughout this story.
The circumstances are everywhere. It’s the coach fighting for his job because the wealthy alumni wants to take it for his nephew. It’s the Cornwell Prep students who are thought to be “at risk” because there are scholarship kids in attendance. It’s the 11 miles that separate the wealthy and privileged from the poor. It’s about class, pride, racism, ugliness, winning, losing and most of all appearances.
This book was heavy and intense.
Reagan Marie Prescott is many things. She’s smart. She’s the coaches daughter, a twin to her brother Noah (the “star” quarterback), and her mom is the head of the booster club where throwing parties and looking pretty is her job.
Nico Medina is a fighter. He is street smart, driven, compassionate and a family guy. Family is not always blood. His mom is a single parent, working hard. Living day to day. Raising Nico’s niece while his brother is in Afghanistan. Nico is at Cornwell on an academic scholarship.
Reagan & Nico have been sparing and debating academically for 3 years. A twist of fate has Reagan asking Nico for help. The harsh reality of their different worlds comes at Reagan like a slap to her face.
“What’s his name?” he asks.
“Nico Medina,” I say.
“Scholarship kid,” my dad nods.
I nod back.
“Soccer?” my dad asks, his head tilted to one side. I pause a little thrown by his question. My brow pinched, I shake my head no.
“He’s in honors. He’s probably going to be our valedictorian,” I say. My dad nods, still lost to his thoughts before answering.
“Wow, good for him,” he says.
My chest starts to tighten, but I don’t let the words come that I’m thinking. My dad isn’t a racist, but I feel a little ashamed right now.
…….”He’s really smart. And not all Mexicans play soccer,” I say.
This book is intense. I love the relationship that develops between Nico and Reagan. It will make you feel. As Ginger Scott says in her acknowledgments:
“Ugly doesn’t have a color. It lives among selfishness and hate. And as much as this story is about football…it’s also about that.”
So, if you are looking for an intense, angst filled, happy, sad, story….this would be it.
5 emotional stars!
#AuthorGingerScott #TheHardCount #Love #Angst #FootballRomance #Contemporary #ReaganAndNico #Blogger #BlushingBabesAreUpAllNight #Emotional #ComingOfAge
This was an unexpected read. I saw a few friends had read this and really liked it. Even going in thinking I’m pretty sure I’ll like it too, I was surprised with the effect it had. This is one of those stories that start out kind of slow and then it builds and builds until the end you when you finish and you sit back and think man that was really good! It’s the kind of story that stays on your mind long after you finish reading it.
This is YA story that deals with the struggle with quite a few issues. Our main characters is Reagan, a teenage girl from an all american family. Her dad is the private school’s football coach. Her twin brother is the star quarterback and her mom is the stay at home mom who heads all the social parties.
Then you have Nico. He’s a scholarship kid who lives in a bad neighborhood. His brother got mixed up with a gang, got his girl pregnant and then said girl takes off and he isn’t in the picture either. I won’t say where he is since it’s not revealed right away. Nico’s mom is already a single mom but now she takes care of the granddaughter as well. Nico’s family is Mexican. That shouldn’t even need to be mentioned but it plays a role in some of the issues being dealt with in the story.
With the little bit of background I gave you, you can probably already see the issues that will come up in the story. That may be predictable but there were unpredictable elements as well. I never thought about the issues the author brings to light that the teenage girl and her all american family dealt with because of her dad being a coach and the snobby women the mom has to deal with.
The story really showed that no matter the race, rich or poor, we all have issues in our life that we deal with. Issues that shape and mold each and every one of us. One of the best things I loved about this story was how much good can come from these issues.
Nico was an exceptional hero. His and Reagan’s relationship was incredibly sweet and what we would want our children to experience in their lives. I’ve never read this author before and this book has me excited to see what else she has written.
I listened to the audiobook and highly recommend it to audio lovers. The narrators were really good and did such a wonderful job putting heart into the reading of this story.
Ginger Scott has quickly become one of my favorite authors. After reading A Boy Like You, I binge read everything she’s ever written. The Hard Count is my favorite and I’ve read it three times, which I guess makes me a bit obsessed haha
The story,the characters and the very good writing will grab your attention from the first page and you won’t want to say goodbye to them at the end.
The Hard Count was a beautiful love story and so much more…I appreciated how the growing relationship between Nico and Reagan is not the only focus of the plot,actually it is only the starting point to discover their different worlds,their friends and families.
I love High School Football and I really liked how the author described the games and the pressure behind this beautiful sport.
This story touched me so much because it is so realistic it hurts as much as it was mine.
Even if I’m not american this story made me think,I live in a city considered by many the West End of my country and this made me really sad because I love this city as much as Nico loves his neighborhood.