Friday Night Lightsmeets Morgan Matson’s The Unexpected Everything in this contemporary debut where swoonworthy romance meets underdog sports story. When softball star Liv Rodinsky throws one ill-advised punch during the most important game of the year, she loses her scholarship to her fancy private school, her boyfriend, and her teammates all in one fell swoop. With no other options, Liv is … in one fell swoop. With no other options, Liv is forced to transfer to the nearest public school, Northland, where she’ll have to convince its coach she deserves a spot on the softball team, all while facing both her ex and the teammates of the girl she punched… Every. Single. Day.
Enter Grey, the injured star quarterback with amazing hair and a foolproof plan: if Liv joins the football team as his temporary replacement, he’ll make sure she gets a spot on the softball team in the spring. But it will take more than just a flawless spiral for Liv to find acceptance in Northland’s halls, and behind that charismatic smile, Grey may not be so perfect after all.
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I enjoy sports romance, and was excited when I saw the book synopsis for Throw Like a Girl. I enjoyed this story from the very beginning, and looked forward to each evening, when I could power up my Kindle, and escape in to the life of Liv Rodinsky.
Liv was such a strong character. I admired her courage, heart, tenacity, and perseverance. She enjoyed a good challenge and never backed down out of fear or insecurity.
As a softball star Liv, otherwise known as “O Rod,” enjoyed attending all girls school Windsor Prep on scholarship, playing ball under the coaching of older sister Danielle, and bonding with friends; especially best friend Addie. However, when she is provoked in playoffs, and punches another player, she loses her team, school scholarship, and boyfriend Jake; who attends opposing public high school Northland.
Now forced to attend Northland, she is in classes with her ex-boyfriend and football star Jake, and girls from the softball team that dislike her. Liv’s only hope of getting a place on the Northland softball team and a scholarship for college, is to prove to coach Kitt that she can be a team player.
When gorgeous injured quarterback Grey offers a way for Liv to prove that she’s a team player, and get him to put in a good word for her with his mother, who happens to be coach Kitt, she takes it! Now Liv is training as a quarterback in an all male sport, alongside Jake and Grey, and it’s sure to be an experience that she will never forget!
I loved the way the author made me feel like I was at each football practice and football game. I could visualize everything perfectly, and found myself holding my breath in anticipation! I enjoyed the camaraderie of Liv and her teammates, and was rooting for this underdog! Liv was such a stellar character, and I needed her to be successful!
There were so many heartwarming moments in this story. Sparks flew from the beginning between Liv and Grey, and I loved the way they flirted, trained, played, and had a great time together. Grey had me swooning with his sweet and dreamy personality. One of my favorite aspects of the story was Liv’s relationship with her family. They were a tight and loving unit, and her mom was battling cancer, but was such a tower of strength. Liv had such a special relationship with older sister Danielle, and younger brother Ryan; and both of these relationships had me smiling from ear to ear, and getting teary eyed.
Throw Like a Girl was a story that flowed seamlessly, it had “all the feels,” great messages about strength, growing up, and maturity; swoon-worthy moments, and was an excellent read that I highly recommend to fans of young adult sports romance!
Though I don’t read a lot of YA these days, I had total grabby hands for Throw Like a Girl as soon as I saw the cover. A female quarterback? Yes, please. My feminist heart sings. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I’m a big football fan, so I was happy to see the aspects relating to the sport itself were really well done. I also liked that it touched on other issues, too. And unsurprising to anyone, I loved the romance. Overall, this book was mostly light and fluffy (and I mean that in a positive way) with likable characters and just a smidge of angst. A super fun read from a new-to-me author!
3.5/5 Stars
This is the kind of story that you read and can’t help thinking that it would make a great movie. This is an adorable little dramedy that ticks off all the boxes on what would make for a good book-to-screen adaptation.
While this is a story that I enjoyed, it did not blow me away. It had the mechanics for a mind-blowing story but I think that either some of it was lost in translation or the execution could use some work.
I enjoyed this book but I just didn’t fall in love with the storytelling. It felt very impersonal to me for some reason. I think that it stems from Liv and Grey’s relationship. Their relationship didn’t have a lot of depth and since it’s a big part of the story, I suppose it left me wanting more. The romance was cute but it didn’t have that sense of importance. It definitely took side stage to the rest of the story.
The biggest part of the story felt like it was Liv’s personal journey and I was totally on board for that. I think that it may have overshadowed some other parts of the story, like the romance, but it was still solid.
I really loved the plot of this story and how it was executed. I certainly would have added some more intricacy to the overall plot but the path was set up well. I loved the entire premise for this story and it really spoke to me.
The characters really had the groundwork to be amazing but in the end, I felt they could have used a little more work. The characters have depth and great backstory but they are just missing a spark. That thing that makes you want to read more about them just isn’t there for the most part. The characters just fell a little flat and I honestly can’t put my finger on why that is. It may be in the dialogue and the way that the characters interact with one another. Whatever the case may be, the characters just weren’t that memorable. I would like to point out that this story does boast incredible female friendship as well as positive family relationships. I really loved how present the parents and family were in this story.
Overall, this was an empowering story with a very positive message. I am so glad that I read this book and I would definitely recommend it. If you are looking for a fluffy sports-centric read with a heart at its center then pick this one up.
The moment Liv Rodinsky throws a punch on the field, her softball career as she knows it is over. She’s forced to transfer schools her junior year, a spot on her new school’s softball team her only hope for a college scholarship—slim chance since her new coach saw the punch. So when Liv is recruited as a backup quarterback for the highschool football team, she agrees on the spot, determined to prove her worth. It certainly doesn’t hurt that the quarterback who recruited her is dashingly handsome. With adrenaline-inducing gameplay, Sarah Henning knocked it out of the park with this sporty YA romance!