I know practically nothing about sports. However, in the past I’ve loved Henning’s series Sea Witch so I knew I had to check out Throw Like a Girl. I shouldn’t have been worried. Throw Like a Girl is full of heart, laughter, and warmth.
Summary
Friday Night Lights meets 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 forced to transfer to the nearest public school, Northland, where she’ll have to convince their 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 the perfect spiral for Liv to find acceptance in Northland’s halls, and behind that charming smile, Grey may not be so perfect after all.
With well-drawn characters and a charming quarterback love interest who’s got brains as well as brawn, Throw Like a Girl will have readers swooning from the very first page.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from Netgalley. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
I didn’t plan on reading Throw Like a Girl in one day, but I couldn’t stop reading. The story is gripping and not in an anxiety provoking way, but in a, “these characters are precious I need to know what happens” way. Throw Like a Girl is heart warming. Henning is able to maintain a fabulous balance between topics of homophobia, college dreams, and romantic tension. It’s about wanting to protect the ones we love from all the things swirling in the air that can hurt them. At the same time, Throw Like a Girl is a story about loyalty, truth, and protection.
In a blink of an eye, a decision can make a splash that sends ripples out to all we touch. Liv’s fight changes her life. Used to being a star, Liv relocates to a new school where even her chances of playing softball, and going to college, are in jeopardy. Enter Grey and his plan to have Liv join the football team, just until he’s recovered. And so begins a story with chemistry and fabulous characters. They were what kept me reading. Whether it was Liv’s relationship with her brother or her best friend Addie, I loved every one of the side characters.
Throw Like a Girl is a warm hug. There’s depth, like her mom’s cancer and their finances, but you cannot deny the smiles from the character banter. It’s the perfect book to start off 2020. There’s a fair amount of plot twists and mystery, but Throw Like a Girl is a story about forgiveness, teamwork, and determination. We may think we are out for the game, when we really just have to sit out this inning. And that’s the extent of my sports knowledge.
Giveaway
2 Finished Copies US only
STARTS: 7th January 2020
ENDS: 21st January 2020
a Rafflecopter giveawayAbout the Author
Sarah Henning is a recovering journalist who has worked for the Palm Beach Post, Kansas City Star and Associated Press, among others. While in South Florida, Sarah lived and worked through five hurricanes, which gave her an extreme respect for the ocean. When not writing, she runs ultramarathons, hits the playground with her two kids and hangs out with her husband Justin, who doubles as her long-suffering IT department. Sarah lives in Lawrence, Kansas, which, despite being extremely far from the beach, happens to be pretty cool.
Tour Schedule
January 7th
The Unofficial Addiction Book Fan Club – Welcome Post
January 8th
L.M. Durand – Guest Post
What She Will Read – Review
The Phantom Paragrapher – Review
My Bookish Escapades – Review
Library of a Book Witch – Review
January 9th
Moonlight Rendezvous – Review + Favourite Quotes
Shelf-Rated – Review + Favourite Quotes
A Bookish Escape – Review
Young Adult Media Consumer – Review
Confessions of a YA Reader – Promotional Post
January 10th
We Live and Breathe Books – Review
Portrait of a Book – Review + Favourite Quotes
Evelynreads – Review
Utopia State of Mind – Review
em’s bookish musings – Review
January 11th
The Lovely Books – Review
Book Nerd Anonymous – Review
Nomadic Worlds – Review
Kayla Reads and Reviews – Review
Ogitchida Kwe’s Book Blog – Review
January 12th
Kait Plus Books – Guest Post
Love, Stars and Books – Review
Book Bite Reviews – Review
Frayed Books – Review
Sincerely Karen Jo – Review
January 13th
To All The Books I’ve Read Before – Interview The Reading Life – Review The Heart of a Book Blogger – Review Between the Pages – Review Playita Reads – Review