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lkoopal's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
flaminkuh's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
karlisimp's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This was very slow and boring. It didn’t make a lot of sense for Riley and Zeke to get together. I also hate the Drunk Driving Plot Point and I wish there had been more of a focus of Riley being a woman on a D1 football team.
carlamonticelli's review against another edition
4.0
“𝐈 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐈 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐦𝐞.”
Zeke and Riley were once childhood best friends until a tragic accident drove them apart. This incident not only altered the course of Riley’s twin brother Gavin’s life but also deepened Riley’s intense dislike for Zeke. With Gavin’s football dreams shattered due to the accident, Riley vowed to carry on in his place, driven by her own passion for the game. Now, years later, Zeke and Riley find themselves heading to the same college to play on the same football team, but to their surprise, they’re assigned as roommates.
Zeke and Riley were once childhood best friends until a tragic accident drove them apart. This incident not only altered the course of Riley’s twin brother Gavin’s life but also deepened Riley’s intense dislike for Zeke. With Gavin’s football dreams shattered due to the accident, Riley vowed to carry on in his place, driven by her own passion for the game. Now, years later, Zeke and Riley find themselves heading to the same college to play on the same football team, but to their surprise, they’re assigned as roommates.
This book was so much fun to read! This is my first time reading something by Kandi Steiner, but it definitely won’t be my last! Her writing is so immersive, and I loved her way of describing and building the story.
Riley is the kicker for the football team, and what a surprise that was. I’ve never read about a female player on a boys’ team, but I absolutely loved it. She radiates talent and confidence that rivals her male teammates. She's not always the most open or friendly, and she also tends to overthink things a lot, but she goes through a lot of growth throughout the book, and I really liked seeing that.
Zeke is the opposite of Riley. Despite his flaws, he’s genuine and has the kindest heart, and I adored how he cares for her. He always makes sure their teammates respect her, even though she insists she can fight her own battles. Most of all, I appreciated that Zeke never questioned Riley's football career but instead encouraged her and opened her eyes to the possibility of playing at the next level.
Zeke is the opposite of Riley. Despite his flaws, he’s genuine and has the kindest heart, and I adored how he cares for her. He always makes sure their teammates respect her, even though she insists she can fight her own battles. Most of all, I appreciated that Zeke never questioned Riley's football career but instead encouraged her and opened her eyes to the possibility of playing at the next level.
There are a couple of reasons I didn't give this book five stars, the main one being the third-act breakup. The fight over plagiarism and risking their relationship over that seemed excessive. Also, the miscommunication about their feelings was frustrating. They clearly wanted to be together, but not talking about it led to them being just friends with benefits.
Overall, Fair Catch was an amazing read with the perfect blend of angst and sports romance. After reading the epilogue, I'm excited to see what the next book in this series will bring!
Tropes:
🏈 Childhood Friends
🏈 Enemies-To-Lovers
🏈 Forced Proximity
🏈 Sports Romance
🏈 Brother's Best Friend
🏈 Childhood Friends
🏈 Enemies-To-Lovers
🏈 Forced Proximity
🏈 Sports Romance
🏈 Brother's Best Friend
elcanaldevenecia's review against another edition
4.0
I can be as proud as Riley, but as tenacious as Zeke. They are a combination of me and therefore, left me speechless.
Kandi has shared quite a few stories, but she has never done anything like this before. Even on the hardest days I had, she knew how to bring tears, laughter and courage out of me. I also consider her execution of the secondary characters to be superb.
A woman can do anything, even be a soccer player and show them what she is made of.
It goes beyond a romance with your brother's best friend. It's a complicity, finding your feelings and aligning your future so that you show the world that a woman can change it. It's a gem.
ESP
Puedo ser tan orgullosa como Riley , pero tan tenaz como Zeke. Son una combinación mía y por lo tanto, me dejaron sin palabras.
Kandi ha compartido bastantes historias, pero jamás había hecho algo así. Hasta en los días más difíciles que tuve, me supo sacar las lágrimas, la risa y el coraje. Además que considero magnífica su ejecución de los personajes secundarios.
Una mujer lo puede todo, inclusive ser jugadora de fútbol americano y demostrarles de lo que está hecha.
Va más allá que un romance con el mejor amigo de tu hermano. Es una complicidad, encontrar tus sentimientos y alinear tu futuro para que le demuestres al mundo que una mujer puede cambiarlo. Es una joya.
Kandi has shared quite a few stories, but she has never done anything like this before. Even on the hardest days I had, she knew how to bring tears, laughter and courage out of me. I also consider her execution of the secondary characters to be superb.
A woman can do anything, even be a soccer player and show them what she is made of.
It goes beyond a romance with your brother's best friend. It's a complicity, finding your feelings and aligning your future so that you show the world that a woman can change it. It's a gem.
ESP
Puedo ser tan orgullosa como Riley , pero tan tenaz como Zeke. Son una combinación mía y por lo tanto, me dejaron sin palabras.
Kandi ha compartido bastantes historias, pero jamás había hecho algo así. Hasta en los días más difíciles que tuve, me supo sacar las lágrimas, la risa y el coraje. Además que considero magnífica su ejecución de los personajes secundarios.
Una mujer lo puede todo, inclusive ser jugadora de fútbol americano y demostrarles de lo que está hecha.
Va más allá que un romance con el mejor amigo de tu hermano. Es una complicidad, encontrar tus sentimientos y alinear tu futuro para que le demuestres al mundo que una mujer puede cambiarlo. Es una joya.
exquisite_tragedy's review against another edition
3.0
Tropes/Themes:
-MF new adult romance
-Sports romance (they’re both on a college football team)
-Hate to love
-Brother’s best friend
-Forced proximity (they’re college roommates)
-Dual POV
-Book #1 in an interconnected standalone series
This book ended up falling super flat for me (which may be due to the fact that I read this series out of order and absolutely loved book 3). Especially given Riley’s past with Zeke and the reasons why she hated him in the first place, things escalated from hate to love much too quickly and easily. I never ended up feeling any chemistry between them or seeing a reason how they could naturally become a couple. It’s hard for me to explain, but I found the plot and conversations surrounding Riley’s brother’s injuries to be a little insensitive. Also…the 3rd act conflict was ridiculous and completely unnecessary. The only redeeming part of this book for me was be able to cheer Riley on as she put all of her misogynistic teammates in their place.
CWs for drunk driving, hospitalizations, life altering injuries, misogyny
Story: 3/5
Audiobook: 5/5 (narrated by Hannah Chiclanq & Chris Williams)
Length 8h43in
-MF new adult romance
-Sports romance (they’re both on a college football team)
-Hate to love
-Brother’s best friend
-Forced proximity (they’re college roommates)
-Dual POV
-Book #1 in an interconnected standalone series
This book ended up falling super flat for me (which may be due to the fact that I read this series out of order and absolutely loved book 3). Especially given Riley’s past with Zeke and the reasons why she hated him in the first place, things escalated from hate to love much too quickly and easily. I never ended up feeling any chemistry between them or seeing a reason how they could naturally become a couple. It’s hard for me to explain, but I found the plot and conversations surrounding Riley’s brother’s injuries to be a little insensitive. Also…the 3rd act conflict was ridiculous and completely unnecessary. The only redeeming part of this book for me was be able to cheer Riley on as she put all of her misogynistic teammates in their place.
CWs for drunk driving, hospitalizations, life altering injuries, misogyny
Story: 3/5
Audiobook: 5/5 (narrated by Hannah Chiclanq & Chris Williams)
Length 8h43in
ash96's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25