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megj23's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Minor: Sexual assault and Eating disorder
daniellemohlman's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault and Emotional abuse
bringmybooks's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
WOW. I can't get over how much I enjoyed this one! It's also a massive testament to giving authors second chances, because there was another book by this author that I DNFed (others loved it, just wasn't for me).
I would also like to say that from a young age I was OBSESSED with gymnastics - I remember being absolutely riveted by The Magnificent Seven during the 1996 Olympics, and I'm pretty sure I was near hysterical after watching Kerri Strug land her second vault (clearly injured), securing the Gold Medal for USA in Women's All Around.
I know there are a lot of things to unpack about that moment, and about the atmosphere of professional gymnastics both then and now - but watching her land that vault indelibly altered me as a person. I would go back to that moment time and time again, and think, "If Kerri could land that vault, I can keep running. I can keep playing. I don't need a sub."
It's become clear as the years have passed that there were questionable methods that led to the girls' success, with some gymnasts praising the tough and difficult conditions, and others deeming it inhumane. Hannah Orenstein's book, Head Over Heels, really delves into all of these questions in such great ways, while also cultivating a really believable and sweet love story between two of the coaches.
There were definitely some moments that annoyed me - as they were meant to do - and a couple bits of the dreaded "Can't y'all just TALK TO ONE ANOTHER?" but overall even that felt believable for the story. I just genuinely enjoyed every bit of this, from the two MCs relationship to the gymnast they were working with to the observations about the sport to the will they/won't they friendship between the female MC and her former teammate.
Highly recommend this one - even if you're NOT a fan of gymnastics!
(That being said, I imagine it is wildly more entertaining if you have some familiarity with the sport, because it does get somewhat technical as it talks about the routines and point systems and descriptions of the stunts themselves.)
Thank you to Edelweiss, Atria Books, & Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read and review this book before it's publication date! This in no way affected my review, opinions are my own.
I would also like to say that from a young age I was OBSESSED with gymnastics - I remember being absolutely riveted by The Magnificent Seven during the 1996 Olympics, and I'm pretty sure I was near hysterical after watching Kerri Strug land her second vault (clearly injured), securing the Gold Medal for USA in Women's All Around.
I know there are a lot of things to unpack about that moment, and about the atmosphere of professional gymnastics both then and now - but watching her land that vault indelibly altered me as a person. I would go back to that moment time and time again, and think, "If Kerri could land that vault, I can keep running. I can keep playing. I don't need a sub."
It's become clear as the years have passed that there were questionable methods that led to the girls' success, with some gymnasts praising the tough and difficult conditions, and others deeming it inhumane. Hannah Orenstein's book, Head Over Heels, really delves into all of these questions in such great ways, while also cultivating a really believable and sweet love story between two of the coaches.
There were definitely some moments that annoyed me - as they were meant to do - and a couple bits of the dreaded "Can't y'all just TALK TO ONE ANOTHER?" but overall even that felt believable for the story. I just genuinely enjoyed every bit of this, from the two MCs relationship to the gymnast they were working with to the observations about the sport to the will they/won't they friendship between the female MC and her former teammate.
Highly recommend this one - even if you're NOT a fan of gymnastics!
(That being said, I imagine it is wildly more entertaining if you have some familiarity with the sport, because it does get somewhat technical as it talks about the routines and point systems and descriptions of the stunts themselves.)
Thank you to Edelweiss, Atria Books, & Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read and review this book before it's publication date! This in no way affected my review, opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, and Eating disorder
unread_shelves's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
After reading Hannah Orentsein's previous work, I was hesitant to pick this one up. However, I was sucked into the story and found myself not being able to stay away long until I had no pages left.
Avery Abrams is a former almost Olympian who suffered an injury that ended her gymnastics career. Her boyfriend has dumped her so she finds herself moving back east to live with her parents. While there, she runs into a former gymnast who is now coaching at the exact gym that Avery trained at when she was younger. Avery ends up coaching a very promising gymnast, while also healing herself from the life she used to live and trying to be the coach she wanted and didn't have.
There is a lot of depth to this story. I found Avery to be a character that is coming into her own and learning how to heal and be herself again. That is what kept me interested and coming back to the story.
Avery Abrams is a former almost Olympian who suffered an injury that ended her gymnastics career. Her boyfriend has dumped her so she finds herself moving back east to live with her parents. While there, she runs into a former gymnast who is now coaching at the exact gym that Avery trained at when she was younger. Avery ends up coaching a very promising gymnast, while also healing herself from the life she used to live and trying to be the coach she wanted and didn't have.
There is a lot of depth to this story. I found Avery to be a character that is coming into her own and learning how to heal and be herself again. That is what kept me interested and coming back to the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
vagorsol's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
The book did a lot of telling. Like, a good chunk of it was and after the half-way mark I felt tired from it. I didn't particularly care for Avery and Ryan's relationship. I felt like there was a lot of things the book tried to do, but it didn't really stick the landing, or explore them as deeply as I felt it could've.
Since the romance aspect was one major factor that made it drag for me, I think if you're into romances or rom-coms, then you might enjoy this book more than I did.
Since the romance aspect was one major factor that made it drag for me, I think if you're into romances or rom-coms, then you might enjoy this book more than I did.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse
Minor: Sexual assault
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