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A review by _ckarys
On and Off the Field by Tati B. Alvarez, Anastasia Dean
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
ON AND OFF THE FIELD has nothing to envy rom-coms by established names in this genre. If a love story between a latina English teacher/cheer coach and a baseball star forced high school team coach filled with forced proximity and a fast attraction with a slow-burn payoff sounds like your idea of a good time, then I can only recommend this rom-com, which easily became one of my favorites.
As with any good rom-com, On and Off the Field’s strength relies heavily on its main protagonists. Ofelia and Maverick’s chemistry was off the charts and their love story consumed me, but aside from their sweet, hot romance, I couldn’t help but fall in love with them as individual characters. The author did an incredible job at fleshing out both of these characters, welcoming the readers into their lives and into their inner thoughts, and giving them two distinct voices. You could tell apart the Ofi chapters apart from the Mav chapters without even having to read the chapter headers!
Another element I really enjoyed—and this is something that isn’t a given when reading rom-coms—was the secondary characters. This novel has a huge emphasis on the values of friendship and family, and they’re brought to the table with some incredible supporting characters, especially in Ofelia’s chapters with her bestie Willow and her brother Javi (whom I love, and am so thrilled he will be getting his own book). All of these little elements enriched not just the characters, but the novel itself, creating a real-life portrait of friendship, family, love and second chances that was as wholesome as it was entertaining.
Cannot wait for more romance by this author! As far as debuts in a new genre go, I say it couldn’t have gone better!
As with any good rom-com, On and Off the Field’s strength relies heavily on its main protagonists. Ofelia and Maverick’s chemistry was off the charts and their love story consumed me, but aside from their sweet, hot romance, I couldn’t help but fall in love with them as individual characters. The author did an incredible job at fleshing out both of these characters, welcoming the readers into their lives and into their inner thoughts, and giving them two distinct voices. You could tell apart the Ofi chapters apart from the Mav chapters without even having to read the chapter headers!
Another element I really enjoyed—and this is something that isn’t a given when reading rom-coms—was the secondary characters. This novel has a huge emphasis on the values of friendship and family, and they’re brought to the table with some incredible supporting characters, especially in Ofelia’s chapters with her bestie Willow and her brother Javi (whom I love, and am so thrilled he will be getting his own book). All of these little elements enriched not just the characters, but the novel itself, creating a real-life portrait of friendship, family, love and second chances that was as wholesome as it was entertaining.
Cannot wait for more romance by this author! As far as debuts in a new genre go, I say it couldn’t have gone better!