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A review by gwalt118
Head Over Heels by Hannah Orenstein
2.0
Head Over Heels by Hannah Orenstein is one of those books that I can appreciate for the attempt, while also acknowledging that the execution didn't work for me. In this novel, Orenstein tries to humanize the elite sport of gymnastics in light of the Larry Nassar scandal and the postponed 2020 Olympics.
The problem is that, at its core, this is a romance novel...and I didn't buy into the romance. Avery & Ryan's relationship always felt forced to me. Ryan is a jerk to her more than once, but she always circles back to him. Things never felt plausible to me, and there were a few moments that were supposed to be romantic but just felt cheesy to me. Avery & Ryan are supposed to be in their late 20s and they act like teenagers.
The writing is not vivid, and a lot of the descriptions fell flat. I don't want a character to tell me that a gymnastics arena is huge and flashy. I want the author to describe a huge and flashy gymnastics arena to me.
The characters, the writing, the romance plotline -- it all just frustrated me. Oh well. To the little free library she goes.
The problem is that, at its core, this is a romance novel...and I didn't buy into the romance. Avery & Ryan's relationship always felt forced to me. Ryan is a jerk to her more than once, but she always circles back to him. Things never felt plausible to me, and there were a few moments that were supposed to be romantic but just felt cheesy to me. Avery & Ryan are supposed to be in their late 20s and they act like teenagers.
The writing is not vivid, and a lot of the descriptions fell flat. I don't want a character to tell me that a gymnastics arena is huge and flashy. I want the author to describe a huge and flashy gymnastics arena to me.
The characters, the writing, the romance plotline -- it all just frustrated me. Oh well. To the little free library she goes.