A review by dianaschmidty
First Down by Grace Reilly

dark emotional funny sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I think I read this at the most perfect moment. I mean, this book has a girl spending time with her football player boyfriend’s family in a stadium box while wearing his jersey. Who does that sound like? If you wanted Taylor x Travis vibes, that’s this book!

Taylor’s Team aside, James and Bex were really cute! I thought their progression from friends to fwb to official dating was both sweet and realistic. I loved how they were so supportive of each other. I also loved how the book demonstrated that giving a partner support doesn’t have to mean giving up something. I think James’ journey to realizing that is an important lesson for people to learn.

I wish there had been a little more fake dating and parts of the book felt a little rushed (mainly their progression from friends to lovers, which felt like it happened in a day when it was supposed to be months), but I’m kind of hoping since the rereleased copy is supposed to be longer that some of that is fixed.
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