ARC may contain spoilers

Ryan, the daughter of the Buckley Beavers divorced owners, has grown up with baseball in her life and has always dreamed of owning the team when she gets older. When Sawyer shows up, she feels like her plans have been thrown a curveball. She has always been good at “no the fraternizing” policy, but his cool swagger is throwing her off her game.

When Ryan learns that her mom is going to sell her half of the team due to both financial reasons and the fact the she doesn’t want to be stuck with them any longer, Ryan has an idea that might just help her save her beloved team. Sawyer, who has been injured and is sitting on the sidelines, offers to help her out. She is in need of sponsors that will help her remodel and upgrade the Buckley complex. Sawyer gives her the idea of using an events center to host summer camps and special days for handicap or underprivileged kids.

The doctors are wanting Sawyer to see a major league doctor, and since its Ryan’s duty to drive him where he needs to go, they take a three hour trip. While at Ranger Stadium, Ryan gets a look around with her tour guide, and she actually gets even more ideas of how to help save Buckley’s. After his visit with the doctor and her tour, they are about to head back home, but Sawyer ends up scoring tickets and they decide to stay and watch Ryan’s first major league game. While at the game, they get caught on the kiss cam. Because they’re fighting their attraction to one another, let’s face it that’s what two teenagers are gonna do, they try to stay away from each other after the kiss and hope no one sees the picture.

Once his injury heals and Sawyer is back to playing, he ends up in a rut. And when Ryan tries to talk with her mom about her plan to save Buckley’s, she finds out that it’s a done deal and her mom already sold the team. After a heated exchange, she leaves her mom at a food joint. Then things finally start to turn around.  

It’s actually baseball season as I read this so the time frame fits perfect in real life. It brings back memories of me out on the field when I was younger. I’m not really a sports fan but if I had to choose a favorite sport it would be baseball. I like the reference to the BBQ place and the fact that it serves your meat on brown butcher paper. Not too long ago I ate at a BBQ place that served their meat that way- to say the least, it was a first. All in all, this was a fairly quick read for me.

Publication Date: July 9, 2019 Pages: 320 Hardback YA Baseball