Oh! Where do I even start…Let’s see-in this book, you have characters who have suffered tremendous loss that changes everything they have ever known. I have been not so patiently waiting for this book to release since the author first started talking about it and now the time has come where I can share it with you. 

When tragedy strikes and three families become one, some major changes take place. After losing their parents in a car crash Harper and her two siblings along with Stacey and her twin Bianca end up going to live with their “uncle” Beck and Tane, who is living with Beck since his mother’s indiscretions. Beck and the kids’ fathers where all best friends growing up and made a pact that if something ever happened to any one of them, the remaining family would take care of their children/family. 

Everyone deals with grief differently, and in this story that holds true, as Harper’s sister becomes mute and her brother gets lost in the online world and develops anger issues. Stacey and Bianca, who used to be super close, let past mistakes come between them. 

Beck, even though he is still dealing with his own trauma, does what any good person would do and takes the kids in and helps them through the difficult time as best as he can, which turns out to be really good for Harper’s brother. When things blow up with the kids, Beck takes all of them out to sit around a fire and finally tells them the story of how the guys all became friends and what happened in the past. He ends in telling them they are all welcome to stay with him for as long as they need and no one has to leave.

Harper, who is 18 and about to start college, has to make a tough choice of choosing between continuing to live with Beck and have help, or take her younger siblings back home to their house and become a single parent/college student. 

It is told from Harper, Tane and Stacey’s pov. Where getting back to who they used to be and friendship is more of the forefront instead of a romance but you can feel the pull between Harper and Tane. I wouldn’t say it ends on a cliffhanger per-say, but the story is continued in book 2 Broken Girl vs Fix-it Boy which comes out in October. 

The author informs you in the beginning that it is based in New Zealand, so some of the wording might be a little different than what you are used to but I have to tell you that I loved seeing a different part of the world.

I received this as an ARC for my honest and voluntary review. 

Publication Date: September 26, 2019 Pages: 317  Kindle Edition YA Family, Tragedy, Romance

In this story, you have the football star Colt and the freaky little hipster Tori. They used to be best friends when they were younger, but after high school starts and the social standards are put into place, they drift apart.

With it being their senior year, Tori has come up with a plan to make Colt fall for her under the guise of liking one of his teammates. At first he turns her down, but after some consideration he agrees to help but only in secret. They start spending time in the meadow that they frequented when they were younger, leading to hanging out at his place and watching games.

After some hints about changing her wardrobe, the guys start to take notice of what she hides underneath her homemade tye-die flowy dresses she wears. Which in turns makes Colt realize that he has feelings and/or thoughts about her that he tries to ignore due to her being “weird”.

After Colt is injured in a game, Tori shows up at his house the next day to check on him. They start talking about a paper he has to write and it comes out that he has dyslexia and the letters get mixed up. Deciding to put Operation Fall for Tori on hold, she comes up with a solution to the problem. The next day, she goes back over to his house with research to show him that a lot of famous people have suffered from dyslexia and found ways to overcome it. So now instead of him teaching her, she teaches him.

Still struggling with his feelings for Tori, Colt tells her she is ready and she doesn’t need his help anymore. So she decides it’s time to “man up” and tell Colt that he is the one she likes so she dresses up to go to a party. Come to find out the whole football team skipped out on going due to a rival school attending. Things don’t turn out well for Tori and she is found in a bad position.

Oh, I so want to say more, but I think it’s time you went and picked up The Playmaker and read it for yourself.

Originally released March 2016-new look/new cover released September 2019
Pages: 328 Paperback Edition Teen YA Football, Family, School Drama Nelson High Raiders Book 1