***SPOILER ALERT***I have been a bookworm for as long as I can remember. I can't rightly say exactly when I read my first book but I do know I went to Kindergarten knowing how to read so it was probably that long ago. Of the possibly 1000's of books I have read in my entire lifetime, THIS book, Going Long, has one huge distinction that sets it apart from all of the others: Going Long had me bawling my eyes out like a baby. And it was definitely a happy cry.
Going Long picks up where Waiting on the Sidelines ends. Nolan and Reed are both in college. After four years of falling for Reed, being in love with Reed and continuing in a relationship with Reed after high school, Nolan has certainly come a long way. Because Ginger Scott opted to write from both Nolan and Reed's point of view in this sequel, we find that Reed has come a long way as well.
While Nolan and Reed have made big strides in their relationship, the problems that develop from not communicating with each other find Nolan and Reed trying to get over an enormous life changing bump in their relationship. The pressure is on Reed to take the next step in his football career by entering the draft. Nolan's deliberate procrastination to discuss the issue adds to Reed's pressure. He knows he wants to be with Nolan forever and Nolan's insecurities keep her from maintaining the open lines in their relationship. The pressure on Nolan to discuss the issue becomes even more terrifying when she finds out that she's pregnant. The resulting early miscarriage of that pregnancy leaves Nolan feeling isolated and full of guilt. These two major life experiences collide for Nolan and her relationship with Reed begins to erupt and fall apart.
Can Nolan and Reed get it together and put the misinterpretations aside long enough to set things right? Are they mature enough to bypass the minutiae and find a resolution to their potential relationship destroying challenges?
I would LOVE to tell you how this book ends but, because I want you to experience this book for yourself, that's one spoiler you won't get here.
Ginger Scott floored me again. She did it with her debut novel Waiting on the Sidelines and she's done it again with Going Long. I was sent on an emotional rollercoaster again. There were times I wished I could grab Nolan and Reed and shake them while screaming, "TALK TO EACH OTHER!" But this is really a story about love and how love grows through commitment and trust. It made me think back to my own long term relationship in college. I rooted for Nolan and Reed, I couldn't put the book down and I knew I would read both of Ginger Scott's masterpieces again. I don't know how much of Nolan and Reed's story is similar to Ginger Scott's experiences and how much is creatively compiled from Ms. Scott's creative imagination but she nailed her second book just like she did her first.
Every high school kid and every college student should have to read these books. They have so much to offer to the reader.
If I could only assign limited words to how I feel about Going Long, I'd have to go with "entranced" and "emotionally captivated." We cry tears of joy when we connect to something that elicits an emotional response. Going Long connected for me like Robbie Gould's 49-yard game-winning field goal that sent the Bears into the NFC Championship Game in 2006 (had to get a Chicago Bears football reference in here).
As I said when I reviewed Waiting on the Sidelines, I'd have purchased this book the second it came out. I was honored when I was offered an ARC of the book from Ginger Scott herself in exchange for an honest review. I could go on forever and ever about every single detail of this book and the effect it had on me but that would be taking away from the other readers who MUST experience it for themselves.
Where does my review go from here? Other than my own blog, Goodreads, etc., I'm sending an email to TheArts@NYT.com and recommending this book be considered for review. And then I plan to nag as many people as possible to read it and do the same.
I'm giving it five stars on Goodreads because that's the highest amount I can give. But I would seriously give this books all of the stars in the sky. Ms. Scott, I don't care what your next book is about, I'm reading it!
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