BOOK REVIEW: The Hard Count - by Ginger Scott

Synopsis of the book:

Nico Medina’s world is eleven miles away from mine. During the day, it’s a place where doors are open—where homes are lived in, and neighbors love. But when the sun sets, it becomes a place where young boys are afraid, where eyes watch from idling cars that hide in the shadows and wicked smoke flows from pipes.

West End is the kind of place that people survive. It buries them—one at a time, one way or another. And when Nico was a little boy, his mom always told him to run.

I’m Reagan Prescott—coach’s daughter, sister to the prodigal son, daughter in the perfect family.
Life on top.
Lies.
My world is the ugly one. Private school politics and one of the best high school football programs in the country can break even the toughest souls. Our darkness plays out in whispers and rumors, and money and status trump all. I would know—I’ve watched it kill my family slowly, strangling us for years.

In our twisted world, a boy from West End is the only shining light.
Quarterback.
Hero.
Heart.
Good.
I hated him before I needed him.
I fell for him fast.
I loved him when it was almost too late.

When two ugly worlds collide, even the strongest fall. But my world…it hasn’t met the boy from West End.

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Review:

Dear Ginger,

If you're going to continue to write FIVE STAR books that do things to me like make me cry, make me root OUT LOUD for your characters, and make me suffer a FIVE STAR book hangover, begging for more, then I'm going to have to THANK YOU for every heart-tugging word you put on every page!

Thank you, Ginger, for giving Nico and Reagan to the world. For allowing them to know who they are and for making them willing to overcome their own fears, to go against the grain, and to fight for themselves and for each other.

Thank you, Ms. Scott, for tackling the issues of racism and classism with fearless abandon, a tender hand, and at the same time, without being preachy. The careful grace and excellence you've availed in this book is unmatched.

Thank you, fearless Head Ninja, for making it close to impossible to pick ONE favorite of your books. After finishing The Hard Count I have decided that ALL of your books are my favorite, each for a different and specific reason.

Thank you, Ginger, for giving readers this priceless piece of art and for pouring your heart into it with reckless abandon. It's absolutely obvious that you poured your whole soul into this.

Congratulations Ginger! You've penned the quintessential YA novel.

With love,

Your "always here to read, blubbering like a baby, nose-blowing, ARC reading" chick from Philly,

T~

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About the Author:

Ginger Scott is an Amazon-bestselling and Goodreads Choice Award-nominated author of several young and new adult romances, including Waiting on the Sidelines, Going Long, Blindness, How We Deal With Gravity, This Is Falling, You and Everything After, The Girl I Was Before, Wild Reckless, Wicked Restless and In Your Dreams.

A sucker for a good romance, Ginger’s other passion is sports, and she often blends the two in her stories. (She’s also a sucker for a hot quarterback, catcher, pitcher, point guard…the list goes on.) Ginger has been writing and editing for newspapers, magazines and blogs for more than 15 years. She has told the stories of Olympians, politicians, actors, scientists, cowboys, criminals and towns. For more on her and her work, visit her website at http://www.littlemisswrite.com.

When she's not writing, the odds are high that she's somewhere near a baseball diamond, either watching her son field pop flies like Bryce Harper or cheering on her favorite baseball team, the Arizona Diamondbacks. Ginger lives in Arizona and is married to her college sweetheart whom she met at ASU (fork 'em, Devils).

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Website: http://www.littlemisswrite.com

Book Review: The Girl I Was Before by Ginger Scott

The Girl I Was Before is Ginger Scott's eighth novel. I have read every single one of them from the first one, in order, right down to this one. Allow me to share with you, something that is highly unlikely to happen between myself and another author: Ginger Scott is the ONLY author who has earned FIVE STARS from me on EVERY other novel she's penned. This one is NO different.

The third and final (we think) installment in The Falling Series, this is the story of Paige and Houston. From the first two books in The Falling Series, fans will recall that Paige is Cass' fraternal twin sister and that they are absolutely nothing alike. When we first meet Paige all the way back in This Is Falling, the story of Nate and Rowe, she is one of Rowe's roommates along with her sister Cass. 

We learn that she's the "sorority type" that she likes "hot" athletes who are preferably fraternity brothers and, we also find out that she's a HUGE snob. She goes through the second book in the series, You and Everything After, the story of Nate's brother Ty and Paige's sister Cass, as the same young woman and we find that she's the same at the beginning of this novel as well.

But this time around, Paige has a lot to make up for in regard to her sister Cass (sorry, you have to read the first two to know what that is). Paige also finds out something about her sorority sister and uses social media to her advantage. Or is it to her advantage since technology can be used right back? Even if it's NOT TRUE.

Enter Houston Orr (tribute to Bobby Orr!!!!!). Houston is hardly even close to the type of guy Paige likes. Until she finds herself wanting to like him. And then she finds herself confused because Houston wasn't what she had planned for herself. I fell for Houston almost immediately after being introduced to him. He's tall, nice looking, he's intelligent, and while he's got a nice body and is athletic, he is not an athlete. At first, it might seem he's the pushover, nerd-geek kind of guy. Frankly, I happen to love nerd-geek type of guys. In fact, I married one. Houston may be a nerd-geek type of guy but, he's no pushover. Well, one of the characters in this novel DOES have Houston wrapped around a finger. But again, I can't tell you about that either. But it's worth reading just to find out about it.

Houston is a refreshing character and a much different type of guy than what some of us may be accustomed to in a Ginger Scott novel.  Like Mason Street from How We Deal With Gravity, Houston is a little bit older, working, and has other responsibilities he needs to take care of on a daily basis. Houston also has a lot more baggage than many of the other male characters we tend to see in Ms. Scott's novels. However, you're going to love and enjoy all of these differences.

And when Paige's and Houston's worlds collide? The Earth moves!!! The sizzle was hot right away too. These two don't peak and come back down either. Once they begin to rise with one another, they keep on going.

When you get to halfway through this novel, you will wonder what you are going to do when you're finished the other half of it. I sure did. That's never happened to me before. Another Ginger Scott first for me.

And finally, because if I don't wrap it up, I'll just go on and on about this novel, finally, I have to thank Ms. Scott BEYOND just providing me with an advanced reading copy in trade for an honest review. I have to thank her double for allowing me to get my hot little hands on this for a much needed brain break from the hardest college class I've ever taken in my life. And that's after a Bachelor's degree, Nursing school Part One and an endless amount of certifications over the years. I literally wrote to Ms. Scott and told her "I NEED Paige!" THAT was one of the better decisions I've made while taking a class. And I'm convinced I'm getting an "A" because of hard work but also because she gave me what I needed to breathe. This novel wasn't just an amazing read, it was a REVIVAL!

The Girl I Was Before is available right NOW!  You can order it pretty much everywhere. I would highly recommend that you order this one and grab up the first two, start reading now, and savor every single second you have with all of these characters.

As for the ending, well, I can't tell you that either. I can say that you will be pleased with it. And, I can tell you to read the Acknowledgements after you've read this novel. Ms. Scott talks about what she may or may not do in the future so don't dare skip it.

Book Review: "This Is Falling" by Ginger Scott

Author: Ginger Scott

Genres: Coming of Age, New Adult Fiction, Romance, Contemporary Romance

Release Date: August 29, 2014

Availability: Pre-sales on Amazon.com and iBooks

     I have been trying to write this review for nearly a month. Rowe Stanton has been through a major tragedy. When she goes off to college, it's her decision that she is going to try and live, even though her physical scars are healed and her emotional scars are not even close to healing. I too went through a major tragedy (bullets included) and when I went to college, I decided to deal with that major tragedy. My physical scars were long healed and some faded. But my emotional scars were not, they were wide open. Our tragedies are not the same but I was Rowe Stanton at one time. I couldn't know how Rowe felt when I started This Is Falling, I only know how I felt about my own story.  However, Ginger Scott told me EXACTLY how Rowe felt. And now that I've figured that out a month later, I think I know how to write this review.

     This Is Falling is Ginger Scott's fifth novel.  Ginger Scott is the first author to ever draw tears from my eyes through the power of her writing. Ginger Scott has hit it out of the park. AGAIN.

     Rowe Stanton needs to live again. She needs to live among the living and put her past behind her and start looking to her future. She has no idea how to do that. Then she meets Nate Preeter. Handsome, All-American baseball player, Nate Preeter. When Rowe meets Nate and Nate finds out Rowe's story, he doesn't make the same big mistake that everyone seems to try and do: he doesn't try to SAVE her or fix her. In my own life, from my college fiancee to my present husband, and including all of the men in between, they've all wanted to SAVE me from my past.  People like Rowe and me don't need saving or fixing, we need a place to land when we FALL. And that's what Nate does. He gives Rowe a place to land when she's falling flat on her face.

     When Rowe and Nate meet for the first time, I swear it's love at first sight and they don't know it. But the connection is immediate even though Rowe is skittish. But Nate? He's the most patient book boyfriend I've ever read. Because Nate wants Rowe and Rowe absolutely wants Nate but Rowe is so conflicted because she has no idea how to live in the present, she doesn't even know if she should accept what Nate is offering.

     But then Rowe begins to open up a little bit. With her crazy, prankster sense of humor which matches Nate to a tee. I'm reminded of pink and Barbie and I just have to crack up like I did when I was reading the book. I was so floored at that point because I developed a quirky sense of humor and it was a MAJOR part of my own recovery from that awful time in my own life. And then I married a man with the best sense of humor in the UNIVERSE. And when he figured out I didn't need saving, the humor became part of the healing. In the end, my husband DID save me but it was after he stopped trying to do it. Nate can easily be seen as the cliche, perfect college boyfriend but he's not perfect. In fact he screws up a LOT and there's a big one courtesy of Rowe's father. I still can't believe Rowe's father asked what he did of Nate and I'm still kind of pissed that Nate was willing to do it. So no, he's not perfect. But he is perfect for Rowe even with the flaws.

     Ginger Scott was really ballsy to pick the incident that Rowe went through. When I read what happened to Rowe, I was stunned and impressed all at the same time. Then she had the guts to NOT get preachy about it, to not get political about it, and to focus on Rowe and her healing. She focused on Rowe and Nate. I loved the humor in this book because it needed to have humor in it. This could have been a real downer if Ms. Scott chose to get all "psycho-babble." She didn't.

     I could say this was my favorite book by Ginger Scott but I can't. I loved them all equally but for different reasons. I've tried to chose the one I love the most and I just can't.  This is my favorite Ginger Scott novel.  So are the other four. This I do know: I will read EVERY BOOK she writes. She can write about paint drying and I would read it. She'd find a way to make it exciting and moving all at the same time.

     Like so many who were touched by How We Deal With Gravity because of the Autism aspect of the book, I was touched by This Is Falling because I am Rowe. Well, I was Rowe. I have some idea of where Rowe will end up in her future as long as she keeps on trying. If she keeps on trying, because surviving tragedies like ours REQUIRE a lifetime of work to survive, she won't be perfect but she will have a good life.

Book Review of "The Break-Up Artist" by Philip Siegel

Becca Williamson watched her sister get ditched at the altar. Becca also sees the couples at her school needlessly cast out the single girls to the point where they're treated like pariahs until they couple up. Even her best friend, Val will do or say anything to snag a boyfriend.

As a result, for just $100 via PayPal, Becca aka "The Break-Up Artist," will break up any couple. With a few creative tricks, Becca can shred a couple's relationship to pieces.

One night, she receives a mysterious offer to break up the homecoming king and queen, the one zombie couple to rule them all: Steve and Huxley. If Becca can split them up, then school will be safe again for singletons. To succeed, she'll have to plan her most elaborate scheme to date and wiggle her way back into her former BFF Huxley’s life – not to mention start a few rumors, sabotage some cell phones, break into a car, and fend off the inappropriate feelings she’s having about Val’s new boyfriend. All while avoiding a past victim out to expose her true identity.

By far, one of the best young adult contemporary romance books I've read to date. What struck me right from the get go was the author is a MAN. I would never expect such a wildly good understanding of teenage females from a male author. For that, I give stars, stars, more stars, and kudos to Phillip Siegel!

One of the things I like about any book I read is when I can't put it down and I really want to take off from work to just finish it. This was definitely one of those books. This is also my first ARC via NetGalley that was approved from Harlequin so I was excited for the opportunity to read a Harlequin TEEN book. I was not disappointed.

Mr. Siegel does an amazing job in creating Becca's character. She's as complicated as any teenage girl would be. There were times I had to remind myself that Becca was indeed a teenager in high school. The author also did a great job in reminding the reader of that fact as well. The struggles Becca has to go through to be Becca and The Break-Up Artist in secret are so good, I wondered if the author actually met someone who did this for real. I'm sure they exist out there in real life.

What the author does with Huxley is pretty amazing and you won't see it coming right away but I think all readers will enjoy it. I loved the choices the author made in ending the book too. As I thought of the possible alternative endings that the author could have chosen, none of them seemed to fit in my mind so kudos for the ending as well.

I didn't exactly understand why Becca and Val were BFF's. Val's character is slightly annoying and I was surprised Becca would have a best friend who is so…..whiny. But, there are people out there who don't understand why I'm BFF's with certain people as well. Val has flaws and she's willing to lie about anything to snag a boyfriend. You will wonder if she falls into "couple zombie" mode if she snags that boyfriend.

Overall, this is a humorous and light-hearted look at one of the real issues teenagers have to deal with in high school. It's definitely realistic and if you like YA books with some "girl power," you'll love this book.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review but it comes out April 29th. So preorder it now so you can start reading it the day it releases. You won't be disappointed!

Book Review of "Blindness" by Ginger Scott

Ginger Scott, author of "Going Long" and "Waiting On The Sidelines," (The Waiting Series), has done it again! Ms. Scott has written another 5 out of 5 stars novel that is going to knock your socks off!

Charlie Hudson is a young college student who lost her father in a horrible way when she was barely 18 years old. Cody, is a former motocross star who is now living a blue collar life at 23 and attending college. They meet in her third year of college when Charlie goes to a much needed tutoring session for her Calculus class. Cody, like Charlie, lost his father at a young age.

In the interest of full disclosure, I was asked by Ms. Scott to read an ARC of "Blindness" and to give it an honest review. My biggest worry was that with my job, my pursuit of a second college degree and life being so busy, that I wouldn't be able to give this book what it was owed: my time. Well, that wasn't an issue because as soon as I had it, I started reading and I had a really difficult time putting it down. In fact, I actually hated every time I had to put the book away to go to work or to work on my class work. Had I been able to stay up all night for just one night, I'd have read the entire book in one sitting. This book will capture your heart that quickly.

I fell in love with Charlie and Cody as soon as they met each other. Charlie is unsure of who she is in many ways but she's lovable because she knows she's unsure and she's seeking to find out who she is. Cody is the type of guy you'll want for a potential mate or if you already have a permanent mate in your life, you'll want him to be more like Cody. But he's got his own issues too.

You'll meet Gabe and Jessie as well. Gabe is Cody's friend from childhood and although not blood related, he's Cody's brother. Jessie is Gabe's girlfriend who befriends Charlie and she's, well, she's much different than Charlie. I have a best friend who is a lot like Jessie and I loved her character but Jessie is a character you'd want as your friend too. Jessie is, for all intent and purposes, Cody's sister.

Ms. Scott has written characters that are honest, lovable and so incredibly real. I love that Cody is sensitive but retains every single stitch of his raw, macho, manliness. I also love that Charlie may not seem to be as tough as Jessie but when she needs to, she doesn't take any s**t.

There is one scene which I'll only describe as starting out in the rain when Charlie walks out of a club. From the start of that scene all the way through to its end, I found tears streaming down my face. It was really that beautifully written. I could feel the emotions expressed by Charlie and Cody the entire time. An emotional connection like that from a novel is so incredibly foreign to me. Ms. Scott now holds the distinction of being the only author who has been able to evoke that kind of emotional reaction from me while reading a novel. Twice.

I connected with Charlie quite a bit but mostly when she spoke to her dad. My own father died in a manner incredibly similar to Charlie's father and I speak to my father as well when I need it. And you will find out why Charlie is still so raw about her father's death even after three years have gone by.

The only thing I would have liked to see, if I were making a wish list, would be to see the Epilogue go a little bit farther into the future. But as written, it's still written with excellence.

The relationships in "Blindness" are stunning!

"Blindness" comes out on February 25th. I'd originally planned to get this as a late birthday gift to myself (it's February 22nd) so many thanks to Ms. Scott for the early birthday gift!

"Blindness" will be available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Smashwords and Kobo. If you can preorder, I highly recommend that you do. If not, mark your calendars and get your copy on February 25th and treat yourself to a belated Valentine's Day gift that is much sweeter than any box of chocolates!

Book Review of "Little Joe" by Michael Glasscock III

I don't know if others bothered to read the Q&A with the author at the end of the book or if they simply didn't notice it at the end of the book, but I noticed that some of the reviewers who didn't like the book as much as I did seemed to think Michael Glasscock did a lot of research to write this book.  What we find out in the Q&A with the author was that a lot of these characters are based on real life people and the grandparents are based on his own maternal grandparents who he lived with for nine months out of the year.  He also wrote most of the book from his own memory.

The other thing I noticed about many (not all) who rated and reviewed the book a little bit lower were either from a much younger generation (basically anybody who didn't have WW2 era grandparents) OR, they didn't know a whole lot of their WW2 history or what American culture was like during that time.  The reaction to the grandparents from younger readers find the grandparents harsh or uncaring.  What they either missed or don't seem to know is that it was the 1940's, it was during WW2 and one's elders spoke to children much differently than they do today.  That's because they were more strict.  Seems to me the younger generation readers don't know that entitlement, or that the world owes you something was not taught back then.  If you wanted anything at all during that time, you worked for the money to buy it or you built it yourself or you did some kind of work for trade.

But, the story follows Little Joe Stout who goes to live with his grandparents in Round Rock, TN in the early 1940's during WW2 after he and his parents are in a car accident from a blown tire.  Both of Little Joe's parents die in the accident and a new life (and lifestyle) is thrust upon the young boy.

His grandparents are what I would describe as "tough old birds."  LIttle Joe's grandmother, who becomes Mommy Washington to Joe, is your basic, older Southern woman, who cooks everything in bacon grease, reads a lot, smokes a lot and is your traditional church-going wife.  At the same time, even though she lost her only daughter, she's a tough old bird.  She may be strict and she might appear to be pushing Little Joe too quickly to "get over" the death of his parents but I think that's just how it was back then.  These would be people who lived through The Depression and then they have to live through a war.  What we don't get to read about, presumably because the story is about Little Joe, is that Little Joe's grandmother probably spent quite a few nights in her room, by herself, grieving for the loss of her only daughter and thanking God for sparing her grandson.  So yes, she's tough and strict and makes Little Joe do chores but she's not mean or evil or nasty.  Country life is different than city life and when she tells Little Joe that he'll get used to country living and country food, she's not being mean, she's being strong.

At first, one might think Little Joe's grandfather, Daddy Washington, is a total milquetoast.  Not at all.  He's a quiet Southern gentleman who probably lets his wife think she rules the roost while he goes out and makes a living as the town engineer.  He's got his man-cave (the garage), he sits down and eats what his wife puts in front of him and we don't see the grandparents argue.  Just because we don't see it, doesn't mean they don't.

And then there are Little Joe's friends.  Sugar is a bit of a tom-boy but still wears her hair in girly pigtails and talks about who likes who on the school bus.  Bobby is a "colored" boy from the "colored" part of town.  Most of the action we see with the three of them is at Little Joe's farm although we do see them going to other places in the book.  Sugar can kick a shin that'll put tears in your eyeballs and Bobby is just a fun little boy.  It doesn't take long to figure out that these three are no doubt friends for life even though the book spans the first year of Little Joe's life in his new home and environment.

We get a look at racism in this book when Little Joe's grandmother stands up to the local "white trash" bullies who try to beat a Chinese man traveling through on the way to see his son who is leaving for the war.  The town bullies seem to be all adult white men who believe he's a "Jap" and think he should be in one of the camps with the rest of the "Japs."

Little Joe quickly learns that his grandmother doesn't like people who don't like people who hate "colored people" or anyone who is different (i.e. not white).  This is a time where Jim Crow laws are in effect and there are separate water fountains, separate schools, etc.  And she's not this way to be all political or to make statements.  She is how she is because she respects all human beings.  Little Joe comes to his grandparents already uncorrupted but his grandmother strengthens that attitude by leading by example.

The only thing I could not figure out was the age gap.  If Little Joe's grandfather is 70 years old, then surely his grandmother is in her mid to late 60's. How do they have a 9 year old grandson and they only had ONE child?  Since everybody had children so young back in that time, I would have guessed Little Joe's grandparents to be in their 40's, perhaps late 40's.  When I was 9, my own WW2 era grandmother was well into her 50's but she had 11 children.  So when I was in my early 20's, she was in her early 70's.  It was just something I noticed but it doesn't take anything away from the book.

Overall, this an A+ book that I loved and I'm looking forward to reading the other three book in the series.  According to the author, the 4th book returns to Little Joe in his late 20's so I can't wait until it's published.  I'm dying to know if Little Joe goes on to be a Veterinarian.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley for an honest review in return.  I'm looking forward to recommending this book.  It's for anybody who can read.

Review of "Going Long" (Waiting on the Sidelines 2) by Ginger Scott

***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!

Book Review of "Waiting On The Sidelines" by Ginger Scott

Nolan Lennox is, when this book begins, a Tomboy. She's athletic and doesn't mind wearing her brother's second hand clothing. She resides in a mobile home and while she's not ashamed of her family or even her home, she's not broadcasting that she lives in a trailer. Then Reed Johnson arrives at her school. From the first awkward interaction, Nolan realizes she likes the new boy. He's also legendary on arrival before he has a chance to show his skills as a football player because his father and brother were football stars during their time at Coolidge High School.

Reed gets himself hooked up with another girl in school, Tatum, who is openly snobbish and cruel. Especially to Nolan. Nolan struggles to take the high ground from one cruel act to another. I couldn't help but root for Nolan because she's not a pushover, she's got class. Her closest friends are there to support her as well. It didn't take long to figure out that Nolan and Reed were meant for each other. They do become friends and Nolan even begins to date Reed's friend and teammate. But the butterflies Nolan feels just by being in Reed's presence don't come when she's with someone else.

Nolan and Reed eventually begin to spend time together. They travel on the same bus to athletic events and work together as lifeguards over the summer. When Reed decides to take Nolan on a special "date," she arrives at Nolan's house to find Reed and his ex in a shocking pose.

Nolan and Reed spend quite a bit of time not together and Nolan avoids him in every way she can including changing her work schedule so she doesn't have to lifeguard at the same time as Reed. Through Reed's cruel, drunken rant at the Friday night desert party, Nolan finds out news that crushes her, breaks her heart.

Through all of this, every single misunderstanding that can happen, does happen. The fact that Nolan refuses to speak to Reed and Reed begins to drink and lose control leads to more lack of communication.

Eventually, the truth about the news from Reed's drunken rant comes out. Nolan and Reed still have a long way to go. A driving accident threatens Reed's champion throwing arm and his potential for college recruitment. Reed grows distant and nosedives.

These two go through every emotion imaginable before they're finally able to settle up with each other. These two love each other madly. And Ginger Scott set it up magnificently. She established the friendship as the foundation early on.

This story ends and there is a second book coming out that will hopefully take us through Reed and Nolan's college years, but this book can absolutely stand alone. I received this book from NetGalley for an honest review but if I found out about this book through some other source, I'd have scooped it up. And while I'm more than willing to receive the second book through NetGalley in trade for an honest review, I'd happily pay for it. This book should be required reading for YA readers, especially those in high school. 

Parents with teenagers could learn a thing or two from Nolan and Reed as well. Ginger Scott keeps it real and honest. She's not giving you a typical YA novel, she's giving you real life, real situations, real teenage experience and real love. She lines this book up absolutely perfect in letting every reader know just how much work real love requires. I wish I could give it more than 5 stars here. I give it 10 stars and it's going on my "Must Read Again" shelf! A++

Revised 02/14/2014