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soniajoy98's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Sexism, Sexual content, Car accident, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism and Sexual harassment
Minor: Drug use and Miscarriage
shaykay's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Although Fair Catch wasn't really on my radar before I picked it up randomly, I have seen other books from The Red Zone Rivals series floating around. Especially Blind Side because it came out when I started reading KU very heavily. I just never got around to picking it before. The biggest push for me to pick up Fair Catch was the fact that I'm trying to read at least one book from every author going to Sweetgrass next year and buying the books I really want to get signed before I go so that I'm not spending all of that money at one time. Anyways Fair Catch was a super fun football book. I loved seeing these two come together. I loved the backstory, and it was just a chaotic fun time. I really loved the fact that Riley is also a football player. It was the first time I'd read a book where both main characters were playing for the same team. I also loved how much angst was between these two. Avery had a lot of reasons to be mad at the world, and unfortunately, she blamed Zeke for it. I hate that he just took it instead of telling her what really happened that night, but at the same time, I get why he wanted to protect her. It just makes everything she does to Zeke so much worse because he never deserved it. There is a third act break up in this one, and honestly, it's not bad. I'm just burnt out on the third-act breakup. Just like I was burnt out on college romances, there will always be some books that take those things and do them so well that it doesn't matter. I wish we got to spend a little bit more time with Gavin, Riley's brother, since he is so important to Zeke and Riley, and he even goes to the same college as they do!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Medical trauma, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Ableism, Sexism, and Alcohol
moonlitreading_'s review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Sexual content, and Car accident
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
readers_sea's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Zeke & Riley were everything!!
The tension from the beginning had me screaming! This book really benefitted from dual pov because getting to see how Zeke really felt about Riley, while she was so focused on hating him was so well done. The overall banter between the characters had me cracking up! Not only between the main two but also with the side characters like Riley's brother Gavin and the rest of the football team.
The overall connection between Zeke and Riley was so raw and real! They both had dealt with a lot in their pasts, and are still learning to overcome them, but Riley specifically really needed to relearn how to trust people, especially Zeke. After her brother, Gavin's, accident Riley closed herself off a lot. I loved seeing how she truly felt comfortable with Zeke and had that connection despite how much she wanted to deny it. Zeke really had me swooning throughout the book, but overall their relationship brought out all the feelings!
I loved that this book included the invisible disability of dyslexia and how much the character struggled with that in silence. I also loved the inclusion of a female (Riley) being in a predominately male sport of football! She needed to deal a lot with side comments and overall how people viewed her on the team, but she was very strong-willed and never cared about what others were saying because she knew why she was there and she had a passion for the sport just as much as the guys did.
In my opinion, the characters read & act a lot older than they are (18). While reading the book I forgot about their ages until it was brought up, so I do wish they were just originally written as an older age but it didn't bother me much.
LOVEDDD this book and definitely want to continue with the series and follow the other football players! Is there a book out there for Gavin?! I sure hope so, or at least in the works!
The tension from the beginning had me screaming! This book really benefitted from dual pov because getting to see how Zeke really felt about Riley, while she was so focused on hating him was so well done. The overall banter between the characters had me cracking up! Not only between the main two but also with the side characters like Riley's brother Gavin and the rest of the football team.
The overall connection between Zeke and Riley was so raw and real! They both had dealt with a lot in their pasts, and are still learning to overcome them, but Riley specifically really needed to relearn how to trust people, especially Zeke. After her brother, Gavin's, accident Riley closed herself off a lot. I loved seeing how she truly felt comfortable with Zeke and had that connection despite how much she wanted to deny it. Zeke really had me swooning throughout the book, but overall their relationship brought out all the feelings!
I loved that this book included the invisible disability of dyslexia and how much the character struggled with that in silence. I also loved the inclusion of a female (Riley) being in a predominately male sport of football! She needed to deal a lot with side comments and overall how people viewed her on the team, but she was very strong-willed and never cared about what others were saying because she knew why she was there and she had a passion for the sport just as much as the guys did.
In my opinion, the characters read & act a lot older than they are (18). While reading the book I forgot about their ages until it was brought up, so I do wish they were just originally written as an older age but it didn't bother me much.
LOVEDDD this book and definitely want to continue with the series and follow the other football players! Is there a book out there for Gavin?! I sure hope so, or at least in the works!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Car accident
Moderate: Sexism and Alcohol
patriciaviegas's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
lilyemmaaa's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This story was a quick read that had some underlined trauma, in my opinion. I was kicking my feet in the air at one point and wanting to throw my phone at another.
The chemistry between Riley and Zeke was so interesting. From her hating him from her brothers accident and him secretly pining over her without even fully realizing, was a new one for me. The boy obsessed, brothers bestfriend, one hates the other tropes were top tier.
I enjoyed the premise and plot of the story too. Seeing woman in male dominated sports is something that will forever be powerful. Seeing Riley put Luke in his place when she no longer could put up with his shit was such a badass move. And the way she did it made it even more powerful. From the way she was written, it is very obvious how good Riley is at what she does.
I also really liked Zeke. He’s possessive, kind, understanding. But seeing the amount of pressure he placed on himself, and the blame he continually took for the biggest mistakes in his life, and seeing the way he spoke of himself broke my heart. The dyslexic representation was well done in my honest opinion. His mistake that resulted in Gavin being paralyzed was heartbreaking, especially when the full story came out and was told.
The one thing I did not like was the third act breakup. I get that authors have to do it, but I HATE IT when it is not necessary. It was thrown in, and the amount of blame she placed on Zeke was just icky. He shouldn’t have done what he did, but with everything considered and her teasing him in the moment that he plagiarized both should have taken the blame.
Overall it was a good read and I enjoyed the premise of the story as well as the characters. It just could’ve done without the third act breakup.
The chemistry between Riley and Zeke was so interesting. From her hating him from her brothers accident and him secretly pining over her without even fully realizing, was a new one for me. The boy obsessed, brothers bestfriend, one hates the other tropes were top tier.
I enjoyed the premise and plot of the story too. Seeing woman in male dominated sports is something that will forever be powerful. Seeing Riley put Luke in his place when she no longer could put up with his shit was such a badass move. And the way she did it made it even more powerful. From the way she was written, it is very obvious how good Riley is at what she does.
I also really liked Zeke. He’s possessive, kind, understanding. But seeing the amount of pressure he placed on himself, and the blame he continually took for the biggest mistakes in his life, and seeing the way he spoke of himself broke my heart. The dyslexic representation was well done in my honest opinion. His mistake that resulted in Gavin being paralyzed was heartbreaking, especially when the full story came out and was told.
The one thing I did not like was the third act breakup. I get that authors have to do it, but I HATE IT when it is not necessary. It was thrown in, and the amount of blame she placed on Zeke was just icky. He shouldn’t have done what he did, but with everything considered and her teasing him in the moment that he plagiarized both should have taken the blame.
Overall it was a good read and I enjoyed the premise of the story as well as the characters. It just could’ve done without the third act breakup.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Sexual content, Car accident, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
solacelight's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Well written but doesn't adequately address FMC's borderline abusive behavior.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Cursing, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol
Moderate: Emotional abuse
northernbooknerd's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
My Thoughts 4.25/5⭐️
First off, I made the mistake of reading Blind Side first so I did see glimpses of these characters there but I still really enjoyed this book and nothing was really spoiled as they are more interconnected standalones. Fair Catch is a college sports romance between two players on the college football team with a complicated history that has led one of them to hate the other.
My favourite aspect of this book by far was the dyslexia/learning disability representation! As someone who is Dyslexic it was so nice to see a MC going through similar struggles.
|Blowing out a breath, I sat up a little straighter, using the edge of my notebook to line up right under the first sentence. I only moved it down when I was ready to read the next line, so I wouldn’t get distracted. Slowly, I read the first page, having to pause now and then when a word didn’t make sense because I’d read the letters out of order. Any time that happened, I’d lose the context of the sentence completely and have to read it over. But I was used to this. It was just the way it was for me. Reading and comprehension took time and work.|
It was also great to see a female athlete represented and not just the MMC. Riley was a very strong FMC who passion for football, art, and family really shined through. I loved how close she was to her brother and the promise she made him. On that note, I would LOVE to see a book about Gavin! He was so upbeat and happy, I feel a book that follows him would constantly make you smile and laugh.
Zeke was probably the most complex and relatable character with his struggles and past mistakes, and his selflessness was highlighted through both his words and actions towards Riley and Gavin. It was impossible not to love Zeke.
Overall this was a fast, fun read and I can't wait for the next book in the series (bring on Holden 😍).
Format: Ebook📱
Plot: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Characters: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Writing: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🔥🔥🔥
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25
Who would like this? Any fans of the brothers best friend trope or fans of college/sports romance.
Quotes
I didn’t care if she hated me. In fact, I was glad she did. It made it easier to keep my focus on protecting her and off the temptation to claim her for my own.
I realized in that moment that it didn’t matter if I intended to hurt her — the simple fact was that I had. And maybe that was what I was a fool for most, believing that intention had a goddamn thing to do with anything at all.
“You can forgive. Forgive, and understand that we’re human. We’re not perfect. And one day when you make a mistake, you’ll want someone to afford you the same grace.”
Triggers
Alcohol, Drinking and Driving, Sexual Content, Ableism, Car Accident
** This list is not exhaustive**
Tropes
College Sports Romance, Hate to Love, Brothers Best Friend, Teammates to Lovers
First off, I made the mistake of reading Blind Side first so I did see glimpses of these characters there but I still really enjoyed this book and nothing was really spoiled as they are more interconnected standalones. Fair Catch is a college sports romance between two players on the college football team with a complicated history that has led one of them to hate the other.
My favourite aspect of this book by far was the dyslexia/learning disability representation! As someone who is Dyslexic it was so nice to see a MC going through similar struggles.
|Blowing out a breath, I sat up a little straighter, using the edge of my notebook to line up right under the first sentence. I only moved it down when I was ready to read the next line, so I wouldn’t get distracted. Slowly, I read the first page, having to pause now and then when a word didn’t make sense because I’d read the letters out of order. Any time that happened, I’d lose the context of the sentence completely and have to read it over. But I was used to this. It was just the way it was for me. Reading and comprehension took time and work.|
It was also great to see a female athlete represented and not just the MMC. Riley was a very strong FMC who passion for football, art, and family really shined through. I loved how close she was to her brother and the promise she made him. On that note, I would LOVE to see a book about Gavin! He was so upbeat and happy, I feel a book that follows him would constantly make you smile and laugh.
Zeke was probably the most complex and relatable character with his struggles and past mistakes, and his selflessness was highlighted through both his words and actions towards Riley and Gavin. It was impossible not to love Zeke.
Overall this was a fast, fun read and I can't wait for the next book in the series (bring on Holden 😍).
Format: Ebook📱
Plot: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Characters: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Writing: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🔥🔥🔥
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25
Who would like this? Any fans of the brothers best friend trope or fans of college/sports romance.
Quotes
I didn’t care if she hated me. In fact, I was glad she did. It made it easier to keep my focus on protecting her and off the temptation to claim her for my own.
I realized in that moment that it didn’t matter if I intended to hurt her — the simple fact was that I had. And maybe that was what I was a fool for most, believing that intention had a goddamn thing to do with anything at all.
“You can forgive. Forgive, and understand that we’re human. We’re not perfect. And one day when you make a mistake, you’ll want someone to afford you the same grace.”
Triggers
** This list is not exhaustive**
Tropes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Ableism, Car accident, and Alcohol
gelslitreviews's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism, Sexual content, and Car accident
andeng's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail