lovinglyread's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
lauraanne9's review
5.0
***ARC Provided by the Author***
If there's anything better than a book being as good as you want it to be, it's when the book is better than you thought possible.
I have made no secret of the fact that I love the Boys of Summer series, so for me to love this one was not a surprise. Not even a little.
I was expecting a great book. I was not expecting the book to be better than great and close to perfect.
This book has it all. Compelling characters. Miles and Carmen are perfect. They draw you in, and you care about them...more than you think you will. Wonderful writing. You got it. Balanced romance, character development and baseball? Check.
I am not a baseball fan. I live in Los Angeles, less than the infamous "LA 20 minutes" from Dodger Stadium, and I have never been to a game. I have never even been to the parking lot of the stadium. Baseball just isn't my thing.
So, why do I love to pieces the Boys of Summer books set in the world of baseball? Because Sierra Dean loves baseball. And, through her, you see the magic of a game that looks slow (I know, LOL) and like nothing happens...her words make baseball one of the main characters of the story. With heart, and with emotion. It almost makes me want to go to a game. I probably won't, but it's tempting, just to see if a little of the love of the game makes its way out of the books and into the experience of actually watching the sport.
Baseball is a character in the story, as well as a really perfect way to let you into the mind of Miles, a fairly new pitcher for the San Francisco Felons. You get to know him by the way he reacts to the other players, his thoughts while he is pitching, and overall the way baseball is more than a sport to him, it tells you who he is. There's a line in the book about having a little vulnerability in the masculine world of baseball, and that describes Miles. A really good guy, to the core a nice guy, and one who wants, more than anything, to give his best to the game each and every time. His focus, and his drive, make him interesting. He's there, he is at the top and yet he strives to be just that little bit better each and every time.
Carmen is a sportswriter, in a world that apparently is not all that fair to women, which I have never really given much thought too...but I bet this is the case. I love how strong she is, how principled, and how flawed. I was very drawn to the juxtaposition of her desire to be the best writer possible and her loyalty to the story with her desire to do right by Miles. She was human. We have all been there, so torn about what is right, the end we know needs to happen and figuring out how to get there, maybe making mistakes along the way.
The relationship is a slow burn, with an encounter at the very beginning when Miles isn't in the best place, and then a professional relationship that turns into a friendship and then gradually into a romance. The slow burn is one of the toughest romance stories to write, as you have to use more than sex to keep the story going. In this, I loved that the romance took off gradually as you were able to get to know Carmen, Miles, and baseball.
Somehow, I almost forgot to mention that characters from the first 2 books show up in this one. Which makes sense, as they are all on the same baseball team. If you haven't read the other books (what are you waiting for???) there is no issue with continuity. If you have, the appearances are wonderful, and add so much to the story. They sneak through, so you barely notice them, unless you are a fan of the other books...and then you totally catch them.
I could go on. I could say more, but really you just need to read this one.
I definitely recommend this title. Is the next one out yet?
If there's anything better than a book being as good as you want it to be, it's when the book is better than you thought possible.
I have made no secret of the fact that I love the Boys of Summer series, so for me to love this one was not a surprise. Not even a little.
I was expecting a great book. I was not expecting the book to be better than great and close to perfect.
This book has it all. Compelling characters. Miles and Carmen are perfect. They draw you in, and you care about them...more than you think you will. Wonderful writing. You got it. Balanced romance, character development and baseball? Check.
I am not a baseball fan. I live in Los Angeles, less than the infamous "LA 20 minutes" from Dodger Stadium, and I have never been to a game. I have never even been to the parking lot of the stadium. Baseball just isn't my thing.
So, why do I love to pieces the Boys of Summer books set in the world of baseball? Because Sierra Dean loves baseball. And, through her, you see the magic of a game that looks slow (I know, LOL) and like nothing happens...her words make baseball one of the main characters of the story. With heart, and with emotion. It almost makes me want to go to a game. I probably won't, but it's tempting, just to see if a little of the love of the game makes its way out of the books and into the experience of actually watching the sport.
Baseball is a character in the story, as well as a really perfect way to let you into the mind of Miles, a fairly new pitcher for the San Francisco Felons. You get to know him by the way he reacts to the other players, his thoughts while he is pitching, and overall the way baseball is more than a sport to him, it tells you who he is. There's a line in the book about having a little vulnerability in the masculine world of baseball, and that describes Miles. A really good guy, to the core a nice guy, and one who wants, more than anything, to give his best to the game each and every time. His focus, and his drive, make him interesting. He's there, he is at the top and yet he strives to be just that little bit better each and every time.
Carmen is a sportswriter, in a world that apparently is not all that fair to women, which I have never really given much thought too...but I bet this is the case. I love how strong she is, how principled, and how flawed. I was very drawn to the juxtaposition of her desire to be the best writer possible and her loyalty to the story with her desire to do right by Miles. She was human. We have all been there, so torn about what is right, the end we know needs to happen and figuring out how to get there, maybe making mistakes along the way.
The relationship is a slow burn, with an encounter at the very beginning when Miles isn't in the best place, and then a professional relationship that turns into a friendship and then gradually into a romance. The slow burn is one of the toughest romance stories to write, as you have to use more than sex to keep the story going. In this, I loved that the romance took off gradually as you were able to get to know Carmen, Miles, and baseball.
Somehow, I almost forgot to mention that characters from the first 2 books show up in this one. Which makes sense, as they are all on the same baseball team. If you haven't read the other books (what are you waiting for???) there is no issue with continuity. If you have, the appearances are wonderful, and add so much to the story. They sneak through, so you barely notice them, unless you are a fan of the other books...and then you totally catch them.
I could go on. I could say more, but really you just need to read this one.
I definitely recommend this title. Is the next one out yet?
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