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beckyrendon's review
4.0
Squee!
I'm allowed to squee. It's a book about a high schoolers. I'm using the lingo...or I'm just a hyper active teen at heart. (The latter, obviously)
I love sports romances. I love simple, sweet, and everything about this book. It's cute but not without its angsty teenage issues. It wouldn't be high school without issues.
But it's the uncharacteristically sweet baseball player and the girl that "catches" his eye that make this story. Two people with more things in common than they ever would have thought. Both going through a difficult time but knowing that each is the answer to their problems.
This book is a breath of fresh air and it makes me sad I missed the first in the series. But I will be keeping my eyes on the ball looking for more Suttonville Sentinals in the future, as a scout of course...
Book received in exchange for an honest review. Reviewed on behalf of Once Upon An Alpha
I'm allowed to squee. It's a book about a high schoolers. I'm using the lingo...or I'm just a hyper active teen at heart. (The latter, obviously)
I love sports romances. I love simple, sweet, and everything about this book. It's cute but not without its angsty teenage issues. It wouldn't be high school without issues.
But it's the uncharacteristically sweet baseball player and the girl that "catches" his eye that make this story. Two people with more things in common than they ever would have thought. Both going through a difficult time but knowing that each is the answer to their problems.
This book is a breath of fresh air and it makes me sad I missed the first in the series. But I will be keeping my eyes on the ball looking for more Suttonville Sentinals in the future, as a scout of course...
Book received in exchange for an honest review. Reviewed on behalf of Once Upon An Alpha
angelreads's review
3.0
I received an e-arc of Swinging in Love by Kendra C. Highley from Entangled: Crush via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.
I am not sure why I picked this one up. I read book 1 in this series and really didn’t like it. But, this one sounded more like my thing and thought I should give it a go. And even though I liked it more than The Bad Boy Bargain, I still didn’t love it.
Swinging in Love follows protagonists Tristan and Alyssa who come together and are in for one hell of a ride. Tristan is an outfielder for his baseball team, but something is wrong. His swing is off and if he doesn’t fix it – he will be off the team. Alyssa gave up softball for ballet and she is great at it. But ball is still in her blood and with her father’s batting cage falling to pieces, so is she.
I enjoy the romance aspects of Swinging in Love. Tristan and Alyssa were adorable together and I like how they had some downfalls, but they were there for each other. However, I felt that both protagonists didn’t have a great arc and I wanted more from them as a whole.
Family was a big theme in Swinging in Love. While Alyssa’s family would give up anything for each other. Tristan’s was a lot harder to get around. I really enjoyed seeing these two different views on families. And that is what we need in YA. Yes, some families are great, while there are others that have trouble.
Overall, Swinging in Love was an okay read. I read it over a couple of hours, but I didn’t really get anything out of it. I didn’t feel that the protagonists had a great enough character arc. And while I loved the romance and family aspects, the story feel flat for me.
I am not sure why I picked this one up. I read book 1 in this series and really didn’t like it. But, this one sounded more like my thing and thought I should give it a go. And even though I liked it more than The Bad Boy Bargain, I still didn’t love it.
Swinging in Love follows protagonists Tristan and Alyssa who come together and are in for one hell of a ride. Tristan is an outfielder for his baseball team, but something is wrong. His swing is off and if he doesn’t fix it – he will be off the team. Alyssa gave up softball for ballet and she is great at it. But ball is still in her blood and with her father’s batting cage falling to pieces, so is she.
I enjoy the romance aspects of Swinging in Love. Tristan and Alyssa were adorable together and I like how they had some downfalls, but they were there for each other. However, I felt that both protagonists didn’t have a great arc and I wanted more from them as a whole.
Family was a big theme in Swinging in Love. While Alyssa’s family would give up anything for each other. Tristan’s was a lot harder to get around. I really enjoyed seeing these two different views on families. And that is what we need in YA. Yes, some families are great, while there are others that have trouble.
Overall, Swinging in Love was an okay read. I read it over a couple of hours, but I didn’t really get anything out of it. I didn’t feel that the protagonists had a great enough character arc. And while I loved the romance and family aspects, the story feel flat for me.
teesbookjourney's review
3.0
This is my first book by Kendra and it was cute. I would call this a young adult read. I love sports romance, especially baseball and being a dancer.
What I enjoyed:
I loved both characters, Alyssa and Tristan = they were both very sweet and likable people. They were cut together and they had a great head on their shoulders
Where I think there could be an improvement:
There were a total of three conflicts in this book. I appreciate not harping on a subject and the fast fixes on those conflicts - Did some of the issues need to happen - I don't think so
But all in all, this was a super quick cute read
What I enjoyed:
I loved both characters, Alyssa and Tristan = they were both very sweet and likable people. They were cut together and they had a great head on their shoulders
Where I think there could be an improvement:
There were a total of three conflicts in this book. I appreciate not harping on a subject and the fast fixes on those conflicts - Did some of the issues need to happen - I don't think so
But all in all, this was a super quick cute read
sasha2599's review
5.0
I absolutely ADORED this book! It was perfect YA romance- the characters were so likable and the romance so sweet. Baseball was my favorite sport in high school (I kept stats for the team!) and there's a special place in my heart for hot baseball players! I so hope that Kindra Highley has another book planned for this series because I loved books 1 and 2!
*I voluntarily read an advanced copy of this title.*
*I voluntarily read an advanced copy of this title.*
illbefinealone's review
3.0
Copy received through NetGalley in exchange of a fair review.
This was a really cute, fast read. I liked the story, and the characters were great but everything seemed even more rushed than the first book. I wish it was a little slower, I wish there was more build-up to the romance, the way it did in book one of the series. (I have somehow stopped being a fast-pace novel fan, I don't know how and when that happened).
This was a really cute, fast read. I liked the story, and the characters were great but everything seemed even more rushed than the first book. I wish it was a little slower, I wish there was more build-up to the romance, the way it did in book one of the series. (I have somehow stopped being a fast-pace novel fan, I don't know how and when that happened).
ravensandlace's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Title: Swinging at Love
Author: Kendra C. Highley
Genre: Young Adult Romance
Format: eARC from Entangled Teen
Series: Suttonville Sentinels
Star Rating: 3.5 stars
A special thank you goes to Entangled Teen Publishing for giving me a copy of this book. Please know that this does not influence my rating or thoughts on the book itself.
tw: disordered eating, sexist comments
Entangled Teen will always have a special place in my heart. They introduced me to the works of Aden Polydoros. And I know I can always count on them to bring me a cute little story when I need a break from all the heaviness of the world. They always have such great books. I haven’t rated a book from them under two stars. I knew I was going to like this one. I’ve always enjoyed their books about sports.
Boy, this book was super cute. Alyssa and Tristan were a super cute couple. One of my favorite things about them was when they had a misunderstanding. After a day, they talked it out and all was forgiven. Sure, it’s totally unrealistic because we all know high schoolers can be super dramatic about small things. I know I was like that when I was in high school. Their relationship was just so adorable, I couldn’t get enough of it.
This book had a lot to do with baseball, which I admit I know absolutely nothing about. So when they talked about baseball and all the technical terms, I had no idea what was going on. I only played softball for about three weeks before I got hit with a softball in the ankle and decided that was enough. So that kind of took away from my enjoyment.
But overall, this was an adorably cute story. It is part of a series but it’s one of those stand-alone series that can be read out of order and you’d still know what they are talking about. Overall, a super adorable story and I can’t wait to check out the rest of the books as I did enjoy the side characters that were in this book.
merlin_reads's review against another edition
2.5
Oh man, I had a lot of issues with this one.
Alyssa works for her father at his currently failing sports complex, Swing Away. Failing largely in part to the brand new sparkling chain competitor who just took up residence in town. On top of worrying about her father having to shut down, she's also freaking out about an important dance camp audition coming up. A camp that costs money - money she would gladly give to her father to help with the business.
Tristan has lost his mojo. Once one of the star hitters on the Suttonville Sentinels, something is now causing him to swing at air. Not wanting to let his teammates see him fail, he heads away from the shiny new batting cages where someone from the team might see him and finds himself at Swing Away. Here he meets Alyssa as she critiques his batting style while offering up tips to help - which, to Tristan's pleasure, work.
This is a love story where two high school students meet and fall in love. Like immediately. Not even joking. This is a quote from their first non-date not long after his visit to Swing Away. But first, let me set the scene: Tristan asks to buy Alyssa Starbucks after work. She says yes then meets him at the baseball field where he's waiting with coffee and a blanket. They then proceed to sit under the stars while Tristan wows her with his knowledge of the stars. Alyssa asks him if he wants to wish on one. And here's the quote:
Alyssa works for her father at his currently failing sports complex, Swing Away. Failing largely in part to the brand new sparkling chain competitor who just took up residence in town. On top of worrying about her father having to shut down, she's also freaking out about an important dance camp audition coming up. A camp that costs money - money she would gladly give to her father to help with the business.
Tristan has lost his mojo. Once one of the star hitters on the Suttonville Sentinels, something is now causing him to swing at air. Not wanting to let his teammates see him fail, he heads away from the shiny new batting cages where someone from the team might see him and finds himself at Swing Away. Here he meets Alyssa as she critiques his batting style while offering up tips to help - which, to Tristan's pleasure, work.
This is a love story where two high school students meet and fall in love. Like immediately. Not even joking. This is a quote from their first non-date not long after his visit to Swing Away. But first, let me set the scene: Tristan asks to buy Alyssa Starbucks after work. She says yes then meets him at the baseball field where he's waiting with coffee and a blanket. They then proceed to sit under the stars while Tristan wows her with his knowledge of the stars. Alyssa asks him if he wants to wish on one. And here's the quote:
"You make a wish. Mine already came true."
You have literally had like two conversations together. Just no.
The insta-love was only one of the problems I had with this book. I've read Highley before but I don't remember them being this weighed down with unnecessary drama. It was literally one dramatic thing after another. On top of Tristan's batting fails, once him and Alyssa are all swoony for each other they hit a major roadblock. You see, Tristan's best friend has been crushing on Alyssa and Alyssa's best friend has been crushing on Tristan. Yeah, you read that right. But instead of being honest with their BEST FRIENDS, they lie. Well, obviously they get caught and cue drama! It was like a whole season of One Tree Hill in one 240 page book.
Sports, love triangles (or was it actually a square?), secrets, lies... I just could not get into this one. The ending itself was cutesy, if not a little far fetched, but it just wasn't enough to save it for me.
I received an e-copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
saffie95's review against another edition
4.0
I didn't love this one as much as I did the Bad Boy Bargain, but it was still a really cute story
lilliangretsinger's review against another edition
3.0
Fun, quick easy read. There were a few issues with this one, like how their friends got over their anger really quickly. I also wish that we saw more of Alyssa playing baseball or dancing, the book goes on about how she's good at those things, but we don't see it.