ARC: 312 Pages
Genre: YA Contemporary
Book from The Teen Book Scene (click banner for other blog tour stops)
From Goodreads. Star basketball player Chelsea "Nitro" Keyes had a full ride to college—and everyone's admiration back home. Then she took a horrible fall during senior year. Now a metal plate holds her together and she feels like a stranger in her own family.
That summer, Chelsea's dad hires Clint, a nineteen-year-old ex-hockey player and "boot camp" trainer, to work with her at a northern Minnesota lake resort. As they grow close, Chelsea finds that Clint's haunted by his own tragedy. Will their romance end up hurting them all over again—or finally heal their heartbreak?
Review by Kate
PLAYING HURT, by Holly Schindler, is a lovely story about two teens who meet each other during a rough patch in their lives. Both have lost a piece of themselves and their relationship blooms to possibly fill that void and become whole again.
This was a sweet book. I immediately bonded with Chelsea and her drive to be the best in doing what she loved. As an athlete myself, I could never imagine not being able to play sports again. And Chelsea was at an important point in her life where her future hung in the balance. I really felt bad for her when she got hurt, and her revistation of the issue over and over was really sad.
Clint was definitely at an even stance as Chelsea. They were both athletic and equally had a rough past year. Besides him being absolutely gorgeous (character crush!) he was down to earth and a perfect match for Chelsea. Their initial chemistry was electric and only grew from there. Chelsea is a very strong character, especially since she was an athlete, and I felt Clint's personality suited her better than her boyfriend, Gabe. When everyone else was avoiding the issue and pitying Chelsea, Clint was there to make her face it head on.
Schindler's writing kept me engrossed until the very end. Overall, this was a romantic and charming story about two strangers meeting and having a life changing experience.
Check out tomorrow's stop on the tour for a Scene/Excerpt from the book at The Serpentine Library
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