Library book by familiar author. The romance is there was it’s not really the central focus of the story - it’s like the B story not the A story.

Getting over break up / new romance set around a cast of elite gymnasts. The protagonists are former Olympians/near Olympians who are the coaches of an Olympic hopeful.

Some discussion of the sexual assault gymnastic scandal and the abusive coaches / eating disorders / mental health aspects of elite sports.

Also weird: it’s framed around prepping for the 2020 Olympics and sections are broken up by Month and Year. I know it has nothing at all to do with COVID-19 but seeing the dates laid out that way knowing what their year brings added a weird vibe for me too but that’s no fault if the book. ( )

Cute look in the gymnastics world but a little cookie cutter hallmark movie ish ( )

Sweet predictable but good character development & lite vacation read when you don’t want to think too hard! ( )

What I love most about reading is being able to experience worlds I otherwise wouldn't have, and this was a clear example of that. I have no idea what it's like to be an Olympic athlete, not even periphally. Summer 2016 I was in a national park with WiFi barely strong enough to load text, let alone videos, so I missed the hype of the gymnastics there, but Orenstein captured so clearly the emotion and just how hard these athletes work that I teared up multiple times when reading this.

I was impressed with the way this address depression and abuse, and the way that Avery's character was so unflinchingly realistic and relatable. She was perfect in that she admitted all of her flaws and insecurities, and that made her strenght all the more impressive and inspiring. I also adored her roommate Sara, and seeing her convincing Avery to try yoga.

The emotions of this book were so incredibly intense and I rooted for Hallie and Avery so much. I enjoyed Orenstein's previous two books, but this is by far her strongest, and I'm really excited to read whatever she next has up her sleeve. She's really talented in capturing just how high tensions and feelings can be.

It's rough though, to read this timeline now. The book takes place in late 2019 and in 2020, with a brief epilogue taking place during the July Olympics. I know the publishing process and it must be so rough for the poor author to see how none of these events were palpable. Even reading the events in February, a voice in the back of my head was yelling "that's not realistic! You should be concerned about Covid!" No one who worked on the book is responsible for that and I don't think it detracts in a way worthy of reflection in a review, but I felt like I needed to acknowledge it anyway. ( )

The romance was a bit hit or miss for me. There were times were I liked the couple and other times I got red flags from the love interest especially concerning the third act conflict. I did however loved the gymnastics backdrop which made the book better than your standard romance book in my opinion. ( )