Throw Like a Girl

by Sarah Henning
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Release Date: January 7th 2020

Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult, Romance

Synopsis:

Friday Night Lights meets Morgan Matson’s The Unexpected Everything in this contemporary debut where swoonworthy romance meets underdog sports story.

When softball star Liv Rodinsky throws one ill-advised punch during the most important game of the year, she loses her scholarship to her fancy private school, her boyfriend, and her teammates all in one fell swoop. With no other options, Liv is forced to transfer to the nearest public school, Northland, where she’ll have to convince their coach she deserves a spot on the softball team, all while facing both her ex and the teammates of the girl she punched… Every. Single. Day.

Enter Grey, the injured star quarterback with amazing hair and a foolproof plan: if Liv joins the football team as his temporary replacement, he’ll make sure she gets a spot on the softball team in the Spring. But it will take more than the perfect spiral for Liv to find acceptance in Northland’s halls, and behind that charming smile, Grey may not be so perfect after all.

With well-drawn characters and a charming quarterback love interest who’s got brains as well as brawn, Throw Like a Girl will have readers swooning from the very first page.

REVIEW

Sarah Henning is an author that I really enjoy reading her writing. This book was no different! Except for the content: it was great to see her write a contemporary novel that was out of the ordinary for what I’ve read from her so far.  Liv was a likable main character. I thought she was relatable and while it felt on the younger side of high school, it did conquer some feelings for the older crowd. I thought it was really awesome to see her play football and focus on that rather than her relationship, which came secondary.  Grey was so swoonworthy! I liked him so much. He was supportive to Liv and while there was a conflict between the two of them, it resolved with a sweet ending that felt satisfying.  The story generally was enjoyable to read and I was able to get through it fairly fast. I appreciated the Andrew McMahon and the wilderness reference!!! All in all, this was a sports story that I would suggest to lovers of sports books. It wasn’t completely my topic of interest but the writing was up to par with what I expect from Sarah!

Sarah Henning is a recovering journalist who has worked for the Palm Beach Post, Kansas City Star and Associated Press, among others. While in South Florida, Sarah lived and worked through five hurricanes, which gave her an extreme respect for the ocean. When not writing, she runs ultramarathons, hits the playground with her two kids and hangs out with her husband Justin, who doubles as her long-suffering IT department. Sarah lives in Lawrence, Kansas, which, despite being extremely far from the beach, happens to be pretty cool.