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Whatever Life Throws At You (2014)

by Julie Cross(Favorite Author)

4.18 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

1622664043 (ISBN13: 9781622664047)

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Entangled: Teen

review 1: Another sports-themed romance this week -- only we're on the baseball diamond this go-round. First time read by this author and I really enjoyed the sass and spark included in the dialogue, as well as two very interesting and refreshing characters. We've got a strong-willed and very determined underage daughter of one of the pitching coaches who catches the eye and the affections of the new nineteen-year old pitcher who has a reputation (the kind of guy that we all love to watch his takedown). But as I've learned over the years -- and especially when reading a book -- don't always judge a book by its cover. You're most likely going to get a surprise and if you're lucky, it'll be like here. A really fun-to-read day at the ballpark!
review 2: I do not rememb... moreer a book that has required so much eye-rolling while reading as this one. I picked this book to read because I wanted a cute, fluffy YA romance and the reviews were all pretty solid. Not to mention, I love baseball. This book should have been right up my alley, right? Wrong.First things first, I probably should have been more committed to the idea that the baseball-related things presented in this book wouldn't be the most realistic. That was my first mistake. No major league baseball team would have a minor league reliever who has never pitched in the majors be the Opening Day STARTER. None. Easy fix: just have Jason Brody be an ace reliever. Have him close out games throwing 100mph fire and he can still be a star. None of this reliever turning into a starter throwing six innings nonsense. Then, he pitches three innings four games in a row. But, he was just starting so why is he now relieving? Then, he is coming into the game in the third and pitching for the last 6 innings? Does this team have no other pitchers? I'm so freaking confused. Also, just the way that the baseball culture was presented was really weird and kind of took me out of the story. For example, I really doubt that [spoiler] there would be paparazzi in a club in Missouri to take pictures of the players' kids partying. Baseball players are rich, sure, and baseball players are in the public eye, sure, but they aren't like other celebrities. They (and their kids) certainly do not get followed by paparazzi everywhere they go. I don't know. Like I said, probably should have not assumed it would be super realistic but, man, this was all hard to swallow. I felt like the book was painting baseball culture as a place where all of the kids go out and party and cause trouble and the more established players are assholes to the rookies and it's all women and money and contracts, just, no. Baseball does have it's problems - sexism, homophobia, whatever - but none of these real problems were presented here. (Well, I guess one of the veteran players does basically suggest the that main character sleeps around a lot! WHAT. SHE'S 17 AND HE IS A GROWN ASS MAN WITH KIDS HER AGE. WHAT!)Baseball aside, I couldn't really stand the main character, Annie. The thing I dislike the most about Annie is her constant shaming of other girls or women. I get it, she's a teenager with a crush and you never want to see your crush hanging out with other girls that aren't you. But, COME ON. The way that she talks about the other girls that Jason is with is disgusting. She even recognizes that she is "stereotyping and being judgmental" but does nothing to fix it. Why, why, why?! One line says "instead of finding bimbos to bang he's thinking about me?" My eyes are so far back in my head. Does Annie realize that her perfect crush would also have to choose to "bang" these "bimbos"?! I cannot stand her. Even after she learns that her beloved pitcher is not, in fact, sleeping with every woman he sees, she is still so annoying. She whines and complains and, my GOD. Like, she goes to her beau's mom's house without asking him to get information that he is not comfortable with her getting and I just can't. "As if I actually know how gangs work." As if anyone in the book knows how anything works, apparently. Then, when Jason/Brody/Whatever gets mad at her for doing this, she's all like, well I just had a really shitty time going out in the rain and, like, I really don't think it's fun to be getting yelled at right now. You're 17, Annie. You're not 10 or 12 or even 15. Stop whining. OH MY GOD. When Jason Brody calls her out I'm SO STOKED. SHE THINKS IT IS STUPID TO APOLOGIZE. SHE LITERALLY SAYS "THAT'S FUCKING STUPID." This book, y'all. "Why did he have to call me a child?" Oh, I don't know, Annie, maybe because you are acting like one ALL THE TIME?! The only thing I find interesting about her is that she is a super good runner but that kind of disappeared. There are characters that are written as crappy people that I can still appreciate and then there is Annie. Overall, this book was a struggle to get through. I had too high of hopes when I started it and by the end I was just laughing at how much I wanted it to be over. Disappointingly crafted characters, so many baseball inaccuracies, unsexy sexy times. There was one line that really just stood out as one that illustrated everything I dislike about this book and it was Annie's commentary on how a number five mid-relief pitcher DARE speak at a dinner party they were having. There is no such thing as a number five mid-relief pitcher. You are either a middle reliever or a number five starter. And, Annie, when you're being a whiny brat, someone else might want to talk to fill the awkward silence.And, of COURSE this close-turned-super-reliever-turned-starter pitched a perfect game to send the team to the World Series in his second ever start. less

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