Catch

I can’t put my finger on what was missing to make this a hit for me. I can say the alternating flashback scenes from about midpoint in really didn’t add to the story and took away from the forward momentum of what was happening in the present timeline. The timeline for the present spans around 8-9 months, there’s no real discussion of their past issues, just promises made (despite trust being broken before). A little more of a deep dive into present feelings vs redundant scenes from the past would have made this one work better.

This is a truly beautiful story. It has so many feels and a women who loves football. The awesome courage to play in a male sport, a highschool quarterback, and gay all go against what a woman is supposed to be in this male dominated world. Sutton manages to live as authentic as she can but her love life doesn't get past her first love. I am amazed at how we think we can live without that joy.Parker knows what she feels but her parents "will not allow" her truth. So they make her decisions for a life never lived.The author gives an all to common twist in her life that to the world looks perfect family.The story told in past and present moments help you experience growing up angst. Each experience building on present. The football rules, even hidden ones, everyone quickly learns. I enjoyed the moments we see behind the game and the people who play it. My heart was crushed by how others dictate a life they do not live. This is one you just must read because there is so many layers sharing would give spoilers. So the journey Parker and Sutton make will have you feeling so much and loving this book.

I was especially excited to read this book since I am a sports fan and Kris did not disappoint. It is a great second chancesports-themed romance with wonderfully developed main and ancillary characters, a reasonable amount of angst, steamy sex, and a really great story with some twists and turns to keep you guessing to the end! I really love Kris Bryant's books and this one was another winner!

Oh. My. Goodness!! I enjoyed this book so much. From the cover to the main characters all the way through to the football and secondary characters. Full disclosure: I love football and have been a rabid supporter of the Denver Broncos since my early teens. Growing up I was the only one of my friends who was obsessed with football. So as you may have guessed I was excited to read this book and it did not disappoint. The characters of Sutton and Parker are well written and I enjoyed getting to know the teenage and adult versions. The book alternated chapter to chapter on the past and present and was a great way to understand the motivations of the characters. It truly added depth to the characters and how their love developed.

The present/past flip every other chapter made it really, really hard for me to get captivated by this book. It would have been better for this story to have had just one or two long flashbacks, because, I mean you already know Parker marries the boy ... dragging out the flashbacks like that really disrupted the flow of the story for me, and it was like watching a playback of a train wreck from different angles after you've seen the bloody pile up.The fact that the flashbacks went in reverse from their breakup to the beginning was really confusing and you’re left sitting there trying to wrap your head around WHEN these flashbacks were taking place was really annoying and kept pulling me out of the story.I really wanted to like this book, because you know, a female NFL coach, but I just could not make myself.As for the characters, it didn't feel like Parker did anything to redeem herself for a heartbreak she caused that affected Sutton 15 years later. She brings coffee and confesses she'd made bad decisions on top of mistakes and how she'd been stalking news of Sutton's career highlights all this time. Like that's it? That's the big redeem? (Which, by the way, a "summer romance" in HS and Sutton can't find her emotional equilibrium even in 15 years?) And then Sutton lets Parker in with the though of: "I was tired of fighting. Her, myself, the past, the future." Then Parker says she's sorry and *poof* HEA is back on track?

Keep an open mind while reading this book. It's an easy read and slightly predictable, but not necessarily in a bad way. The book switches back and forth between past and present. It had the right amount of football in it to enhance the story, not overpower it. The MCs were intriguing and did draw you in to make you invested. Side characters were great. My only complaints: I felt like the (present) connection after reconnecting was a little rushed, sometimes solely based on past connection and steamy tension. It would have been nice to see more conversations and true chemistry development. There was just something missing with the chemistry, that's why it's a 4 out of 5. Glad there was no cheating.

I may hate (American) football, but I really enjoyed this second-chance romance. For a smart woman, Sutton did not put the clues together. Other than that, both main characters were good. This story had me compelled to get to the (hopefully) HEA.

I love this book. But I am a football fan. And a Kris Bryant fan. This is a 15 yr love story about Sutton and Parker. It is also about how hard it is to be your true self. Especially when you are young and have homophobic parents. Don't worry if you are not a football fan. You don't have to know anything about it, to enjoy. Kris can tell a great story. Filled with so much detail about her characters. It just pulls you in and doesn't let go.