3.5 stars.
I have absolutely nothing with baseball, it is not a sport that is big here in my country, so at times I was just bored or wondering why everyone was so hyper-obsessed with it. It just seemed so silly and overdone. The only times I see people get hyper-obsessed with sports here is during the UEFA European Championship or World Cup for soccer/football. So yeah, I just can't imagine it.
But besides the baseball, it was a pretty good book. I really liked Danielle at times, but not always. The romance was good (when it really started), and I liked reading about Danielle's summer (though again, too much baseball).
But Danielle was also a bit annoying at times. It seems like her vocabulary and her life turned only around Baseball or writing. It didn't seem like she had anything else to her that was different. It was sports or writing. It felt a bit one-dimensional and at times I wish we would discover some hidden trait that was awesome, sadly this never happened.
It was funny that even though she said she wouldn't fall for the baseball player in their house, it was just instant love. I know that she had rules and all that, but I didn't like that she denied her feelings and starting "dating" (since I am not sure if you would call what she did with that guy that) a different guy. All the while she felt highly awkward, but didn't break it up. Um, girl, if you feel awkward kissing your current boyfriend, because your hot stay-at-your-home baseball player is next to you... there is something wrong. Just see that!
I did like her relationship with her parents, it is not often that we read about a good relationship between teenagers and their parents so I was happily surprised. Her friendship with Bird was fantastic and I loved how during the summer she grew closer to her sister.
Ah yes, also something that I found a bit weird, in all the books so far that I read from Rachel Hawthorne, the main girls are all 18/19 and going to college after one last summer of fun. Danielle however is 16 (almost 17) and still in High School. It was a change and I had to keep checking Danielle's age. I think it would also been better if Danielle was a bit older, then she and Jason would have matched more.
And yes, this one also has the you-know-who-she-is-going-to-end-up-with thing going on. It is quite clear that she fell for that guy, and while she denies it, we can all clearly see that she is actually loving him. At times this was annoying, especially since, unlike the previous books, I didn't particularly like the love interest. He grew on me, but it took a long time, and even near the end I wouldn't say they match together.
A plus point to Tiffany, the sister of Danielle. While at the beginning I didn't always like her, she grew on me. You slowly discover that she might be a ditz on the outside, but on the inside she is actually smart. Also she loves zombie/horror movies!
When the romance finally started for real, I was just swooning. It was all so romantic and sweet. I do hope our couple can stay together, there is a 4 hour distance between them, and I am sure they both are very busy. One with college and baseball, the other with senior year and getting into colleges.
Would I recommend this book? Yes, yes I would. There are enough fun and swoon-worthy moments.
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
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