Title: How You Get The Girl [Love & Other Disasters #3]
Author: Anita Kelly
Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance
Publication Date: Feb 13, 2024
Publisher: Forever
GoodReads
Synopsis:
When smart-mouthed Vanessa Lerner joins the high school basketball team Julie Parker coaches, Julie’s ready for the challenge. What she’s not ready for is Vanessa’s new foster parent, Elle Cochrane—former University of Tennessee basketball star. While star-struck at first, soon Julie persuades Elle to step into the unfilled position of assistant coach for the year.
Even though Elle has stayed out of the basketball world since an injury ended her short-lived WNBA career, the gig might be a way to become closer to Vanessa—and to spend more time with Julie, who makes Elle laugh. As the coaches grow closer, Elle has a hard time understanding how Julie is single. When Julie reveals her lifelong insecurity about dating and how she wishes it was more like sports—being able to practice first—it sparks an intriguing idea. While Elle still doubts her abilities as a basketball coach, helping Julie figure out dating is definitely something she can do. But as the basketball season progresses, and lines grow increasingly blurred, Julie and Elle must decide to join the game—or retreat to the sidelines.
Review:
This is my first Anita Kelly book and it was okay. I want to say it was amazing, but unfortunately it just didn’t click right with me, which is hugely disappointing since it had everything I basically like (outside of the main trope, which didn’t click as the main trope until I was in it).
Immediately, I got hooked on the writing. The story started off strong but their brains being abuzz over one another immediately turned me off. I appreciated both of their respect for one another – green flag characters all around – but the fangirly-ness of it all was not for me (the whole love arc takes place across 2 months only).
Then there was the practice dating. I’m not usually a practice dating kind of person, the trope is very hit or miss for me, and this time around it was a miss. The priorities felt off and some of it felt way too fast, but again that might be a me problem.
I did like the mental health discussion, the chats about feeling behind because of a lack of dating (and possibly being aro/ace/demi), and the feeling of being mildly directionless, but for some reason it just didn’t gel with me like these discussions usually would (cause hi, directionless, mentally ill demi here). I did love the reassurance that no label is really needed though, that was very gratifying. Also, the MC’s relationships were also really well developed (though maybe the large cast was part of why I didn’t love it??). Both MCs have full lives – family who they love and interact with, friends who pop in and help them through problems – and I loved that they had that, but it was a lot of take in. Maybe if I’d read the first two books I would have had a better handle on all the secondary characters.
Like I said, the writing was good, but something just didn’t click for me and I’m as disappointed by that as you probably are. Might give their other books a try one day, but this was just okay for me.
Rep: sapphic, MC with depression and chronic migraines, MC questioning
TW: sexual content; mentions drug abuse, addiction, parental neglect
Plot: 3/5
Characters: 4/5
World Building: 3/5
Writing: 4/5
Pacing: 2/5
Overall: 3/5
GoodReads Rating: 4.27/5
eARC gifted via NetGalley by Forever via Grand Central Publishing in exchange for an honest review.