I spent eight years of my naive young life convinced I was going to be an Olympic gymnast. The only two snags were 1. I was just not that good and 2. I had way too much of that dreaded 'F' word...Fear. I found my strength in dance and the rest of my adolescence was spent in that world competing. Reading HEAD OVER HEELS was nostalgia for me in both good ways and bad.
I absolutely loved Avery and her journey. Her life after a career ending injury left her aimless and unmotivated but after a call from an old crush asking her to be a coach for an Olympic hopeful, everything changes for her. Watching her go from lost to finding herself and finding her strength again while becoming a coach was incredible. She was so vulnerable the last few years after losing gymnastics that seeing her find a voice and confidence as a coach had me cheering for her and fist pumping like a champ. Another aspect I really loved was how she dealt with healing after years of training with an emotionally abusive coach. This book addresses the sexual abuse gymnasts have suffered through as well as the emotional abuse coaches inflict upon these young girls. While I didn't experience this emotional abuse in the gymnastics world, I definitely did in the dance world. Ever seen Dance Moms? Picture that and you'd be close to what it was like.
I adored the romance between Avery and Ryan! It had my heart fluttering with how adorable their moments together were, I was rooting for them to get it together! But honestly, the romance took a backseat to my excitement at being back in the gym. The gymnastics lingo and skills, time in the gym, competitive spirit felt like I was putting on my old grips; it felt familiar and comforting. I was obsessed with reading this book! I wanted an 800 page book of her training and competing because I couldn't get enough of this world. I felt like this book had a great balance of fun gymnastics time and real life implications of the abuse some of these athletes suffered. The aftermath of such intense competition and finding your own path was amazing and I highly recommend this book if you're a previous competitor or just love gymnastics!
I absolutely loved Avery and her journey. Her life after a career ending injury left her aimless and unmotivated but after a call from an old crush asking her to be a coach for an Olympic hopeful, everything changes for her. Watching her go from lost to finding herself and finding her strength again while becoming a coach was incredible. She was so vulnerable the last few years after losing gymnastics that seeing her find a voice and confidence as a coach had me cheering for her and fist pumping like a champ. Another aspect I really loved was how she dealt with healing after years of training with an emotionally abusive coach. This book addresses the sexual abuse gymnasts have suffered through as well as the emotional abuse coaches inflict upon these young girls. While I didn't experience this emotional abuse in the gymnastics world, I definitely did in the dance world. Ever seen Dance Moms? Picture that and you'd be close to what it was like.
I adored the romance between Avery and Ryan! It had my heart fluttering with how adorable their moments together were, I was rooting for them to get it together! But honestly, the romance took a backseat to my excitement at being back in the gym. The gymnastics lingo and skills, time in the gym, competitive spirit felt like I was putting on my old grips; it felt familiar and comforting. I was obsessed with reading this book! I wanted an 800 page book of her training and competing because I couldn't get enough of this world. I felt like this book had a great balance of fun gymnastics time and real life implications of the abuse some of these athletes suffered. The aftermath of such intense competition and finding your own path was amazing and I highly recommend this book if you're a previous competitor or just love gymnastics!
Rating: 5 Stars | Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Atria | Source; Format: eARC from publisher
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