Blog Tour & Giveaway: Review of The Game Can’t Love You Back

Title: The Game Can’t Love You Back
Author: Karole Cozzo
Publisher: Swoon Reads
Publication date: May 15th 2018
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult

Synopsis:

Eve is used to being the odd woman out. As the only girl on her school’s baseball team, she knows exactly how to put sweaty, macho baseball players in their place, and she’s focused on one thing and one thing only—being the best pitcher she can be.

But when a freak accident forces her high school to be absorbed by the neighboring town, Eve has to contend with a new group of guys who aren’t used to having a woman on their team. And the new team’s star pitcher, Jamie, has no interest in being ousted from his throne. He can’t afford to give up his starting slot to a new pitcher—even worse, to a girl.

As the competition between Jamie and Eve starts to heat up, so does their attraction to each other. Can they keep their heads in the game, or will they end up getting played?

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I love Karole Cozzo’s writing style and once again her storytelling did not disappoint. I really loved that The Game Can’t Love You Back has very honest and realistic characters. The two main characters, Jamie and Eve, are both competitive, independent, and are dealing with their own personal issues. But what I liked about Jamie and Eve is that they are both so authentic and don’t hold back their emotions. In some young adult novels, the lack of communication always causes the worst and most annoying drama, but when it comes to this book, these characters hold back very little and then burst with the most straightforward answers and opinions.

Additionally, I really enjoyed the romance that unfolds in The Game Can’t Love You Back. The story does have a “hate-to-love” feel, but once Jamie and Eve start connecting and interacting, there is no turning back from the heated chemistry between these two. The novel definitely reads like a teenage movie and I really enjoyed watching all the characters find their own paths. 

However, I do wish there was more focus on family dynamics in the book. We get some brief encounters with both characters’ families, but after the speech that Eve’s mom gives to Eve on Mother’s Day, I was craving more interaction. Plus, Jamie’s sister is shadowed in the background and I would have enjoyed some more scenes between the two siblings. Overall, I think The Game Can’t Love You Back is a hit. If you love baseball, girl power, playful rivalry, swoons, and romantic gestures, definitely give this book a read. 

Author Bio:

Karole lives outside of Philadelphia, PA with her loving husband, exuberant little girl, and smiley little boy. She adores YA Romance, because it would be awesome if life in general had a requisite feel-good happy ending rule. Vices include obscene Haribo gummy consumption, addiction to Starbucks NF vanilla lattes, and tendency to hoard Bath and Body Works 3-wick candles.

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Note: Thank you to Macmillan and Xpresso Tours for having me on this blog tour and for providing me a review copy to read for free in exchange for an honest review. All statements and opinions are my own.