This one was my least favourite of the four--perhaps because I read it last? I struggled to not see the formula here, especially when a few of the synonyms were exactly the same as in other books. This one also felt extremely neat--there wasn't ever really a big conflict. ( )

I enjoyed this book. The more I read, the more I liked it. At one point I almost gave up because the main character was too strong willed for my taste, but she softened. ( )

As a woman of many interests, including football and contemporary romance books, it was really fun to read a book that brought them together. I really enjoyed Martin's style of writing. She was witty and although the book covered some difficult topics, she kept it light. Of course, it was a feel good book which means it had a feel good ending. Even though this book is about a relationship between a football player and a single mom, you don't have to necessarily be a huge football fanatic to enjoy it, just like how you don't have to be a single mom. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a short, light, romantic read that is perfect for the summer. I'm looking forward to reading more of Martin's books. ( )

Intercepted was one of my surprise favorites of last year, and the only reason it took me this long to read Fumbled is because I read some mixed reviews and I didn’t want to be disappointed by the author. I finally decided to pick it up and thanks to my much lowered expectations, it turned out to be an okay read.

The author impressed me a lot in her debut because the characters were well fleshed out and the plot was both deep and entertaining. That same spark was missing a bit in this sophomore attempt. While I do like the second chance romance trope because it can make for some good angst, there wasn’t that much of it here. The issues never felt more than superficial, everything getting resolved a bit too quickly and not letting the emotions build up in me as a reader. The pacing of the story felt too rushed, so I wasn’t feeling convinced by anything that was happening. I guess I just wanted the characters to breathe and think a little before jumping headlong into every decision. There were also multiple subplots like the stalker and evil mother which added nothing to the story and weren’t resolved properly. The one good thing I liked which had some proper emphasis was about the consequences of playing a sport like football and how repeated head injuries can lead to long term brain related ailments like CTE, but I definitely would have enjoyed more if this aspect was a little more fleshed out.

Poppy is a very fierce and sassy protagonist and I mostly liked her. She is a hard working single mom who is doing everything she can to give a good upbringing for her child and I admired her for it. She also never takes any bullshit and stands up for herself, which reminded me a bit of Marlee. But when it comes to TK, she became a totally different person. TK is a great guy and wants to be involved in his son’s life completely and I liked him a lot for it. But the author was not able to convince me why it was so easy for them to get together immediately despite a decade long separation. While I was totally rooting for the family to be together, I think the couple never took enough time to get to know each other better after all these years.

Ace is an adorable little nine year old, appropriately mischievous for his age but also very well sorted and polite on other occasions. I loved his relationship with his mother and the easy way he bonded with his dad. But I definitely would have liked to see more of the three of them together. The girl gang in this book is amazing too with some new additions. Sadie and Vonnie are both dramatic af but they brought a lot of laughs to the proceedings and I liked that Poppy was able to find her own tribe whom she could rely on for support. And I’m very very excited that the next book is going to be about the amazing Brynn.

While this book turn out to be as fun as it’s predecessor, it’s still an okay one time read. You can definitely give it a try if you like a second chance romance with a secret baby trope. I thought the book was kinda rushed but I didn’t get bored and I’m definitely looking forward to the final book of the trilogy. ( )

Could only get through 45 mins of this. At times I thought, yes, this is going to make it to Fresh, as in Rotten Tomatoes. But it didn't. It was still cliched. ( )