3.5 Stars

Now that was a pleasant surprise! I’m not going to lie people, the title didn’t fill me with optimism. Post reading I still don’t like the title as I know that some YA Readers will make quite a few assumptions about the storyline based on it. They might be expecting a cheesy love story and an uplifting book that shows us all that ‘girls can do anything’ *said in a cheerleader voice whilst shaking my pom poms*.

What they will actually get is a story about an exceptionally talented and driven sportswoman working towards earning a softball scholarship by being successful in the male dominated game of football AND a story about not accepting homophobia AND a story about making good decisions in uncomfortable situations AND a story of young men dealing with the superior sports skills of a young woman AND a cutesy love story. None of the issues are explored in any huge depth but enough to make it a meaningful read.

Caution: There are detailed descriptions of game plays. You have been warned.
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When Liv loses her temper during a softball game, she also loses her scholarship. The coach at Liv’s new school (the school she lost her temper against) refuses to give Liv a shot at softball unless she can prove in the months beforehand that she’s more of a team player than her actions indicated so when the school’s quarterback invites Liv to join the football team as his backup, she jumps at the opportunity even though she’d be the lone girl, her ex is a teammate, and her parents frown on dangerous sports.

This features quite a few football scenes which might sound off-putting if you’re not a fan of the sport, but I know almost nothing about football and the way those scenes were written I found it easy to understand what was going on. The football scenes are exciting, too, since Liv has her successes but there are failures and injuries and other character developments during the games as well.

Obviously in real life it’s still an uphill battle for any female attempting to break into a male dominated sport, however in Throw Like A Girl, there are really only a handful of moments where Liv is given a hard time over her gender. That did strike me as a bit unrealistic as I’d imagine female athletes in her position experience quite a bit more harassment, but at the same time it’s kind of wonderful to breathe in the world of this book where she is mostly supported, it increases the hope that the actual world will get there sooner than later.

I had somewhat lukewarm feelings towards the romance in this one, I liked Liv and Grey together, but that’s kind of it, I just liked them.

What I loved were the family scenes. It’s timely, and likely relatable for plenty of readers to see this family having financial issues, Liv unable to afford new clothes, the family living with Liv’s older married sister, etc., yet they’re not consumed with their struggles, it isn’t a downer to read about, there’s this uplifting vibe of them making the best of their circumstances and there’s something so authentic and heartwarming in the way they interact, they challenge and tease each other yet absolutely have each other’s backs, too.

I also adored Addie, she pretty much defines best friend. She always shows up for Liv even though Liv can’t always reciprocate, and there’s a moment where she gives Liv a very much needed pep talk that had me thinking what a fantastic heroine Addie would be in her own story.

While I wouldn’t draw a direct comparison between this and the TV series Friday Night Lights, they’re telling completely different stories, the thing they share in common is that even if you’re not into football, there are some relationships really worth your time. ( )

A good summer read. Liv needs to get on the girls softball team but in order to do that she needs to show teamwork. So...she tries out for the boys football team because she's got a good arm.

This is a fun read. Enjoy ( )

All teens have secrets, but most of the time, they're relatively harmless. In Liv's case, not sharing what she heard while on first base during the most important softball game of the year cost her greatly. Granted, she broke the first baseman's nose, but losing her scholarship, not to mention having to eat humble pie when she transfers to the school of the opposing team really hurts, and she still isn't ready to open up about what was said. When the quarterback of her new school's football team sees her throw perfect spiral passes to her younger brother, he tries to recruit her as a backup quarterback because he's still recovering from a broken collarbone. However, Grey has his own secrets and they're potentially dangerous to him as well to the budding relationship with Liv. What follows is a very enjoyable and nicely crafted entry in the girls/boys who try to play a sport generally played by the opposite gender. A definite addition to libraries where these stories are popular. ( )