This was an adorable read. The story follows Maddie as she works at her aunt’s sports marketing firm as an intern for the summer. While on a walk with her aunt’s dumpy mastiff, Watford, she goes flying off her bike and crash lands at the feet of Gabriel Fortunato, a world renown soccer player, who’s gotten into a bit of trouble. Never did she think she’d ever see him again but fate has a sense of humor. The two are thrown together to work - her to better his social media status and him to learn to relax around her. This book was adorable and funny. If you love soccer and a fun romance, this is a great book to read! ( )

The plot isn't terribly unique, we've all read other variations of the famous/notorious boy/girl finds themselves in a prickly/attractive situation with someone not famous/infamous who's trying to survive or just get a bit ahead.
There are several elements that make this stand out in a very positive way.
1-Maddie's a middle child with a brilliant older brother and her mother bends over backwards to act like Maddie isn't different, but the message sent and received is anything but.
2-Gabriel is a much better and deeper 'bad boy' than we generally get and the more you read, the richer a character he becomes.
3-How they meet is both unique and hilarious.
4-Her aunt Emma is both sympathetic and devious, but most readers will end up cutting her some slack.
5-The interactions between Maddie and Gabriel are extremely well done.
6-Maddie is a nice mix of vulnerable and gutsy.
7-Then there's the evil uncle and nearly as evil rival intern.
Get the book and plan to have a great escape when you open the cover. ( )

I'll admit the reason this book initially caught my eye was learning the character was from Normal, Illinois as I am very familiar with the town. I enjoy reading books in the YA genre so I figured might as well give this one a shot. A decent read but not exactly memorable.

High school student Maddie McPherson is ready to leave her hometown of Normal, Illinois and move on to bigger and better things. She's landed a pretty cool summer internship at a sports marketing firm in Chicago. She is assigned a pretty big project as she will be working with teenage soccer star, Gabriel Fortunato, to develop content for his social media presence. And of course working together so closely, Maddie gets to really know Gabriel. Are they going to maintain a strictly business relationship or could it develop into something more?

By far the thing I loved most about this book was the fact it featured women working in what most people would consider a male-dominated industry. I'm glad the author had most of the plot revolving around sports marketing and working with athletes as I found it fascinating. Might not have been entirely realistic Maddie was given certain responsibilities given her age and inexperience, but I just rolled with it.

Unfortunately, I thought the romance elements of the story were somewhat lackluster. There was nothing significantly wrong with the two characters, it was more I just didn't pick up on a ton of sparks between the two of them. Thankfully there is a nice balance so it's not like the romance dominates the story.

I received an advance digital copy from Netgalley and the publisher. All views expressed are my honest opinion. ( )