Whatever Life Throws at You (Entangled Teen) Paperback – October 7, 2014

Probably more like 3.5 stars, but I rounded up because I love the Royals.Probably any other time I would have passed on this story, but it seemed like I had to read this story this October when the Royals are headed to the World Series. I love the Royals. I've always loved the Royals, even when they were embarrassingly awful. But a book about the Royals and romance? Sorry, but the idea seemed just a little too potentially goofy, and I wasn't in the mood for eye-rolling this week.I'm happy to say that this story doesn't really get into eye-rolling territory. It has sweet romantic moments and a little behind-the-dugout drama, but it also has its share of events that seem a little over the top. Overall, the story isn't ruined by those crazy moments, and I ended up being relatively pleased with the end result.The nitty-gritty details:Jason Brody is a 19 year-old rookie pitching sensation picked up by the Kansas City Royals baseball team. He is there in the majors because the new pitching coach believes in him and his raw talent. That pitching coach is an ex-Yankee pitcher who only played one season in the majors because of losing a leg to bone cancer. He didn't get the chance to become the baseball star he was hyped to be, but he has turned into an excellent pitching coach. The manager, Frank, hires him to come to Kansas City, so he packs up his 17 year-old daughter, Annie, along with his Alzheimer's stricken mother-in-law (long story) and heads to a new life. But life of a rookie pitcher and a second string coach is a rocky one. Either one of them can be fired at any moment by the Royals owner. Things get complicated with Brody and Annie become closer. Sure, they are only two years apart, but there is just something that seems a bit wrong about a pro baseball player dating a junior in high school. It doesn't seem to pass the ick test ... and they know it, so they keep their feelings and actions a secret from pretty much everyone. Nothing good comes from keeping secrets ... ever, so things potentially can fall apart in a hurry. Does Brody see Annie as just a little girl or as a fellow adult? Can they really make this into a solid relationship? What will the publicity do to Brody or Annie's dad? Plus, there's a requisite amount of family drama that generally shows upin these sorts of novels. Can there be a happily ever after here?My thoughts:I thought that the best parts of this romance took place in the first half of the book when Brody and Annie were simply friends. The banter between these two and the growth of their understanding about each other was super sweet. You could easily see why these two could become close to one another. I wanted WAY more of that. Once they decide to become a couple officially (at least in their heads ... since they won't tell anyone else what is going on) I thought the book become A LOT weaker. Then it became a lot of scenes where they had to find creative ways to sneak around in order to see each other. I know that Brody is supposedly an adult, and Annie spends half the book trying to show Brody that she is like an adult (side note ... it was TOTALLY not cool to read about Annie's thoughts about maybe trying to go further with Brody than she was comfortable with just to prove that she was a grown-up. Not cool at all. Don't do this ladies!!), but this sneaking around REEKS of teenage behavior. Not cool. And seriously, it just made the whole relationship seem slimier than it really was. As I was reading I kept thinking how wrong the whole thing felt. Maybe I was just in the middle of a huge dose of Old Lady Syndrome, but still ... sneaking around and hiding feelings from those we love most isn't romantic. It's immature. And it totally turned me off.There were some plot points that should have been explored a lot more. Really digging deeper into the issues involving Gram's Alzheimer's, Annie's mom's completely bizarre behavior, Brody's dyslexia, or his strange non-relationship with his family would have really strengthened this story and created a depth to it that could have helped it to rise above a crowded field. I really wish that more time was spent exploring Brody's rise from his horrible past choices. What was so bad about his youth that made his mother make the decision she did? Has he changed? Why? There is a great story there, but it was never told because too much time was spent watching Brody and Annie find ways to keep secrets from the world. Bummer.There are a few glaring grammar and spelling errors that snapped me out of the story a few times. An editor should have caught these. But, having said that, it really is a well-written book for this price range. I did enjoy it. True, some of the baseball references did not ring true at all. The choices of when Brody was put in to pitch would never happen in a major league team. What team throws an unproven rookie as their opening day starter, sees him pitch a great game, and then uses him in the no-glamour role of middle reliever for most of the season, only to stick him as a starter again in pivotal series games? You just can't do that. Pitchers prepare totally different for those roles, and switching them out willy nilly throughout the season would be chaos. And do people anywhere really obsess about the lives of baseball players wives and children? I've been a baseball fan for a long, long time, and I couldn't tell you a thing about most players families. Yet this book makes it seem as if there is some huge paparazzi industry out there dedicated to following these stars (of the Kansas City Royals!!) around. Sorry. That doesn't ring true at all. But, whatever. It was still kind of fun to just put all of that aside and come along for the ride here. I liked the Happily Ever After. I really did like Brody a lot, and I'll bet if I met Annie five years in the future I would have liked her a lot too. And yea for the Kansas City Royals! Four stars!

WHATEVER LIFE THROWS AT YOU is a young adult contemporary romance that takes place in Kansas City and centers around the Royals baseball team. This is an addictive, sports romance with a forbidden element that I had a hard time putting down, but longed for a more involved conflict.Seventeen-year-old Annie and her father move to Kansas City after he's hired to be the pitching coach in charge of training an up and coming rookie, Jason Brody. Sparks fly between Annie and Jason but they must keep their relationship a secret. Annie's father isn't well-liked by the team's owner; he's looking for any indiscretion to can her father and force them back to Arizona.This is definitely a more mature young adult novel. I'd even go as far as to say it's more new adult. It straddles the line here. What I really liked about this novel was the slow development of Annie and Brody's friendship and then relationship. Julie Cross really did a great job with building their relationship, which made me feel totally connected to their love story. Both of them tried to fight their feelings but couldn't stay away and I always love experiencing that tension.In addition to the romance, I really liked the great father-daughter storyline. Annie and her father have a healthy and strong relationship. This was refreshing since often in young adult familial relationships are often a source of strain or turmoil.I also liked the development of Annie and Brody as individual characters, with their own unique backgrounds and histories that shape why they make the decision they make. I felt like I had a good grasp on who they were as people. Annie discovers that Brody has a past that he tries to hide but also one that causes him pain. Over the course of the novel, the trust the develops between them deepens, allowing Brody to confide in Annie.Like I said earlier, this novel is a more mature young adult novel (arguably new adult). The author doesn't shy away from exploring Brody and Annie's sexual relationship, which is nice because, newsflash, teenagers have sex! But what I liked in this book was that neither character talked about sex in a flippant or careless way. It wasn't romanticized or watered down, and was discussed in a way where it was clear both understood the importance of their decision.What didn't entirely work for me was the conflict in this story. It in honesty, the conflict felt flimsy and superficial, which is a bummer because I really felt the rest of the story was quite strong overall. But for me, I really like a strong realistic and authentic conflict and I didn't get it here. As much as I loved the romance, I wish we would have had more exploration with Annie's friendships and life at school. The novel focuses so much on the love story. The only thing I know about her at school is that she plays track and she has one friend—Lenny, whom she met because she's a Royals kid too. I also wish that Lenny's story was more nuanced and fully resolved here.As a Kansas City native, I've had this book on my to-read list almost since its release in 2014. Books rarely take place here so it's a special treat when your hometown makes an appearance in literature. There were a few inaccuracies with the location of certain things but it really wasn't that big of a deal to the overall story, just something I noticed as a local.If you're looking for a sweet and swoonworthy young adult sports romance, then seriously give this book a try. It has plenty of moments to make you go weak in the knees with a family story that will make your heart grow 3 sizes.

It would make a great movie if a film director reads it and I can relate with Jason's 'problems' as have it to, and your don't see alot of authors writing and dyslexia as she did.

Nice book I thought it was slightly younger than my usual college scene books and that Jason perhaps was a little too nice at times. Overall enjoyed this story of 2 young adults falling in love and overcoming the challenges they faced.Would look out for this author in the future and would enjoy a book about lenny

What a lovely, light hearted read. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it to anyone who likes a good romance.

Jason broody is wow,he had to go threw a lot to get where he wanted to be but Annie and her dad helped him achieve

Ok