Welcome to my stop on the It’s All in How You Fall by Sarah Henning book tour! If you enjoy YA sports novels, this book it one to try. Keep reading to learn more about the book, and make sure to follow along to the other stops on the tour.
Title: It's All in How You FallAuthor: Sarah Henning
Also by this author: Sea Witch
Publisher: Poppy
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult Fiction
Publication Date: May 31, 2022
Rating:
Gymnast Caroline Kepler has three state balance beam titles, a new trick even most elites can’t do, and chronic, undeniable back pain. While she might never be an Olympian, she has dreams of leveling up to elite, making Nationals, and competing in college. But when one epic face-plant changes all that and Caroline’s back pain goes from chronic to career-ending, her dreams are shattered and her life is flipped upside down.
Enter Alex Zavala, a three-sport athlete who’s both incredibly cute and incredibly off-limits. He offers to give Caroline a crash course in all the sports she’s missed, and she has an offer for him in return: For every sport Alex teaches her, she’ll play matchmaker for him. Deal done, Caroline “dates” new sports with Alex for the rest of the summer, which is loads more fun than wallowing in despair. Just as Caroline starts to see herself as more than her past athletic successes, she picks up something she didn’t bargain for: a big fat crush on Alex. Turns out life was way easier when it was just layout-fulls and beam burns....
A contemporary young adult romance about moving on, finding your place, and recovering after life falls apart.
❃ I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. ❃
Review: It’s All in How You Fall by Sarah Henning
It’s All in How You Fall by Sarah Henning combines sports with matchmaking as it follows a gymnast who must move forward after a career-ending injury. As a sucker for sports books, I loved the assortment of new sports that the main character explores, and the characters within the story have a sweet dynamic. This one left me with a smile on my face, and I would consider it a perfect feel-good summer read.
❀ Unexpected Love
For Caroline, gymnastics is everything: her career, her identity, and her future. However, when a landing goes wrong, escalating her chronic back pain to a career-ending injury, she is forced to find an entirely new lifestyle. When her brother’s friend offers to introduce her to all the sports she missed out on in hopes of finding a new passion, Caroline takes him up on his offer and decides to set him up with her teammate in return. However, as the two spend more time together, Caroline starts to fall for Alex, making their relationship and her carefully crafted matchmaking plot even more complicated.
❀ Interesting Main Characters
This book has some interesting main characters, and I enjoyed watching them transform throughout the book. I really felt for Caroline as she has spent her entire life working toward something that is taken from her so quickly. I loved the way she keeps an open mind as she tries to move on from her loss, trying anything Alex suggests, and her heart is in the right place as she tries to thank him by setting him up with her teammate. Alex is also a supportive character who dedicates his spare time to helping Caroline, and I enjoyed reading about their sweet moments together.
❀ sports and summer fun
Throughout the book, there are many different sports that Caroline tests out, and I enjoyed the way that these are incorporated. There is a wide range of sports, from golf to tennis, and the author goes through the basics of any unfamiliar elements, which made me feel like I was learning right alongside Caroline. While there are a lot of sports in the book, I didn’t feel like they overwhelm the story, as there are still all of the fun summer activities that one would expect in a contemporary, making this one feel balanced.
❀ An Uplifting Story
It’s All in How You Fall by Sarah Henning is an uplifting story about finding a new path when life doesn’t go according to plan. I enjoyed the main characters and their dynamic, and I found that the book has the perfect mix of sports and regular plot. This is a great read for sports fans and those looking for a cute, hopeful summer read.
QUOTES: It’s All in How You Fall by Sarah Henning
“Rule number one in gymnastics: A cool skill is only cool if you can actually pull it off.”
“When everything comes easy to you, the things that don’t are insufferable.”
About Sarah Henning
Sarah Henning is a recovering journalist who has worked for the Palm Beach Post, Kansas City Star and Associated Press, among others. While in South Florida, Sarah lived and worked through five hurricanes, which gave her an extreme respect for the ocean. When not writing, she runs ultramarathons, hits the playground with her two kids and hangs out with her husband Justin, who doubles as her long-suffering IT department. Sarah lives in Lawrence, Kansas, which, despite being extremely far from the beach, happens to be pretty cool.
About The Candid Cover
Olivia ❀ YA book blogger, Starbucks lover, novice New Yorker, & professional bibliophile.
Awesome review! We’re excited to be participating in this tour with you.
It’s such a great story! 🙂
The sports aspect is fun, and I especially like how Caroline has to rediscover herself after her injury.
For sure! I do love a a great sports story! 🙂
Great review, Olivia! I’m glad you enjoyed it so much. 🥰
Stephanie @ Bookfever recently posted…Six in Six – 2022 Edition
Thanks, Stephanie! 🙂
YES! I love this review!!! I enjoyed this book so much. I am so glad you did too. It was such a different type of sports romance.
It really was! 🙂
This sounds like a wonderful book!
It’s one to try, for sure! 🙂
It was fun watching Caroline try all those sports, but it was the friendship and that sweet romance that stood out for me. I love comeback too, so that was a plus as well.
Right?! So much to love in this one! 🙂
Thanks for the great review. The book sounds wonderful. Love the cover!
Thanks so much for stopping by! 🙂
I love sports books and I love gymnastics! That seems indeed like the perfect uplifting book!
It is such a fun book! 🙂
This sounds like a book that I would enjoy reading
I liked reading this review I would like this book sounds fun.
seems like fun
Interesting storyline.
Aww this book sounds sweet and I love the aspect of rediscovering oneself after an injury as an athlete. Glad you enjoyed this one, great review!
Kal @ Reader Voracious recently posted…How to Manage ARC Stress & live your best bookish life
It has such a great concept! 🙂
sounds so cute and unique!!
thanks for your review. this sounds like a wonderfully sweet book and I know just who would love it.