Review of Playing Hurt by Holly Schindler (Playing Hurt blog tour stop #1)

Playing Hurt by Holly Schindler

Publisher: Flux
Release Date: March 8th 2011
Pages:  312
Reading Level: Young Adult
Challenge: 100 books in a year
Source: Won ARC

Star basketball player Chelsea "Nitro" Keyes had the promise of a full ride to college—and everyone's admiration back home. Then she took a horrible fall during senior year. Now a metal plate holds her together and she feels like a stranger in her own family.

That summer, Chelsea's dad hires Clint, a nineteen-year-old ex-hockey player and "boot camp" trainer, to work with her at a northern Minnesota lake resort. As they grow close, Chelsea finds that Clint's haunted by his own tragedy. Will their romance end up hurting them all over again—or finally heal their heartbreak? (Goodreads)

My thoughts...

I really enjoyed this novel. It was a truthful love story with interesting characters, graceful writing, and a realistic plot.

I have not read Holly Schindler's other book, A Blue So Dark, but reading Playing Hurt has made me pine for  A Blue So Dark!

The plot is simple yet fantastic. Both main characters are broken (in different ways) and the vacation is a healing process for both of them. The other characters that I found to be good additions were Kenzie and Gabe. For Chelsea, Gabe was safe and easy to be with. She thought they were perfect together. But then... Well, she meets Clint. And she just KNOWS that Clint is much different than Gabe. This is her hardest challenge in the book - making this choice.

For Clint, Kenzie is kind of like an annoying girl with a crush on him. Okay, that's exactly what she is. And Clint knows the two just wouldn't work - he isn't even interested in Kenzie. But Kenzie is also safe. Kenzie has known Clint forever. She know's his past and his present - something that Chelsea is just beginning to grasp.

So, that is why I think the love story between Chelsea and Clint is awesome. Plus Schindler's amazing writing brings life and truth to this simple (simple in a good way! this is a no frills love story, but definitely doesn't hold back on passion!) love story.

Overall, this is fantastic. I definitely recommend it!

5 birds

Chloe

This is part of Holly Schindler's Canadian blog tour! There are gonna be lots of awesome posts, and at the end of it all, a giveaway! So to keep up with this awesome tour, follow the blog schedule!

Schedule:
March 31 @ YA BOOKLOVER BLOG
April 1@ YA BOOKLOVER BLOG
*April 15 @ MOONLIGHT GLEAM'S BOOKSHELF
*April 16 @ MOONLIGHT GLEAM'S BOOKSHELF
*April 25 @ EMILIE'S BOOK WORLD
*April 26 @ EMILIE'S BOOK WORLD
* May 6 @ READERS UNITE
*May 7 @ READERS UNITE (giveaway!)