NetGalley was kind enough to let me read this one, so thanks!
New Adult never really became the thing it as supposed to be which is kind of a shame because there is definitely space for books that go beyond YA, but aren't quite adult yet. This is one of those books and feels especially relevant in the current climate of #metoo and the war on women's rights.
Laurel is a college student studying journalism and working on her school paper. When she stumbles across a shocking and juicy story about the college's revered football coach, she knows she has to tell the story.
But as she digs deeper into what becomes an increasingly complex and terrifying pattern of fraud and sexual abuse going back years, the repercussions of exposing such an heroic public figure become clear. Not just in her professional life, but in her personal life too.
Especially since one of her primary sources is the team's star quarterback, Bodie, and she just can't seem to stop running into him. During the course of the investigation, Laurel realises that it's not just her career on the line, but Bodie's too.
And with her feelings for Bodie changing and growing, Laurel needs to decide how far she's willing to go to uncover the truth.
I enjoyed this one. There was romance, but not as much as there tends to be in books professing to be New Adult. For a while there I decided NA was basically YA with more graphic sex. While Lauren's relationship with Bodie was important to the story, it wasn't the main focus of the book which was firmly centered on the investigation and the repercussions facing both Lauren and her editor if the story was made public.
I imagine there are stories like this everywhere, and the bravery it takes to expose someone as powerful and influential as a successful coach is immense. I liked that Laurel was a fairly chaotic person in most of her life, and that she had doubts and fears about what she was doing. Her relationship with Bodie grew naturally, and he genuinely seemed like a good guy, unlike so many sportsmen who get treated like gods because they have the ability to throw a ball or run fast or both.
So I'd recommend this one. It does deal with sexual abuse and harassment, so if you find these things triggering, maybe give it a miss...
But don't just listen to me. Here's the blurb:
When Laurel Cates uncovers a shocking story about Garland’s football coach, it takes all of her courage to publish the story in the school’s paper. And when it reverberates around the country, the ramifications are both personal and professional. But nowhere are the repercussions stronger than in Laurel’s everyday life as she can’t seem to avoid Bodie St. James, the star quarterback, whose own career now hangs on the brink as a result of her article…
Sounds like an all too familiar topic.
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