This was an interesting concept and I mostly enjoyed it. However, it was pretty simplistic. And I didn't buy the fierceness of the feelings between the protagonists...it was too fast and too furious. I liked the family dynamic, though and I enjoyed the fact that it's set in Arizona, in metro Phoenix. That'll be an easy sell with the students in my library.

To be honest I was on the fence about this one going into it. On the one hand, I absolutely devoured and loved Abigail Johnson's first book, If I Fix You. However I also was skeptical about the plot of this one based on the summary. It just seemed like it was going to be a bunch of forced and eye-roll worthy drama. And I will admit that it took a bit to get into this one. But right around 20% in I ended up hooked. It was just as dramatic as I thought it was going to be, but I devoured for exactly that reason.

The MC, Dana, is definitely flawed. She absolutely recognizes her flaws though and doesn't pretend to be a perfect person. So I didn't mind her bad traits because let's be honest, none of us are perfect. She ends up in a very tricky situation and I felt so bad for her because it wasn't her fault at all. And in the middle of that mess she stumbles upon something great in Chase, but can't fully commit to it without it getting ugly. And she's in the middle of becoming an adult, so she's earning how her behavior towards others really affects people and is trying to change. And on top of all that she has got some enormous pressure from her dad and sister to be this amazing softball star. I so enjoyed all of these complicated aspects of her life and character.

Chase was hands down my favorite character, and every time he and Dana were together I straight up turned into the heart-eyed emoji. That romance was fun to read about, but it was also nice that it was not the focus of the book. Dana's struggles and her family unit are really what this book is about.

This ended up being a much more emotional read than I was anticipating. I was pleased by it, and liked what all of the characters learned how the story wrapped up in the end.

Dana loves softball and her family, so after hearing from her friend Nick about the positive results he got from DNA Detective, she decides to test her family to see if she can find any extended family members for her dad, who grew up in the foster system. When the results finally come in, she is shocked to discover that she has a half-brother-- despite the seemingly affectionate and long-loving relationship between her parents. Dana is hurt (and that's putting it lightly) be her dad and is forced to shoulder this secret on her own. But she can't leave it be, she has to learn more about this half-brother, and she does-- by "hanging out" with his cousin-who-is-as-close-as-a-brother, Chase. Who will she hurt first when the truth is forced to come out? Will her relationship with Chase survive? Will her parents' relationship survive? Will she ever be able to have a relationship with her half-brother? Will her sister ever come around? Dana has a lot of questions thanks to a piece of paper that was supposed to be good news.

I was interested to see the DNA-testing plot device as the 23 and Me and Ancestry.com kits have become so popular. Johnson does a great job of heightening emotions as Dana deals with what she views as her dad's infidelity to her mom and their family. In the end though, Dana is a teenager with hormone-heightened emotions that get the better of her. This is a well-established Harlequin Teen Romance.

I really enjoyed this book! Dana, the main character, decides to surprise her Dad, who grew up in foster care, with a DNA test so he can find some of his relatives. Dana turns out to be the one surprised when she finds out she has a half brother from her Dad having an affair. She tried to meet and get to know her half brother but he isn't really interested. Also she has to keep the secret she found out from her family as well because it would destroy them. She ends up spending time with and falling for Chase, her half brother's cousin, which creates another situation for her to deal with along with her family, her state championship softball team and her confusion. This book has a little bit of everything: sports, family, love, and friendship. A new unique twist on a YA family/romance novel. I thoroughly enjoyed it! Thanks for the ARC!!

Absolutely love this book. I had never heard of this author before and I'm so impressed with the writing, the characters who felt so real. The story that had me involved every single page from beginning to end… I will tell all my friends and family about this one! Perfect for teens but also for any age.

This concept excited me so much and it was executed so well. The romance totally won me over in this, which doesn't always happen, but you guys, those beautifully complicated family dynamics slayed me. I love Abigail Johnson so much for her awesome sister bff-ery portrayal, especially [spoiler] having Dana being understandably upset when she's having turmoil with her LI, bff, and newly found brother & etc, but completely gutted when she and her sister aren't talking. Also, as upset as Dana was to discover her father's infidelity, she couldn't not see Brandon as this awesome, amazing discovery and wanting to know him, which is really mature and gorgeous. Yay for siblings. [/spoiler.] I literally cried at least twice reading this, which is a hard sell for me if it doesn't involve an animal's death.

P.S. This is the second Abigail Johnson book I've read, and I have to say, she does complicated emotional journeys and family situations well.

Very good story about a hard time for a budding athlete competing with the shadow of her older sister, a dad that's her coach, and a DNA test to bust an entire family apart.

Dana was completely relate able and genuine.
She orders a DNA test for her dad that was in the foster system and didn't know his biological family.
She hopes to find some cousins but instead she discovers another closer relative.
In the process she falls for an amazing guy who happens to know the new relative closely.
Ultimately, many people are affected and many emotions are exposed.

Great book and loved the writing. Looking forward to more from this author.

This is a new author for me so I didn't really know what to expect. I just thought upon reading the synopsis that the plot is interesting.

I wasn't disappointed.

A story of a young girl who's trying to prove herself to her father, that pushes her to plan this ridiculous gift for his birthday. And that gift results to whole new problems Dana and her family have to face. Expectedly, there's so much drama in this story that I really welcomed with open heart.
The feeels...
Usually there are parts in drama or realistic fiction that can be boring and slow especially in novels that I just skimmed over them, But the author didn't give me a chance to do that. Every scene I devour because I got invested in the story and especially to the characters. I fell in love and care for them , especially Dana, because of everything that's going around. This is a story of a family who learned how to accept themselves and forgive.

Be warned, this book will wreck your emotions yet will leave you hopeful and contented.

Oh did I really almost forgot about Chase. Yeah the romance... :) :) It was sweet and unique in it's own way. I was even surprised I'd like the romance in the book. Maybe because, I wasn't expect there would be a definite romance in the story but again the author didn't disappoint.

I think I just added another author on my favorite realistic writers list. :)

This was a great story on an interesting topic. When Dana tries to do something nice for her dad who was adopted, she does an online DNA search. The results lead her to who she thinks will be an older male relative but instead she finds that she has a brother. This revelation changes the way that she sees her father, family and self. Getting close to her brother is a problem because he wants nothing to do with her situation. She finds herself drawn to his cousin and forming a relationship with him to get closer to Brandon. Between keeping the truth from her family and Chase, Dana starts to struggle within her daily life. When her sister drops another bombshell in her lap, things really get tough for her as she tries to balance her world and decide what to do with the news of her brother. I really enjoyed this book and it is the second book I have read by Abagail Johnson. She does a great job with the character development, as well as taking a topic like this writing about it in a different way. Looking forward to more from this author!

I was ready to say that this book was just a mediocre book, because honestly the first half of the book was that for me, but then I read the second half of the book, and omg my heart. I cry when I read books a lot, I am a super emotional person, but I only cry when someone die or is about to die. There have probably been one or two times when I have teared up over other things in books, but I can't remember any of them so they obviously had not made THAT much of an impact, which is why the fact that this book made me cry over something other than a death (not just tear up, actually cry and have my heart hurting) says so much about it. Like I said, the beginning of the book was lacking for me, mainly because I wasn't a fan of the beginning of the romance, and none of the family stuff had really started. The second half of the book has a huge focus on family and the repercussions of choices, and I thought it was amazing and that was what stuck with me about this book. Also, even though I wasn't the hugest fan of the romance at the beginning, I was rooting for it to have a happy ending during the second half and to be resolved along with the family problems, so that was a small bonus.

Absolutely breathing taking, heart breaking, and amazing.