3.5 stars -- I received a free copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review/opinion.

OK, you know exactly why I requested this book if you know anything about me.  The premise was tailor made for me!  I love dance books, and love them even more when the hero dances!!  And the dance stuff was fantastic!  And there was a lot of it!!  You can't even imagine how happy that made me.  I'm not a dancer, whatsoever, but I appreciate it and envy those with that much dedication, athleticism and grace.  And honestly, the dancing was my favourite part of this book.  Seeing Garret learn about stretching, positions, pirouettes, and then seeing Garret and Izzy tackle lifts just filled my heart with happiness!

As for the rest of the story, and particularly the characters, I thought this book started off really strong!  I was drawn into the challenges of both characters, and I thought they both seemed like good kids struggling to work through what life had handed them.  I felt Izzy's loneliness and isolation, and her struggle to do things on her own and prove her worth without her father's influence.  And Garret had a lot to work through with an unsupportive (and possibly alcoholic) dad, and the struggles that come from a low-income family.

And I really enjoyed their initial interplay with each other...like they had their own impressions of the other, but they could see that there was more to the other.  I liked the way they started becoming friends, but you could see them wanting more.  And I liked the way they became more!

But somewhere along the way, the characters seemed to stop growing.  I know they're teenagers, but I honestly expected them to start showing some empathy towards the other's situation.  But the selfishness, in general, persisted.  Moreso in Garret than Izzy.  I actually grew annoyed when Izzy would immediately apologize for her assumptions about what Garret would struggle with and downplay her own struggles, and there would be crickets from Garret's side.  Apparently money really is more valuable than close family, at least according to this book.  As a reader, I thought they both struggled equally, but I don't think Garret ever really understood the negatives about Izzy's life.  All he saw was the wealth and material things.  And thus, I became less enamoured with our characters, particularly the hero.

And then we get to the ending...which felt kind of rushed, and left me a bit unsatisfied.

So yeah.  Full marks for the dance component, and a fantastic first half!!  But alas, I need a good closer to make me round up instead of down, which is a bummer.  This one had so much potential.  Perhaps the ending won't bug others as much as it did me.

so offsetting penalties is pretty much all my favorite things in one book that i wish was longer. because i would have read about isabelle and garret for as long as ally matthews wanted to write about them. i pretty much inhaled this book, so even though the actual timeline isn't fast, it felt like the story went by too quickly. but again, this is only because i loved it so.

isabelle is a ballet dancer who lacks a male dance partner for her audition to a dream ballet company and garret is a football player who needs ballet lessons to improve his agility and flexibility in order to impress college football scouts. it's pretty clear where this is going. isabelle does have to resort to minor blackmail in order to get garret to even consider her request. but over time he comes to understand how important this is to her, and it becomes important to him too, because he really does care.

the chemistry between isabelle and garret is just perfect. they struggle with the same insecurities even as they come from completely different socioeconomic backgrounds. watching them figure out how to relate to each other and how to compromise is what makes this story so sweet. neither of them is perfect, but they might just be perfect together. and i love it.

A nice, relatively quick read with well developed relatable characters, and a great storyline (if a bit predictable ).

I read this book when I was in a book slump and it was the perfect easy read. Excited to read more from Ally Mathews!

When I saw the premise for this novel, I just had to read it! One of my favourite tropes in romance is when two unlikely people meet and fall in love and this one fit the bill. Throw in a little blackmail, tights and a goth, this is a wicked combination that seemed like it would be both fun and heartwarming at the same time.

I had so much fun reading this book! I literally had a smile on my face the entire time I was reading it. Not only are Izzy and Garret charming characters but the plot was fun yet mature and definitely adorable. I found myself sucked into this book and easily could have finished it in one sitting if I didn't have to go to work.

The evolution of Izzy and Garret's relationship was awesome to watch. Individually, these two are genuine people who you can't help but love. They aren't over-dramatic or angsty teenagers; they react in the rational ways to the various situations they find themselves in. Their characters could easily have been a cliche but they had this edge of individuality to their presentation that separates them from what you expect.

Together, these two are positively adorable! They have fantastic banter and chemistry from the start. The romance had a bit of a slow burn aspect to it as they two take their time to get to know each other a little more. I loved watching them establish that deeper connection.

I do think some people will want a little more closure with the end--I know I did. But I do think the happily ever after for now worked for this story for the most part. I know it makes me want a sequel!

If you're looking for a cute contemporary romance about two unlikely teens falling in love while aspiring to make their dreams come true, I highly recommend this book! You will easily get sucked into Izzy and Garret's story.

First of all, I would like to say thank you to Entangled Teen for giving me an eARC copy through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. And this will not affect my thoughts and opinion about the book in any way.

A fresh cute story that is about blackmail, football and ballet. 

The story is about when Garret's couch in football told him that he needed to learn and take ballet in order to strengthen the injury that he had. Little did Garret know that when he is practicing ballet, Izzy, daughter of a senator who take a video and blackmail him to be her partner during the prestigious Ballet Americana. Or else, Izzy will show his video practicing ballet to their friends. 

Izzy or Isabela wears dark make-up, has purple hair and fake nose piercing. But behind those appearance is a girl who really loves ballet. She also want to show her father that dancing ballet for passion is not a waste of time by joining the try-outs for the Ballet Americana.

Garret is hesitant first to be the partner of Izzy. But later on, he said yes to Izzy but with a conditions. That conditions are Izzy should not tell anyone that he is taking ballet and she will teach him and Garret ballet with free of charge.

The story is good that you will enjoy every word that you read. The scenes are quite unique in there own way that you will love it. I love how short the story is and how it didn't let me to be bored in reading it. It is also a fast read that took me only to finish it in just half day.

Again, this is an awesome CRUSH novels produced by Entangled Teen where you will enjoy and feel love every time.

My rating would be 5 out of 5 starts

Book Blog - https://bookishcaramel.wordpress.com/2017/10/31/offsetting-penalties-book-review/

I utterly love when a romance forms between an unlikely pair, and when I saw football and ballet thrown into the mix, I knew I wanted to read this book. I am happy to report, it did not disappoint!

•Pro: Izzy was full of spunk and sass and I really admired her determination to make this one dream happen without her father's influence or money.

•Pro: Garret was the type of hero I love. He did so many things right until he did something wrong, but he really did a lot of things right, and I loved him for all those things.

•Pro: I liked that Mathews gave Izzy's dad some dimension. I thought he was going to be a villain, but then he did some things and said some things that showed me there was more to him than met the eye.

•Pro: I am a fan of books featuring family dynamics, and we get to see inside both Izzy and Garret's families.

•Pro: There are actual peeks at football and ballet in this book, and I am a fan of sports romances having some sports in them.

•Pro: The romance was very sweet between these two. I loved the build, and their mutual thoughts made me grin.

•Pro: I can never say no to a fauxmance romance.

•Pro: Both Izzy and Garret were reaching for their stars, and it was quite touching how they wanted to help each other get there. They didn't have a ton of support from their fathers, so it was even more important that they had each other.

•Pro: Izzy loved one of my favorite bands of all time - The Cure! That made me a little nostalgic, and who doesn't love a does of nostalgia every once in a while.

•Pro: The ending made me very happy. I love endings that point my couple towards a future, and an epilogue will always land in the positive column for me.

Overall: An adorable, feel-good romance, which made me laugh, smile, and swoon.

Both Garret and Isabelle are hard working and driven to succeed.

Garret's football coach recommends ballet lessons to help after an injury. Isabelle sees him there and blackmails him to dance with her in the recital that will be her audition to a prestigious dance program. Despite their preconceived notions about each other, Garret and Isabelle work well together and start to grow closer.

This book contained just enough dance and football to keep it interesting, but not so much that it's overwhelming if you don't follow either.

This is a sweet book about following your dreams and learning that the grass isn't always greener on the other side.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received this book from Netgalley. I thought this book was kind of genius. I had no idea that football players take ballet to improve their game. That was interesting to me. I also really liked izzy's character. She was totally different at the end then she was at the beginning. I liked that being with garret changed her for the better. I love receiving books from crush because they're always super adorable. I look forward to reading another one from them soon!

It was a quick and cute read. Made me feel like I'm in cloude nine. This kind surely helps me when I'm in a reading slump. Love it.!💕

This was super fun and romantic to read! I loved how the art of ballet was highlighted in such a wonderful way! Showing that ballet and football share skills and that ballet can help with the skills on the field was done so nicely in this story. I loved the characters and the way this story was written. It left me smiling and happy. Great respect between athletes.

***I received this book through Netgalley for an honest review***

I devoured this book in a day! It was a great read all the way around, the Izzy and Garrett were great characters, I loved the banter between the two of them. Highly recommend!

Garret's coach suggests he needs some help if he wants to get back into tip-top shape. He is the captain of the football team and is recovering from a foot injury. The coaches suggestion is ballet lessons. Garret thinks he is joking, but after some persuasion, he takes his advice.

Isabelle wants to be a prima ballerina. She is in need of a new dance partner and she isn't above blackmail. Garret and Isabelle are an unlikely pair. He's the popular jock from the wrong side of the tracks. She's the rich girl with a rebellious streak. Isabelle likes to be different and avoids the popular crowd. She has a goth image and people tend to stay clear of her, but looks can be deceiving. Both have passion and are willing to do what it takes to get their dream.

I really enjoyed this book, and I liked the fact it taught me something new. Who would have known ballet was the key to football. Rio Ferdinand that's who! According to the online Metro newspaper, he had landed a 5-year scholarship to a ballet school before he became a professional footballer.

Isabelle is a really cool character and I loved the goth angle.

I liked the family dynamics of these two. Rich girl with the business father. Poor guy with the loving mother. Overall they worked well together because they could offer the other the missing piece. Ballet isn't just for girls!

4 stars out of 5. A good storyline and a nice read.

*I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review* Blog Tour Date: 10th Novemeber.

I gave this book 3.5 stars. I liked the book, it was short and sweet.

This book was surprisingly short, I was at work and took my fifteen-minute break and I was reading this during that break and I somehow read about 15% of the book in that time alone. It helped that it was a real page-turner, I wanted to keep reading, but man that was fast.

Because of how short it was I feel like there was a lot of things plot-wise that were left open-ended. A lot of things the reader wonders about aren’t ever resolved. It’s something that often bothers me about contemporary novels. I know contemporaries are supposed to be more realistic so something won’t get resolved, but in some of these books, such as this one, they lead you to believe that something will be done to fix them and when it doesn’t happen during the duration of the book its kind of annoying.

The climax of the story was kind of predictable, but I didn’t actually predict it so I guess it succeeded in being a good climax. At the same time, I also felt that the climax was resolved a bit too easily. The person that was causing the problem in the first place gave in despite being so against going in in the first place which felt like a cop-out.

Despite the few things that bothered me, the characters were incredibly relatable and good hearted, you couldn’t hate them. The atmosphere of the book was cheerful, it never made me want to cry or thrown things. It was a nice read, good for contemporary lovers.

This was such a fun and lighthearted contemporary read. It's one of those books that are perfect to read to relax and take your mind off of things. This was like a YA version of Step Up and it worked very well. I liked that the blackmail issue was over with fairly quickly, and Isabelle and Garett started to have more open and honest communication. Their relationship was sweet and progressed nicely. I thought the resolution at the end of the story happened too quickly, so it felt like a bit of a let down, Overall, this was a fun and super quick read.

Izzy and Garret are about as opposite as you can get, but their growing relationship was adorable and fun to read about.

Garret's family doesn't have much money.  They struggle to pay the bills.  He knows that his only chance to get out of Texas is to get a scholarship to play college football.  His alcoholic dad runs a salvage yard and wants Garret to stay there and take over.  His mom supports him in everything though.  He also has a little sister who wants to be a ballerina. 

Izzy's parents were actors, but her mom died from her addiction issues when Izzy was a baby.  Her dad became a politician.  They had a big house and plenty of money, but he wasn't home much.  Izzy wanted to join a ballet company, but wanted to get in because of her talent and not her dad's wealth or influence.  Izzy also rebels a bit by being somewhat goth.  She has purple in her hair and wears dark make-up , but her piercings are fake.  

Garret's coach suggests he take ballet to strengthen an injury he had.  Even though he and Izzy go to school together, he really didn't know her.   He is terrified of others finding out that he's taking ballet.  Izzy needs a partner for her performance and tryouts, so she decides to blackmail Garret into helping her.

Luckily the blackmail didn't last long.  Garret and Izzy end up getting along well and they find that they want to help each other.  Their chemistry is great and Izzy is strong and not afraid to put Garret in his place when he needs it.

I liked that the relationship grew throughout the story and that neither tried hard to fight it.  We didn't have to wait until the end for them to date.  

This was another cute, quick read published by Entangled Teen.  I received a copy from the publisher for review sent through netgalley.  I gave this one 4 stars.

Extra love for the cute dogs in the book and that the author has reptiles.