Amazing book and an easy read. Would recommend for readers looking for sports related YA novel. Note: I received an ARC in exchange of an honest and unbiased review.

3.5, rounded up to 4.0

Much to enjoy about this book! I enjoyed reading about a culture I'm less familiar with, and I loved Kareena's struggles to fit in. She was such a badass. However, I felt the book faltered when the focus shifted from Muay Thai to the love story. I wanted more of the training and less of the love story. That wasn't what, to me, was advertised, and wasn't what I was hoping for in this book.

This was an excellent and unique YA romance and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Highly recommend and I'll be looking for more from this author from the future.

-- This review is several years past the release date due to the many issues of 2020, but a huge thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early copy of the book.

I really liked this one! I loved that it was such an easy read; I didn't have to stress about character dynamics or dramatic plot twists. It was just the story of a girl reclaiming her identity and her confidence, and it was so much fun.

My favorite thing about this was definitely the sports. I loved that Kareena was such an avid athlete. Like other reviewers, I wish there was more of her Muay Thai, but the scenes we did get, I loved. It was so refreshing to have a female character in a less "feminine" sport, especially because Kareena was so proud of her abilities.

I also liked the dynamic between Kareena and Amit. I will admit, I wasn't getting the most romantic vibes between them. More like super close friends? Either way, I loved their interactions. Amit was a super cute character and I loved learning more about him as the book progressed.

Although I'd pretty much sworn off of YA set in high school environments, I really enjoyed this one! Although it did have some drama, it didn't irritate me, and was well balanced by the likeable characters. I'd recommend it!

Thanks to TBR Beyond Tours for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review

It was really interesting, but it was missing something.
I do not really know how to put a finger on it; but still... I did not love it.

I received an e-ARC if this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this #ownvoices debut! It’s a classic YA novel through and through. I loved how it was both feminine yet sporty. The book paces itself well but I thought the ending was quite rushed and the climax could have been lengthened. Otherwise good book.

Karenna is a Muay Thai fighter. Karenna is not “Indian” enough or “American” enough to fit in. So her being a part of a sport that is heavily dominated by males, is what made me choose this book. I love how she handled this stigma. I appreciate how this topic was explored since she’s really disconnected from her heritage. One top of everything she is going through a family crisis and needs money, her father is sick, she is falling for the a boy who she considers the "worlds most perfect Indian", and has some mean girl, friendship drama. .

I highly recommend this book to anyone that loves sports-related YA . Overall, this YA Book which focused on friendships, normal high school drama, self-growth, perplexing and diverse characters along with it's details about Muay Thai is definitely worth-reading and recommending.

I totally loved the concept, writing, story, character development and it left me wanting more and more with every line. Being an Indian myself I could relate with the story and the complexities in it and was amazed to see how badass girl Kareena is. Book just hooked mee at every word. I highly recommend reading it.

Didn't capture my attention and engagement. I'll hopefully try again in the future.
Didn't capture my attention and engagement. I'll hopefully try again in the future.
Didn't capture my attention and engagement. I'll hopefully try again in the future.

Something about the narrative style of this just didn’t quite work for me, but the power of female athletes and Saanvi’s story is powerful.

I had a bit of a tough time getting through this book. Sajni Patel writes lovely adult books, but her voice in a YA format did not work for me. The premise was strong, but the voice/writing felt too young and I had a hard time relating.

I love when books take a typical stereotype and flip it on it’s head. That’s what happens in this as regards to female athletes. This was a fantastic own voices debut!

Thank you to the Publisher and Netgalley for the advanced e-reader copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

The book has a positive atmosphere, but there is an emotional charge on Kareena's back throughout the book that got me on the edge!

The author had everything to solve the female rivalry well, and there was even a very good scene in the middle of the book about it, but at the end of the book, any evolution vanished when the protagonist put an end to this.

The book doesn't focus much on the technical side of Muay Thai, in a way that I only found out that I know almost nothing about the Muay Thai tournaments and game duration at the very end of the book, which is when the protagonist participates in the USTMO, but the book is so good in Kareena's motivations and the strength of the school community and colleagues - especially the female athletes - in helping her financially to go to the competition.

The Knockout was a nice read that left me warming up for the Olympics (should I pick a list of books with more athlete protagonists??), with a really cool sense of community in the school.

A great #ownvoices debut about a young Indian girl competing for the Olympics in Myai Thai - an MMA-type sport I had never even heard of before. She has to deal with the pressures of being a competitive athlete in a culture that is less than supportive while also dealing with a new romance. For fans of The happiest girl in the world. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my e-ARC.

This was a cute YA coming-of-age and romance novel set with the backdrop of a Desi family living in Texas.

One of my favorite things about this novel was being able to have a main character that has the same first name as me, Kareena. I listened to this on audio and genuinely got confused sometimes when the narrator would say my name. It took my brain a second to process the fact that there is a book with a main character with my name so thank you to Sajni Patel for giving me that experience. I’m so excited for future generations to grow up seeing themselves in novels and feeling represented, so yay to representation.

I related quite a lot to the Kareena in the novel in her sense that she doesn’t “belong” in the South Asian community and the fact that she’s considered to be too “westernized” and too athletic to be a “proper Indian girl”. There were so many times I wanted to reach into the book and smack some of the characters upside the head (if only that was possible). I thought the romance aspect of the novel was cute but a bit unnecessary to the storyline. I was mostly invested in Kareena’s family life and her Muay Thai badassery.

Overall, this was a lovely coming-of-age and sports story with a dash of romance and a whole lot of fabulous South Asian representation.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Flux Books for the gifted ebook in exchange for my honest opinion.

Rarely have I been able to find books that describe the EXACT experience of being/growing up in a world with internet – and the push/pull that comes with being an Indian that oscillates between traditions and modernization.

The Knockout does EXACTLY that.

Kareena Thakkar is an upcoming Muay Thai rising star – a sport that is far more violent and as far from a traditional role of a girl in the Indian Community as one can get. Kareena feels the ostracization keenly, but the sport is her passion and the fact that she has her parent’s support is the only thing that keeps her going.

Now, this wouldn’t be a true #ownvoices read, if there wasn’t a typical Indian drama – and there is, but it all added to the story itself! Of course, the plotline is predictable; but that doesn’t mean that it wasn’t a wonderful read.

Definitely recommend this one, especially if you want to expand your reading preferences!

While I will never be athletic I really love reading about kick ass woman athletes. Kareena is a high school senior who not only balances college level classes, a sick dad but also is one of the top Muay Thai fighters in the state. When she gets invited to the US Muay Thai Open, she is over the moon until she realizes that she may not be able to go due to money.

The Knockout is so much more than a sports drama as Kareena comes to terms with her Indian culture, finds new feelings for her friend Amit and just deals with high school drama. I loved everything about Kareena and her constant inner monologue truly reminds me how I felt in high school. The Knockout does cover some heavy issues such as parental illness. I loved this book from the very beginning and I loved learning more about a sport I did not know much about.

Quite the refreshing and realistic story. Kareena represents all those children born to immigrant parents who identify more with the culture and nationality of the country they were born into rather than their parents' country and culture of origin.
Kareena is a hardworking athlete who wants to succeed and become an Olympian medalist, but she's "trapped" in her respective conservative Indian culture that doesn't encourage women to go into martial arts or similar sports.
I love this "identity" exploration and how her parents were really supportive of her regardless of their conservative background.
You should definitely read this book if you are looking for a YA book with a much deeper and real meaning.

The Knockout by Sajni Patel is a unique story about working hard to achieve your dreams. However, there are some aspects of the book that I believe could have been developed further. That being said, this is still an entertaining read that I would recommend to fans of MMA.

I'm very sorry to say that I couldn't get into this! It's an awesome premise (it's always wonderful to see books about girls, especially girls of color, in sports), and I think teens will really like it, especially if they're into Muay Thai -- I think I wasn't enough into Muay Thai or martial arts in general to be the ideal audience for this book. I was considering it for YALSA's Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers list, so I won't be reviewing it on social.

I got approved for The Knockout by S.A. Patel last year and couldn’t wait to read it. I love all things Muay Thai and have for years now. So when I saw this book was coming out I had to read it.

Description
Kareena is an amazing Muay Thai fighter, many people just don’t know. Only her family and closest friends know about it. Kareena is Indian and knows that the other Indians in her community would not approve of what she is doing. Her parents left the Indian community when Kareena was young so she didn’t grow up in it. She is totally fine with that, she just doesn’t want to bring more shame on her parents. She finds out pretty quickly that to better herself she will have to open up and not be afraid to let people know her passion. Kareena has a chance to go to nationals, be a part of the US Open, and maybe make it on the Olympic team. She just doesn’t know how they will be able to afford it. To make matters worse she starts falling for the “perfect” Indian boy She knows his parents wouldn’t approve of her, and she honestly is not sure at first if he would still like her after finding out about her fighting. Kareena realizes that she can’t get where she wants to go without help, and once it is given she can’t believe the outpour of love and friendship she missed out on.

Thoughts
I struggled with this book more than I’d like to admit and I don’t know why. I wanted to love this story so much but it just fell flat for me. I liked Kareena but it was hard for me to emotionally connect with her. There were a few times where I cried in the story, but I could never fully invest in it. I think the writing is what threw me off. There were times where I just got confused with the storyline or it didn’t flow very well. The dialogue also felt off to me. It was very awkward at times and choppy at other times. It didn’t have a natural flow. I really hate that I couldn’t get into it.

Conclusion
I gave this book 2 1/2 stars. I still recommend this book because it has great ratings on Goodreads, it just wasn’t for me.