I like these journey to the Olympic stories. Head Over Heels has a woman who has been adrift since the injury that killed her chance at the Olympics find herself as she helps to shepherd a young gymnast on her journey to the Olympics. And along the way she finds a larger purpose as well. There is a light romance here as well. But I always find it fascinating to see the work and the sacrifices that go into those few minutes that we see in TV and this one really points out how those few minutes can change the life of a young person for good or ill.

ARC courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley, release date June 23

Head Over Heels is Hannah Orenstein's third book, and having read all of her books so far, this is hands down my favorite book she has written! The women's gymnastics is always my favorite thing to watch during the Summer Olympics, so I was eager to read this book.

Avery missed making the 2012 Olympic team when she was injured and now seven years later is looking to start her life over back home in Massachusetts after a break up with her boyfriend in California. Unsure what she wants to do with her life, she reluctantly agrees to help Ryan, a 2012 men's gymnastic champion and her teenage crush, coach Hallie, an up and coming gymnast on her floor routine. As scandals in the women's gymnastics world start becoming breaking news, Avery learns to deal with her past and figures out how she can help current and future gymnasts get the help they need.

This book sucked me in right from the start and I think it had to do with how Orenstein made Avery's story so honest and wasn't afraid to back away from her talking about being depressed, not knowing what her purpose in life should be and having her really grow throughout the story. Was I rooting for Avery and Ryan, of course, but I think the best relationships in the book were the ones that Avery had with Hallie, Jasmine, and Sara and that is what made this book so enjoyable to read.

You can view more of my thoughts on this book on my blog at https://alysonbookishthoughts.wordpress.com and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/alysonbookishthoughts.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Head Over Heels follows Avery who was once an Olympic hopeful but suffered an injury that cut short her career. Struggling with life after the injury, Avery returns home after her boyfriend broke up with her. After returning home she gets a call from a fellow gymnast Ryan who is now coaching an Olympic hopeful and needs Avery's help with coaching her. Taking this job really pushes Avery and helps to get her life back on track. Things are going well till Ryan decides he wants to work with Avery's old abusive coach, he was verbally and emotionally abusive and she is still trying to come to terms with how this effects her even now. I really enjoyed this book, it was a very fun and fast read. I liked the journey that Avery went thru to get herself back on track, she talks about how when your entire life is focused on one thing and then it goes away you are left floundering. I enjoyed the relationship with her and Ryan and how they both came from the same background so they got each other. My one critique would be that I didn't enjoy the extreme detail in the gymnastic routines. I appreciate the depth that the author went into with this but I personally could have done with a little less. This book also deals with sexual assault, it is not one of the main characters but more on the side characters. Over all I really enjoyed this one and if you are looking for cute read I would recommend this one. Thank you Netgalley and Atria books for my copy to review, my opinions are my own.

This book had all the makings of a story I would love: a setting in the world of gymnastics, a cute romance, and an overarching theme of finding yourself & creating the life you want. We follow our leading lady, Avery, who was a once Olympic-hopeful gymnast before her world came crashing down in the wake of a terrible injury. Still a bit directionless seven years later, she moves back to her hometown where she's offered a job coaching a new Olympic-hopeful gymnast. She's hesitant at first but finds that the job (and her co-coach) might be just what she needs.

Despite all that it had going for it, this book, unfortunately, fell flat for me. While I LOVED the gymnastics setting, the romance aspect of the story left me wanting & frustrated. For one, I hoped this book would be more steamy. That aside, the conflict between the two love interests at the climax of the book was intense & anxiety-inducing. It really rubbed me the wrong way how Ryan refused to believe Avery, went behind her back, and then realized he was wrong on his own, made a few nice gestures, and was instantly forgiven. It all felt a little rushed, a little convenient, and a little disingenuous. Overall, I just didn't feel the sparks fly between Avery & Ryan like I want to in a romance. Also, the writing in the first half of the book was much stronger than in the second half. The second half felt like the author began rushing & started to do much more "telling" than "showing."

While there were elements of this book that I enjoyed, it felt like it needed more depth, nuance, and polish. I had an enjoyable enough experience reading this story, but was left wanting more and this will, ultimately, not be a new favorite.

4/5 Stars

I really enjoyed this book and knocked it out in a day. As a former athlete, I felt the passion and adrenaline both Hallie and Avery described. The romance part of the book was just there, but wasn't a focal point, which was a great change of pace. Overall, this is a good book that hits on different topics that aren't typically in books that I read.

Going into this book, I knew there were going to be some darker topics discussed. As a reader, I was prepared. This book is for women who enjoy sports and who aren't afraid to read books are darker topics (sexual assault + emotional abuse + some depression).

This one unfortunately didn't really work for me and I ended up not reading the whole thing. I wasn't sure what I was expecting from it but it just didn't really meet my expectations.

I absolutely loved this book, I couldn't put it down and I don't think I have one complaint about it! Must read!

Avery was an elite gymnast, a sport that lead her entire life for many years until a tragic accident ended everything in a second. Avery spent many years lost, partying, attempting college and getting into a relationship with a famous football player, never finding her purpose or passion. After her famous boyfriend dumps her, Avery moves back home and stumbles upon a coaching job. Ryan, another former gymnast who Avery always had an eye for, is coaching the impressive Hallie in hopes of making the olympics-and he needs Avery's help. Avery, Ryan and Hallie quickly become a team, and through this Avery begins to find not only her purpose, but herself.

I have zero criticism for this book. I thought Avery was likeable, relatable and was an extremely honest/human character. I thought her traits and her thoughts, her actions all perfectly reflected her past, her age and her position in life. I loved the supporting characters, Ryan and Hallie, Sara and Jasmine. Avery's relationship with each character was special and well-developed. Her growth throughout the story was amazing to read and I was interested the entire time. I thought the book had just enough gymnastics talk to really give an essence and proper description of what was happening, I was able to easily Google moves that were mentioned which made it easy to picture. I just want to rave about this story forever, it touched on many important topics that have been circulating in recent years in the gymnastics world in particular, which I appreciated. The relationship between Avery and Ryan was so enjoyable to read, I think it was realistic and very human. This story has so many different elements, there's romance, friendship, tragedy, hard work and perseverance, growth and more. Everything was interweaved perfectly. Read this book!

this one was such a good sports read !! def shared a whole lot more about the very real, very dark side of gymnastics & what that looks like for very young & impressionable girls.

i read a lot of reviews that talked about how they felt like it took a long time for the character to become self realized & i have to say i think the timing in the book made perfect sense. Avery sticking up for herself was the ultimate sign that she’s a different person & she doesn’t need a man (who she loves!) to help enable her & so many others abuser. it was ... hard to read at times because she was a little bit emotionally stunted because of the very harsh realities that are her life - but it was also super important to read from a 20-something standpoint that does not have her life together in the slightest.

my only real complaint was the writing was kinda boring & i wish there was more romance (like ... cutesy scenes i guess!) but over all this one was super good. i’ll have to get my hands on a physical copy!

Love this book- her best yet! I love books that are focused on sports especially women’s sports. Really well written and different from her other books in tone.

I received an ARC of this book for an honest review. Too bad there are no Olympics this year, as this book would be the perfect read for an Olympic summer. I was so impressed with the gymnastics details-my daughter was a competitive gymnast for years, and often when you read about the sport, a lot of the details are "off". I would have bet money that the author was a former gymnast, her details are that good. I loved that this book was able to portray all that is beautiful about this sport all while exposing what makes it so tough for the athletes, and how easily athletes can suffer abuse, both mental and physical. The author doesn't shy away from these issues, and I applaud her for that although I will say that this culture of abuse goes from the top of elite gymnasts all the way down to club gymnasts. I've witnessed it first hand for my daughter.

A charming and sweet romance set among competitive gymnastics is basically catnip to the many of us who tune in every 4 years for the olympics - but this is a great reminder that real lives exist behind those sparkly leotards, and the many important issues that come up in this all too timely book are well-handled and integrated well. The romance takes a bit of a backseat to the gymnastics and personal growth, but I didn't mind a bit.

I love the Summer Olympics and it’s tie between Gymnastics and Swimming for my favorite sport to watch. So, when I saw the synopsis of this book was about Gymnastics and the pursuit to be an Olympian, I was ALL.IN. Unfortunately, this one didn’t click for me and I rate it 3.5 star's. The author, Hannah Orenstein, is very talented and I liked her writing style and story; I just felt like this book had too many things going on resulting in most of the topics just being glossed over and never fully explored.

The cute yellow cover and synopsis led me to believe I was in for a sweet summer ROMCOM, but I felt like the Romance between characters Avery and Ryan was more of back burner story. Instead, the author focuses more on deeper issues including mental health, and emotional & sexual abuse.

This book is like McDonald’s trying to perfect too many things on it’s menu. Sometimes it’s better to be like Chick-Fil-A and stick to one thing and make it a masterpiece!

Overall, I still really enjoyed this book. Thank you to Atria Books (Simon Schuster ) via NetGalley of this ARC for an honest review.

I found this one super cute and un-put-down-able! The romance was charming and the #MeToo conversation was so very real and needed, but different from other books. This book can definitely start a lot of important conversations!

I LOVE the Olympics and this book just gave me that fun little taste of them that I am missing this summer as the games are postponed. It was a clever romance in a world I love and I will be recommending this one!!

Happy #BookBirthday to #HeadOverHeels 🎉❤️
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#bookreview ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3 stars
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I loved the story as a whole. The idea for this book was fantastic but the execution fell a little flat for me. There was way too much technical talk for my liking. I’m not really into gymnastics so it was really irritating at times. I felt like the first 1/2 of the book was really slow but then it picked up during the second half and I ended up really enjoying the ending of the book.
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If you are into gymnastics, I highly recommend checking this one out. I’m sure you would love it!
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Thank you to the publisher and @netgalley for providing a free advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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BOOK DESCRIPTION:

The past seven years have been hard on Avery Abrams: After training her entire life to make the Olympic gymnastics team, a disastrous performance ended her athletic career for good. Her best friend and teammate, Jasmine, went on to become an Olympic champion, then committed the ultimate betrayal by marrying their emotionally abusive coach, Dimitri.

Now, reeling from a breakup with her football star boyfriend, Avery returns to her Massachusetts hometown, where new coach Ryan asks her to help him train a promising young gymnast with Olympic aspirations. Despite her misgivings and worries about the memories it will evoke, Avery agrees. Back in the gym, she’s surprised to find sparks flying with Ryan. But when a shocking scandal in the gymnastics world breaks, it has shattering effects not only for the sport but also for Avery and her old friend Jasmine.
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Happy Pub Day!!

I loved this beautiful romance novel. It is rare to find a romance novel with sports so that really resonated with me being a college athlete. I always loved gymnastics so I truly got into this book!
I am looking forward to other books by Hannah Orenstein in the future!

HEAD OVER HEELS by Hannah Orenstein was an enjoyable summer read. It read fast and had characters I liked and cheered for. I enjoyed the romance between the leads and it balanced against the exploitation of young gymnasts in the story. Hallie was by far my favorite character. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this novel. All opinions are my own.

Avery Abrams was an exceptional gymnast on her way to fame when a sudden fall ends her career before she reaches her dream of Olympic gold. Now after her high profile relationship in LA fails, Avery is back to her hometown with an opportunity to help coach an up-and-coming gymnast, Hallie, who has her own goal of Olympic fame.

To make things more exciting, Hallie’s head coach is none other than Ryan, a fellow star gymnast who Avery had a crush on for years. Once again thrown together in this competitive world, Avery and Ryan’s relationship grows.

Unfortunately, I never really got into the actual romance between Avery and Ryan, but the female friendships (between Avery and Hallie, Jasmine and Sara) more than make up for it. The real highlight of this book is the sisterly relationship that grows between Avery and Hallie. They’re so supportive of each other and it was really refreshing to read.

I didn’t know anything about the world of gymnastics so I appreciated that Orenstein weaves in simple explanations of what the different choreographed techniques are and how the competitive judging scores work. It’s done so effortlessly and without being condescending. She also includes fun facts – who knew vaults are customarily named after the first gymnast to successfully execute it? Her love for the sport jumps off the page.

Seeing that the book is about a female gymnast, I was a bit apprehensive going into it following the Larry Nassar scandal. I was SO happy to immediately see that Orenstein dedicated the book to the brave athletes who stood up against the abuse in gymnastics – a really great move. The book doesn’t shy away from the dark aspects of the sport – everything from abuse (verbal and physical), to eating disorders and depression – but Orenstein handles it in a respectable way.

“Head Over Heels” is a fun read with a lot of heart. After spending time with these strong, fictional athletes, it’s such a shame the 2020 Olympics are on hold.

Are you like me and have noticed a lot of books centered around a sport lately? I absolutely LOVED that Head Over Heels tackled gymnastics unlike any other book I've ever read. Avery Abrams was on the right track to be headed to the Olympics, until an injury destroyed her dreams at trials, allowing the best friend she'd grown up with to take that spotlight and everyhgint she ever dreamed of.

Returing to her hometown after yet another failure, Avery is offered a job at her old gym, working with and Olympic hopeful and her teenage crush. Scandal, love, friendship and the so much more made this title a light read with the perfect balance of romance, drama and gymnastics. Orenstein did a fantastic job of giving us enough about the sport to not be overwhelming, while still making her story technically sounds and interesting!

Thank you to Netgalley, Hannah Orenstein and Atria Books publishing for the ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review. I give this title 4.5 stars, and cannot wait to read more from this author in the future!

Avery Abram’s Olympic hopes were derailed in 2012 by a career ending injury. In the years since she fought depression, failing out of school, and most recently a bad break-up with her boyfriend. Returning home to live with her parents and work at the gym where it all started wasn’t quite what she’d planned, but working with an Olympic hopeful with the boy she crushed on as a teenager might fix what was broken. Head Over Heels delivers more than the rom-com promised giving the reader a behind the scenes look at competitive gymnastics and how these young girls handle the high stakes pressure.

Avery’s character was a pretty easy one to like. Showing frailty and uncertainty after her hope’s were dashed, she tries to drown her sorrows in alcohol and clubbing. This seemed a likely scenario for someone who wouldn’t know what to do with all of that energy she was used to expelling on a mat. When she hits bottom and moves back home she grasps at a lifeline of working with a young gymnast and in that job finds her new role in life. Ryan, an ex-Olympian himself understands what she went through and never holds her past against her. I thought that might have white-washed the realism just a tad, but hey, this was also a romance! His role was to be charming, cute, and convenient, and he was all that and more!

Obviously what I liked more in this book was the role between Avery and the young gymnast she was coaching, Hallie. Set during a parallel to real life sexual misconduct scandal, the stress Hallie is under and the physical and mental abuses Avery went through at that same age made for a great comparison and helped the reader care about both of these characters and see positive outcomes to their story. This storyline was the strength in this story and was what gave it a heartbeat.

The author did a great job of detailing the gymnastics in a way that a fan of sports but not gymnastics in general could follow. You could feel the stress and tension in the competitions which helped the story arc and conflict have more impact than it would have otherwise. I really enjoyed those parts of the story and felt the roller coaster emotions that a competitor may have felt as they tried to work their way towards those gold medals.

Ryan as the love interest was just ok. I liked that he and Avery shared a love for what they did, but without giving away the plot it’s hard to describe why I didn’t like him more. I’ll just say that one of the choices he makes for me would have been a deal breaker and I just couldn’t get past that.

I did really like Head Over Heels, and after everything above it won’t come as a big surprise that it was because of the gymnastics and Avery’s self-healing sub-plot. If you like sports themed romances or women’s fiction I think you’ll like this fast paced easy to read summer novel. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley for my honest review and it was honest!