Head Over Heels was a fantastic novel that I couldn't put down. It follows the former gymnast Avery, who is recovering from a breakup and returns to hometown. Avery finds a job coaching at her old gymnastics gym, where her old crush Ryan also happens to be working. Avery has to navigate through her feelings of former abusive coaches, the memories of an injury that crushed her Olympic dreams, and figuring out what her life means now after years of disappointment.

Thank you, NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book!

This was a cute book that relied too heavily on sports. I've always loved watching gymnastics during the Olympics and it was interesting to get a view of what it might be like for hopefuls, however, this book was too focused on the gymnastics. Maybe I didn't understand what type of book it was supposed to be. I thought it was a romance novel, not necessarily full on romance but I certainly expected more. The descriptions of the gymnastic moves, which I don't have a clue of most of them, was boring. Way too detailed, listing move names that mean nothing to me and not just once but for each competition which could have been a copy and paste from the first competition. I liked Avery and Ryan but something was lacking. Ryan came off as this super nice guy but as soon as an opportunity arises, he ignores what Avery has to say about it. It felt contrived, like the author just made him bad for the requisite time so they had a conflict to deal with. I received this from NetGalley for an honest review which I'm only posting here. I hate giving mediocre or bad reviews and so won't share anywhere else.

Avery’s Olympic dreams were dashed during trials with a fall causing an injury during her floor routine. It’s been 7 years and she has been trying to find out who she is and where she belongs. When he long term boyfriend ends things, Avery heads back to her hometown. An unexpected phone call leads her to coaching a promising young gymnast with Ryan, the heartthrob of her youth. When scandal breaks out, Avery finds her heart breaking for Hallie and the other girls this scandal has hurt. She thought she was done with gymnastics, but it turns out she is diving back in headfirst.

Ok so I finished Break The Fall yesterday and decided to grab my latest book mail of Head Over Heels. Little did I know they were both about Olympic gymnastics! I decided to go ahead and continue on anyway since I loved Break The Fall and was totally in a gymnastics mood now! I am glad I did! It’s hard to come off a 4.5 star book about a similar topic, but this book was just as fabulous! I loved that this book faced the many issues that young gymnasts are met with, and did so without sugar coating it. I adored Hallie and the friendship that grew between her and Avery beyond just a coach relationship. The love story part was of course just an added bonus. If you are like me and are missing the would be lead up to the Olympics right now, I highly recommend grabbing a copy of this book as well as Break The Fall to get your fix!

Thank you to Atria Books for my gifted copy of this book!

I’ve tried a couple of this authors books, but I haven’t loved any yet. I always expect more romance than there is. Head Over Heels felt especially women’s fiction vs romance to me. I thought the romance was very much secondary to the heroine’s story as a gymnast. I think if I had gone in expecting women’s fiction I would have enjoyed it more. 2.5 stars

A double salto with a full twist this #summerrelease even has the perfect dismount.

Last summer I read and enjoyed Orenstein’s witty Love At First Like. This spring I forced my way into a #buddyread of Head Over Heals and I couldn’t be happier with my sneaky #bookstagram tactics. Thanks, friends!

With the Olympics delayed due to #covid I’m 100% positive I’m not the only one crying in my chardonnay. Imagine all those athletes that have trained their whole life for this summer!

“Over the next hour, the bones of the routine begin to take shape. I’m reminded of one of the many things I loved about gymnastics: if you work hard, you can become a superhuman version of yourself, at least for a time. If I were in prime shape, I could spiral like a ballerina, contort myself like a circus performer, catapult myself like a soldier, and defy gravity like a goddess. There would be no limits on what I could do.”

I absolutely loved the protagonist, Avery. She was sweet and quite insightful. After Avery trained her entire life to make the Olympics team, her career is destroyed in an instant. Flash forward seven years and Avery has just been dumped by her famous football star boyfriend. She returns home to her family, an old town filled with memories and a gym where her childhood crush works. Soon she’s working with her crush Ryan to help Hallie prepare for the Olympic trials in 2020.

Light on the romance, I thought this story was an excellent peek inside the competitive world of gymnastics and the high stakes of it all. From start to finish, I was absolutely captivated and charmed by it all.

5 stars.

Head over Heels is about a hopeful Olympic gymnast who is having trouble coping after an injury kills her Olympic dreams. After a series of bad decisions, Avery ends up living at home and coaching gymnasts at her old gym. She meets up with her former crush “cute Ryan” at the gym and sparks fly.

The romance between Avery and Ryan was sweet and fun to read about. But, this book is is so much more than a sweet romance. It tackles tough topics like depression, emotional abuse, anxiety, and physical abuse.

This book is also a fun visit to the world of gymnastics. I love to watch Olympic gymnastics and it was interesting to see the allusions to real-life people and events in the gymnastics world.


I really liked reading about Avery’s growth during the book from almost rock bottom to being self confident enough to stick to her guns when Ryan is on the road to making a bad decision. Avery is empowered to do more than she ever dreamed and trusts herself when things get tough.

Once a potential Olympic hopeful, Avery Abrams's life is in a tailspin.
Injury ended her chance at living her dream and stole her motivation.
College should have given her a chance at a fresh start, but rather than see the possibilities it could offer her, she instead turned to partying.
That became her new focus, hanging with the beautiful people. But even that fun life has a time limit.
Forced to return home, things looked bleak. Until she got one phone call.

I liked how Avery fought for this new opportunity, which nearly passed her by. It finally gave her a purpose, coaching a gymnast on the rise, Hallie Conway. And I loved how Avery approached this new job. She didn't just try to coast thru it, instead challenging Hallie to try new ideas. And with each day at Summit Gymnastics, Avery's spirit grew.

It didn't hurt that Avery was now working alongside an old crush from her gymnastic days, Ryan Nicholson. I've heard of the ugly side of this sport, but Ryan isn't on that side. He's tough but supportive of Hallie. In addition, he doesn't micromanage Avery. Instead he lets her control the direction of Hallie's floor routine, which suits all three of them. And with time, that support brings Avery and Ryan closer together.

I mentioned the ugly side of this sport, and I liked how the author not only didn't ignore this, but instead made it a significant part of the story. It was relevant to real world events and fit well within the story-line. In addition, it gave Avery another area to shine as she tackled the problem head on.

While there is some drama within the story involving the direction of Ryan's career, this isn't an angsty read. I really enjoyed reading the process these two coaches went thru to help Hallie achieve her dream. Overall, this was a sweet and fun sports romance.

3.5/5 🌟

Sports is actually the topic I'm least interested in, which means I've never been much of a sporty person. I decided to give this book a try because it is a....well an "Olympian Romance" (the perfect word to use here) and I also got to enjoy sports through a book! 😁
Head Over Heels dealt with topics I didn't expect at all. It had in-depth discussions on depression, anxiety and most importantly, abuse ~ both verbal and physical ; and how people aren't safe from this crime in the athletic world as well. When we think about people engaged in sports, we always picture strong & muscular people, but we almost never let our minds wonder about how those people can be defined by something other than their talents. The book reflected this aspect perfectly. I got to know a lot about the Olympics and sports in general, so kudos to the author for her strong research on it! 💕
Now, let's talk about the romance. I was kinda sad when I realized that romance wasn't the focal point of the book, but enjoyed it anyway. Avery and Ryan were a very cute couple. I loved seeing their relationship develop from the beginning of the story. I felt that the sports part of the book over-powered the romance aspect, which made Avery and Ryan's relationship lack the depth it deserved. Ryan's contribution to the romance felt very flat to me too, but he got my approval by the end of the book.
Avery's character development was definitely my favorite part! I loved seeing her growth throughout the book. The side characters - Hallie, Jasmine and Sara added their own charms to the story and I really liked reading about them.
Overall, I really appreciate how Head Over Heels talked about women empowerment and raising awareness against sexual abuse. This is definitely a book worth reading.

I have 100% been on a romance kick lately. I don’t know if it’s because it’s light and happy or what, but I just find myself wanting to read their journey to their happy ending, even if it’s predictable because right now, the chaos on going on in the world is so unpredictable. ⁣
⁣
Head Over Heels was so much more than just a romance though. It even had some mixed reviews because it wasn’t solely a romance, but I think that’s why I loved it even more. ⁣
⁣
This story is about Avery a 27 year old woman who came so close to making it to the Olympics when she was a teenager, but suffered a knee injury during the trials, only for her best friend Jasmine and her crush Ryan to make it without her. She went through a downward spiral afterward of depression and not knowing where she fit into this world.⁣
⁣
How could you fit into a world, when gymnastics was your world, and now your dream is shattered?⁣
⁣
This story was about learning to love yourself, finding your true self, falling in love, forgiving yourself, but also raising awareness of emotional abuse and sexual assault in female athletes and the future repercussions it can cause; and it was done in such a beautiful way. ⁣
⁣
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣
⁣
#bookstagram #books #romance #sexualassaultawareness #gymnastics #HeadOverHeels ⁣
⁣
Thank you @netgalley and @atriabooks for my ARC for an honest review.

This was a really cute book. I think it’s being categorized as a romance novel, but the romance is secondary to the main character’s personal growth as a disgraced Olympic hopeful figuring out what to do next. That’s not a bad thing, just don’t go into this expecting a steamy love story.

I loved the dive into the gymnastics world that this book allowed. It was sensitive to the realities of the lives of young professional athletes, especially those with Olympic careers. I do wish there was more focus on the romantic relationship between the two leads, it was sweet, but felt too superficial and unsatisfying. I would recommend this book as a gymnastics or sports-related story, but not necessarily as a romance.

I really enjoyed the story. I loved Avery and how she's trying to figure out her life. Her dreams were dashed after an accident as she was trying out for the Olympics. She's finally on track to get her life back together as she moves back to her hometown and starts coaching Hallie.
I loved their friendship/relationship. Avery was such a great coach and mentor.
I liked the romance with Ryan, at least for the most part.

I knew before starting this book that there was going to be sexual assault content + emotional abuse. It was still a bit of a trigger for me, but I loved how the author handled everything. But, if this type of content does trigger you, go into this book cautiously, or avoid it if you're not in a good place.

3.5/5 stars

In the wake of the gymnastics molestation scandal, this book feels particularly timely. Avery feels real and honest with her sense of self and how it’s possible to redefine it.

The world of an Olympic athlete is brutal. Reading about how Avery was trained was just brutal but I really enjoyed how she grew as a person and even as a coach.
The romance was minimal in this and I'm not going to lie I did want more of it but it was really about the growth of Avery as a person.
I enjoyed watching her train another young Olympic athlete and how she really overcame her training as a teen.

This was a smart, fun rom-com! The setting in the gymnastics world was different than anything else I’ve read and as a huge Olympics fan, I loved it. Avery was a complex heroine with real issues that made her more relatable. I wish this book’s release would coincide with the Olympics as planned, but maybe it can fill that void for readers this summer!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for the copy of this book. I’ve read sports rom-com’s previously and enjoyed them, and this book is definitely more sports heavy than romance if that’s what you’re looking for. It follows Avery on her journey to finding herself after a career-ending gymnastics injury as a teenager. She finds a new job coaching a young Olympic hopeful and also love at the same time. Both work and love are not an easy path as she deals with mental health issues from her coach as a child and the Me Too movement that is happening with gymnasts now. If you enjoy gymnastics, this book is right up your alley.

This book is so amazing. I could not stop reading it and I just love how it champions women in sports. I simply consumed the story. I could not put it down.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I’m not sure what it was about this book that got to me. Whether it was the vulnerability of the characters or maybe it was the fact you’re connecting with someone who’s lost everything and is struggling to find a place in the world.

Maybe it was the fact it was written in first person so you just become a part of the story. Maybe it was because the author just created a character with multi layers of vulnerability, shame, strength, and incredible insight to others.

Whatever it was that struck me about the story, it doesn’t really matter. The fact is it’s refreshing and it’s a story that hits you on so many different levels.

Orenstein gives us that love and passion for the sport, deep caring for the athlete you’re charged with along with that touch of romance that sparks when you meet someone you used to know. You connect with all of the emotions she lays out.

The author added so many levels into this book that it just pulls you forward page by page. The highs and the lows then ultimate healing and finding yourself again made for a terrific story. She even got a few tears out of me at the end.

I loved this story! It’s really like none other I’ve read before and that’s what makes it so special. It’s more than just a book. It’s an experience that you certainly don’t want to miss!

This was my first sports romance, and I enjoyed it quite a bit! I loved reading a romance where the woman is the athlete. Avery was a strong female lead. I appreciate a romantic storyline with a real and deep plot. The characters need to live in reality here with the audience, and I felt like Orenstein did a good job doing this. I will definitely be reading more by this author in the future.

I enjoyed this book. The characters were very relatable and I loved the gymnastics setting. It had deep content but also felt light at the same time.

Avery worked hard for years toward her Olympic dreams only to have her entire gymnastic career end right when her goal seems in reach. She has a hard time bouncing back after losing everything she has worked for and years later finds herself back in her parents' home after the end of a relationship with nothing on the horizon. When she gets a call from a former crush, Ryan, about coaching a young gymnast with Olympic dreams of her own how can she possibly say no?

As someone with no athletic ability whatsoever my appreciation of sports romances is interesting. However I do appreciate these glimpses into lives I have never come close to living. I really enjoyed reading about the gymnastic world and especially liked how recent issues were touched on as well. I did have issues at how after seven years of floundering Avery still doesn't seem to work very hard for all of the positive changes in her life. She seems to get things by showing up. She is a great coach right away with no faltering despite a lack of experience and only knowing not to act the way her former coach did. Her best friend welcomes her back in her life after years with nary a difficult conversation. She doesn't seem to have to try for anything or to learn how to fail which lessens the impact of her journey. To be honest I hated the romance aspect of this book and think it could have a stronger story without romance at all. The trajectory of the relationship did not work for me at all largely because they had no chemistry so the whole out of the blue feelings and then the "we shouldn't but oh how we want to" dance fell flat. I did not like Ryan at all and could not believe how easily he got off the hook for his actions. He did not disagree, he was deceitful in my opinion.

Overall this was a pleasant read and made me want to read more about strong female athletes for awhile.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.