I really, really liked this book. Until about half way through the book, I wouldn’t have called it a romance. It was more women’s fiction but a great story about a champion athlete who lost it and is now working to recover it. The second half moved faster and had more characters and came together so well. I personally would have made the hero work a little harder for that Happy Ever After, but even that felt right. Great book and now I’d love to see more from this world.

Avery, former gymnastics athlete moves back East after breaking up with her QB boyfriend. Avery starts coaching with "Cute Ryan" as she called him many years ago in her days as an athlete. Avery joins Ryan in coaching Hailee, an upcoming athlete for the 2020 Olympics.

I thought the book was well developed and loved Avery and how her character grew into her own.

I absolutely love Hannah's books. This is a must read and a perfect beach read.

Oof. I feel like this book really struggled to find its bearing between romance storyline vs sexual abuse metoo movement. They're both good things, but the combination just didn't work. I would've preferred a greater investigation into one instead of the meld.

What I love most about reading is being able to experience worlds I otherwise wouldn't have, and this was a clear example of that. I have no idea what it's like to be an Olympic athlete, not even periphally. Summer 2016 I was in a national park with WiFi barely strong enough to load text, let alone videos, so I missed the hype of the gymnastics there, but Orenstein captured so clearly the emotion and just how hard these athletes work that I teared up multiple times when reading this.

I was impressed with the way this address depression and abuse, and the way that Avery's character was so unflinchingly realistic and relatable. She was perfect in that she admitted all of her flaws and insecurities, and that made her strenght all the more impressive and inspiring. I also adored her roommate Sara, and seeing her convincing Avery to try yoga.

The emotions of this book were so incredibly intense and I rooted for Hallie and Avery so much. I enjoyed Orenstein's previous two books, but this is by far her strongest, and I'm really excited to read whatever she next has up her sleeve. She's really talented in capturing just how high tensions and feelings can be.

It's rough though, to read this timeline now. The book takes place in late 2019 and in 2020, with a brief epilogue taking place during the July Olympics. I know the publishing process and it must be so rough for the poor author to see how none of these events were palpable. Even reading the events in February, a voice in the back of my head was yelling "that's not realistic! You should be concerned about Covid!" No one who worked on the book is respondible for that and I don't think it detracts in a way worthy of reflection in a review, but I felt like I needed to acknowledge it anyway.

Hannah Orenstein is an auto-buy author for me; her books are uplifting, fun, and always make me think about things I would do differently in my life (for example, her ), so when I was approved for a Netgalley ARC of Head Over Heels, I was so excited! I love the Olympics, and gymnastics has always fascinated me, especially hearing what gymnasts do after their bodies can’t take the brutality of Olympic training anymore. This book did not disappoint - it was interesting, heartbreaking, but also motivating learning about that and more from former almost-Olympian Avery’s perspective, and Hannah Orenstein’s writing was better than ever. The characters were well-developed and most were personable and likable (there’s an exception that becomes quickly obvious), and although at the beginning Avery seemed like a pushover, I loved seeing how she grew stronger throughout the book. I devoured this book and can’t wait to reread it!

Avery Adams was going for the gold in 2012 in Women's Gymnastics until she was injured during trials. Now 7 years later she's been dumped by her famous NFL playing boyfriend and is heading back home to the east coast. When the opportunity to coach a potential Olympic gymnast in Avery's best event, she dives back into the tricky and harsh world of elite gymnastics and along the way finds herself again.

This was everything that I want in women's lit. A character I can relate to with her real-life problems and desire to find identity, a cute love interest, and a feminist campaign to end harassment in her sport. Avery is like so many of us at twenty-seven. Unsure of who she is or what comes next and has to come back and face her past. I loved how Orenstein handled the topics of sexual assault, body dysmorphia, and bullying in the world of gymnastics and offers a brighter future for the sport. Also, Ryan is pretty much the cutest and most thoughtful guy a girl could ask for, yet also struggles with his own ambition and shortsightedness. Overall a very cute and fast read.

*Thanks to Atria Books + NetGalley for the ARC!*

So, here's the thing: on one hand, this is your standard chick lit, find yourself after trauma story and that's basically the story I expected based on the blurb. On the other hand, it deals in sexual assault, mental health issue, being a survivor of abuse trying to explain that to someone that doesn't take it seriously - lots of serious things, too. If you're looking for something light, I wouldn't steer you towards this one right now.

Also, it is such bullshit that Avery opts to get back together with Ryan. Totally understandable to forgive him for not hearing what she was saying about the abuse, but to be in a romantic relationship with someone after that... well, it's believable, but I expect more from a girl finding herself story.

I absolutely loved this book. I'm obsessed with Olympic-level gymnastics, and with the Olympics canceled this year, this novel filled the void a little. The author clearly knows what she is talking about to the point that I wondered if she was an ex-gymnastic. Great storytelling that had me turning the pages. Avery was such a likeable character as was Hallie and choked up on several occasions. There was a point I was very unhappy with Ryan, the love interest, and I didn't know whether he'd ever be redeemed in my eyes, but the author made it work. I highly recommend.

Avery Abrams was once an elite gymnast who's Olympic dreams were shattered after an injury at a qualifying meet forced her into early retirement. In the almost decade since the incident, Avery has had to watch her ex-best friend Jasmine reach all the goals she trained her whole life for. Now, with no motivation or prospects on the horizon and a recent break-up, Avery has no choice left but to move back in with her parents in her Massachusetts hometown. When she gets a call from Ryan, another athlete she used to compete with, with a position helping coach a young gymnast with Olympic aspirations, she hesitantly agrees.

Despite her worries and bad memories of her own abusive coach, Avery finds a renewed energy the moment she walks back into Summit gym. She's also surprised to find that the more she helps Ryan train Hallie, the more her confidence seems to flourish and her self-esteem grows. The old emotional wounds she had from the sport she once loved begin to heal, and being around Ryan isn't so bad either. But when a shocking scandal wracks the gymnastics world, the ripples not only affect the sport itself, but Avery and her old friend Jasmine as well.

I enjoyed this, but I didn't fully love it. All I really knew of the gymnastics world, I learned from watching the movie Stick It, so reading all about the tricks and intense training/conditioning that these athletes go through was really fascinating. It was interesting seeing this world through Avery's perspective, and seeing the differences in her training versus how Ryan was brought up in the sport. The story itself I thought was okay. I did expect the actual scandal to be a bigger part than it turned out to be, but overall I appreciated how it turned out. As for the relationship between Avery and Ryan, I found it a bit meh. I did also find this a bit clunky and the pacing to be off a bit in places. With that in mind, I'd still recommend if you're a fan of sports centered rom-coms.

Head Over Heels
by: Hannah Orenstein
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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I was lucky enough to receive an ARC for Head Over Heels from @NetGalley and @atriabooks. *Head Over Heels comes out on June 23rd.*
I’ve read all three of Hannah Orenstein’s books, and this was my favorite! I think Avery was the most like-able and fleshed our of the main characters in her books. (I have no idea how to spell like-able, and I have no desire at this time to look it up.) Avery had a career-ending injury at the Olympic Trials in 2012 and has floundered every since - flunking out of college and more recently getting dumped. Moving back home, she’s asked to coach a young Olympic hopeful on her floor routine at her old gym alongside Ryan. Ryan and Avery competed at the same time growing up - Ryan making it to the Olympics in 2012 and 2016 - and Avery may or may not have had a crush on “Cute Ryan.” Coming home also causes Avery to confront her demons - both figuratively and literally (her old coach). I fell Head Over Heels for this and finished it in a few hours. If you like gymnastics, this is an interesting look at what happens when you don’t make the Olympics. The love story was cute but not the whole story. Read it when it comes out!

I read my first Hannah Orenstein novel last fall and immediately fell in love with her fun and easygoing writing. I devoured Love at First like, so when I saw she had a new novel coming out, I had to get my hands on it. 

Head over Heels is about Avery, a once Olympic gymnastics hopeful who is trying to find her way after a bad breakup. Avery moves home and begins working as a couch in her old gym. I loved Avery from the first chapter- she is so real; her dreams have been crushed, her boyfriend has left her, and she's fighting to find something to believe in. The story is charming, the writing is sweet and funny, and the characters will have your heart invested in this story. I really enjoyed the love story that developed in this story, but that was more of a secondary story line to Avery's journey.

You will love this one if you loved Love at First Like and Well Met you will enjoy this one.

This was a light, fun, enjoyable read for fans of rom-coms. I enjoyed the characters and the relationship development. The plot wasn't overly complex but kept me engaged. Not my usual genre, but I did enjoy the read.

**SQUEALS** What a story! Seriously, you need to read this book. It truly has made it to a special place in my heart. Everything about Avery and Ryan has made my heart swoon and melt!

While I have zero interest in team sports, I love those that combine music and grace, such as gymnastics and ballet, and also fencing. I'll gladly read fiction about these three.

In this novel that focuses on women's gymnastics, Avery is an ex-Olympic contender--that is, she didn't make it past Olympic trials. I thought Orenstein did an excellent job with the psychological damage of knowing that your professional life (which is going to be very short anyway) is over at age nineteen. After spending every waking moment training.

She is dumped by her pro football boyfriend, who feels she isn't going anywhere, and she moves home to mom and dad, a washed-up has-been in her twenties. But then she gets a call from a high school crush, Ryan, who was training in men's gymnastics, to help coach a rising star of sixteen years.

Once we get to that part of the story, I was in it hard. I loved how Orenstein balanced the characters: Hallie is a very convincing girl, driven, determined, with ambitious but wary parents behind her. (Not the insane parents who live through forcing their kid into being a prodigy, which is a different sort of story). Avery recognizes herself in Hallie's absolute commitment, and though she is not a trained coach, she is reaching into her own experience of abuse from a trainer lauded as the best, and trying to find a way to bring Hallie to excellence without the toxic psychological fallout.

Running parallel to that, a secondary thread of sexual abuse of these teenage athletes runs alongside the story, weaving in deftly. So much rides on these girls, and their time in the sun is so brief, but so exhilarating if they make it to the top.

Avery has to come to terms with a new life, which brings us to the romantic thread. She has a lot of baggage, not helped by Ryan's obliviousness to how very different the training is for girls, and the emotional scars it causes.

The romance, though overall convincing, can feel a bit scanted--it lurches a bit between Problem/Resolution, and the present tense does not help. In fact, the present tense, which seems to be The Thing now in YA fiction, really hurts the start of the novel when so much is backstory. Present tense flashbacks, unless actual scene rather than summary, draw too much attention to narrative "tell." And there is a lot of it--all necessary for understanding Avery's own emotional register. (I wish the author had begun with that devastating failure, then present tense would have unleashed its full strength.)

But once Avery started her new job, I was with this story all the way to the gracefully achieved end. I really like the note the book ended on, in fact. Overall, a solid look at the cost of talent plus drive, and how those don't always equal agency.

2 stars
I felt this oak was not really a romance novel. It was a gymnastic novel that felt like they forced a side story of romance. I am not into gymnastics, so I was bored and struggle to even finish it.

Head over Heels is a contemporary chick-lit talk on the hazards that many athletes (young gymnasts in this case) face in the world of competitive sports training.
You follow Avery fresh from a breakup moving back to her hometown to start over. Once an Olympic level gymnast herself she knows just what it takes to make it to the big leagues. Even if a career ending injury cut her dream short, she still has the opportunity to help at her old gym teach a new generation. Add that the main coach was her girlhood crush and its an even sweeter deal.

Avery is a great example of a flawed but lovable character. She’s not shy about the things she experienced in her past and learned how they made her stronger instead of making her a prisoner. The overall story is a look into mental health, abuse on several levels, getting help, #metoo and the problems many people have experienced when training for anything competitive.
There is a romance in here but it played second string to the athletics. Ryan is a well rounded character and his personality works well with Avery. I liked their relationship when it came to coaching and just general team work but I didn’t have much feeling over them as a romantic couple.
Pleasant read, there’s some good points made but I personally don’t find it to be a particularly stand out book. However if you are into sports or character driven titles you may really like it.

*E-Arc provided by Atria Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was super excited to read this one, but sadly it fell flat for me. I did enjoy the setting as well as the character's passion for their sport. But the relationship felt like a lot of telling, not showing and instant lovey.

I was really hoping to get more into depth about gymnastics and the abuse that can occur, but it felt like it was very surface level.

I stopped caring about the romance once the main character did not believe his girlfriend about her emotional and verbal abuse, and then tried to buy her forgiveness. It just didn't sit well with me and I feel like there was no reason for them to like each other except the fact that they knew each other before, and were physically attracted to one another.

I think the organization they created was a start, but I would've liked the book to dig deeper into those issues.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

This was a fast and fun read. I'd recently read another book about an Olympic Gymnast, so this felt familiar to me, but in the end, it was so much better.

I liked these characters, I liked that they weren't perfect, even though they're Olympians. They felt more genuine to me that I thought they would.

We're all fighting for something in our daily lives, some for a spot on the Olympics team, some to get out of bed in the morning. It's relative, and I think that's important for us to realize, especially these days.

I will definitely read more from this author.

I received an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Avery Abrams has hit rock bottom before. Seven years ago, an injury cost Avery her Olympic dreams as a gymnast. Since then, she’s failed out of college and now her boyfriend of four years has dumped her. Heading back to live with her parents, she’s offered a job to help coach a rising star. Avery will have to cope with her past if she’s ever going to create a new future with a new love.

Avery’s character development shines as she makes positive relationships with other women who encourage her to except her body. The author grapples with the heavy topics of emotional and sexual abuse in women’s gymnastics, and encourages women to speak out. Still, the overall tone of the book is hopeful and transformative.

The romance is a lovely side plot and despite some hurdles, you can’t help but cheer for Avery to find her own happily ever after.

2020 didn’t quite turn out as the author planned; but since you can’t watch the Tokyo Olympics this year, read HEAD OVER HEELS. It has all the drama, heart, and surprises of a world-class competition with a finish that will have you springing to your feet.

Because I usually enjoy reading novels about women in sports like ballet and gymnastics, I was sure I would love this book. And while the concept is there, I felt like the execution left something to be desired. There was so much telling rather than showing in the writing, and it was repetitive to the point that I found myself bored. There was very little plot, which could have been propped up by either compelling characters or a page-turning romance, but neither of those really exist here. And while I did think it was necessary that Orenstein explore abuse in gymnastics, I wish she would have chosen to focus either fully on that or really develop the romance, as she didn't do either effectively when trying to handle both.