This was a fantastic story showcasing and bringing to light how real the mental abuse can be in the gymnastics world. I really enjoyed the will-they won't-they aspect of this novel although I will admit to wanting a bit more out of the argument/ fight that caused the brief separation between them. Overall though a great read with well flushed out characters! I look forward to reading more by Hannah Orenstein in the future!

I really wanted to read Head Over Heels by Hannah Orenstein. Growing up, #gymnastics was my favorite sport. I was never competitive, but I could do a tumbling sequence on the floor (round off backhand spring, backhand spring!), and I was naturally flexible. Also, my love of gymnastics coincided with the 1976 Olympics in Montreal (where I live), when @nadiacommeniche scored a perfect 10! So how could I not read this book?

Head over Heels tells the story of Avery Abrams, who after training her whole life, injures herself at the trials for the National Olympic team. Her life spirals downhill from there. After college, Avery moves back home, truly miserable 😩. Out of nowhere, she gets a call from a fellow (male) Olympic gymnast .... would she be interested in assisting him in coaching the newest Olympic hopeful? Really, what does she have to lose?

This book was a pure joy for me to read. I always have a special place in my heart for the sport of gymnastics 🤸‍♀️ 🤸‍♂️. Who doesn’t? Watching the girls dance 💃 and tumble across the mats, balance on the beam, soar between the parallel bars (vaulting was my least favorite). Thank you 🙏🏻 @hannahorens for #headoverheels. I understand you lived competitive gymnastics for 17 years). I really loved #headoverheels, your tribute to the sport.
#5🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇

Thank you @netgalley and @atriabooks for the digital copy in return for my honest review.
#summerreads #beachreads #booksofinstagram #bookstagram #olympics #tokyoolympics

This might even be a 4.5? I just really really liked it. I am a sucker for Olympics content, especially since I just had to live through July 2020 without the Summer Olympics. This book also really focuses on in on all the major discussions surrounding the gymnastics world, which is super important to mention, and I couldn't put it down.

Ever since a career ending injury Avery's been kind of floundering. She was on track to go to the Olympics and once that is no longer a reality, she really struggles to find her way. She fails out of college, she parties too much, she settles into a relationship that is possibly not going anywhere. Once her life in LA flops, she heads back to her hometown, back to her parents house.

This book is basically Avery starting from the ground up. I loved watching her find peace and friendship and purpose and of course, love throughout this book. I love Sara, she could have just been a faceless roommate but she turns into such a good friend and support for Avery and I loved it. Ryan is a sweetie, he comes across as a little naive when he's just willing to believe the best of someone that Avery warns him against, but in the end he really comes through.

As someone that tunes in to all the gymnastics coverage during the Olympics, I loved watching Avery coach Hallie. I held my breath as she made her way through Nationals and Olympic Trials. I was upset when something went wrong in her routines and proud when she landed something she had previously been struggling with. I loved the athlete/coach relationship between Hallie, Avery and Ryan. I was so happy that among all the conversation of these really toxic relationships, we do get to see how a positive and encouraging environment can still provide results.

*There is mention of sexual and mental abuse as related to the gymnastics world- so if that is a trigger for you, definitely tread carefully.

This was a sweet, entertaining read. There was definitely language and sexual content (explicit) that I was not a fan of, but it wasn’t really excessive. It gave an interesting look at what it takes from both an individual and a family to train for the olympics. Readers will also find a reminiscent account of gymnasts having inappropriate experiences (#metoo)/ sexual harassment experiences with their sports doctor., which is heartbreaking. That said, this isn’t a super light read, but it’s also not super heavy. My favorite part of the story was probably the friendship between the main character and an old friend.


Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my gifted copy.

I had the pleasure of discussing Head Over Heels with the author herself, Hannah Orenstein, for my romance novel review podcast, Boobies & Noobies. Though I found the romance to be lacking throughout the story, the world itself is astounding and complex, much like the characters. It's a classic tale of "what could've been?" that I think all of us can connect to. As there is discussion of sexual assault (alluding to several real life cases), I will issue trigger warnings for rape and sexual assault.

This was by far my favorite Hannah Orenstein! It had all of the elements I love; sports, charming characters, romance, strong supportive females, nail-biting gymnastics scenes. The only thing I would have changed was maybe knowing a little more about Ryan or his thought process. I thought it was paced so well and finished in 24 hours. Highly recommend!
Review was posted to instagram and goodreads on August 10th.

I enjoyed Head Over Heels by Hannah Orenstein so much, the characters were likable and real, the dialogue felt natural, and I enjoyed the relationships that were built (and in some cases rekindled).

The main character, Avery Abrams is an ex-gymnast who trained throughout her childhood, only to be injured during Olympic trials. Having grown up only knowing one thing, and making sacrifices for her sport time and time again she struggles as an adult to find her place in the world, and form a new identity for herself.

Despite the cheery cover, this isn’t a light-hearted rom-com, it deals with some seriously heavy topics. Child, sexual, and emotional abuse, body shaming, mental health, and identity.

I was a ballerina for 19 years, and while I wasn’t at an elite level like the character in this book I can certainly relate to the physical and emotional abuse that young people suffer in these types of sports. As well as the struggle to work out who you are once you’re no longer a member of that community.

I started ballet when I was three, and as early as five my teacher would carry a broomstick with her during class and whack us with it if our foot wasn’t turned out enough, our stomach sucked in, or our toes not pointed sharply enough. Not to mention the constant comments about watching what we ate, not getting fat, and the body-shaming that happened if one of the girls started to develop curves.

While there are some aspects of ballet that I’m glad have stuck with me into adulthood (posture, balance, physical awareness and flexibility) I also still carry the knee, hip and foot damage, and some of the emotional scars too.

One of my dearest friends is an ex-gymnast who represented, and won gold medals for, Australia. She’s told me some horrific stories about competing with fractured bones, the things they would do to make sure they weighed in at the ‘right’ number, and the harshness of the training….and most of that was before she was even 15!

Thankfully, in the book, Avery is able to find her way through the trauma and difficulty transitioning to ‘civilian life’, and I think the author handled all of the tough topics in the book very respectfully.

I loved this book so much! Such a funread if you love gymnastics or just want a great romance you wont be able to put down.

Avery thought her life was over when her dreams of going to the Olympics for gymnastics were crushed by an injury. She thought her life was over again when years later her quarterback boyfriend dumped her and she was forced to move back to her hometown. But when a coaching job opens up for a new young Olympic hopeful, Avery finds meaning in her life again, and it doesn't hurt that she'll be coaching with her former crush and fellow gymnast, Ryan. Orenstein writes about the gymnastics in great detail, but the rest of the plot seemed rushed. This book has romance elements, but the relationships Avery has with her roommate and her friends are more fleshed out than her romance. However, this is a quick read that will leave readers in a good mood. Readers of romance and women's fiction will like this one.

I love Hannah Orenstein's books so much - they are so refreshing and fun and I appreciate the detail that goes into each of her subjects to make you feel like you are in each specific scenario she chooses to set her stories in.

This one was particularly interesting knowing that she has some history and insider insight into the gymnastics world, so I loved that she drew from her own experiences!

The story was cute, and had the adorable romance aspect that although a little predictable and frustrating at times, was still fun to watch unfold (I mean, what relationship isn't amirite?!) I really loved the behind the scenes of not only gymnastics and the terminology, scoring scoop, and training regimens, but also how one preps for the Olympics and all that is involved. Gymnastics is one of my favorites to watch and I'm definitely missing it this season!

I did appreciate the "ripped from the headlines" route it took, but I think it would have been fine without it. The stressors that athletes face alone is enough to know that support is definitely needed. It just added an ick factor that I didn't really want to be reminded of. I much prefer my news in the news. But of course, it's been part of that world for a long time, so I can see how it added to that part of the storyline!

The other 95% of the book was super fun and really held my attention - I read it in one day and can't wait to see what else she comes out with!

This is the first book I’ve read by Hannah Orenstein and I thought it was wonderful. I loved reading about gymnastics and the Olympics. Gymnastics has always been one of my favourite sports to watch during the Olympics so I really enjoyed reading about all the preparations for it in this book. It is a gruelling sport and this book did an excellent job of portraying the heartbreak an injury in this sport can cause. There was some romance between Avery and Ryan throughout the book. It wasn’t a huge part but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

I was hoping this would be more of a hit for me, but as I'm not a sports fan and this was a full-stop sports romance, it just wasn't really for me.

Avery Abrams is an 'almost' Olympian. She trained her whole life only to have her career ended after a disastrous performance. After her break up with a football star she heads back to her hometown where an old friend/crush, Ryan, asks her to help train a promising gymnast for the Olympics. Then a scandal breaks in the gymnastics world.

The main thing I really enjoyed about this book, is that there is so much more than a romance. I went into it thinking it was going to be heavy on the romance but it wasn't. In fact, a lot of the time I forgot about the romance. The main topic is gymnastics and the abuse in the sport. Not just physical but also emotional and the lasting effects it can have on a young women.

That being said I was hoping for some more romamce. I went in thinking there would be more so it was disappointing when there wasn't. Also there was a lot of gymnastics terms and descriptions of the tumbling, flips, and stuff that I just glanced over. As not a gymnast, I didn't need to know every detail of her routines to get the picture.

I definitely recommend this book! It is an eye opening topic about gymnastics and a cute romance.

Head Over Heels is about the world of gymnastics and what happens when your dream of the olympics is gone. It's about starting over and finding a new normal. It's about the friendships you make, the love you find and the healing you do. I really enjoyed this one and will definitely recommend!

Head Over Heels by Hannah Orenstein was an enjoyable, quick read that dealt with more than just your average romantic comedy. Gymnastics has always fascinated me and I’ve read a lot about the horrors of Nasser, so it was interesting to read a fictionalized account of a similar situation.

I enjoyed Head Over Heels, but I didn't love it. The cover really grabbed my attention and the story was cute, but there were parts of the story I just couldn't get on with. It was fun to learn more about competitive sports and what it takes to become an athlete. I liked that it tackled second chances and reminding yourself to never give up. I also liked that the romance wasn't the main part of the storyline, but a secondary part of the story.

Missed the mark for me. I grew up as a gymnast all my life so reading a gymnastics story was a really special experience for me and I appreciated being able to relate to it. I’ve never read a gymnastics book before and that was a huge part of my life so like I said, that was cool.

However, this did not come across as a romance to me. It was heavily focused on other themes—which were definitely important—I just wasn’t expecting this at all. This story primarily focuses on abuse in the sport & the importance of mental health. The romance fell in the background and hardly had any substance (which is fine if it’s not a romance but like don’t market it that way??) and I just generally felt like this plot was all over the place.

I will say I listened on audiobook and the narration wasn’t my favorite so that could have also altered my experience.

This was a really good chick-lit book. The problem is...between the cute cover with a man and woman on the front, the back cover synopsis, and "head over heels" usually being followed with “in love,” a reader (i.e. me) is probably expecting this story to be a romance. And if so, they (also me) will probably be disappointed. Actually, there’s no probably about it.

Avery was an elite gymnast on her way to the Olympics when a devastating injury ended her career. Having spent her whole life focused on gymnastics, and with no other plan for her life, she spent the next seven years floundering, without a purpose for her life. When she heads back home after breaking up with her boyfriend of four years, she ends up helping train another Olympic hopeful and finds herself in the process.

Taken as a women’s fiction/chick lit story, this was actually pretty good. Centered around the world of elite gymnastics, the story sheds light on the seedy underbelly of this high-pressured sport: extreme physical and intense mental pressures faced by the female gymnasts, abusive coaches, and the recent sexual abuse scandal by a well-known sports doctor. A good portion of the book gives a fairly extensive look into elite gymnastics, so if you have no interest in that, you may find your interest waning. (Full disclosure: I was once a gymnast with dreams of becoming the next MaryLou Retton...but lacked the parental commitment required to attain such a goal, so this was not a world I was unfamiliar with or uninterested in!). It was touching to see Avery come into her own as she returned to the sport she loved after abandoning it, and heartwarming to see her make choices as a coach so contrary to the abusive and demeaning atmosphere she experienced.

But there’s also this sidestory with Ryan, the head coach who contacts Avery to help coach his gymnast on the floor exercise. Things started out cute with them. Having known of each other from their time competing, each had a crush on the other from when they were teens. With them now working together, I had high hopes for their relationship development. But it wasn’t the main event in this story.

Which kind of got me thinking.

I like how Avery was really a mess when the book started, but she got herself straightened out by developing strong female friendships and confidence in her new career. When Ryan messed up BIG TIME, she knew she deserved better and stayed the course she was on without falling back into old patterns.

So if I judge this book on being a romance, it doesn’t fare so well. But if I judge it on what it actually is - a story about a woman gaining her confidence and figuring out who she is, it was actually pretty good.

* thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review

This was SUCH a delightful book for someone like me who grew up loving gymnastics and in the glory days of the Magnificent Seven.

Such a cute read. And the cover did help lol. Loved the story line. The author did a great job and kept me quite captivated throughout my reading.