3.75 stars rounded up.

Too Forward was the first book by Krystina Rivers that I've read. The writing was a pleasant surprise and I think I'll check out older books in the future.

Too Forward is a sports romance with one night to forever and woman in a suit tropes. It's a solid sapphic sports romance set during a WNBA season. For me it was a nice read with the main character being a pro athlete and the love interest being a marketing executive. Many times sports romances are between two athletes which are great, too, but Too Forward was a nice change of pace.

The story evolves around the main character's lack of confidence and low self-esteem, and it's about getting back to the top after being a bench warmer for 8 seasons. The novel is a story about finding your self worth and having your confidence back after an ACL injury almost a decade ago.

Jane Gray, the main character, was lovable and infuriating at the same time. The way she constantly put herself down was almost too much. Luckily she had her team captain and cheerleader Maya and one night stand Kinzie to help her.

I'm not a fan of (adult) romances with only one POV. The writing and story building has to be superb for one POV to really work for me. Too Forward would have been, in my opinion, better with also Kinzie's POV. Now her character felt a bit flat. Since a lot of commentary (inner monologue) by Jane had a low self-esteem twist, the true Kinzie didn't really become familiar through Jane's POV. Second POV would have been interesting.

Sadly, I had to DNF this book at 75%.

I can’t really pinpoint the problem, I just stopped caring about the characters at the halfway mark, because I was unable to emotionally connect to them. The story itself and the romance both seemed interesting at the beginning of the book, but I was missing a stronger build up of emotions over the course of the book.

I think this is a problem that does not affect everyone. If you are looking for a sweet basketball romance you should definitely still give this a go!

I will not be posting about this book on my social media.

I am a huge fan of sports romances, where you get to see a lot of training regiment and routine that goes into playing a sport and this book definitely delivered. This WNBA romance shows how dedicated you need to be to play basketball professionally, but it also shows that even if you do everything right it may not always work out. I really enjoyed the sports side of this book and the romance was also good! It was my first book by this author and I really enjoyed her writing style, once I picked it up I couldn't put it down, loved it from page one all the way until the end!

This one was a mixed bag for me. I was immediately drawn to the WNBA setting, and I have enjoyed other fictional books with women's basketball that include sapphic romances. As I read Too Forward, I was pleased to see the various basketball terms, existing team and player references, and game play descriptions. This may be a barrier for someone not familiar with women's basketball and the WNBA, but I think they can gloss over those parts and still get the gist of things.

The character of Jane had a lot of personal issues to work out for herself. I liked how she had help from a therapist and an athletic trainer, as it shows that people need help from both mental and physical sides. Her self-doubt, imposter syndrome, and overall insecurity gave her character complexities that are easily relatable and understandable by those of us who are not professional athletes. However, the character of Kenzie felt highly idealized to me. I wish her struggles were given more time; it just seemed like her character had flaws so that it'd give Jane something to relate to. I think it also would have balanced out the non-sex part of the relationship and given it more credibility, because the honeymoon phase usually only lasts so long.

The parts of this book I liked the most include the development of the basketball team dynamic and a seemingly realistic behind-the-scenes of professional women's basketball. The same-sex romantic pairings are also a big draw for me.

Thanks to NetGalley, Bold Strokes Books, and Krystina Rivers for the chance to honestly review this arc.

I've been waiting for this book since I saw it announced online. Author Krystina Rivers hits all the shots in this sports romance that delves deeper into the athlete than just your usual performance outcomes. The spotlight truly shines on the characters growth. Thoroughly enjoyed!

Thank you to Bold Strokes Books, Inc. | BSB genre and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

Really good book. The main characters were very well written and likable. I'm a basketball fan and I really liked all the references about the sport. The chemistry between Jane and Kenzie was pretty hot, and I liked that they were able to continue their relationship after their one night together. This is a second chance romance, with a bit of drama and angst thrown in to give it depth. I would recommend this book to my friends and family and I look forward to what's next from this author.

DNF at 12%
Now i've never DNF'ed an ARC but I was 12% through and I just couldn't

I found the characters quite swallow and the spicy scene felt way too quick and forced so I think it isn't a bad book but it just wasn't going well for me

I have been a fan of Krystina Rivers since her debut novel, I don't see that stopping anytime soon.
This is her first book written in first person POV, and was well done.
I enjoyed the chemistry between the MCs. It was fun to watch it continue to spark. The MC had the necessary growth.
The angst was predictable, and understood. I get why the timeframe for reunion, but wished it could have been sooner.
I wish there was more background on the MC, why she felt the way she did.
I greatly enjoy all the books I've read by this author and will continue to follow her.

A sports romance in the world of the WNBA. Jane Gray was a star in college but an injury in her first season stopped her rise to stardom. After several seasons playing in Europe she landed a tryout spot for Milwaukee, under her old college coach. At training camp she is shocked to see Kinzie Lancaster, who is the new brand consultant for the team. She and Kinzie shared a night of passion the night together before tryouts. It was an unusual move for both of them.

This is Jane’s story and is told from her POV. Jane’s injury has caused her a lot of self doubt, and she is fearful of further injuries. But when she gets out of her head she plays like the star she is meant to be. Kinzie is great at showing her attention and encouraging Jane. The team captain becomes her confidant and best friend which adds to the story. Truly this is a very positive story with everyone around Jane trying to lift and encourage her to overcome her impostors syndrome. I liked Kinzie and how respectful she is to Jane’s boundaries and willingness to put herself out there emotionally. Jane is a turtle, she makes some progress and then tucks back in her shell to hide.

I enjoyed the setting and basketball a lot. I liked Kinzie and how she knew her own worth. But I could have none more than the limited family and work aspects of her life. I believe this is my fifth book by the author and I’ve liked her easy going storytelling. I also think the simple cover fits the book well. (3.5 Stars)

saw an adorable review of this and i truly wanted to read it by its pub date, but alas i was unable to! i take the reviewers word for it though- this seems absolutely charming 💫

I would give this 3.5 stars. I’m not typically a sports romance fan but found this enjoyable. This is definitely very basketball heavy, detailing practices and play-by-plays but it isn’t too overwhelming for someone who doesn’t have a lot of basketball knowledge like myself. I liked following Jane’s growth and seeing her develop friendships as well as her relationship with Kinzie. It was nice to see Jane get her second chance and try to overcome her anxiety and other mental struggles. However I would have liked to know more about Jane’s career earlier. It’s mentioned a lot but not in detail and maybe a flashback chapter of her injury or from sometime in her college career would have been helpful. I would consider this to be a slow burn romance so sometimes it felt like the romance was lacking a little but that just comes with the territory of this trope. There’s no denying Jane and Kinzie’s physical attraction but I would have loved to see more of their actual relationship even in the epilogue. Things just seemed very surfaced and I feel like having Kinzie’s POV in some chapters or getting to know more about her would have helped me understand Kinzie more. It seemed to focus a lot on their physical relationship but lacked emotional conversations outside of Jane’s struggles. Overall, I did enjoy this book and think it’s an easy romance read.

I love sports romances, but basketball has never been my thing. Until this book! Jane is an amazing character, on a journey to re-find her spark in the game as well as her lost confidence. Along comes Kinzie, the new marketing guru and sparks are flying! Watching Jane and Kinzie navigate the personal and professional is a wild ride in this sapphic romance.

This is an interesting take on a sports romance where one main character is an athlete and the other a marketing exec who claims to hate sports, but is in no way any form of an enemies to lovers trope. Both characters are likeable and realistic, and though I’ve never had any interest in basketball myself, I had no trouble relating to Jane or the basketball scenes. I loved several other characters in the team and would love to see more in this same universe!

I struggled to finish this. My biggest issue with the book was that there was nothing interesting about both mcs. Jane was boring and reduced to only her self deprecation and lack of self esteem. It made it so difficult to read because the entire book is in her pov only. Kinzie was the "perfect" girlfriend, clearly written FOR Jane rather than as a character that Jane happens to like romantically. The entire book we are told the progression of their relationship and lives, literally Jane narrates Kinzie's life back to her multiple times in the book and I just think the author could have found a better way to let the readers know what was going on. The book really would have benefitted from a dual pov, even if only to offset the constant drain that it was to be in Jane's head.

There's a part where Jane says, "I skipped past all the politics crap..." and I recoiled in disgust. Having your white American, southern, lesbian character be apolitical is definitely a choice especially since the book is releasing in 2025 and everyone is aware of the political climate, not just in America but worldwide, against queer people.

One more thing that peeved me was the ending. The team losing the championships was just an even more horrible ending to an already bad book. We could have at least closed on a happy note rather than the "championships aren't everything" spiel we got.

I did enjoy the basketball games, practice and all the details though. I'm not very familiar with the game but they were fun to read about. The saving grace of the book if I'm being honest.

<i><b>Thank you to Bold Stroke Books and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review</b></i>

“Too Forward” by Krystina Rivers is a romance novel focusing on Jane Gray, a professional basketball player who has had a mediocre career but ends up signing for a WNBA team. She finds out the team’s consultant is the woman from her one and only one-night-stand when she gets to town. Even though Jane tries to keep things professional and focus on the game, their attraction is undeniable.

The chemistry between Jane and Kinzie is alluring and so lovely to read. Jane’s character struggles with self-confidence, self-worth, and anxiety. Kinzie is immediately swept off her feet by Jane, but Jane has to overcome her anxieties and worries to believe she’s worthy. I found this really relatable as a person with anxiety myself, and I imagine others would, too. I loved watching Jane come into her power and grow proud of who she is.

The book is a great read, a fun insight into women’s basketball, and a delicious romance. I highly recommend this book to any adult romance reader!

Too forward is the perfect book for anyone who loves a good sports romance but will also suit anyone who loves to see a character’s journey towards self-acceptance and overcoming imposter syndrome. I loved it and struggled to put it down.

In this beautiful story we meet Jane Gray who has recently been called up by her old Basketball Coach to join the Milwaukee Pitbulls WNBA team. However, after 8 years of struggling to come back from a major ACL injury she has no faith that she will even survive the training camp chopping block, let alone become a starter on the team. As a result, she is determined that she will give it a go but needs to ensure that there are no distractions. However, when a gorgeous woman approaches her in the bar, the night before the training camp is due to start she is drawn into an incredible one night stand. Just as well they will never see each other again so it can’t become that unwanted distraction. Except, that the strange turns out to be Kinzie Lancaster, who has been brought in by the team to help with their marketing and promotion strategy.

What follows is a very sport-heavy story with the Jane’s emotional journey towards finding her self-confidence and self-worth with the unwavering support of Kinzie and some of her teammates, especially team captain, Maya who very quickly becomes Jane’s best friend. Maya is a rock! (Side note: I would absolutely love to see another book in the future giving us Maya’s story.) By telling us the story in the first-person perspective from Jane’s point of view, Krystina Rivers has enabled the reader to get inside Jane’s head to see where all her doubts and fears are coming from, and I feel that she absolutely nailed it.

This book is one that has left a mark on me and is one that I will certainly return to again in the future.

I am extremely grateful to Krystina Rivers, Bella Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC copy of Too Forward and am leaving this review voluntarily.

I'm not a big sports person but this book was well written and I enjoyed the character arc of Jane and Kinzie. I liked the incorporation of overcoming mental health challenges as well as being an 'elder' player in the WNBA. Overall, I enjoyed this quick read.

Jane Gray arrives in Milwaukee with a lot to prove and low expectations for success after her former collegiate coach persuades her to sign a WNBA training camp contract. She doesn’t usually throw caution to the wind, but that’s exactly what happens her first night in town, and she lands in bed with a beautiful stranger.

Jane is shocked to discover she slept with Kinzie Lancaster, brand consultant for Jane’s new team—the Milwaukee Pitbulls. And she’s even more stunned when her career begins to heat up after an ACL injury stalled her bright future and years of bouncing around the league destroyed her confidence. When passion and pleasure turn to promises of forever, the love and success she has always dreamed of is suddenly within reach and she must put everything on the line to discover she deserves love.

The classic imposter syndrome. I'm not good enough. Is there a woman alive who doesn't struggle with this on a regular basis? Krystina Rivers deals with this in a respectful and solid way. A little more basketball than I like (I'm not a sports-ball person), but overall a great story. I really enjoyed getting to know Jane and Kinzie. Highly recommended, especially if you enjoy sports romances!

I received an advanced complimentary digital copy of this book from Netgalley. Opinions expressed are my own.

A beautifu well written story. I loved Jane's journey from not believing im herself due to a previous injury playing basketball. Then finally gaining the confidence with some work that she's good enough.. Her and MeKenzie had amazing chemistry. It was refrshing to see how mcKenzi supported her unconditionally and gave her what she need. I recoomend especially if you lovebasketball. HATS OFF TO Krystina on bthis one. She knocked it out the park. I look forward to more books in the future. WELL DONE!!!


Thank you Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley.

This book is an emotional, deeply satisfying romance about second chances—both in love and in believing in yourself. Jane arrives in Milwaukee feeling like her basketball career is on its last legs, only to have a whirlwind night with a gorgeous stranger. The twist? That stranger, Kinzie, turns out to be the brand consultant for her new WNBA team.

What I loved most was Jane’s journey. She’s spent years doubting herself, struggling with an injury and the feeling that she’ll never quite measure up. But as her career starts to take off, so does her connection with Kinzie, turning what was supposed to be a one-time thing into something real and deeply meaningful. Their chemistry is undeniable, but the real magic is in how their love forces Jane to see her own worth—both on and off the court.

With heartfelt emotion, steamy romance, and a heroine you can’t help but root for, this story is a slam dunk. If you love sports romances that dig deep into personal growth while delivering all the tension and passion, this one is a must-read!