Offsetting Penalties

Izzy and Garret are about as opposite as you can get, but their growing relationship was adorable and fun to read about.

Garret's family doesn't have much money.  They struggle to pay the bills.  He knows that his only chance to get out of Texas is to get a scholarship to play college football.  His alcoholic dad runs a salvage yard and wants Garret to stay there and take over.  His mom supports him in everything though.  He also has a little sister who wants to be a ballerina. 

Izzy's parents were actors, but her mom died from her addiction issues when Izzy was a baby.  Her dad became a politician.  They had a big house and plenty of money, but he wasn't home much.  Izzy wanted to join a ballet company, but wanted to get in because of her talent and not her dad's wealth or influence.  Izzy also rebels a bit by being somewhat goth.  She has purple in her hair and wears dark make-up , but her piercings are fake.  

Garret's coach suggests he take ballet to strengthen an injury he had.  Even though he and Izzy go to school together, he really didn't know her.   He is terrified of others finding out that he's taking ballet.  Izzy needs a partner for her performance and tryouts, so she decides to blackmail Garret into helping her.

Luckily the blackmail didn't last long.  Garret and Izzy end up getting along well and they find that they want to help each other.  Their chemistry is great and Izzy is strong and not afraid to put Garret in his place when he needs it.

I liked that the relationship grew throughout the story and that neither tried hard to fight it.  We didn't have to wait until the end for them to date.  

This was another cute, quick read published by Entangled Teen.  I received a copy from the publisher for review sent through netgalley.  I gave this one 4 stars.

Extra love for the cute dogs in the book and that the author has reptiles.

***I received this book through Netgalley for an honest review***

I devoured this book in a day! It was a great read all the way around, the Izzy and Garrett were great characters, I loved the banter between the two of them. Highly recommend!

so offsetting penalties is pretty much all my favorite things in one book that i wish was longer. because i would have read about isabelle and garret for as long as ally matthews wanted to write about them. i pretty much inhaled this book, so even though the actual timeline isn't fast, it felt like the story went by too quickly. but again, this is only because i loved it so.

isabelle is a ballet dancer who lacks a male dance partner for her audition to a dream ballet company and garret is a football player who needs ballet lessons to improve his agility and flexibility in order to impress college football scouts. it's pretty clear where this is going. isabelle does have to resort to minor blackmail in order to get garret to even consider her request. but over time he comes to understand how important this is to her, and it becomes important to him too, because he really does care.

the chemistry between isabelle and garret is just perfect. they struggle with the same insecurities even as they come from completely different socioeconomic backgrounds. watching them figure out how to relate to each other and how to compromise is what makes this story so sweet. neither of them is perfect, but they might just be perfect together. and i love it.

When I saw the premise for this novel, I just had to read it! One of my favourite tropes in romance is when two unlikely people meet and fall in love and this one fit the bill. Throw in a little blackmail, tights and a goth, this is a wicked combination that seemed like it would be both fun and heartwarming at the same time.

I had so much fun reading this book! I literally had a smile on my face the entire time I was reading it. Not only are Izzy and Garret charming characters but the plot was fun yet mature and definitely adorable. I found myself sucked into this book and easily could have finished it in one sitting if I didn't have to go to work.

The evolution of Izzy and Garret's relationship was awesome to watch. Individually, these two are genuine people who you can't help but love. They aren't over-dramatic or angsty teenagers; they react in the rational ways to the various situations they find themselves in. Their characters could easily have been a cliche but they had this edge of individuality to their presentation that separates them from what you expect.

Together, these two are positively adorable! They have fantastic banter and chemistry from the start. The romance had a bit of a slow burn aspect to it as they two take their time to get to know each other a little more. I loved watching them establish that deeper connection.

I do think some people will want a little more closure with the end--I know I did. But I do think the happily ever after for now worked for this story for the most part. I know it makes me want a sequel!

If you're looking for a cute contemporary romance about two unlikely teens falling in love while aspiring to make their dreams come true, I highly recommend this book! You will easily get sucked into Izzy and Garret's story.

First of all, I would like to say thank you to Entangled Teen for giving me an eARC copy through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. And this will not affect my thoughts and opinion about the book in any way.

A fresh cute story that is about blackmail, football and ballet. 

The story is about when Garret's couch in football told him that he needed to learn and take ballet in order to strengthen the injury that he had. Little did Garret know that when he is practicing ballet, Izzy, daughter of a senator who take a video and blackmail him to be her partner during the prestigious Ballet Americana. Or else, Izzy will show his video practicing ballet to their friends. 

Izzy or Isabela wears dark make-up, has purple hair and fake nose piercing. But behind those appearance is a girl who really loves ballet. She also want to show her father that dancing ballet for passion is not a waste of time by joining the try-outs for the Ballet Americana.

Garret is hesitant first to be the partner of Izzy. But later on, he said yes to Izzy but with a conditions. That conditions are Izzy should not tell anyone that he is taking ballet and she will teach him and Garret ballet with free of charge.

The story is good that you will enjoy every word that you read. The scenes are quite unique in there own way that you will love it. I love how short the story is and how it didn't let me to be bored in reading it. It is also a fast read that took me only to finish it in just half day.

Again, this is an awesome CRUSH novels produced by Entangled Teen where you will enjoy and feel love every time.

My rating would be 5 out of 5 starts

Book Blog - https://bookishcaramel.wordpress.com/2017/10/31/offsetting-penalties-book-review/

This is a fun YA that once I started reading I couldn't put down.Two wonderfully strong characters that know what they want and are willing to do whatever it takes to get it.

College isn't Isabelle Oster's dream. Dancing with the esteemed Ballet Americana is. To see that dream come true all she needs to do is nail her final audition. Easier said than done when she can't find a partner to dance with in the fall show. Garret Mitchell's dream is to get a football scholarship. That's the only way he's going to be able to go to college. When his coach suggests he takes a ballet class to build his strength and agility Garrett's no so sure but if ballet is what it takes he'll do it. He never expects to see anyone from his school there and he definitely doesn't expect to get blackmailed by the crazy ballerina girl.

Definitely a book I think everyone will enjoy. I highly recommend it.

I really adored this book! This book switches between Garrett and Isabelle's point of view. The main characters were so sweet and I really truly liked both of them. I was worried I might not like Izzy at the beginning when she blackmails Garrett, especially because he's so nice. However, soon after it's clear that one action is not how she actually is most of the time. They both come from different backgrounds, but had enough in common that they just worked well together. Both characters were driven and wanting more for their life than staying in their small Texas town. This book has blackmail, two super sweet characters, cute interactions between two unlikely people, and a fake romance that turns into something more!