Whatever Life Throws at You

by Julie Cross

Seventeen-year-old track star Annie Lucas is too young to remember her dad's glory days as a Yankees pitcher. So when a family friend offers him a coaching position with the Kansas City Royals, Annie is intrigued by the idea of seeing the baseball side of her dad. Knowing that he'll be mentoring nineteen-year-old rookie phenom Jason Brody is just a bonus. After an awkward first meeting with Brody involving a towel, very little clothing, and a much-too-personal locker room interview, Annie's convinced she knows his type-arrogant, bossy, and most likely not into high school girls. But as he and her father grow closer, Annie starts to see through his facade to the lonely boy in over his head beneath. Falling for an up-and-coming superstar sucks. Except she's getting hints from Brody that maybe this crush isn't one-sided after all. When opening day comes around and her dad-and Brody's-job is on the line, she's reminded why he's off-limits. But Brody needs her, and staying away isn't an option.

• ISBN10: 1622662997
• ISBN13: 9781622662999
• Publish Date: 7 October 2014
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Entangled Publishing
• Format: eBook
• Pages: 320
• Language: English

Reviews

[Sam@WLABB]

Rating: 4.5 Stars

I found, and fell in love with, Julie Cross via her Juniper Falls books, and have been working my way through her backlist. As with her other books, this book was an utter delight for me.

It was love at first page for me and Annie. I found her a bit sassy and snarky, and her musings made me smile. I also learned quickly, that beneath her gruff exterior, was a kind and big hearted person. Her love for her grandmother and her dad was showcased, time and time again, and I am all about the big-happy-family vibe. Just the fact, that she was willing to compromise her aspirations for her dad won a lot of points from me. But, the move to Kansas City was a challenge for Annie, and I thought she rose to the challenge, grabbed it with both hands, and adapted in order to succeed. As much as she was labeled a "kid" during this story, she did a lot of growing up, and earned her spot at the grown-up table.

Jason was such a wonderful and swoony hero. It took a while to scratch the surface, but once I saw past the bad boy persona, I just couldn't get enough of him. Jason was tying to improve himself and his life. He was attempting to make better decisions, and I was rooting for him to succeed, because he wasn't that trouble making kid any more.

And, I don't care that he was 19 (Annie was almost 18), I adored him and Annie together. They encouraged and supported one another. They had a flirtation, which grew into a genuine friendship, and eventually, full-on love. They were able to confide in one another, and oh! I loved that Jason was all about communication. That's right, friends. He was about having an open discourse with the people you care about, no matter how awkward it could be. It was so...healthy, and really refreshing to see.

Cross made the story just that much better by throwing in a whole bunch of feel-good baseball stuff too. I am not a sports fan, but there is something about seeing an underdog succeed, which never fails to make my heart soar.

I just finished this book, and all I have to say is...


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[Ashley]

Loooooove!

[Rowena]

What a cute book this turned out to be. I thought I'd have issues with Annie being 17 but Cross did a great job of selling Jason and Annie as a couple. They both needed each other and Jason was very aware of his feelings as Annie was and it was just a cute, realistic YA romance that I enjoyed. Definitely recommend.

[Cocktails and Books]

Every once in a while I'll come across a YA book that absolutely blows me away. WHATEVER LIFE THROWS AT YOU is one of those books. Julie Cross gives readers a very complex relationship between Annie Lucas, her father, Jim and the pitcher he's to get ready for the majors, Brody.

Most teenage girls would hate having their life uprooted and moved halfway across the country. But Annie Lucas isn't like most girls. Having to grow up much sooner than she should have, Annie pushes her father to take a pitching coach position in Kansas City hoping it's the spark that will help both of them move on from the life they had in Arizona. Annie was one of those characters where I applauded her strength to hold herself and her dad together when her wayward mother tended to tear them apart. I hurt for her when life seemed to find a way of pushing her down. And rooted for her when she was brave enough to admit that Jason Brody was the bad boy so worth fighting for.

I felt the same way about Brody. A kid who made some pretty bad decisions when he was younger, he was doing everything he could to make his baseball dreams come true. He didn't need the distraction of his coach's daughter. But Brody couldn't stay away from Annie. She looked past what he did to see who he was and was right there with him helping his achieve his dream.

The book may have been about the romance between Annie and Brody, but there was a special part of the book, towards the end, that focused on Jim Lucas that had me reaching for my kleenex. Jim has his own curveball thrown at him and too learn what he went through, where life had taken him and how one of his first loves brought back to him was an emotionally wonderful moment.

Even if you're not a YA reader, I definitely recommend this one. It has a little bit of everything, but more importantly two incredible teenagers who truly know how to handle whatever life throws your way.