Out of Play (Heather Howland Collection Books)

by Jolene Perry and Nyrae Dawn

[Angie]

I received an ARC through NetGalley.

I adore both of these authors, so I was very excited to pick up Out of Play. While it didn't quite meet my expectations, I still enjoyed it, especially since it touches on issues that I haven't read much about before. Bishop is a teenage rock star. He's the hot drummer of a popular band, but he struggles with anxiety and copes with pills. He's ordered by his manager to spend some time in a cabin in Alaska in order to get clean and get his head on straight after he nearly ODs. There he meets Penny, whose family owns the cabins. She's the town sweetheart and the only girl on the boys' hockey team. Penny appears to have it all together, but she's struggling with her own issues. She has a fear of being left behind, and wants to stay put near home rather than going away for college. After a rough start, Penny and Bishop quickly form a relationship after realizing they can finally be their true selves together.

I didn't really like the rock star angle in Out of Play. I don't feel like it added much to the overall story, other than as an easy way to have Bishop be able to afford to rent out all of the cabins. It seemed like making him a rock star was just a way to have something be special about Bishop like how Penny has hockey. However, hockey is a huge part of who Penny is and that worked for her. Being a rock star didn't exactly work for Bishop in that same way. He could have been a normal teenager with a drug problem and a talent for the drums. Or his being a rock star should have played a larger role in the story rather than just in our introduction to him and a brief scene at the end. There's also random references to his dad who is apparently not a very nice guy, but that's all he is: a reference. I just would have liked more from Bishop in regards to how fame affects him other than introducing him to groupies with bags of pills.

I absolutely loved how Out of Play actually had involved adults in the teens' lives! Penny's mom isn't around much since she's a nurse and works crazy hours, but this is actually an important part of Penny's story since she feels conflicted by her mother's absence. She does have her grandfather, Gramps, though and he is adorable! Gramps is also there for Bishop when he needs someone to talk to. Bishop also has his chaperone, Gary, who is suppose to be monitoring his progress and making sure he stays clean. Gary is a wonderful support to Bishop throughout the entire book, and he tries to be really involved without being overbearing. He's also gay without it being made into a huge deal, so hooray for that!

Out of Play is good, but not great. My favorite part was Penny struggling with no one understanding her need to stay in Alaska for college. She loves her hometown, the tight knit community, her mom, and her Gramps, so why should she leave? I think it's important to show that it's okay to not run off as far away as possible for college. That's not for everyone and no one should be made to feel bad for wanting to stick close to home. The romance was also sweet, and I'm glad that neither character threw away what they wanted (or needed) for the relationship. Bishop needed to work on himself, and Penny had her goals. Of course there's a happy ending, but what else would you expect?

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.