Reviewed by phyllish on
A Summer of Softball and Surprises
Kat adored playing softball and was so talented the boys on her older brother’s team had her fill in whenever they were short a player. When the opportunity arose for her to try out for the newly forming All-American Girls Professional Softball League, she was absolutely thrilled! And terrified. She was one of the youngest women trying out.
Jack was a disgruntled, cynical reporter, stuck in a podunk town reporting on a women’s softball team. He was so convinced that it was beneath his abilities and was determined to push through until he could be recognized for the amazing writer he knew he was. Of course, that didn’t stop him from complaining and criticizing the women on the team in the process…
I have to confess that when I first reading about Kat being seventeen and about to enter her senior year of high school (would she still be considered to be a rising senior in high school or is that only for college?) and then saw Jack was in his twenties, it just seemed wrong to me. Yeah, I know it wasn’t necessarily that uncommon in that day and age but it seemed strange. The irony of this is the simple fact that I was 18 and still in high school when my husband, then 29, proposed to me. Hmm.
Kat was very likable. Her strong faith and determination to do right was admirable, especially for a young girl away from her family for the first time. And especially for a young girl away from her family with older women who despised her for her convictions and youth.
I wasn’t as much endeared to Jack. He was a bit too worldly for my tastes, especially for a sweet girl like Kat. He was a terrible flirt and had women sitting on his lap. I did appreciate the faith journey he took, however.
The majority of the story was short snippets of things that happened on a single day told in either Kat’s or Jack’s perspective. Though that gave a sense of time and allowed the story to not appear to all happen in a matter of just a few days, it also made it seem a little choppy.
This review was originally posted on Among the Reads
I would like to thank Celebrate Lit for giving me a copy of this book. This gift did not influence my opinion or review.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- Finished reading
- 5 August, 2018: Reviewed