The Perfect Game (Game, #1)

by J Sterling

[littleread1]

I don't like baseball. At all. I think it stems from being a HUGE fan as a kid, then the strike of 1993 happened and even as a 10/11 year old kid that adults were stupid whiny babies. Which is why it took me so freaking long to read this book. I'd heard about it, and even met the author, who is cool as hell, at a book signing in Phoenix. So when I saw the book on sale once I picked it up. I like to support authors when I can.

So, enter a reading slump. Usually to get out of it I need to pick up something I KNOW I will love, or something I know nothing about and have no expectations of. So I went into The Perfect Game with no expectations. And I will be honest, I put it down for a day after reading just the first chapter, thinking, "Oh gosh, I am so not in the mood for a college baseball jerk romance," because that is what the first chapter seemed like to me.

I am SO GLAD I picked it back up a day later. I can't even tell you, I haven't been this excited to write a review for a book in a long ass time. Of course, as always, I am sure my words won't come close to conveying the love I have for this book, or this author, but I will try.

Yes, The Perfect Game starts off like most YA/NA romances - cocky guy, Jack Carter, meets girl who wants nothing to do with him, Cassie Andrews. He does some cute/annoying things and she finally agrees to go out with him. Yawn. We've read that before right? WRONG. So wrong. Sterling takes you on the ride with Jack & Cassie, two broken people learning that trust is hard, and that love may not be all you need.

And the baseball ... isn't really a focus. It is important, because Jack is a pitcher and ball affects their relationship, but it is certainly not the focus of the story. But by the end I was ready to grab a beer and a hot dog and go find a game. And oogle me some pitcher butts. Because though baseball is certainly not the center of the story, Sterling lets you into the passion Jack has for the game. Your heart races, your anxiety rises, and you can almost imagine you are there ... except you are really sitting in bed, realizing it is 2am and you just power-read the entire book, minus chapter 1, in one sitting, and you have to get up in less than 5 hours. Ok, maybe that last part was just me. Because that happened. And I don't regret a second of missed sleep.

And if you know me at all, that is a huge compliment. Because I love sleep. Bravo Sterling, bravo.