I Liked:
* Austin was a good guy, who did a lot of growing up over the course of this story. He had still not really come to terms with his father's death, I was glad he had people in his life who pushed him along that path. I also admired his attitude towards Marisa's illness.
"I don't want easy. I want you."
*Marisa had to struggle every day. Thankfully, she had some pretty great parents, and she found a true friend in Austin. I appreciated the honesty with which Smith spoke of Marisa' illness, and how thoughtful she was in her approach.
*The bromance between Jay and Austin was top notch. They had so much history, and were so there for each other.
*Austin and Marisa were pretty fabulous together. They had some great banter and I loved that they talked. Like, really talked. They talked about nothing and all the BIG things.
*I really enjoyed hearing the entire story from Austin's perspective. It was very sweet how over the moon he was for Marisa, and it pained me when he was dealing with the residual pain from his father's death. I think a single perspective really worked for this story.
*I loved the small town feel and how the baseball team was such a big part of the community. And just to hammer it all home, the coach's name - Coach Taylor.
"Baseball is second only to breathing, and even that's debatable."
Overall: This was a wonderful story of family and friends. Of accepting who we are and not being afraid to love who we love. Of forgiveness and looking towards the future. I was left with a smile on my face and spark in my heart.