Review: Waiting on the Sidelines by Ginger Scott

Waiting on the Sidelines

Author: Ginger Scott

Series: Waiting on the Sidelines

Pages: 335

Publisher: Self

Amazon

Release date: 5^th August 2014

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

Nolan Lennox had things figured out. Named after a baseball legend, she enjoyed being the Tomboy, her closet filled with her brother’s hand-me-downs, cut-off jeans and soccer shorts. But when her first trip to high school results in a broken heart from the first boy to ever make her heart flutter and cruel words from an older girl she once thought a family friend, Nolan starts to question the very person she thought she was and wonders if her humble upbringing can compete with the afforded luxuries of her privileged peers.

Throughout the next four years, Nolan struggles to maintain herself throughout her path of discovery, learning just how cruel teenagers can be through the pressures of underage drinking, sexuality and class. And despite how life seems to continue to work against her, she still manages to listen to her heart, falling deeper and deeper for the guy the entire town adores, even if he only sees her as a friend. Can Nolan strike a compromise between her own integrity and the boy she loves? And can she make him notice her before it’s too late?

Reed Johnson came to Coolidge High School with a lot of fanfare. The son of a hometown football legend and the brother of a local football hero, Reed wore all the pressures of carrying a town without hope into the spotlight. Thankfully, he had the talent to back it up. But when he meets a girl who makes him think twice about exactly what being a hero means, he starts to wonder if following in his brother’s footsteps might be all wrong. 

Nolan Lennox was everything that was opposite of expected. She didn’t flirt, she didn’t drink and she didn’t sleep around. Nothing about her was easy, but something about her made Reed want to try harder. Though she didn’t look the part, she seemed to be spending a lot of time in Reed’s thoughts, and he wondered if she could be the one who made it all worthwhile. But could Reed handle letting her down? And would breaking her heart break him beyond repair?

Waiting on the Sidelines explores young love to its fullest, exposing how real young heartbreak and passion is and how important it is to discover yourself and hold onto your own identity. The story follows two young characters as they deal with mature situations, including the prevalence of bullying and promiscuity in today’s high school setting. Ultimately, Waiting on the Sidelines is a story of hope, honesty and those powerful, first true loves—the ones worth holding onto at any cost

Review: 4 out of 5 stars

Waiting on the Sidelines is a perfect coming of age young adult novel that kept me engrossed from the very first page as we meet our main protagonist, tomboy Nolan Lennox, a girl who knows what she wants from life; never the centre of attention, she keeps to herself and lies low. 

Told from Nolan’s POV, we get to know her that little bit more and I thought she was wonderful! She had to endure a lot at the hands of a bully but she dealt with it all with dignity and always respected herself, she easily forgave and was a great friend, watching her immense emotional growth over the course of the book was wonderful.

The main love interest is Reed Johnson who came to Coolidge High School well-known and already popular because of his family, in particular his father and older brother, a football hero but he stood out for his own sporting abilities as well. He was kind-hearted but also made a few poorly thought out decisions and ran hot and cold throughout the book which made me dislike him quite often.

It took a long while for Nolan and Reed to come together, they were friends before anything eventuated and despite not liking them being with others knowing their true feelings towards one another it was nice as teens that they got to experience other relationships and mature to eventually appreciate one another that little bit more but there were a lot of ups and downs and miscommunications for them to get there.

We are introduced to some great side characters, best friends Sienna, Sarah and Becky were wonderful and I really found myself liking Sean who was really sweet - it was also nice that the parents were present. Tatum on the other hand was cruel, a typical mean girl who constantly grated on my nerves. I enjoyed the natural feel of the dialogue and the believability of the characters' interactions.

Waiting on the Sidelines follows Nolan and Reed throughout four years of school and many firsts, the transition throughout the years was flawless and written well. Ginger Scott’s writing is simplistic and engaging and her story-telling is engrossing; the many teen issues were dealt with well and all of the characters were true to life which I appreciated.

Overall, Waiting on the Sidelines is filled with many emotional and drama-filled moments; it kept me riveted from the very first page as the characters dealt with differing situations. I look forward to reading more books written by this author.

Thank-you to Netgalley/Ginger Scott for providing me with a copy of Waiting on the Sidelines to read and review.

About the author: Ginger Scott is a writer and journalist from Peoria, Arizona. Her debut novel, "Waiting on the Sidelines," is a coming-of-age love story that explores the real heartbreak we all feel as we become adults throughout our high school years. The story follows two characters, Nolan (a Tomboy with a baseball player's name) and Reed (the quarterback she wishes would notice her) as they struggle with peer-pressure, underage drinking, bullying and finding a balance between what your heart wants and what society says you should want -- even if you aren't ready. You can read her book now in Amazon's kindle store. 

The sequel, "Going Long," will be available October 1, 2013.

Scott has been writing and editing for newspapers, magazines and blogs for more than 15 years. She has told the stories of Olympians, politicians, actors, scientists, cowboys, criminals and towns. For more on her and her work, visit her website athttp://www.littlemisswrite.com.