Synopsis:
I knew exactly what I wanted out of my senior year.
A full ride to Northwestern University, the title of American High School Journalist of the year,
and a kiss, not just any kiss, but one from the boy I’ve been in love with since the sixth grade.
By October, my plan was fully in motion with liplock by Christmas Imminent. Imminent, that was, until Andie Mercantile moved to Marlowe Junction, swooping both my beat and my man.
Now, I’m stuck writing the sports column–a subject I know nothing about. My goals aren’t unobtainable, but they will take a lot more work. Just because a sports writer has never won journalist of the year before, doesn’t mean it can’t be done. And as for the kissing part, I’m not counting myself out just yet.
After all, maybe learning a bit about competition is just what I need.
Off Center is the second book in the Varsity Girlfriends series.
My thoughts:
Off Center is the second book in a series of books dealing with five high school basketball team players. The other books (Courtside Crush, Rebound Boyfriend, and Game Plan) are written by other authors.
Lane Crawford is determined to win the American High School Journalist of the Year Award which will surely help her get a scholarship to study in her dream college. She loves everything related to her school newspaper and writing articles. She’s also had a long-tem crush on Elliot Lambert, their new editor. There’s nothing more she would like than for her first ever kiss (yes, she is seventeen and has never been kissed) to be with this adorable nerd. She has plenty ideas which are bound to get his interest and make him want to spend more time together which is clearly the way to his heart.
Unfortunately, things go totally wrong during the first brainstorming session. Lane’s idea for an article on cheerleaders gets rejected. Even worse than that, Elliot clearly shows his interest in Andie, the new girl who shot down Lane’s idea, and Lane somehow gets assigned the worst possible section – she is to cover the sports section, more specifically, the boys basketball team, notorious for their ‘lacklustre performance’. How on earth is she going to do that? The new girl might have unwittingly stolen the coveted news beat, but she is nothing if not helpful. Andie suggests writing a series of articles on the starting five, and Lane finds an unexpected ally as well. Hunter Mackey, a gentle giant whose job is to defend and protect, agrees to help Lane understand basketball and his team better.
As Lane continues writing her e-mails to her best friend Jillie, her feelings begin to change. Is it possible that Elliot is using her crush for his own purposes? or that she is falling for Mackey who always makes her feel listened to and seen like nobody else? Is she fair refusing to help Andie who wants to write an article on a topic so special to Lane that she thinks noone can do it justice? and how do you survive a Thanksgiving weekend with your Dad and his new family?
To say that I liked Lane is an understatement. I loved her honesty and her ability to look at her own actions and admit she was wrong. She is fiercely loyal to her amazing Mom, but is also kind and supportive of her little half-sister. She is also trying to deal with the fact that she misses her best friend so much and isn’t ready to make a new one. She is passionate about journalism and her newspaper assignments. The events are told from Lane’s point of view, so her character is the most developed, although there are many others: Andie, Lane’s family, the starting five, including Mackey, whose quiet strength and unassuming attitude make it very hard not to like him. Am I going to give the story away if I tell you that Lane does get her perfect kiss in the end and it happens on Christmas Eve?
Off Center is a super quick read, perfect for anyone who likes clean, high school romance.
Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the review copy. All opinions are my own and were not influenced in any way.
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