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.
Kindle Edition, 450 pages
Published April 15th 2013
Received from Author for honest review
Where to find the book:
Our Review:
Ya'll should know...I am a huugggeeee fan of football (the American kind) and even though I don't know what every single rule is, I guess you could say I am a lover of the spirit of the whole experience. Secondly...Friday Night Lights is one of my favorite TV shows...ever...so all of that was in my mind when I started this book! (See cover if not sure why!)I love football too and so I loved all of the athleticism in the book, for sure!
So we meet Nolan (a girl with a boy's name...she takes heat for that...like she can help her name...) just when she is about to begin high school. She is a tomboy and doesn't really care to be any other way. When she starts school and wants to try out for sports she has to learn very fast how mean the other kids are when she overhears them talking about her. At 14 she begins the journey that I think most everyone can relate to of changing small little pieces of yourself to be liked by other people, whether she realizes it or not.
Unfortunately as a high school teacher, I have heard of students being wickedly mean and horrible to each other and I think Ginger Scott was really accurate in how hateful and mean spirited people can be in high school. Everything she wrote in those bullying scenes really felt accurately horrible.
Unfortunately as a high school teacher, I have heard of students being wickedly mean and horrible to each other and I think Ginger Scott was really accurate in how hateful and mean spirited people can be in high school. Everything she wrote in those bullying scenes really felt accurately horrible.
Reed. Reed is hard for me, because I am a lover of the bad boy in most every single book I read. I loved him about as much as I hated him, but I always held out hope that he would make the right decision even though he proved over and over and over that he probably wasn't going to. He could be such a sweet guy, then the cocky quarterback that was a ruler of his sport, to just the lost and confused teenager from a broken family. That last part I want to know so much more about, and we didn't really get a huge taste of it with this story since we are in Nolan's head 100% of the time...and he really doesn't ever talk about his deeper issues and feelings but brings out destructive behaviors instead. We can see them, Reed..you're not hiding anything. I am dying to find out more about that and hopefully (please, Ginger) are going to get a taste of what is in his head in book two that will be dual POV.
I think I feel a little more animosity towards Reed. Don't get me wrong, he could be wonderfully sweet, but I felt like he was always just screwing things up with Nolan. She was always so honest and open and she never tried to manipulate him or abuse his trust and he continually made mistakes that were so hurtful that I wanted to beat him over the head with my Kindle...like a lot.I found myself having to put my Kindle down and remind myself that these were 2 teenagers and the drama and angst were normal...and, oh yeah!, it's only a book so...RELAX a little, sheesh. I really got worked up a few times.
I think I feel a little more animosity towards Reed. Don't get me wrong, he could be wonderfully sweet, but I felt like he was always just screwing things up with Nolan. She was always so honest and open and she never tried to manipulate him or abuse his trust and he continually made mistakes that were so hurtful that I wanted to beat him over the head with my Kindle...like a lot.I found myself having to put my Kindle down and remind myself that these were 2 teenagers and the drama and angst were normal...and, oh yeah!, it's only a book so...RELAX a little, sheesh. I really got worked up a few times.
A huge reason that this story was incredible to me is how it is truly a beautiful coming of age story. For one...it made me feel all of those awful (yet beautiful) feelings of being a teen and liking a boy that might like you back, but he always goes for the easy girl instead and makes you wonder what is wrong with you.(I know!!) Or dating the sweet guy and realizing that he isn't really who you want..but you are fifteen and don't really date anyways so you stay together because it is fun and you have a boyfriend.(Exactly!!) Or maybe you get that chance to be with the guy that you want, only to have real adult issues come between you, but neither of you are old enough or mature enough to really handle it...I could go on and on and on and on, but I think you get it! There was a lot of happy and banter...and some really great best friends in Sienna, Sarah, and Sean.The friendships in this book were perfect and it made my so happy that Nolan (and Reed) had good people looking out for them.
A reason this book was incredible to me was the strength of character Nolan possessed. She very rarely gave in to peer pressure and she became more and more self assured in her last years of high school. I loved that she knew who she was and she was really okay with herself. I could've taken a page out of her book in high school, for sure.
I was so impressed with the writing and the pacing. I think it would be incredibly hard to span a story over four complete years of highschool and not have something feel incomplete, but all bases were covered. I do research before and after (spoilery reviews after) to see what other people are thinking and saw a few knocks for Nolan being such a pushover. I had to remind myself a lot that these people are teenagers...and they won't really be able to listen when I'm screaming No, No, NO, NO! at my iPad no matter how hard I try to get them to! So keep that in mind...they are teenagers! I personally think that if you didn't give a crush a million in one chances to be it, you're lying to yourself! Hahaha, Courtney...see my Reed paragraph above and you'll see I feel exactly the same way!!
Also, remember the name Nancy. Nolan teaches this little girl to swim, and there is a beautiful moment that brought tears (Okay, I cried a lot) to my eyes involving her. A 10 year old special needs child got life a lot more than some of the MC's usually did and it was seriously moving. Look for her! Nancy was the most perfect touch to this story. Loved her!
Shelley: 5 HUGE Stars
Courtney: 5 Stars
Shelley: 5 HUGE Stars
Courtney: 5 Stars
A Teaser from Going Long (Book 2)
Add Going Long to Goodreads
Reed's perspective:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Nolan and Sarah were waiting on the leather sofa at the main entrance to the athletes quarters, their feet folded up in their laps. The girls had grown closer in college and even more so when Sienna moved in with her boyfriend. I was glad that Nolan had someone like Sarah to look after her. She’d told me off a time or two, and I’ll be honest, it made me nervous. I wanted that same toughness at Nolan’s side when I wasn’t around.
“Well, how’d I do?” I asked, kicking at Nolan’s folded legs a little.
She stood up, pulling her shirt down over the top of her shorts, always modest and still so damned unsure of her beauty. Chewing at the inside of her cheek a little, she put her thumb to her lip like she was considering something. “Hmmmm, I don’t know, Johnson. I’d put you at about eighty percent,” she nodded, acting with disappointment.
“Eighty percent, huh?” I said, rushing her a little and swinging her over my shoulder to carry her through the doors. Her giggling started then, the best sound in the whole damn world. “Eighty percent?”
I took off running, leaving Sarah behind. Nolan knew exactly where I was going as she started slapping at my back and threatening me that I’d ‘better not.’ When we got to the main fountain at the center of campus, I pulled her back over my shoulder and held her in my arms as I pulled off my shoes with my feet.
“Reed Johnson, don’t you dare!” she screamed as I stepped over the concrete edge and waded in the water, sliding closer and closer to the main spray. Her screams and giggles only egged me on.
“You want to rethink that B minus, Noles? Eighty percent? You sure about that?” I said, freezing in place, just one more step away from the full effects of the waterfall. I looked her in the eyes and watched as she flinched, just for a minute, and then finally did it.
“OK, maybe I was being a bit unfair. You were really more of an eighty-two,” she said, baiting me.
Our eyes locked, I pushed my lips tight into a disapproving grin and shook my head. “Oh, now you’ve done it,” I said, stepping forward and stopping us underneath the force of the fountain’s shower. Nolan wasn’t mad. Sure, she screamed and smacked at my chest as the freezing water poured over us. But my playfulness never rattled her. If anything, it had the opposite effect, which I was counting on as she reached around my neck and pulled my head to hers for a forceful kiss. Her hands grabbed at my soaked T-shirt, pulling me closer. I let her body slide from my arms so I could wrap my fingers through her hair. It was a good thing Trig and Sarah reminded us we were in public.
“God, you two. It’s bad enough that I don’t have a boyfriend, but do I really have to be the uncomfortable third wheel on our way to the bars, too?” Sarah broke us up.
“Sorry, Sar. I get carried away, what can I say,” I said, grinning.
“Yeah, yeah,” she said, reaching for Nolan’s hand to help her climb over the edge of the fountain. But I wasn’t about to let her go. I grabbed her back in my arms and dunked her once more, pushing my forehead to hers as she slid her hair back out of her eyes and blinked the beaded water from her lashes, laughing. I swung her back and forth in my arms as I carried her back to the dry side, the tips of our noses touching and my lips tingling just watching her bite her lower lip. Unable to take it, I had to kiss her once more, the soft and slow kind I did when I forgot others were watching or when I wanted everyone to know she was mine. And she was…she had my whole entire heart.
About the Author:
Ginger Scott is a writer and journalist from Peoria, Arizona. Her book, "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.
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 at http://www.littlemisswrite.com.
Where to find Ginger Scott:
The author sent me this book, and I put it aside until I have time. I'll definitely try to get to WOtS sooner rather than later!
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