3 Stars. This book is about Kenzie Shaw, a rookie soccer player who gets drafted to play for the New Jersey Hurricanes. She gets the chance to play with a player she has idolized for year, Sutton Flores. Sutton is a superstar in the soccer world. When they start playing together and sparks fly, they cannot deny any attraction they have to one another. They try to avoid it as teammates playing together and Sutton already has a girlfriend who plays for the Seattle team.

This book is a little all over the place. There is not much character depth when it comes to the two main characters. There also seems to be two story lines with them, Sutton and Kenzie's relationship and a sexual assault accusation by Kenzie. The sexual assault does not happen until much later in the book and I thought seemed a little shoehorned into the end of the novel. The novel as a whole was good, but there was not enough tension or really interactions with the two characters to really feel them falling for one another. They needed to be together more before they started hooking up for me to feel it.

The book did not really talk about Sutton's backstory until much later in the novel and it seemed to be a write off more than anything since she did not have any to begin with. The book as a whole was okay and it was an easy read, as I enjoyed it a lot for the first 60 or 70%.

I really enjoyed this read. Like most, I enjoy sports oriented romances especially when they get the sports part correct. Like "Girls of Summer" series this one revolves around summer and two players falling in love. Unlike "Girls of Summer" it is not bogged down with soccer action and has just enough in it that it is not overwhelming to the non-soccer following reader. The romance I felt was done very well. Although, I will have to agree with some reviewers that the sexual harassment aspect seemed out of place. It almost seemed as if it should have been part of a different story. I say that because it came a little too late and was not focused on enough. Sexual harassment of nature is enough to be a story in and of it self. I felt the focus should have stayed with just the two main characters and their relationship navigation, maybe play up more of the fan idea or even the "commitmentphobic" idea.

Regardless, I loved it. The read itself was great and I was able to get lost in the relationship of the two MCs, their teammates, and the beautiful game of soccer. Fans of Ullrich i think will enjoy this (I haven't read too many books by this author), fans of romance will enjoy this, and fans of the soccer will enjoy it. In other words, more likely than not, if you read this you will enjoy it :) 4.75 stars

This is part of a multi-book review.

I’m a fan of Ullrich’s books but this one just didn’t hit the mark for me. Full disclosure – I’m not a sports fan and all I know about soccer is limited to watching a few of the finals during the Olympics. I will admit it’s fascinating to watch when the stakes are so high – but it isn’t something I’ll consciously make time to tune in. So the setting and premise didn’t suck me in – and that allowed the left side of my brain to go to town, being picky and analytical not allowing the right side of my brain to sink into the story and enjoy.

Kenzie Shaw, a talented and skilled rookie, is drafted into the Hurricanes, New Jersey’s women’s professional soccer team. Not only does she get to play for her hometown, she gets to play with her favourite player and long time crush, Sutton Flores. Sutton, seasoned soccer player who is also a member of the National team and an Olympic medalist, is also a seasoned player when it comes to relationships. There’s a connection between the two that builds – with Kenzie’s crush developing into more as she gets to know Sutton as a person not a hero.

The game scenes were action-packed and amped up and gets your blood pumping – even as a non-sports fan, I could appreciate the thrill of the plays, the skill of the players and I was cheering the Hurricane’s as they pounded down the pitch against their opponents. There’s a nice realism in the games and in the development of Kenzie as she transitions from college superstar to a professional league as well as Sutton’s trying to find her place as the Captain.

I think the thing that kept me from enjoying the romance was the juxtaposition between the two characters. Although Kenzie has graduated from college, she just seemed so very young and the transition from her girlhood crush on Sutton to an actual relationship just didn’t work for me – I still got the impression that the infatuation and hero worship was still there. I will give her props on insistence that she wouldn’t entertain a relationship with Sutton until she was single and for moving the relationship forward at a pace she was comfortable with – so she wasn’t a pushover. As for Sutton, I couldn’t seem to come to terms with the idea that something was different with Kenzie, not that Sutton was intentionally leading her on, but her “rookie of the year” tradition made me not so sure that Sutton really was just in love with being in love (as her friend intimated) or the thrill of the chase. There was definitely chemistry between the two, I just wasn’t a hundred percent sold that this wasn’t going to end up being a fling.

I didn’t read the blurb, so the harassment that occurs in the latter half of the book caught me by surprise. Things could have been set up a bit earlier in the book for what happens – especially with the management’s involvement. I applaud Ullrich for addressing it and showing how easily something like this can happen and the impacts on those affected. The conflict and decisions (Sutton’s) that spun out from it just felt a bit too contrived and overshadowed the the actual incident and we don’t really get a solid resolution to it.

If you are a soccer fan, this will likely hit all the right notes for you. Ullrich is a great writer and, even as a non-sports person, I got sucked into the energy and suspense during the game play. This is a good read, my left brain just got in the way.

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

Sutton is a Professional Soccer Player who plays for the New Jersey Hurricanes. Kenzie is also a Soccer Player who gets a place in the Hurricanes and she has been idolising & crushing on Sutton for many years. Now she gets to play in the same team as her.

I will be the first to admit that Soccer (Football to me) is not my game as I much prefer tennis, but what I have read previously from this author I have loved so I gave this a try.

Both Kenzie & Sutton have an attraction to each other after meeting but Kenzie will not go out with Sutton as Sutton has a girlfriend who plays on another team. They get on well with each other both on and off the pitch. I enjoyed the story line, the pace was just about right, loved the secondary characters, with the exception of Jon. If i am being critical, then, the sexual harassment issue could have been a little more convincing. Other than that, I thought the book was a great read.

Soccer player Kenzie Shaw is drafted by the New Jersey Hurricanes, where one of her new teammates is her all-time idol Sutton Flores. Already convinced Sutton is the best player ever, Kenzie falls under the team captain’s charm as a person too. Sutton already has a girlfriend, a player from another team, in a relationship that’s more convenient than loving. Neither Sutton nor Kenzie can deny what they feel for the other but Kenzie won’t get involved with Sutton if she’s not single.

I was worried, reading this so soon after Kate Christie’s The Road to Canada, that I wouldn’t be able to appreciate it the way it should. I shouldn’t have been. The soccer game scenes were excellent, and there was just enough of them to build tension but not so many that the romance falls in the background. I really liked the fact that while the national team played a part, most of the story takes place while the players are with their major league team.

I loved Kenzie from the start, her awkwardness is so adorable I was laughing right from the first scene. Not because she’s ridiculous but because she’s so cute. Sutton is an interesting character too, with flaws she’s aware of and the desire to do better. The chemistry between Kenzie and Sutton is obvious, and I liked how the author makes sure pretty soon that we know it’s not only about Kenzie being a fan girl (even though she is) or Sutton having the reputation to fall for rookies (even though she does). The characters believe what’s between them is different, and I believed it with them.

One thing that keeps coming back in reviews is how the sexual harassment part was dealt with, both by the author and the team. It does feel unresolved, obviously something happened between the last chapter and the epilogue that we don’t know about, and it makes the ending feel rushed. But the way the team fails to address the problem doesn’t surprise me. I’m aware more and more women have spoken up and keep speaking up against sexual harassment, including in professional sports, but the journey to making things right isn’t a straight line and I can completely see a manager reacting the way the Hurricanes’ manager does, even in a post #MeToo world. Whether his threats would have held if the players had called his bluff doesn’t matter, all that matters is that they believe they would have. However famous or talented they are, he holds the power. It’s still very often true today.

I received a copy from the publisher and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

I have liked most of the books I've read by M. Ullrich and I love love love soccer (yes, three loves and I don't regret any of them, I love playing it, love watching it, and the third love just because). So, trying out this book was a no brainer for me. And I enjoyed it so much, just as much as I thought I would.

Kenzie is a rookie who has gotten drafted by the Hurricanes (in NJ). Sutton is the leader and veteran on the team. Kenzie has had a crush on Sutton since she was much younger, and it doesn't go away when they start playing together either. In fact, it gets more intense.

Of course, it wasn't a straightforward sort of romance between them. Women's soccer, just like most sports in the real world have a complicated relationship with their gay/lesbian players even today (although some of the various Women's National Teams around the world have started to change that a little).

The subplot was so so sucky, not in a writing way, but, a thematic way (it was written amazingly), but, the topic. Ugh. How am I reading this in 2019 and the topic/theme can still be used. Ugh.

I also found that I not only liked the main characters, but, also the secondary characters too (Taylor was cool and very straightforward). Liking both types of characters doesn't happen often for me while reading lesfic, so, this was a nice change.

It was a fun ride. Also, Go Boston Blazers (and Breakers *sniff sniff sob*

I received this book via Netgalley thanks to Bold Strokes Books.

Okay, so I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, I love the attention to detail with regards to how professional sports are played - from being called to the national squad, training, travel, and how sports management works. There's also the intense relationship between star in the making, Kenzie Shaw, and the superstar, Sutton Flores. On the other, almost all the conflicts that arise are solved too quickly - like the sexual harassment plot line. It occurs really late in the book - to the point where I was wondering how it would get resolved. Almost everything happens off screen, so there's not too much tension with regards to that, and I feel like it was used to springboard into another conflict that felt equally contrived.

If it was played more as a straight romance, with Sutton, a bit of a love'em and leave'em type, but loyal to those she's truly attached to, and Kenzie, the doe-eyed newbie, I think I would have liked it better. Especially since both characters are extremely interesting to just read about. There's more than enough to pull from that to get through the book, but the last 2/3's of the book felt more like it was thrown together to add to the drama than anything meaningful.

I'm a big fan of FF soccer stories and M. Ulrich's addition to the subgenre is a really enjoyable one. I enjoyed the character development in this and the building of their relationship. It had a good pace and I especially liked some of the messages that it sends to younger readers, things like not getting into a relationship with someone who is already with someone and not immediately having sex if you are not comfortable with it. I thought these aspects of the story were well done and portrayed a different message from other FF romances I've read. I also liked the aspect of the story that was added with the trainer. To avoid spoilers, I will just say that it added to the story and took it in a different direction from what I was expecting.

I found the story to be very engaging and one that showed very strong women characters, which was another major plus. It is refreshing to see strong portrayals like this.

I would highly recommend this book, even if you are not a soccer fan. It is a very enjoyable read.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

College phenom, Kenzie Shaw, joins the Jersey Hurricanes and is both anxious because she’s a rookie and because the team is led by superstar Sutton Flores who she’s crushed on forever. Funny and charming, I really enjoyed the story, especially in the beginning when the mc’s began pushing their friendship into a relationship. There were also great soccer details and I was eating them up gleefully. That was 80-82% of the book. Where it got dicey for me was when an incident of sexual harassment came into play.

It didn’t feel realistic to me that ownership and management would downplay such serious accusations, especially given the stature and non-stature of the two parties involved. Then the domino effect on the mc’s relationship, just why? But I still recommend and give 4.25 Red Stars for the soccer and the hot players.

Unpopular opinion alert.... Fair warning though, my internet's been down for 5 days, so that may play into my crankiness...

I never thought I would say this, but this is actually my least favorite Ullrich novel that I’ve read so far. Don’t throw things at me through your computer just yet, let me try to explain first!!

Ullrich is one of those authors who is an automatic buy for me. I’ve learned that I typically really love her stories and will grab them without even reading the blurb. Add in professional women’s soccer and I’m beyond sold!

MC Sutton is the experienced veteran on the team, but she’s not just experienced in the ways of soccer... Sutton is a player and she knows her appeal. When rookie sensation Kenzie is drafted to Sutton’s team, Kenzie is extremely nervous to play alongside her childhood idol and the girl she’s crushed on from afar for years. Unfortunately, I wasn’t captivated by this read quite as much as I expected to be.

Sutton’s player ways felt natural, and the characters were cute enough, but I didn’t feel their coupling as much as I expected to. I guess that my biggest issue is that I didn’t feel that there was enough shared for me to believe that Sutton would be willing to change her player-ways and fall head over heels for Kenzie like she did. I just didn’t believe it.

And then you add in the conflict angle with the sexual harassment and the ensuing drama that it caused and this story lost me. It wasn’t so much that the scene happened (because we all know it does, every single day), but the resolution felt extremely fast and the warp up didn’t sit very well with me. It was almost as if there was a conflict, then a few pages later, the end. If there had a bit more drawn out and resolved before the ending, I bet I would have felt better about this read, but it’s not Ullrich’s strongest work. 3.75 stars.

**Many thanks to Bold Strokes for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.**

Plucked from the Headlines!
So, where do I begin? Let me start here...I enjoyed reading this book as it evoked so many different emotions...Intrigue, Outrage, Frustration, and Disgust. When I started reading the book, I was intrigued by the chemistry that Sutton & Kenzie had. Although it was inevitable that they would end up together, I was a bit apprehensive about how quickly Sutton was willing to get into a relationship. But then I guess it makes a difference when you meet someone you truly care about and are meant to be with!
Then about three quarters into the book, I was completely outraged by the despicable behavior of the assistant trainer who felt/believed that he could act inappropriately and get away with such bad behavior. And as if his behavior was not damaging and insulting enough, I was completely frustrated and disgusted by the stance that the team owner took after complaints of sexual misconduct were brought to his attention. This is truly the first book that I have loudly uttered the words "are you kidding me?" And I'm still asking the question...is that how you respond to such abhorrent allegations? I must say, I am not at all surprised that Kenzie was not believed (given how many women have not had a voice or safe place for such a long time) but it is still infuriating.
It really was good to see Sutton stand for what is right and do her best to make sure everyone on the team (and especially someone she cared about feel safe and not have to see their abuser at work). Despite the challenges faced, Sutton and Kenzie still continue to play the sport they both love but I was left a bit wanting because I found myself wondering whether there was any repercussion for the assistant trainer and team owner.
Thank you M.Ullrich for writing a compelling story about finding love and the challenges faced by female athletes such as pay equality and sexual harassment. I highly recommend this book!

I'm not a huge fan of soccer, but anyone with a pulse had to have been affected by the USWNT's run this summer. The soccer scenes here were just the perfect amount so that I learned some things but never got bored with detail. I really liked the fangirl vs longtime celebrity crush aspect, and when each realized they had feelings for each other, Sutton did the right thing and broke it off with her sometime girlfriend. At the high point of the conflict, Sutton again did what was right for everyone involved (even if the readers hated it!), and the tournament final game had the perfect ending. The epilogue was adorable!

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

Kenzie is one of the best sought out rookie of the year when she pick up by the NJ Hurricanes soccer team and one of best thing about it is she be playing with Sutton who is seasoned player which she had a long time crush on her.

Sutton who is seasoned player that has girlfriend every season but right now she has girlfriend who played on another team but when she meets Kenzie she feels something different about this woman as they work together their chemistry is hard to deny. The sexual harassment part of the book didn't like how it was handle but it made it's point I guess.

They are both likeable characters. I did like how we got see games and how she went into details about soccer even though I think it's boring to watch.

Kenzie is picked up by the NJ Hurricanes soccer team. Her long time super crush, Sutton Flores, is on the team. She is afraid she is going to make a fool out of herself. And she does. Sutton is a seasoned star soccer player. She is in a relationship that is one year strong, but has a reputation for bedding the rookies and leaving them.

This is a sports story revolving around soccer. There are not a ton of action scenes and when they do grace the pages, they are not extremely long. I don't follow soccer and was confused with some of the terminology. I know that I've looked up what a hat trick is before several times, but for some reason it never sticks. Regardless, I was still able to follow along OK.

There was too much focus made on the fact that Kenzie was a super fan. With a mega crush on Sutton Flores. The author tried to have us believe that Kenzie liked Sutton for all the right reasons. But then would repeatedly fall back to mentioning the infatuation. It felt more like an unbalance to me. Especially since their beginning was initiated by attraction and not necessarily anything deeper.

The best part of this book is in the middle when Sutton and Kenzie are juggling getting to know one another but trying to keep things discreet. They have a lot of sweet moments together.

My biggest pet peeve happened in this book. I will never, ever, understand why anyone outside of junior high would ask someone else to be their girlfriend. There are so many alternatively more mature ways of locking things down.

I've seen a lot of reviewers that were not pleased with the sexual harassment aspect of this story. I didn't mind it. Since it was somewhat recent news as far as USA gymnastics goes, it felt relevant and like something that could happen. I'm not sure the execution was on point, though. There was something off, although I couldn't explain to you what that is.

Also, Sutton's immature way of handling things felt contrived to bring angst and drama at the 3/4 mark of the book. I suppose you could say that it is within her character since she was described to be a bit childish. But I thought she was more childish in a playful way. Not in an idiotic way.

Overall, this was just OK for me. I like sports and I like romance. It ticks off those two boxes. But the fact that Kenzie was a super fan prevented me from connecting with them as a couple the way I would have liked to. There were definitely some sweet moments. Enough for me to be OK recommending this.

I recommend to those who enjoy reading romance, sports, soccer, hot butch athletes, red hair, and nipple pinching.

Obviously, Top of her Game is a sports romance - specifically set in the world of women's professional soccer. Kenzie Shaw is drafted onto her hometown team which also happens to be the team her teenage (and young adult) crush, Sutton Flores, plays for. As Kenzie finds her place within the team, she spends more time with Sutton and there's an unmistakable connection. For Sutton, as a seasoned soccer player with a reputation of a new girlfriend every season, there's something different about Kenzie and her shy sense of humour that she can't seem to resist. As the season progresses, the relationship moves from teammates to more.

Ullrich writes captivating game scenes - even as a non-sports fan I was captivated by the action on the field and was able to follow the plays easily. She recreates the energy and excitement wonderfully on the page - it almost made me want to watch a few soccer games. I liked both the characters of Kenzie and Sutton but the romance between them just didn't work for me for a number of reasons, mostly as there was a part of me that couldn't see why, from Sutton's perspective, Kenzie was different from her other relationships and that the obvious hero worship wasn't as much of a factor in the attraction she felt for Kenzie.

For soccer fans - this will likely be a sure thing. Because I'm not a big sports fan, I didn't get as swept away by the premise and didn't love this one as much as Ullrich's other books.

I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I am not a big sports fan personally, but the author does a good job of keeping my attention during the parts that actually involve soccer. The real content of this story comes more from the characters getting over obstacles present to them after being a couple than them actually getting together. There was a decent amount of non-relatoonship drama and the story took turns I hadn't anticipated. I really liked that it was not predictable to me.

My only complaint really just comes from what one of the main characters classifies as "waiting to have sex." It wasn't a deal breaker, but I couldn't help but feel like it crossed the line a bit of what is or isn't have sex.

For more than just the love of the game.

Kenzie Shaw joins the New Jersey Hurricanes Women's Soccer team after being drafted from Penn State. The Hurricanes also have her idol and crush, Sutton Flores playing for them.

The attraction to each other is sizzling and before either of them know it, the chemistry becomes infinitely more and they can’t get enough of each other. But when a sexual harassment suit and national soccer team rules throw them curveballs, can they hold true to each other?

This book is a high contender for book of the year. I am astounded by how much I adored it but then again, M. Ullrich never disappointments me. She is kicking goals (see what I did there) every time she sits down to write. I was glued from the word ‘go’ and honestly, her little twists and turns in the story just kept leaving me stunned!

These women are both powerhouses on and off the field. When it comes to the soccer, M. Ullrich gave a solid account of the game and the players. I can honestly say this book would suit any reader even if you’re not a fan of soccer. The romance and storyline take centre stage but the soccer just adds a nice little extra for us soccer fans out there. I cried. I cried a lot in this book. It also made me nervous, made my stomach flip in good ways and in bad. And the Epilogue… Sigh. It was nothing short of perfection.

I have read some hot sex scenes and some of the best ones have come from M. Ullrich. As she grows as an author she seems to hone the craft of writing them and adds little extras that suit only the characters in the story. You’ll see what I mean when you read it but this book’s hottest scene was not what I was expecting. So very sexy!

The chemistry between Sutton and Kenzie is off the hook. I got shivers a few times when they would look at one another or when they’d touch. There was also a certain level of non-sexual intimacy that made my heart swell and I reckon you can only have this intense connection if you have been friends before lovers. It was actually quite lovely to read
I read this book twice in a row because the first time I forgot to take notes I loved it so much. I think this book will sit on my all-time most loved because it truly was amazing… Swoon!

I received this book as an ARC in exchange for an honest review form Bold Strokes snd Books and NetGalley.

I did not like this book at all, I thought the story was particularly bad, but the writing was not great either. The story is basically two hot soccer players meet and fall in love, then their is a lot of things that keep them apart. I thought that the story was boring, the soccer scenes were actually pretty good, it was everything else that wasn't.

Kenzie ans Sutton are tow soccer players who are playing on the same team, Kenzie has had a crush on Sutton since she was a child and when she meets her is super infatuated. This is the first thing that bothers me, these two fall in love in like five minutes. Also I do not understand the point of putting Rhea in the book at all. She was a poorly used plot device so there is a small conflict as to why the characters cannot be together. So after Rhea gets dumped Kenzie and Sutton date in earnest. There are minor characters like Taylor who are simple put there as another plot device to call the protagonist on her bullshit or to offer some seriously immature side comments.

So Kenzie and Sutton fall in insta love, and apparently time is supposed to be moving quite quickly in the book, but it does not feel that way as a reader. in one chapter we are in March and the next we are in November, and there was nothing to show time movement except the two of them falling more in love with each other. The time jumps felt weird.

I thought that as main characters both of them were okay, Kenzie was infantilized, and Sutton seemed a little bit like a predator at time. It was really weird how possessive she was, and how she got angry at Kenzie for small things. I did think that Sutton only got with her because she was a fan, and not necessarily because of anything else. I mean seriously they fell in love with one look. I believe wholeheartedly in love, but not love that happens in 30 seconds of meeting someone.

I also thought the ending was really rushed. This book was easily 15 chapters too long, and the ending just happened. There was no buildup, not explanation, just Sutton giving up her soccer career that she loved so much to have a baby. It was pretty terrible.

Also I hated the sexual harassment scene, There should have been a warning at the beginning of the book, because it was upsetting to read about and for people who have experienced this it seemed like a trivial part of the book that was there to add another conflict. Oh and lets talk about the final conflict the way they handled the trade and the sexual harassment would have never happened in 2019. They would have taken it a lot more seriously. I did not like this book one bit and I am not sure if I will read others by the author.

Being an avid soccer fan, most especially of the USWNT and CANWNT, I tried not to compare players in the book to RL players. Once I managed that (no easy feat, believe me!), I enjoyed this book a great deal.
That being said, I could see certain aspects of my favourite players in these characters. Nothing wrong with that though because these characters were their own women. The chemistry between Sutton and Kenzie started off stilted, but that happens when hero-worship complicates things. I was pleased that their relationship grew past that though. There is a disturbing wrinkle in the plot, and I'm sure it reflected real life. Unfortunately, I could completely believe the actions of a man who wanted to put the club first. Shameful, but it happens. (Washington...just sayin')

The soccer was brilliantly written here, and it's obvious that the author is an avid fan.

This is the perfect book for any fan of women's soccer, no matter who they root for or where they live.

As a big soccer fan (yes, very cliche for a lesbian) I was wanted to read this book as soon as I saw the cover. What is not to love about soccer and a romance between 2 players right?

The story is about a soccer star Sutton Flores and a rookie drafted out of college Kenzie Shaw whose hero, ofcourse, was Sutton while growing up. The story spans their season with the New Jersey Hurricanes and the bumps and glitches as they embark on a relationship. It follows the expected romance book path and leaves you with the feeling of an enjoyable read with like-able characters in them and a sprinkle of soccer. It probably won't give you big emotional reactions but if you are looking for a nice romance that's neatly wrapped up with a happy ending (oops, spoiler) than be sure to pick this one up. The writing is good, easy to read, nice story line and characters who come across as real people.