A contemporary romance set against a boxing backdrop:

Full disclosure: Netgallery provided a ARC for an honest review:

I don’t think I’m Singh’s target audience, and these days I am increasing finding straight romances problematic. While Singh attempted to flesh out Sydney’s identity with some feminist ideals and a business qualification, I was just really irritated by Sydney needing to be physically rescued several times, and Singh’s decision to make Sydney a virgin in her early twenties. Dean’s continual overbearing jealousy was likewise aggravating for me. However, romances are fantasy – and I’m sure there’ll be plenty of fans for this book.

As an ex-martial artist, I felt there were some excellent descriptions of the boxing matches. I also appreciated that both characters’ losses and grief were sensitively portrayed throughout the book, which is rare.

I won’t be reading more from this author, but I do think it’s a solid debut.

When Sydney’s father dies, he leaves her his boxing club, the Youngblood Boxing Club. Her father’s boxing career always made Sydney cringe. She didn’t like seeing her father all beaten up. When a new boxer, Dean, walks into the club, he promises he can win titles and help Sydney save the club from financial ruin. But what happens when love gets in their way?
This was a good sports contemporary romance. Both main characters had flaws and I liked them both. I felt their passion grow organically, and the angst that developed between them from hidden secrets. It made turning the pages and reading to the end much easier. But I wanted more. I felt that something was missing. Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reader’s copy of this story.

The story is light, relaxing, and keeps attention from the very beginning, Dean and Sidney are a wonderful couple full of love and respect for each other.
http://magic-book-club.com/2022/05/01/sydneys-boxer-by-sumi-singh/

This is Sumi Singh’s debut novel. While the story has promise, the writing needs work. Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me at 40%. I just don’t care enough about the characters to continue. There was nothing that hooked me in the story to make me continue reading.

Sumi Singh is a new author to me and her debut book was great. It is also the first installment in the Youngblood series. The book was a fast read and I really enjoyed reading about Sydney and Dean’s journey. Sydney inherits her father’s boxing club after he passed away and Dean becomes the club’s newest boxer. It was fun to see their relationship blossom. I love their undeniable chemistry and how they help each other grow. I am excited for the rest of the series.

The author brings boxing alive quite well, but I struggled with other parts of the story.

Sydney lost her mother as a teenager and now her father is gone too, and she is left with his legacy, the Youngblood Boxing Club. Dean is a young up-and-coming boxer looking for the right place to launch his promising career. He has heard great things about the legendary Bruce Young, but finds the daughter, Sydney, instead. Sydney and Coach decide to take a chance on Dean, elevating his boxing career to new heights, hoping he can lift the club out of debt at the same time.

I had a hard time rating this book. It’s an intriguing story and I was invested enough to see it through to the end. Excellent descriptions of the boxing matches, gripping and tense, and I was rooting for Dean all the way. Sydney and Dean both had difficult pasts to deal with and they were interesting characters.

Some of the dialogue and character’s inner thoughts didn’t always flow so smoothly. It felt a bit stilted at times. And some of their reactions appeared childish and out of character.

As someone who knows nothing about the world of boxing, the author’s descriptions seem very thorough, and it was interesting to get a view into these people’s characters and motivations.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This story held a lot of emotions and excitement. The characters are great! I especially enjoyed Coach Johnson; he’s the backbone of this boxing group.

I really enjoyed Dean and Sydney’s journey, it’s heartfelt and emotional. They have great chemistry and help each other through tough times. I also enjoyed seeing the growth of Dean and his determination. Great story!

A cute tale of Sydney inheriting a boxing gym when her dad dies leaving her an orphan, we follow Dean’s arrival and training as he settles into the gym family and starts to get into Sydney’s affections. A lot of boxing (obviously), some good sex but the underlying story didn’t grab me and the revelation at the last boxing match seemed a little bit of an add on to suddenly drive the plot.

3.5 Stars
It is a shock when a father who had made his daughter feel like he wished she was his son, leaves his boxing club to her. She worked so hard for his approval...and with the loss of her mother at 13, she is now alone. She decides to hold dear the boxing club as a tribute to her father. It will be a challenge as it is not making any money.

The turning point is when a New Jersey boxer moves to San Diego to give himself a chance at a title. These two meet, collide in more ways than one and the challenges are happening.

I enjoyed this book a lot. The writing is crisp and concise, every word carefully chosen so that every image and emotion is crystal clear. Boxing club owner Sydney and boxer Dean are three dimensional characters with all the fears and imperfections of real people. It was really easy to get caught up in their emotional and uplifting love story. Sydney's Boxer is a great introduction to this author and I am looking forward to reading more.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

If you enjoy an underdog story than Sydney’s Boxer is the book for you. Having recently lost her father, Sydney finds herself managing his boxing club and the new boxer who just walked in. Dean, a boxer hailing from New Jersey, comes to Youngblood Boxing looking for a new coach and manager and finds Sydney knowing instantly he’s drawn to her. Leery of her new role as manager, Sydney tries to keep her distance from Dean but slowly her walls come down and she finds comfort she hasn’t felt in some time with him. Is their budding relationship a distraction from Dean’s boxing or is Dean’s past taking care of that on its own?

Sydney and Dean have an instant connection and find comfort and a sense of belonging with each other. Dean found a new home and family in Sydney, Coach and at Youngblood and Sydney found an equal partner to lean on and someone to share her life with. This is the start of a new series about the Youngblood Boxing Club which is sure to be intense stories of underdog boxers and strong heroines.


Thank you @netgalley and publishers for this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

Sidney's, Dad passed away, and left her his boxing business. Sidney didn't want it because it is the reason she didn't have a good relationship with her father. But coach talked to her, and she had to decide what to do. This wasn't what she wanted, but it was her reality. She chose to face the reality of her life, and fight to try to make it successful.
Dean, is the new boxer, and in many ways he is like her father, and she didn't like him. She kept her distance, but life's reality has its own ideas of what will happen. Sidney and Dean, focus on boxing, the business, and setting up fights. But they are so drawn to each other.
It was fun reading this story because when you are going to face the life you have with the reality of what it is, you never know what is going to come your way. You also don't know what is going to happen, and as they face each day, they learn the plans they have doesn't seem to matter.
I know nothing about boxing, and even though it is a boxing story, I could understand the story, and enjoyed reading about what happens when you accept the challenge of facing the reality of what your life really is.
I received an ARC from Author Collective 20 through NetGalley.

Sydney's Boxer is a fantastic debut read. If you are looking for a fantastic boxing romance, then you will love this one so much. Sydney is trying to do everything she can to hang onto her father's gym. She never wanted to get involved with a boxer. She is determined to keep her father's memory alive. Dean is looking for a fresh start, new gym and a title. He is strong and goes after what he wants. You are just going to love the chemistry between Dean and Sydney. I love how Sydney fights her attraction until she can't. There is just something special about Dean and Sydney that will just take your heart a little bit at a time. I cannot wait to see what Sumi Singh brings us next with the Youngblood series. This is a new author to look out for. I could not get enough of this one. Go one click it today.

New author and first book! Sumi writes with emotion giving everything she has to her characters. This book was a fast read for me, partially because I couldn’t put it down. All of us have felt at one time or another grief and pain from losing someone we love, perhaps that is why I could relate to Sydney. Finding Dean when she did, was just the start she needed to save her father’s business. I was a leery of him as Sidney was at first, but I did change my mind as their story was told.
A great start to a new author and look forward to seeing her grow as an author.

Sydney just lost her dad and he willed her his boxing club. Sydney is determined to not let his legacy down by turning this business around and making a profit. While she is on the beach to clear her head she runs into a very hot guy. Little did she know that they would be seeing each other again. Dean just moved to town to pursue his dream. He knows he has what it takes all he needs is some one who believes in him. He goes to the boxing club that he was told about from his grandfather when he was little. He knew this is where he was meant to be and was going to make a name for himself. Little did he know, that the girl he has thought about since running into her on the beach was the owner of the club. Sydney is willing to take a chance on him because he has raw talent and skills that the club hasn’t seen since her dad boxed. Will they both make it to the top while also building a relationship that will last? I was given an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

What a great debut!
I loved the forbidden romance element and the boxing world the author created. The characters were realistic too. The storylines were interesting from start to finish and had a satisfying conclusion.
Will definitely need to check out the next one.

Well written with well developed characters and an engaging and gripping storyline. I really enjoyed it.

Book received for free through NetGalley

I really wanted to like this book. The storyline sounded great. That said the writing felt choppy and the story was all clashed up together. I tried to hang in but gave up 21% of the way in.

Thanks to Author Collective, Netgalley and the author for an ARC of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is a debut novel and the first in a series, centred around a boxing gym. Sydney inherits the gym from her father, and though she resents the boxing industry, she takes on the challenge. Meeting Dean and managing his boxing career presents the opportunity to make her failing business a success, and if she can let down her own defences a bit, perhaps she can find love. But Dean can be erratic and hard to read and she has her own demons to face, so of course, the course of this love story is not smooth.

I liked the way these characters had vulnerabilities and enjoyed the storyline. If the romance moved a bit quickly in the beginning, that still didn't take away from the plot. I felt it ended a little abruptly and there were moments in the middle where I had to refocus my attention, but this was still an enjoyable book. This will be an interesting series to watch.

I felt like this book could have been half the size it is - there's an overreliance on describing every little thing which just frustrated me and slowed the pace down. I was intrigued by the concept and the plot but the writing let the book down. The writing style just wasn't for me, sadly.