Twisters x Bend It Like Beckham? SIGN ME UP. This lacrosse romance by Esha Patel was my favorite book of hers yet. I loved everything about it from the spotlight on women's lacrosse to the Glen Powell inspired white t-shirt scene. I've never been to Oklahoma, but after reading this book, I'm tempted to take a flight. The vivid descriptions of the sprawling landscape and the emphasis on the locals' kindness and hospitality jumped off the page, making me truly feel like I was there. Even the descriptions of the lacrosse games were incredibly detailed, reassuring me that the author had done extensive research about the sport. I loved the thought and care put into the emotional stress the characters were under throughout the book as well. It wasn't just that they couldn't be together for no reason - the reason was subtle but there - running like a steady undercurrent throughout the novel. This book was about them falling in love as much as it was learning to trust again. It was not just about having faith in each other, but having faith that they would get back up and try again, having faith that their family and communities would be there for them. There were brilliant analogies about rebuilding a town and rebuilding confidence, dancing after a long time and seeing a loved one after many months. I hope for more stories about brown girls chasing their dreams and actually achieving them - and getting the boy. As a reader, I feel comforted knowing that Esha Patel will write them.

Firstly, thank you so much for letting me read an early copy of Cross My Heart.
This story was so addictive, with enemies to lovers, with right person wrong time elements.
I really enjoyed a lacrosse sports romance, even though I have little knowledge of the sport, I was able to really enjoy all the on pitch and off pitch banter.

3.5 ⭐️
I have now realized I know even less about Lacrosse than I thought I did 😂 I kept needing to google to figure out what certain things meant to I wasn’t just glossing over it.

I love sports romance, I love fake dating, but something fell flat for me here. I’m not 100% what it was, I just needed more. Like parts of the faking dating didn’t feel believable. But overall a very cute book!

If you like YA sports romance this is a great book for you!

Thank you to NetGalley, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts are my own and are in no way influenced by early access to this title.

I'm still trying to work out whether I like sports romances in general, or whether some authors are just so good at writing, it makes me enjoy their specific sports romance.
Regardless of which, I really enjoyed this one. Fake dating and a second chance romance. Sign me up.

I struggled to take the lacrosse part of it seriously without imagining Nate Archibald from Gossip Girl but I'm sure that's just my unculturedness and lack of exposure to the sport itself. However the writing made me feel like I was in in the middle of it.
There's a grumpy x sunshine vibe which I adore and it just makes me melt. Overall it was a cute and enjoyable read.

I am a massive lacrosse fan (go Halifax thunderbirds!) and was so excited to see this sport get the recognition it deserved in the sports romance world. However this was so boring. The characters felt very immature and the story itself seemed way too juvenile for my liking.
Dnf at 45%

This book wasn't bad; it was just super basic. It felt very juvenile. It reminded me of those $5.99 media mail paperback YA romances you could get when I was a teenager. If you're feeling nostalgic and want that kind of energy, give this book a try.

Different sports romance this time. Lacrosse. First lacrosse romance book, so I can tick that off the sport list. I got to like 20% of the book, and was like, “okay, I get it. Let’s wrap this up, please.” Because it just wasn’t progressing, and nothing was really being added to the storyline. But, there were just constant gaps in the world-building, storyline(which wasn’t barely there), and characterisation.
2

DNF

Okay I forgot this was an author who I didn’t particularly enjoy when I requested it. 😭 Her writing just does not vibe with me, which I hate since I love sports romances. Especially ones where the characters aren’t white. And when the female is an athlete, too.

Pros: This book really shines a light on women's lacrosse and some of the challenges athletes face in the sport. It had a lot of educational value for me in understanding the sport and some of the hype around it. It also feels like a fresh niche in the sports romance genre (so, much, hockey!) which may resonate well with readers.

Not so pros: The enemies-to-lovers trope being rooted in actually having a connection in the past but refusing to get over it falls a little flat for me. I don't know if that is just my personal opinion but I get so frustrated when people can't just move on! The whole book is a push and pull based on some back story and not what is happening now. COMMUNICATION PEOPLE.

Regardless, I think this might be a hit, especially if you are a lacrosse lover!

Firstly, a huge thanks to Netgalley, but Esha and her team for allowing me the chance to read this arc! I don’t think I have been more excited for a sports romance book in awhile. It’s about time someone starting exploring other sports (and it’s one I play!!!!). I absolutely adored this book soooo much, and overall I would say the accuracy of the sport aspect rings true. I loved how strong May was as a person, and how Colt had his own imperfections. I related to Colt sooo much, and saw him to be similar to me. Right off the bat he faces a significant injury, one of which I have related to in the past. Him overcoming that injury felt so raw and real, and I could relate to him so much for that. I reallyyyyy want a physical copy of this book, and I think it’s one that will join my rotation of sports romance book recs! Esha is easily one of my top romance authors and I hope she considers writing more in this little sports universe she just started!

Rating: 2.5, rounded up to 3
With lacrosse being a somewhat obscure sport in certain geographic areas, I found myself needing more context to fully connect with the story. I also think the setting would’ve been more effective in a region where lacrosse is more culturally ingrained. Oklahoma and southern universities just don’t resonate with the sport in the same way the East Coast does.
While this was perfectly fine and cute, it ultimately fell flat for me. The fake dating trope can be fun when done well, but here it didn’t feel believable. The details of the situation were borderline outrageous—I don’t think there’s a head coach alive who would encourage an athlete to date someone on the coaching staff. There was also a bit too much miscommunication for my taste. A few simple conversations could’ve resolved a lot of the tension.
This is a YA book, and I think it was just a little too YA for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for the advanced copy

DNF

I really wanted to like this book. A sports romance that's not white? Yes, please. One that has a south asian main character? Love it even more. The problem was, when I started reading, there was nothing in the book to show the MC was white except a short conversation between the coach and the male MC that said it was harder for May because she was only one of two non-white people on the team. But we get her POV and nowhere has this been mentioned before. Up till that point, this was not a thing at all, so where did that suddenly come from? I would have loved to read that, but it just didn't exist. Same with the lack of interest in women'a sport. It wasn't mentioned until the male MC started drawing a crowd at their games and suddenly it became a thing, and now May and Colt have to fake date to keep the crowds coming in for something that wasn't a problem before? Of course I know it was a problem, but it was never mentioned. The story just wasn't well developed and by the time we get to these two points in the story, there was nothing making me care. Then there was the fact the two POVs read the same to me. I couldn't see a distinction of voice, and I would not know whose POV I was reading unless I checked the name. The personalities of the two characters just fell flat, probably due to the aforementioned lack of development.

I got to about 25% of the way into the book when I realised I was skim reading to try and read it faster just to get it over with, and I still had another 5+ hours to read according to my kindle. At this point I realised it was just not worth my time.

I like a good romance, but I need something extra on top of the romance to keep me interested. There was a lot of elements this book could have played on (racism and misogyny being the two main ones) but the author barely touched these. Maybe they're developed further into the story, but for me that's just too late. If you want a simple sports romance maybe try this out, but don't expect to be blown away.

The immediate thing that drew me to the book was the fact it is a book where it focuses on women’s sports. In the sport romance genre, majority of the books focus on the man playing the sport, so it was definitely refreshing and awesome to see one from a women’s perspective. Our Protagonist had a very good character growth, at the beginning I found her stubbornness slightly annoying but it was clear throughout the book that she was growing. My only slight complaint was it took me a while to figure out how old the characters were, this was then cleared up later on. Overall this book is great for sport romance fans who love strong female protagonists

I was as invested in the championship and tornado subplots as i was the romance... and i was very invested in the romance! Enjoyed learning more about lacrosse, and this alternate world where a smaller sport is up there in the Big Leagues was fun.

✨2.75 - 3 stars✨

I enjoyed the emphasis on women’s sports and the conversations around lack of media attention and funding compared to men’s sports. I also enjoyed the exploration of May’s heritage as a POC character increases the stakes. Also the fact that the sport in question was lacrosse was a nice change from the usual sports that romance books focus on.

However, there was severe lack of character development with either of our main characters which I didn’t enjoy! As a result, I felt that I couldn’t connect to either of them leaving me feeling massively disconnected from the book.

Therefore, I could potentially see why people would enjoy this book (especially if you have enjoyed this author’s books in the past) but this just wasn’t for me sadly!

I received an ARC from the publishers in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

If you want a sports romance where women's sports takes centre stage, this book is perfect.

Manmayi (May) is a rising star in the women's lacrosse world, a long time rodeo rider and a solid foundation at her family's ranch. Back in high school she was close to CJ (Colt) but he left their hometown to play in the big leagues. Now he is back, injured, and getting in her way whilst she tries to make up for a bad previous season.

I loved the representation of a Mexican South Asian athlete and the cowgirl scenes. The chemistry built throughout the book and by the end, I was really rooting for them to get together. I do think the spark was missing at the start of the book, and some questions raised were not fully answered for me.

All in all, a very solid addition to any sports romance collection and a warm book, but not my favourite by Esha Patel.

𐙚 Sports Romance
𐙚 Second Chance
𐙚 Fake Dating

Cutesy sports romance packed with relatable characters, tension, and banter. Great if looking for something easy and engaging. Overall this was an enjoyable read.

Thanks for the egalley!

This was a good story with enough of the will they won't they to keep you hooked in whilst also rooting for the team to win!

4.5 stars⭐️

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the early copy of this book! I loved this book!!! I loved the plot of this book, the characters were amazing too! I loved the fake dating aspect of this book and this was a perfect Rom-com book!

First and foremost thank you for trusting me with this ARC read.

I will say lacrosse holds a special place in my heart. Having played a little bit and my high school best friends playing mens lacrosse it was great to see some spotlight on the sport. We truly need more lacrosse in the sports romance world , and I hope this is the start of that.

Colt & May were very relatable which I loved. It becomes such an easy read when you realize that there are many similarities between myself and the characters. I loved the dynamic between the two of them. The friends to enemies to lovers all over again is just a great trope and a little bit of spice wouldn't be terrible!

Jordan is the pinnacle of a best friend. She is such a great side character in Colt & May's story. JJ is too!

I hope we get to see Colt & May in New Haven in the MLL together! Can't wait to see this book on the shelfs!