Queen B’s Decree: There hasn’t ever been an Anita Kelly book that I haven’t loved, and How You Get the Girl doesn’t break that streak.
Julie is a high school girl’s basketball coach, and one day her newest player’s foster mom walks in…and it’s the ex-WNBA player that was featured in the posters on he wall as a teenager. Ugh, the awkward cuteness was too much, I loved it. Eventually Julie convinces Elle to be her assistant coach (even though Elle hasn’t played basketball in YEARS) and their friendship slowly forms. Forced proximity anyone???
I just love Anita Kelly books. They always make me laugh, cry, and I usually feel every emotion in between that spectrum. Her characters just feel so real. Julie is living an okay life, wondering what she’s doing wrong, feeling like she’s falling behind her sibling and peers. And Elle is frozen in her “safe” world, afraid to make a change.
And while I love the ace representation, I appreciate the recognition that labels are a double-edged sword—helping some feel secure, and causing others to feel like a square peg in a round hole.
The spicy scenes were so well-written; Elle was so gentle with Julie, yet you could feel the chemistry between them.
I just…really loved this one. Thank you to Forever Publishing for the review copy.
Book: How You Get the Girl by Anita Kelly
Series: Love & Other Disasters #3
Genre: Contemporary
Hotness: mild-medium salsa
Plot Devices/Tropes: friends-to-lovers, sapphic