Guys, I admit it. I have Olympics fever. So this week’s TTT is a bit of a cheat since sports take place in all kinds of settings…but whatever. If you’re all about the sporty books, read on!
9 Sporty Books for Olympics Fans
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- Breathe, Annie, Breathe by Miranda Kenneally | Sport: Running – a ton of Kenneally’s books could go on this list, but BAB is my fave, and it’s set on trails and streets all over Tennessee. And the romance is SMOKING.
- Letters to Nowhere by Julie Cross | Sport: Gymnastics – this is a really good contemporary sports YA about a gymnast who is orphaned, and where she goes in life, love, and sport from there. Julie is a gymnastics coach in real life, so it’s fantastically accurate as well as being really honest about grief.
- Game. Set. Match by Jennifer Iacopelli | Sport: Tennis – there are three romances in this new adult, and they’re all set in and around the Outer Banks Tennis Academy. It’s like boarding school with rackets. =)
- The Understatement of the Year by Sarina Bowen | Sport: Hockey – how many times have I talked about this book? Too many without a real review (that’s coming, don’t worry). This romance between two hot hockey players has so much heart and depth and sexiness – all set in college hockey rinks and dorms.
- First & Then by Emma Mills | Sport: Football – this one isn’t super focused on the sport, but it definitely gives you that feeling of being in a football-obsessed town when you’re not really into football. Also, it’s a Pride & Prejudice retelling & one of my fave books from last year!
- The Boy Next Door by Katie Van Ark | Sport: Figure skating – This is one of my book crack books – totally addictive figure skating pairs upper YA romance goodness, set on ice rinks all over the world. Read if you need to get your swoon on.
- Defending Taylor by Miranda Kenneally | Sport: Soccer – another Kenneally, you say? I loved this recent addition to her Hundred Oaks series. It focuses on a soccer-loving girl who makes a huge mistake and has to face serious consequences. Like BAB, this one is set in Tennessee, but more on the soccer field than on the trails.
- Whatever Life Throws At You by Julie Cross | Sports: Baseball and Track – and yep, another Julie Cross. Set in Kansas City, this is an upper YA/New Adult romance featuring a runner and a star pitcher. We get workouts at the gym, on the trails, on the diamond…this is one of my all-time fave baseball books!
- The Distance to Home by Jenn Bishop | Sport: Baseball – this sweet middle grade read features a young pitcher who is dealing with the death of her sister while her family is hosting a minor league player. This is probably one of the best MGs I’ve read – it really captures the sport as well as coping mechanisms for grief.
Other Sporty Books On My To Be Read List:
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- Goldfish by Nat Luurtsema | Sport: Swimming – I’m dying to read this book about an Olympic swimming hopeful who doesn’t make it, and needs to find something new to be her thing.
- Tumbling by Caela Carter | Sport: Gymnastics – this one is HIGH on my to-buy list as I’m obsessed with gymnastics. It’s about a bunch of Olympic hopefuls, much like the US gymnastics team, who are BOSS. Basically Make It Or Break It in book form, and I NEED IT.
- Stealing Parker and Racing Savannah by Miranda Kenneally | Sports: Softball and Equestrian – I’m a few books behind in this series, but I’ve really enjoyed all of Miranda’s sporty girls. Savannah’s story is particularly high on my list!
- Rites of Passage by Joy N. Hensley | Sport: General Fitness? – I’ve heard so many good things about this G.I. Jane meets YA book. Even though it’s not really a sports book, it’s definitely one that I could see as fitting into that mold.
Are there sporty books that you love? What sports settings are auto-buys for you? Got any recs for me? Drop me a line and let me know!
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Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted at The Broke and the Bookish to highlight a top ten list related to book blogging, and to get to know fellow book bloggers.
I am SO proud of the US gymnastics team. They are amazing this year and have lived up to the hype and beyond.
I’m curious about “Tumbling” too (especially since a guilty pleasure show for me was “Make it or Break It”) and have heard Miranda’s books are really good too. 🙂
I’m not even American and I was proud of the US women’s gymnastics team. They are killers!
I’m a huge fan of Make It or Break It as well, so yeah, Tumbling is totally my jam. You should definitely check out Letters to Nowhere as well – great if you’re a gymnastics fan. And yeah, Miranda’s books just keep getting better. Thanks for stopping by!
This was a really good idea ! I love it!
My TTT.
Nothing wrong with a bit of Olympic fever! 🙂 I want to read a few of these books! Great idea. 🙂
I love books that have sports and you have some amazing picks here! You might like Play On/Game On by Michelle Smith or The Hard Count by Ginger Scott!
Great List!!
Thanks, lady! I’ve been looking at those Michelle Smith books to possibly add to my list. I haven’t heard of The Hard Count, will check it out!
I’m really excited for Jason Reynolds’s GHOST, a MG about track — part of a series about track and field.
Ooh, going to check that out now! Thanks so much, Jenn (and thanks for writing such a great MG about baseball!).
Great topic!!! I have read Defending Taylor and love it. I want to read all the other books in that series – which I think are mostly sporty. First & Then is one I really need to get because that cover!! I just read Game On which is about baseball mostly and some soccer and was really cute. Great list!!
I usually avoid books that deal with sports. I think the last book I read about sports was…I can’t even remember the name of it now. Lol! It was an ARC I got, and liked it well enough.
I just finished reading Stealing Parker and really loved it so I will definitely be reading Miranda other books in that series. I also enjoyed First and Then.
Great Idea for this TTT! I haven’t heard of many of these books, but I will be checking them out! 😀 My Top Ten Tuesday!
I love your topic! Somehow, I’ve never read any of Miranda Kenneally’s books. I need to read them! Especially if Breathe, Annie, Breathe is set in Tennessee! Fabulous list.
My Top Ten
Ahh! These all look so good! Both of the gymnastic books and Goldfish are going on my TBR. As someone who swims synchronised swimming, though, I wish I could find some good novels there. So far I’ve only found one!