Review: Waiting on the Sidelines

Waiting on the Sidelines by Ginger Scott

Stars: 4 of 5
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, High school
Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Blurb:

Nolan Lennox had things figured out. Named after a baseball legend, she enjoyed being the Tomboy, her closet filled with her brother’s hand-me-downs, cut-off jeans and soccer shorts. But when her first trip to high school results in a broken heart from the first boy to ever make her heart flutter and cruel words from an older girl she once thought a family friend, Nolan starts to question the very person she thought she was and wonders if her humble upbringing can compete with the afforded luxuries of her privileged peers.

Throughout the next four years, Nolan struggles to maintain herself throughout her path of discovery, learning just how cruel teenagers can be through the pressures of underage drinking, sexuality and class. And despite how life seems to continue to work against her, she still manages to listen to her heart, falling deeper and deeper for the guy the entire town adores, even if he only sees her as a friend. Can Nolan strike a compromise between her own integrity and the boy she loves? And can she make him notice her before it’s too late?

Reed Johnson came to Coolidge High School with a lot of fanfare. The son of a hometown football legend and the brother of a local football hero, Reed wore all the pressures of carrying a town without hope into the spotlight. Thankfully, he had the talent to back it up. But when he meets a girl who makes him think twice about exactly what being a hero means, he starts to wonder if following in his brother’s footsteps might be all wrong.

Nolan Lennox was everything that was opposite of expected. She didn’t flirt, she didn’t drink and she didn’t sleep around. Nothing about her was easy, but something about her made Reed want to try harder. Though she didn’t look the part, she seemed to be spending a lot of time in Reed’s thoughts, and he wondered if she could be the one who made it all worthwhile. But could Reed handle letting her down? And would breaking her heart break him beyond repair?

Waiting on the Sidelines explores young love to its fullest, exposing how real young heartbreak and passion is and how important it is to discover yourself and hold onto your own identity. The story follows two young characters as they deal with mature situations, including the prevalence of bullying and promiscuity in today’s high school setting. Ultimately, Waiting on the Sidelines is a story of hope, honesty and those powerful, first true loves—the ones worth holding onto at any cost.

My Thoughts:

Nolan is Long story short Nolan has liked Reed for a while and for some reason she always seemed to be waiting to be with him. Waiting for him to give her a chance. Waiting for him to fix himself so they can be together again. No matter what happens it always led back to to them finding each other again. But when an accident was caused, Nolan can feel Reed pulling way. The last straw was when Reed hit below the belt with pointing out something that Nolan was self-conscious about. Now it seems that their relationship hit its breaking point,  will they finally be able to work things out.

I really liked this book, but I felt that it was way too long for my tastes. I'm not quite sure how I feel about the main character as the book went on I kept hating Nolan and for him stringing her along, they both wanted each other why did it have to be so complicated. Why couldn't Reed understand that it was hurtful to be able the girls he slept with knowing how Nolan felt about it. Why didn't he fight with his mother about his relationship with his Reed to stop butting in and stop bring his ex back into his life. She don't have to like their relationship but she could at least deal with it. I liked that he was caring and but then he would have other negative quantities that could over power the good qualities. I liked that the book had its ups and downs even if it annoyed me at times. I really liked Nolans character he was caring, thoughtful, forgiving and understanding. But I thought her forgiving was her downfall. There are so many people out there why Nolan after all that trouble and heartache?

The troubles between the two were interesting but I felt that this book was way too long and sometimes dragged on. That would be my own negative about this book about how long it is and how it drags. Other then that I loved this book. I look forward to seeing what happens next maybe they'll grow up a little with less crap going on.