Britney M. Mills' latest novel "Love on the sidelines" IS OUT NOW! - ARC review

"I've already injured one man today. I would hate to do that to you."

Title: Love on the sidelines

Author: Britney M. Mills

Publishing house: Opal Ink Publishing

Genre: small town sport romance

Series: Sunkissed Summer Novellas (3)

Number of pages: 152

Price: 2,99$ (e-book version), 10,99$ (paperback version)

PLOT

I spend my days coaching a spirited bunch of teenage girls in lacrosse. It's challenging, but seeing their passion for the game makes it all worth it. Recently, a new girl joined our team, and to my surprise, she turned out to be Charlie's niece. Charlie, my brother's childhood best friend, loves to donate to our team, which drives me crazy, but it helps our girls have a better chance at a future in this sport.

Money has always been a tricky subject for me. My parents left me at my grandma's house when they came into money, choosing to travel the world without me. My ex-boyfriend, controlled by his family's wealth, walked out on our relationship when I wouldn't abide by the rules.

So, when I see Charlie, I can't help but draw parallels. His generosity feels like a shadow of my past, and it's hard to separate the two.

But as we travel to lacrosse games and tournaments, I see a different side of Charlie. He's not just his money.
He's there for his niece, cheering louder than anyone, always ready with a supportive word. Slowly, my initial reservations fade. The more time we spend together, the more I realize how much I genuinely like him.

REVIEW

I must admit that I was afraid that Love on the Sidelines would not appeal to me because I generally find rom-com novellas too fast-paced and sometimes even forced. But Ava and Charlie's story was a very enjoyable read.

Our main character, Ava, is a former young lacrosse hopeful who had to give up playing because of an injury. One of the first things that struck me about this girl is her ability to not let difficulties get her down and the love she has for life, a love she puts into everything she does including coaching the women's lacrosse team in her small hometown.

As for Charlie, the other main character in this story, well...at first it was a little harder to connect with him but I was pleasantly impressed by his growth over the course of the entire novella: he learns to really love and I'm not just talking about Ava but also his own family, he learns to value many things, and he realizes how many opportunities life can offer each of us.

So yes, I thought I would have the whole book too fast and too short, but I am glad I was wrong.

It is a really well-written slow-burn small town sports romance that I definitely recommend if you are looking for a light story to read during these summer vacations.

Thank you so much, Britney for giving me the opportunity to read it in advance! I look forward to catching up on the other novellas in this stand-alone series as well!

Author

Cecilia