Bounce Back. Nicole Falls. 2020. 229 pages. [Source: Kindle Unlimited.] I don’t know how I missed the release day for this book, but I was ready to read the fourth installment in the Nymphs & Trojans series. It follows closely on the heels of Alexandra Warren’s On the Rebound, in which Micaiah Kennedy is introduced as younger sister of Trojans’ Zeb Kennedy. More importantly, however, Micaiah is acknowledged as an international basketball star who is highly anticipated as an addition to the Nymph’s starting line-up. Despite an accolade-filled international career, joining the WNBA is a life-long dream that comes with uncertainty and second-guessing for Mickey. She is, in effect, an old rookie, and has some stumbles as she acclimates to her new team and fitting into their dynamic. In keeping with current events, Mickey joins the team in the wubble as the teams round out their seasons in the midst of a raging pandemic. Luckily enough, she also gets to reacquaint herself with childhood best friends — and fellow twins — Victor & Victoria Covington. Almost immediately, the embers of a childhood crush warm up and she and Victor find themselves wondering if they have a fling or budding romance…

On the Rebound. Alexandra Warren. 2020. 225 pages. [Source: Kindle Unlimited.] Alexandra Warren is back with a great (and anticipated) return to the Tennessee Trojans’ saga. Instead of centering two players, On the Rebound features Trojans’ Kage Steele and Bleu Taylor, a sports reporter with a budding show of her own. Kage is entering his second season and has the pressure of proving he’s still worth the trouble he caused the previous season. Bleu has a key rule for herself – don’t date active athletes. So while her current bae is a former baller turned sports commentator, that was only possible once he retired. When things go left in her relationship, Kage turns the dial up on his pursuit, hoping to be a redeemable exception to Bleu’s rule. To be fair, Kage isn’t a complete sleaze. He’s actually a pretty decent friend to Bleu as she navigates some of the complications dropped into her lap by other people’s recklessness. But the fact that the two aren’t as unacquainted as Bleu would like to think means that they have an obvious chemistry to dance around. The drama factor in the book is more than evident. Between Bleu’s relationship troubles and Kage’s…

The Crossover. Kwame Alexander. 2014. HMH Books. 240 pages. [Source: Public library.] In my younger days, I might not have willingly picked up a book that centered a teen boy, let alone one that also centered basketball. If The Crossover were a book I chose to pass on, I would have done myself a true disservice. I enjoyed this book; so much so that I read the original 2014 release as well as the graphic novel published in 2019. While told from the perspective of Josh “Filthy McNasty” Bell, The Crossover is actually about him and his twin, Jordan “JB” Bell.  They’re just shy of thirteen, and the book sees a shift in their relationship as their individual priorities change.  The two are stars of their school basketball team, their father a former international basketball champion whose own career was cut short and their mother an assistant principal at their school. Although almost identical except for their hair, their paths are diverging in the face of academics, dating, and everything else that comes with being on the cusp of their teenage years. What immediately jumped out to me is that Alexander writes entirely in verse.  The arrangement isn’t just linear on…

The Changeup. Nicole Falls. 2019. 144 pages. [Source: Kindle Unlimited.] You throw like a girl is usually meant as a stinging insult, insinuating a lack of power. That is absolutely the opposite of what it would mean referencing Geffri Robinson, a former college baseball pitcher. Geffri finds herself a viral sensation after winning a competition at a baseball game, which puts her on the radar of sports blogger/internet troll Noah. What starts as a contentious set of tweets instead turns into a battle of wills to see who’s the better sports(wo)man. First, I have to admit sports isn’t really my thing. I’m usually only as familiar with what’s happening as I catch on the morning news and what I scroll by on twitter. But I am loving how some of my indie faves have been making me eat my words! Here, Nicole Falls has made baseball accessible and interesting. I think it’s because while this is a book about baseball, it’s not all about baseball. There’s a good balance of exploring the world behind the bullpen (I hope I used that reference correctly), getting a feel for league politics, and what players go through in and out of season. The…