Basketballs and Mistletoe

By: Julie L. Spencer

Narrated by: Abigail Carson

Length: 1 hr and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

Too many basketballs and not enough kissing.

All Matt Bailey wants is to focus on his position as starting point guard for the varsity basketball team. When an epic kiss and a social media scandal forces him into the arms of the beautiful and spunky Trina Wynter, he finds himself in a fake relationship with a girl just crazy enough to think she can take on the world.

When Trina gets cut from the girls’ basketball team, she thinks her senior year is wasted, until a closetful of basketballs and 200 sprigs of mistletoe bring every athlete in Grand Haven High School together for a good cause and a great excuse for more kissing.

Basketballs and Mistletoe is a stand-alone novella in the All’s Fair in Love and Sports.

Series:

• Running to You
• Meet Me at Half Court
• Pass Me the Ball
• Strike Three, You’re Mine

©2019 Julie L. Spencer (P)2020 Julie L. Spencer

Quick-paced YA romance

Basketballs and Mistletoe is an enjoyable, short, quick-paced YA romance. At about 2 hours long, it’s the perfect length for a relaxing evening listen. This well-written book talks a bit about eating disorders. This is a stand-alone, although it is part of The All’s Fair in Love and Sports Series.

Loved it!

I loved this fun and flirty high school romance! It was fun to listen to it and be brought into such a cute romance story!

Good book

I enjoyed it but not as much as others from this author. Still a good listen. The narrator did a good job.

I received a free copy of this audiobook and I
am voluntarily leaving this review.

Short and sweet

I’ve listened to several in this series. I was surprised that although it had basketball athletes in the book it had little to do with basketball games. It was more about a service project involving sporting equipment. It also was a friends to lovers themed book. Two friends who hadn’t had romantic feelings for each other suddenly realize they are attracted to each other. A few funny scenes happen in the beginning of the book that made me laugh. It was only a few hours to listen and I easily finished it the same day I started it.

A Sweet YA Christmas Story

A short sweet YA Christmas story. The narrator was really good and brought the story to life.

Great book!

The book was clever and romantic. It does touch on the topics of eating disorders and condoms. It is still clean and has a great storyline.

Loved it! Another great listen by Julie L. Spencer

This was a fun story in the All’s Fair in Love and Sports series! There were even a few scenes that brought out light chuckles. I like how Julie weaves in serious real life issues that teens face but keeps things light and easy wrapping it up with a sweet HEA. The narrator did a good job. The story flowed nicely and her French speaking created authenticity. There wasn’t much distinction in the different characters’ voices but I was still able to follow along and tell the character changes. Looking forward to the next book.

Fun listen-HS revisited

Ah-young love! When Trina got cut during basketball tryouts she thought it was the worst thing possible. Matt found her and suddenly they were fake boyfriend/girlfriend but a smoldering kiss in the hallway and social media blew everything up. Then Matt hurt his ankle and his own season fell apart. A foreign exchange student had inspired a wonderful project that gotten the whole town involved, but there was another issue rumbling underneath it all that might derail everything.
This is a good look at high school angst and issues that are very real across high school campuses today, but it also showed the goodness that can come out of these very same angsty kids.

YA isn't my thing but...

it was a cute story if you're into that. not too long either, which I appreciated. it was funny talking about the high school rumor mill, and made me happy to go to school before the social media age! the narrator at times sounded a little nasally, like she was getting over a cold maybe. other than that, it wasn't bad. this was a first for me by both author and narator. I wouldn't be opposed to reading this author again if she has other books that aren't young adult.

Teen romance

This book wasn't really my cup of tea. I usually avoid teen romance books for that reason but I love audio books and was really in the mood for a Christmas book so the title won out. Unfortunately, it was all about the teen romance and zero about Christmas. The mistletoe is just another excuse for teens to make out at the holiday ball. For my own enjoyment I'd rate it two stars but since I know that other people will enjoy the story I added a star.

Things I liked: I liked that Matt is more interested in Trina as a person that he is in what she looks like. However, since he thinks she is beautiful that might not be saying much. I liked that the story handled Trina's eating disorder with delicacy but also that it is something serious that needs to be taken seriously. I liked that parents were able to have frank discussions with the kids. I liked that the kids were willing to take on a service project.

Things I didn't like: I hated pretty much anything that was of a sexual nature in the book. There is a lot of making out, talk about sex, social media exploding over the course of an hour from a kiss in the hall to rumors of her being pregnant. Kids telling each other good job for having sex. I also felt like the author underplayed the magnitude of taking on the service project in such a short time period. That seems pretty unrealistic.

So, while this wasn't my kind of book, I know there are many who will love it. And the narration was pretty good.

Sex: making out, talk about sex, kids cheering each other on when they think they've had sex, but no actual sex on the page. (One teen couple in the background are pregnant and engaged).
Language: no
Violence: no
*I received a complimentary audio-book and voluntarily chose to review it.