Girl at Heart by Kelly Oram Published by Bluefields in November 2019
Format: ebook
Source: Purchased
Buy on Amazon
As the daughter of a successful Major League pitcher, Charlie Hastings has baseball in her blood. Unfortunately, being the only girl on her high school baseball team, Charlie has always been just one of the guys.
When her best friend, and secret love of her life, asks another girl to the prom, Charlie is devastated. She’s tired of being overlooked by boys because she’s not like other girls. Suffering a massive identity crisis, she decides to hang up her cleats and finally learn how to be a girl.
But with only two weeks until the state championships, the Roosevelt High Ravens can’t afford to lose their star catcher. Team captain Jace King makes her a deal: Don’t quit the team, and he’ll help her become the girl she’s so desperate to be. After all, he’s got four sisters, one of whom happens to be a cheerleader. He knows a thing or two about girls. (And if he can win her heart in the process, all the better.)
From the bestselling young adult author of Cinder & Ella, V is for Virgin, and the Avery Shaw Experiment comes a new sweet romance that's sure to leave you with all the feels! Girl at Heart is a clean and wholesome sports romance that will leave you with warm fuzzies and an itch to watch a baseball game.
Girl at Heart by Kelly Oram was a perfect read for me during these crazy times. Kelly Oram is quite good at writing sweet YA romances, and Girl at Heart did not disappoint. Girl at Heart is centered around a baseball-playing girl that is having a hard time being a girl among a bunch of boys.
Girl at Heart had a lot of strong relationships, which I think made the story stand out. Charlie had to navigate finding her inner girl without losing her best friend Eric. She also was managing conflicting romantic feelings for Eric and the baseball captain Jace. Plus she was making her first female friend in Jace’s sister. It was fun watching Charlie making new friends while keeping her old ones and embracing her more feminine side without losing herself as a baseball player. I loved her growth, and Jace was such a sweetheart.
In regards to baseball, I’m no expert. I did appreciate that Charlie had what seemed to be a realistic view of her baseball opportunities beyond high school. She worked hard to be where she was at in her skill-level, and she knew playing baseball in college was a longshot.
If you’re in need of a feel-good read and enjoy YA romances, I’d highly recommend checking out Girl at Heart by Kelly Oram. It was an overall sweet read with a fun romance and some great friendships.
