Series: Standalone
Release Date: October 7th, 2014
Sam Nolan is Skyhawk red born and raised. With her mom’s alcohol problem and her dad’s recent death, she lives for her little brother who is a big football fanatic.
There’s one rule in this town …
Trojans and Skyhawks don’t date. EVER.
So when Tyler and Sam fall fast and hard for each other, what are they to do? Keep it a secret of course.
The problem is in a town this small, secrets don’t stay secret for long.
• BIPOC characters
• LGBTQIA+ characters
• characters with a disability
And doesn’t address fatphobia
• Violence
• Allusions to physical abuse
• No cheating
• No OW/OM drama
• Does have the Hero pushing away
– This is what made the book Safe with Exceptions for me. Most would find this book completely safe but it really bugged me how the Hero purposefully broke his promise to the Heroine to “protect her.” For someone who’s been repeatedly abandoned by the people she loves, it was not a well thought out move. The good intention was there, but the Hero just ended up hurting the Heroine that much worse.
– And then, worse than that, he didn’t have the courage to stand up for his relationship when the Heroine asked him to during their separation. It took until the end of the novel.
• Does have a brief separation between the Hero and Heroine
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Based on the tale of Romeo and Juliet, in Secret Catch, we are introduced to Tyler and Sam. Two teenagers who attend rival school teams. Tyler is a wide receiver on the Trojans football team, and Sam is the cousin of wildcard footballer who’s on the Skyhawks. This seems like a match made in hell, but quickly they both realize that there’s something there between them. It just depends on whether they think it’s worth fighting for.
Books that are retellings are a weakness of mine. And it’s always incredibly exciting how each author puts their spin on the original plot. Secret Catch was probably the definition of a sweeping romance. It’s been so long since I’ve read a book where the two main characters are so caught up in each other, and there are no roadblocks that are directly from the main characters’ decisions, i.e. a career they don’t want to lose, or an ex-boy/girlfriend. This book was the perfect story of what I’d imagine a true teenage love is: they couldn’t stop thinking about each other, and even with all the problems in their way, they were mature about it (mostly) and trusting in each other.
The writing was upbeat and persuasive, so you felt that you were actually there with both Tyler and Sam, experiencing their relationship for yourself. The themes of friendship, trust and family were abundant in this book, and also how doing the right thing might not always be the thing you want to do. Some parts of Secret Catch were heartbreaking, and some I couldn’t really relate to, one being the crazy rivalry between the teams that resulted in many people getting hurt. Which brings me to ask the question, why wasn’t Sam’s cousin arrested?
Overall, Secret Catch was awesome to read! It was fast-paced and had a consistent storyline that kept me guessing from page to page. I adored both Tyler and Sam, and since the book was told in dual POV, you get the perspective of both. Usually, when it comes to dual POV, I prefer reading from the guy’s perspective, but in this book, I have to say it was a tie.
The characters in Secret Catch were adorable and funny! Sam’s little brother was a hoot! And Tyler’s relationship with all his brothers was great to read. I hope that Cassie Mae will continue to write about Tyler’s brothers since there seemed to be a story there.
Cassie Mae got another hit book, and I’m definitely looking forward to more books from Jessica Salyer.
Other Books I’ve Reviewed by Cassie Mae
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