Hooked by LIz Fichera

I'm very excited that I got an early galley of Hooked. This is the first one I have gotten in awhile since taking a break from blogging and it was definitely a good start. It is scheduled to be released on January 31^st. Before I give you what this book is about I want to say this was a refreshing read. It seems that a lot of literature is repeating itself with themes. I was really happy that this contemporary YA didn’t have a love triangle or a played out angle. Here’s the summary from goodreads:

Get hooked on a girl named Fred...

HE said: Fred Oday is a girl? Why is a girl taking my best friends spot on the boy's varsity golf team?

SHE said: Can I seriously do this? Can I join the boys' team? Everyone will hate me - especially Ryan Berenger.

HE said: Coach expects me to partner with Fred on the green? That is crazy bad. Fred's got to go - especially now that I can't get her out of my head. So not happening.

SHE said: Ryan can be nice, when he's not being a jerk. Like the time he carried my golf bag. But the girl from the rez and the spoiled rich boy from the suburbs? So not happening.

But there's no denying that things are happening as the girl with the killer swing takes on the boy with the killer smile...

I was a little leery of a book on golf but I was pleasantly surprised with the complexity of the story. This isn’t another story about a kid from the wrong side of the tracks. So here are the things that I loved about this book!

-       - Underneath the plot there are themes of race and gender woven throughout the book in a tasteful manner. Not only is Fred a girl but one of 6 Native Americans in her school. I really liked that the topic of race wasn’t overly prevalent in the story. It felt like it would be in today’s society.. subtle.

-  * I haven't read anything with a golf theme so it was nice to pick up something new while reading the book. 

-   * Fred is a great character. She is strong but still makes those around her want to shelter her. She is a great blend for a lead. Ryan is also a great character in that he is very flawed but it is a fairly realistic flaw.

Some of the points that I wasn’t as fond of:

-     * The relationship between Fred and Ryan moves really fast. Ryan goes from completely hating her to an intense like for her in a really short time. I really felt like that part was rushed and could have been developed a little slower especially since they didn’t go through any extreme situations that would rush their feelings.

-     * Some of the behavior that Ryan exhibits is completely without consequence. While his teenage rebellion is definitely realistic, however, the lack of punishment seemed completely unreal.

Overall I found that this book was extremely enjoyable and it was very different from the other books that have been coming out recently. I would recommend this for those that like Sarah Dessen and Jennifer Echols.