Fumbled by Lizzi Stone Book Review
Title: Fumbled
Author: Lizzi Stone
Genre: Romance
Rating: ★★★★ (4/5)
Description: Hawk Florence has always been the football star, the guy that can make any girl fall in love with him- and then break their heart. And that’s exactly what he did to me way back in high school. Now I’ve been assigned to do a puff piece on him for a national sports journal, and I’m more than ready to get my revenge.
The plan is simple. First, sit him down and flatter the shit out of him. Laugh at his crappy jokes. Touch his arm, let it linger. When he asks me out, I’ll flutter my eyelashes and shyly accept. Then, make him fall in love. And devour him. I’m ready. I won’t fail. But there’s one thing that I didn’t plan for: he doesn’t ask me out. Instead, he calls me out on my BS. He’s not wrong, but that’s just one of the ways that my plan has already gone terribly wrong before it even begins.
When he does finally ask me out, it isn’t much of a date. Instead, it’s a few agonizing hours of going back and forth about why we hate each other. But there is one interesting thing that came out of our brief time together: the bet that Hawk makes with me- that he will make me fall in love in 3 weeks, in love for real. If he fails, he’ll give me every exclusive for the season. Of course, I accept. Why wouldn’t I? This will help my career, and it’s not like he has a prayer anyway. This jerk broke my heart in high school, and there’s no way that I will fall for the same trick twice. Or will I?
All bets are off when it comes to the heart. Fumbled is a standalone sports romcom that will make you wonder what to do when love- and football- gives you a second chance….
* I received my copy of Fumbled by Lizzi Stone from RMW Books, but all opinions are my own and are in no way impacted by this.
Fumbled by Lizzi Stone is the epitome of a smooth, seamless reading experience. It’s consistently fine like silk and coaxes the reader through the plot one chapter at a time. It never feels like a drag to pick up or continue, never falls into inescapable ruts that can bog down a story.
The book definitely deals in this business of cliches and, for the most part, it works. The story of an ugly duckling turned Cinderella reporter seeking revenge for the jock that broke her heart is a genuinely fun storyline to dive into. Sure there are some inherent pitfalls to this approach with a somewhat emphasis on conventional beauty standards BUT it’s a book that doesn’t feel superficial in its portrayal.
The author is great as writing fun, loose banter that keeps the reader on their toes. Whether it be between the main love interests or the side characters, the reader is never left bored by interactions between characters. It’s one of the many ways the story keeps itself upbeat and breezy to read through.
As this will be a series, one thing I always look at is how well it set up the books to come. I think Fumbled did an incredible job at setting up the series to follow. I found myself genuinely looking forward to its successors.
I know in the romance genre there is a big debate on occasion about HEA and how endings need to be described. I won’t spoil anything, but this book is a romance novel in every sense of the word. It manages to wrap the ending up in a bow that doesn’t feel glossed over and still manages to pack a punch to the reader.
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