Review: Whatever Life Throws at You by Julie Cross

This book review is part of our then and now series, where we revisit books that we enjoyed in the past.

Summary

Annie Lucas is ecstatic when her dad gets a job offer as a pitching cocah for the Kansas City Royals. Years ago, her dad played only one major league baseball game. Now, he gets to help the Royals and be a part of the baseball world again.

Annie thinks this is the perfect oppertunity for her dad and can’t wait to see him shine. Part of her dad’s job is working with the rookie 19 year old pitcher Jason Brody, who has a bit of a reputation. But Brody is ready to work and prove that he can be a great teammate.

Annie knows the hot rookie pitcher is totally offlimits, but the more time she spends with him, the more she realizes he’s not just a hot basbeall player. He’s someone she has a real connection with. During the baseball season, Annie and Brody try to figure out if their relationship can work off the field.

Then

We read Whatever Life Throws at You in 2014 and loved it. Seriously, baseball and romance, what more could you ask for?

We loved that the book was set throughout the baseball season and it was so much fun reading about the games. Seriously, how cool would it be to be able to see the games from a box and get to hangout with the players? We remembered being excited about this aspect of the book because we’re big sports fans.

The characters also made this book great. While we didn’t remember every detail, we rembered thinking that Brody was a great book boyfriend. We also liked Annie too and thought it was great that she was also an athlete.

We also remebered just having a great time with the book and reading it all at once.

Now

We thought that basbeall season was the perfect time to revisit Whatever Life Throws at You. And, we were in the mood for a swoonworthy romance.

Let’s start with the baseball aspect of the books. The other basbeall books we’ve read were set in the minor league, so seeing something in the majors is a lot of fun. We felt like Whatever Life Throws at you did a good job with accuracy when describing the games, the players and the publicity side of things.

While the baseball part is great, the romance is where this book truly shines. Who wouldn’t want the hot rookie player?

Jason Brody is even better than we remembered. He and Annie have great banter from the start. And he’s just such a sweet guy. He’s had a difficult past and the other players are jerks at first, so it’s nice seeing be able to be himself with Annie.

Annie is a great character as well and she has a lot to deal with too. Her mom comes and goes, never sticking around long enough. The family dynamic was interesting and it was nice seeing Annie stand up for herself, even though it was difficult.

Final Verdict

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ both then and now. If you’re a sports fan or searching for a great summer romance, we recommend reading Whatever Life Throws at You.