Whatever Life Throws At You
Julie Cross
Published on October 7, 2014
Genres: New Adult, Romance, Young Adult 
About WHATEVER LIFE THROWS AT YOU:
Life loves a good curveball…
Seventeen-year-old Annie Lucas is too young to remember her dad’s glory days as a pitcher for the Yankees. So when her father is offered a coaching position with the Kansas City Royals, Annie is intrigued to see the baseball side of her dad. Of course, knowing he’ll be a mentor to hot young rookie pitcher, Jason Brody, certainly makes it more enticing.
After an awkward first meeting with “Brody” involving very little clothing and a much-too-personal locker room interview, Annie’s convinced she knows Brody’s type: arrogant, self-involved, bossy. As her dad grows closer to the pitching phenom, the friction between Brody and Annie increases. But when opening day arrives and it looks like both her dad and Brody may lose their dream jobs, Annie steps up and offers support. She and Brody call a truce that grows into friendship—and beyond. Falling for a rising star who’s quickly reaching a level that involves rabid female fans is not what Annie would call smart, except suddenly she’s getting hints that maybe this crush isn’t one-sided after all. Could someone like Brody actually fall for a girl like her?
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REVIEW:
I loved this book. I didn’t think I would because when I picked it up, I didn’t realize it’s a YA book, but I was hooked from page one. (And it’s really a NA book set in high school…and a great one at that!) I loved that this book was exactly what I needed to read. It reminds me that a good book is a good book, whether it’s YA, NA or even erotica! You can’t help but enjoy a well written, sweet, charming story!
Julie Cross has a way with words that allows you to escape realty and drift into a world filled with angst, love, heartbreak, friend and family, and so much more. From page one I was hooked and wanted to read, read, read to see what would happen next. I love a “forbidden” love story and this is a keeper!
Annie Lucas is a spitfire, a strong and assertive that I found myself admiring and thinking about long after I stopped reading. She is bright, respectful and driven high schooler who wants to make her dad proud and will battle with what she knows is right and what her heart wants. Jason Brody has had a rough start to life. A bad boy through and through, he finds himself with the chance of a lifetime. A chance in the majors. But with any good thing, comes stress, his past, and trying whatever it takes to pursue his dreams. But what happens when feelings for an off-limits younger girl threatens to destroy everything… is it worth it?
When a move across the country in Annie’s junior year of high school uproots her from Arizona and lands her in Kansas City, Annie finds herself smitten and crushing hard on the new bad boy in major-league baseball… the new pitcher for the KC Royals. *SWOON* Having her dad as his pitching coach leads to interactions between these two leading characters that transported me back to my high school/college days when young love was as sweet as it was nerve-racking. I literally sat in bed reading this book from cover to cover with a big ol’ smile on my face, instantly connected to these characters.
These two characters— I. LOVE. THEM. I love the natural way Annie is portrayed in this book. Her feelings are passionate and real. She questions her actions and wants to ultimately do what’s right. I was surprised how quickly I connected to her, and in a sense, lived vicariously through her by experiencing that all encompassing crush all over again! Brody is an older, “forbidden”, true bad boy with a past that proves it… He makes my heart flutter with his little interactions that is his way of showing Annie that he likes her, it’s adorably sweet. These characters have instant chemistry right from their first meeting. But NOT instalove which I truly appreciate…there’s real character development and the angst that is built up between these two love birds is freaking perfect! The banter between the two only adds to the angst and longing each has for each other, and made me want to skim to the end just to see for myself if it all turns out OK. But what I loved most about this couple is how their bond grew; From dislike, to understanding, to a friendship, to feelings they each try to understand, to love. The story is beautiful, entertaining and most of all enjoyable.
I really enjoyed this book. In my hectic life, reading this story allowed me to escape my realty and enjoy first love all over again. Julie Cross writes with a flow that makes this an easy top YA/NA book for me…and I look forward to reading more by her!
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EXCERPT:
BRODY: Have you seen the pool yet?
I haven’t but obviously I’m about to because my legs have decided to stand up on their own and I’m already heading for the guesthouse door, leading out to the pool.
The sky is clear outside and moonlight is bouncing off the water in the pool. Brody is now seated by the edge, his jeans rolled up and his feet dangling in. For barely a second, I debate going out there. He’s bound to piss me off and ruin my fun. That seems to be our norm. But then I remember the way he looked at me in the tunnel to the dugout right before the game and that feeling I got that maybe I’d been the only one to tell him he belonged here.
Be polite, Annie. But also cool. “How’s the water? Any icebergs in there?”
Brody looks up at me and grins. “It’s warm. They probably spent a shit-ton of money heating this giant mass.”
I nod toward the house. “Looks like one hell of a bash. Wouldn’t you have more fun inside than out here?”
“They tried to feed me mushrooms and fish eggs. I had no choice but to bail.”
I slip off my shoes and roll up the bottom of my jeans, taking a seat next to Brody. The water is warm. Probably eighty-something degrees. “Then you should be out celebrating. Finding some groupie girls that work at Hooters to hook up with.”
“Hooters, huh? Chicken wings do sound good right now.” He laughs. “How’s your party?”
About Julie Cross
Julie Cross lives in Central Illinois with her husband and three children. She’s a former gymnast and longtime gymnastics fan, coach, and former gymnastics program WHATEVER LIFE THROWS AT YOUctor with the YMCA. She’s a lover of books, devouring several novels a week, especially in the young adult and new adult genres. Outside of her reading and writing credentials, Julie is a committed—but not talented—long-distance runner, creator of imaginary beach vacations, Midwest bipolar-weather survivor, and expired CPR certification card holder, as well as a ponytail and gym-shoe addict.
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