Review: Sidelined by Kendra C. Highley

Sidelined by Kendra C. Highley

Published: October 1st, 2013
Publisher: Entangled: Teen

Format: E-book
Pages: 250
Genre: YA, Contemporary 

Purchase*: Barnes and Noble/ Amazon

Add on Goodreads

Source: ARC from Entangled Publishing for a honest review. 

After being pushed to excel her entire life, high school basketball star Genna Pierce is finally where she wants to be. University scouts are taking notice, her team is on its way to the state tourney, and Jake Butler, the hot boy she's daydreamed about since ninth grade, is showing somedefinite interest. When he asks her out and their relationship takes off, Genna believes things can't get better.

Then, it's over.

A freak accident ends her career before it's even begun. Her parents are fighting more than ever, her friends don't understand what she's going through, and she's not sure who she is without basketball. And while he tries to be there for her, Genna doesn't understand how Jake could ever want the broken version of the girl he fell for.

Her life in a tailspin, Genna turns to the only solace that eases her pain: Vicodin. 

   I found this book really enjoyable. The story, as read in a description, is about a girl who's dream has been crushed because of a freak accidents. Her life has ended...everything she ever wanted, especially to get a sport scholarship and have a basketball career, she can't have it. She is broken. She doesn't know how to deal with this, she doesn't know how to numb the pain, so she turns to Vicodin to do it for her. Before the accident everything was almost perfect, she had friend, a great team, and a popular hot boyfriend. Now she doesn't know if she can make it without basketball. The game was her life. It was her ticket out, and away from her parents. Now the game is over...or so she thinks.

   "I let my dreams fall to the floor. I watch as it crashes and breaks, and grief rolls over me in tsunami-sized waves, threatening to pull me to the bottom of the sea."

  I really liked Genna because of how real she was written, I think Kendra C. Highley did an amazing job of portraying  Genna and her struggle and everything she went through. I didn't expected to like this book as much as I did. One of the reasons was that Sidelined didn't focus as much on a romantic relationship of the story like most books do. This was more as seeing how teens struggle nowadays and this is really is going on in real life and people just don't see it but it is happening a lot. Sidelined really shows how addiction can break you and make you dependable on a drug.   

  The romantic relationship part of the story was not as great as I would want it to be. There were a lot of cliches and really predictable. But it didn't make a story less more interesting. I just didn't care much for the "couple" in the book, as much as on just Genna. 

  The relationship between Genna and her parents really give more spice to the story. I feel like if it was any other book, I would be annoyed with the way her relationship with her parents was, but I felt like it worked. 

 I would definitely recommend to check this book out and give it a shot!