Hooked

Hooked #1

by Liz Fichera

When Native American Fredricka ‘Fred’ Oday is invited to become the only girl on the school’s golf team, she can’t say no. This is an opportunity to shine, win a scholarship and go to university, something no one in her family has done.

But Fred’s presence on the team isn’t exactly welcome — especially not to rich golden boy Ryan Berenger, whose best friend was kicked off the team to make a spot for Fred.

But there’s no denying that things are happening between the girl with the killer swing and the boy with the killer smile...

Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Sports, Realistic Fiction, New Adult, High School

363 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Liz is an author living in the American Southwest by way of Chicago.

Reviews

[Alexis *Reality Bites* · Rating 3 out of 5]

SPOILER FREE REVIEW -mature content &/or language reader discretion is advised.
3 STARS out of 5
Genre: YA Romance



'But then in first period English, for the very first time, he looked at me: Ryan Berenger. The pretentious, moody guy, who couldn't be bothered to have dinner with his family, the one who always had his arm around the bleached-blonde girl from the pom squad...' ~Inner monologue of Fred





Fredrika better know as Fred is a Native American attending a public school that is off the reservation settlement where she lives. She is one of the few Native Americans at her school. Which is something that does not go unnoticed in the halls... Yes, racial judgments abound, clicks form, and Fred is pretty much a loner. But today there is cause to be happy. Today Fred starts a new journey. One that may not be pleasing to many.

Fred O'day is the new guy on the team. Let me rephrase that.. Fred is the new girl on an ALL male team of golfers. Hand picked by the coach himself. To Fred this is one of those opportunities she must take because it can lead to bigger opportunities. And her main goal is to get a scholarship at a university.

What Fred does not expect is the blatant disrespect and instant enemies she has made by taking the spot of another guy on the team.

I pulled closer, full on curious.
"He. Kicked me. Off. The fucking. Team."
"Say what"....

...."Some girl named Fred O'day got my spot."
"A girl?" I was speechless. My eyes narrowed. There was that odd girl name again. Fred" ~Seth and Ryan

'I didn't even know this girl, but I already hated her.' ~Inner monologue of Ryan



Ryan is the jock you can find at every high school he's cute, popular, likes to party and is dating an equally cute, popular, likes to party girl. Though everything is not what it appears to be with the popular jock. At school things appear fine yet at home his life is everything but fine.


UnWanted
Fred can't live down the fact that she is a girl. Nor can she live down the fact that she is Native American. Both seem to be the basis of the hate she receives from EVERYONE. Except Ryan. Ryan is purely pissed because she took his best friends spot on the team. When the pranks and racial slurs begin to bother Ryan he decides to be nice to Fred. His friends however have other plans. And when Seth notices that his best friend is getting a little to close to Fred. He amps up the torture dish.

Seth is one of those characters the writer makes you despise in every way... He is mean, ignorant and down right crude.



After a whole lot of bull crap of back and forth between Ryan and Fred, tragedy strikes. Fred is left to depend on the last person she wants to... Ryan. What Ryan does for Fred and her loved one is something she could never repay.


My Thoughts
Hmmmm. I'm not really sure what to say... I hated the whole racial discrimination story line of this book. Seth calling her 'Pocahontas' was really pissing me off. I know it's a real issue, and I applaud the author for tackling it. I just felt it was a little over done. Orrrr maybe not. Seth's jealousy seemed to be what fueled his rage more then race. Well, that is strictly my opinion, others may disagree.
I thought the writing was fair. The plot however was not what I expected. At all. The cover and the synopsis given lead you to believe the book is about a HOT romance with
- a girl who gets on an all boys golf team
- and a guy that falls for the girl who took his best-friend's spot on the team
In actuality the romance plays a small role to the racial tension. Again, this is my opinion.
Overall I thought the book was just ok. If the plot sounds like something that may interest you, then by all means check it out!


My Ratings
Characters- Some Likeable, some not
Writing Style- Fair
Plot/Storyline- Romance buds amongst racial tension
Steam Factor- Low/PG-13 Romance
Overall- Not what I expected.

Now go forth and read. Then come tell us about it on Goodreads!
For more reviews got to http://realitybites-letsgetlost.blogs...

**Copy kindly provided by the author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think the US cover for his book is awful. I used the UK cover for my blog but I'm not sure either cover is a good fit for this book. The US cover screams sex and there wasn't even a sex scene in the book. There wasn't even much sizzle between Fred & Ryan.

I didn't have very high expectations for this book I think because I judged it by its US cover. I only started reading it after I saw the UK cover. Golf isn't my thing and having a girl on a boys team is not a new story-line. There wasn't anything that hadn't been done before... rich guy, poor girl, prejudice, etc. but it was well written and I kept reading.

I liked Fred, I was rooting for her to succeed with everything that was stacked against her. I can't say the same for Ryan but by the end of the book he'd grown on me and the ending was satisfying.



Rating: 3.5 Stars - Good Book

Content: Some language including at least a half dozen F bombs. No sex scenes but there is some talk of sex and some innuendo and a few crude comments.

Source: Netgalley

Genre/Age Level: Young Adult Contemporary, 16+




Finished December 25, 2012

[Zemira Warner · Rating 2 out of 5]

This review is also featured on my blog ILoveTeenBooks.

2.5 stars

This is a story about Fred, a Native American girl golfer who joins her all boy’s Varsity high school golf team. She gets Seth’s place on the team and he is not happy about that. His best friend, Ryan accepts the fact Seth won’t be joining him again really fast. But Seth can’t let it go even though he is not very good at golf. So he starts to bully Fred at every chance he gets.

What I liked about this story that it’s about sports-golf, to be exact. I don’t know anything about golf so it was refreshing to actually learn something reading YA novels. I thought golf was only for white, bored rich people but I couldn’t be more wrong. Apparently, even girls can play it. Crazy, I know. :P

When I first saw this book on GoodReads I thought Wow, I gotta have this. But when I started reading it it wasn’t what I thought it would be. That is probably my problem, for thinking Fred would stand up for herself when people called her Pocahontas and dirty Indian. I just hate watching people get bullied because I used to be bullied too. But the difference between Fred and me is that I fought back and eventually the scum who tormented me backed away after they saw I wouldn’t put up with their shit.

Also,at times it got a lot of dramatic. All sorts of bad things kept happening to the MC and it went too far. IMO.

When it comes to the romance I was also disappointed and that disappointment is connect with the way I thought Fred would be as a character. Ryan isn’t perfect either but he did man up a couple of times and I respect that. It would be better if we got more of Fred and Ryan scenes where they would talk and get to know each other better but those scenes kind of faded into black.

In conclusion, I liked this book enough to read the second book, Played when it comes out. The main characters in this book will be Fred’s friend Sam and Ryan’s sister Riley.

[MarciaB - Book Muster Down Under · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Blurb
“When Native American Fredericka ‘Fred’ Oday is invited to become the only girl on the school’s golf team, she can’t say no. This is an opportunity to shine, win a scholarship and go to university, something no one in her family has done.

But Fred’s presence on the team isn’t exactly welcome — especially not to rich golden boy Ryan Berenger, whose best friend was kicked off the team to make a spot for Fred.

But there’s no denying that things are happening between the girl with the killer swing and the boy with the killer smile...

GET HOOKED ON A GIRL NAMED FRED.”

Overview
Fred is an ordinary, every day kind of girl but there’s just one thing wrong (according to her “white” peers) – she’s a Native American.

So, when the coach at her high school approaches her to join the all boys' Golf team, because of her fantastic golfing abilities, she is somewhat sceptical about where exactly she will fit in - after all, these are all rich, white boys! And, to make matters worse, one of the team members is kicked off to make place for her.

With her decades old plaid golf bag, second-hand clubs and tennis shoes, she still manages to hold her head up high and be the best player she can, as well as catch the eye of the most popular boy at school.

Ryan Berenger is not your typical rich boy – on the outside perhaps – but on the inside, he’s quite a nice guy who’s actually in a bit of emotional turmoil with the state of affairs at home - a father who never has the time to watch him play any golf tournaments and a mother who’s frequently away due to work commitments.

So, rich boy aside, it’s no wonder that Fred has managed to capture his attention – only problem is, he has an equally rich girlfriend who’s in the way and an almost demented best friend who shows extreme hatred for Native Americans and tries to intimidate Fred every chance he gets. Whilst Ryan wrestles with his growing feelings for his golf partner he can’t help but feel allegiance to a boy who’s been his best friend forever.

With not a lot of communication happening between Fred and Ryan and therefore their feelings for one another not being voiced, it comes as no surprise that a multitude of misunderstandings will be created.

My Thoughts
It’s been a while since I read a Young Adult novel and I’m so glad that this one found its way to my doorstep.

I love a story which touches on social issues that plague our society today, and this one sure has it fair share - from racial prejudice and gender equality (or inequality) to bullying and alcohol abuse.
With chapters told alternately from the point of view of both Fred and Ryan, we are privy to the inner turmoil felt by these characters and I could quite easily relate to both.

As I’m sure you’ll recall from previous reviews I have written where alcohol abuse has been touched on, it also played a role in my teenage years so I could therefore sympathise with the fact that Fred did not want anyone knowing where she lived as I, like her, was embarrassed to have friends around. Thankfully though, it was not my mother afflicted by the disease and I never had occasion to be embarrassed about the state of our living quarters with her always keeping a beautiful home.

I could also empathise with Ryan’s inability to embrace individuality –it’s hard being a teenager and, from this book we learn that peer pressure is all too real. Even though we have our own opinions about things, individuality is often times not yet mastered, and it can become extremely difficult to get beyond that pressure and strike out by saying “this is what I want”, for fear of being rejected.

Although Golf has never been one of my favourite sports I found that whilst I now know what a “tee box” and “under par” means, Liz Fichera has skilfully found a balance between the sport and the underlying issues at hand.

I’ve given this book a 5 star rating and I wish to thank both the publisher, Harlequin Teen, an imprint of Harlequin Books, as well as The Reading Room for providing a hard copy and affording me the opportunity to write a review.

A Little About the Author (adapted from the Author’s website)
Liz Fichera is an American author living in the American Southwest by way of Chicago.

Born and raised in Park Ridge, Illinois, she moved to Phoenix, Arizona, after college, never expecting to live more than one year among cactus and people who’d never seen snow. She was wrong and it certainly didn’t hurt that she met her future husband in Phoenix too.

Most of Liz’s stories are set in the American Southwest because she thinks the desert is a cool place. Living in Phoenix, she’s surrounded by Native American culture and influences, not to mention intriguing Hohokam petroglyphs and centuries-old canals. With 20 tribes in Arizona, she’s lucky to be neighbours to the Gila River and Salt River Indian Communities.

When Liz is not busy writing her next novel, Played, which is the sequel to Hooked, and due for release in 2014, she likes to travel, visit museums and support local theatre productions, hike and pretend that she’s training for a triathlon.

[Tee loves Kyle Jacobson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hooked is one of those books that will Hook you in. I have to say I started it on Thanksgiving morning at 5am while I was prepping the food and I read it till 5pm. I could not not that is not true I would not put this book down. I needed to finish it like I needed air to breathe. Okay so I am going to tell you why I loved this book so much first. First off I love the fact that the characters came from different backgrounds. Fredricka Oday is an Indian girl from the Reservation and Ryan Berenger is a rich spoiled brat from the rich side of town. Then their is the whole Golf thing. Lord I love Golf. I really can't play that good but I do love the sport. But what happens when you put together two different people with two different backgrounds you get this EPIC story like HOOKED!

This is Liz Fichera's debut book coming out in January and dam it is going to be a top best seller for the YA genre. This book took me on so many roller coaster rides that I was rooting for the two all the way to the end. There are just some people who belong together and there are people who don't belong together.This is a story about two people who will have to cross cultural biases and prejudices to be together but in the end what they find and get is a beautiful story.

Fred is from the Reservation. She lives a simple life keeping her head down and nose clear off all trouble. One day while she is at the Golf Range practicing her golf while her father is working she is approached by the golf coach off the high school she attends. The coach wants her to play on the high school team but she is not sure because she has never done any team sports or anything like that. But she has come to love golf and needs it to escape the issues she is having at home. So she asks her father and he reluctantly agrees.

Ryan Berenger is a spoiled brat who follows his best friend Seth around. He really doesn't think about anything and is angry at his parents and hates his life but he has no backbone to say anything to anyone. Golf for him is an escape as well and he is more than excited to be starting his Junior year playing golf with his best friend Seth. But that is not what happens because Seth is kicked off the team and Fred replaces him. This action has caused the whole golf team to act up and Seth has decided to take matters into his own hands.

What happens next is a story you will have to read because you will be surprised what happens. Take a ride from two points of view, Ryan and Fred tell their story like only they can and you will not be disappointed. Learn about the Rez (Reservation) and learn what it is like to grow up in privileged but have no love. Totally EPIC story that I loved so much when the book comes out I am buying a copy and reading it over again!

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

See more reviews at YA Midnight Reads

2.5 stars

Thank you Cuddlebuggery for sending me this copy!

'But then in first period English, for the very first time, he looked at me: Ryan Berenger. The pretentious, moody guy, who couldn't be bothered to have dinner with his family, the one who always had his arm around the bleached-blonde girl from the pom squad.'

One of these days I am going to read the beginning of a contemporary novel then predict how the romance builds-up. Chances are, I'm going to get a gold star. Now that I've become more attentive about the contemporary genre, I am starting to realise that the romance is pretty much the same. While the complications may be different, it's the same stereotypes and same ending. While Hooked was no exception, I did enjoy the plot and depth this novel expanded towards.

We have the world's greatest twist at the beginning. Meet Fred Oday, she's a girl. *gasps all around* But it was a difficulty for me to wrap my head around it for the first few chapters, eventually, the name stuck with me like glue. When Fred replaces a rich white boy in the school boys golf team, she realises that she is in a lot of trouble. From the sardonic remarks and teases, Fred attempts to adjust with the unfortunate events- anything to let herself play golf. However it doesn't help that she's a girl, or that she's a native Indian.

What really concerned me about Hooked were the characters. They were so mediocrely typical. Not that they were disastrous in terms of personality but they certainly were not agreeable. Fred is a rather irritating character- she's constantly second guessing herself and tends to block out conversations when she feels like it. Her complexion definitely leans towards sensitive and annoying. Then we have Ryan. He's got ego of a trite quarter-back player. Except he undergoes some minor character development which was nice for a change. I guess what scares me most is that the characters are insignificant therefore, like some people have mentioned, are forgettable and dismissing.

The romance was something I preferred than the characters. While I couldn't connect truly and wholly towards the love interests, I was fascinated by the chemistry and endurance that lingered throughout. There are a few bumpy cracks along the ride that sung cliché but the bulk lay towards entertaining.

Another aspect that I enjoyed- in fact my ultimately preferred quality of Hooked had to be it's deeper meanings and plot line. It's rare to find such topics of racism and poor and rich incorporated in a seemingly light summer read. Fichera's skills by not making the racism coming out forced and rude was admirable. However, the racism layer fell short of a but as we did not get to know a lot of Fred's heritage. Nevertheless, the rich and poor comparison was effective and sometimes touching.

The plot of this contemporary was like no other. We have our wonderful golf matches which also have a hidden meaning of patronising condensation- which can be linked back to racism. Throughout, I was adoring Fichera's plot and how the multiple morals leaked in between.

A sweet, yet deep novel, Hooked may disappoint at a first glance. But can represent some important messages that should be addressed and observed. Overall, an absorbing novel.

[SueBee★bring me an alpha!★ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars! YA romance with an unusual plot and a captivating heroine, but a less memorable hero.

This is a series, but each book will have its own H/h. Book 2 (Played) is due out in 2014 and will be about the sister and friend of this book’s H/h.

Fredricka Oday, “Fred”, “Daughter of the River People” (16 years/Junior in high school/Native American/black hair/black eyes) has grown up on the Gila River Indian Reservation in Arizona with her father and brother, and her unstable, alcoholic mom. She has been attending the “regular white” high school only because there is no high school on the reservation. Fred is a self-taught golf player with “a heck of a golf swing”. Her father works as a groundskeeper at the local Country club and that’s where she captures the attention of her high school’s golf coach. He begs her to join the school’s all (privileged white) boys’ varsity golf team. In doing so she kicks one player off the team, Sam. Ryan Berenger (16-17 years/student/blond hair/blue eyes) is Sam’s best friend and he’s not happy about it. But soon his feelings are torn between his loyalty to Sam and his growing attraction and fascination with Fred. The story goes from there.

The story is alternating between Ryan’s and Fred’s POV.

Fred is a wonderful heroine. Growing up with a volatile mom and isolated on a reservation, faced with prejudice, has made her timid and reserved - invisible. But underneath the surface of a girl hiding her face and twirling her hair lies a smart, beautiful, resolute, enchanting, and proud young lady. Golf started as an escape from her mom/home, but soon developed into a passion. No one on her reservation has ever gone further than high school. The last several years she has worked hard in school and practiced her golf game with the hopes that somehow it might open the door for her to attend college. I was so rooting for her dreams to come true…

Ryan has grown up privileged in comparison. At first glance he’s a guy that parties, hangs out with the in crowd, maintains OK grades. He kind of goes along with status quo – girlfriend by default and sitting by when his friend, Sam, kept on seeking revenge on Fred. He is not a bad person, but he has a lot of growing up to do. We soon discover that he is frustrated and unhappy. He has anger issues, mainly directed towards his parents. He is almost lethargic in his attitude towards college and his future. His one passion in life is golf. Fred changed the game –she was his game changer.

I might have wished that story spanned a longer period of time. For me Ryan’s growth and development wasn’t fast and deep enough. I did not connect with him the way I connected with Fred.

The book is well written and the story flows easily. This is a YA story and overall it was an enjoyable read.

***
Hero rating: 3.5 stars
Heroine rating: 4.5 stars
Story line concept rating: 4 stars
Story ending rating: 3 stars
Sex scenes rating: N/A
Sex scenes frequency: N/A
******************************
Overall rating: 3.75 stars

Would I re-read this book: No.
Would I read future books by this author: Yes.

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok. This book. Eugh I feel a little bad for what I am about to write. Maybe I am unfair in judgement?
You see my major critic with this book stems from the fact that I have never, seen, took part or am aware of anything golf related. Therefore all these terms like 'par' I had to google, which as you can imagine got really annoying and prevented me from getting the most out if and fully relating to this story.

Ill apologise in advance to all you golfers, LETS BE FAIR THOUGH, GOLF IS NOT THE MOST EXCITING PAST TIME IN EXISTENCE IS IT?

Did any other non-golfers face this issue?
You see I didn't realise there was a page dedicated to describing golfing terms located within my E-copy I received. I mean why out it at the END? REALLY? You don't think the beginning seems like a better idea. Not everyone peeks at the end you know. Anyways I found this book bored me quite a lot, it ALL revolved around the game of golf. I mean how can your attraction stem from someone swinging a golf bat? Admiration yes, love? No. It all seems unrealistic to me.

Besides all of this when I look past the golf barrier I really did enjoy certain aspects of this book like, Ryan was a really good guy. He looked past his parents prejudice of people on the wrong side of the track and didn't let his friends judgement of 'Indians' stop him from noticing the very intriguing and quiet Fredricka.
Also even though he hardly ever agreed with Seth- his best friends behaviour he always tried to support him and be there for hi, when his dads anger spiralled way past the point of control. But he did let Seth manipulate him to a degree.

It highlighted some major teen issues such as peer pressure and stereotyping, Ryan was a very neat guy. He made his own judgement on people and saw them for who they were rather than what they had.

The writing- I wouldn't say it was perfect, but it was good. This book didn't compel or enamour me and I didn't read it all in one sitting since sometimes it did get boring. But it was an ok read, and I did love the chemistry between the two leading characters. I even felt sorry for Seth. He was just a spoiled rich kid, who thought he owned and could control whatever he had around him. Plus he didn't have the best parents and therefore role models.

This book was a good read, the ending could have been elaborated on and concluded better however.

[Syndi · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is just bad. It is YA romance but with very bad characters and bad writing. The twist and the cliffhangers are scatter everywhere trying to make this book to be 300 plus something pages. Ryan is a whiner. Fred is just.... weak and pathetic. There is no serious character development and the plot is very very predictable.

Plus the gold thing is just make it very unrealistic.

Very bad. Just a disaster

[Brittany (whatbritreads) · Rating 1 out of 5]

*Actual rating 1.5 stars, rounded down for the sake of Goodreads.*

I went into this book so optimistic. I was like oh yay a golf romance book following a golf girlie in a male dominated sport, and she’s also Native, and it’s an enemies to lovers! As a concept, that’s a recipe for a great story. Unfortunately the execution left a lot to be desired.

The writing did strike me from the offset as poor, but I was trying to give it the benefit of the doubt with it being a ya novel. It never improved, and it started to give me mild Binding 13 vibes. It ended up being extremely childish, and it was obvious that this was written by a much older person who was making a guess at how teenagers act and speak, because it didn't feel at all natural. I mean in a nutshell, it’s a ya book written in 2013 - it kind of reads exactly how you’d expect. It wasn’t as awful as it could have been, but it was pretty bad. It’s also littered with typos and grammatical mistakes that became hard to ignore.

The golf aspects here were actually probably my favourite bits, this is the most golf I’ve seen in a golf centred sports romance book so far, so that was really nice and refreshing. It was clear that the author had put effort into developing that aspect of the book; either she plays or knows someone who plays, or she put time into doing adequate research. I have to give credit that there appeared to be genuine interest, and I liked the golf bits most of all - they were quite engaging.

Outside of golf, the plot of this book was a hot mess. What started out pretty tame descended into lots of teen high school drama, that read more like a television soap opera than a well planned out story. This book was completely devoid of personality or emotion, and the events started to get absolutely ridiculous, particularly toward the last half. We just completely abandoned anything realistic and it felt like random events were thrown in for the shock value. The bit that actually made me laugh out loud was toward the end when (SPOILER) Fred’s dad randomly goes into cardiac arrest, and Ryan saves him. At this point he begins to perform some bizarre form of CPR, and in one instance randomly balls his fist and punches him really hard in the chest? It was actually hilarious. But then it was even funnier because Fred asked him where he learned this life saving CPR and he replied that his mom is a doctor. And then his mom ends up being at the hospital to perform this life saving heart surgery on the day. (END SPOILER). I’ve never read anything so silly in my life. It was just entirely too coincidental and farfetched. Also what in the white saviour complex?!

The romance between Fred and Ryan was very dull. It wasn’t developed enough at all, and they were still going back and forth on whether they wanted to be together by the end. We had a weird love square situation where both of them were actually seeing and kissing other people, but still thinking about the other. It was chaotic, and a bit strange. Their characterisation was just extremely weak, and they had very poor chemistry. I just didn’t care about them, and I was struggling to believe they genuinely cared about each other because of how superficial everything felt. I didn't care about any of the side characters either, because they didn't feel developed at all.

It became very clear very quickly that the author of this book is not Native, because the representation was honestly awful. I assume it was well intentioned and the sentiment behind the story is there, but the execution of it borders on harmful. I’m not Native myself, but this has been highlighted in other own voice reviews that I’ve read of this book, so it is clearly an issue. It started small, with certain things just feeling a little off, but the snowballed into really uncomfortable content. The racism in this book that Fred experiences is so upsetting, and I feel like it went unchallenged for far too long. It kept increasing in severity and it wasn’t just verbal slurs and bullying, but she was actively being singled out and put through hell. And her so called white saviour Ryan did not scold his friends seriously enough for my liking, he was too calm about it. It just didn't feel like a necessary inclusion to have the racism be so traumatic, but to have it run rampant and not even explored respectfully felt even worse. I deeply disliked it.

Yeah the epilogue was cute but spending a whole book unfocused and then rushing to wrap everything in a neat little bow in 30 pages will not work. The happily ever after doesn’t quite cut it in a rush when the rest of the book is bogged down by unresolved trauma. This was wild.

[Naoms · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally posted onConfessions of an Opinionated Book Geek

3.5 Stars

Fred likes to play golf. In fact, golf is the only thing in her life that makes her feel good. So, when the coach of the high school golf team asks her to join, Fred jumps at the chance. The problem is that everyone else on the team is male, privileged and white, three things that Fred is not. And the fact that a popular boy was kicked off the team to make space for Fred, doesn’t make things better for her. “Hooked” is told from the POVs of both Fred and school it-boy Ryan. Through their eyes we get to see both sides of the story. It’s all direction and misdirection and how easily it is for the smallest thing to be misconstrued and made into a much bigger problem.

After starting, but not finishing “Perfect Chemistry,” I became weary of reading teenaged interracial contemporary romance. “Perfect Chemistry” is one of the most ignorant and prejudiced books I have ever read. Reading the synopsis of “Hooked,” I was afraid to be bombarded with another ignorant authors idea of teenage romance and what it means to be a minority in this country. Fortunately, “Hooked” is not like that at all. “Hooked” is an honest and well researched. The author did not try to pretend that the divide and distrust between the two groups at this high school was anything but racially charged confusion and ignorance. She didn’t offend my intelligence by trying to excuse, sugarcoat or over exaggerate the situation. She also doesn’t write cliche and stereotypical Native American characters. Both sides of the line have been separated and held back from the other. They do not know each other, they do not understand each other’s ways, but a girl with the strange name of Fred and the game of football is about to change all that.

I recognized a problem with this book on the first page. I opened the book believing it to be about football/soccer, but it’s actually about golf. Golf is a sport I do not get. Footy I get. Rugby, cricket, basketball and American football and baseball, I get all of those. I even understand why people play on bowling leagues, but golf? I just don’t get why anyone competes in that and I was sure this would prevent my enjoyment of “Hooked.”

I was wrong. Golf in “Hooked” is not described from the point if view of the audience, but from the inner thoughts of the players mind. . To Fred Golf is an escape, the one thing she is truly good at and a symbol of her hope for the future. Golf is the thing that can get her out of her family trailer on the reservation. Golf is also her hiding place from her problems. When life gets her down she picks up a nine iron and puts a few balls on the range. (Ha, I learned golf lingo, boom!)

Initially being in Ryan’s head did not endear him to me. His POV gave me the same reaction that meeting him in a high school hallway would give me; spoiled privileged kid who thought his life sucked, but had no earthly idea how lucky he was. I mean what kind of kid doesn’t recognize a girl he has classes with? This is not college where your in a lecture with 250 people! This is high school with what 20 kids per class? To make matters worse he called “The Great Gatsby” a lame 100 yr old book that never made any sense! That frame of thought did not endear him to me, as Gatsby is one of my favorite books.

One thing that works beautifully in “Hooked” is the evolution of Ryan’s character. Sometimes in life we meet people who move through our world like a tornado. They make you take a closer look at yourself and the people around you. They make you question the status quo of your life and as a result you begin to question who you are and what you stand for. Fred is the storm that blows through Ryan’s existence. His POV goes from whiney and cliche teenage angst to thoughtful and full of purpose. Ryan is still a teenager at the end, so there is still overblown angst, but he goes through a transformation that I enjoyed reading.

The love story in “Hooked” is well crafted and filled with dozens of emotions. Fred and Ryan do not look at each other across the room and are instantly in an epic romance. This story, like love, takes its time. It is bumpy in place, smooth in others and has a lot of hurdles to jump over. These characters go from enemies, to tentative team mates, hesitant friends and them finally it becomes more. It is not easy for these two and it is not a match made in heaven. No matter our age group, we all have baggage. We come with family, friends, traditions, expectations and prejudices. It is just a matter of deciding that the other person is worth it.

“Hooked” is not a unique story and at moments it is filled with overblown drama, but it is sweet. By the middle of this book you will be rooting for these kids and hoping that they can figure it out. This story is complicated and filled with half starts and full stops. Your emotions will be all over the place and your frustration will rise, but it will be worth it to finish this journey with Fred and Ryan.

-Rh

Recommended for fans of YA, people who like a good romance and anyone looking for books about interracial couples.

Release Date: February. 1, 2013

**ARC by Netgalley and Harlequin Enterprises Australia

[Teresa Mary Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

More Reviews Here: Readers Live A Thousand Lives

Fun fact about Teresa: I have been playing golf since I was about 9 years old. For years I dealt with all the “girls don’t play golf” crap and having to prove myself to the boys. Heck it still happens today. So it is not a surprise that this book caught my attention immediately. I just knew I had to read it. At the same time though, I was worried. As someone who knows golf, I was worried that it wouldn’t feel authentic and that I would be able to find discrepancies simply because I know they game. However, it is clear that Liz Fichera knew what she was talking about. She portrayed the game of golf perfectly and I was addicted to the story.

Fred was a girl I immediately took a liking to because she was strong. She took her spot on the boys team even though she knew it would be difficult and that everyone would be waiting for her to fail. At the same time though, things did bother her and she did break down. At times the bullying got to be too much and yes I do consider what she had to deal with bullying. She is only human and at times she doubted herself. She was real and relatable and I loved it.

Ryan on the other hand is what we could consider the typical pretty boy jock. He is not nice to her in the beginning; in fact he goes out of his way to be mean. However, he can’t seem to stop thinking about her and he finally realizes that “duh” he likes her. While Ryan was not the most likable in the beginning, I still came to love his character. This is because he owns up to his mistakes and tries to correct them. Like Fred, Ryan is not perfect, he is real and relatable and he really does try.

I think my favorite part about Hooked was that I could really feel the characters emotions. I got nervous and excited and upset right alongside the characters. When Fred stepped up to take that first swing in front of the boys I could literally feel her anxiety and I flashed back to many similar moments I have had in my golfing career. Then when she miffed it, I cringed alongside her. Maybe I felt this way because I have been in the exact situation before, but I also think it had a lot to do with the way the author portrayed the situation. She did a wonderful job of portraying the emotions and not just describing them.

While I loved the story as a whole, I do have one complaint. There was a lot, and I mean a lot, of drama in this book. We all know I eat up the drama, but only to a point. Towards the end I just got to a point where I was like “seriously, again.” Just when you thought things might finally get better, something else seems to get in the way. I was quite aggravated at certain side characters at one point. But I digress; this is a small point in a much bigger picture.

All in all, Hooked is a great contemporary read and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a contemporary with a bit of a different twist. The story is cute and fun, but it also touches on the difficulties of being different. Simply put, I cannot wait for the next book: Played.

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

[Dayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review first appeared on my blog: Book Addict 24-7

I received a copy in exchange for an honest review

Liz Fichera's Hooked is a young adult novel that deals out originality like a pro card dealer, but not so much that the reader might be put off by the newness of the topics explored.

Fichera brings to light the difficulties that Native Americans may face, especially teenagers that grow up alongside the larger population of caucasian residents. Hooked is like candy for the reader, despite its admittedly eye-opening topic. When the novel concludes, the reader will have cavities from all the drama, but s/he will also have the sweet memory of the treat s/he has just devoured.

Fred is a Native American girl that has a killer golf swing. Unfortunately, she also has the bad luck of pissing off a very racist character. While Ryan, a character that has his own hardships, shows that wealth isn't always as great as it appears. These two characters are a perfect pairing because, despite the drama, they help each other grow into the strong individuals that conclude the novel.

I loved the little footnotes in the first half of the novel. They helped me understand what Fred was talking about. It was also pretty cool reading a couple of the Native chants and prayers, but I wish there were more facts included.

In her defense, Fichera does a wonderful job of writing both sides of the story--Fred's secluded world and Ryan's destructive world. I just wish that I could have learned more about Fred's customs, rather than what I already learned while I was in school.

The romance is riveting, both in a good and bad way.

These two characters are from worlds that belittle each other, so of course there will be conflict once they come together. I thought it was sad that the characters were not stronger than what is expected of them. Ryan's inaction drove me insane, while Fred's inability to understand was irritating. Despite their issues and teenaged behavior, because really, they are just teenagers trying to figure out issues that even adults tend to run from, Fred and Ryan are one of those pairings that make you go "Aww!" at one point, then, "Ugh!" at another--which is good, since it elicits a reaction from the reader.

The racism in this book is terrifying. Fichera brings to focus not just the hardships that Native Americans face financially, but the ones they face socially. What I liked most is how the descriptions of the racism in Fred and Ryans' world can be applied to almost any minority. Why do I like it? Because it brings awareness to more cultural groups, rather than limiting it to one specific culture.

I would recommend Hooked to fans of contemporary romance for young adults. Also, to readers who want a fresh romance that isn't too disimilar, but is enticing in its newness. Fichera writes a fast-paced, frightening, and romantic novel full of passion for sports, difficult romance, and obstacles that create great character growth.

[Nana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the story so much!
Fred was living a tough life but she owned it. I love her.
And wow, who knows that golf can be so interesting?

FULL REVIEW IS UP!!

This book really hooked me from the first time I read it. The story is so intriguing and deliciously written. Although there are so many golf stuffs here and there, it didn't confuse me at all (thanks to the glossary at the end of the book). In fact, I really enjoyed it. It really enriched my knowledge about golf. And I love Fred's character. She's so determined and focus and I love how she really loved her family despite the chaos. I can see why she can be a great golfer and I believe that she can be succeed in the future. Fred didn't sweat the small stuffs and despite all the drama she had after her joining the team, it didn't affect her performance in the golf course. However, I am a bit disappointed with Ryan. He's kind and yes, he had all that needed to be a heartthrob but I hate his inconsistency in choosing Fred or his clique. I mean, oh please.. Seth was insane and Gwyneth is nothing better. Why don't you just leave them?

For me, this book is not only talking about teenage love story but also about how to fight for your dream and how to change people's perspective towards you. Fred is definitely a perfect example for teenager on how to survive in school and life in general without losing their true identities. This book also will open its readers' mind that sometimes maybe we still discriminate people based on their appearance and this is not a good thing to do. We can start changing our perspective after we read this book.

One thing I kinda dislike about this book is the cover. The cover for Australian version is gorgeous indeed.. But I don't think it represents the book well. The cover gives summer-ish and beachy feeling while both were not in the story at all. I think a picture of golfcourse and clubs will be better.

My final verdict for this book is that I recommend this book to be read by all teenagers. The story is quite nice and you can learn a lot from this book.

Find more reviews by me here: http://readinginthemorning.blogspot.com

[Eden · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh, I so wanted to like this. But Fred and Ryan just didn't sell themselves as real characters to me. Both are a little on the passive side, and their relationship is devoid of tangible chemistry. As well, trying to focus on both their troublesome parental issues resulted in neither being fully developed.

The side characters ranged from great (Yolanda and the other girls from the rez) to absurd, like Ryan's friend Seth, whose main purpose seems to be to shower hate on Fred with an implausible reason behind his prejudice. And the big problem I have with this is that his racist behaviour is never really dealt with, head-on. After Seth does some serious over-the-top racist stuff, he cries, he's made to seem like a loser, he basically hits rock bottom. But nobody, not even Ryan, addresses his prejudice like "Yo, buddy, racism isn't right." Instead Ryan mutters "Shut up, don't call her Pocahontas" and leaves it at that.

To me, that avoids the main source of conflict to the whole book, and more importantly doesn't present the racism as something solvable. We don't need everyone to become all accepting and open-minded, but the theme topic deserves to be dealt with directly.

That being said, Fred's life on the reservation is remarkably detailed and fully realized, from the trailers to the nameless dogs to the miles of empty space between neighbours. This also serves to make the distinctions between social classes clear (another excellent theme that could've been developed so much more).

Because the conflict stems mainly through the tensions between characters, the plot's motion flounders. There's nothing much to keep readers engaged beyond wanting to know how Fred and Ryan make it in the end, and that might be enough for some.

*Review originally published on Pass the Chiclets.

[Jana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eeeep! I love this book so much! When I got approved by Netgalley I couldn't help jumping up and down! And now that I've read it, I can say it's one of my favourites I've read this year and that you all should buy this when it comes out 2013 next month! It's like Perfect Chemistry (one of my fave books ever!) and Catching Jordan and golf!

Fred is one of the best protagonist ever. She (yes, SHE) is just one of those people who you'd love to be friends with - she's loyal, real (as in, not one of those fake popular barbies), and smart. I love how much she cares for her family, even though they've got problems.

And Ryan is one of the swooniest heroes I've read about. Yes, he's a spoiled rich boy at the beginning, he really grows and develops as a really interesting and charming character. I loved Fred and Ryan's interactions - they're so realistic. Not to mention, their romance are one of the sweetest :)

Read my full review:

READ MY FULL REVIEW

[Alex Sharrock · Rating 5 out of 5]

what an amazing start to 2013!
loved this novel and it has such an original plot.

The full review for this can be found here on my blog.

[Liz Fichera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hard to believe that the release date is right around the corner. I hope you enjoy the story.

[ALPHAreader · Rating 1 out of 5]

Fredericka 'Fred' Oday has just been offered the chance of a lifetime – to join her school’s golf team and possibly get noticed by some college scouts. Fred can’t believe it, that she could be the first person in her family to go to college and all because Coach Lannon says she has the most natural swing he’s ever seen. Especially since Fred taught herself to play golf from watching the club house members playing where her dad works, as groundskeeper.

But Fred knows her mum won’t be happy with Fred getting grandiose ideas of college scholarships – especially since she thinks Fred is destined for a dead-end waitressing job at the casino with her. And she definitely won’t like her joining the boys’ golf team at school, playing with those rich white kids.

Because Fred is of the River People, and lives on the local Indian reservation and, like all other ‘rez’ kids, she doesn’t have a lot to do with the white class populace at school.

And then Fred joins the golf team, unknowingly taking the place of Seth Winter whose bad attitude and partying helped to get him kicked off. By taking Seth’s place, Fred has incurred his wrath, and that of his best friend and fellow golfer, Ryan Berenger.

But golf is Fred’s one escape – from the nights her mum drinks and gets mean, from her dad maybe leaving again, from feeling invisible at school and hopelessly dreaming about a life off the reservation.

This is Fred Oday’s one chance, and she’s going to try her best to seize it.

On the flipside is Ryan Berenger – golf star, golden boy with a girlfriend called Gwynith. Except Ryan’s home life isn’t so great – his mum is always at work, probably because his dad is holding hands with his hairdresser at the mall. His little sister, Riley, isn’t a fan of his friends, but they’re all Ryan’s got when his family life feels so hollow. Then Fred Oday comes along and takes his best friend’s spot on the golf team, not to mention she has him thinking about her and her kind eyes, tanned shoulders and curling hair all the time and inching closer to betraying his best friend.

‘Hooked’ is the first book in a new young adult series by Liz Fichera.

I had issues with this book. They started with these small, niggling and unsettling thoughts that I managed to push aside because I was enjoying the bones of the story…but by book’s end those niggling, unsettling thoughts were piled atop one another and pretty hard for me to ignore.

First, let me say that I love a good ‘wrong side of the tracks/Romeo and Juliet’ story. I have done ever since I saw ‘Pretty in Pink’ and developed a wee crush on Andrew McCarthy, whose cool-guy character Blane (such a pompously cool name!) fell for sweet social sub-set, Andie Walsh (Molly Ringwald), though he was momentarily swayed by his best bud’s diversionary tactics (James Spader as Steff – “that girl was, is, will always be nada!”). So, I loves me a good opposites-attract, upstairs-downstairs high school romance. Love it! That’s why I had high hopes for ‘Hooked’, which is not only a ‘wrong side of the tracks’ romance, but is also of the sports-themed YA variety. I really liked the pitch – of a Native American girl joining her school’s all-male golf team. I like this because of the incongruity of a young woman dominating in a sport that is often associated with middle-aged white guys wearing plaid pants and talking business-mergers between tee-offs. However, while I liked the ‘bones’ of this story and think it had plenty of potential, it all fell apart for me in the execution.

First off, I have an issue with the cover (both US and international). When I found out this book had a Native American protagonist, I took umbrage at both covers not depicting the character’s ethnicity – it reminded me of a recent post by the Young Adult Library Services Association who wrote a column called ‘It Matters If You’re Black or White: The Racism of YA Book Covers’ http://goo.gl/Iegkk. ‘Hooked’, unfortunately, is another example of YA book covers that miss the mark by not representing the minority characters within. Never mind that neither cover reveals this to be a golf-themed book, let alone sports-related at all (that’s another insult – that this book has clearly been marketed to the romance YA sector when YA sports books, especially with a young female in the sporty lead, are also under-represented!).

On the topic of ‘Hooked’ being a sports book… I would have actually liked more of the sport, since that was what ‘hooked’ me in the blurb. Fred doesn’t really get too much into the terminology of golf (a sport many young readers would be unfamiliar with, and I, for one would have liked to be educated). The closest this book gets to being a really immersive, sports YA is at the end with the ‘Golf Girl Gab’ glossary of golf terms. I just found myself wishing that Fichera had revelled more in this being a golf YA book – and what a quirky hook that is, particularly when it’s a Native American girl who is the stand-out golf star of her school’s all boy team.

The coach stayed with me till we reached the tee box. “Don’t mind those sports reporters, Fred. I’ll keep an eye out for them. They’re only doing their job.”
I nodded. “But why aren’t they asking anyone else questions?”
“They will. For now you’re the novelty.”
“Because I’m a girl?” Or an Indian girl?
Coach Lannon smiled and pushed his sunglasses above his forehead like he wanted to make sure I saw the meaning in his eyes. He leaned closer. “Because you’re good.”

My second, but ultimately smallest issue, was with the teen lingo Fichera has in the book. She has her young male characters saying things like “sweet deal” and “chillax” and I just cringed every time I read such words and phrases. It’s like when your mum says; “cool” or your dad says; “dude” – it’s wrong, just wrong, and dates a book rather quickly.

No, my biggest complaint I reserved for the entire Native American aspect of ‘Hooked’.

Look, I loved the idea that this book had a minority protagonist – LOVED it. But the book unsettled me for Fichera’s portrayal of life on the ‘rez’. For one thing, she lets a few racist remarks lie. Like when Seth repeatedly calls Fred 'Pocahontas', and while that's establishing his character in the beginning - I found myself waiting for Ryan or Fred or one of the other rez kids to pipe up and call Seth out on his racism. Nothing. This also happened when young characters (repeatedly) claimed that they could buy alcohol easily on the rez because Indians will do anything for money, including letting underage kids buy beer. I really think Fichera needed an anti-racism rant by one of the characters (preferably Ryan) at some point in this book, instead she let those racist remarks lie.

Then there's the fact that she gave Fred’s mum a drinking problem. Yes, it’s a nasty stereotype – but Fichera could have potentially justified it if she’d made it a real focus and explored the reasons behind the addiction. Instead Fred talks vaguely about her mother being bitter about how her life has ended up, and that’s why she drinks – but we get no more explanation than that and there is absolutely no (believable) resolution to her mother’s problem except that she decides to turn over a new leaf by book's end. Furthermore, Fred mentions in passing that her devoted father already left the family once before coming back for Fred and her brother Trevor (we’re led to believe he reached a breaking point with his wife’s drinking) but this subject is never broached again. I was left wondering if Fred was always walking on eggshells around both her parents – afraid of one’s drunken ire, and the other’s potential to walk out again.

Fred’s mother and her problems further confused me when Fred and Ryan bond over their mutual terrible family life. Except Ryan’s idea of a terrible family is his doctor mother who works all the time and his father who he catches at the mall with another woman (though his father has a reason for what Ryan saw). These, to me, were not equal family struggles. Fichera lumped Fred with the majority of familial problems (again, I wondered if this was because she thought her ethnicity deserved a heap more ‘issues’?!) and turned Ryan into a ‘poor little rich kid’ in the process. I mean, the Oday family get their power cut off, don’t own a phone and the mother is an alcoholic, but Ryan practically lives in a mansion and is sometimes hunkered down by fleeting thoughts of his dad’s infidelity. And, on the topic of Ryan and his father’s cheating – this was another plot point that got left by the wayside and completely forgotten by book’s end. In fairness, I know Fichera has a sequel book coming out in 2014 which is about Ryan’s little sister, Riley, and one of Fred’s friends from the rez, Sam Tracy – so it’s possible that Riley could pick up the baton-plot of their cheating father. But if that was the case then I needed a cliffhanger to that secondary plot to carry over into Riley’s story. As it stands, the forgotten plot of Ryan’s cheating father (which was his big ‘issue’) worked to further highlight how Fichera heaped Fred’s character with the bulk of ‘woe is me’.

And then there’s the romance… Urgh. There is a pinch of ‘insta love’ to Ryan and Fred, which is awful since there was great potential for enemy-turned-crush what with Fred getting off on the wrong foot with Ryan for taking his best friend’s spot on the golf team. What troubled me with the romance in Fichera’s book is that she essentially had what should have been a sports book with a hint of romance but turned it into a romance book with a hint of golf. The ‘insta love’ between Ryan and Fred was so coy and insipid that it made certain events in the novel seem blown WAY out of proportion. For instance, Ryan and Fred share one kiss, quickly followed by a spanner in the works for their budding romance but Fred takes the hit so badly that she mopes for a month. Now, I could believe moping for a month if she and Ryan had entered into a relationship and the first plot hurdle came a couple of months into their courtship. I could believe it if good girl Fred had lost her virginity to Ryan, or was at least getting so serious with him that she was considering it. But, one kiss? Seriously? Considering that these kids are nearly seniors, I found it hard to believe that they’d get into such a heartbroken funk when the entirety of their relationship was a make-out session.

I also hated the ‘bad guy’ of the book, Seth Winters. He’s a one-dimensional villain, and all he was missing was a moustache to twirl and an evil cackle.

I really wish Fichera had melded the golf and Native American aspects of the book better. And it’s even more frustrating because I think she had an opportunity to do so. She gives us two citations in the text, one in chapter one, the other in chapter eleven – things like explaining that a Grass Dance is a Native American ceremonial dance expressing harmony with the Universe. But after those two, we never see the citations again. I thought that could have been a clever way to incorporate both golf terms and Native American factoids throughout the book for an interesting mash. And the second citation used is not clinical, it brings Fred’s voice into it as she’s explaining that ‘rez’ is short for reservation; “It’s what all the cool Indian kids say. I try to be cool when I can.” That was great – but that personalized citation is used once. ONCE! It both made me wonder what the point was, and why it was allowed to go to waste.

But back to the Native American aspect… yeah, this bugged me. From the white-washed front cover, to the mother’s racist stereotype drinking problem and a character called George Trueblood, who is portrayed like a caricature of a Native American, but Fichera explains this away by saying not even the elders of the community take George seriously but let him think he’s an Indian chief. Seriously? In the book’s acknowledgements, Fichera thanks: “The Native American communities throughout Arizona and the American Southwest. Thank you for sharing your enduring spirit, beautiful cultures and lands.” – I’m still not sure if that means Fichera actually went out and spoke to Native Americans and got involved with their culture and maybe gave the 'Hooked' manuscript to some elders to read and offer suggestions, or if she thought simply being from Arizona and in close proximity to Native American lands would suffice.

This book had good bones. The young adult readership would have benefited from a book that not only featured a Native American female protagonist but one who was also a rising star in an unlikely sport. Unfortunately what we get is a romance book with a pinch of golf, some questionable stereotyped characters and a plot that falls so flat it’s in the bunker.

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Disclaimer: An e-copy of this title was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. However, that did not influence this review in any way. All thoughts, quotes, and opinions will be of this version and not of the published edition.

Didn't love this one, but it was okay. It could have been a lot better had it focused more on the romance & golf aspects and did away with all the unnecessary drama and miscommunication issues.

My full review of this title can be found here on The Book Hookup.

♥ A very special thanks to Harlequin TEEN and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this title.

[Trader (RedHotBlueReads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were so many things I liked about this debut novel from Liz Fichera. It really tackles some heavy themes of prejudice, bullying, racism, and peer pressure to name a few, and the book handles these with equal measure of horror and hope.

Fred Oday is a young Native American woman with athletic prowess. She’s honed her golf skills for most of her life, and when she is offered a spot on the boys high school golf team, she decides to take it. She struggles a bit with her decision, knowing it won’t be easy, but she doesn’t let her fear defeat her, even though the rest of the team is upper crust and seemingly perfect. You can’t help but cheer for her as she drags around her old, second hand, ugly golf bag and plays without a decent pair of golf shoes. She loves the game, and that’s what matters.

Ryan Berenger is one of the rich white boys on the team. When his best friend loses his spot on the team to Fred, he’s caught in a situation that has him questioning his own behavior. Should he be loyal to his friend and give Fred a hard time, or does he act on the feelings he starts to develop for this talented athlete from outside of his circle? When Ryan makes his choice, he starts a series of situations that will challenge them both.

And then there is Seth, Ryan’s best friend. When his jealousy, anger a over losing his spot on the team gets the best of him, his racism and hate brings about some very serious and deadly consequences for Ryan and Fred. I can’t tell you when I disliked a character more and yet I also know that there are many people just like Seth in this world and the high school environment.

I loved the Native American aspects in this book and that Fred honored her heritage in many ways, especially as a coping mechanism when things got rough. I loved that she felt self-empowered to join this golf team, in spite of how difficult she knew it would be. I loved that she saw her skills as a means of being the first on the reservation to go to college. I really loved Fred. She wasn’t perfect, but she acted with integrity.

Ryan was a little more complicated. It takes him some time to get things sorted out, and I thought that was very authentic. His path to self-discovery was much more difficult than Fred’s, and by the end of the book I still wasn't convinced he had it together.

The romantic part of the story was believable and engaging. One of my favorite scenes in the book occurs the Monday after Fred and Ryan have their first date. She’s unsure, wondering how what transpired between them would change her life. I don’t want to say how it all turns out, but I thought this scene really captured the high school experience. It’s touching, sweet and very poignant.

So why isn’t this a 5 star review? I did have a problem with the ending. At close to the end of the book, a crisis with Fred’s father sets up some situations that provides convenient means for Fred and Ryan to get over their relationship issues. Ryan’s involvement seems very contrived to me, especially since I don’t recall the contributing details mentioned earlier in the book. Everything gets wrapped up after that point and it just seems abrupt and it took me out of the moment. I would have liked to have more discussion regarding both Seth and Ryan's behavior in regard to bullying and racism. This ending seemed like an easy way around those hard topics.


So overall, I did enjoy the story, apart from the way it ended.

Contains: violence, alcohol use, kissing.

Thank you Netgalley and Harlequinn Teen for a review copy in exchange for honest feedback.

[Rachel (The Rest Is Still Unwritten) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to HarlequinTEEN Australia for providing me with a copy of this to read and review!!

Find my complete review on my blog here: http://rachybee-the-rest-is-still-unw...

Hooked was a fun, romantic debut that truly did have me hooked.

As someone only just beginning to find their feet with contemporary novels, I’m pleased to say Hooked was a very enjoyable read! Liz Fichera’s debut novel is perfectly written and beautifully told.

Told in dual POV, the story of a golden boy and Native American girl who have a very unlikely romance as they bond over their shared love of golf was really nice to read about. Told against the stunning backdrop of the Estrella Mountains and the desert that surrounds it, Hooked sees Fredericka “Fred” Oday join the boy’s golf team thanks to her natural talent and ambition, ruffling a few feathers as she does. When Ryan Bergener’s best friend loses his spot on the team for Fred, Ryan expects to hate Fred forever. Neither expects to fall for the other.

I must say I’m not the biggest sport fan, and golf doesn’t really do anything for me in particular, however I admit I certainly appreciated its place within Hooked. It’s a really refreshing thing to see a sport like this be explored throughout a YA novel. With football or basketball usually our focus in books and movies, author Liz Fichera thought outside the box and took a chance with golf. And you know what, it really worked!

The setting of this book was really beautiful and really different. The idea of the harshness and wildness of the desert was perfect within this book and fit in perfectly with Fred’s heritage and upbringing. It was a nice touch to the story. I enjoyed how Fichera looked at the social standing of the Native Americans, especially when we compared it to the world that Ryan lived in, but I would have loved to have seen it explored just a teeny bit more.

The characters within this book were perfect within the story. Admittedly they are what I’ve come to expect from YA contemporary romance novels- the nasty girl/ex-girlfriend, jerk best friend and standout golden boy—but that didn’t mean I liked reading about them any less.

Fred was a solid main character to read about. She was likable and I really did want the best for her. I liked how Fichera explored Fred’s sad, and difficult home life, making everything she was doing to better herself all that more meaningful. Her inner strength and determination, especially when people were treating her as they were, was admirable. At her base, Fred was a good main character to read about; she was likable but also showed traits that everyone should have.

Ryan too was a likable male lead, although I sometimes found myself frustrated by his choices, before and after he’d met and was falling for Fred. Admittedly, this made me appreciate his growth all the more as the book progressed, but that didn’t leave me any less frustrated with him at times.

As a couple Fred and Ryan were sweet. Their relationship wasn’t overly electric or anything, but was a rather endearing undertone to the book. Building from an unexpected friendship at first even though they did “like” one another too, their romance wasn’t too much within the book; fitting in with the feel of the book instead.

Overall, I was quite satisfied with this book. Hooked was a great debut and though it was my first Liz Fichera book, the fact that I’m already counting down the day’s until it’s sequel featuring Ryan’s sister Riley and Sam Tracey, I can definitely guarantee it won’t me my last!

[Sapir · Rating 5 out of 5]

For this review and more visit Diary of a Wimpy Teen Girl

Book Description:

Fred, a Native American girl, joins the school's all-boy varsity golf team.
Fred faces a lot of difficulties as the only girl in the group who is also Native American. Her teammates refuse to except her as one of them and laugh at her behind her back. Her rivals doubt her abilities. She is also not as rich as the other white boys in her team - she can't afford any of the expensive equipment required for golf.
Ryan, one of Fred's teammates, has issues of his own too - his parents are never around and he suspects that they don't love each other anymore. They never attend his games and Ryan feels like they don't truly care about him. He also has a girlfriend that he doesn't really love.
When Fred joins the group, Ryan has a reason to hate her as she takes his best friend's place in the team.
But slowly Ryan begins to fall for Fred. Fred, on her side, begins to feel something for Ryan. Can their love work out?



My Thoughts:

I was really excited to read this book. I knew it is going to be great because of the pretty cover and the interesting blurb. I was searching for something like "Pushing the Limits", one of my favorite books ever, and I found a different but not a lesser book.

The first half of the book was slow paced. The author took a long time to get us familiar with the characters and their life stories. The characters development in this book was great - by half of the book, I felt like I really know the characters in real life.
There were a lot of golf practice and tournaments described to the small details in the beginning, which made me study a lot about golf. Seriously, when I started this book I had no clue about this game, and now I feel like a golf expert XD
The second half of the book felt like a roller coaster - suddenly everything happened at the same time! Surprising plot twists came one after another. I was flipping through the pages like crazy.. lol


The romance between Ryan and Fred took a major part of the book.
Ryan and Fred fell in love with each other very slowly. It took them time to admit their love for each other, and even then - they didn't start making out right away. They were taking everything slowly, waiting for the right moment for everything. I really liked this because it made the romance between them more realistic.

I liked Fred a lot. She was very brave and did things that most girls wouldn't dare to - she joined an all-boy team and ignored the boys' unfair treatment. She definitely showed them who is best!
She also never complains. Her life is tough - she lives in a tiny house, has no cellphone or nice clothes, but instead of whining, she is trying to actually DO something to improve her situation.

The minor characters, and especially Ryan's friends, were brilliant! They definitely made the book for me. I hated them SO MUCH. I felt like slapping them the whole book! How could Ryan stand having these monsters as friends?!?! I wish I could know more about Seth - what is going on in his life? What makes his so cruel?
I HATED Gwyneth. How can a girl be so mean and selfish?! I couldn't help picturing her in my head as Miss Piggy... lol

Everything was well built in this book - the plot, the characters, the romance. It is highly recommended to anyone, and especially to contemporary romance addicts like me.

[Farrah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review also appears on my blog at http://www.thegoldenruleof666.blogspo...

A lovely romance with some depth. Hooked was a wonderful book that featured a sweet romance and tackled some bigger issues.

Fred is a different heroine, immediately obvious from her name. She is of Native American ancestry and lives on a reservation. Though no one in her family went to college, she hopes to get a golf scholarship so that she can afford to go. So, she decides to join to boy's golf team at her high school. And that doesn't go over too well. With anyone. Fred showed a lot of strength in overcoming the people who hoped to stop her. Despite their comments and actions, she still went to practice and won her team the tournaments. It made me truly like her. She was very easy to relate to and very likable. I can't really say anything negative about her. She was a wonderful lead.

Ryan was a little more difficult. At first, he was angry at Fred for taking his best friend's spot on the golf team. But, that changes after he sees how good she is. Ryan could be very sweet and likable. But he was such a wimp about standing up to his friends. I understand that it would be difficult to go against a long time friend, but Ryan took it too far. He figured himself out and grew a backbone later on, and he made up for it later, so it was only a small bother. Otherwise, Ryan proved to be a wonderful character. Sweet, and-eventually-willing to stand up for what's right. On a scale from didn't like to adored, I think he scored a respectable "infatuated."

The relationship between Ryan and Fred was complicated, to say the least. They had many issued to overcome if they were to be together: Ryan friend's, social class divisions, ethnic divisions. But, they do overcome them. It just took them a long time. That was my main issue with the book. Their relationship tended to be on a repeat loop of the same thing occurring over and over before they finally broke out of that cycle and got together. It wasn't a major thing, it was more of a bother, so I was still able to really enjoy the book.

As I mentioned before, Hooked tackles a few bigger issues-social and ethnic divisions and prejudices that run on both sides. Though these issues weren't sugar coated, it wasn't overwhelming or controversial. It was tactfully done. Hooked is, after all, a romance at heart-just with deeper issues added in. I liked that Hooked didn't presume to come up with a panacea for prejudice. It was more about two people overcoming them to be together.

The plot of this book was okay. It was interested but it did stall in some places. It didn't get boring, it just didn't have me hooked, no pun intended. The ending was well done, but left open for the next book, which, I believe, will be about Ryan's sister and her story.

So, overall, Hooked did have a few issues but it was still a very enjoyable read. I loved it. Anyone who likes YA romance or a story of overcoming social divisions, you definitely need to read this book.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin TEEN for a copy!

[Renae McKenzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review originally posted on Rolling with the Moments.

I was very excited to read this book because it's not very often that you come across a YA novel about golf, a family hobby in my home. So I was super excited to get an ARC of this so I could share my thoughts with you!

I liked the integration of the natives and westerners within the story. I personally new very little about the Native Americas largely due to the fact that I live in Australia, but I found the subtle cultural lesson interesting and informative. I felt that I really understood the limitations and social constraints that Fred, Ryan and the guys felt, not just because Fred is a girl on a men's golf team, but because she has a difference culture and appearance.

The way the novel is written, switching between Fred and Ryan with each chapter really allows you, as the reader, to connect with each character. I liked the added unique fonts for Fred and Ryan, I felt that it showed something about their character that you otherwise wouldn't know.

Fred and Ryan didn't seem like a very good match to me at the beginning of the novel, mainly for treating Fred badly simply because she had the misfortune of being a better golfer than the arrogant Seth. I thought that it was cowardly of him to side with Seth just because he's too scared to be his own person. But thankfully, he grows a set and begins to think for himself. I love Fred. She's the kind of girl that seems timid and shy, but underlying that is a river of confidence in what she believes in and loves. I think, in the end, they balance on another out and share the things that matter most - love for one another and, of course, golf. ^_^

Now I can't write this review without mentioning the psychopathy that is Seth and why I love him. Why would I love a psychopath? Well, in real life, I undoubtedly wouldn't. To be honest, if I was Fred I would've whacked him across the head with a three iron. But I love what his character brings to the story. As Ryan's best friend and the guy that got kicked to make room for Fred, he has a reason to be disgruntled, especially when Ryan to choose Fred over him. In a way he acts as a catalyst that sparks and adds kindle to the relationship between Ryan and Fred. It's his petty pranks towards Fred that causes Ryan to feel guilty and want to atone for just standing idly by and bringing them together against a common enemy, Seth. So that's why I love him, because without him, there would be no story.

Hooked is a sweet story about love, jealousy and the acceptation of differences. Liz Fichera uses a unique voice that connects and engages the reader resulting in a book that you don't want to put down.

[Damaris (GoodChoiceReading) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, so I have to admit that at first I didn't think I was going to be able to deal with a girl named Fred in the book. I was sort of expecting to be all kinds of confused while reading. I'm one of those readers that a simple name can throw me off. I know it's weird, right? Fortunately, though, I didn't have an issue with it at all. I think it's because the story is told from two different points of view.

Hooked touches some real life issues that a lot of readers will be able to relate to. Fred goes through a lot and Ryan right along with her.

The story opens up with Fred; she's is getting asked to join her school's golf team. It's a great opening because in the little pages you really learn a lot about Fred and her love for Golf. The author got right to it. You go through her struggle of trying to decide if it's the right move. Immediately I knew I was going to like her. She's a sweet character, stays out of trouble, and focuses on her school work, family, friends, and golf. She knew joining the school's golf team was not going to be easy since she is the only girl on the team, but it's her only chance at doing what she loves and possibly getting a scholarship into college. What Fred didn't expect was, Ryan.

At first Ryan is your typical rich boy who is used to getting what he wants and doing what he wants. His best friend, Seth, gets kicked off the team and Fred takes his place. It upsets him, but not more than Seth. When Ryan is paired up with Fred at one of their games he sees her talent and opens up a bit to the ideal of her being on the team. He starts to get to know her a little better and actually tries to build a friendship with her. Needless to say that's when things get complicated for them both. Seth makes it his mission to make Fred miserable. It was just one thing after another. And he's not very happy with the way Ryan begins to feel about Fred.

The romance between Fred and Ryan wasn't a rushed one and it definitely wasn't as mushy as I thought it would be. It was done just right and I found myself sucked in and rooting for them. I guess Hooked surprised me more than once. I was definitely Hooked on Fred and Ryan. LOL!

I do have some complaints, but I can't really share them without giving away spoilers. I will say, though, that as much as I loved Fred, I felt she was quick to give up and let things go. She needed to be just a tad stronger and question things. Not just assume and accept them for what they seemed.

This was a great book and I definitely recommend it.

4.5 out of 5 Stars!

[Giselle · Rating 2 out of 5]

An e-ARC was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Fred and Ryan don’t get along and you just know love will change all that. Fred thinks he’s too pretentious and Ryan’s mad the golf coach kicked his best friend off the team so Fred could join. What starts out as a seemingly innocent encounter, the two classmates finally realize who the other is even though they had no intention of getting to know one another in the first place.

As in most contemporaries, there always has to be a problem to overcome or a goal to achieve. In this case, Fred’s goal is to be on the boy’s golf team. Even though this goal is achieved so early on in the book, I felt that it could have kept the story flowing. I felt no direction in the story. Where was the story? To fall in love with Ryan I’m guessing and to make him realize she’s a beautiful person inside and out. This romantic story line is a staple in any story and it works, but once you throw in prejudice, stereotypes and racism, I’m not going to like it. The writing is good, but the lack of story and the most terrible lack of human dignity for some of the characters really just threw me. I did enjoy reading about the golf tournaments and the like, even though I dislike gold and think it’s the most boring sport ever, it interested me in this book. That’s saying something.

Fred didn’t even realize she was getting racial slurs thrown at her left and right. I was not ok with that. What kind of person would be all right with getting called every stereotypical nickname about being a Native American? Either Fred didn’t care or I completely missed the part where she did. I absolutely detested Ryan’s so called best friend. He was immature, unbelievably racist and downright annoying. I guess I just marked him as the villain of the book because you know we all need one. Then there was Ryan who had a decent amount of dignity to back Fred up. He did have a redeeming quality and yes he made a lot of mistakes but Fred didn’t have to accept it. The things he did and got away with was terrible. As you can tell, I disliked most of these characters so I’m sad to say I didn’t enjoy this one as much.

If you want to overlook some of the nastier sides of the characters, I’m sure this would be a good light and fun read. But for this book nerd I was looking for more substance. Also the model on the cover doesn't look at all like a Native American..Another white-washed cover SMH..

[Katie_la_geek · Rating 2 out of 5]

For this review and more visit my blog

I thought I would love this one, it looked romantic, cute and interesting. Unfortunately I found it to be none of these things. I feel like sometimes authors go overboard with the drama, like they do not know when to stop. Hooked fell into that category for me. There was drama, after drama, after drama and everything that could go wrong did.

I might have been more able to handle the drama if the character were stronger. Fred’s defence against the bullying and racism she suffers is to look down at her feet and pretend she doesn’t exist. I wanted her to have more fight and more backbone. She was a nice character but I wished she had put her foot down more

Ryan was even worse; I really didn’t like him at all. He was a spoilt little rich kid who spent most of his time feeling sorry for himself and being really angry. If Fred was not going to defend herself then I needed him to, but that rarely happened he was even more of a wet blanket then she was. His best friend is the one bullying her and he just lets him, it is hard to think of him and Fred romantically when he lets his best friend treat her so poorly.

On a wider scale, and it does not apply to this book only, this genre is starting to annoy me. All these YA contemporary romances seem to feature parents who are either abusive, alcoholic, ignorant, bullies, unkind, uncaring or a mixture of them all. I understand that there are parents like that out there but YA books seem to feature towns and schools where all the kids barely have one good parent between them. Kids can have problems that have nothing to do with parenting. It is just beginning to grate on my nerves a bit.

It was not all bad. The writing was good and the idea interesting. The parts where golf was involved really stood out and was really enjoyable.

Hooked is not a bad book but it was not for me either.

The publisher provided me with a free copy of this book in exchange for and honest review

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Get hooked on a girl named Fred? Well, it's Fredricka - which I totally prefer to Fred but Ryan sure does get hooked on our girl. I really enjoyed Hooked once I got past the first number of chapters. The start was pretty slow to start with but I'm really glad I stuck with it because once I got past that, the story is full of goodness.

When Fred is offered to play golf for her high school team, it's an opportunity she can't miss. It could possibly win her a scholarship and that means she could actually make something of her life by doing something that she loves. But, to allow Fred to join the team, her coach has to drop another member, which doesn't go down well with her team mates - who are all boys. It's safe to say Fred takes to slack but so enough, she can't hide the fact that Ryan - the handsome rich boy on the team is making his way into her heart. But how can they ever have a relationship when they're from two different walks of lifestyles?

I always love stories like this - when opposites attract. There's just something about them that no matter how many times I read this type of story, it never gets old. It's exciting and thoroughly enjoyable to read and that's what Hooked is. However, I do feel it lacked on the intense side. That's the only reason I couldn't rate this book higher. I've lost count now how many times I've read a story based around football, soccor, basketball or swimming but never have I read anything based around golf and it was....interesting to say the least. I have to say though, I did feel there was a little bit 'too' much golf talk at some points of the story, I wanted a little more action between the characters but still, Hooked was an enjoyable read.

If you're looking for a easy to read contemporary romance book, then I'd highly suggest Hooked and I'll be definately keeping my eyes peeled for Riley and Sam's story.

[Brob · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an extremely 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.

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 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.