Nothing But Reading Challenges discussion

This thread is open to discuss For Finlay by J. Nathan.



Synopsis
A STANDALONE New Adult Romance in the For You series. Each book follows a new couple.

Finlay Thatcher is a lost soul, guilt-ridden after the death of her twin brother. When Alabama's football coach gives her the opportunity to work for him, she knows it's her chance to move on, even if it means living her brother's dream.

Caden Brooks is Alabama's star quarterback. He's got it all. The attention of adoring fans. A girlfriend who'd do anything to hold on to him. And a future in the pros. He's getting along just fine until Finlay steps into his life, despising him at first sight and pushing his buttons like no other.

Unfortunately for Finlay, and her attempt to keep Caden at arm's length, there's nothing Caden loves more than a challenge. The problem with this challenge is she comes with a secret that has the power to destroy everything.

      ~ Buddy Style Reads ~
    Three Ways to Enjoy a Book!

At NRBC we use three styles of buddy reads. These will be indicated in the thread title as “Buddy Read”, “Relaxed Buddy Read” or “Informal Buddy Read”.

A “Buddy Read” has a discussion leader and a reading date is set to start the book. A reading schedule is posted prior to the start date and discussion questions are posted each day regarding that section of the book. More information about these types of reads is below. An example is here, showing a reading schedule here.

A “Relaxed Buddy Read” is similar to our usual “buddy reads” except there are less questions and break points. For example, a book may be split into three sections and those reading the book should pause at the end of the section to answer some discussion questions, make comments, or ask their own questions to other readers. An example is here.

An “Informal Buddy Read” doesn’t have a discussion leader and participants are asked to consider some generic questions when making comments about the book. An example is here.

A “Read and Watch Buddy Read” may be set up as any of the above, but we will also watch the movie or T.V. series - or even go to a play! - and make comparisons, discussing what has been left out or changed as well as the actors and actresses. There is a long debate of what one should do first: read the books or watch the movie? We usually read first, but it isn’t essential. Also, if you would like to join in, but don’t want to watch the movie, show, or play, but only read the books, that is fine, too. An example is here.


MORE UNDER SPOILER
(view spoiler)[

“Buddy Reads” (“BRs”) include:

• A reading schedule which can range from 50, 75, to 100 or so pages a day.

• Discussion questions posted daily by moderators and occasionally group members
   who help one of us out. If you want to be a Discussion Leader, let us know.

• If the book is really long, we'll plan a break day.

• Members do NOT have to answer every question, they are meant to stimulate
   conversations about the books AND allow us to glance back upon them when the
   sequels come out. This helps us to remember what exactly happened in the previous
   book.

• We find the buddy style of reading to be more fun than just posting one or two
   sentences about a book. We feel this is what distinguishes us as being a ‘book club’
   rather than just another GoodReads ‘group.’

• If you can NOT start the book on time, feel free to join in at a later date. They are
   set up to make it easy to do so.

• Moderators are people too, so occasionally we get sick, have to work late at our real
   jobs, or have something that keeps us from writing the questions. Please forgive us;
   we're only human and we don't get any compensation for what we do--not even
   free books!

• Discussions and questions are set up to make you think, analyze, and see things you,
   or even we, may have missed. Feel free to add your own thoughts at any time, if you
   think we've missed something.

• If you've read the book, feel free to let us know what you thought about the book.
   You can do so at the end of the buddy read, or, if you can't wait, add spoiler tags
   before you comment like:

   **************BEWARE! SPOILER FOR THE END OF THE BOOK**************

   Or insert a (view spoiler)[spoiler (hide spoiler)]. If you do NOT know how to do so, just check out our
   GoodReads 101 explanation on how to Insert a Spoiler.

• If you are looking for a reading buddy, post an inquiry in our Buddy read requests thread. Use that thread, if you want to have a repeat read of a BOM
    or buddy read, too.

• Have fun! We always do when more than one person joins in. And we look less silly
   if someone else discusses a book with us. (hide spoiler)]

res

I'm in for Team Ginny Weasley!! Can't wait to start this book today! The synopsis sounds amazing.

Currently at 17%

Caden - (view spoiler)[Well, I probably shouldn't, but so far, I really like Caden. I think it was noble the way he attempted to stick up for Finlay against Grady (who is a real jerk, IMO). I think he is making an effort to be kind and friendly, even though she is being pretty rude and making it more than obvious that she is disinterested in any semblance of a friendship with Caden, let alone an acknowledgment or conversation. I am interested to see how his character continues to develop. (hide spoiler)]

Finlay - (view spoiler)[Well, she is definitely reeling from grief, guilt, and shame. My heart hurts for her. I've lost many people in my life, some of which our friendships/relationships did not end on a positive note before their passing. The guilt/shame never fully goes away, knowing there are so many things you wish you could say and now will never be able to. Life is short and never promised.

I definitely understand her feeling like her brother's shadow though and wanting to be her own person and be known as "Finlay" not Cole's sister. Unfortunately, her resentment towards becoming his shadow impacted her ability to be the loving and supportive sister that he was so desperately seeking and when the time came of his passing, their relationship was practically nonexistent. What was left of their relationship was so strained and full of bitterness and tension. I can't imagine what it must be like trying to process and reconcile those emotions in her head after the fact.

As far as her inability to give Caden a chance because of his position on the football team, I think it's a bit petty and childish, but completely realistic and in line with the plot of the story. In real life, I'm not sure if anyone would be able to separate the two. I know I wouldn't. I would absolutely resent Caden for getting to live out the dream that my brother had worked so hard to achieve. I would absolutely feel as though he were completely undeserving (even if he was), because that spot was promised to my brother. (hide spoiler)]

The Plot - (view spoiler)[I wish there was a little less foreshadowing. Almost immediately, it became obvious that her brother died somehow. I think there could've been a better build up to that part of the story, as opposed to making it so obvious. I think the overall storyline is great, but I think it could've been more suspenseful and had more surprises. The author didn't give the reader much of a chance to get attached to Cole or mourn him with Finlay, so in essence, he was just a random name that got written out of the storyline. I think it would've had a great impact on understanding Finaly and her distaste for Caden and her overall struggles if the readers were given the opportunity to love Cole the way Finlay loved Cole (hide spoiler)]

Currently at 42%

Caden- (view spoiler)[Oh boy!! I am definitely falling for this character. He is such a sweetheart in all the right ways. I admire his passion for the game, not the money or the fame, but the game. At this point, I am glad that he realized he needs to end things with Leslie, because he is treading on a very thin line. Emotional cheating is still cheating, IMO, but it seems he has realized that, thanks for his father's reappearance. I am curious to see if the relationship with his father develops more, as I think that really helped give the reader a glimpse into who Caden is as a person, outside of the heartthrob football player. Speaking of football, I don't think he's being entirely honest about the magnitude of his injuries. I'm really hoping it wasn't career ending, but I definitely think it's worse than he's been letting on. (hide spoiler)]


Finlay - (view spoiler)[I do love Finlay. I fall far too easily for these little love stories. Haha! I understand her inability to continue hating Caden based on what happens in the past, as we can't help who we develop feelings for. I think, as a female, she should've been stern in not allowing the flirtation and emotional cheating to continue, knowing that Caden was in a relationship. That aspect disappoints me. Granted, I expect that from both of them. I wish she'd get more vulnerable and open up about what happened to her brother, but I think she's afraid that Caden will look at her differently. Side note: a girl that knows sports is incredibly sexy!! (hide spoiler)]

Leslie - (view spoiler)[This girl is craaaaaazy!! LOL! Who starts showing off million dollar houses with ten rooms to their boyfriend of all of six months?!? It has become very obvious at this point that Leslie is only with him because of the idea she's convinced herself of that he will become pro and make it big. I highly doubt if his injury was career ending that she would have even stayed with him. (hide spoiler)]

Currently at 74%

Caden - (view spoiler)[You know, I really wanted to love you Caden and then you had to go be a stereotypical boy and break hearts left and right. Then, you think you can just make up for it by saying sorry. Oi vey... when will they learn? And this, ladies and gentlemen, is why communication is KEY! Had he given Finlay the opportunity to explain that Cole was her brother and not her ex, none of this would have happened. Had he remembered how vindictive and spiteful Leslie was or even stopped to remember all the selfless, loving, and kind things that Finlay had done for me, he probably would have realized that Leslie was being manipulative and using whatever desperate tactics she could to win him back. I'm really disappointed in him for that. However, I am glad that he broke up with Leslie. She's horrid! LOL. (hide spoiler)]

Finlay - (view spoiler)[I just love her. I love the way she doesn't let the football players walk all over her. I love that she has no problem standing up for herself, whether it's with Caden or against Leslie. She says what she means and means what she says and that's rare to find. I appreciate her authenticity. My heart broke for her when Caden ended things, because I know how important Cole was to her and that it wasn't an easy conversation to have. I can understand why she felt so nervous to get that vulnerable about what happened to her brother. It can be very difficult to open up about grief like that, especially with people who didn't also know the person personally. (hide spoiler)]

Morgan wrote: "Currently at 17%

Caden - [spoilers removed]Finlay - Well, she is definitely reeling from grief, guilt, and shame. My heart hurts for her. "

Hi Morgan
I don't read many YA books (mostly just for challenges and buddy reads 😊.) So far this book is okay. Your observations about the MC's are good. I'm wondering why Finlay (view spoiler)[ has taken this job with the football team? It seems to cause her more grief. I can't decide if she's trying to honor her brother by attending the school he was going to and being on "his" team in some manner? Or if she's getting paid to go and that's the only way she can go to college. (hide spoiler)]

Caden - (view spoiler)[ I like him too, despite his cockiness. And it's making more sense why Finlay hates him so much - he has her brother's position and what she witnessed after the funeral (whether she had the right context or not we don't know yet. (hide spoiler)]

I'll be reading this with whoever else is and I'm reading for points for Team Hermione Granger.

SandyL wrote: "Morgan wrote: "Currently at 17%

Caden - [spoilers removed]Finlay - Well, she is definitely reeling from grief, guilt, and shame. My heart hurts for her. "

Hi Morgan
I don't read many YA books (mo..."

I think this book would be considered more so a New Adult Romance book. I'm not sure I would want my teenager reading this one. Haha. It starts getting little hot and heavy further into the book.

I've now finished the book, so I don't want to give too much away. However, (view spoiler)[I don't think Finlay was ever going to the school and participating on the football team for money. I think that she felt so much guilt over her brother's passing and the way things had ended with their relationship at that time that she felt like she truly needed to honor his memory in some way or at least feel closer to him, if that makes sense? I can understand why she needed to do that. I've lost quite a few friends over the years and I've done a lot of "odd" things that I thought would make feel closer to them, even though, looking back, it didn't necessarily help, but in the moment it gave me some semblance of peace. (hide spoiler)]

As far as Caden… (view spoiler)[I LOVEEEEE him. I shouldn't, haha, but I do. I agree with you 100% though about why she hates him based on his behavior at her brother's funeral. I think anybody would have been very upset about that. That's a pretty crappy way to behave at a funeral, whether you knew the person or weren't very close to them or otherwise. That aspect of this story really disappointed me. (hide spoiler)]

I will say that this book made me CRY at one point! Haven't had a book make me cry in a long time, so that was refreshing. :)

How far along in the book are you Sandy?

I'm at 25%. A couple of things I'm finding a bit hard to believe -
(view spoiler)[ First of all, that no one on the team knows who Finlay is or what her last name is. Young people find things out and are huge gossips!! Along that same line, Finlay is at the sorority party with her roomie. Sabrina knows Finlay works for the football team, and I'm sure she knows her sorority sister is dating the QB, but has never mentioned it? And then Finlay hears Caden setting up a sorority party for his teammates with his girlfriend, and she's surprised when that's the party she ends up at? Or that Sabrina didn't know more about it? (hide spoiler)]

This is why I don't do a lot of buddy reads outside of challenges. 🙄 I over-analyze everything!

SandyL wrote: "I'm at 25%. A couple of things I'm finding a bit hard to believe -
[spoilers removed]

This is why I don't do a lot of buddy reads outside of challenges. 🙄 I over-analyze everything!"

Haha. It's okay to overanalyze! I think that's part of the point of a buddy read, is being able to read with others and get new, fresh perspectives. It definitely helps me think of things in a way I wouldn't have otherwise. :)

I'm getting ready to help my daughter with a summer homework assignment and then I'll respond to your most recent spoiler! I really do hope you stick out the book. It gets better, I promise! :)

I'm enjoying it okay - it's just these types of questions that pop into my head when I'm reading! :-)

Okay, finally got to read your spoiler and respond!

So.... (view spoiler)[I agree and I can be a bit of a cynist when I read these books too, but they tend to "get" me about 50% of the way in and then I'm invested and in love. Haha. I agree though that it doesn't make much sense that nobody knew who she was or recognized her. However, it had also been two years since her brother had passed and been the star player at the school. If you think about it, her brother was the "star," not Finlay, so I would imagine that they may not recognize Finlay, because she was always his "shadow," you know?

I agree with you though about the sorority party completely. I thought that was a little far fetched and I may or may not have rolled my eyes. Haha. I also thought the entire party was a bit far fetched. Why wasn't it a bigger deal that Finlay and Caden were playing drinking games together with his girlfriend just off somewhere else randomly in the house? No girlfriend would be okay with that, IMO. Just a bit too much foreshadowing in that section, but overall, I think the book was really good. There were still quite a few surprises for me as the book progressed and that is what I enjoyed most! (hide spoiler)]

Joining in from Team Ginny Weasley.

Maritza wrote: "Joining in from Team Ginny Weasley."

Yay!! I really hope you like this one. Is it still free on Bookbub? On Amazon it's showing up as $2.99 now. :(

I found it on Overdrive

Oh perfect! I got mine for free last week on BookBub. If you don't use BookBub, it's an amazing website that emails you free book deals everyday! Love it!!!

Grady is either a deep down good guy with problems or a self entitled jerk. Im hoping he is just misunderstood.

Maritza wrote: "Grady is either a deep down good guy with problems or a self entitled jerk. Im hoping he is just misunderstood."

Haha, I know, right?! Oddly, maybe I'm just a weirdo, I liked Grady. Yes, he's definitely a jerk and demeaning to women to a point, but there was something about him that seemed sad and, just like you mentioned, misunderstood. I bet deep down he's just a big, sensitive, cuddly teddy bear! LOL!

Maritza wrote: "Grady is either a deep down good guy with problems or a self entitled jerk. Im hoping he is just misunderstood."

He's living up to the stereotype of BMOC. Didn't even admit to Finlay he had a big ego and it was required for athletes or something like that?

Finished ch 9 - thoughts --- i've never lost someone so close to me so i can't speak to her grief but she needs to live her life for herself and not the memory of her brother. Caden, to me, does not know what he wants and needs to let go of his girlfriend and pull his team together.

I've finally finished.

@Martiza - I agree with you! Why anyone would think Finlay (view spoiler)[ basically trying to live her brother's life would help her recover is beyond me. Also, I realized that there wasn't much, if anything, about what Finlay wanted out of her life in the story. She's still an afterthought! Another thing that annoyed me was Caden telling her she'd make a great nurse - why not a great doctor?

As for pulling his team together - you're right! He wasn't much of a leader, and why the coach kept in some of the players when they didn't protect him seemed very surprising. (hide spoiler)]

So overall, this book was just okay for me. It felt kind-of like a first novel so I was surprised the author had a number of other books already published.

Morgan wrote: "Maritza wrote: "Grady is either a deep down good guy with problems or a self entitled jerk. Im hoping he is just misunderstood."

Haha, I know, right?! Oddly, maybe I'm just a weirdo, I liked Grady..."

Grady never grew on me - (view spoiler)[he didn't get much better throughout the book. He wasn't a bad guy, but there wasn't anything special about him. (hide spoiler)]

Halfway through and am really enjoying the book. We finally get an inkling if what happened to her brother. Still on the fence about Caden. I like him but am weary at the same time.

SandyL wrote: "Morgan wrote: "Maritza wrote: "Grady is either a deep down good guy with problems or a self entitled jerk. Im hoping he is just misunderstood."

Haha, I know, right?! Oddly, maybe I'm just a weirdo..."

Okay just finished and really enjoyed the whole thing. Poor Cole. I wish we would have gotten to see more of him.
Grady turned out to be not so bad.
Glad Finlay got closure through the letter.
Caden was both funny and fustrating.

Morgan wrote: "Okay, finally got to read your spoiler and respond!

So.... I agree and I can be a bit of a cynist when I read these books too, but they tend to "get" me about 50% of the way in and then I'm invest..."

I thought the author gave Finlay too much 'power' kind of forcing us to love her. She was able to do everyting amidst her sorrow. Somehow i did not like her as much as i thought i would. The story was forced for me.