Title: Head Over Heels
Author: Hannah Orenstein
Rating: ★★½

Thank you to Atria Books for providing me with an ARC through NetGalley!

Head Over Heels follows Avery Abrams, an ex-gymnast who moves back home after a break-up and agrees to coach at her old gym along side her childhood crush. I’d be hesitant to call this a rom-com; the book is definitely contemporary romance but it lacks the humor and witticism of a typical rom-com. I don’t have anything bad to say about it really. In all honestly, I just didn’t enjoy it.

The book delves into important issues regarding the mental, emotional, and sexual abuse that is present within the sport of gymnastics. That part of the story was well-written and I really appreciated the decision to include those topics in the book to bring them to light.

For a contemporary romance, the romance is where Head Over Heels was lacking for me. I started out invested in the prospect of the relationship between Avery and Ryan, but eventually I found myself not caring. Neither of their characters felt very fleshed out and the constant back and forth between them became annoying very quickly. There was also a lack of build up or tension between them. I didn’t realize it until later in the book, but we never actually get to se their relationship build or develop.

Head Over Heels had the potential to be a fun contemporary romance, but there was a lack of development in the actual romance part. I really wanted to like this but ended up not caring enough about it.