Enemies to lovers? Sports romance? Big burly man who plays dad to a younger sibling with a secret heart of gold? SIGN ME UP.

When Charlie Gibbs takes the role of head coach on a high school football, she (yes, she) knows there are going to be challenges from the rest of the coaching staff - especially the man who was passed over in place of Charlie, Connor. While trying to work together to coach the team, Charlie and Connor are at each others throats - and in a romance, we all know what that means! HELLO SPARKS!

I absolutely loved the banter between Charlie and Connor (Connor is totally a swoonworthy book crush), the softer, more vulnerable sides we saw of each of them and of course the romance. Baltsar also threw in her two characters Blake and Piper from Trouble Brewing which was a nice nod to fans of hers that have read that one - and who doesn't want to check on how past couples are doing? Having read Baltsar's last book, I saw tremendous growth from her first book to her second and really enjoyed myself reading Sidelined. I know I will definitely be reading more from this new voice in the future.

Sidelined by Suzanne Baltsar is my first book by this author, but not my last. This book is coming out at the perfect time, when people are gearing up for football season. This is a cute contemporary love story between Charlotte “Charlie” Gibb who is the head coach for the high school football team and Connor McGuire who is the assistant coach, but thinks he should be the head coach. I love the quirky people and situations in this book, and it was funny too. I found this book to be a quick read, and recommend it to all readers who enjoy a contemporary romance, with a strong female lead.

I reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and the publisher. Thank you.

It’s such a great romance and so perfect for the summer of #equalpay and Women’s World Cup excellence and Suzanne handles the battle of the sexes deftly. HIGHLY recommend.

Charlie Gibb is new in town, ready to take on the job as the head coach of the local high school football team.  She has a lot of doubters to prove wrong, including her assistant coach who was passed over for the job.

Connor McGuire is hell bent on not liking the new coach, even more so when he finds out she's a woman and the daughter of a legendary college football coach.  He thinks the hiring was more of a publicity stunt than something that will help the team.

Despite their resolve to dislike each other, Charlie and Connor can't help but admire and respect the other person coach.  Soon they're spending their Friday nights together on and off the field.

This was a sweet romance with a strong heroine and a fun football storyline.  I instantly liked both Charlie and Connor as characters and was rooting for them to get together.  I like having books like this that are quick reads and a fun break for in between thrillers.

'Sidelined' isn't marked as part of a series, but I think it definitely goes with 'Trouble Brewing.'  There's some overlap of characters and a continuation of a storyline (so it seems).  I'm looking forward to getting a copy of 'Trouble Brewing.  This is definitely an author that will go on my list to follow.

I really enjoyed the premise of this story. It was very unique and kept me engaged throughout the story.
Charlie is a female football coach doing all she can to prove she can do this considered “mans job.” And, she is not afraid to put others in their place when needed!
The relationship between Charlie and Connor.....full of sparks and so much fun to watch develop from hating each other to loving each other.
The supporting characters were very like able and helped make this story more exciting.
A nice, quick read with a original storyline....if you want a slow burning romance to kick back with, this is the book for you.
Many thanks to NetGallery, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read and review “Sidelined.” This is my honest review.

Sidelined is the perfect afternoon read. I loved that Charlie was such a strong, trailblazing woman. I thoroughly enjoyed the banter between her and Connor, and the sexual tension between practically leapt off the pages. They were so perfectly matched for each other. All in all, I really enjoyed this book and I hope that Bear and Sonja get a book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery for the advanced copy.

Charlotte "Charlie" Gibb is the daughter of a well known college football coach and she has been successful herself as a football player and coach herself. However, when she is hired as the head coach of the local high school football team in Minnesota, she knows she has to work harder to prove she's as good as the male coaches, especially the cute assistant coach, Connor McGuire, who feels that Charlie took his dream job. Can they work together to turn the team around?

This was my first Suzanne Baltsar book and I'm a fan! I enjoy a good sports drama and I love that this one has a strong female protagonist. The communication problems between Connor and Charlie were frustrating at times but overall it's a nice story with relatable characters and good storyline.

Woman football coach who kicks but...sign me up! Not just for the girl power aspect, I love an underdog. Charlie with all her accomplishments and skill is still an underdog just because she's a she. In the world of football, woman are less than. Sidelined is a feel good story about a woman who fights for more despite her insecurities. She's a roll model, sailors tongue and all.

Sidelined pulls you. At first you don't notice, it's almost like a siren's song lulling you into her lair. Suzanne Baltsar made me her "water girl" with this book. I fully admit to the tears of anger and sadness that I couldn't stop. It's okay though because the saying is "there's no crying in baseball!" and this isn't a baseball book.

Emotional attachment was bound to happen , just ask Connor! Sweet and full of the happily ever afters we all crave, Sidelined is the perfect way to be in the game even when you are off the field!

Charlotte “Charlie” Gibb the daughter of a famous football coach grew up around the sport her whole life. Growing up playing, then coaching football she’s always struggled against being a woman in a man’s world. When she lands the head coaching job at a high school in Minnesota she hopes to make a new start and gain acceptance. Beating out assistant coach Connor McGuire for his dream job sets them off on the wrong foot. Underneath their antagonistic words is a common goal that turns their feelings from hate to love.

I love sports romances especially when it’s the woman who plays the sport! Charlie was totally unique! She had a bit of a chip on her shoulder from the years of fighting for equality in her field, yet she was still feminine and attractive. I really enjoyed watching her find that balance between being in charge and allowing herself to feel attraction and then love for someone who challenged her mind and body.

Connor started off pretty hateful but grudgingly came around to seeing the how knowledgeable Charlie was as a coach. He was a pretty quiet guy though and I wish that his personality was allowed to shine a little bit more.

I didn’t love how this novel ended. I would have liked to see them work through their challenges a little bit more so I could’ve really rooted for Charlie and Connor a little bit more. I liked the first half of the novel a lot but the ending left me feeling a little bit let down because it wrapped up so simply. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a free copy of this ARC through NetGalley and the publisher for my honest review and it was honest!

This was a fun quick read that I really enjoyed! I love a strong female character and Iove football. Thanks for writing a story about a women that can hack it in a male driven world but can also want to be loved.

This is the 2nd book I've read by this author and it did not disappoint. It was exactly what I thought it would be -- a great, fun, light read with lots of laugh-out-loud moments. Definitely recommend!

Thank you #netgalley and #Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books for the eARC,

3.5 rounding up to 4 stars. A follow up to the first novel in the series, Trouble Brewing, Sidelined follows a different friendship/romantic relationship this time around. This novel focuses on the new head coach for a High School football team, the first female coach they have had. Obviously, this book focuses a lot on female empowerment and equality in what would typically be considered a male dominated occupation. This head coach inevitably falls for an assistant coach, scratch that, they fall in love with each other.

While a predictable romance, this novel does not fail to entertain. I love how it grows the friendships surrounding the main characters even further, using the first novel as a jumping off point. I also enjoyed that the theme of feminism and equality was well addressed and expressed without shoving it down the throat of the reader. It brings up important issues but allows the reader to digest them in an entertaining format. Overall, I also give credit that the majority of the book was very realistic. Most light romance novels tend to overdramatize situations but this one kept it pretty neutral the whole way through.

This novel makes me cross my fingers for a third installment in the series. The author writes entertaining books that address issues in ways not a lot of Women's Fiction can accomplish. Looking forward to what she comes up with next!

4.5 Stars!

I’m generally not a fan of the enemies-to-lovers trope, but Sidelined was great fun to read! Probably because it stuck to an actual plot with real-life issues, instead of being all filled with “I hate his guts but he’s so hawt” and “I hate her guts but I want her in my bed” baloney…

Charlotte Gibb is excited to become the first female high school football coach in the state of Minnesota. Having spent her whole life dealing with men who don’t think she’s capable of doing her job because she’s a woman, she’s prepared for all the usual crap that comes with working “in a man’s world.” What she wasn’t prepared for was Connor McGuire.

Connor McGuire hates Charlie Gibb on principle. Not because she’s a woman, but because she took the job he’d been waiting to have for eight years. They start off on the wrong foot, and immediately begin a combative, argumentative relationship. And it was hilarious.

“I’m not big on sweets,” he said.
“Ah. That’s why you’re the way you are. No sugar.”
A slow grin spread across his face. “Hasn’t helped you much either.”

When Charlie and Connor end up having mutual friends, they start spending time together off the field. Before either of them realizes what has happened, they go from “I hate your guts” to realizing the other is the key to fitting all the puzzle pieces of their lives together.

But their love life is a game fraught with false starts and penalties. Charlie realizes she may be playing a position that’s more of what she thinks she should be playing, instead of what she actually wants. Even though football is her life, she still has very womanly desires - to be a wife and have a family - and knows it will take a unique man to let her be who she truly is. Connor is still dealing with a lingering injury to his heart. And instead of treating the injury, he pretends it doesn’t exist and tells himself he’s happy with the life he has of casual flings. Watching Charlie and Connor figure things out was heartwarming and touching, but also a lot of fun.

I’m at the stage in my reading life where there’s not a lot of “new” for me to read. So it’s a treat to enjoy a book that is so unique with its characters and plot. It was great to read a book about a heroine who was so bad ass...but still also had a soft, feminine side. It was great to read a hero who was good to the core, messed up a bunch, but was so earnest in his desire to right his wrongs. Both the hero and heroine were realistic and relatable, and those are the best kinds of characters. I love when the struggles they face are realistic and relatable, and a story isn’t filled with silly drama for the sake of having drama.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I’m a sucker for witty dialogue, and Sidelined has it in spades. There was just enough football in it to make it a sports romance, but not enough to bog down the story for those of us who aren’t huge football fans. I plowed through this charming story in less than 24 hours, which isn’t something I find myself doing much these days since so few books are drawing me in and holding my interest. In short, Sidelined is enemies-to-lovers done right, and this story definitely scored a touchdown!

* thank you to NetGalley and Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Connor’s been biding his time, as assistant coach of the football team, he’s always aspired to be the head coach. His time’s finally come, and he thinks he’s a shoe in and he’s not the only one. The rest of the team’s staff is ready for Connor to step up and lead their team to a state championship. The only problem, he didn’t get the job.
Charlie did. Charlie’s the daughter of a famous college football coach and a coach in her own right. She’s ready to spread her wings and prove herself, wanting to get out of her dad’s shadow. She thinks the head coach of a high school team is the perfect place to show what she can do.
Now Charlie’s got a mess on her hands. She’s got to prove to this team that she can lead them all the way, even when they don’t listen. On top of that, she’s got to deal with the rest of the staff who all think that the job should’ve gone to Connor and her hiring was only a publicity stunt.
Ms. Baltstar’s writing is so good. I was fully invested and rooting for Charlie to show everyone what she’s made of. I loved the friendships, the drama, and the love that develops between Connor and Charlie. I’m a new reader of Ms. Baltstar’s work and I’m excited to dive into her other titles.
**I received a copy of this story from Netgalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.

I wanted to be friends with this woman! Strong female characters with males that appreciate them. All three of the main female characters have chosen careers that are predominately male. A great book about the struggle involved with that choice, staying strong, and not being afraid to go after what you want.

I have to admit, I almost gave up on this book. It's a sloooow start. I put it aside and read something else before I came back to it. I even debated putting it down a second time. I'm guessing it's the second book in the series because there is already one couple in the friend group, but I didn't feel lost about it. Once I really got into this book, it was good. Some of the banter was entertaining, I laughed out loud once or twice. I also got a little misty eyed towards the end. It had a happy ending, and I'm guessing a hint at the next book too. Overall, it was pretty good, if you can get through the slow start. On a typical star rating system I would struggle, but I'd probably settle on a 4 star

This book grabbed hold of me and never let go. From the very first page, I was fully invested in Charlie's "new beginning".

Charlie's whole life had been built around football, and after realizing she would never be able to break that glass ceiling at the college level, she pursued, and was hired, for a head coaching position at a Minnesota high school. As expected, she was met with scorn and resistance.

Some of her resistance came in the form of Connor, an assistant coach, who thought he would get the head coaching position. Though he was skeptical, he played along, and eventually realized that Charlie had earned her position. He also began to realize how attracted he was to her and how much he enjoyed her company, but Connor was carrying around a lot of baggage, which was keeping their attraction blossoming into more.

So much to love!

• Charlie being a female in a male dominated profession played a big part in this story, and I liked the way Baltsar explored the issue, but I also liked that it didn't dominate the story. Yes, it was important to the story, but it was just part of Charlie's tale, and the author did a great job keeping that balance in check.

• I love heroines like Charlie. She was such an incredible combination of hard and soft, and I so badly wanted her to succeed, not only in her professional life, but in her personal life as well. Seeing her making and embracing new friends and letting people in was wonderful, and I was really happy with all the progress she made on and off the field.

• There was so much to love about Connor too. I thought he was going to be Mr. Macho, but then he I discovered his family side, and what a wonderful brother, son, and friend he was. He was charming, but he was also tender and was not afraid to show how much he cared.

• The friend group in this book was one I would love to be a part of. Piper, Blake, Bear, and Sonja were all sort of incredible on their own, but the group dynamic was something I couldn't get enough of.

• Charlie + Connor = something really special. It was amazing how well they meshed. They had great chemistry, and I could have listened to them banter all day. I especially liked the way they pushed each other and dug deeper to find the whole person beneath the surface, and my happiness grew with each step they took towards a full fledged relationship.

This book hit all the right notes for me. It was sweet, sexy, funny, charming, witty, and heartwarming, and I greatly enjoyed every moment I spent with Charlie and Connor.

I had heard some great things about this book and I love that cover, so I was pretty eager to get into it.

I really liked Charlie. She’s smart and knows that she’s good and doesn’t try to diminish that. Connor was okay. He’s pretty stand-off-ish and spent the majority of the book that way. I was in complete agreement with Charlie about his whiplash. The only way we knew he had feelings was because his inner monologue said so. I did enjoy the friend group, yet at times it felt like I should have known their stories and background already.

Plot wise, it was okay, bordering on a bit slow. My main complaint is that I just never warmed up to Charlie and Connor as a couple. I didn’t see the chemistry and their arguing came across as arguing, not banter. I didn’t catch the jump from lust to like to love.

Overall, it was a quick read. I loved the plot about her being a woman coach and reading about all aspects of that. Sadly, the romance part left me wanting.

**Huge thanks to Gallery for providing the arc free of charge**

Connor loses his dream job as head coach of the local high school football team. When he finds out that a female, the daughter of a famous football coach, got the position he is sure it’s just for publicity. But Charlie turns out to actually know what she is doing, And happens to be attractive, Connor finds himself losing in more ways than one. ⁣
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Charlie, showing up for her new job, finds that her assistant coach Connor is less than happy to be working along side her. Tension builds and Charlie starts to lean that love and hate are separated by a fine line.. but she is determined to prove her worth both On and off the field. ⁣
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Review: I just want to say that Romance is on a roll with strong female leads this summer! I loved the idea of a female football player/ coach. I felt bad for Charlie and the treatment she had gotten her whole life in her industry.I do wish the romance between Charlie and Connor had been a little bit stronger. I found myself not being invested in the two of them through the book. However, This was a fun, easy, quick read! Appreciate the strong female presence through the book! Charlie didn’t take an crap!

From the summary, it was evident that this would have hate-to-love (which I love) and football (which I don't love so much). I was interested in seeing how Charlie would fare as a female coach of high school football. Sidelined seemed like a quick, nice read, and it was just that.

I enjoyed the first half; Charlie and Connor had chemistry despite Connor's obvious dislike of her. There's a lot of talk about how Charlie is much more than a competent coach, but people talk down to her because she's a woman. I liked seeing her coaching methods, even if a lot of the lingo went over my head.

The hate-to-love petered out around...honestly around the 25% mark, which is fine, but they spend the rest of the book either liking each other or being super frustrated and icing each other out. I mean, that's realistic! But there was no real transition between the two, making their relationship less and less cohesive to me.

The reason I didn't much enjoy the second half is that the characters (all of them) suddenly felt very flat to me. The little growth accomplished in the first half just fell stagnant, and I grew quickly bored.

Sidelined was a cute, quick read. The side characters were interesting, and the romance was cute. If you're looking for something fun and fast to read, I'd recommend this one.