I loved this book! It was the perfect blend of swoony romance, friendship, family relations, and of course sports. I appreciated the realness of the baseball elements of the plot. Sometimes sports storylines can seem cheesy but it was very clear that Becky Wallace had personal experience in the field (no pun intended) and in the industry. As a big fan of both baseball and YA contemporary stories, this book was a home run for me. I also would recommend it for slightly younger YA readers, which is nice, as it wasn't too intense in the romance department.

This book was an adorable fast read. It reflected on the growth we still need to impart on our youth on the rights of girls and women. They can be just as capable and passionate in a male dominated field.

I loved the feminist baseball read with swoon you could not get enough of. I love Becky Wallace writing!

Saving Home sounded like it was going to be the perfect YA summer read. Unfortunately, this one didn't quite work for me.

There's a decent balance between the romance and the other plot, although both don't really go anywhere for the majority of the book. Then everything happened all at once in the last 10-15 pages. And there wasn't really an adequate build-up to support how either plot ended. Plus, I'm not that familiar with baseball so I was sometimes a bit lost.

Ryan was an interesting character, I liked how she was very driven, smart, and never gave up. However, since baseball was all-consuming for her, I never really got a good idea of who she was as a person. I also didn't really get the romance with Sawyer, there wasn't any swoon-factor there for me. But I loved Mia as a character, the scenes with her were the best part of the book.

I'm really bummed that this one wasn't for me, particularly because I love a good YA romance and Stealing Home sounded so promising.

*Disclaimer: I received this book for free from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I absolutely LOVED this novel. It caught my attention immediately and I found myself thinking about the novel when I wasn't able to pick it up and read it. The characters were entertaining and I could practically visualize each of them in my mind. It was a cute and casual summer romance story that left me wanting more from Wallace. I look forward to reading more from her in the future! Thank you to NetGalley for sending this novel in exchange for an honest review. I would highly recommend this novel to readers who enjoy romantic reads!

Rating 4/5

Summary: Ryan Russell is the seventeen-year-old daughter of a retired baseball player and current owner of the Minor League Baseball team The Buckley Beavers. Ryan dreams of someday taking over the family business and running her beloved team. She knows that for a girl to make it in a man’s world she must be perfectly professional at all times. Ryan is dedicated and is not going to be distracted by anything or anyone. However, all of her resolve begins to crumbled with teen baseball superstar, Sawyer Campbell, joins The Beavers. Ryan must decide what she is willing to give up and who she can’t live without before she loses everything.

Review: Every so often I just really want to watch on of those cheesy Hallmark Channel movies. I especially like the ones that have a scrappy main character who is beginning to have feelings for someone who she shouldn’t. When I finished Stealing Home by Becky Wallace my first thought was this is the teen book version of a Hallmark Channel movie with just a little bit more young adult behavior and language. In the book our heroine, Ryan, is trying to save her beloved minor league baseball team while trying to not fall for the swoon worthy love interest, Sawyer. There is banter and flirting and denied feelings before we may finally end up at a happily ever after. The book is cute and the story is fast but not especially complicated and that is really it’s biggest selling point. Wallace has written a perfect YA romance for someone looking for a beach read that doesn’t require any heavy thinking. It’s fluffy, cheesy, and not at all serious but that is okay with me.

One of my favorite things about summer is reading swoony books, and Becky Wallace's Stealing Home is a contemporary romance that you do not want to miss. This novel contains the right amount of emotional frenzy and excitement, which create a slow-burn romance blossomed from friendship and commonality. 

The main character, Ryan, is a very driven and focused person. She has dreams and aspirations to follow in her dad's footsteps, and as a summer intern for her parent's co-owned minor league baseball team, Ryan is one of the most determined, organized, and follows the rules to the T type of person. Enter Sawyer Campbell, the new baseball player who is also goal-oriented, career-driven, and puts his family first. Both characters are so much alike that it is hard not to root for a love connection between them throughout the book. 

Overall, Stealing Home is a quick and constant page-turner. This novel definitely has its drama and angst, but add in positive friendships, baseball games, and breakfast burritos, and you have a story that hits a home run. Each chapter is a brand new step in helping Ryan and Sawyer fulfill each of the their personal dreams and get the happy ending they both deserve.

Actual Rating: 4.5 stars

Becky Wallace absolutely knocked this one out of the park (pun intended)! Stealing Home is a cute, fun YA Contemporary and such a great summer read.

I really enjoyed Becky’s writing; it’s smooth and captivating! The story is told in the first person POV of our leading lady, Ryan. And it’s so much more than just a baseball romance (although I was ALL ABOUT the baseball element and the romance) — this is a story about having a dream and fighting for it! There is also a great family dynamic that I loved.

I fell for the characters in this book! Ryan is hard-working and dauntless. Sawyer is a sweet, southern boy. Both have their own struggles but work so well together to overcome them. They are in a tough position because their chemistry is undeniable! However, they also have a need to keep things professional which leads to some low-level angst and a bit of a slow burn. I was absolutely rooting for them (and the Buckley Beavers), though!

The couple of things that kept this from being a 5-star read for me: 1) I wanted just a bit more of the social commentary on gender roles, and 2) I would have loved to see more of Ryan and Sawyer as “Ryan and Sawyer.”

Overall, I definitely recommend Stealing Home to YA Contemporary fans who especially love sports romances! This was definitely the sweet, summer read I have been looking for.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book. Please note that it, in no way, had an effect on my opinion or review.

This was a really fun book and I really enjoyed the characters. The two main characters had to deal with their own challenges and grow from them. It definitely takes you back to a time when you were younger and how exciting first relationships were. I really loved this book and think readers will enjoy how fun this book is!

I love a good sports romance. Football is always my favorite but baseball is usually my next best bet. There’s something about it that just grabs me (at least from a fictional perspective – watching baseball on TV isn’t my favorite but going to games in real life is so fun!). I’m happy to say that the baseball-related elements were large and in charge here.

The main character, Ryan, was super into helping her dad run their minor league team (and wanted to take it over someday); she knew everything about the baseball business. When a top recruit heads to their team, sparks fly between the two. Ryan is a rule-follower though, especially when it comes to her beloved team, so she refuses to allow them to act on their feelings. I’ll be honest: I didn’t feel quite as much chemistry as I was hoping. For a super-slow-burn romance, I need to FEEL the tension dripping from the page in order for the eventual payoff to be worth it. That was very much not the case here. Sure, I was rooting for them to get together and they were good for each other, but I didn’t feel that magnetic pull toward each other like I want in this kind of romance. The ending, for this element of the story, was incredibly rushed and stilted.

Aside from the romance, the other major plot point is that half of the team might get sold, and Ryan is determined to stop that from happening. This brought a frustrating mother-daughter relationship to light and I was so frustrated at her mother’s behavior. Unfortunately, this storyline was rushed as well. The end result was logical and probably realistic, which was nice, but… that’s about it.

I expected a slow-burn sports-filled summer romance, which was delivered to me. However, the writing and story itself was so repetitive. Her inner thoughts on the forbidden romance just repeated and repeated on each page, after every interaction. The same thing is true about the sale of the team and stopping her mom from screwing her over – very repetitive constant inner thoughts. It made the book drag and feel a bit pointless at times because if all of the duplication was removed, this would be a solid short story. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a harmless and quick read that I would generally recommend, but there’s not a lot of depth and some parts are skim-worthy.

I had seen so many high reviews for this book and I loved the synopsis, so I was pretty eager to get into this one. Sadly, it was a little disappointing for me.

I liked Ryan well enough. She’s smart and knows what she wants and how to go after it. At the same time, she’s quite neglectful of everything that’s not baseball. I get that she loves the team, but she openly admits to not being a good friend to Mia {who might be the best part of the entire story.} Sawyer is respectful and sweet, but I didn’t see the swoons.

Plot wise, it felt like a lot of repetition that went nowhere. The build up between the non-existent romance and the rush to save the team lacked tension I was expecting. And it was a bit disappointing to see the relationship finally come to fruition with like 5 pages to go.

Overall, it was a quick and cute read, but lacked a spark I was hoping for. I just didn’t see the the same story everyone else did and it makes me sad.

**Huge thanks to Page Street for providing the arc free of charge**

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Although I never played any sports ball, I LOVE sports romances, and therefore, had to have this book as soon as I heard about it. But, Stealing Home was not your typical sports romance. This was about having a dream, and doing everything you could to make it happen.

Sawyer was the number one draft pick for the Buckley Beavers, the minor league team for the Texas Rangers. He hoped to make it to the majors, and earn enough money to help save his family's farm. Ryan also hoped to make a life in baseball. She wanted to be the first female general manager in the sport. However, Sawyer and Ryan's aspirations were threatened, but the two were able to work together to try and save both their dreams.

Ryan was incredible. She was so focused and driven, almost to a fault, but I admired her for it. You could tell how much she loved the game, her dad, and the Buckley Beavers. I found all the behind the scenes stuff really interesting, and absolutely loved all her planning and plotting to save the business.

Sawyer was also fabulous. He was a baseball playing southern farm boy with a drawl. Be still my heart. He was so sweet and endearing, and his love for his family just made me adore him more. I absolutely had no problem rooting for these two.

The romance was of the slow burn variety, but not really by choice. Sawyer and Ryan had to fight their growing attraction, because of the non-fraternization policy, and, well, that resulted in some serious tension. It didn't stop the two from developing a fond friendship, and being there for each other when they really needed someone in their court, but I was 100% behind them making that love connection, because they were a perfectly matched.

This book was summer personified. It was warm and sunny, light and easy. It was like a glass of sweet tea on a hot day - refreshing and satisfying, and it made me feel good.

This was my first book by Becky and I loved it. The story that she told was one that kept me interested till the very end. With summer now upon us, this would be a perfect beach read.
Ryan and Sawyer have an instant connection and it was lovely to see them come together.
Ryan’s parents are divorced but they own a minor league baseball team. Ryan wants nothing more then to become a manager of a baseball team when she graduates. There’s one downside, there’s a strict no dating the players policy. That’s ok until Sawyer comes along. Ryan cant help but be drawn to him.
I loved this book. I used to play baseball and enjoy watching it so to have a book that is a contemporary baseball YA book that’s the perfect book for me. If your also a fan of these type of books then this one is perfect for you.

Baseball fans will fall in love with this sweet YA romance. Strong characters and a fun plot makes this is a perfect summer read! Readers will love getting to know Ryan and Sawyer as much as I did.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for giving me the opportunity to read and review the book!

Sweet, swoony, and loads of fun, Stealing Home makes for the perfect summer read! This was my first book by Becky Wallace, but it won't be my last.

What I Liked: The writing, the characters, the friendships, and especially the romance. Ryan and Sawyer are the kind of characters you want to root for, even if, like me, baseball is not your jam. Theirs is a slow-burn, but believable romance, that kicks off with a hilariously gross Meet Cute. I also enjoyed Mia and Ryan's friendship. It was nice to see the girls supporting each other.

What Left Me Wanting More: I was really curious about Sawyer's family and life leading up to when he meets Ryan. Aside from his brother, did he have friends back home? An old girlfriend? And did he resolve things with his Dad?

Final Verdict:; Fans of Kasie and West Miranda Kenneally will enjoy this one!

I love love this book, Sawyer is my new book boyfriend, I love the story, sport romance at it's best. Ryan and Sawyer are a couple that you will always remember, their chemistry is amazing, so fresh and sweet. It will get to you and won't let you leave it until you are done with a great smile on your face. I am certainly looking forward to reading more of Becky's books, I certainly enjoyed her writing.

There was something very addicting about this book. I realize that if I have to read about a sport, baseball would be my first pick, but "Stealing Home" hit it out of the park for me. To get a bit of a glimpse into the life of a minor league team was complete fun. Add in two characters, Ryan and Sawyer, that I completely crushed on and I had a winner. These two had not even left the airport and I already needed to know how their story ended. A fun quick read. I can't wait to put a copy in my classroom.

This was a super easy, quick, and heart happy read. The characters had chemistry that you could see on the pages and imagine off the pages. It gave a strong female lead a strong male lead to compliment her. They work together instead of fighting with each other. It was a definite move from the normal young adult rom-com read.
This is perfect if you need a quick happy read where everything isn't terrible for the main characters the entire book.

Thanks to the publisher for letting me read an early copy through Netgalley.

As a girl who loves contemporary novels, baseball, and YA... this was the perfect book for me.

I absolutely love it when books make me happy, and this one left me with a big goofy grin the entire time I was reading it.
Whenever I wasn’t reading it, I couldn’t stop thinking about how much I wish I could have been reading it. I was hooked immediately and I completely fell in love with the story.

It was such a sweet story about fighting for what you want, friendships, relationship jitters, and family. When I reached the end I was left with this big fuzzy ball of happiness inside my chest.

I will love this book and reread it many times for the rest of my life.

This book was adorable in all the right places! I LOVE books with sports, so I knew I wanted to request this as soon as I saw it :D It wasn't the best thing I have ever read, but I certainly enjoyed it and will read more by Becky Wallace in the future.

This is such a fun and fast contemporary read. I love that the story involves baseball as few YA books do. The characters were quirky and had great personalities that easily fell into the classic tropes of YA romance.