Spinning Out is the first book in the The Blackhawk Boys series by Lexi Ryan. It's the story of Arrow and Mia. Their story was sexy, full of feels and well written.

I was pretty much hooked on this one. I loved how it was written as a before/after and thought all the characters were well developed. I was expecting the author to include something about Trish at the end, and had hoped Bailey's book would be next, but it looks like I'm going to have to wait until book 5 to read her story. I think this was my first Lexi Ryan book and it won't be my last.

LOVE Lexi Ryan!! This is a great story of Mia and Arrow. Arrow was an idiot at times so it was frustating at times.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. This wasn't the spicy sports romance story I thought it would be. Instead, it was a heavy story laced with sadness and depression. Really struggled.

I believe that this is a good book for people who love traditional New Adult and is a pretty decent and enjoyable read (hence the 4 stars), however, I did not find anything about it to be mind-blowing or stand-out-different. Not bad but not crazy memorable.

Read a Lexi Ryan book they said.
It'll be a good time they said.
You'll LOVE it.

Well, other than the "good time" part, they weren't wrong. I read Spinning Out in one sitting. Once I got started, I couldn't' put it down. Lexi Ryan nailed the emotional turmoil, the angst. The HEAT!

Man, these Blackhawk boys are nothing but the best--and worst--kind of trouble.

Where do I find one of my own?

What a story! Very engaging and about a part of the human experience I don't know about, so it was easy to get caught up. Super hot, as well.

I LOVE SEXY SPORTS ROMANCES! I have been an avid Lexi Ryan reader for quite some time and I knew this would be another book added to my collection of other loves! She never disappoints@

This book is told from two perspectives, and it shifts from events in the past and the present. I had a hard time with this book because the reader is just thrown in and it takes a while to understand how all of the characters are connected and why there is so much tension between Mia and Arrow. I had a hard time relating to Arrow's personality, and I could not see any chemistry between Mia and Arrow.

I had a hard time following the plot
At times it felt forced and seemed to jump around alot. Parts of it I loved but overall I wouldn't reread

The teenage/early adult years. All the hormones and angst. The pain is real when you're mourning loved ones, and when someone dies, the memories tend to sometimes leave out the hard times. The secrets are painful in this one, but there's a close knit of characters that are there for each other to lean on. It wasn't an easy read, but it was a good read.

The first in a new series and I'm into it! Lots of angst and emotions so if that's not your thing, you may not enjoy this one. Very sexy and angsty. Really interesting story with lots of layers. Emotional, tragic yet at times funny and sweet. I really enjoyed it and recommend it if you're ok with angst!

***2 stars***

This was my first netgalley book and I really hoped it would be one I'll end up liking. But sadly, I was disappointed. I felt like it had just too much drama for my taste. It had this lingering sadness from start to finish, which quite frankly annoyed me a lot , because based on the cover and the blurb, I was expecting a hot, steamy romance. Welllllll, it was not.

What I got instead was a book about grief, lies, betrayal, unfaithfulness and what seemed like never ending drama.

To give you a quick glimpse inside Spinning out: it's about this girl Mia and a guy named Archer. They're in college and they meet in the dorms one day. She confuses him with a guy that she's been texting with and instantly falls for him, only to later find out he's the text guy's best friend and room mate. She then starts seeing 'texts guy' Brogan, because he's cute and funny and he gets her. But then there's still sexy, hot Archer that she can't get out of her head.

The story then starts to shift back and forth between present day and the past. In the present, Brogan has been in a car accident that left him badly injured, in a state where he's alive but only quite so and Mia's brother was killed. This tragic event leaves both Mia and Archer in a bad place, understandably so. But this is where my problems with this book start, because as the narrative unfolds, we find out that even though Brogan seemed to be this perfect guy, he cheated on Mia. His reasoning here was that he waited for a year for her to sleep with him (she was saving herself for marriage) and nothing happened, so he grew paranoid that she was cheating on him. Logical thing to do? Cheat back.

What blew my mind was the fact that it felt like the author was trying to excuse his behavior and even made Mia go back to him and accept his sorry ass excuses.

Then there's also the whole mystery around the accident, some weird stuff regarding Mia's mother... but long story short: this book just wasn't what I hoped it would be. I constantly had this lingering feeling of sadness mixed with annoyance. There were also a ton of other things that made it all a bad reading experience for me, but I think I spoiled enough of the story already so I'll stop here 🙈

Sooooo it’s a sports romance with absolutely no sports scenes??? I mean, I’m not the biggest fan of these kind of romances, but I thought that was odd.

I ended up DNFing this about halfway through, mainly because this book was just going on too long and the pacing was pretty slow.

"The thing you want so desperately that the idea of having it makes you as sick to your stomach as the idea of never having it?"

Holy love triangle! This was my first read by Lexi Ryan and I am now hooked.

Spinning Out was everything I wanted it be and so much more. It delivered all the emotions and boy did it pack a punch at times. I really felt for the characters and the issues they were dealing with had me feeling all the feels. The two separate timelines was done very well and those mashed with the secrets being kept had me turning the page.


** I recieved a free copy via netgalley in exchange for an honest review **

Honestly, one of my favorite books that I have read. The way it's written and I love this author even more. This a must read and then reread. She's officially on my have to read authors. You won't regret sinking into to these books. I need way more of these kinds of books.

This was fantastic. I could not put it down. I loved the characters, the backstory was insane, the forbidden lovers aspect, the semi-love triangle aspect, the mystery aspect, all very well done. First Lexi Ryan book I've read but definitely won't be the last.

Wow I'm so happy I finally made it thru this book. This book everytime I grabbed it within minutes i was having anxiety due to health problems. It's so good that I will keep reading eventhough I knew I should have stopped. Thanks to Netgalley for sending me this one in exchange of an honest review.

This book is gut wrenching and heartbreaking. Arrow and Mia from the first moment they met they knew their was a connection. The bad thing is their family past plus a friendship forced them to ignore that connection. Fighting what he felt for Mia Arrow took a downfall. Trust me you will want to read this book. I loved the ending and do thankful for Mia figuring the real truth. I can't wait to read the next books. I actually do feel bad for Trish she loved Brogan.

Another great book from Ryan. Arrow and Mia are two people affected deeply by one tragic night and still trying to cope. They have both been in a numb and grief-filled state. She basically has quit living and has been hiding from her previous life and throwing herself into her job. He spun out and ruined his football season, ended up in rehab, and is now on house arrest. There are some twists in the story that will keep your attention until the very last page.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

After reading a great book, the next one usually has way too big shoes to fill. Making comparisons is not fair, but it is human and unavoidable. The book that brings me here today is an example of that. I think I could have enjoyed it a bit more if I weren’t still surfing the wave of the greatness that is the Texting saga by Teagan Hunter. It doesn’t help at all that both books have similar elements.

In this first step of the Blackhawk Boys saga we meet Arrow (no, it is not Oliver Queen…), a football star who is under house arrest after some trouble with drugs and alcohol. That is the same house where Mia works as a nanny, maid, cook and everything domestic you can imagine. Mia and Arrow know each other and, for reasons, dislike each other and are not very friendly. Obviously, they end naked sooner rather than later… Naked in each other arms, in case that wasn’t clear.

I’m going to start with the good: the story is nice. Or at least most of it is. Well, maybe just the main thread of the story. Anyway, it is a nice setting with all the pieces in the right place. There is even a bit of a whodunit to keep the reader engaged. Yes, I know that is not really true, but if you really believe that the person pointed as the culprit was really the one… you need to read more Romance… So, yeah, there was a bit of a mystery to know who the killer was. I’m being generous there. It was pretty easy to know what happened, but the getting there was fun and interesting. I only wondered why Arrow was incapable of filling the holes waaaay sooner.

Too bad the story is drowned by a screaming horde of dramatic elements. I like drama as much as the next guy. I consider it a nice spice to bring some emotion to a Romance novel. But, it has to be measured very carefully or you could end with a dish too hot to handle. Let’s say that, in this case, the measuring cup of the author had to be broken and the book got ten times the required amount of drama. We must not forget that we are talking about very young people who are barely in their twenties, so at some point the bad luck in their lives feels unrealistic. Mia was abandoned by her mother, her brother a criminal who ended in jail, her father a drunk who treated her mother poorly, she barely has money, her brother was murdered in front of her, her boyfriend suffered irreparable brain damaged, her father lost his job, her mother had an affair with her father’s job… etc, etc… And that is just Mia. It is exhausting to read about all the drama in their lives. I wanted to sympathize with them, but it was too much. I couldn’t stomach half of it and the blows kept coming. That made the reading more boring than expected.

Then we have the main characters: Mia and Arrow (still without a green hoodie…). I can admire Mia’s way of facing life after everything she has suffered, but that’s about all the positive I can say. I ended the book yelling: “WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT????” She has the hugest poroblem of self-esteem I have seen. She doens’t live, she survives. Mia keeps stuffing her mouth with crumbs when she could feast if she were more honest with herself. That’s the reason I do not believe her relationship with Arrow. In my opinion, she is with him just because he is available and good to her. There is zero spark. There was also zero spark with the former boyfriend or even with Sebastian in that weird date (what was that???). About Arrow I have little to say. Very basic character that just gets his role done withoout any kind of flourish. A bit gullible sometimes.

The book misses all its chances of humor, even though the situation was apropos for a good laugh. The enemies to lovers dance was a mess, that barely makes sense at all. Why do Arrow and Mia hate each other? What is the reason? I think I was given one, but it’s the weakest excuse I have read in a long time. You have failed this troupe…

So, yeah. The book has more cons than pros. But the second book looks like it could be lighter, so the hope is not lost!