Spinning Out by Lexi Ryan was a great start to a series about football players from Blackhawk University. This first book starts with a fight and then a horrific accident that changes the lives of many but mostly the main characters Arrrow and Mia. I loved the dual POV and timelines. Sometimes it's best not to know all of the incidents leading up to the event all at once in the beginning. Leaves you guessing throughout the book.

I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

I received a copy of this book from #netgalley for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book a lot!!
It's true that it's kind of confusing at the beginning. We know that something bad happened in New Year's eve. But we don't know what. We only know that the characters, specially Mia and Arrow are struggling to move on while dealing with the consequences.
And as the story unravels, your opinion about some of the characters changes,too. Because things are not as they looked like at first. And you understand how complicated Mia, Arrow and Brogan's story is.
It's a book full of lies, regret, love and consequences. And it will make you want to read the rest of the books in this series.

I don't usually read about college students, but this one seemed interesting. A horrible accident in the beginning, goes back and forth from the past to present day, leading up the accident. The relationships between friends, especially a young couple, are highly affected by the accident. More on the solemn side, maybe even a little depressing, it's a well written book.

I am so glad I picked this book up to read! This story had it all: heartbreak, true love, star crossed lovers, humor, steamy sex, honorable men, bad boys, and even a little mystery. It sounds like a lot, but it all fit together perfectly with well written dialogue, slow build up of the plot where needed. Unlike many books with a little mystery or suspense, I did not feel like Spinning Out rushed the ending either. The pace of the story picks up where appropriate but the reader is left satisfied that the ending develops realistically. With detailed character development for the main characters, the reader really feels like they are invested in the story and the outcome. The foreshadowing and hints in the development of the support characters gives the reader good incentive to move on to next book(s) in the series. I will definitely be reading the rest of the Blackhawk Boys series from Lexi Ryan AND I will be recommending the series to my reader friends!

This book is INTENSE. There was a fine line between me loving it and me hating it, and I drifted between the two several times throughout the book. If not for the fact that NetGalley offered me an ARC in exchange for an honest review, I’m not sure that I would’ve made it through the first few chapters - but I am glad that I did, because the story had me riveted once I got a better handle on what was going on (I just had to struggle through a persistent ache in my chest the whole time to make it through).

Spinning Out follows Mia and Arrow, two college students who are connected by Arrow’s best friend. The story shifts back and forth between events that happened before and after an accident that seriously altered their lives. The reader gets a real sense of how a few key events changed everything, and the dynamic of their relationship is totally different in the present than it is in the past. Lexi Ryan leaves the reader in the dark for much of the book, leaving little breadcrumbs about what happened in the past, then slowly revealing details throughout the book. This more than anything is what kept me reading - I was so invested in the story, trying to figure out what happened to Mia and Arrow, that I just kept turning the pages. I also came to enjoy both Mia and Arrow as characters a great deal, so I wanted to see how things worked out for them. Normally, I don’t read books with this much angst, where the story is so emotional, but it really worked for this book. I’m not sure I would read a romance novel like this all the time (and it’s pretty unique, so you wouldn’t readily find another book like this one out there), but it was riveting and kept my interest the whole time. All in all, an intense book that will stay with me long after I’ve finished reading it, and an author that I would check out again.

ARC received for review

2.5 stars

It feels like it took me forever to read this. It was a great idea, but so depressing. Plus the BFF, Bailey, was over the top slutty, and there was no resolution to Bailey's relationship with her on again off again boyfriend. The best part was the last 5 chapters. There are lots more hunky football players to read about. And up next is Chris who I want to know more about, so I'll give her another chance.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to.

I received this book as an arc from Netgalley.

What I liked most about this book is the way it was told. You start with the present and don't understand fully what is going on until you start getting snippets from what happened previously. Job well done.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

For a book that is supposedly about sports, it really doesn't have any sports in it at all. The characters seemed very angsty and it took most of the book to figure out why they feel how they feel. Beyond being angsty, Arrow didn't really have a lot of character. Mia was much more of a full character, grieving for her boyfriend and managing her difficult father. I've read other books in this series and enjoyed them. If you like new adult college angst-romance, this book series is for you.

Ahhh how and where do I start this from without missing anything out...do I talk about the characters? Do I mention the story? Or do I talk about the different twists and turns? There’s so much there that needs to be mentioned.

The book is told in alternating chapters some of which describe the present time while others would mention the past. This builds up the mystery as to what actually happened that one night when everything changed in our characters’ lives.

The main two characters that we read the perspective of are Mia Mendez and Arrow Woodinson. Mia is our typical female character who’s like the good girl, working hard towards her education until a bad boy (spoiler alert; what you know, it’s Arrow) walks in and interrupts her from doing just that.

Arrow is the hot, swoon-worthy bad-boy who plays football and is involved in different anti-social activities which definately gets him in trouble but they also get him into various chicks’ arms. This cycle continues until a mysterious tragedy occurs connecting the Mia and Arrow in ways they did not see coming.

If you like reading new adult mystery/romance novels then this is right up you alley. The book may take some time getting used to but when you do, you’ll be sucked into Mia and Arrow’s story and you’d be wanting to know about them as much as you can.

I was kindly sent a copy of the book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions mentioned above are my own.

Spinning Out is more than your run of the mill romance involving a football star and a pretty lady. Mia and Arrow's lives are intertwined with dark, highly emotional secrets that seem impossible to overcome, revealed through past and present POVs from each character. In the beginning of the book I struggled to understand the interactions between the two characters but as I got further into the plot it became more clear as to why they each had walls built up. While the first half of the book was a little slower to get into than previous Lexi Ryan books I have read, the second half flew by and I am glad I got the chance to read this book. If you are looking for a more intense romance with several twists, this is the book for you! Thank you NetGalley!

Spinning Out is full of emotion and angst. I thought it was just ok. I didn’t love it, yet didn’t hate it either.

This was way more intense than I anticipated! I went in blind, and let me tell you, I got so drawn in and addicted to this story. Arrow and Mia's story is mired in heartache and angst. At first, I was upset with him and how he treated her. As time goes on, my heart breaks for him at the way she constantly pulls back from him. At a time in their lives where they really could use one another to lean on for support, there's still so much standing in their way.

If this is any indication of how the rest of the series is going to go, sign me up! Seriously, drag my emotions through the mud some more. I can take it.

What an intriguing novel that makes for an interesting read. This novel certainly ticks all the right boxes for an entertaining novel especially for its genre. I really had a great time reading this novel and I was completely satisfied with the contents within this sexy novel full of sporty sexiness. Overall i give it a 5/5..

Great novel.

This is a tough book for me to review because I didn't hate it but I also didn't love it. I'm on the fence when it comes to this one. There were parts of this story that I enjoyed and parts that I disliked. I wished there was more chemistry between the main characters and their back and forth became exhausting at times. There was nothing about them that made them stand out for me. I suggest readers give this book a try and see if it works for them because I'm still unsure how I feel about this one.

Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to be part of the reader-community of NetGalley. I know that it is risky to but your work into somebody else's hands for free, not knowing what comes out of it. I appreciate your trust very much and would love to cooperate with you in the future. The book definitely spiked my interest and I absolutely acknowledge the potential for the following books.
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3,5 dreamy * for the heartache and the good flow of the story

K, y'all, hold your panties and gimme a drum roll because here comes my very first NetGalley review. #SpinningOut #NetGalley

(Also finally found out how to use gifs in reviews, better late, than never, right?)

I am really excited I took the opportunity to register. Thank you so much, Lexi Ryan and Social Butterfly PR, for providing me with this free arc, the process of registering and carefully setting up a profile was SO worth it, if only for this book.

Now, before I get into reviewing this story, some general things. I would suggest to anyone who is reading this book that they go to the end before starting it and check out that playlist Lexi has put together for this book specifically, because the playlist fits so well, it hurts. I was almost wondering whether she put the songs together first and wrote the story after. For anyone who is sick of classic sport-star meets innocent girl, you shall not fear this book. I was a bit sceptical at first, but I liked that the take on the actual football itself wasn't all too heavy. But I sure love me some hawt (to say it with Keegan's words) athletes, so if you do, too, then dive in!

One destiny-driven night on New Year's Eve is all it takes to disrupt the lives of a group of young people. An SUV hits a car and leaves behind a dead brother and a ex-boyfriend and best friend in PVS. Both Mia Mendez and Arrow Woodison suffer greatly from their losses and especially Mia is not living her life anymore. To care for her addicted and unemployed father, Mia takes up work in the household of Arrow's family, who is ironically on house arrest. Both seem to share a common history that is especially painful as it involves PSV-tortured Brogan. They each see themselves at fault for what happened that awful night and have no idea how to deal with that, or even worse, with each other. Dealing with this guilt is almost as bad as dealing with each other. Arrow behaves almost hostile towards her, hurting her with words whenever the possibility arises. It is so friggin' obvious they want and care for each other but Arrows words seem to put more and more walls up between them. He is so wrapped up in his anger, hurt and self-loathing that he keeps on hurting the only thing, that has ever really been his thing, his everything.

As the story unfolds, the reader is given alternating views from both Mia's and Arrow's perspective, as well as pre and post accident. I really enjoyed this way of telling the story a lot, as it seemed like I was getting two love-stories at once.

However, I did have a bit of a hard time connecting as to why exactly it was she couldn't give in to her burning feelings for Arrow. It is said explicitly that her father has a whole lot of anger towards the Woodison family but I feel like in favour of keeping it a bit mysterious, the author missed out on giving the reader the opportunity to properly be in touch with the heroine. It also was the reason that I was annoyed with her at one point while reading a pre-accident part of the book. I swear I was this || close to reaching into the story and smacking her head because it was just unrealistically stupid and ignorant of her to insist on Arrow and her being friends, as he had already made it quite clear is feelings where much deeper than your average crush.

What I really liked was the development of Brogan's character from a seemingly good guy to first class douche. I feel like this transformation is not often enough a theme and especially younger readers need to be confronted with it more. A lot of people feel I exaggerate but as a passionate reader and someone who always looks for a deeper message, I always look to include such things (or the lack of it) in my reviews. Not seldom, it is the reason I cannot rate a book as high as I would otherwise. TBH, I disliked Brogan from the start, mainly because he said: It's refreshing, honestly, to meet a girl who doesn't think she has to drink half a bottle of cheap vodka to make friends. For one, comparing a woman to other women is not a compliment. Never has, never will. Women were only manipulated into thinking so. Also, most women are taught that they are only fun when alcohol gets their tongues and bodies lose and that is just plain disgusting. So using this stereotype against them... Ugh. The "logic" goes into the same direction as this quote, which, admittedly, I did make me laugh out loud: "You really think boobs are going to make people give us answers?" - "We're not talking about people. We're talking about men."

SPOILER ALERT.This is the point where people who don't want to get spoilered need to stop reading. DO NOT CONTINUE READING IF YOU WANT TO KEEP IT SPOILER FREE. The last think I need to get off my chest is that I am sick of this "They made one mistake, why should it ruin their life"-narrative concerning the accident that left two dead people behind. Obviously, I instantly connected this to cases of sexual assault as well, where white, privileged, patriarchy-imprinted people still believe that this is an okay measure according to which one judges somebody. For those who made it to this point of the review I would like to add, however, this is not, how the story plays out at all, the story at hand is much more complicated than that, which is why I do not want to put too much emphasis on the whole matter. The story around this was thought threw and made sense. I did want to give a warning for those, whoever, who might be triggered by this due to personal experiences.
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Writing Quality + easy of reading = 4*

pace = 4*

plot development = 2,5* (it was rather predictable, in my opinion)

characters = 3* (I am glad to have friends like Bailey but am yet lacking an Arrow, although I do have this really hot guy at work who is also a football player *swoon*)

enjoyability = 5* I couldn't wait to get back to this book and even skipped my usual morning routine of chilling in bed, regeratting I'd have to leave it soon)

insightfulness = 1* (I do have an issue with how the crime is handled. Y'all know it, this dogma of "Why should ONE mistake ruin his life?"... well, maybe because two people having to give their lives for it? Just a wild guess, but, yeah).

My first Lexi Ryan book!! I really liked this one.

The alternating POVs between Arrow and Mia keep you on your toes and you also jump from past to present so you have to read carefully. I thought I knew what was going on but I was surprised in the end.

This story does have quite a few twists and turns, but at some points it is predictable and if you pay attention enough, you can figure it all out.

I enjoy suspense and this book didn't disappoint.

I have actually already read this book. I was disappointed in that cause it’s a really good one. I love Lexi Blake as an author and really wanted to read this one. Highly recommend this book and the ones that come after. I checked, I have read them too.

3 1/2 star review.....

Spinning Out is a story that invokes a myriad of emotions; gut-wrenching sadness, moments that make you smile, and a bucket load of angst that sometimes made me want to strangle the main characters. Basically, if you’re expecting a run of the mill story about a bigheaded, self-assured athlete who finds love, this isn’t it.

This is definitely a tale leaning towards the darker side of the equation, and at times I struggled to push my way through. The story is well written and the plot showed a lot of promise, I just found certain aspects a little frustrating and the angst was overdone. However it is a decent book, with plenty of roller coater emotions to keep you guessing.

Whew......what a rollercoaster ride this book became! I didn't even know what to expect when I started it.

Mia is suffering terribly. After a horrible accident which takes her brother, Nic's, life and severely injures her boyfriend, Brogan, she has sunk so low that it appears there's no recovering from this tragedy.

As she takes on a nanny position to make money, she is barely living a life. Enter Arrow (love that name)! Arrow has been suffering also.....you see, Brogan was his best friend, and the guilt is heavy all the way around in this book. With a promising future in football, he goes off the deep end and manages to significantly screw his life up.

Without giving away too much and spoiling anything, this story jumps from present to past and that it where we see how everything actually played out. Wow.....so much heartache.

While there was a little bit of predictability to this story, I wasn't exactly right in what I was thinking, so great job to Lexi Ryan for fooling me!!

If you liked the Wrecked and Ruined Series by Aly Martinez, you will really like this book too! I'm looking forward to the continuing series, and even though there's been a lot of bashing of Bailey (Mia's best friend), I think there is more to her story which I'll be anxious to read about. Not to mention Chris, Mason, and Keegan's stories!