Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. This book is really entertaining. I would read and not notice how much time went by. Now I just want the Olympics (thanks Covid).
CW: body dysmorphia, talk of disordered eating, sexual assault, verbally and mentally abusive relationships, depression

I was not expecting this book to be what it was. It was an emotional ride that shone a spotlight on a part of society that has been overlooked. As an outsider to the world of gymnastics, I’ve only seen the glitz and the glamor. I love getting the behind the scene look at the process of preparing for the possibility of the olympics, what happens after you fail at your dream, and redefining your identity and purpose.

I loved how you could already tell how multilayer Avery was just in the first chapter alone. She’s completely lost in life and her purpose is nonexistent. She’s lost her identity when her dreams shatter and doesn’t know where to go from here. I loved the idea of taking the ideals we have of gymnastics with their poise and refinement and what happens to them when it is all stripped away. My heart broke for Avery everytime she debated the possibility of “what if” and what her life would have been like in an alternative world if her injury didn’t derail her. And what I loved even more about her was that even at her lowest point, she’s determined. She’s still motivated. She learns to play to her strengths and find a way to fulfill them. She’s such a strong lead character and completely inspirational.

The writing is so good and flows so seamlessly. The way the author writes, I feel these emotions that Avery feels in the beginning. I had to take a moment to regroup everytime Avery was hit with a low because I could feel it in my heart. I was amazed how well her writing would pull me into the story.

I love Avery and Ryan. I love their chemistry and the way their relationship organically progressed. I really enjoyed Jasmine and Averys relationship but I wish it was explained more. I felt like certain situations just came out of the blue without any warning and it didn’t make sense to me how certain scenes were played out. I also enjoyed how the scandled was handled. I loved the authors' approach to see how others in the community were affected by it and how people responded to it.

After reading this book I feel the motivation to go out there and do an Arabian flip or mount a vault. Have I ever participated in any form of gymnastics or can even do a basic cartwheel, nope. Am I twice the age of the athlete in her prime, yep. Did this book give me false hope I too can be an Olympian because the writing was fantastic with a multifaceted character, yep! And yes as I type these words there is a bag of cookies next to me that I am eating. I really enjoyed this book and thank you to NetGalley and Atrica for this eARC and to the author for this chance to get a glimpse into a world that fascinates me.

REVIEW: Head Over Heels
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Avery is a former Olympic gymnast hopeful who’s dreams were shattered after a disastrous performance. When she moves back to her small town after a breakup, she meets Ryan who is coaching a young gymnast.

I really enjoyed the gymnast aspect of this book! Very empowering. I also really commend the author for tackling such a tough subject regarding abuse/scandal. I think the romance took a back seat to Avery’s individual journey.

Overall, it was a fun read. I liked the writing style and found it very accessible.
Thank you so much Atria and Netgalley for this lovely ARC!

Once I started reading Head Over Heels, sort-of a second chance romance, I couldn’t stop. I would call it compulsively readable. Avery spent her whole life training to earn a spot on the women’s Olympic gymnastics team, but an injury at the qualifying meet changed her life. Now, years later, she’s moving home after a breakup with her long-term football player boyfriend with absolutely no direction. Ryan, an Olympic gymnast Avery competed with and used to have long-distance crush on, calls her and asks for help coaching an Olympic hopeful he’s working with. Do I need to tell you sparks fly? Probably not…

There is a lot about gymnastics in this book, which I didn’t think I’d like because I’m the opposite of athletic in every single way, but I actually really enjoyed that aspect of the book. The romance, usually my favorite part, was what fell a little short for me. It was a little 2-dimensional and Ryan seemed too perfect except when he was making huge, plot-driven mistakes that seemed out of character. But there was also a really nice second-chance friendship in the book that I really appreciated, and overall I thought this one was a fun, popcorn read. If you’re a fan of gymnastics or need a summer Olympics fix in lieu of the cancellation, this book might be up your alley. Pick up a copy when it comes out June 23!

Thank you to @atriabooks , @netgalley , and the author (and the #bookishladiesclub !) for providing me with an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

A bit disappointing....
Unfortunately this won't become my new favorite Hannah Orenstein book. Though it was engaging and kept me turning the pages, I found the gymnastics jargon and over-the-top detail a bit too much. And the romance between Avery and Ryan was meh at best.

I did enjoy how Orenstein incorporated the mental and physical abuse that has occurred in gymnastics over the years and how the newer generations are banding together to make things better. I would have loved to have seen more about Avery's parents and how they felt about what had happened to Avery (or if they even knew) and if there is anything they would have done differently. They seemed so supportive of her as a young gymnast but once she moved back home, they seemed apathetic about her current situation and future.

All this being said, I'm still a huge Orenstein fan and I look forward to seeing more from her!

Thank you Atria books and Netgalley for the free eARC. All opinions are my own.

*This review contains what some might consider minor spoilers. I think given the serious nature of some issues in the book, I can’t not mention them.

I enjoyed following along with Avery’s journey from feeling adrift and without purpose to learning more about who she is and what she can accomplish. Even more than that though, what she doesn’t have to accomplish- perfection. This book is literary fiction, not a romance, so Avery’s story is the main focus, but there is still romance…

The romance between Avery and Ryan started really great for me. I appreciated that the characters communicated instead of there being a lot of unnecessary misunderstandings. However, as the book went on we lost that. Ryan doesn’t believe Avery, or take her seriously enough, regarding allegations of abuse. This conflict was important to the story, but I wish Ryan’s character was given more dimension and internal struggle instead of so easily choosing his own goals over Avery. It would have made me feel a lot better about how the book continues.

As mentioned before, this book does cover some very difficult issues. These mirror what have horribly happened within women’s gymnastics in the last few years. I think it’s an important story to tell though. Trigger warnings: emotional and sexual (no explicit details given) abuse. Body image and eating disorders.

It felt so odd to be reading a book that is taking place in the spring and summer of 2020 that is so different from the one we are facing in reality. Since we don’t get to watch the Olympics this year, it was fun to experience them (or at least the period that leads up to them) in this book!

You can go into this knowing almost nothing about gymnastics and still enjoy it. What’s necessary for you to know is explained, but what’s unnecessary is not, so you don’t feel like it is droning on. I do think you’ll enjoy it more if you are a fan of gymnastics, even if that’s only every four years.

So fun! I've read all of Hannah Orenstein's books and this one is by far my favorite. Her characters are always so likeable and sympathetic. It's more than just a straightforward romance - it's the story of a woman finding her passion and putting herself back together again after her life gets turned upside down. I really enjoyed it!

I absolutely adored HEAD OVER HEELS. It was exactly what I needed to read when my mind was anxiously preoccupied with the state of the world--light and charming without being fluffy or insubstantial. I loved how Orenstein goes into some of the particulars of gymnastics, which many novels about athletes sadly fail to do; she manages to make the unfamiliar world of the sport accessible without talking down to her audience, which is a huge accomplishment.

I was, frankly, surprised at how much I enjoyed this, because I rarely read the genre and often find myself turned off from romance storylines (it's a personal failing, not an issue with the genre). But this took me away. Even still, my favorite parts were the sports scenes, which were tense, engrossing, and well-paced.

Five out of five stars!

All the gold stars for Hannah Orenstein’s new novel Head Over Heels. I absolutely devoured this story and the retried gymnast in me was ecstatic to follow along! Head Over Heels stars Avery, a once Olympic hopeful gymnast forced into retirement due to an injury. Avery has recently broken up with her football boyfriend and returned to her hometown to decide what’s next. Reluctantly, Avery accepts an invitation to help coach a young talented gymnast. Avery is suddenly back in the gym, but instead of wearing the leotard, she’s coaching and finding a new role for herself. She’s also discovering that her co-coach Ryan is just as cute as an adult as he was as her teenage crush. Being back on the East coast has also forced Avery to look at her childhood best friend with new eyes. Avery remains blindsided that Jasmine married their old gymnastic coach Dimitri. Not only is Dimitri several decades older, both Avery and Jasmine suffered tremendously from his abusive coaching tactics. Avery is given the opportunity to create a new trajectory for her life and the sport of gymnastics, different than what she could have ever imagined. I really enjoyed the romantic story-line, the athletic aspect and the quarter-life crisis journey that Avery finds herself on. I look forward to discussing Head Over Heels with friends this summer upon its formal release and know that readers will fall in love with Avery’s story!

This book is misleading in that the cover says to you, 'I-am-a-light-hearted Rom-Com!' and yet this book is so much more than that.

Despite being thrown off by the depth and strength of this book, I absolutely loved it. I was sucked in from the very first page and was enthralled to the very end. The friendship/frenemy relationship between Avery and Jasmine was realistically written, even outside the world of competitive gymnastics.

Having read the author's previous books, this book definitely shows maturity in her writing and more character development. If this is the trend in her writing, I can't wait for the next book from her!

I loved this story and couldn't put it down! All too often gymnastics is misrepresented in books, movies, etc, but you could tell this is someone who either knows a lot about the gymnastics world or did their research, and it turned out as a good, accurate representation of what gymnasts go through after leaving the sport.

My only complaint is that it made me extra sad that we're missing the 2020 Olympics, but it was nice to read about a 2020 gymnastics season, even if it was fictional. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital copy of this book.

Avery is a former gymnast who lost her shot at the Olympics due to a devastating athletic injury. Years later, after her football star boyfriend breaks up with her, Avery returns to her hometown where her gymnastics journey began. When she’s asked by another former gymnast, Ryan, to coach a potential Olympian by his side, Avery is forced to relive past traumas and learn how to grow and heal from the things she never thought she could.

Head Over Heels is definitely an enjoyable, sweet read. I know very little about competitive gymnastics, but Orenstein was able to very clearly explain every tumble, jump, exercise in a way that I could follow along without missing a beat. She also managed to combine the serious issues of sexual assault and emotional abuse in female gymnastics while still keeping the overall mood of the book light, romantic and inspiring. I was able to empathize with the subject matter without being brought down by it.

I only wish that there had been a bit more of character development, particularly with Ryan. He was a sweet guy, but I didn’t feel like we got to see enough of him—who he is, where he came from, what his personality is like. We know he is thoughtful when it comes to Avery and Hallie, but that’s about it. I wanted to see more development with his relationship with Avery and more of their connection.

Overall, this is a very fun and quick read that I really enjoyed getting lost in. This is the perfect book if you are still upset over the delay of the 2020 Olympics this year. Thank you so much to Atria Books, Hannah Orenstein and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my unbiased review!

I reached for this one when I needed something fun and obsessively readable to get lost in, and this kind of hit the mark but also kind of flopped.

What I liked: The gymnastics background is crystal clear, not a gimmick but a fully realized part of the story. Also how Orenstein brings in the abuse and power play of the sport in a very impactful way.

What I didn’t like: I struggled with the characters - there was no spark between the two leads, and the young gymnast they were coaching had no personality. Also had issues with Ryan not taking Avery’s word for what she’d experienced until he saw it for himself.

You might like this one if you prefer romances that veer into women’s fiction and that feature a sports twist!

I was so intrigued by the setting of this story, and was excited to dive in. Gymnasts and their ambitions fascinate me, a sport that is so difficult and ruthless in its judging is wild.

Also after the Olympics that's it?! I always wondered how that singular focus effected them long term, so Avery's story was right up my alley!

Honestly this felt like a romance in the sense that Avery's true journey in Head Over Heels, was falling in love with herself. Ryan was fine and all (I LOVE MUSCLES) but he wasn't all that developed as a character and their interactions were brief and lukewarm at best. I found myself looking forward to Avery's conversations with Hallie.

The best parts of this, and why I liked it so dang much were the badass female friendships. Jasmine, Sara, and Hallie.

I thought this would be a sports romance, but instead found myself reading how Avery got her groove back (and I loved it!)

I was somewhere between 3.5 and 4 stars on this one.

Such a great story!


As a former gymnast, I jumped at the chance to read and review this book! There aren’t enough books featuring gymnastics, and it makes me so excited when I see a new one being released! When it comes to that area of the book, it was in my opinion spot on.

I quite enjoyed the story & characters as well, and the romance was the cherry on top!

Glad I picked it up, because it definitely didn’t disappoint!

Hannah Orenstein’s ‘Head Over Heels’ is a charming rom-com (with a few heavy moments) set in the world of competitive gymnastics.

When Avery Abrams’s Olympic dreams came to a heartbreaking halt, she felt unmoored and depressed. Eight years, and one breakup later, she finds herself back in her Massachusetts hometown to pick up the pieces. When former Olympian, Ryan Nicholson, reaches out about a coaching opportunity, Avery accepts. Will this be the chance she needs to finally move forward? Or will the ghosts of her past potential come back to haunt her?

This novel does a good job of peeling back the curtain of the competitive gymnastics world in a way that makes it accessible to the lay reader, but still acknowledges the hard work and dedication that these elite athletes make to achieve their dreams. It was, however, a little surreal to read about an alternative timeline in which the 2020 Tokyo Olympics are actually happening, and where the coronavirus pandemic doesn’t exist. That feeling is especially present in a story like this because it’s so directly tied to a specific moment in time.

That aside, I appreciate the nuanced and sensitive way that Orenstein acknowledges the misconduct that has been prevalent in the sport without using it as a cheap narrative device. The relationships that are explored in the novel (namely Avery and Ryan, Hallie and Avery/Ryan, and Avery and Jasmine) are also well-plotted and read as wholly genuine. There are also strong female characters who are inspiring in various ways.

In all, it’s funny, it’s poignant, and it’s empowering. And a great read overall.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book really missed the mark for me.

First, I would just like to say that I have no intentions to bash any books. Authors put a lot of time into writing a story, and I really respect that. When it comes to reading, I feel that the saying " one mans trash is another mans treasure" truly applies.

I will start with the good things:
- The idea of the story really had potential
- The writing was just fine.. No issues there.
But thats about it. I was enjoying it at first because of those things, but then everything from there was just not doing it for me.

Now there is a list of things I didn't like. The characters are quite juvenile despite being 27 years old. They really did not have anything special about them, they had little to no personality. Everything was cheesy and over dramatized. I was having reader whip lash due to the characters being mad, then being madly in love the next second. Everything felt forced and fake, and there just was not much substance to it. It felt quite surface level on all aspects.

To conclude, this book wasn't for me, but it definitely had potential.

All you gymnastic fans out there will love Head Over Heels, the most anticipated hot new release this June. Orenstein captures the dusty chalk, the intense training, the drive for perfection and the love of the sport with ease. Avery’s Olympic dreams come to an end after an injury occurs during her Olympic trials. To make matters worse, she is newly single and moving back to her home town in Massachusetts. In comes Ryan, Avery’s childhood acquaintance and Olympic gold medalist. When Ryan discovers that Avery is back home, he eagerly asks her to take the job as his assistant coach to Hallie, an up and coming gymnast. As these two former gymnasts train the next Olympic star, sparks begin to fly on and off the mat. While Ryan struggles with being a male coach during a sexual abuse scandal involving other female gymnasts, Hallie is seeking to figure out how to navigate her life off the mat as a retired gymnast. Picture twists and turns, switch leaps and layouts and maybe just maybe, some steamy fooling around on a sticky pile of mats. Head Over Heels has it all...the love of gymnastics, the tension, the hot topics and most of all, the romance. Can you say... perfect 10!

When looking for a rom-com type of book, I think it's important that the book has more than just the stereotypical character meets their match, has a conflict and then resolves it. Sometimes the characters themselves are quirky, other times side storylines propel the story. In Head Over Heels, it has both, but it really is the side storylines that make this a great book. It takes place in the world of gymnastics, and the author did her research.

This book talks about the physical, emotional and mental challenges of being a gymnast at the highest level. It mentions a Larry Nassar-esque scandal, but it doesn't dwell on it. The way it is mentioned is actually perfect for the book.

I love the way these issues were mentioned and factored into the story. The romance aspect was done well, not too steamy, but enough that the characters and their flaws were real. I think the best thing about this book was how real it felt. This was really well done by the author.

I love watching the Olympics, and Olympic gymnastics is one of my favorite sports! Let's take a moment to mourn the postponement of the 2020 Olympic games. Since I can't watch the Olympics this year, I was super excited to read this fictional story about Avery, a former competitive gymnast who comes back to the sport to coach an Olympic hopeful.

I loved the parts of this story that were about gymnastics. From the training process to the competition routines to the behind the scenes scandal, I found it all to be very interesting. I loved getting an inside look at the sport! I did not love the romance parts of this story. Ryan, the leading man/Avery's co-coach, was not my favorite. I found him to be fairly boring, and then he turned into a jerk. Even as the story resolved, he never did redeem himself in my eyes. I also did not feel the connection between Ryan and Avery, and I thought their interactions lacked chemistry. So while I loved the gymnastics aspects of this story, the romance didn't work for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria books for providing me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.