Head over Heels is about a hopeful Olympic gymnast who is having trouble coping after an injury kills her Olympic dreams. After a series of bad decisions, Avery ends up living at home and coaching gymnasts at her old gym. She meets up with her former crush “cute Ryan” at the gym and sparks fly.

The romance between Avery and Ryan was sweet and fun to read about. But, this book is is so much more than a sweet romance. It tackles tough topics like depression, emotional abuse, anxiety, and physical abuse.

This book is also a fun visit to the world of gymnastics. I love to watch Olympic gymnastics and it was interesting to see the allusions to real-life people and events in the gymnastics world.


I really liked reading about Avery’s growth during the book from almost rock bottom to being self confident enough to stick to her guns when Ryan is on the road to making a bad decision. Avery is empowered to do more than she ever dreamed and trusts herself when things get tough.

Once a potential Olympic hopeful, Avery Abrams's life is in a tailspin.
Injury ended her chance at living her dream and stole her motivation.
College should have given her a chance at a fresh start, but rather than see the possibilities it could offer her, she instead turned to partying.
That became her new focus, hanging with the beautiful people. But even that fun life has a time limit.
Forced to return home, things looked bleak. Until she got one phone call.

I liked how Avery fought for this new opportunity, which nearly passed her by. It finally gave her a purpose, coaching a gymnast on the rise, Hallie Conway. And I loved how Avery approached this new job. She didn't just try to coast thru it, instead challenging Hallie to try new ideas. And with each day at Summit Gymnastics, Avery's spirit grew.

It didn't hurt that Avery was now working alongside an old crush from her gymnastic days, Ryan Nicholson. I've heard of the ugly side of this sport, but Ryan isn't on that side. He's tough but supportive of Hallie. In addition, he doesn't micromanage Avery. Instead he lets her control the direction of Hallie's floor routine, which suits all three of them. And with time, that support brings Avery and Ryan closer together.

I mentioned the ugly side of this sport, and I liked how the author not only didn't ignore this, but instead made it a significant part of the story. It was relevant to real world events and fit well within the story-line. In addition, it gave Avery another area to shine as she tackled the problem head on.

While there is some drama within the story involving the direction of Ryan's career, this isn't an angsty read. I really enjoyed reading the process these two coaches went thru to help Hallie achieve her dream. Overall, this was a sweet and fun sports romance.

3.5/5 🌟

Sports is actually the topic I'm least interested in, which means I've never been much of a sporty person. I decided to give this book a try because it is a....well an "Olympian Romance" (the perfect word to use here) and I also got to enjoy sports through a book! 😁
Head Over Heels dealt with topics I didn't expect at all. It had in-depth discussions on depression, anxiety and most importantly, abuse ~ both verbal and physical ; and how people aren't safe from this crime in the athletic world as well. When we think about people engaged in sports, we always picture strong & muscular people, but we almost never let our minds wonder about how those people can be defined by something other than their talents. The book reflected this aspect perfectly. I got to know a lot about the Olympics and sports in general, so kudos to the author for her strong research on it! 💕
Now, let's talk about the romance. I was kinda sad when I realized that romance wasn't the focal point of the book, but enjoyed it anyway. Avery and Ryan were a very cute couple. I loved seeing their relationship develop from the beginning of the story. I felt that the sports part of the book over-powered the romance aspect, which made Avery and Ryan's relationship lack the depth it deserved. Ryan's contribution to the romance felt very flat to me too, but he got my approval by the end of the book.
Avery's character development was definitely my favorite part! I loved seeing her growth throughout the book. The side characters - Hallie, Jasmine and Sara added their own charms to the story and I really liked reading about them.
Overall, I really appreciate how Head Over Heels talked about women empowerment and raising awareness against sexual abuse. This is definitely a book worth reading.

I have 100% been on a romance kick lately. I don’t know if it’s because it’s light and happy or what, but I just find myself wanting to read their journey to their happy ending, even if it’s predictable because right now, the chaos on going on in the world is so unpredictable. ⁣
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Head Over Heels was so much more than just a romance though. It even had some mixed reviews because it wasn’t solely a romance, but I think that’s why I loved it even more. ⁣
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This story is about Avery a 27 year old woman who came so close to making it to the Olympics when she was a teenager, but suffered a knee injury during the trials, only for her best friend Jasmine and her crush Ryan to make it without her. She went through a downward spiral afterward of depression and not knowing where she fit into this world.⁣
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How could you fit into a world, when gymnastics was your world, and now your dream is shattered?⁣
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This story was about learning to love yourself, finding your true self, falling in love, forgiving yourself, but also raising awareness of emotional abuse and sexual assault in female athletes and the future repercussions it can cause; and it was done in such a beautiful way. ⁣
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣
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#bookstagram #books #romance #sexualassaultawareness #gymnastics #HeadOverHeels ⁣
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Thank you @netgalley and @atriabooks for my ARC for an honest review.

This was a really cute book. I think it’s being categorized as a romance novel, but the romance is secondary to the main character’s personal growth as a disgraced Olympic hopeful figuring out what to do next. That’s not a bad thing, just don’t go into this expecting a steamy love story.

I loved the dive into the gymnastics world that this book allowed. It was sensitive to the realities of the lives of young professional athletes, especially those with Olympic careers. I do wish there was more focus on the romantic relationship between the two leads, it was sweet, but felt too superficial and unsatisfying. I would recommend this book as a gymnastics or sports-related story, but not necessarily as a romance.

I really enjoyed the story. I loved Avery and how she's trying to figure out her life. Her dreams were dashed after an accident as she was trying out for the Olympics. She's finally on track to get her life back together as she moves back to her hometown and starts coaching Hallie.
I loved their friendship/relationship. Avery was such a great coach and mentor.
I liked the romance with Ryan, at least for the most part.

I knew before starting this book that there was going to be sexual assault content + emotional abuse. It was still a bit of a trigger for me, but I loved how the author handled everything. But, if this type of content does trigger you, go into this book cautiously, or avoid it if you're not in a good place.

3.5/5 stars

In the wake of the gymnastics molestation scandal, this book feels particularly timely. Avery feels real and honest with her sense of self and how it’s possible to redefine it.

The world of an Olympic athlete is brutal. Reading about how Avery was trained was just brutal but I really enjoyed how she grew as a person and even as a coach.
The romance was minimal in this and I'm not going to lie I did want more of it but it was really about the growth of Avery as a person.
I enjoyed watching her train another young Olympic athlete and how she really overcame her training as a teen.

This was a smart, fun rom-com! The setting in the gymnastics world was different than anything else I’ve read and as a huge Olympics fan, I loved it. Avery was a complex heroine with real issues that made her more relatable. I wish this book’s release would coincide with the Olympics as planned, but maybe it can fill that void for readers this summer!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for the copy of this book. I’ve read sports rom-com’s previously and enjoyed them, and this book is definitely more sports heavy than romance if that’s what you’re looking for. It follows Avery on her journey to finding herself after a career-ending gymnastics injury as a teenager. She finds a new job coaching a young Olympic hopeful and also love at the same time. Both work and love are not an easy path as she deals with mental health issues from her coach as a child and the Me Too movement that is happening with gymnasts now. If you enjoy gymnastics, this book is right up your alley.

This book is so amazing. I could not stop reading it and I just love how it champions women in sports. I simply consumed the story. I could not put it down.
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I’m not sure what it was about this book that got to me. Whether it was the vulnerability of the characters or maybe it was the fact you’re connecting with someone who’s lost everything and is struggling to find a place in the world.

Maybe it was the fact it was written in first person so you just become a part of the story. Maybe it was because the author just created a character with multi layers of vulnerability, shame, strength, and incredible insight to others.

Whatever it was that struck me about the story, it doesn’t really matter. The fact is it’s refreshing and it’s a story that hits you on so many different levels.

Orenstein gives us that love and passion for the sport, deep caring for the athlete you’re charged with along with that touch of romance that sparks when you meet someone you used to know. You connect with all of the emotions she lays out.

The author added so many levels into this book that it just pulls you forward page by page. The highs and the lows then ultimate healing and finding yourself again made for a terrific story. She even got a few tears out of me at the end.

I loved this story! It’s really like none other I’ve read before and that’s what makes it so special. It’s more than just a book. It’s an experience that you certainly don’t want to miss!

This was my first sports romance, and I enjoyed it quite a bit! I loved reading a romance where the woman is the athlete. Avery was a strong female lead. I appreciate a romantic storyline with a real and deep plot. The characters need to live in reality here with the audience, and I felt like Orenstein did a good job doing this. I will definitely be reading more by this author in the future.

I enjoyed this book. The characters were very relatable and I loved the gymnastics setting. It had deep content but also felt light at the same time.

Avery worked hard for years toward her Olympic dreams only to have her entire gymnastic career end right when her goal seems in reach. She has a hard time bouncing back after losing everything she has worked for and years later finds herself back in her parents' home after the end of a relationship with nothing on the horizon. When she gets a call from a former crush, Ryan, about coaching a young gymnast with Olympic dreams of her own how can she possibly say no?

As someone with no athletic ability whatsoever my appreciation of sports romances is interesting. However I do appreciate these glimpses into lives I have never come close to living. I really enjoyed reading about the gymnastic world and especially liked how recent issues were touched on as well. I did have issues at how after seven years of floundering Avery still doesn't seem to work very hard for all of the positive changes in her life. She seems to get things by showing up. She is a great coach right away with no faltering despite a lack of experience and only knowing not to act the way her former coach did. Her best friend welcomes her back in her life after years with nary a difficult conversation. She doesn't seem to have to try for anything or to learn how to fail which lessens the impact of her journey. To be honest I hated the romance aspect of this book and think it could have a stronger story without romance at all. The trajectory of the relationship did not work for me at all largely because they had no chemistry so the whole out of the blue feelings and then the "we shouldn't but oh how we want to" dance fell flat. I did not like Ryan at all and could not believe how easily he got off the hook for his actions. He did not disagree, he was deceitful in my opinion.

Overall this was a pleasant read and made me want to read more about strong female athletes for awhile.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really, really liked this book. Until about half way through the book, I wouldn’t have called it a romance. It was more women’s fiction but a great story about a champion athlete who lost it and is now working to recover it. The second half moved faster and had more characters and came together so well. I personally would have made the hero work a little harder for that Happy Ever After, but even that felt right. Great book and now I’d love to see more from this world.

Avery, former gymnastics athlete moves back East after breaking up with her QB boyfriend. Avery starts coaching with "Cute Ryan" as she called him many years ago in her days as an athlete. Avery joins Ryan in coaching Hailee, an upcoming athlete for the 2020 Olympics.

I thought the book was well developed and loved Avery and how her character grew into her own.

I absolutely love Hannah's books. This is a must read and a perfect beach read.

Oof. I feel like this book really struggled to find its bearing between romance storyline vs sexual abuse metoo movement. They're both good things, but the combination just didn't work. I would've preferred a greater investigation into one instead of the meld.

What I love most about reading is being able to experience worlds I otherwise wouldn't have, and this was a clear example of that. I have no idea what it's like to be an Olympic athlete, not even periphally. Summer 2016 I was in a national park with WiFi barely strong enough to load text, let alone videos, so I missed the hype of the gymnastics there, but Orenstein captured so clearly the emotion and just how hard these athletes work that I teared up multiple times when reading this.

I was impressed with the way this address depression and abuse, and the way that Avery's character was so unflinchingly realistic and relatable. She was perfect in that she admitted all of her flaws and insecurities, and that made her strenght all the more impressive and inspiring. I also adored her roommate Sara, and seeing her convincing Avery to try yoga.

The emotions of this book were so incredibly intense and I rooted for Hallie and Avery so much. I enjoyed Orenstein's previous two books, but this is by far her strongest, and I'm really excited to read whatever she next has up her sleeve. She's really talented in capturing just how high tensions and feelings can be.

It's rough though, to read this timeline now. The book takes place in late 2019 and in 2020, with a brief epilogue taking place during the July Olympics. I know the publishing process and it must be so rough for the poor author to see how none of these events were palpable. Even reading the events in February, a voice in the back of my head was yelling "that's not realistic! You should be concerned about Covid!" No one who worked on the book is respondible for that and I don't think it detracts in a way worthy of reflection in a review, but I felt like I needed to acknowledge it anyway.

Hannah Orenstein is an auto-buy author for me; her books are uplifting, fun, and always make me think about things I would do differently in my life (for example, her ), so when I was approved for a Netgalley ARC of Head Over Heels, I was so excited! I love the Olympics, and gymnastics has always fascinated me, especially hearing what gymnasts do after their bodies can’t take the brutality of Olympic training anymore. This book did not disappoint - it was interesting, heartbreaking, but also motivating learning about that and more from former almost-Olympian Avery’s perspective, and Hannah Orenstein’s writing was better than ever. The characters were well-developed and most were personable and likable (there’s an exception that becomes quickly obvious), and although at the beginning Avery seemed like a pushover, I loved seeing how she grew stronger throughout the book. I devoured this book and can’t wait to reread it!