Love when you least expect it is the best kind of love. This is such a cute book. I loved the slow build of the story.

Can this book be anymore AMAZING! I know nothing about the gymnastics world, I remember when I was younger watching the Olympics and I was always fascinated by them. So when I asked for this book through Netgalley, which by the way thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to read this book, I was seriously in love with it.

Avery went through a lot, she was on her way to the Olympics a few years back suffered an injury and from there everything went downhill for her life. But then she thought she got a second chance and she went to LA and she tried to pursue what she loved but even that didn’t work out, then she got into a relationship which ended up being bad because she ended up moving back in with her parents.
the victims, and I felt horrible for her, but there was light at the end of that tunnel and I was so happy for her.

This book, was so amazing it was very inspirational there were times that I have lumps in my throat that I was close to crying because it was just so inspirational and it made me feel like I knew Avery and I wanted to give her a hug and tell her how proud I am of her, this book made me want to do THAT. Lol

Aside from that it was such a great book to learn from, great lessons in between the pages, totally a must read.

I was offered a free copy of Head Over Heels, by Hannah Orenstein, in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed this delightfully funny romantic comedy, and learned a lot, both good and bad, about gymnastics.

The pressures on young girls (and boys) is inhumane, not to mention the sexual abuse many of them endure. This book examines the poor treatment of young girls, as well as the unhealthy dieting, and the way they don’t get to have a normal childhood as they practice for hours each day.


Avery Abrams and her friend Jasmine have been friends and gymnasts since childhood. After a tragic accident ended Avery’s career, Jasmine went on to be an Olympic champion. After being dumped by her pro football boyfriend, she goes back to her hometown, where she runs into Ryan, another former gymnast, and sparks begin to fly.

When the scandal that rocked the entire gymnastics world breaks, both Avery and Jasmine worked to help younger gymnasts. Will Avery and Ryan find love? Will their new careers in the world of gymnastics succeed?

Head Over Heels, is a quick, easy read. While funny, sad, romantic with sexual tension, it has an important and serious message. You will enjoy this one.

What made The Grumpy Book Reviewer grumpy?

• Multiple typos;
• incorrect verb usage;
• missing words;
• God’s name not capitalized;
• confusing “further” with “farther”;
• multiple split infinitives.

Cute, timely romance with a a fun hook. However it also goes a bit deeper than your average romance addressing some very real issues in the gymnastics world. I thought the author balanced the two really well.

This book deals with the me too movement in gymnastics, while also being a cute and fluffy read. I really enjoy the gymnastics descriptions, it does make you feel like you’re at a meet, because the author describes the routines at length, but the romance wasn’t there there for me and that knocked it down a star.

Very sweet!- loved the chemistry between the two! Read it this summer and would definitely recommended. Light read but trigger warning- sexual abuse

Once I started skimming the overly-technical gymnastics terminology, this got much easier for me. I wanted a bit more from Jasmine and her relationship with Dmitri once they married. Also, I don't understand how a physician could be assaulting his patients with the patients' parent in the room? Is that too nit-picky? It just didn't make sense to me or seem realistic. I also hated how Ryan refused to listen to Avery about how she was treated as a young gymnast by this "superstar" trainer until he saw the one he treated his current gymnasts. I also didn't like how Avery yoy-yoed Ryan around during their budding relationship. While this gave a nod to a serious topic, I think it just barely skimmed the surface rather than fully delving into it head-on which seemed lame.All that aside I will admit that the relationship between Dimitri and Avery felt icy and completely realistic on all fronts.

After a break up with her live-in boyfriend, former gymnastics Olympic hopeful Avery moves back to her hometown to start over. Soon Avery finds herself working to help train a new gymnast with Olympic dreams, side by side with her former crush Ryan. Sparks begin to fly, along with a new scandal in the gymnastics community.

Head Over Heels was a fun, fast, easy read. I loved seeing Avery grow as a person and professionally. While billed as a romantic comedy, this book focused much more on personal growth and on the #metoo aspects of the story. Even as more of a side story, I enjoyed the romance and respect between Avery and Ryan.

Head Over Heels was such a surprise hit for me. I was so-so about Orenstein's prior novel, so I had low expectations, but this book is excellent. One caveat, though, is that this is a great contemporary novel and a so-so romance, which is fine, but this is definitely being marketed more as a romance.

What really shines in this book is the gymnastics stuff and the mental health stuff. While I've read a few similar books in terms of gymnastics themes, this one differs because the heroine isn't a gymnast anymore. At one point, Avery Abrams was a favorite to make the Olympic team, but an accident at Olympic trials instead ended her career abruptly. From there she spirals in a whole lot of ways, and she struggles to figure out what to do with her life. It's kinda awesome that this book is about a heroine who failed at her dream but is building a new dream; everyone doesn't manage to get there.

The voice and the plotting was engaging to me from the very beginning, and I sped through this book. I found Avery's emotional journey equally as compelling as the pursuit to get their trainee into the Olympics. There's a really nice focus on mental health, as well as discussion of sexual and emotional abuse.

But, as I said, I don't really think this is a romance novel. The romance is on the side and it's kinda just there for the most part. What's nice is that he's in no way saving her or anything. However, Ryan's a bit of a bland nice guy. Like, he's the feminist who fucks up sometimes but gives good apology and he's also a good friend even if he likes you but can't be with you. I don't DISlike the romance; it didn't detract from the book for me, but it was the weakest aspect imo.

Recommended for readers who like gymnastics and mental health themes.

Hannah Orenstein has given a fascinating look at women's gymnastics and training for the 2020 Olympics as well as a warm burgeoning romance between two gymnastic coaches. Although the Olympics did not occur, that does not change appeal of the book.

The book tells a story of Avery Abrams, who spent her teenage years practicing and perfecting her gymnastics routines in order to get a place in the Olympic team but a terrible accident prevented her from reaching her dream. After that Avery moves to LA for a college but still has some problems processing all that had happened. She starts partying and drinking which leads to her dropping school. She starts dating a promising football player and things seem to be getting back on track when he suddenly dumps her. Now, 7 years later after her dreams of making a Olympic team were crushed, Avery comes back to her hometown where Ryan, her crush from the old days and a former Olympic gold medal winner, offers her a job training a promising young gymnast, Hallie. .

I was so excited that I won it but unfortunately it wasn’t my cup of tea. Maybe it was due to the fact that I am not interested in gymnastics and there were too many detailed descriptions of the performance that just didn’t interest me.
What I liked was that the romance between Avery and Ryan wasn’t the main focus in the book and that the book was dealing with much bigger problems such as sexual abuse, for example.
Overall, it was a fast and easy read. And I would recommend it to someone who enjoys gymnastics.
The books comes out tomorrow 23 June 2020 .

t took me a little while to actually READ Head Over Heels, I think because I wanted to make it last longer, before even cracking it open. Does that make sense? However, when I started reading it, I devoured it within a few days. I think in total, I read it in three sittings and it went by so fast! That's how great the story was.

Gymnastics has always interested me and the culture of the sport has obviously been a topic of conversation in recent years. That combined with Orenstein's writing was enough for me to want to read every word.

Avery was a very likable character and you become invested in her journey very quickly. She was relatable; a heartbroken lost and confused woman who goes back home to try to put her life together. Her passion was her career and somehow along the way, that all vanished. You watch her find her way again and I loved that so much. It was inspiring and felt almost like a personal message to me. It was also very entertaining which of course, is the point.

In the romance department, you are rooting for Avery and Ryan throughout the entire thing. I loved the way Orenstein slowly built up their love story. It wasn't a rush, it wasn't out of nowhere, it was perfect.

While there is a love story weaved throughout the novel but that isn't what the story is about, at least in my opinion. At its core, "Head Over Heels" is about passion, drive, and motivation. It's about gymnastics and the abuse that those girls experienced, and it's about how when you stick together you can come out on top.

I mention the abuse in the industry because that topic is touched upon in the book and sort of becomes a central plot point but the way Orenstein handles it is very gentle. She doesn't come out and say what it is but it is understood. It doesn't take over the story but it is inherently part of the book.

Hannah's knowledge of gymnastics took this book to the next level. It made the entire plot feel more natural and you could tell that the author was a gymnast herself. Of course, if you don't understand gymnastics you will still be able to follow and enjoy the story, it just enriched the story.

I loved this book from start to finish and really loved all the characters, with the expectation of Jasmine because even though she becomes a 'good' character, I was always waiting for the other shoe to drop.

The end of the novel was my favorite because everything was wrapped up in a bow, without giving you too much closure. It was satisfying just enough.

If you didn't get the picture, I highly recommend this book. It's a romantic comedy with a level of drama that is just bearable.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, for this free review copy.

Head Over Heels was a fun romcom? Maybe more chicklit? It was smart, sweet, and full of gymnastics. The romantic aspect was pretty much on the back burner, and I would have enjoyed more of it! I loved the characters, and was glad that Hannah Orenstein didn't shy away from the abuse that does happen within the gymnastics world. It was a fun read, knowing that there would be no 2020 Olympics, because of covid. I have heard great things about her previous book, so I plan to pick that one up soon! Overall, 4 stars.

This is definitely not your normal romantic genre read. A fantastic story about Avery Adams who could not make it to the Olympics, but how she turned her life around in the same field of gymnastics. After reading this book, I felt inspired enough to try out gymnastics (thankfully, I didn't. Would have ended up breaking my bones. lol).

I consider myself an Olympics junkie! I can’t get enough and become tied to the TV from opening ceremonies until closing. Being both 🇨🇦 and 🇺🇸 I have two countries to cheer for!
So when I learned this book centered around a former Olympic wannabe gymnast I was immediately all in!

Early on, Avery had her sights set on the Olympics. She’d competed in gymnastics her entire young life. An unfortunate performance and injury took away that dream, leaving her to lose all purpose in life. After a short stay in the big city it was time to return home and put the pieces of her life back together. Well, maybe it’s Averys’ destiny to help mold the next generation of young gymnasts. What’s the saying…those that can’t do - teach? 💁🏻‍♀️ Besides, her former crush Ryan runs the local gym and could use the help. Could it just be the ticket to regaining her life, with the possibility of discovering love along the way?

This book had so much potential but continually bogged down with gymnastics as the primary focus. I wanted the bulk of the story to be on the characters, with the sport merely a backdrop. But more times than not it felt like the opposite.

A buddy read with Susanne!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an ARC to read and review

Like many women of my generation, I grew up watching the "Magnificent Seven" win gymnastics gold at the 1996 Summer Olympic Games. Gymnastics captured the fascination of young girls nationwide, aspiring many to dream big and imagine the impossible. So when scandal broke in the gymnastics community in recent years, detailing physical, emotional, mental, and sexual abuse of young athletes at the hands of trusted doctors and coaches, people around the world were shocked and horrified to learn that too often the cost of winning gold medals is subjecting children to the unthinkable.

Hannah Orenstein, author of Love at First Like and Playing with Matches, shines a spotlight on the world of elite gymnastics in her new novel Head Over Heels, a rom-com featuring two former gymnasts coaching a promising young athlete to Olympic glory amidst a breaking scandal in the gymnastics community.

Avery Abrams has been aimlessly drifting after she just barely missed achieving her lifelong dream of competing in the 2012 Olympic Games. Once a gymnastics superstar with incredible potential, Avery had an unfortunate fall at the Olympic trials, which changed the trajectory of her life forever. It is now seven years later and Avery still doesn't know what to do with her life; that is, until she is offered a job alongside her former crush Ryan to coach Hallie, a gymnastics prodigy with real potential of making the 2020 Olympic team..

Joining Ryan's coaching team and kindling a romance with him while gaining Hallie's trust and respect as her mentor, Avery finally has a purpose and something to work toward. But when scandal breaks in the world of elite gymnastics, Avery is forced to confront demons of her past - can she save Hallie from the same struggles and abuses she endured as a young girl?

Heavy on the gymnastics, light on the romance, Head Over Heels is the perfect read for anyone who is a fan of the sport. Orenstein goes into great detail about what it is like to be a gymnast training for the Olympics, and she shares so much knowledge of gymnastics, one can't help but wonder if she didn't once train and compete herself.

For those who are saddened that COVID cancelled all of our Olympic binge watching plans this summer, Head Over Heels is the next best thing; although its complete disregard of the pandemic is also my only real complaint about this otherwise intriguing and delightful novel. No one could have predicted COVID taking over our lives and disrupting the 2020 Olympic games, but the fact that this novel marches on towards its dreams of an Olympics that were actually set to happen, was incredibly distracting to me as a reader. Every time I turned the page and read about Avery and company living their lives in a 2020 not upturned by the pandemic, I couldn't help but think of the state of the world today. But if you're able to look past the fact that Head Over Heels takes place in the "2020 that could have been," you will find so much to love about this novel, including interesting, engaging characters and a compelling plot.

As a note, the side plots - scandal in the gymnastics community and Avery's budding relationship with Ryan - are kept light and are not delved into in great detail. This book is marketed as a rom-com, but really, Avery and Ryan's romance is something happening in the periphery of this gymnastics-centered novel. Additionally, although the abuse of gymnasts is an important plot line of this book, it is not the main focus, with training for the 2020 Olympic games being the main star of this captivating novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I had a lot of fun with this book, I hadn't really read a lot of romance and rom/com so my review may not be the best. But I do like the characters that Orenstein writes. This is my second book of hers that I've read, and I'd say that I like this one much better!

This was an interesting romance. It was a soft romance but mostly was themed around the gymnastics, which I did not mind. I do have to say that this really did focus on the sport and not on the characters as much as needed. The sexual assault was only talked about in passing and I did not think we touched on how Jasmine and her even really seperated. I dont know, I just felt this book was lacking and the entire summary took so long to even come into play I felt like it was so predicatable and Im sorry but I would not have forgiven him for what he did. Not believing someone about something so personal in their life is just blegh and did not sit right with me. Especially with the level he took it in.

Not going to lie, I have been totally stressed lately with a new school year and everything else happening so Head Over Heels by Hannah Orenstein was especially perfect to read as it was a lighter #romcom and incredibly interesting to boot. I loved the inside look at competitive gymnastics that surrounded the love story between Avery and Ryan. It was a rollercoaster to emotions, both with the sport and the love story, that kept me interested and reading nonstop. This is my first Hannah Orenstein book but you bet that I’m going to look back at her Love at First Like and Playing With Matches also.

This book was a very pleasant surprise! If you’ve ever swooned over women’s gymnastics in the Olympics (who hasn’t?) then you’ll love this. This book was sweet, tender, and had me YouTubing gymnastics skills to fully picture the accurate portrayal of the sport. It wasn’t a fast-paced read, but I thoroughly enjoyed every bit.