Loved this book! In 2021 I want more books with women in sports. This was both addicting & light yet not underdeveloped. I am definitely looking forward to recommending this book and checking out more of Adrian's work in the future.

The Second Season by Emily Adrian is about Ruth Devon, a former college basketball star who has moved through the ranks to become an NBA sideline reporter. She loves it but when her ex-husband, now an NBA analyst, announces his retirement, Ruth decides to go after his job, which would make her the first woman to ever hold that position. It’s everything she wants except Ruth also suddenly feels the pull to motherhood and a different type of life, causing her to reflect on her choices of the past and determine what her future is going to look like.

Pros: I love how much Ruth loves basketball. Watching the games through her eyes and seeing her affection for all the players and the sport itself were the highlights for me. A woman fighting hard and making sacrifices to earn respect in a male-dominated career? Yes please. I am here for it.

Cons: I found the plot a bit predictable and I wanted some of her relationships to be more complete. I particularly would have liked a deeper look at her relationships with her boyfriend Joel and grown daughter Ariana. These were lacking for me.

I really enjoyed this book. interesting look at personal growth with basketball and reporting in the background. It was a quick read for me. I liked that is was light, but not undeveloped. Do not mistake light for unworthy of a read. The characters were well developed and the story arc was very well done.
I highly recommend.

I could not put this down - I finished in one sitting. The Second Season was such a fun read! It has sports, a strong female lead trying to make her way in a man's world, and the constant struggle mothers face of balancing career and home life.

I really loved Emily Adrian's writing style and will definitely be picking up more of her work. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Blackstone for the ARC!

Put this winner on your summer TBR list. Thank you NetGalley and Blackstone for the 5⭐️ exciting, page-turning read. This book will appeal to sports fans, especially basketball, and fans of strong women characters and mothers navigating careers in male dominated industries as they wrestle with the sacrifices they're making elsewhere in their lives. And while purely fiction, was so fun to consider which real life players, analysts and coaches (Doris, Pop, etc.) inspired certain characters. The book reminded me of another one of my favorite books, Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win (elections, politics). This is my first book by this author. It won’t be my last.

Great read-in-one-sitting book. Loved the main character and the basketball story line. Wonderful, uplifting, feminist book.