I received this audio arc from NetGalley for an honest review. I started this book and listened for a bit but did not finish it. The main character is really unlikeable to her kids, her husband, and people in general.

I really wanted to like this book. As a working mom in a male dominated field, I was expecting this to be a major hit. Unfortunately, it drastically missed the mark for me. First of all, the writing was all over the place and jumped from future to past without any warning. Second, and the major reason for the bad review was that the main character who was supposedly supposed to be juggling work and motherhood actually did a terrible job at being a mother. I know that's harsh, but a couple examples: she missed her daughters graduation even though her daughter was begging her to go and SHE DID'NT LEAVE WORK WHEN SHE THOUGHT SHE COULD BE MISCARARYING. That last reason alone was enough for me to leave a one star review, especially when the author seemed to act like prioritizing a job over your CHILD'S LIFE and your HEALTH is somehow remotely admirable when it's actually TRASH. This book made me incredibly angry if you can't tell. Please do not read this.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I so badly wanted to like this book because it was about a driven career woman who wasn’t going to let anyone get in the way of her goals. I relate. But then the author had to throw in a baby. Can we have ONE book with a childfree character? I beg.

3.75 stars!

Do not let this rating deter you from picking up this book. It’s honestly a good book, but just not the book for me I think. I think there is absolutely a market for someone to enjoy this book!

The book is really immersive into the world of basketball and sports commentary, so if that if your jam than this would be something you really enjoy!

I enjoyed the idea of Ruth breaking glass ceilings, and forging her own path in a primarily male dominated field. There was honestly too much sports talk for my liking which decreased my rating. The audiobook was very enjoyable though!

If you are into sports and enjoy strong female leads I would definitely recommend this book to you!

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

this was so easy to get into and just an overall very fun read. as someone who has been playing competitive sport all my life, i related to a lot of the struggles that ruth dealt with and can see myself recommending this to my team mates. i was impressed by how the social media aspects were handled. it is really refreshing to see an author actually represent how social media works (from the twitter debates to instagram influencers) in an accurate and modern way.

as someone who is not interested and little knowledge of basketball, this still remained quite accessible and even without understanding the intricacies the idea was there. additionally, the descriptions of the games were always so lively and immersive. the main topic is focused on was motherhood and family dynamics. it posed a lot of questions, forcing me to reflect on my beliefs.
when looking at the audiobook, i think the narrator did a great job and committed to the voices of other characters really well which helped differentiate characters during dialogue.

what is preventing this from being a 5 star for me was just that the ending was a little confusing. i went back and re-listened a couple of time but from what i could understand it was still left on a bit of a loose note.

overall, would for sure recommend to friends and family. especially for those who are not avid readers since this book is so digestible and easy to get into.

This book examines the choice between motherhood and career. The characters felt complex, multidimensional, and very real. The relationships were messy, even when filled with love.
Without spoiling anything, I will say trigger warning for discussion of abortion. Overall, a good quick read that also tackles being a woman in a male dominated field. I do wish the ending was less rushed and the basketball players more fleshed out- Emory and Darius have such an interesting relationship that would’ve been cool to analyze. I also would love a deeper look into the past of when Ruth played.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an early copy in exchange for an honest review!

3.5 stars rounded up!

"The Second Season asks why, how, and whom we watch, while offering a rich and complicated account of motherhood, marriage, and ambition."

Synopsis:
Ruth Devon starred don't the Georgetown Women's Basketball team in college. That is until a knee injury ended her career. Ruth subsequently married her former coach and they had a daughter together. Ruth and her now ex-husband Lester are two of the most famous faces in sports media. Ruth is vying for Lester's job as an NBA analyst once he retires, but there are many hurdles she will have to jump and decisions she will have to face to achieve one of the most respected jobs in the NBA- a man's world.

Thoughts:
I LOVE sports-related books, and The Second Season definitely hit the spot for me! Adrian delivers a character-driven book on the complexities of motherhood and ambition. We get to explore the costs of following your dreams as a female in a male-dominated industry, while also balancing a career and being a "good" mother. There are plotlines in this book that I think were underdeveloped and could have been explored further, but I also enjoyed the focus on Ruth's career and her personal character development.
Bottom line, I enjoyed this book a lot more than I expected to, and I would absolutely recommend it to any sports fan, or individual looking to read a female success story!

Thank you to #NetGalley and #BlackstonePublishing for the #ALC of this book!

Thank you Blackstone Publishing - Audiobooks for this awesome audio version!

The Second Season was amazing to listen to.
I think a lot of readers will relate to Ruth.
Who loves her job with a passion.
She is a mother to an inspiring upcoming teenage daughter. She has missed most her daughters life, watching her grow into the young lady she's becoming!
She is divorced, her and ex husband are still friends and co-workers.
She is in a relationship with a younger man.
And she is a sports reporter who used to be a basketball player herself!

The story I just really enjoyed it. It was something different and nice!
It was powerful....
A woman working in a male domainated profession and having to figure out what she wants in life!
Just a fun book!

The Second Season was a very fun and fast-paced book that had me engaged from the start. I am not generally interested in stories with sports themes but this was so much fun, with feminist themes throughout. Great narration!

4/5 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing - Audiobooks for providing me with an audio-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

When I started The Second Season, I expected an easy read and that is exactly what I got. Ruth, who used to play basketball until she was injured, is now a sideline reporter for NBA games. She finds out she is pregnant at the same time as she is up for an amazing promotion to be the announcer from the announcer’s booth. She has to make a decision on what she wants most. The story was cute, but was just sort of there. I just never connected with or felt for Ruth which made the story fall short for me.

I'm not much of a sports fan. And I know next to nothing about basketball. But this audiobook captured my attention from the first chapter and didn't let go until the very end. I consumed it within just a handful of hours (at 2x speed).

The Second Season is super fast-paced and very well-written. It's also a very interesting take a subject we hardly ever hear about: a powerful woman in sports broadcasting. Ruth Devon wants to have it all. AND, she's a mom, partner and daughter. Often, her work conflicts with personal life...and she chooses work. GASP!

Kudos for Emily Adrian for writing a terrific, relatable story. And for Nicol Zanzarella for doing a masterful job on the narration. I can't wait to listen to more of her storytelling.

Thanks to Blackstone Publishing for an advanced listener copy of the book via the NetGalley app. This is my honest review.

The Second Season is a very interesting story about a woman in a male dominated field, working with her ex-husband and finding the balance between her career and motherhood. Adrian does a great job drawing the reader in and connecting them to Ruth. Since I work in a male dominated industry, I understood some of Ruth's troubles. Every time something good happened to Ruth it seemed like something bad happened. Ruth has to decide what is most important to her. I am not a big sports fan but still enjoyed The Second Season. This is a character focused story. I recommend The Second Season to sports fans and fans of novels about family and working mothers.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Nicol Zanzarella and thought she did a great job bringing Ruth's character to life.

Thank you Blackstone Publishing, Blackstone Audio and NetGalley for The Second Season.

[opinions are my own] "The Second Season" piqued my interest because it seemed to be about a Doris Burke/Holly Rowe-type character. And I was surprised at how much of the story was focused on Ruth's internal struggle between motherhood and work. I enjoyed the narrator but the overall read just wasn't for me this time.

This is a story of 42 year old Ruth Devon, former basketball star turned first female sideline reporter for the NBA. She is a mother, who gets to spend very little time with her daughter. She works with her ex-husband who is an on-air analyst for the NBA and she is dating a man who wants this relationship to progress, but is younger than Ruth and might just want different things.

Ultimately this a book about choices that Ruth has to make from her first on-air job, to the possibility to become the first female caller for the NBA when her ex announces his retirement. Ruth seems to be left always making these tough calls that she feels men never have to ultimately do. When she realizes a life altering discovery one night, her world is thrown into a tailspin.

I enjoyed this book. Not everyone is going to agree with Ruth’s choices, but know that she went into each one with much consideration. She is a woman who absolutely wants it all, but at times very much feels like a failure. There was a lot of laughs, very heartwarming and it will make you think a lot. the cover makes it feel a little bit more lighthearted than maybe it really is. Definitely give this one a try, I think you will end up loving Ruth.

Thank you NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at 20%. I wanted to like this book but couldn't get into it. The pacing is slow and I didn't connect with the protagonist. The writing seems decent, but the audiobook narration could have used more emotion. I wasn't engaged while listening and never felt compelled to return to the book after a break.

This audiobook will not play on my Netgalley shelf app. I've been trying everything I can think of for days to get it to play, but it will not play. This isn't happening with any of my other audiobooks. Sorry I can't properly review this!

Happy belated pub day to The Second Season! Thank you to Blackstone Publishing for providing my NetGalley ALC!

In one sentence: Ruth Devon pivoted from a life on the basketball court to a role off the court after a knee injury; twenty years later, she's poised to be the first woman to call NBA games on national TV until life throws her for another loop.

This is my first book by Emily Adrian, and it won't be my last! If you like stories about strong women and their choices and journeys through life, I'd recommend this one. I enjoyed getting to know Ruth and seeing her work hard to gain respect in a male-dominated arena. I definitely related to her struggles to be "twice as good". And I ended up enjoying the sports side of the story more than I thought I would - it takes place during the NBA finals, so the stakes are high and there's plenty of drama.

Narrator Nicol Zanzarella did a great job bringing Ruth to life - since Ruth is a sports commentator, it felt really appropriate to listen to this one on audio. You don't have to like sports to like this book, but I think sports fans will especially enjoy it!

Review posted to Goodreads and Instagram 8/5/21.

The audio was good but I couldn't get into this one. I got 35% and felt like nothing was happening. I love sports, played a Division 1 sport in college but I did not enjoy this. I'd give it a try for yourself though.

This book was so good! Such a feel-good "life" story!

I really liked Ruth and I love that she was determined to go after what she wanted no matter what. The writing was done very well. This was written so it is a fast fun read! Looking forward to more from this author!!

🎖After getting a knee-injury, Ruth married her college basketball coach and ended up becoming a successful basketball commentators and sideline reporter for the NBA. I love playing basketball but watching it was never really for me. I definitely want to now though!

🏆 I definitely was confused at times because it talked a whole bunch about basketball and I’m not too familiar with everything in regards to that sport. I did find some parts super interesting but some definitely left me confused (in a good way).

🎖 This book has such a great female main character and great representation on motherhood. I really enjoyed how it talked about Ruth in a male dominated field, basically telling you to do what you like to do.

🏆 A majority of this book takes place during the NBA finals, which was super entertaining. I was so intrigued and committed to the story. I could picture every moment too! I just loved the commitment Ruth gave to her family and her career.

🎖Overall this was such a quick and easy read. I had fun with it, even if it talked majorly about basketball!! Fast-paced with relatable characters, The Second Season was a great read! I can’t wait to read more from her. Thankfully the publisher also sent me her other novel!

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