This has been a sports romance, specifically football, in which one of the protagonists, Sutton, was the quarterback of the high school team. Oddly enough, she was the only woman on a team of men. And today, fifteen years later, she has become the first woman to reach an offensive coaching position with a professional NFL team.

At the institute, there was also Parker, the daughter of a conservative and religious family, who had a secret relationship with Sutton, but who ended up giving in to pressure and leaving Sutton for the male quarterback of a neighboring high school team.

Now the paths of Sutton and Parker will have to meet again since Parker's husband, Sutton's rival in high school times, is going to be signed by the team that Sutton now coaches.

Unfinished business and explanations must be given, painfully sometimes, necessary in any case. Because there were some facts that justified behavior at that time and others that will allow decisions to be made now.

The book is written a bit differently from those that deal with past and current mixed, because the past in high school between Sutton and Parker is counted from the end of their relationship to the beginning of how they met, that has been interesting for me.

In any case, an interesting and well paced story.

I Hated the past and present story telling, it was irrelevant and pointless ( I skipped them after the first one) I was super confused as to why the author decided to give flashbacks often it was not important at all to the story and adds nothing there're not even in order, Nevertheless, the story itself is was ok and quite honestly Sutton was super professional and easily liked character, I loved how she wanted to force boundaries even tho she liked Parker.
also we don't see the dynamic between Sutton and the kids but that's not major thing to me at this point since it works for this book. but we don't see any "get to know the adult me" between the main lead as well that bothered me. like how do you know its still love not lust!.

I’m a fan of both second chance and sports romances. With a well known author like Kris Bryant, I had been waiting to get my hands on this one since I first heard about it, but was ultimately left a little disappointed. It’s worth a read if you like any of those tropes or Bryant, but isn’t something I’ll be re-reading.

Sutton McCoy is the first female offensive coordinator in the NFL and she’s feeling the pressure to prove women can be successful in the NFL. When her team is left scrambling for a quarterback at the start of the season the best option is Grayson Moats, her highschool rival and the husband of her first girlfriend Parker. Sutton doesn’t want to admit it but she’s never really gotten over her feelings for Parker.

The first thing worth mentioning, at the risk of mild spoilers, is that despite what the description would suggest there is no cheating in this story. I know this can be a no go for many readers. This story is told in two alternating timelines, past and present. I found this to be more confusing than helpful as the past is told in reverse chronological order. Instead of building up the tension in the story it made the ending feel anticlimactic.

It was interesting to get a bit of an inside look on how coaches might handle player issues or a scandal. However, there was a lot of potential external conflict that just never developed. The characters spent a lot of time worrying what the press and fan reaction would be only for the plot to basically skip right over that. As far as romance goes, there wasn’t much of that either.

Overall, this was an interesting premise that just falls a little flat. It does manage to send an inspiring message about women in sports though.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

I'm not a fan of books written in the first person but as a fan of Kris Bryant I thought I'd give it a try....and boy I'm glad I did.

Catch is written totally different with the present going forward and the past going backwards, what an excellent way to tell a story.

Sutton and Lexi have a past, they were school sweethearts, but family and fate makes them go their different ways.
Both characters are likeable, and you just hope that their fate takes a turn in their favour

Would I recommend...Yes. If you love American Football with the bonus of romance, then this is the book for you

This is likely the best book to date that I've read from Kris Bryant. Catch tells the story of former high school quarterback Sutton McCoy. Sutton is now the first female Offensive Coordinator for the NFL expansion team Connecticut Cheetahs. She and her girlfriend Lexi have just relocated from Minnesota following Sutton's coaching stint with the Vikings.

The Cheetahs recruit veteran quarterback Grayson Moats to lead them in their inaugural season. Grayson is married to Parker (nee O'Neal) who was Sutton's high school crush fifteen years ago. Grayson and Parker have two young daughters, Rose and Vee. Sutton is nervous about seeing Parker and Grayson again.

The story is told in alternating present and past chapters with the past chapters working their way from the most recent to the earliest meeting between Sutton and Parker. The book was a quick read for me since the football storyline and the characters held my interest. The possibility of a second chance romance and how the characters would extricate themselves from their respective significant others drove the story. All in all this book is a winner and the cover design by Jeanine Henning is incredibly sexy. 4.5 stars

I received an ARC from Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Two and a half stars, sorry. DNF at 100%. I had a problem with the alternating past-present narrative here, just as I did with Melissa Brayden's Forever Factor a while ago. I couldn't get invested in the high school history, to the point where I ended up skipping all of those parts. The fact that it was told backwards only served to annoy me. I didn't like how Parker went about trying to re-seduce Sutton, especially when she overrode Sutton's protestations that they were over, that there was nothing between them... even if Parker was entirely right. I hated the senselessness of the bad blood between Grayson and Sutton, when Parker seemed to have no apparent reason for choosing Grayson, but more so because of the repeated mentions of "winning" the girl. Is it maybe time to retire the expressions that imply that the girl has no agency?

Catch was a disappointment to me, after Kris Bryant's Forever was such a treat. I absolutely accept that this was mostly about my personal preferences... so if you like football and first loves and second chances, check the book out for yourself!

This is a sweet story about rekindling a long ago relationship. Sutton a professional football coach is reunited with her high school girlfriend Parker who is the wife of the team quarterback.
The story was really enjoyable but I really had a hard time with Sutton and Parker have the same feelings or really any deep feelings for each other that they once had.
I didn't feel any romantic chemistry between them and what they had seemed forced

Thank you #NetGalley #BoldStrokesBooks for this ARC

This has to be Bryant’s best book to date. The book is from Sutton’s POV with flashbacks from 15 years ago. What’s interesting about the flashbacks is that they are not in chronologic order but in the order that’s most suitable for that particular moment. The book is well written as usual but the story line is different and it’s so so captivating. A must read!

Free ARC copy via NetGalley.

Such a witty title for this book. Sure, the MC can pass and catch some pig skin. Both MC's are catches and both get caught in a web that only they can unravel together. Moments between them are caught by oppressive and accepting eyes, alike. There's as much as a catch as there is a caveat in their futures. And best of all? A second chance catches them both by surprise and it absolutely thrilled my heart. Catch my drift? A very sweet HEA, a few tumbles between the sheets, and an awesome plot that was fun to get caught up in. Highly recommend this read!

As Stefon from SNL would say, this book has it all. Women in football, a hot cover, an incomparable second-chance romance, a slooooow burn, and, in true Kris Bryant style, maybe the best plot twist I've ever read. And also a hot cover.

Kris Bryant is the queen of first-person POV, and it works incredibly well here. The chapters alternate between present-day Sutton as an offensive coordinator with an NFL expansion team and high school Sutton meeting new-to-school Parker. They were each other's first love, but "for reasons" they couldn't be together.

The book is crafted in the most interesting way. The present-day chapters flow in chronological order as expected, but the high school chapters are in reverse order, from breakup back to first meeting. It's really genius, something I've never experienced before. And it totally works.

In addition to Sutton and Parker, the cast of side characters are everything you expect from Kris Bryant. Hayley, Max, Dad, even Grayson, are all integral to the story.

Sometimes high school dreams do come true.

Anything Kris Bryant is an instant read for me. For about 60% of this book I had no clue where the story was going. Things seemed a little sketchy regarding the main characters reuniting but then a plot twist with a side character came through and everything was explained. I thought the author did well examining multiple points of contention in modern society (e.g., women in football, nontraditional families, etc.) I usually expect a little bit more spice from this author but there were a lot of things to unpack and address throughout. As is the normal with this author, I thought the book was well-written and the pacing was nice. I'm a sucker for flashback scenes when it comes to second chance romances and that was no different when reading this. Definitely recommend giving it a read.

I hate cheating so I was super on the fence about this book. But Bryant did it again. By the end, I was on the character's side and didn't feel icky. Well done.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for providing an eARC for a honest review.

Touchdown!

Having landed a dream job with an NFL team, Sutton who made history as the first female quarterback in her high school team, she comes face to face with her past. When Grayson is signed, his wife Parker finds herself confronting decisions she made in the past to try and make up for lost time with Sutton.

What a fantastic story! Combining snippets of the past to explain the issues Sutton, Parker, and Grayson were facing now made a dynamic that gave depth, insight, and understanding on such an intimate level. The story was very cleverly constructed, with a cast of great characters adding drama, tension, and a lot of self-reflection for all the characters.

Sutton was a complete star and not just in the world of NFL and football. She was kind, caring, considerate, passionate, and all round just a good person. She had no agenda, considered the consequences and effects of hers others actions in everything she did, and she was a good sport. There were loads of great moments in this, both in the present and the past that really endorsed Sutton’s great character and provided background that helped to understand her decisions, and those made by Parker and Grayson too.

I just couldn’t put this down. Every chapter was a revelation of one thing or another and it left me hungry for more. It really was a story about acceptance and never giving up on your dreams. I loved that it wasn’t too heavy on sports, and really focused on everyone’s emotions and feelings. Sutton had hope, and hope was enough. With some patience, hard work, and just a little bit of luck she ended up with everything she wanted but it was no easy ride.

I adored this so much and know I can’t wait to read it again. A real must read!

I’ll begin by saying that Catch has THE sexiest cover I have ever seen. It certainly did catch my attention. Lame puns aside, you’ll be even more delighted by its contents. We are privy to Sutton’s POV intermixing past memories with the present. It’s an interesting way to build their romance in a non-linear fashion instead of using end of chapter cliff hangers or some other way to link their then and now. It’s cleverly woven together, that built the anticipation of connection of their past selves, their present selves, and their past to their present. It sounds like it could be a jumbled mess but it flowed so well that I didn’t miss a beat. There’s a devious plot twist that blew me away, and it so works. Sorry but no spoilers. Not your typical romance, and that’s just how I like it. Thank you to the author, BSB publisher, and NetGalley for the advance read in exchange for an honest review.