Oh boy, this was...intense. It discusses a lot of complex topics including eating disorders, the cycle of domestic abuse, sexism, homophobia, and mental illness, but I felt as though it didn't give enough air to any of these topics for them to feel fully explored. The main plot jumps around quite a bit, and there are several time skips that occur seemingly at random. Overall it feels like the author has a very interesting story to tell, but wasn't able to focus on a concise enough track for the story to feel satisfying.

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review from the publisher. Content warning for eating disorders, OCD, child abuse, domestic violence, and sexual harassment and assault.)

Working as a freelance journalist, Georgie decides to go undercover in the local wrestling circuit - both in pursuit of a good story, and to prove to her overbearing mother that she does, in point of fact, have a "real" job. Navigating the male-dominated world of wrestling is hard enough; doubly so when you're grappling with an eating disorder and are prone to toxic relationships. Georgie quickly gets swept up in the drama of it all, both in and out of the ring, and before she knows it, this simple story has changed her life: she quits her job, enrolls in online college, and relocates to suburban Pennsylvania to be closer to her new boyfriend, Steve. But when he proves to be the biggest mistake of all, can Georgie pick up the pieces of her life and move on?

I really wanted to like TOTAL SUPLEX OF THE HEART - I mean, that premise! the title! - but it's not without its flaws. Chief among them: the story feels really disjointed, like we're skipping from one moment in Georgie's life to another, without any transition. One minute an untrained Georgie is trying to get a job at the local ring; the next, she's actually performing with other wrestlers. She and Steve are maybe dating, then - bam! - she's joining him in PA. Georgie is sexually harassed and even assaulted at multiple points in the story, and then the issue is just kind of ... dropped? Even Georgie's recovery from an eating disorder feels a little too easy; anticlimactic, even. Maybe it's because I read the ARC, but the story felt a little unpolished.

On the plus side, the artwork is lovely, and there are enough PARKS AND REC references to satisfy the poetic, noble land mermaid in all of us. I also loved the scenes with JT and his mom - I wish we'd seen more of those two.