This second-chance romance completely captivated me! The chemistry between the characters was so genuine and intense. The best part was the positive portrayal of female sports—those team moments had me teary-eyed.

It was my first lacrosse romance, and it didn’t disappoint. The ending, especially May’s win, was unforgettable—so beautifully written and well-deserved. I loved how these two supported each other through their fears, even without confessing their feelings yet.

DNF at 26%….

This book has been pretty slow thus far, and I feel like there’s been a lot of vague anger and angst. Their communication style is that of dramatic teenagers, but they are supposedly the age of college seniors. I went back to read some reviews and was forewarned that the miscommunication/lack of communication continues to be a theme throughout the book, and I don’t think I can go through with it at this point. Maybe I’ll try again in audio format, we’ll see.

i don't have anything to say. just no. wish i wouldn't have spent my time on this one, but at least i binged/skimmed a decent portion bc... no.

thank you to netgalley & avon books for the arc! all opinions are my own <3

Super cute. I love May, she's really interesting and sweet. The writing is nice, it's a quick and easy read. I really recommend it.

What a sweet new adult second chance romance! I adored May and Colt's story.

While not a big sports fan myself (unless it's swimming) and someone who doesn't normally read sports romances, I loved the sound of the premise of this book and wasn't disappointed. And I've learned a fair bit about lacrosse!

Both MCs felt real, with their hearts sliced wide open, their vulnerabilities and fears exposed. I love when books show real people instead of cookie cut versions of what a perfect character would feel like. We all make mistakes, it's only human; the way we go about fixing them is what matters. Reading about May and Colt's paths to that was so satisfying.

Colt, gosh - what a green walking flag. He was literally the greenest flag MMC possible. Amazing golden retriever energy. The way he worshipped May? It'd break the swoon meter. The care, the patience, the softness betweeb these two when they got their second chance - and the moment the "fake" relationship stopped being fake.

Loved it all. The Oklahoma setting, the ranch backdrop, Holi, the nod to Twisters - and to The Longest Ride! - Jordan! 🫶🏻 Jordan has a huge main character energy. She was such a fantastic friend to May and I just found her awesome.

Though I fear I won't be able to look at strawberries again and not think of May's pain.

Thank you to Avon Books and NetGalley for the e-arc. It took me a little while to get into this one. I haven’t come across many sports romances that focus on lacrosse, so it felt quite different, nonetheless very enjoyable; and I really liked that women’s sports got some proper attention too.

I thought Colt was great — really kind and easy to like. May took me a bit longer to warm to. I could understand why she was hung up on how things were left with Colt, but after a while it did start to feel a bit repetitive.

Overall, it was an enjoyable enough read once it found its stride, with a refreshing focus on a different sport and I’m glad I gave it a go.

Book was a 3 star read 🌟. Really enjoyed this authors style of wiring and reallt enjoyed rhe characters in this book

A really sweet, calming book. Getting to know CJ and May was a pleasure. Esha Patel does a very good job of making miscommunication and character thought processes easy to understand and empathise with. I also appreciate the emphasis on other parts of their lives rather than solely the romance.

Twisters x Bend It Like Beckham? SIGN ME UP. This lacrosse romance by Esha Patel was my favorite book of hers yet. I loved everything about it from the spotlight on women's lacrosse to the Glen Powell inspired white t-shirt scene. I've never been to Oklahoma, but after reading this book, I'm tempted to take a flight. The vivid descriptions of the sprawling landscape and the emphasis on the locals' kindness and hospitality jumped off the page, making me truly feel like I was there. Even the descriptions of the lacrosse games were incredibly detailed, reassuring me that the author had done extensive research about the sport. I loved the thought and care put into the emotional stress the characters were under throughout the book as well. It wasn't just that they couldn't be together for no reason - the reason was subtle but there - running like a steady undercurrent throughout the novel. This book was about them falling in love as much as it was learning to trust again. It was not just about having faith in each other, but having faith that they would get back up and try again, having faith that their family and communities would be there for them. There were brilliant analogies about rebuilding a town and rebuilding confidence, dancing after a long time and seeing a loved one after many months. I hope for more stories about brown girls chasing their dreams and actually achieving them - and getting the boy. As a reader, I feel comforted knowing that Esha Patel will write them.

Firstly, thank you so much for letting me read an early copy of Cross My Heart.
This story was so addictive, with enemies to lovers, with right person wrong time elements.
I really enjoyed a lacrosse sports romance, even though I have little knowledge of the sport, I was able to really enjoy all the on pitch and off pitch banter.

3.5 ⭐️
I have now realized I know even less about Lacrosse than I thought I did 😂 I kept needing to google to figure out what certain things meant to I wasn’t just glossing over it.

I love sports romance, I love fake dating, but something fell flat for me here. I’m not 100% what it was, I just needed more. Like parts of the faking dating didn’t feel believable. But overall a very cute book!

If you like YA sports romance this is a great book for you!

Thank you to NetGalley, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts are my own and are in no way influenced by early access to this title.

I'm still trying to work out whether I like sports romances in general, or whether some authors are just so good at writing, it makes me enjoy their specific sports romance.
Regardless of which, I really enjoyed this one. Fake dating and a second chance romance. Sign me up.

I struggled to take the lacrosse part of it seriously without imagining Nate Archibald from Gossip Girl but I'm sure that's just my unculturedness and lack of exposure to the sport itself. However the writing made me feel like I was in in the middle of it.
There's a grumpy x sunshine vibe which I adore and it just makes me melt. Overall it was a cute and enjoyable read.

I am a massive lacrosse fan (go Halifax thunderbirds!) and was so excited to see this sport get the recognition it deserved in the sports romance world. However this was so boring. The characters felt very immature and the story itself seemed way too juvenile for my liking.
Dnf at 45%

This book wasn't bad; it was just super basic. It felt very juvenile. It reminded me of those $5.99 media mail paperback YA romances you could get when I was a teenager. If you're feeling nostalgic and want that kind of energy, give this book a try.

Different sports romance this time. Lacrosse. First lacrosse romance book, so I can tick that off the sport list. I got to like 20% of the book, and was like, “okay, I get it. Let’s wrap this up, please.” Because it just wasn’t progressing, and nothing was really being added to the storyline. But, there were just constant gaps in the world-building, storyline(which wasn’t barely there), and characterisation.
2

DNF

Okay I forgot this was an author who I didn’t particularly enjoy when I requested it. 😭 Her writing just does not vibe with me, which I hate since I love sports romances. Especially ones where the characters aren’t white. And when the female is an athlete, too.

Pros: This book really shines a light on women's lacrosse and some of the challenges athletes face in the sport. It had a lot of educational value for me in understanding the sport and some of the hype around it. It also feels like a fresh niche in the sports romance genre (so, much, hockey!) which may resonate well with readers.

Not so pros: The enemies-to-lovers trope being rooted in actually having a connection in the past but refusing to get over it falls a little flat for me. I don't know if that is just my personal opinion but I get so frustrated when people can't just move on! The whole book is a push and pull based on some back story and not what is happening now. COMMUNICATION PEOPLE.

Regardless, I think this might be a hit, especially if you are a lacrosse lover!

Firstly, a huge thanks to Netgalley, but Esha and her team for allowing me the chance to read this arc! I don’t think I have been more excited for a sports romance book in awhile. It’s about time someone starting exploring other sports (and it’s one I play!!!!). I absolutely adored this book soooo much, and overall I would say the accuracy of the sport aspect rings true. I loved how strong May was as a person, and how Colt had his own imperfections. I related to Colt sooo much, and saw him to be similar to me. Right off the bat he faces a significant injury, one of which I have related to in the past. Him overcoming that injury felt so raw and real, and I could relate to him so much for that. I reallyyyyy want a physical copy of this book, and I think it’s one that will join my rotation of sports romance book recs! Esha is easily one of my top romance authors and I hope she considers writing more in this little sports universe she just started!

Rating: 2.5, rounded up to 3
With lacrosse being a somewhat obscure sport in certain geographic areas, I found myself needing more context to fully connect with the story. I also think the setting would’ve been more effective in a region where lacrosse is more culturally ingrained. Oklahoma and southern universities just don’t resonate with the sport in the same way the East Coast does.
While this was perfectly fine and cute, it ultimately fell flat for me. The fake dating trope can be fun when done well, but here it didn’t feel believable. The details of the situation were borderline outrageous—I don’t think there’s a head coach alive who would encourage an athlete to date someone on the coaching staff. There was also a bit too much miscommunication for my taste. A few simple conversations could’ve resolved a lot of the tension.
This is a YA book, and I think it was just a little too YA for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for the advanced copy

DNF

I really wanted to like this book. A sports romance that's not white? Yes, please. One that has a south asian main character? Love it even more. The problem was, when I started reading, there was nothing in the book to show the MC was white except a short conversation between the coach and the male MC that said it was harder for May because she was only one of two non-white people on the team. But we get her POV and nowhere has this been mentioned before. Up till that point, this was not a thing at all, so where did that suddenly come from? I would have loved to read that, but it just didn't exist. Same with the lack of interest in women'a sport. It wasn't mentioned until the male MC started drawing a crowd at their games and suddenly it became a thing, and now May and Colt have to fake date to keep the crowds coming in for something that wasn't a problem before? Of course I know it was a problem, but it was never mentioned. The story just wasn't well developed and by the time we get to these two points in the story, there was nothing making me care. Then there was the fact the two POVs read the same to me. I couldn't see a distinction of voice, and I would not know whose POV I was reading unless I checked the name. The personalities of the two characters just fell flat, probably due to the aforementioned lack of development.

I got to about 25% of the way into the book when I realised I was skim reading to try and read it faster just to get it over with, and I still had another 5+ hours to read according to my kindle. At this point I realised it was just not worth my time.

I like a good romance, but I need something extra on top of the romance to keep me interested. There was a lot of elements this book could have played on (racism and misogyny being the two main ones) but the author barely touched these. Maybe they're developed further into the story, but for me that's just too late. If you want a simple sports romance maybe try this out, but don't expect to be blown away.