Hooked On A Feeling

Expected Publication:  January 29th, 2013

Hooked (Hooked # 1)

By: Liz Fichera

Harlequin Teen

ISBN-13:  9780373210725

Get hooked on a girl named Fred... 

HE said: Fred Oday is a girl? Why is a girl taking my best friends spot on the boy's varsity golf team?

SHE said: Can I seriously do this? Can I join the boys' team? Everyone will hate me - especially Ryan Berenger.

HE said: Coach expects me to partner with Fred on the green? That is crazy bad. Fred's got to go - especially now that I can't get her out of my head. So not happening.

SHE said: Ryan can be nice, when he's not being a jerk. Like the time he carried my golf bag. But the girl from the rez and the spoiled rich boy from the suburbs? So not happening.

But there's no denying that things are happening as the girl with the killer swing takes on the boy with the killer smile...

Review

     Fred Oday just wants a chance to get into college and off of the reservation, where the only thing waiting for her is a harsh life and a crummy minimum wage job like the ones her parents have.  So when the Coach at the high school in town offers her a spot on the Boy's Varsity Golf team, Fred sees an opportunity to maybe win a scholarship and do what she loves at the same time.  When Ryan's best friend is kicked off of the team so Fred can have his spot, he decides to hate her instantly.  But the more he gets to know her, the more Ryan just might want to change his life for Fred, be a better person for her.  But when Ryan's friend Seth takes the pranks and cruel hazing tactics too far, will he be able to break away and do what he knows is right?  And by then will it be too late for him to win Fred back?  I thought this book was going to be a cute, fun romance about a girl who joins the boy's team and gets into a romance with a teammate.  Instead it ended up being a story about a girl dealing with racial prejudice and cruel hazing, so she could play golf and have a chance at a better life - away from her alcoholic Mother and the reservation they live on.  The one constant bright spot in Fred's life is her Father.  Her brother is gone too much to really be a shoulder to lean one.  Ryan Berenger was a spoiled, rich, selfish brat who only thought of himself.  I spent most of the book with my mouth open in disbelief as he continued to justify his  'friend' Seth's horrendous, psychotic behavior and side with him over Fred.  By the end of the book when they got together, I really couldn't care less about the supposed romance.  I was cheering for Fred, who helped the team win and finally gained a place of her own.  But I was disgusted that she still got back with Ryan after he supposedly 'changed' (just because he helped her family when they had an emergency situation) for the better.  And Seth's last minute change of heart was cliched beyond belief.  Overall, a depressing and disappointing read.  Most definitely NOT what I was expecting from a Harlequin Teen publication! The best part about it was the heroine-triumphs-at-sports angle, but I felt like the romance was superfluous (it could have made a difference if better developed). 

VERDICT:  2.5/5  Stars

**I received this book as part of Around the World ARC Tours, run by the lovely Princess Bookie. No favors or money were exchanged for this review. It will be available for purchase on January 29th, 2013.**