NA review: Whatever Life Throws at You by Julie Cross

Title: Whatever Life Throws at You
Author: Julie Cross
Series: N/A
Acquired: Bought
Genre: New Adult
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Release date: 21st October 2014

When Annie Lucas' dad is offered a job he can't refuse, her life is completely changed. She was too young to remember him as a ball player but being a pitching coach for the Kansas City Royals is the perfect job for him... even if it means moving to Missouri. 

Annie's new life means being at an all girl's school with a uniform, doing homework in the locker room and trying to stay away from Jason Brody, the Royals' newest rookie pitcher!

Review
I was a massive fan of Julie Cross' Tempest series but I had no idea she wrote contemporary young adult novels so I was surprised when I came across this one. 

In Whatever Life Throws at You Annie Lucas's dad ends up taking a fantastic job as a pitching coach for a baseball team which means they have to move and start over somewhere new. Annie doesn't mind though as she and her dad are super close and she wants him to do something amazing. Annie was a really good protagonist and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about her and her life. She's 17 but acts a lot older and I think this has got a lot to do with having to grow up without a mother and her dad knowing she's responsible. Annie always thinks about the consequences of her actions and about others around her which I liked about her. She wasn't a silly teenager who would do anything for a boy. 

Annie finds it hard to not notice Jason Brody, especially when she first meets him in the locker room! At the beginning of the book it becomes clear that he's not what he first appears to be. At first you think he's a smooth talking player but there's so much more to him than that. Brody is this sweet and caring guy who people tend to think badly of due to his past but it was so good to see him prove people wrong. 

Something that I love in books is people actually getting to know one another before a relationship starts and this is exactly what we get with Annie and Brody. They are not defined by their feelings for one another. Instead, Julie Cross gives them both fantastic personalities that you cannot help but love and make them shine on their own before they do together. Annie and Brody spend a lot of time getting to know each other before anyone acts on their feelings. 

However, the chemistry between Annie and Brody was always there and it was smoking hot. The tension throughout the book was amazing. Due to the early friendship between the two characters, there is a lot of playful banter which makes things both fun and funny at the same time. Each character gives as good as they get and the build up to anything happening was quite dramatic and full of suspense. 

Whatever Life Throws at You is not just about Annie and Brody though. There is so much more going on than that which is what made this book so good. It's refreshing to read something that isn't just about a relationship or sex. 

I'll definitely be looking out for more like this from Julie Cross.