Take Your Shot by Riley Scott is a lighthearted coming-of-age book about two teenagers falling for one another in high school.
Logan Watts is on the high school basketball team and seemingly has everything one could want: a boyfriend, straight-As, a college scholarship, and not to mention she is good-looking. Meanwhile, Carter Shaw is out as a lesbian at school for a couple of years and is the head of the school newspaper.
Contrary to many beliefs, Logan’s life is not perfect; she is dealing with a loss of a family member and is not in love with her boyfriend. She begins to question her sexuality one day at school when she notices Carter for the first time in one of her classes. Although they are in the same grade, they have rarely crossed paths until now. Although Carter has been out for a couple of years at school, she has never dated anyone. She may have been secretly crushing on the seemingly straight basketball player for some time.
When someone volunteers Carter to drive Logan to a basketball game, it is the start of something new for both these girls. Logan thinks that Carter could be a new friend, but the more they get to know each other, the more they determine that they have romantic feelings for one another.
Pros And My Favourite Parts
Riley Scott has written a sweet romance between two teenagers which describes their awkward talks and their cute dates. Contrary to many YA novels, the two main characters were able to have honest conversations with each other about their future and intimacy which was very much appreciated.
I was also glad that Logan’s coming out wasn’t made into a huge deal, her character did struggle briefly with her sexuality but was eventually able to come out to her family and friends.
The angst was kept to a minimum as conflicts were few and dealt with rather quickly.
Cons And Heads Up
A third perspective was added in a chapter in Take Your Shot, however, I felt it was out of place as I didn’t think it added to the story, it was also the first and last time it happened.
The Conclusion
I’d recommend this book to those looking for a sweet YA romance novel. It touches on various themes like coming out, friendship, and young love. There is little angst which is a nice change from most YA books. It is worth the read if you’re looking for a lighthearted, feel-good story.
Excerpt from Take Your Shot by Riley Scott
Barrett grabbed Logan’s hand, and Carter winced.
“Are you jealous?”
“No,” she said. “I mean, not of him.” She kept her voice low, her eyes never leaving their entwined hands. “I just don’t think they have any idea how lucky they are.”
“Those two?” Aiden stopped and turned to face Carter. “They’re in a sham of a relationship if I’ve ever seen one.”
“They look pretty happy to me,” she said, craning her neck to watch them for another second as they turned around the corner.
“Word on the street is they don’t even sleep together.”
Carter laughed at the grimace on Aiden’s face. “You know, first of all, that’s none of our business. Second, you don’t have to have sex with someone just to be in a relationship.”
“True.” He popped a piece of gum in his mouth and nodded, as if he was considering the fact. “But, I guess her logic is that she doesn’t want to get pregnant and screw up her scholarship to UNM.” He shifted his weight and his stack of books to gesture with his right hand. Holding his hand in the air, he wagged his finger. “Everyone knows there’s birth control.”
“She doesn’t owe anyone an explanation, not even Barrett. If you’re trying to make me feel better, this weird anti-feminist shit isn’t the way to do it.”
“Sorry.” He glanced down to the floor. “I guess you’re right. Just seems like there’s something missing there.”
“There might be, but as two people who have virtually zero dating experience, I don’t think we get a say.”
“Fine.” He resumed the walk to class and put his arm around her. “But, I’d like the record to show I called it when they don’t last.”
“Noted.”
As she took her seat, she fought to keep her eyes off Logan. Was it lust or a crush, or was she just enamored by someone who looked so confident, so at ease with herself? Liking girls was confusing sometimes. She bit her lip, as she watched Logan fish something out of her backpack and then lean back in her chair.
The level of coolness, without all the usual jackassery that came with it, just seemed impossible somehow. Logan stretched her neck side to side and glanced over in Carter’s direction. She smiled and nodded, before turning her eyes to the front of the room. Carter’s breath caught in her throat. She dropped her pencil to the desk, grabbing it quickly before it rolled to the ground. She gulped and looked down at the floor to still her thoughts. She’d been caught staring like a creep.
She grabbed the Hydro Flask from her bag and took a long sip, hoping her heart rate would return to normal at some point.
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Bits and Bobs
ISBN number: 9781642473537
Publisher: Bella Books
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