Hooked
by Liz Fichera
Summary: When Native American Fredricka ‘Fred’ Oday is invited to become the only girl on the school’s golf team, she can’t say no. This is an opportunity to shine, win a scholarship and go to university, something no one in her family has done.
But Fred’s presence on the team isn’t exactly welcome — especially not to rich golden boy Ryan Berenger, whose best friend was kicked off the team to make a spot for Fred.
But there’s no denying that things are happening between the girl with the killer swing and the boy with the killer smile...
GET HOOKED ON A GIRL NAMED FRED.
Source: I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Review:
I thought Hooked was a pretty good story and one that I liked more than I thought I would after reading other reviews. I knew golf was a major part of the story, but I thought the book was pretty relatable, even though sports and golf are not really my thing. The story wasn’t quite so sports oriented that I felt out of place or unable to relate to the characters in some way. Also, I suppose I can’t help but appreciate a heroine who is tough and driven and good at something, regardless of whether I can relate to the skill.
I loved that Fred was a tough character who did what she wanted to do, regardless of the rich boys on the team and the disapproval of her family. She was different than anyone else in the story because she wasn’t afraid to be different and rise above what everyone else expected. I wasn’t really a fan of Ryan to begin with because he was a bit of a jerk. His on and off again girlfriend was annoying and superficial and his best friend was a complete tool and he had absolutely no identity outside of them. The good thing is that Fred eventually made him question his life and he began to grow an identity outside of his superficial routine.
The fact that Fred is the first girl on a all boys golf team is a pretty big conflict, but the main conflict is the fact that Fred is an Indian girl from the reservation. Her family and friends disapprove of her being on a team of white boys and the white boys disapprove of her being on their team, too. The main issue is the gap between the Indians and whites, poor and rich. The Indians dislike the white people, the white people dislike the Indians and so Fred and Ryan have to overcome prejudice in order to be together. I liked the conflict, but I wished it was better developed. I understood that everyone had animosity towards each other, but I suppose I wasn’t really sure why it was quite so bad and what the back story really was. I felt like the author just said “this is how things are” without really making me believe it. I wasn’t able to really “get” the animosity and so much of the plot relied on the conflict. I have no idea whether the conflict is a real thing and I would have preferred the author explained it a little better so that I could relate, understand, and feel like I’ve learned a lot, but I didn’t feel that way at all.
I eventually grew to like Fred and Ryan. I liked how they both challenged each other on and off of the golf course. I thought it was especially great that both of them challenged prejudice and found themselves on the outside of their groups, but eventually, both of them got closer to their families because of it. They both became better people. There were also great "movie" moments that were absolutely adorable and heart wrenching that I really enjoyed.
Overall, I enjoyed reading the story and I grew to really like Fred and Ryan. Their eventual relationship was slow to develop and parts of the book were frustrating due to the things I listed above, but it was a cute story. I would recommend it to people looking for a nice contemporary romance that is a little different from the norm.
Labels: Review, YA
