Book Review: Front and Center by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

At First Sight: D.J. Schwenk is, for once in her life, happy to be going back to school after a few months filled with craziness. Even though she had to leave her football days behind, D. J. is happy to be able to play basketball again. Not only because it's her best and probably only chance to get out of Red Bend, Wisconsin and go to college but because she actually loves the game.

But what once was her refuge from the world's craziness and family drama, quickly becomes another source of stress when her oldest brother Win - who is recovering from a spinal chord injury that cut short his promising college football career - starts to put pressure on D.J. to be start looking at schools and scholarships, even though she's still a high school junior.

And to add to the personal drama, D.J. suddenly finds herself in a relationship with her long-time friend Beaner - who is funny and sweet and has a lovely boyfriend smile, though there aren't that many sparks between them. And Brian Nelson, the rival school's QB, and D.J. somewhat-secret ex boyfriend is coming around again, seemingly ready to leave both the ex and the secret behind him.

This time D.J. is, for once, Front and Center in her family and the pressure is on. 

Second Glance: Front and Center is the third and last book of the Dairy Queen series and though it wasn't my favorite of the lot, it was a nice conclusion to D.J.'s story.

In this book, D.J. faces quite the struggle to find her own voice and talk to her own family, mostly about how afraid she is of being really good and how much pressure that would represent, and I loved how she eventually realizes that Win is on her case so much because he wants her to have what she deserves and what he knows she's capable of.

I really liked Brian in this story - I was always a bit hot and cold when it came to him, but I think he finally grew up a little int his one and was ready to treat D.J. the way she deserved to be treated. Oh and Curtis, D.J. youngest brother, he probably has the least lines in the whole book but I adore him.

Bottom Line: Though not my favorite in the series, Front and Center was a great conclusion to a really good series. I've loved seeing D.J. grow up and find her own voice and how realistic it was that she still struggles with with, but in the end she always grows up a little more.

Book Gossip (#4)

Book Gossip #4
Covers

Well, I was just snooping about and I came across 2 covers.
First, Amazon.com posted a cover for Front and Center (Catherine Murdock hasn't updated her site so I don't know if it's the final one)

And then, a friend told me this I could find in Fantasticfiction.co.uk. It's the Brit Cover for Lisa Kleypa's Tempt Me at Twilight

The Off Season by Catherine Murdock

A couple of months ago I reviewed Dairy Queen by Catherine Murdock, by then I did know it had a sequel The Off Season and I liked the first book enough to read it. Well, I loved it.

D.J.'s life seemed to be reaching a happy note at the end of Dairy Queen as she was learning to speak her mind and was making her dream come true by joining the boy's football team, her brothers were speaking to their dad again and Brian Nelson -the hottie QB from the town next over - seemed to like her.

As The Off Season starts, it seems like good things are going to stick, D.J.'s is becoming friends with Dale, her best friend Amber's girlfriend, and Brian took her on a drive to Minneapolis - in what D.J. regards as the happiest day ever - and they end up making out; her brothers are making it big in college football and everything seems perfect... but soon things start to go sour.

D. J. discovers the family's farm is bleeding money out of the family, she gets injured during a football practice and has to face the fact that if she wants to get a basketball scholarship for college she can't keep playing football, Brian seems embarrassed to be seen with her and won't even acknowledge her in front of his friends, Amber and Dale decide to take off to Chicago, her brother Curtis is caught staying over night at his girlfriend's house. But then the worse thing happens: D.J. oldest brother Win is seriously injured during a game and might not walk again.

It seems like a lot of things are going on in the book, and they are, but they are handled skillfully and it does sound like real life: the struggles and the many problems as well as the small moments of great happiness; and through it all D.J.'s voice carries you through keeping you close to her and wanting her to do well.

I loved this book, more than I loved Dairy Queen and that was a good book. I cried, I cheered and, by the end, felt very hopeful. I love books that leave me hopeful

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Dairy Queen by Catherine Murdock

It has not been the best of years for D. J. Schwenk, and the summer before junior year doesn't look like it's going to be any better. For one she's not speaking to her older brothers, star football players Win and Bill, her younger bother Curtis doesn't speak much at all and, since her Dad bust his hip months ago, D.J. has been pretty much doing everything at the family's Dairy Farm, which means she never has time for herself.

And then, Brian Nelson came along. The same Brian Nelson who plays QB for D.J.'s school's most bitter rival, Brian who was supposed to help at the farm but who quit the very first day after not doing much at all. Eventually he comes back and, after first thinking she would hate him forever - for all Brian was and represented not to mention the rivalry between D.J.'s school Red Bend and Brian's school Hawley - D. J. finds that he's actually the only person she can really talk to. And so, an uneasy friendship starts.

I must say that, for me, the book started a bit slow, but I had heard a lot of good stuff about it so I stuck to it, and I wasn't disappointed. The book progressed slowly as did D.J. and Brian's friendship in a way that was believable and true. D.J.'s voice is wise without her even noticing, which is nice.

In the end, it left me with a smile and I can't wait to read the sequel The Off Season

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