First Class Travels with WHATEVER LIFE THROWS AT YOU by Julie Cross

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About WHATEVER LIFE THROWS AT YOU:

Seventeen-year-old Annie Lucas is too young to remember her dad’s glory days as a pitcher for the Yankees. So when her father is offered a coaching position with the Kansas City Royals, Annie is intrigued to see the baseball side of her dad. Of course, knowing he’ll be a mentor to hot young rookie pitcher, Jason Brody, certainly makes it more enticing.

After an awkward first meeting with “Brody” involving very little clothing and a much-too-personal locker room interview, Annie’s convinced she knows Brody’s type: arrogant, self-involved, bossy. As her dad grows closer to the pitching phenom, the friction between Brody and Annie increases. But when opening day arrives and it looks like both her dad and Brody may lose their dream jobs, Annie steps up and offers support. She and Brody call a truce that grows into friendship—and beyond. Falling for a rising star who’s quickly reaching a level that involves rabid female fans is not what Annie would call smart, except suddenly she’s getting hints that maybe this crush isn’t one-sided after all. Could someone like Brody actually fall for a girl like her?

My Review

Whatever Life Throws at You is one of my favorite reads of 2014! From the beginning I was hooked in with Annie’s narration. I was intrigued with her family dynamic and couldn’t wait to know more. I love that this story is character driven and highlights a multitude of relationships.

Annie, the pitching coach’s seventeen year old daughter, becomes friends with Jason Brody, the nineteen year old bad boy rookie pitcher. The portrayal of their relationship feels realistic and I loved that we get to see their relationship develop.

The timing couldn’t be better with Major League Baseball playoffs occurring with the Kansas City Royals one of the teams trying to get to the World Series. If I wasn’t a Baltimore Orioles fan, I’d be cheering “Go Royals” this year just because of Whatever Life Throws at You.

Julie Cross Bio:

Julie Cross lives in Central Illinois with her husband and three children. She’s a former gymnast and longtime gymnastics fan, coach, and former gymnastics program WHATEVER LIFE THROWS AT YOUctor with the YMCA. She’s a lover of books, devouring several novels a week, especially in the young adult and new adult genres. Outside of her reading and writing credentials, Julie is a committed—but not talented—long-distance runner, creator of imaginary beach vacations, Midwest bipolar-weather survivor, and expired CPR certification card holder, as well as a ponytail and gym-shoe addict.