Wild Cards by Simone Elkeles

After getting kicked out of boarding school, bad boy Derek Fitzpatrick has no choice but to live with his ditzy stepmother while his military dad is deployed. Things quickly go from bad to worse when he finds out she plans to move them back to her childhood home in Illinois. Derek’s counting the days before he can be on his own, and the last thing he needs is to get involved with someone else’s family drama.

Ashtyn Parker knows one thing for certain--people you care about leave without a backward glance. A football scholarship would finally give her the chance to leave. So she pours everything into winning a state championship, until her boyfriend and star quarterback betrays them all by joining their rival team. Ashtyn needs a new game plan, but it requires trusting Derek—someone she barely knows, someone born to break the rules. Is she willing to put her heart on the line to try and win it all?

Goodreads Summary

Teen drama is Simone Elkeles’ specialty. Wild Cards is extremely similar to her popular Perfect
Chemistry trilogy that teen girls adored and devoured. This resemblance to her earlier work is good;
readers of her novels expect and want to read about heartache, drastic situations, and the growth of the characters who are trying to navigate their complicated lives.

The heroine of Wild Cards is Ashtyn Parker, a girl who takes no prisoners when playing football,
but is terrified of being left behind. She is the captain of her high school varsity football team, a position she was elected to by her fellow players who admire her determination and skill. Landon, Ashtyn’s boyfriend, wanted to be captain and refuses to play on a team that he will not be leading; so, he leaves his team of three years to join the school’s rivals. He even helps his new rival team to harass Ashtyn. To beat their rivals and play college football, Ashtyn is going to need a miracle.
 
Derek, the hero of Wild Cards, might be that miracle. A football hero who refuses to play,
Derek’s antics cause him to be expelled from his fancy boarding school. Expulsion means that Derek is forced to follow Brandi, his pregnant stepmother back to Illinois, where she grew up. Derek plans to finish his senior year and then leave; falling for Ashtyn was not part of his plan. Ashtyn is Brandi’s
younger sister and Derek’s sister-in-law. The twist-and-turn filled plot of Wild Cards is the ideal balance of romance and growth.

4.5 stars

"Reviewed by Chelsea"

This product or book may have been distributed for review, this in no way affects my opinions or reviews.

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