Book:  Playing With The Boys (Pretty Tough #2)
Author:  Liz Tigelaar
Release date:  April 10, 2008
Publisher:  Razorbill
Pages:  304
Source:  Bookstore

New girl Lucy is desperate for friends. She tries out for Beachwood High soccer, but despite her amazingly accurate kick, fails to make the team. When the Coach points out that varsity football is looking for a new kicker, Lucy is skeptical. Football? Isn’t that a boys’ game?

But on the gridiron Lucy discovers that she feels strong—in control for the first time since her mother died. She loves football. She actually wants to play! (She also wants to hang out with super-cute quarterback Ryan Conner. But that’s just icing on the cake.)

Too bad no one else wants her on the team. Not the boys’ coach, not her teammates, and especially not her overprotective dad. Will Lucy cave in to the pressure? Or will she prove she’s pretty tough after all?

I hate to say it but the Pretty Tough series went downhill with Playing With The Boys.  Seeing as I really liked the first one, I expected to like this one too.  And I did, somewhat.  It just wasn’t nearly as good as I had hoped.

Lucy Malone is not having a good year.  First, her dad moved her across the country.  Then, she didn’t make the soccer team.  There goes her only chance for making friends.  When the soccer coach suggests Lucy try out for the boys football team Lucy doesn’t take her seriously.  That is, until she realizes that she is better than most of the boys out there and it may be the perfect way to prove herself and earn some credibility.  If nothing else, it’s a way to get close to the hot quarterback and spend some time with her cute but quirky friend, Benji.

Lucy was a seriously lacking character.  She had no personality, no drive, and no good characteristics.  She whined a lot and she always seemed to be on the verge of tears.  The other characters weren’t very good either.  Charlie, Pickle, Benji, and some of the others were back but they seemed really different and not in a good way.  Charlie was mean, Pickle was confusing, and Benji was all over the place.  I wanted more depth to all of them.

Overall, Playing With The Boys just didn’t do it for me.  I really hope that the next book, Head Games, is better.

First line:  Lucy Malone had always felt that she was just one letter short of  “lucky,” and in her fifteen years on this planet, her theory had definitely been proven true.

Rating:  B-

Cover:  B-