Book:  Pretty Tough (Pretty Tough #1)
Author:  Liz Tigelaar
Release date:  August 2, 2007
Publisher:  Razorbill
Pages:  256
Source:  Bookstore

Bubbly, blond Krista Brown is pretty and popular. Her sister, Charlie, is more interested in braving the Malibu waves than the halls of the school that Krista rules. but when Krista and Charlie are both recruited to the school’s soccer team, they are forced to face their differences. Can these two sisters become teammates, and friends, in time to make it to the championships?

Pretty Tough is a great book about sisters, soccer, and finding your place.  Liz Tigelaar is an author I haven’t heard much about but one that I will be watching from now on.

Charlie Brown has not had the best couple of years.  She has no friends, can barely stand her sister, and there is no sign of anything changing in the near future.  All that changes when Martie Reese recruits Charlie for the varsity soccer team.  At first, soccer is a way to steal the spotlight from her sister but then things change.  Can Charlie really have everything: soccer, friends, and even a boy?  Or is it really too good to last?

Charlie and Krista Brown were not very good protagonists to begin with.  Both were whiny and immature.  It took a while for them to change at all but I eventually grew to like them.  I liked their friends a lot more and I really wished they played bigger parts in the story.

The soccer was the best part of the book.  I don’t know anything about soccer but the games and practices were all so detailed it felt like I had been playing the game my whole life.  The soccer really just tied everything together.

Overall, Pretty Tough is a great start to this series.  I loved the sports, guys, and girl power.  I can’t wait to dig in to the next book in the series.

First line:  For nearly twenty seconds, Charlie was convinced she was dead.

Rating:  B+

Cover:  B-