Review ~ Off Sides ~ Sawyer Bennett

Off Sides by Sawyer Bennett
Off Series #1
Release Date: February 21, 2013
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance
Source: I received an eARC in exchange for an honest review. I also purchased my own copy.
Rating: 3 Bookworms
Challenges: #BloggerShame, #COYER B2B, #2016HW, #ShelfLove
Goodreads

Synopsis
"I'm not sure what possessed me to do it. Maybe it was the impossible expectations I faced, maybe it was my own self-loathing. But I just knew I needed something different to happen. I needed someone... something... to derail me from my current path. Otherwise, I would become lost... a hollowed out shell of a man. So I did it. I approached her, then I pursued her, then I made her mine. And my life was saved..."

Ryan Burnham is the privileged son of a U.S. Congressman and captain of his university's hockey team. While he is on the verge of fulfilling his dreams to play in the NHL, his parents want him on a different course. One he is expected to accept for the sake of his family's public image.

Forced to abandon her music career after the heart breaking death of her parents, Danny Cross exists on the opposite side of the tracks from Ryan. She is struggling to make her own way, working two jobs, attending college part time and volunteering in a homeless shelter. She is on a mission to build her own success.

With a chance meeting, their vastly different worlds collide, causing each to evaluate whether they are truly on the correct path to self-fulfillment and happiness. Can their relationship survive? Particularly when others are against them every step of the way. A lot can happen in just ten short days...

I actually received an eARC of this but I took so long to read it, my guilt induced me to one-click it - lucky for me it was 99 pennies when I did. ;)

Off Sides was my introduction to Bennett's work, although she comes highly recommended. (*wink*Lexxie*wink*) This is also Bennett's debut and she, of course, has quite the body of work at this point. So, I'm going to give you a list of what I liked and what I liked less about Off Sides. 

Since I like bad news first, here's what I liked less:

• It's NA - therefore both MCs suffered tragic upbringings in some way.
• It was a bit predictable
• I wanted more - there was a rushed feeling that would have been negated, in my opinion, if the story had been longer.
• Insta-love

What I liked:

• Compelling characters - I really liked Danny's and Ryan's desire to live life by their own rules. They're both intelligent and admirable in their own ways.
• Riveting story - despite it being predictable with those common NA elements, I was still eager to know what came next, would things work out?
• Bennett's writing style - it's inherently readable. It flows smoothly and is nicely paced - very easy to read.
• Dual POV - I'm finding more and more love for this narration style. Getting the POV of both MCs added so much depth to the story and I felt more connected with them both.

All in all, I was impressed with Off Sides. I can see Bennett hitting her stride in her writing and I'm eager to read more from her backlist - meet more engaging characters, learn all about their lives, and fall in love right along with them.