Book Review: The Summer Games: Out of Bounds by RS Grey!

The Summer Games: Out of Bounds
Author: R.S. Grey
Publication Date: August 1, 2016
Published: CreateSpace
Source: Author

My Rating:

I despise Erik Winter.
He’s arrogant and cruel—a man I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy—and by some twisted turn of fate, he’s my new Olympic gymnastics coach.
I’ve had to contend with gruff coaches in the past, but Erik is far worse. His stern demeanor complements a body built for intimidation, and his reprimands come from a mouth so cunning, I know it could strip me of my defenses—if I let it.
Though each of us would love to be rid of the other forever, we are bound to each other by need and necessity. I’m his rising star, his best shot at proving himself to his critics. And without a coach, I have zero chance of winning gold in Rio.
The easiest way forward would be to wave a white flag and make peace with the man I’ll be sharing close quarters with for the foreseeable future, but he is intent on war.
Fine. By. Me.
If he pushes me, I’ll push back harder. If he wants to test me, to play with my head, I’ll show him just how many boundaries I’m willing to cross. Because I know it’s not a choice between winning or warring—not if you can have them both. At the end of it all, I plan on leaving Rio with gold around my neck and his icy heart in the palm of my hand.

With this year being a summer Olympic year, this book couldn’t have come at a better time. The final five blowing it out of the water in Rio, and this final five doing the same. Add some romance into the mix, I felt like I had a front row seat to the action.

Unlike the first book of the Summer Games series, Out of Bounds picks up before the Olympic Games even begin. A few weeks before they go to Rio, the female gymnastic team is headed to the northwest to train with their suddenly new Olympic coach, Erik Winter.

Brie, basically the Simone Biles of this book, comes head to head with the new young and wildly attractive coach on day one. The tension was already in place before their first their first practice. With the age difference and the fact that she is his gymnast, you would think that Brie would be hands off, right? Wrong. The crazy attraction for her and the frustration that he feels because she is not one to submit drives him to do things he would never do. The games they play with each other aren’t just for the stadium.

Personally, my hopes for this book was so high going in, I was sure there was nothing I wasn’t going to love about it. I was wrong. At first I was in love with Brie. I thought she was headstrong and I loved that she wasn’t a well off princess. She had real issues and I loved that. I thought her affinity for baking was adorable too. The mind games that she and Erik played were good too. A nice balance.

But then the tide changed. There was this one scene that featured Brie, Erik and a yoga teacher. It went from 0 to 100 real quick and I wasn’t sure if I liked it or not. It felt out of character for Brie and even more so for Erik to let this… scene happen. I was turned off by them but I kept on.

I liked all the stuff with the other gymnasts because it felt like a real team and each girl had a different and unique personality. I appreciated that. But at this point, I was kind of over Brie and found myself wondering when that girl from the beginning would make an appearance. I know that it’s good when characters evolve and learn things about themselves, but my initial connection to Brie had been lost.

Overall, my appreciation for this was mixed. Do I still love RS Grey and the worlds she creates? Hell yes. Did I love Erik and Brie? Not so much.