Welcome, welcome, to my stop on the blog tour for Game On by Michelle Smith! I read Play On at Holly @ The Fox’s Hideaway’s urgent insistence, and I was so glad I did- I fell in love! And so, when Game On was coming out, I was definitely excited- and wondering if I could love Eric’s story just as much as Austin’s. Well, spoiler alert: I liked it even better. How!? I don’t know, magic, I guess. Michelle Smith has to have the magic writing brain, because she got me to love not one, but two stories about a baseball town! I tell you this because if you think “meh, I don’t care about baseball”… neither do I! But I loooove these books. The characters are so incredibly real, and while the stories are awesome, there is a ton of substance to them too.
Anyway, I think I am getting off track! So, Bloomsbury and Michelle were so, so kind when I explained about #ShatteringStigmas (Michelle actually did a post last year that blew me away, and will be on Holly’s blog on Sunday, so make sure you check her out there, too!) and let me do a tour post that works with the event. So what I am saying is, they’re all the best. Now, without further ado… Michelle’s post!
Four Self-Care Lessons I Learned from GAME ON
Game On was a book that challenged me to the very end. I drafted it, then rewrote it from the beginning to add Bri’s point-of-view, and then revised the heck out of it some more. But writing that book taught me so, so much about myself, and for that, it’ll always hold a special place in my heart.
1) If someone is dragging you down, it’s okay to let them go.
I’m not saying you have to be a jerk and cut people off cold-turkey if they breathe wrong around you. What I’m saying is that, if someone is causing you more strife than peace, if someone is making you feel like you’re hard to love, then maybe it’s time to reconsider that person’s place in your life. A large part of Game On is learning that, at the end of the day, you really and truly don’t have to live your life to make other people happy. Live it to make yourself happy.
2) Embrace the quiet moments.
Sometimes life gets really, really loud, and our thoughts start screaming to be heard above the outside noise. Take five minutes, an hour, or even a few hours to just sit back. Watch a sunset, match the constellations, read a favorite book, take a walk, play with your dog…anything that helps you—and your thoughts—slow down? Embrace it.
3) Ask for help.
Friends are our friends for a reason. More often than not, they want to help us out of our funks. They want to see us happy. And if you’re in a place where you feel like you need a professional, that’s 100% okay—reach out. Make that phone call. It can be tough, but it’s so very worth it.
4) Hold on to the ones who stay.
This is where I’m going to be straight-up with you guys—I’ve been through some crap in the past year. Like, crap I never would’ve imagined having to deal with. I’ve screwed up more than a few times, and I’ve learned from those mistakes. And life gave me a handful of friends who have stuck by me through that crap, through the ugly moments and the days when I didn’t feel very loveable. If you have friends like those, if you have people who’ll always tell you the truth and still let you cry on their shoulder when life spins out of control, hold on to them. Cherish them. And love the heck out of them.
About Game On
Game On by Michelle Smith Series: Lewis Creek #2
Published by Bloomsbury Spark on August 16th 2016
Pages: 328
Format:eARC
Source:Copy provided by publisher for review, via Netgalley
Goodreads• Amazon
As king of baseball in the small town of Lewis Creek, Eric Perry can have any girl he wants and win every game he plays. But when a fight lands him in jail, he’s only got one more strike before his baseball career is over for good. His only chance for redemption? The girl next door, Bri Johnson.
Bri hasn’t talked to Eric in months— for starters, she’s been too busy dealing with her jerk of an ex-boyfriend, not to mention the fact that Eric’s been preoccupied trying to drink every keg in the country dry. But when he needs a way to stay on the team, she proposes a plan: if he helps her out with community service, he can stay on the team. At first it’s a nightmare—Eric and Bri stopped being friends years ago, surely that was for a good reason, right? But as volunteering turns to bonding over old memories of first kisses under the stars, they start to have trouble remembering what pushed them apart.
In a town as small as Lewis Creek, nothing stays secret for long and their friendship and romance might mean bad news. But in this final, tumultuous spring before graduation, Eric and Bri are about to realize that nobody’s perfect alone, but they might just be perfect together.
About Michelle Smith
Michelle Smith was born and raised in North Carolina, where she developed a healthy appreciation for college football, sweet tea, front porches, and a well-placed “y’all.” She’s a lover of all things happy, laughs way too much, and fully believes that a little bit of kindness goes a long way.
Michelle lives near the Carolina coast with her family.
Bloomsbury is offering an ebook of Game On to THREE lucky winners, so be sure to enter!!
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I love sports romances and have heard good things about this one!
I really liked Michelle Smith’s list up there — especially no2, I definitely don’t do enough of that.
I like this post. I need to get better at #2. I’m a maniac who will work really hard at something until I’m burnt out and frustrated. Taking breaks to relax is difficult.
This sounds like a fantastic book and what a lovely guest post this was. So much truth in those 4 thing listed!
I keep hearing such great things about this book and that list is perfection! Glad you included this one Shannon and I can’t wait to read this! ♥
I know little about baseball. What a lovely way to dive right in.
I haven’t gotten to Play On yet, but I have both that and Game On ready for when I have time (thanks to Holly haha!). But I absolutely agree with letting go of the people that are dragging you down! I recently ended a childhood friendship with someone who was my best friend. Honestly, she wasn’t really my best friend. She put me down so many times just so that she could feel better about herself, and I really didn’t need that in my life. So now I’m just done with her. And my life has been SO much better because of it!
I sometimes enjoy sports romances but when it comes to baseball… meh. However, you have me convinced to give this a try – even with the baseball. 🙂
I love all the self-care lessons here. I definitely think it’s important to let people go if they’re not good for you, otherwise you just keep all the negative stuff around you and it can make you worse. Embracing quiet moments is important too, especially since life can be so loud sometime. I really need to read both of these books! Gah, one day.
Self-care tips, hmm. Writing, sleeping, watching something, drinking a favorite beverage, getting out of a toxic environment if you’re able, shower, talking to friends, re-evaluating some things in life (like negative people, etc.).
sounds like a great book!
Great review. I think a book that gives such lessons must be a good one indeed.