Head Games

Pretty Tough #3

by Keri Kelly

Taylor is calm, cool, collected, and ferocious on the basketball court. A total all-star. Not so much in real life. She may be tall, gorgeous, and an incredible catch, but just try telling her that!
And lately, Taylor doesn't know which way to turn: The summer showcase game is almost here. Her BFF Hannah roped her into a fashion show (eek!). And she can't decide between Zach-the super-popular, super-tall, super-off-limits basketball dynamo-and Matt-the sweet boy from her math class (who may just be dating her BFF's older sister). It's enough to make any girl's head spin!
Can Taylor strike a pose, land the boy of her dreams, and win the game?

Genres: Young Adult, Sports, Contemporary, Romance, Teen, Sports Romance, High School

272 pages, ebook

First published January 6, 2011

About the author

Keri Kelly is an award-winning author, comedy writer, and professor. She's the author of The Pretty Tough Series, My Sister, the Sea Monster, and The Field Guide to Humans and Other Dangerous Beasts. Her comedy shorts and essays have appeared on Erma Bombeck Writer's Workshop, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Points in Case, Little Old Lady Comedy, and many other humor pubs. She teaches comedy and storytelling at Rowan University. Find out more and say hello at www.kerikelly.com.

Reviews

[Princess Bookie · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Thoughts: Probably just my reading mood but this one just didn't live all the way up to my expectations. It's still a good book, but I wanted to fall in love with it and I only liked it.

We are introduced to Taylor who loves basketball. Basketball is her life. Demands are placed very highly on her. Her father expects a lot out of her. He runs plays with her, he runs miles with her, he wants her to succeed in all the ways he couldn't.

Taylor's life is basketball, basketball, basketball. Yes, she still has a personal life but that also pretty much includes basketball. In Head Games, there is a lot of team talk, there is a lot of relationship drama, there is a lot of spunk.

Not only is Taylor interested in basketball, she is also interested in boys. First, there is Zach. He's popular, hot, all the girls want him, and all of a sudden he has dumped his girlfriend Kylie (who happens to be a teammate of Taylor's) and takes an interest in Taylor. Than there is Matt, who is dating Taylor's best friends sister. Matt is new to the school, and a lot of mystery surrounds him.

I always liked basketball growing up, so I understood her love for it. I understood all the pressure.

Now lets talk about the boys... I never felt a real connection to either of them. I never liked Zach and even Matt, I never really fell for him. If I had to choose, I'd choose Matt. I felt like neither of them were good enough for Taylor.

The one thing that did bug me was that Taylor was a doormat. She was too nice for her own good. She would brush things off that shouldn't have been brushed off.

Head games was a fun read but didn't wow me. I liked it but I wanted to be blown away by it which I wasn’t.

Overall: I really liked it but it wasn't as great as I hoped. Hopefully Stealing Bases does wow me. We shall see. I liked the writing style and the book as a whole. I think the story just didn't live up to my hopes. I wanted this to be a 5 cupcake book for me. More like a 3.5 book!

Cover: Like it. I like all the people in the background shooting hops. I also like how she is sitting on the basketball.

What I'd Give It: 3/5 Cupcakes

____________
Review Based On Softcover Edition

Taken From Princess Bookie
www.princessbookie.com

[Miranda Kenneally · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute read!

[Marjoleinbookblog · Rating 5 out of 5]

Taylor Thomas is one of the top players of her school’s basketball team. Her two insecurities are that she is tall: Six feet Seventy-two and three quarter inches, and that her secret crush Zachary Murphy doesn’t see her. But then, suddenly he request her to be online friends, and starts talking to Taylor and asks her questions about her passion basketball. Taylor’s team is training hard for an upcoming competition against the SoCal Suns, and right in the middle of all the training and school homework, Taylor’s best friend Hannah asks her to model for her designs in the school’s fashion show.

Zach keeps talking to Taylor and he obviously wants more than to be just friends, because he kisses her and changes his online relationship status! But when Taylor’s teammate and Zach’s ex-girlfriend Kylie finds out, she is not amused and the normally nice Kylie suddenly turns into a very mean girl against Taylor. The team’s training competitions are not going well, because some girls are distracted by dating boys. The team makes a pledge not to date boys anymore at all. But ..Taylor just started dating her dream crush Zach, what is she going to do now?

Taylor also tries to help out her best friend Matt, who is having a hard time now is dad is in a wheelchair and he has to take care of him. Taylor discovers that Matt is writing romantic poems in his notebook, and it looks like they are for Violet, Hannah’s sister. But when one of Taylor’s teammates discover a girls score list (which boy can date the most girls?) from the boy basketball team, Taylor is starting to look with different eyes at Zach, and Matt! And will her team the Wildcats win the game against the SoCal Suns?

Head Games is an amazingly fun new book by the hand of Keri Mikulski. Head Games was on the top of my list for want-to-read books and it was totally worth it. Not many teen writers are writing sport themed books for girls, and Keri really writes the best in this genre. As a reader I loved Taylor and how she juggled the basketball trainings and competitions and modeled for Hanna's fashion show and tried to keep seeing Zach. And it was great to read how at the end everything went different in the boyfriend department..
Head Games is just a fabulous book for every teen girl who love sports. Or who loves books ofcourse. THE book I hope many other will put on the top of their want-to-read list in 2011!

[Stefanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75

This started out pretty typical and I was pretty much set on giving it 3 stars because it was good but nothing special. Then about more than half way the plot picked up and I started enjoying it so much more. I found the drama with the guys tiring and the team got on my nerves at times as well, jumping to conclusions without giving Taylor a chance to explain. I really loved the ending so that's why it got bumped up to 4 stars.

[Hanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read the other books in the series and I was really disappointed in this one.

[TuShawn F · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Head Games (Pretty Tough, #3) by Keri Mikulski. In this book, Taylor is a super-tall basketball player, probably could be a superstar for basketball. Everything is going just right and she has never ever been in any drama. Until her teammates, ex-boyfriend, Zach starts liking her. Then this messes up the communication of her and her team. Then another boy, Matt starts liking her. All of this is confusing her and her focus in basketball, which could cost her her scholarship. Also in between all this Penny's best friend enters her in a fashion show. Will Penny pick the right guy and be able to focus on basketball? Read Head Games (Pretty Tough, #3) to find out.

[Tracey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute read for a YA. I have some girls who I think will enjoy this.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a good story and easy read. The main character went thru life changes with friends, sports all in school situations.

[Marie-lynn Mansour · Rating 5 out of 5]

Head games was a thrilling and exciting romance, filled with throbbing hearts, kissing, basketball and boy confusion. The book is basically about a girl named Taylor that was overly tall and played basketball. No guys ever asked her out because she was so tall. On her basketball team, beautiful Kylie is dating the hottest boy in school, Zach. After an argument that Kylie and Zach have, they eventually break up, or so Zach says. Kylie still believes that they are still together. Suddenly Zach starts catching Taylor from the corner of his eyes and starts hanging out with her more, such as one on one basketball in the courts after hours. Escalating quickly, Taylor was already bewildered as it on why Zach would start talking to her when all of the popular guys asked her if she was free during the weekend. Taylor suddenly feels important, loved and cherished, but yet very confused. Kylie is not happy about these events, especially Zach and Taylor hooking up, and so she takes it out on Tay during basketball. Not passing to her, tripping her, etc. Suddenly, the romance between Taylor and Zach starts becoming more serious, all the while Kylie is becoming angrier. At the same time of all of these events, Tay's dad is a basketball fanatic and wants Tay to do her best and become a profesional basketball, her pursuing the dreams he never achieved.
On top of all of these events going on in the novel, Taylor's best friend Hannah has entered her into a fashion show as her model. Taylor could never imagine herself being a model upstage, let alone be seen wearing a dress in public. How does Hannah make her fabulous designs though? By stealing fabric from her sisters clothes, Violet. She cuts them up and sews them together to create unique designs. Violet has a guy of her own, Matt. 'He's really cute', is what Taylor thinks, 'just a bit smaller than me!!'. She discovers that Matt has a secret talent for writing poetry.
To settle the distractions between the boys, the basketball team sets up a new rule, 3B. Girls before guys and no more guys until the end of the season. This would, ideally, stop all conflicts between Kylie and Taylor and the distractions will be minimal. While practicing though, a couple weeks after the creation of the 3B, the girls find a piece of paper on the ground, on it written 3B- Babes, Basketball and __________. They realize, especially Taylor, that Zach and the other players did not sincerely like her, they were just trying to win some stupid competition. Taylor decides that Zach is a jerk and moves on from him and the others, upset.
Going back to the 3B for the girls, not everything goes as planned when Taylor's dad offers to coach Zach at Tay's house. While the girls are coming to pick up Taylor from her home, they see Zach in front lawn practicing his shooting and get the completely wrong idea, that Taylor was hooking up AGAIN with Zach. "Traitor!" was called out, loudest from Kylie. The girls decide that a suitable punishment for this wrong-doing would be to kick Tay out of the team, but what ends up happening is Kylie getting kicked out herself! In the end though, Taylor brings back Kylie to the team and they win their massive game against a competitive team, Richland. Team work, hard work and putting their differences aside is what aided them to beat Richland.
Because almost every romance ends Happily Ever After, Taylor and Kylie have stopped the fighting, the basketball team has successfully won their season and Taylor realizes that Matt and herself both have feelings for each other. After sharing a kiss between them as soon as the Richland game was over, their passion for each other blossomed.
It is a really great book and I would definitely recommend that teens from ages 13- 16 read this book because its just filled with never ending excitement. You won't want to put the book down girls!!

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed at http://bookstobrightenyourmood.blogsp...

While reading Head Games,what I mostly felt was... frustration!Don't get me wrong here,I really liked Head Games and I wasn't frustrated with the story,or the writing style,or the book,I was just mostly frustrated with what happened in the book.

Let me elaborate.Head Games is the story of Taylor,a really good basketball player,who as much confident as she is inside the court,her lack of self-confidence outside of it becomes the source of some major problems and misunderstandings that threaten her social status but most importantly her own dreams...All those misunderstandings and drama in this book,just left me feeling frustrated about Taylor but most importantly,with her as a character.There's a definite line between being sweet and polite and being a victim...And Taylor.as it's stated in the book,clearly can't discern that line...The story evolves around a short period of Taylor's life shortly before her school's basketball team play-offs.Add to that the fact that she has to help her friend and be her model for a fashion show and the sudden interest towards her of some of the school's most popular boys,and especially Zach's who is the ex of a super jealous teammate and Taylor's long time crush, and one can only imagine how much drama can erupt from all that!And believe me,one thing this book has in abundance is exactly that...teen drama!

Despite the fact that the language and the structure of this book was aimed to a younger audience than myself (and it's the first time I feel that way about a YA book,usually I'm a sucker for this genre) I did enjoy myself while reading it.That is when I wasn't frustrated with Taylor or mad with Kylie's (the super jealous ex/teammate) uncharacteristic behavior... But that means that I "lived" the story,so thumps up for the writer!

Having been a basketball player myself,I really enjoyed the descriptions of the games and the dynamics that were formed inside the team.But I have to admit that they striked me as a bit unrealistic or outstreched at times (in favor of maximizing the drama I already mentioned).Surely,there are rivalries inside a team,everyone can't get along perfectly but seriously,what player who fancies him/herself to be or become professional jeopardises the team's future over boys of all things?Surely,I had a teammate who always tried to get me a black eye (certainly not over a boy let me clear...) every time the coach couldn't watch her but that was on practice,never in any official game.Taylor's meltdown during a game,just because she saw a boy watching her or Kylie's horrendous behavior because she was ditched made me roll my eyes a bit to be honest,especially when the coach (who had some amazing ideas to bring the team together, mind you) just didn't put them both on the bench...

Anyway,Head Games was a light and fun read,cause despite the drama,there were some hilarious dialogues in it!I devoured it in a matter of hours!

[Chelsea Matthews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Taylor Thomas is the superstar of her school, Beachwood Academy's, basketball team and way taller than every other girl in her school. She doesn't know her beauty and is unsure when her bestfriend Hannah asks her to model her clothes in the school's fashion show. Not only that, but Taylor is trying to win a spot on a premier travel basketball team, but distractions start coming her way and could possibly ruin her chances at making the team.

Suddenly Taylor is getting friend requests from all of the boys basketball players and they are asking her to hangout. Then, her secret crush and teammate, Kylie Collins', recently ex-boyfriend Zachary Murphy starts to pay attention to Taylor. Zach even sends Taylor a relationship request online, but Taylor is afraid to except it because of Kylie. Kylie has always been the jealous type, so when she starts to hear about Taylor and Zach she begins icing Taylor out. This put the future of a 3-peat in jeopardy for the team, unless the two girls can solve their problems.

There is also another boy that has his sights set on Taylor, but she doesn't realize it. Her english partner Matt has been writing poems about her, but she thinks that they are about Violet, Hannah's sister. but will Taylor ever realize that?

The entire book the basketball team is going through the ups and downs of a team. To eliminate boy problems within the team, so they can get their three peat they create a plan called "3Bs 4 3peat" This would have worked, except for the fact that Zach won't give up on Taylor, which makes Kylie even angrier. The girls soon discover to why all of the boys basketball team has been trying to hangout with them: they have a plan of their own, in which they are competing to see how many girls each can get.

This book was the third in the series and I really enjoyed it. It was very good and I couldn't put it down once I started reading it. I recommend this book to anyone that like Sarah Dessen books. The thing about this books is it is centered around a basketball team, but has enough events going on that even people who don't like sports would enjoy this book. There is a fourth book already out called Stealing Bases and it has the same set of characters. It was also a very well-written book that was interesting all the way through. The two in the series before have different characters, but are equally as good. A fifth book is going to be published soon.

[Savannah (Books With Bite) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't begin to tell you how much I likes this book. It made me feel like a teenager again. All insecure and giddy when a guy talks to you. And this book definitely had game. Major Game.

On the court, Taylor is untouchable. She is fierce and alive with fire, flying across the courts making all the points. Then her world is turned upside down. With the sudden interest of Zack turns on her, she is bewildered and unsure what to do. With all the stress of a big game, scouts, and meeting her people pleasing expectations, Taylor finds herself in one big mess.

This book was great. From the start, my emotions were racing. With every page turn, I learn more about Taylor and was able to connect with her well. Taylor's life revolves around basketball. She is constantly practicing, with trying to do everything else on the side. I loved how well Ms. Mikulski was able to bring her character to life. Taylor was your typical teenager dealing with all kind of stresses and drama in her life. Boys, girl fights, basketball expectations, meeting parents expectations, etc. So much that Taylor is doing is pulling her in all kinds of directions.

I like seeing the vulnerability of Taylor and her inexperience with boys. I was like that in high school, so I related to her well. It made the book so much more interesting, seeing her try to juggle everything at once. The ending was one I did not see coming. But it was one that I did experience in high school. Stupid list. It broke my heart when I found out, but I was happy to. At least I know it was all a game.

The sport of basketball was also written well. I like reading all the sports talk and enjoying how it entwined with Taylor's life. It showed the prospect of how stresses of life can have an effect on your game. Taylor went through that and so much more. But in the end, she was able to get her head on straight and get her head in the game. Ms. Mikulski made all the sports talk easy to know. I for one, did not know much about basketball, but after reading this, I think I can go to game and finally get it. LOL

This book is totally sweet, enduring, and full of great literature. I look forward to reading the rest of the series and learning more about sports!

[Princess Bookie · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Thoughts: Probably just my reading mood but this one just didn't live all the way up to my expectations. It's still a good book, but I wanted to fall in love with it and I only liked it.

We are introduced to Taylor who loves basketball. Basketball is her life. Demands are placed very highly on her. Her father expects a lot out of her. He runs plays with her, he runs miles with her, he wants her to succeed in all the ways he couldn't.

Taylor's life is basketball, basketball, basketball. Yes, she still has a personal life but that also pretty much includes basketball. In Head Games, there is a lot of team talk, there is a lot of relationship drama, there is a lot of spunk.

Not only is Taylor interested in basketball, she is also interested in boys. First, there is Zach. He's popular, hot, all the girls want him, and all of a sudden he has dumped his girlfriend Kylie (who happens to be a teammate of Taylor's) and takes an interest in Taylor. Than there is Matt, who is dating Taylor's best friends sister. Matt is new to the school, and a lot of mystery surrounds him.

I always liked basketball growing up, so I understood her love for it. I understood all the pressure.

Now lets talk about the boys... I never felt a real connection to either of them. I never liked Zach and even Matt, I never really fell for him. If I had to choose, I'd choose Matt. I felt like neither of them were good enough for Taylor.

The one thing that did bug me was that Taylor was a doormat. She was too nice for her own good. She would brush things off that shouldn't have been brushed off.

Head games was a fun read but didn't wow me. I liked it but I wanted to be blown away by it which I wasn’t.

Overall: I really liked it but it wasn't as great as I hoped. Hopefully Stealing Bases does wow me. We shall see. I liked the writing style and the book as a whole. I think the story just didn't live up to my hopes. I wanted this to be a 5 cupcake book for me. More like a 3.5 book!

Cover: Like it. I like all the people in the background shooting hops. I also like how she is sitting on the basketball.

What I'd Give It: 3/5 Cupcakes
_______________
Review Based On Paperback Edition

Taken From Princess Bookie
www.princessbokie.com

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super star (and super tall!) Taylor Thomas is the top basketball player at her high school and is ready to have a stellar season with her team. However, the usually focused and practical Taylor is suddenly torn between being true to her team and going for longtime crush Zach Murphy- a popular, tall, and totally off-limits guy on the boy's basketball team. Throw in a modeling gig for her best friend, an English partner with something to hide, and high school drama to the max, Taylor is in for a whirlwind Freshmen year!

Enter mean girl Kylie Collins into the mix. Pegged as the ex-girlfriend of Zach with a major attitude, Kylie is not at all happy when she finds out Zach is into her teammate. The friction between Taylor and Kylie causes a lack of team chemistry and concentration, two things the they cannot succeed without. To get back on track, the girls on the basketball team make a promise to stop dating all together, leaving Taylor to figure out which is more important, loyalty or the guy she's been pining over for what seems like ages.

As if this wasn't enough, Taylor soon faces yet another curveball! A list emerges revealing the boy's "score" list, a competition between several guys to see who can date the most girls, making Taylor question her previous decisions. Suddenly Taylor's head is spinning. She doesn't know who to trust or what to do. Even her English partner Matt is acting weird!

What's a girl to do when her world is tumbling down? HEAD GAMES by Keri Mikulski tells all in a fun, sporty read perfect for all YA fans-even those not into sports! With characters easy to relate to and a plot filled with twists and turns, this book will have you laugh, cringe in anticipation, and make your eyes widen in surprise. Don't miss out on Mikulski's newest work!Keri Mikulski

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a great read, but I still liked Playing with the Boys more. ;)

This book was a cute, dramatic, and a quick read. I found myself talking to myself while at what I would do in her situations (like I always do). She was too nice for her own good. I would've flipped out on someone, but she stayed calm and was still nice to everyone.

I love reading this series, because I'm athletic as well, and reading how tough girls are is just inspiring and I get this "yeah-that's-right-we-kick-ass" attitude. It makes me want to achieve greatness with soccer and everything. (Ironically I still haven't read the first book, but I kinda don't feel like. haha). xP

In some scenes I was like that probably wouldn't happen. Like for example, when some of her snobby teammates are mean to her. I don't know a team where a teammate is rude to another teammate. It might just be my team that contains nice players, but I don't know it was kinda iffie to me. This book made most times made me hate girls even more haha they are so dramatic and ah! why can't they relax like guys do and stop bitching. Like I am now but whatever haha

I know how Matt feels and am going through pretty much the same thing he is with my father... but beside that. Matt was pretty adorable and him liking peoms wasn't cheesy because I met a wrestler who liked to do peotry and he is amazing!

Zack was eh. He was okay. I didn't hate him or anything. But until the end he was being a total douche. Typical popular dude. I think Taylor and him can be basketball buddies, because they have similar interests, but how he acts is dumb and she has Matt. What I didn't get was that as you continuing reading it seemed that Zach was more popular that thee Chris Phillips.

Kylie was ridiculous. She was phycotic! But she was okay at the end. I can't wait to read about her in the next book. Well kinda. I feel like she's going to piss me off as I read about her. Most likely. ;D

[Kelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Head Games was the first novel in the Pretty Tough series that I have read and one of my first forays into sporty YA fiction. I really enjoyed reading about all the basketball plays and games and how focused Taylor was on the sport.

Taylor was a very relatable main character; dealing with a lot of ordinary teen problems. Not only was she uncomfortable in her own skin but she was adjusting to working on a fashion show with her best friend, Hannah. Taylor was incredibly tall and perfect for the modeling gig as well as playing basketball. I enjoyed reading about her high school experiences and ups and downs dealing with boys and the mean girls in her school. Keri Mikulski really got inside Taylor's head and made her a very realistic and believable teenager. Pop culture references, slang terms, everything was modern and actually what high school students would talk about today.

I'm not very athletic although I used to participate in cross country and track so it was interesting and eye opening to see how tough things can be for a basketball star. Taylor was under pressure from her team mates, coaches, and parents and was trying to balance basketball with the rest of her life. The basketball references in Head Games were not overly complex that it would be boring to someone not interested in the sport, but it also was interesting to learn some of the terminology.

There was drama among Taylor and Kylie, another girl on her team, which starts to disrupt the team's dynamic. There is also some romance in this novel that may not turn out well once Taylor discovers some boys are making a list seeing who can date the most girls.

Overall, Head Games was a fun and original debut novel by Keri Mikulski filled with fun twists and a great main character. I definitely recommend it!

Overall: 4 out of 5 stars

[Shannon Rogers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of those cute, sweet, romantic books that I love to read. I've been on a kick lately where I've been reading a lot of really serious and dark books. As good as they are, I often like to brighten things up by reading just this type of book.

Taylor was such a sweet girl. Extremely tall, making her good at basketball, and just generally a great gal. She's one of those girls that doesn't know how pretty she is or how people would look up to her. She doesn't see her own worth, but it's not the kind of thing where she's pathetically mopey or whiny about it. She doesn't feel sorry for herself. She just doesn't think she's anything special and seems fine with it. But this is what makes her such an endearing character.

I kind of liked when he was introduced, but it didn't take me long to realize that things aren't exactly how they might appear there. Something wasn't being disclosed. He had to be hiding something. Matt was such a cutey, and you can understand at first why Taylor doesn't give him much notice, other than friendship, considering the height difference. I can see how a really tall girl/woman might have insecurities, or aversions even, to dating a guy that's shorter than they are.

The author did a great job juggling the romance. Which guy will she pick? Which one is the right one? But she also had some really nice friendship growth in here as well. Her girlfriends made some startling realizations about themselves and each other. This just made the story that much more engaging and believable.

A truly heart-warming and comfortable read that entertained me and kept me really happy when it was over.

[Erica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed this book! I started reading, and I ended up reading Head Games in one sitting. The story was so fun and the characters were so easy to connect with. I felt like this book could take place anywhere, I could definitely see it happening in my high school on any given day.

Head Games was written really well. After about the first five pages where I had a bit of uncertainty, I was hooked. I fell in love with the story and loved it. While the story was somewhat predictable, it was so fun to see how it all unfolded.

Taylor was a character that I think everyone can relate to in some way or another. Because of her height, she's cast off a bit. Everyone has something about that that causes others to poke fun at them for. In addition to that, she's thrown into so many situations, and I definitely found myself thinking I was a lot like Taylor. She, like me, has a bit of an issue saying no to people - and I could relate so well to all the situations she's in. Taylor's best friend, Hannah AKA Banana, was a ton of fun! She was quirky and I absolutely loved her. Matt was such a sweetheart.


I do wish the cover had a face on the girl, as I feel it looks very awkward cut off at her nose like that. I really like the cover otherwise, but I am constantly thinking what is her face like? I would highly recommend this book to everyone. It's a fast read that is a ton of fun and absolutely adorable. It was a book I really got involved in and would be laughing hysterically at different events or yelling at other characters.

[Kait · Rating 5 out of 5]

Head Games has brought life back to the Pretty Tough series. Keri Mikulski has taken over writing the series and she has done a fabulous job with this one.

Taylor Thomas is known as many things: giraffe, horse, daddy long legs, but never hot. Being 6-feet-tall isn't exactly a good thing for a girl. Luckily Taylor is extremely talented at basketball and it may even help her land the perfect guy for her, Zachary Murphy. Too bad Taylor's interactions with Zach are bringing drama to the team. And if Zach is so perfect why can't Taylor stop thinking about her english partner, Matt Moore?

Head Games was a great book. It had a great story, fun characters, and wonderful writing. Taylor was a typical teenager with insecurities and worries but she also had amazing talent with basketball and that helped her focus. She cracked me up with her antics. She and Hannah, her best friend, were complete opposites but perfect together. The basketball team was good too but there isn't a ton of background on them. The two boys were great too but I definitely loved Matt the most.

The story in Head Games was super fast paced. I had no trouble getting into it and I flew through it. The short chapters also helped speed it along.

Overall, Head Games is a great addition to the Pretty Tough series and Keri Mikulski has a great young adult debut with it. =]

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Taylor Thomas is calm, collected, and ferocious on the basketball court. A total all-star. Pry the ball from her fingers, though, and watch her go from the future All-American to wary wallflower. She may be tall, gorgeous, and an incredible catch, but just try telling her that!
Now, with the summer showcase game AND playoffs rapidly approaching, Taylor's basketball career is TOTALLY on the line.
But Taylor doesn't know which way to turn first. Her BFF Hannah roped her into a fashion show(eek!). And she can't decide between Zach- the super-popular, super-tall, super- off limits basketball superstar- and Matt- the sweet boy from her English class (who may just be dating her BFF's older sister-drama!)
Can Taylor stop her head from spinning long enough to strike a pose, land the boy of her dreams, and win the game?

[Ila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Taylor Thomas is one of the top players on her high schools, Beachwood Academy's, girls basketball team. Taylor's main goal is to land a spot on a travel basketball team, but soon becomes distracted by Zach Murphy, her long term-off limits crush and Matt, the super-nice guy in her english class. Also, modeling her best friends clothes in an upcoming fashion show becomes a distraction as well. Each distraction has the potential to hinder her chances of landing a spot on the travel team, but Taylor doesn't seem to understand that. Can Taylor chose chose the boy of her dreams, strike a pose on the runway, and land a spot on the travel team?

Overall, I liked the book, but the plot was very predictable. I knew Zach and Taylor would eventually talk, and cause drama due to the fact that one of Taylor's teammates was once coupled up with Zach. (Spoiler Alert)

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

The fact that the main character's name was "Taylor Thomas," bugged me because I kept thinking of Jonathan Taylor Thomas, the actor.

The only character who reappeared from the previous Pretty Tough books was Martie, the coach. However, Martie played a much smaller role than in the previous books.

I felt this book lacked originality and reminded me a lot of the book "Dairy Queen," since this Pretty Tough novel focused on basketball, just like in the Dairy Queen books. Other factors that were similar included the main character being very tall for a girl, her playing center for her basketball team, and having college scouts watching her play. Many of the supporting characters felt very materialistic to me, and were extremely dramatic.

[Anna Schroeder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Head Games is the third installment in the Pretty Tough series. This series is a great young adult series because they are sporty books. But even more than that - they are sporty books with girls as the main characters, which is basically non-existant in young adult literature.

Head Games was another great installment into this series. The only thing that really bugged me about this one was that I felt I never really got to truly know the characters. I wish I had connected better with them.

Other than that, great writing, great style, and it's a nice fast-paced novel.

I hope there are more Pretty Tough installments that I'll be able to read!

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very cute, likable and enjoyable read. Taylor Thomas loves basketball and is great at it. It helps that she is 6 feet tall. Taylor's personality was very cute and sweet. She is the kind of girl that you can admire with how she is kind to everyone. Taylor has had a crush on Zach for a long time. Especially since he is the only student taller than her. When Zach starts showing in Taylor things begin to become topsy turvey in Taylors life.

The book probably deserved more than 3 stars but I just got annoyed with her not defending herself against Kylie especially when in the inquisition with the coach.

[Trinity Daniels · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tags: fiction realistic fiction
Genre: teen romance
Book summary: The book is about a young lady named taylor thomas that really likes the star basketball player who also happens to be one of the other players boyfriend. She ends up finding her true love, who is right under her nose, that makes her heart melt. She realizes the natural "Girl Code" which is "Sisters before Misters".
Book Plot summary: the plot is basically about how taylor gets asked out by zach and zach treats her right but comes between her friends. Then the team captin has this rule or a 3B pact that is suppose to keep the other boys on the basketball team away from them. At the end the pact kind of succesful

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had my friend, Diane, who has been a coach, read this book for me because I'm not really into sports, but I wanted to know what I was putting on my classroom shelf. The story has lots of teen girl-drama, sports action, and clean romance. Score! She read this one in a couple of days and has already read a second in the series. Today I gave her another two, so it looks like this series is a winner. For anyone interested, the cover has changed along with the author of all the books in the series. The new listed author of the series is Nicole Leigh Shepherd.

[HannahL3 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book and I give it 5 stars out of 5 stars because it had me going everywhere with it. With as much drama as there was in this book, I couldn’t put it down. It was amazing, and Taylor made me feel like I was in the book, and like I was going through her problems. I felt as if Taylor deserved sympathy. I felt as if she was the person I could relate to the most. I loved this book.

[Nora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Predictable. I knew what was going to happen from the very beginning. However, I loved Taylor, the main character. She had a lot of depth and was not the same girl I've read about in every YA novel. If only the plot was less standard! Still a good read, especially for any basketball players or tall girls.

[Jacey Schiager · Rating 3 out of 5]

I also love this Pretty Tough series book! It contained one of my favorite sports. The book contained some unsuspected parts. I love how the book ended. I also loved how the main character tried to balance basketball practice, her family, friends, tutoring, a boyfriend, and homework all in a few hours. Also, how she never said no. But the finally she admitted she couldn't do it all.

[Nana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like Stealing Bases better. Taylor is not a main character that I like although she is a sweet girl. She's a people-pleaser and I just can't stand her inability to speak her feeling out.
And I don't know what happened to the publisher. I found so many gramatical and typo errors.
However, this book is pretty entertaining.