Off Target

by Molly Taggart

Sophie Mitchell may be the top marksman on her high school rifle team, but she has bad aim when it comes to boys. Her best friend Cory tells her that she doesn’t have to date, but how else is she supposed to fit in? Even her own mother thinks she’s eccentric. What eighteen-year-old girl isn’t interested in romance? So Sophie devises a plan that will enable her to date even while she remains bullet-proofed from love. As Cory observes her amorous adventures from downrange, he worries that, these days, Cupid might be making armor-piercing bullets.

Off Target is a humorous coming-of-age story and a tender romance that can appeal to any adult, young or old, who has ever learned through love.

Genres: Romance, Coming Of Age

330 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2013

Reviews

[Jo Michaels · Rating 3 out of 5]

Off Target was pitched to me during my 12 Days of Christmas event, where I ask Indie authors to pitch their books for purchase and review. I grab a sample of the ones with great pitches and give them a read. This title was intriguing because of the eccentricities of the main character, Sophie. Let's get going, and I'll tell you about it.

From a Reader's Perspective:
Sophie cracked me up, made me cry, and had me cheering throughout. She's a tough cookie with a penchant for everything guns. I know girls like that, so I could totally see it. I'd be friends with someone like her. That being said, I would've liked to see her with more flaws. She seemed way too perfect. Sure, she had her moments, but her hair, eyes, grades, shooting, and ideals about boys felt just a hair contrived. Either way, I liked her crazy moments, so I'm choosing not to give too much weight to the perfection. Cory was interesting, but I liked his twin brother, O, better. Surprisingly, he was more fleshed out. Pacing of the book was excellent. I didn't find there was a time where it dragged on. In fiction, I prefer none of the comparisons to older times, or things other people said in the past, to be put in parentheses. This novel had a lot of that going on. Feels like an infodump when it comes up, and without all the little quips, it would be an even better story. Plot was awesome, and surprised the heck out of me a couple of times.

From an Editor's Perspective:
There were some inconsistencies in age when things began to happen in the story, misspellings (riffle instead of rifle, a sleep instead of asleep), and one huge snafu where the parents are yelling and tell the MC she's about to be seventeen (she's about to be eighteen). Sadly, this many errors take away the ability to give anything for editing.

Rating:
1 Star for giving me a main character and a supporting cast I'd actually like to meet
1 Star for pacing and plot
1 Star for the happily ever after and tying up all the loose ends
- .25 Star for perfection of the MC
- .75 Star for parenthetical sections that came up way too often
- 1 Star for editing
Overall, 3 out of 5 stars. Recommended for those who enjoy coming-of-age tales with a tough cookie for an MC.

[Tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was hesitant to read this at first because it looked young adult, which is not usually my thing, but it's not really. It's about a girl who is 17-18 most of the story, but I think it would appeal more to adults than youth, especially adults who remember coming of age fondly. Billed as contemporary but actually takes place a few years in the future - not sci-if, but there's been a few minor social, political, technological changes. Not as deep a story as the author's Roots that Clutch. I liked the hero in this one well enough (sensitive, sexy half-African / half-white math nerd and soccer player? Now that's not typical LOL.) But he wasn't well developed like the hero in Taggart's other book. This is told in third person limited all from the heroine's point of view. We really only get her perspective. She's growing up in the novel, maturing, learning what love really is. Not your typical heat and passion love at first sight thing but more about gradual and real love. I enjoyed the heroine's relationship with her father too. I actually crushed on the dad more than the hero but that's an age thing I'm sure. It was lighter and funnier than her other book, though there are some bittersweet scenes too. A quick weekend or beach read. I laughed out loud a couple of times, but also teared up once.

[Gina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book from a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.

This story definitely pulled on my heartstrings. The characters were amazingly real. I was sucked right in from the first page. I did not put the book down until finishing the last. Definitely a great read. It is definitely a book for a more mature teen or young adult.

The only negative aspect of the book was the large number of grammatical/spelling errors. There were a couple of You're instead of Your. For a while it seemed like there was one on every page. I decided to give the book 5 stars anyways because the story itself was terrific. I know it takes a team to get a book in print. Just make sure to find a better proofreader in your next novel.

[a cup of coffee and a fairytale · Rating 4 out of 5]

i received this book in exchange of an honest review.

what do i say??!! i loved it!! i loved all the characters in the book. that may be typical but they are so well described that you are sure to fall in love with them!! all of them!! the lead character Sophie does not understand love. and with no help from her sister she is shying away from it even more. so much so that she purposefully makes her dates go through a grinding from her dad who is a gun keeper and flaunts it every now and then. and especially when Sophie has a date. i was so much in love with her dad!! i liked the hero too. the author also has a good command over the language. she is one author i can say who writes well!! will be sure to check out more books by her.