He's A 10

by Jessica Yale

Available to pre-order now - the swoony and red hot new football romance for fans of Sarah Adams and Amy Lea!

***

Genie Edwards, head of player care at Covenly FC, loves her job. Even if she does have to work with the club doctor who happens to be her ex-husband . . .

When Covenly qualify for the Champions League, they're determined to stay there and smash their record transfer fee to bring in renowned 'Number 10' Tony Garrett, who urgently needs a career boost after recently being snapped falling out of nightclubs during a very public break up. When Tony is late to his first ever press conference, it looks like some things never change . . .

But soon Genie begins to suspect there may be more to this rough diamond than meets the eye - will she put her career on the line and take a second chance at love?

Or was everyone right about Tony all along?

Genres: Romance, Sports Romance, Contemporary

384 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 30, 2024

Reviews

[Sheree | Keeping Up With The Penguins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not being too familiar with English football leagues and the behind-the-scenes admin of a club, it took me a minute to warm up to He’s A 10. Once I fell into the groove, though, it was a delight to read. In addition to the intensely-felt romance, there’s a fun mystery running throughout that really had me hooked.

My full review of He's A 10 can be found on Keeping Up With The Penguins.

[Gem ~ZeroShelfControl~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher in return for an honest review. This review is based entirely on my own thoughts and feelings.

Overall rating : 3*
Writing skill : 3*
Plot: 2*
Pace: 3*
Characters: 4*
Originality: 3*

So on paper a romance book on a champions league playing English footballer is right up my alley. There's lots of sports romances around at the moment, but majority are American sports - ice hockey, NFL etc, so this was a nice change.
The characters were the standout factor in this book, original, descriptive and well scripted. There was just something lacking in the plot for me, not a lot happened except a post football game conversation that never went well between the 2 MCs or a dog walk or twenty.
The twist at the end was nice, if not a bit predictable.
A good read for fans of sports romances without any spice.

[Lauren Swales · Rating 4 out of 5]

A slow burn sports-romance that was torturous to endure but in the very best way. The banter, the emotionally vulnerability and healing between the couple, I absolutely loved it. A little predictable but I didn’t mind because I was just searching for the “happy ever after” and it was so sweet, and absolutely worth the wait.

[katrīna · Rating 2 out of 5]

būšu atklāta — šai grāmatai bija milzīgs potenciāls, taču, manuprāt, tas netika izmantots. dialogi šķita neīsti un pārspīlēti, neviena saruna nešķita dabiska vai dzīvi ticama. tas ļoti traucēja izbaudīt stāstu. arī sižets bija diezgan saraustīts un nesaprotams, īpaši jau romantikas līnija. brīžiem radās sajūta, ka autore raksta daudz, bet beigās nepasaka neko — grāmata šķita tukša.
lasīšanas pieredze bija kā amerikāņu kalniņi - brīžiem slikta, bet ik pa laikam parādījās arī patīkami mirkļi. kā futbola cienītājai man patika ieskats šīs sporta pasaules aizkulisēs — tas lika futbola vidi iemīlēt vēl vairāk. lai arī galveno varoņu romantiskās attiecības man likās mākslīgas un pārspīlētas, bija interesanti izlasīt kaut ko, kas tik ļoti atšķiras no realitātes un reizēm pat robežojas ar fantāzijas elementiem.

[Michael Harrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was a fun little read.

After going to Europe to watch a tonne of football games it felt like this book was the perfect read for my 17 hour flight back home.

So I devoured this in one sitting and it was pretty enjoyable. The setting and the depth of the characters would make this close to a 5/5 but it lacks moments in building the connection between the characters and results in some moments that don’t feel deserved because we haven’t seen more of their relationship.

But anyways, would definitely recommend as a fun read, especially if you like football and rom coms

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

Focusing on her career after her divorce, head of player care at Covenly FC, Genie Edwards knows her work is cut out for her when the team brings in star player, Tony Garrett. Tony is struggling with the bad publicity of his very public breakup, and in the aftermath, has only Covenly as his saving grace. Tony needs someone to champion him, and Genie knows that there's more to him than meets the eye, but is she willing to risk it all for him?

I was hooked on this book from the very beginning! Genie was such a fantastic FMC, and her story was fab. She had recently gotten divorced from her doctor ex, who just happened to be the Covenly medic, and she was coming to terms with the gossip surrounding that at work. Even so, she knew she was great at her job, so when the latest task was to oversee the integration of Tony into the team, and to repair his damaged reputation, she knew she could do it. I liked the intrigue surrounding the mistakes made at work - though I did guess the culprit quite easily. However, the best part of the book was the romance between her and Tony. They might not look like the usual couple on paper, but their chemistry was off the charts, and other than some miscommunication, they were made for each other. A great football romance!

[Becka · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked this book, especially as it's difficult to find a good football player romance. Last time I tried to read one that claimed to be for fans of Ted Lasso, only to find they had essentially ripped off the character of Roy Kent almost entirely.

My only real issue with this book was with Tony's accent. I get that it was meant to be a London accent but adding an s at the end of words like know just made me hear Nessa from Gavin and Stacey, or Goldie Lookin' Chain... I knows it.

Overall, I enjoyed the friendship that built between Tony and Genie and, although it was pretty obvious who was causing the "mishaps" at work, the book was well-paced fun to read.

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

I so wanted to love this book!

Personally, I have not read a soccer romance, so I was so excited to see and read something a bit different, but this fell short for me.

I initially enjoyed the love/hate push and pull of Garrett and Genie, but then it became soooo repetitive, and there seemed to be no plot other than them arguing because he either couldn't express himself in a healthy way, or she was jealous but wouldn't talk about it like a 33 year old adult woman should be able to.

The cyberhacker/spyware culprit was obvious from the start, unfortunately, but it felt like it was just thrown into the story as a "plot," which was so disappointing it had so much potential!

Also, the ending of them getting engaged??? Sorry but I cannot see how them getting it on once (the most anticlimactic spicy scene...after her aluding to wanting more in the bedroom but then when we FINALLY get to the scene it lasts all of one paragraph and she doesn't even finish...) they decide they are ready to be married? What happened to their inability to discuss conflict in a healthy way? Did the sex magucall heal their issues?

I really really wanted to love this but it just wasn't for me, definitely felt more YA which just isn't my thing.

[Monique · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unfortunately this is a DNF for me, which is a rare occurrence. I usually can find something to make me want to experience the growth of the characters and hope for a great HEA. In this case, I simply couldn’t connect with the main characters to even care. I got to 40% and was finding myself bored and rolling my eyes at the dialogue. Tony could have been a great character if he wasn’t made out to be uneducated and whiny. As for Genie, she contradicted herself on not wanting men to tell her what to do but does the same thing to Tony. At this stage of the book, there was no fun banter nor any special spark. To suggest this book is in the same category as the other authors mentioned is a far stretch.
I will say, I appreciate this is a debut novel and give kudos to this author for her dedication.

[Reading in Brussels · Rating 2 out of 5]

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When I began reading this book, I had just started watching the Beckham limited series on Netflix, so that made me look forward to reading this book more.
It started out well enough, I loved how the characters were introduced to the story, and how the relationships were established.
However, it went from that to boring very quickly. It was quite repetitive, and I didn't find it very readable, in the sense that I had to put in more effort than usual to understand what the characters were talking about.
I gave it until 30% before I gave up.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

[Sheree · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not a huge sports romance reader but I do know about soccer, so this one wasn't a stretch.
I really enjoyed the story and I loved how I could totally "hear" Tony's accent with the way his dialogue was written. Very cool.
This book would be great for anyone who likes contemporary or sports romance, definitely ticks a lot of boxes.

[Thebluereadingchair · Rating 3 out of 5]

Got an early review copy of this from Penguin.

It was a cute read. I liked Genie and Tony. I just felt that the pacing was really slow, the will they won't they went on way to long and the sex scene was pretty much closed door. Which I felt was odd after making it such a big deal. 🤔

Cute soccer romance. Roudie the pup was the star of the show.

[Alwaysreading · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for this copy in return for my honest review.

This was a fun football player romance. It was fast paced and easy to read. I would recommend if you’re looking for a football romance.

[Lauren Wright · Rating 2 out of 5]

So many things about this book irked me.

Tony’s voice. The way she wrote his speech didn’t make sense to me because it didn’t come across as an accent or dialect. It felt more like she was making him sound stupid which I didn’t understand and I don’t feel was necessary in any way.

Him constantly calling the dog pup. Gives me the ick sorry.

Her constant low self esteem and whining about how beautiful his ex was got really old really quickly. I cannot stand a whiny FMC.

I feel like they kept getting close to something then one would pull back. Then immediate resolve until the next time one of them pulls back. Dragged on too much for my liking.

Then the other storyline of somebody messing with her and sabotaging her which turns out was her ex husband but I feel like his motive wasn’t explained/didn’t make sense nor did it really add anything to the story.

I read this on the flight home from holiday so I managed to finish it quickly but I don’t think it’s a great book and it missed the mark in a range of areas.

[R · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like the book at the beginning towards the end It was kind of dragging on. I understand that she’s insecure, but bringing her pets constantly comparing herself to his ex constantly was a drag. I had maybe 50 pages left and I couldn’t finish it I had really high hopes for this book because my boyfriend is also a football player and I kind of wanted it to be good because there are many football books out there. I was really disappointed with this. it just dragged and dragged on. I also hated the way the author made him sound. The dialogue used for him. Kind of made him seem stupid. I live in London I’m not from here tho but I’ve lived here long enough. My boyfriend was born in London and he definitely doesn’t talk like that. I don’t know if she was trying to do a dialogue thing accent thing, but it really just made him seem so stupid and I hated it while I was reading the book even at the beginning when I liked it, I had to skip over all of that and pretend he was talking normally.

[Rachel Gilbey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book, and it's definitely one for Football fans... well actually most of it is behind the scenes stuff, so you don't need to know the offside rule to be able to enjoy this.

In fact at times it felt reminiscent of Dream Team (still wish Sky would schedules repeats!) - with us getting to know one part of the cog that goes into running a football club.

Plus new signing Tony, who the more I saw of him the more I really loved him. He is a bit old school regarding banter which is something I quite enjoy.

And player care manager Genie catches his eye almost instantly.

Genie is lovely, and I love any and all insights into club setups.

I was loving every word of this and could picture everything so clearly.

Just incredibly enjoyable.

Thank you to Penguin and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

[Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was an ok story and kind of forgettable. The main characters were realistic which I always prefer, so I have to give it points for that. I could actually understand the reasons that the characters struggled with themselves and with their relationship. I did struggle to feel the chemistry between the characters however. There were some nice moments in this and there were definitely moments that I enjoyed reading. I think it just overall left me a bit lukewarm. I do normally really like the whole sports person relationship trope. I have read many like that, some that have been really good and others that have been mediocre. This one falls somewhere in between. I’ll still give other books by the author a go.

[Francy Saa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was depressingly cute!!! It was a difficult read from the beginning because of the slang and futbol theme, but Tony and Genie really coloured outside the lines to make their relationship work. They were immature and hurt, but also careful, caring and individually confident about a future together that, between all the things happening around them, they never lost sight of.
Slow-burn is an understatement about this story. And I cried a couple of times because it felt too personal and honest, really. Nothing like a dose of reality in a romance book. So refreshingly different and quite more relatable.
So i really liked this book. I recommend you to be patient because it absolutely worth the time.

[Alana Saunders · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nope. If these two could communicate, I’d be on board for the whole book but they spent the whole time acting dumb. The author has to be young cause these characters aren’t in their 30s. I just don’t understand how the communication can be that bad. It’s really not hard to explain where you’re coming from. The conflict is so unnecessary. Then the ending just made me vom because you can’t go from struggling to communicate to having one short moment of resolution to omg lets spend the rest of our lives together and get married. No.

I will say I do respect the plot and the author has done some excellent writing. This is just in my values and I am strong in my belief that these two need time and therapy before they even attempt a relationship let alone a marriage.

[Jessica G · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’d never heard of this book before I picked it up, but it was so worth the spontaneous decision. I wasn’t sure if I’d like it because the title sounds a bit corny, but it was such a nice, relaxing read. Tony is one of the sweetest love interests I’ve come across - a real teddy bear. I get so sick and tired of characters who try and act macho all the time! Tony was actually in control of his emotions, and would do anything to make sure Genie was feeling comfortable/happy. Plus, this wasn’t at the expense of his friendships and work relationships, so that was a bonus!
I love that the whole plot wasn’t just romance, but also about who is sabotaging Genie, so it added a fun mystery subplot to keep good pacing.
I would 100% buy more from Jessica Yale!

[Sansia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not gonna lie guys, I nearly DNFd this one too. The thing is it’s not bad it’s actually a very cute and fluffy story where miscommunication or lack of communication makes you wanna put your head through a wall but it was still very sweet with only a hint of smut. But what I couldn’t get over was how Tony’s cockney (?) accent was written into the dialog, I was well written in they way that I read everything he said in that accent but it was jarring everytime. So if that’s not an issue for you, it’s a great book.

[Aussie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My notes :
- i am not a fan or familiar with English football leagues but it did take me fee chapters to actually start to love it
- i felt the intensely of the romance and there was a mystery that just had mr hooked .

Book summary
When Covenly finally qualify for the Champions league, they're determined to stay there and bring in renowned 'Number 10' Tony Garratt, who urgently needs a career boost after recently being snapped falling out of nightclubs during a publicr break- up. When Tony is late to his first press conference, it look like some things never change..

[Zach Rogers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I realy liked how the character of tony was written. And the story was cool too. Not your standard sports romance book but was good. The whole will they won’t they, and their complicated pasts.
There were many time hahah I wanted to just shake genie and tony for being so silly.
But I could realy picture what was happening. I could picture both their houses and when they were together.

It was a shame there was no epilogue so I hope that means there is more to the story to come.

[Szandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was actually so excited to read this because whilst there's a lot of american sports books on the market, rarely any football (soccer) and it's my favourite sport after all, also the most popular in the world so I jumped on the opportunity immediately. Whilst the book became a bit repetitive at some points, I still liked the characters and the overall plot. It definitely makes me want to read even more football romance.

[Annika Winkler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tbh, I was hoping for that full-on-2016-wattpad-feeling I had back then, reading soccer-fanfictions until the early morning hours, as if I would not have to get up for school like 3 hours later ... well, it sadly didn't do that to me.

But "He's a 10" definitely had its moments! What a joyful little in-between-read (even though I had big expectations)!

[Summer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! I picked it up because of the premise - as a huge football fan I liked the idea of reading a book from the perspective of someone behind the scenes at a (fictional) PL/UCL club. The characters were interesting and although there was romance building throughout the book, there was no huge tense argument or breakup which meant I enjoyed the whole book. :)

[Cozy with Moosh · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a massive DNF for me; I got to the 10th page and honestly couldn't continue.

The writing style was not for me, the way she wrote Tony's accent irked me like no tomorrow and in all honesty i already don't like the main characters.

This book needs a lot of work and genuinely felt rushed or unedited, the writing really was extremely annoying.

[Clarissa · Rating 1 out of 5]

no bc i really wanted to like this book. the storyline was so promising and could’ve been so cute but it literally gave NOTHING. tony carried this book. also there is NO reason for the FMC to be so UNLIKABLE.
i don’t tend to leave ratings this harsh but the writing was not good. sorry girlie.

[Yol · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it a super fast and easy read!

I wish we got to see more about the intricacies of the the world, and more into the issues the FL AND ML have with their families and pasts!

[Mon Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

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