Go For The Hail Mary

by Ines Michelle

397 pages, Paperback

Published August 31, 2026

Reviews

[Kirsty]

I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH 😭❤️ Solana and Ford completely stole my heart and baby Rose had me wrapped around her tiny little finger!

Solana was such a complicated character and I really felt for her. After everything she went through with her mum leaving when she was young, it made so much sense why she had built these massive walls around herself and why trusting someone, especially Ford, was so damn hard for her. She had her abandonment issues and those definitely made things frustrating at times, but I loved watching her slowly start to work through everything and realise that she didn’t have to do everything alone.

And FORD 😍😍 this man was so freaking gone for her!! The patience this man had while Solana kept pushing him away because she was terrified of being left was honestly something else. He knew what he wanted and he wasn’t afraid to fight for her, even when she made it ridiculously difficult for him. Once he finally got his hands on her, he was ALL IN and I was absolutely here for it.

I loved seeing Ford with Solana and especially with Rose. 🥹❤️ Their little family moments just melted me. Baby Rose was such a precious part of this story and I loved how naturally Ford fit into their little world.

There was SO MUCH ANGST and miscommunication and moments where I was yelling at Solana to JUST TALK TO THE MAN 😂 but when everything finally came together and they got their hard-earned HEA, it was SO worth it.

I loved their chemistry, the slow burn, the emotional journey, the football backdrop and especially watching these two finally realise they could choose each other and build something that wasn’t going to disappear the second life got complicated.

Ford was patient, protective, completely smitten and just EVERYTHING. Solana was strong, loving, stubborn and a little frustrating but I loved her anyway. And Rose 😭❤️ MY HEART.

This was such a beautiful story about learning to trust, letting people in and finding your family in the places you least expect it.

[Claire Trill]

Go for the Hail Mary was my first book by Ines Michelle, and I feel so privileged to have been given the opportunity to read it before its release.

The story follows Solana and Ford as they reconnect when Ford is traded to the NFL team Solana works for. From the very beginning, Ford makes it clear that he is interested in Solana, but he doesn’t just tell her—he takes the time to show her who he really is.

Solana is a strong, independent woman who has built walls around herself through the experiences she’s faced in life. She has created a safe and loving haven for herself and her daughter, Rosie, and I loved watching Ford slowly become someone she could trust and let into that world.

The chemistry between Solana and Ford is off the charts. Their slow-burn romance, undeniable connection and the way their relationship develops made it so easy to become invested in them. I loved getting to know them both as individuals and then watching them grow together as a couple.

But what truly made this story special was that it wasn’t just about Solana and Ford. The entire cast of characters brought something to the story, creating a wonderful sense of community and making the world feel so warm and welcoming.

At its heart, Go for the Hail Mary is a beautiful story about trust, love, family, community and allowing yourself to be loved. It was such a wonderful read, and I’m definitely looking forward to reading more from Ines Michelle.

[Ashley O]

4.5⭐️ 📖 Go for the Hail Mary 📖 by Ines Michelle✨

♥️Sports romance
♥️Single mom
♥️He falls first
♥️Found Family
♥️Golden retriever MMC
♥️Slow Burn

Fav quotes:
“I think we’re all just trying to build lives that feel right to us instead of the ones everyone else expects us to have.”
“Then treat her like a damn Hail Mary pass. You don’t go for it unless you’re all in. End game. Go big or go home.”

This was my first book by Ines Michelle and I am honored I got to read it as an arc. This is such a great, cute, slow burn romance about trusting people enough to let them see all of you and finding family.

Solara has major trust issues and is super stubborn. I wanted to yell at her a few times to just talk to Ford.
Ford has the patience of a saint and is committed to continue showing up. Fords moments with Rosie were precious and made you melt for him.
This book was a very good, quick and enjoyable read. I do wish there was an epilogue into their future together but I am hoping book 3 with Hudson and Leila provides some more insight.

[Lindsey]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

• ARC REVIEW •

Go For The Hail Mary is the perfect book for football season! I was a fan of Ford from the beginning. His persistence and acts of service toward Solana were exactly what Solana needed. As a single mom, she was extremely guarded, as she should be, but when a man proves himself to you, shows up for you and you earn his trust, it’s game on from there, and that’s exactly what Ford did.

My only critique of the book was the Spanish. Not everyone is fluent in another language. As a reader, I would have liked a translation underneath so I could understand every conversation that was being had.

Besides that, I loved Ford, Solana and Rosie. Tying in the cowboy aspect was the perfect touch! Highly recommend for football season or just a cute found family, he falls first book!

🏈🤠🤎

[Alexia Patten]

I got the honour of reading this as an ARC:

A sports romance which has yearning from the MMC Ford, who is head over heels for Soloana (FMC) since the begining. Soloana is working for the team Ford gets transferred too (we love a workplace romance) she has a Little girl called Rosie who is adorable and won my heart right from the start. Soloana has her walls built up high due to her past the story follows how Ford tries to break down her walls and become part of their Little family.

The book has jealously, yearning, found family, sports and spice, which is basically all I ask for, I devoured it in one sitting, if your anything like me you won´t be able to put it down. There are SO MANY plot twists and things you don´t see coming which leaves you needing to keep Reading on to see if Ford and Soloana get the happy ever after they deserve or if they let the past stop the future!! One of my favouite sport romances of the year.

[Chloë Place]

If you loved Mia and Austin I would argue that you’d be 10x more obsessed with Ford and Solana. Everything about Ford is intoxicating. The quiet and calm he brings to the way he continues to show up for those he loves. Solana is your dream girls dream girl. A complete boss in everything she does. And being a mother?? Omg miss girl has got it! I loved every single aspect of this book and couldn’t get enough of the slow burn that is sol and ford. I could read so many spinoffs of them alone.

[Jubilee]

Loved it!! Ford and Solana's story was so great! I love that Ford doesn't shy away from his feelings for Solana and continues to just show up even though she doesn't want to let him in. The way Ford just automatically started caring for Rosie as soon as he found out about her just tugs at your heartstrings

[The Book Ssirren]

I loved Sloane and Ford in this story so much. Sloane was not rest to get into a relationship with anyone. Her abandonment issues ran deep. But Ford wasn’t easily put off, even when she made it really hard for him. He showed nothing but support and patience. And when she started working through her issues, allowing Ford a chance, my heart skipped a beat. These two were so wonderful together. So supportive and understanding. Their love was so special. I adored their story.

[Michellelovesreading]

I enjoyed reading this book. Especially because it had my favorite sport in it. I loved the characters Solana and Ford

Stars:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice:🌶️🌶️🌶️

[Breanna]

Oh Ford Anderson, the man that you are 🥵 this golden retriever of a man was so persistent and never gave up on our girl Solana no matter how much she tried to push him away. I truly loved the way Solana slowly started opening up and truly letting him in because once she did everything was so good with them!!

[Dee Layton]

This is an accidentally amazing book. This is book two in the go for it series. This is the first time I've ever read this author and let me tell you I was absolutely amazed.
Well in this book we meet Ford and Solana. Ford is a first round NFL draft pick, Golden boy, just everybody wants to be around or want something from him. Well Solana is the first person he met that don't even want a dang thing to do with him and that throws forward for a loop. Solana is the senior digital director of content for the football team that Ford is now on. She has worked her butt off to get to where she is so she can provide for her and her daughter Rosie. She feels like that she isn't going to throw all that away for some charming football player that could ruin everything for her. This is just my opinion but kind of reading her character she feels like Ford's a little bit immature and maybe too cocky in a way to charming. Ford is always trying to get under Solana skin and she just isn't letting it happen.
Then as things go on I'm not going to give this fullers away just know that Ford always shows up he's always there when Solana and Rosie need him. He always make sure there happy.
I will say reading the epilogue made me smile so much it wasn't even funny. This book was absolutely amazing I did go back and read book one first and it was amazing as well. I can't wait for 2027 when book 3 comes out to this series because I'm invested.

[Sarai Mulvey]

Go for the Hail Mary was my first book by Ines Michelle, and I’m so glad I had the opportunity to read an ARC before release!

Solana and Ford reconnect when Ford is traded to the NFL team where Solana works. Ford has been interested in her from the beginning, but Solana has built some serious walls around herself after everything she’s been through. I loved that Ford didn’t just tell her how he felt. He patiently showed her that he could be someone she could trust, while also completely falling for her daughter, Rosie.

The chemistry between Solana and Ford was so good! Their slow-burn romance, Ford’s persistence, and the way their relationship gradually developed kept me invested. I’ll admit Solana frustrated me at times with how quickly she shut Ford out, but understanding her past made her hesitation feel believable, and I enjoyed watching her development over time.

I also really loved the found-family feel of this book. The friendships, teammates, and supporting characters created such a warm sense of community and made me want to spend more time in this world.

Overall, this was a sweet, heartfelt sports romance about trust, healing, family, and letting someone in. Ford was definitely a highlight for me, and I’m looking forward to reading more from Ines Michelle!

Thank you to Ines Michelle and Epica Book PR for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. ❤️

[Aniek]

This is my first book by Ines Michelle, and I’m glad I signed up for - and was given - an ARC.

Go For The Hail Mary is about Solana and Ford. They’ve met before prior to the book, and Solana works for the NFL team that Ford is traded to. I hadn’t read Book 1 in this series, but they meet there, which is referred to a few times.

Solana is the head of social media for the NFL team and so she and her team are in close contact with Ford. She’s had a difficult childhood, as her mother left her and her father very suddenly when she was very young. As a result she has abandonment issues, and only trusts herself. She has a baby from a ONS and doesn’t know how to contact the father. Her issues translate in particular to her (non-)relationship with Ford, as she doesn’t want to start anything with him for fear of him leaving her (and her baby) to be traded elsewhere. She takes this to extremes at times. Some of her initial interactions with Ford are downright rude, which other characters call her out for.

Solana is sweet with hard edges, and I had mixed feelings about her. She’s seen a therapist according to the book but appears to be a prime candidate for more help, given her abandonment issues. I found this frustrating at times - she slowly works through the issues on her own with some input from friends, but this could have been much easier if she’d sought the help she acknowledges she needs. She also hasn’t spoken to her father about her mother leaving them until more than halfway through the book, which I found odd given it was essentially ‘them against the world’ since this happened off-page. In the last quarter of the book everything seems to happen at once for Solana, and instead of including Ford, she (literally) freezes and doesn’t say anything. As by this point he’s shown time and again how invested he is, I found this hard to understand.

Ford is smitten with Solana. Since meeting her again post-trade, he gets shut down regularly (and sometimes rudely) by her. It’s a wonder he doesn’t give up, but the man is gone for Solana. He’s happy to be traded to San Diego because he can now play with Austin (subject of Book 1), and see Solana regularly. His uncertainty is his father’s business, which he’s been groomed to take over at some point. He’s worried he’ll have to move to Montana to run it.

Ford is so sweet. Once he gets his hands on Solana it’s obvious he won’t let go, but at times I wondered whether it was really worth it for him as it wasn’t clear to me what he was getting in return, especially in the first half of the book. He knows what he wants both career and personal life-wise, which is more than Solana has figured out.

In the end, though, all the angst is sorted out and Solana and Ford get their hard-earned HEA (finally!)

I like that this book shows that particularly Solana isn’t perfect. I might have wanted her to have sorted this differently, but Ines Michelle has clearly spent a lot of effort crafting Solana’s hang-ups and resulting character. Solana’s Mexican heritage is also described with care and attention.
Once Ford and Solana do get together the spice is good, but be prepared for a slow-burn!

I recommend this book to all who like a slow burn, sports romance, are interested in Latina rep, or who love a he-falls-first trope - this book has them all!

Thank you to Ines Michelle and Epica Book PR for the ARC.

[yue]

Recently, I've been in a streak where all the ARCs I read that are released on the same date or week happened to be a sports romance book with single parents in it. By that alone, I was expecting I'll get bored but then Ines Michelle had a different attack on the tropes.

Our main female character Solana isn't just busy or guarded for vague emotional reasons. She has a one-year-old daughter, a career she fought hard to build, and absolutely no patience for a charming NFL player who thinks a smile is enough to get him anywhere, which to be fair he seemed to really have a nice smile. That premise alone made me want to read this even more. I liked reading stories with strong female representation.

Ford Anderson is the stereotypical male main character. He was a good athlete, First-round overall draft pick, social media golden boy, and new tight end for the San Diego Tritons. He's used to people wanting things from him, and he's equally used to getting what he wants. The only problem, the one he wanted could care less about him. Solana wasn't interested, and watching him figure out that his usual approach does nothing for her is honestly one of the more entertaining parts of the book. I liked seeing mmcs get humbled by their other halfs.

The story wasn't just about the chase. It's also about Ford deciding to actually show up. It didn't happen in that grand and loud way but he showed up to their life quietly and very consistent that he also became part of their routine. Because of this I think, their relationship had a deeper foundation. Solana wasn't just written to be stubborn, she realistically portray how mothers of little children would react if they were in similar situation. She had to calculate every possible scenario of every decision she had to make because she has a little girl to take care off. Her little girl could be easily used as a props to help the plot of the story but I really appreciated her role in Solana and Ford's eventual relationship.

I also loved stories that deals with Found Family and that includes the family that these characters found in their team. Despite loving to read sports romance, I am not knowledgeable with the technicalities of the football. I really appreciated how it was incorporated in the story, I am learning as I read more books like this. The pacing is solid and matched my preferences well, the banter is actually funny too and the relationship as mentioned earlier didn't feel rushed because they had a foundation built.

If you're a fan of workplace romance, single parent stories, or sports romance that puts real emotional stakes on the table, this one is worth your time. It's warm and satisfying without being predictable, and Ford is the kind of fictional man who makes the genre worth reading.

A huge thank you to Ines Michelle and Epica Book PR for trusting me with an advance review copy of Go For The Hail Mary. As always, everything I've shared here is my honest opinion, nothing more.

[Emmy Wong]

I love a book where the “I can do it by myself” fmc meets an “I know but I want to help you” mmc because it makes for the sweetest and most heartwarming pair. She’s also a single mom with the cutest kid. Rosie is such a ray of sunshine (or a menace she can definitely be both) and I loved her in the book. The plot is gives romcom vibes with the golden retriever mmc who pines after the fmc. He tries so many times to ask her out on a date, and does his best to get past her massive walls. Ford is such a sweetheart, I loved him so much. He’s also so good with Rosie like my ovaries were exploding. He’s got a massive heart and protects those he loves. Football is also such a huge part of this plot which was very fun, and the workplace romance was cute. I did enjoy this book I just think it wasn’t the most unique book of this plot that I’ve read before. It was pretty predictable but I did love the story and the characters. I give this a 3.5/5

[Nenesbooks13]

I absolutely love this book! Solana and Ford were everything!!! My heart went out to Sollana, her mother left her when she was a baby and that left her super guarded and she doesn’t trust easy. Then there’s Ford he’s completely gone for Solana, but she keeps him at arm’s-length, but he’s patient because he knows Solana is it for him. Ford is definitely a walking green flag, Ford and Solana are so perfect for each other and once Solana stops fighting their magnetic chemistry them being together a chefs kiss. Solana did frustrate me at times, but I get why she had trust issues. I love watching Ford with baby Rosie, she definitely has Ford wrapped around her little finger and she doesn’t even know it yet. If you’re looking for sports romance, single mom and a Latina rep then this book is for you. I definitely can’t wait for Leila’s book!! Thank You Ines and Epica Book PR for this ARC!

[BecReadReview]

Go for the Hail Mary is a fight for love. Solana and Ford have sizzling chemistry, but the obstacles Solana throws at Ford will have you groaning. You absolutely adore Ford and his persistence as he tries to knock down her walls.

Him showing up for her and Rosie while wearing his heart on his sleeve definitely ticks all the boxes. Solana absolutely frustrates you to the point of exhaustion as she keeps those walls firmly up. You will find yourself yelling at her to just take a chance and open up.

The surprises that come one after another will have you shaking your head, but the moment they finally take that chance and leap towards their HEA makes all the frustrating moments worth waiting for.

A love that fights through every obstacle and goes the distance to stay.

[Amanda Schumacher]

This was soo good! I really loved reading this... I really couldnt put this down and am OBSESSED with Ford and Solana!!! This is worth the read and it's sooo addictive! I can't wait for the next book!


Ford and Solana met a few years prior to him becoming part of the football team. His best friend and Solana's cousin are engaged. He learns that she had a baby after a one night stand after they'd met at a local bar. He's been wanting a chance with her but she's got trauma when it comes to letting people in and fearing they'll leave on her. He falls for both Solana and her daughter Rosie. Can they overcome all obstacles in their way??

[Justice Wetter]

I really enjoyed Go for the Hail Mary. It was warm, sweet, and definitely a slow burn. Ford showing up for Solana (and Rosie) completely won me over, and the found‑family theme made root for them throughout the book.

I’m giving it 4 out of 5 stars, mostly because Solana’s miscommunication streak had me frustrated and wanting her to just lean on Ford more. But her growth, Ford’s steady patience, and the soft, healing arc still made this such a heartfelt read.

Thank you to Ines Michelle and Epica Book PR for the ARC.

[Alexandra]

I received an ARC of this novel and loved it! It was such an easy to read, fun novel that kept you hooked until the end. The characters were fun and deep at the same time. It was even better finding out that this is the second in the series, with a third on the way! Can’t wait to get pulled back into this universe again ✨

[Amanda Frye]

This was my first book from this author and it won’t be my last. The chemistry between Solana and Ford was electric. This was a slow burn that kept me turning the page. Ford knew what he wanted and Solana was what he wanted. He was patient and waited no matter how hard she tried to push him away.

[Arianna Azzolino]

Go for the Hail Mary was a cute, easy-to-read romance with a sweet storyline and plenty of adorable moments. I really enjoyed Ford and Solana’s dynamic, and I especially loved seeing Ford’s relationship with Rosie develop throughout the story. 🥹💕

While this one wasn’t quite my usual reading style, I still had a good time reading it. It was sweet, fun, and had those feel-good moments I was looking for. Definitely a cute sports romance for anyone who loves a little football with their romance! 🏈❤️