These Battered Hands
"I'd never have her the way I wanted, and this was her way of delivering the blow"Stubborn, determined, goal-oriented. These words could describe Callie or Nik. Callie is at the end of her athletic career. This Olympics is her way to cement her skill as top of a very competitive sport of gymnastics. Nik has decided his life needs to take a new path; here enters the opportunity for him to coach Callie.
"His words bounced like ping pong balls in my head, catching slightly in the net and making me doubt my own serve. I didn't want to get lost in his f*&king speeches and look forward to his smiles. I didn't want to have to worry about him in the rain or the wind or any other godforsaken showing of mother nature."
If you have ever spent time in competitive sports, you could find a connection in Callie or Nik. Whether driven by demons or wanting joy of the sport, the reader can find themselves immersed in the dialogue and head space Ms Curtis offers. The tale is told in an interesting alternating POV that has the reader knowing the next word but can change on intention based on the character. This is a driven, well paced story that will have you turning the page to find out if Callie and Nik get their 'everything'. Although I enjoyed the story as a whole, I wish there could have been more time spent on the motivations of all the characters. The ending felt a little rushed. But overall, this was a solid 4.5 out of 5 star read.
