Official Review: Playing Hurt by Gerald L Nardella

[Kourtney Bradley]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Playing Hurt" by Gerald L Nardella.]

---

4 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

The transition from childhood to adolescence to adulthood is challenging enough, and sometimes when you've grown up in a small town like the characters in Playing Hurt, the pressure is even higher. Playing Hurt is a realistic and in-depth novel written by Gerald L. Nardella and published in September 2015. The story follows two main characters, Brian and Deanie, teenagers growing up in the 1960's who are trying to pave the way from their senior year of high school into the real world.

As a young woman in the 1960's, Deanie is faced with trying to keep her relationship with Brian well-afloat, while also trying to remain respectful to herself and the expectations that are set for her by her family and peers. As one of the high school's most promising football players, Brian is surrounded by a group of friends who are constantly encouraging and pressuring him to advance sexually further with Deanie. Once the young couple's relationship moves further in that direction, Deanie seems to be pushed away more and more. When a former resident of the town comes back to visit, Deanie is pushed past a point of no return with some consequences that she will never be able to escape from.

While I felt like I had been tossed back into high school life while reading Playing Hurt, I can say that everything that the characters experienced felt genuine and realistic. The group of friends that Deanie is associated with, referred to as the "Belles," are popular and pretty, all cheerleaders, and all seemingly experiencing similar episodes of peer pressure. Brian's friends are also in a similar situation, but for different reasons. While the Belle's are pressured to stay caught up with the actions of each other, while not exceeding that of which is considered morally acceptable, the football team is focused more so on proving their masculinity to each other through ways of achievement with the ladies.

There were several instances where I felt bad for Deanie, as she seemed to be handed one tribulation after another. Her character's development throughout the story seemed to drastically change from an immature teenager to that of a young woman who was trying to make better decisions for her future. Brian's character seemed to be hardworking and trustworthy, despite the few difficulties that came along his way as well.

The in-depth plot that comes along with the normal expectations of teenage sexuality and activity was deepened with some criminal activity, cross-town rivalry with another football team, and the ever-changing challenges the adolescents are faced with while trying to keep themselves in line with expectations and their own futures.

I was pleased with the writing style used for Playing Hurt. Although the novel is a shorter read, I felt like I had been transported back to high school days due to the author's realistic approach with character encounters and dialogue. I was also satisfied with the editing process that was used for the novel, as I found no grammatical or spelling errors while reading. I'm pleased to give Playing Hurt a rating of 4 out of 4 stars and would gladly recommend to other readers who are looking for a quick read but without sacrificing the depth that comes along. A reader's discretion warning is necessary for this one though, as the story contains some triggering subject matter that may not be appropriate for readers of all ages. Despite the novel's shorter length, I would definitely remind readers to not let the reading timeframe fool you, as this is no quick and light read. The "happy ending" that we sometimes look for in these shorter reads is definitely not predictable with this one, leaving me even more of a reason to recommend to others.

******
Playing Hurt
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

Like klbradley's review? Post a comment saying so!

[kandscreeley]

This one sounds interesting. I love any novel that transports me back to my high school days; it's an interesting time in one's life. I'm unsure, though, because of the possibly triggering content. I'll think about it more, but I enjoyed your review.

[kdstrack]

I really enjoyed reading your review! You give a wonderful description of the characters and create enough mystery about the story line to leave me wondering what happened?? Great job! This looks good. Thanks.

[janinewesterweel]

Definitely interesting - short but powerful? Hmm...might just have to take a look. Thanks for the lovely review.

[Wyland]

This is a good read for young adults as Diane plays the typical young person. Thanks for the wonderful review.

[Kourtney Bradley]

Thank you all for checking it out! You definitely don't want to miss this one!

[Wyland]

It will be interesting to read on romance and the pressures young people faced while growing up in the 60s. Nice review.

[Kourtney Bradley]

Thank you for checking it out!!