Sequels are tricky--no doubt about it. Telling a story that rings true to fans of the original can sometimes seem a daunting task. So this recent review for PLAY IT AGAIN (from a fan of PLAYING HURT) thrilled me to no end:
"When I heard there was a sequel to Playing Hurt in the works, I was
excited because that is one of my all-time favorite YA books. I am happy
to say that Holly absolutely nailed this sequel. Chelsea and Clint are
older and both have become victims of imagined hurts and broken dreams.
When Chelsea arrives at the resort and sees how it's fallen into
disrepair, her competitive fire rekindles and she jumps into reviving
it, dragging her musician brother, Brandon along. What she hoped would
be a chance to rebuild that magic she and Clint experienced four summers
ago becomes instead a modern 'war of the roses' as Team Clint and Team
Chelsea go toe to toe in an effort to salvage the place both really care
about.
New characters fit the story perfectly as do the constant
stream of misunderstandings and hurt feelings the two hold onto like
kids with their favorite toy at risk. All of this makes the ending that
much more satisfying. To say this was worth the wait would be a huge
understatement."
--John Clark, Retired librarian, author, freelance editor, book reviewer
PLAY IT AGAIN at
Amazon,
B&N, and
Kobo.
