REVIEW: Right of First Refusal by Dahlia Adler

BUY IT: Amazon

OUR REVIEW:

Y'all. I inhaled this book: here I am at the end of the quarter and tons of grading and finishing up of things and planning for the final quarter and I COULD NOT STOP READING THIS BOOK. I willingly sacrificed sleep and graded late at night so that I could find out how Cait and Mase were going to resolve all of their problems. 

It's been months since I've read a novel that had a female athlete as a protagonist and I loved Cait's focus, dedication and determination when it came to lacrosse; these same qualities were echoed in her insistence on blocking Mase out of her mind (which was less...not at all..successful) and her desire to do the right thing for herself and her family when it came down to making some tough decisions. Cait was by no stretch of the imagination perfect but even her flaws were easy to forgive. 

Mase was also an interesting character. He seemed, for a long time, to be a man of few words and I was desperate to know his side of their story--why did he disappear out of her life? Why was he being so dickish at the beginning? WHAT WAS HE THINKING? I needed those answers like I need air. Thankfully, I got answers. And by the end, I was swooning just as hard as Cait was; I loved them together even when they were fussing and struggling against each other, they just seemed right. And, on a personal and unrelated note, as someone who dated men of various racial backgrounds, I always appreciate that Adler continues to have characters who befriend and love each other regardless of what the color of their skin is. It's nice to see characters experience things in their friendships and dating lives who accurately reflect things I've experienced too. 

In addition to my total absorption in all things Cait and Mase, I adored seeing more of Frankie (and cannot wait to see what she's up to) and Lizzie. Cait and Frankie and Lizzie have the best friendship arc--love to see them make fun of each other and support each other and fuss with each other. I love that each of these women are so different in their interests and preferences. 

Right of First Refusal has a nice blend of smart writing, witty dialogue, and great pacing. Combine that with the perfect amount of angst and sexiness and characters who are really well developed and not just straight white folks, who are genuinely cool people I'd like for my own friends, and now you know why her books always hit the right spots for me. Want to know more? Read below:

On the lacrosse field, Cait Johannssen gets what she wants. Off the field is another story. Because what she wants is the school's hot new basketball student-coach, Lawrence Mason, who also happens to be the guy who broke her heart in sports camp two years earlier.

But it's Cait's new roommate who's got him.

Cait and Mase agree it's best to keep their past a secret, but she doesn't expect him to completely ignore their history...or how much it'll hurt when he does. So when a friend on the basketball team asks her to pose as his girlfriend for a night, Cait can't turn down the opportunity for distraction. (Okay, and a little spite.) But what starts as an evening of fun turns into a fake relationship with more lies than the usually drama-free Cait can handle, and it's only keeping her from the one truth that's nagged at her for years: Why did Mase cut her out of his life to begin with?

And is it really too late to get him back?

Find Dahlia on her website.