Review and CONTEST: Home Run

Home Run, by Travis Thrasher.

The question is: the love or the dream.

Cory knows they're a world apart.

The dream of playing professional baseball isn't just an idea that's never going to happen. It's there. It's reality in his hands. It feels as real as holding a bat and belting a home run. It's as real as hearing and seeing the world applauding around you. Of cracking that bat and knowing. Just knowing.

But what about love?

Love can conquer all, right?

The movie Home Run will be in theaters on April 19th, and this book is the novelization of that. I was surprised by how much I ended up liking the book - although it's faith-based, the themes in it are universal.

Official synopsis:
The story is centered around the life of Major League baseball player Cory Brand. After years of self indulgent behavior and reckless living, a DUI and team suspension land Cory back in the Oklahoma town where he started. Forced to coach the local Little League team and spend eight weeks in Celebrate Recovery©, the only twelve-step program in town, Cory must face the memories that contributed to his life becoming so destructive as well as honestly confront the love he left behind.
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Ten years ago, when Cory was starting to make it big, his high school sweetheart Emma told him that she was pregnant. He eventually left their small town in Oklahoma, leaving her with the baby; but now that he's back in town, Emma learns that there were other forces at work during that time, such as Cory's verbally abusive father.

Now Cory is back in town and no one knows what to expect from him; however, they soon learn that "Cory Brand, Baseball Player" is not the only side of him, and that deep down he's a good person overall.

I really liked how the author sprinkled flashbacks from Cory and his brother's childhood in Oklahoma throughout the book. We learn why Cory is the way he is now, and how his father was a drunk and now he is becoming a drunk as well. Cory gets a mandated eight weeks of a 12-step program, and it ends up being Celebrate Recovery, which I learned later is a real program that's actually helped many people - it's like AA or any of those groups, except it's more faith-based.

I'd like to see the movie version of Home Run now, too - see below for the trailer, which looks great.

4 stars out of 5.



CONTEST:
Thanks to FlyBy Promotions, I have a copy of the novel Home Run to give to one lucky Books I Think You Should Win reader! Enter below in the Rafflecopter form. The contest ends on Saturday, March 30th at 11:59pm EST, and winner will be contacted on Sunday, March 31st and have 24 hours to respond, or an alternate winner will be chosen.

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


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