One of the things I love about books is that even though one of them may not be something I particularly fell in love with, someone else will get more out of that same read. Billy Coffey’s January release is proof of this (just check out the pan of review ratings for Steal Away Home).

In My Opinion

This book moved at the pace of a baseball game—slow. While I’ve never been a baseball fan because the sport moves so sluggish after a season of watching the speed of hockey players on the ice, I can appreciate what athletes pour into their sports.

But Steal Away Home was difficult to get into. During the course of Owen Cross’s first major league game, he reminisces about the girl he once loved. Instead of chapters, the book has “innings”—top and bottom with too many flashbacks throughout.

None of the characters (with perhaps the exception of Owen’s mother) were very likable. I could blame that on the fact most of them were teenagers but even the adults felt selfish and self-serving. While Own and Michaela had a decent start, as I got further in the book, I liked them together less and less.