Review: Off Sides by Sawyer Bennett

Off Sides by Sawyer Bennett

Published: February 21, 2013

Publisher: Big Dog Publishing

Genre: New Adult for ages 17 and over

“I'm not sure what possessed me to do it. Maybe it was the impossible expectations I faced, maybe it was my own self-loathing. But I just knew I needed something different to happen. I needed someone...something...to derail me from my current path. Otherwise, I would become lost...a hollowed out shell of a man. So I did it. I approached her, then I pursued her, then I made her mine. And my life was saved...”

Ryan Burnham is the privileged son of a U.S. Congressman and captain of his university’s hockey team. While he is on the verge of fulfilling his dreams to play in the NHL, his parents want him on a different course. One he is expected to accept for the sake of his family’s public image.

Forced her to abandon her music career after the heart breaking death of her parents, Danny Cross exists on the opposite side of the tracks from Ryan. She is struggling to make her own way, working two jobs, attending college part time and volunteering in a homeless shelter. She is on a mission to build her own success.

With a chance meeting, their vastly different worlds collide, causing each to evaluate whether they are truly on the correct path to self-fulfillment and happiness. Can their relationship survive? Particularly when others are against them every step of the way. A lot can happen in just ten short days...

My Thoughts

Off Sides by Sawyer Bennett was a quick and extremely enjoyable story between two people from very different social classes that find love and hardship in equal measure. I’ll definitely be jumping into the second installment to enjoy more of this story.

Captain of the hockey team and final year senior at Northeastern College, Ryan Burnham has been living a pretty pampered existence. He has everything at his disposal and coming from a wealthy and renowned family, he knows he just has to keep on the straight and narrow to keep his family happy. So when he and his friends stumble into Sally’s diner for a late night fix, a smart and edgy waitress that stands her ground against Ryan’s elite group of obnoxious buddies quickly catches his attention.

A few dates and couple of weeks later, Danny and Ryan are head over heels for each other, but their relationship is challenged by Ryan’s family and friends that make it well known that they don’t approve of this purple haired girl with piercings and of low social status.

As the old adage goes, boy and girl from opposite sides of the track meet and fall in love never proves to be easy, especially when you have a gang of hobnobs doing everything in their power to split these two apart.

Overall, I have to say that as much as the attraction between Ryan and Danny seemed sudden and fierce that in no way made it feel unbelievable. Both of these characters where extremely likeable to the core and I rooted them on from the very beginning.

There were some moments that felt a bit contrived, but I was really enjoying the time Ryan and Danny were together so it didn’t bother me one bit. Despite the writing needing a bit of tightening, overall I have to say it was entertaining and worth my time. I would have even liked to see this story continue a bit longer.

I’ll surely be jumping into Off Limits to get to know Ryan’s sister a bit more. We got a glimpse of her in this first book and I’m eager to see her continue to grow and develop into her own character. Enjoyed it much!

3.5 Snowflakes