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Heels Over Head
Jeremy Reeve is one of the best divers in the world, and he’s worked hard to get where he is. He intends to keep pushing himself with one very clear goal in mind: winning gold at the summer Olympics in two years. That medal might be the only way to earn his father’s respect as an athlete.
Brandon Evans is everything Jeremy isn’t: carefree, outgoing, and openly gay. With his bright-blue eyes and dramatic tattoos, he’s a temptation that Jeremy refuses to acknowledge. But Jeremy can’t ignore how talented Brandon is—or that Brandon has no interest in using his diving skills to compete.
They’re opposites who are forced to work together as teammates, but Jeremy’s fear of his own sexuality and Brandon’s disinterest in anything “not fun” may end their partnership before it begins. Until a single moment changes everything, and they help each other discover that “team” can also mean family and love.
Brandon Evans is everything Jeremy isn’t: carefree, outgoing, and openly gay. With his bright-blue eyes and dramatic tattoos, he’s a temptation that Jeremy refuses to acknowledge. But Jeremy can’t ignore how talented Brandon is—or that Brandon has no interest in using his diving skills to compete.
They’re opposites who are forced to work together as teammates, but Jeremy’s fear of his own sexuality and Brandon’s disinterest in anything “not fun” may end their partnership before it begins. Until a single moment changes everything, and they help each other discover that “team” can also mean family and love.
366 pages, Paperback
First published May 29, 2017
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April 18, 2017
Heels Over Head is the second book I've read by Elyse Springer, and I really enjoy her writing style. I always feel like I'm IN the story versus on the outside looking in. The dialogue has a certain rhythm, and each character is given a voice.
In addition to the MCs, Jeremy and Brandon, we meet:
- Jeremy's emotionally abusive redneck family (whom I loathed with a passion); they are so homophobic and dismissive, they’re almost caricatures.
- Andrej, Jeremy and eventually Brandon's diving coach, a man of few words who is much more perceptive than Jeremy realizes. Andrej is more of a father to Jeremy than his biological father; Jeremy just doesn’t see it.
- Val, another diver and Jeremy's best friend who becomes Brandon's friend as well. All the love for Val! She’s a true confidante to both men. Her struggle to please her demanding parents while maintaining sanity is an interesting side story in the book.
- Aaron, Brandon's best friend from Texas, who warns Brandon to stay away from men like Jeremy who are “skeletons” (gay men so deep in the closet, they shrivel up and become nothin’ but bones—no spirit, no heart).
Brandon is a supremely likable character. He hasn't had an easy time of it and is used to taking care of himself. He's independent to a fault, but he's also an amazing friend and listener. He's funny, easygoing, and compassionate. Brandon is a talented diver, but an unpolished one.
Jeremy is resentful of Brandon from the moment he sees Brandon's sculpted body covered with ink. Andrej came out of retirement to train Jeremy, and Jeremy doesn't want to share. But share he must, not just with Brandon but also with Val, whose parents (former Olympians themselves) push her relentlessly.
The story spans two years. Jeremy is working toward Olympic gold, and to say it's all that matters is an understatement. Jeremy lives and breathes diving. He's intense, focused, and driven. He wants to make his father and brothers proud, even though we see immediately that they will NEVER be proud; Jeremy could travel to the moon and back, and they'd sneer and call him a fag.
Jeremy tells Brandon that his family loves him, but I had serious doubts. Love isn't spiteful; love doesn't tear you down. That's not love. That's resentment and envy. I hated that Jeremy was so dependent on the approval of people who didn't give a flying fuck about him.
Jeremy's obsession with winning a medal is all-consuming. Jeremy doesn’t drink. He doesn’t eat sugar (like EVER). He doesn’t have sex. He does nothing but go to school and train. He’s a machine.
Brandon does most of the work in their relationship. He puts up with Jeremy's moods and rudeness, and slowly, carefully breaks through Jeremy's hard exterior to the deep-seated insecurity that lies beneath.
To be fair, Jeremy does care about Brandon; he's just scared. He takes care of Brandon when Brandon falls ill with the flu, and when he discovers Brandon's precarious financial situation, he immediately wants to help.
However, Jeremy's love goes only so far. Shaken up by yet another conversation with his callous father, Jeremy is cruel to Brandon (much like his father is cruel to him) and admits that he will ALWAYS choose diving over Brandon.
Jeremy breaks Brandon's heart, and this is not a case of "I'm breaking up with you because I think it's best for YOU." Oh, no, this is all, "I'm breaking up with you because it's best for ME." I was astounded by Jeremy's selfishness.
The pacing in the story is a little uneven. Some moments go on for pages, and some months just disappear. Despite this, the story never dragged. I was very much invested in Brandon and Jeremy's relationship.
I loved the sexy moments between Jeremy and Brandon (Jeremy is an honest-to-god virgin, and Brandon the very best teacher).
I even liked all the diving talk. I'm always impressed when authors do their research, and it's clear Springer knows diving.
But for me to fully believe in this HEA, I needed Jeremy to SAY more, to DO more. We see his internal musings, but I didn't think he truly communicated his feelings to Brandon. Likewise, Brandon's future is nebulous: Is he going to dive again? What about money? This is barely touched on.
To be fair, the ending is NOT a cliffie. The MCs ARE together. The feels are there. It’s a HFN.
BUT:
In addition to the MCs, Jeremy and Brandon, we meet:
- Jeremy's emotionally abusive redneck family (whom I loathed with a passion); they are so homophobic and dismissive, they’re almost caricatures.
- Andrej, Jeremy and eventually Brandon's diving coach, a man of few words who is much more perceptive than Jeremy realizes. Andrej is more of a father to Jeremy than his biological father; Jeremy just doesn’t see it.
- Val, another diver and Jeremy's best friend who becomes Brandon's friend as well. All the love for Val! She’s a true confidante to both men. Her struggle to please her demanding parents while maintaining sanity is an interesting side story in the book.
- Aaron, Brandon's best friend from Texas, who warns Brandon to stay away from men like Jeremy who are “skeletons” (gay men so deep in the closet, they shrivel up and become nothin’ but bones—no spirit, no heart).
Brandon is a supremely likable character. He hasn't had an easy time of it and is used to taking care of himself. He's independent to a fault, but he's also an amazing friend and listener. He's funny, easygoing, and compassionate. Brandon is a talented diver, but an unpolished one.
Jeremy is resentful of Brandon from the moment he sees Brandon's sculpted body covered with ink. Andrej came out of retirement to train Jeremy, and Jeremy doesn't want to share. But share he must, not just with Brandon but also with Val, whose parents (former Olympians themselves) push her relentlessly.
The story spans two years. Jeremy is working toward Olympic gold, and to say it's all that matters is an understatement. Jeremy lives and breathes diving. He's intense, focused, and driven. He wants to make his father and brothers proud, even though we see immediately that they will NEVER be proud; Jeremy could travel to the moon and back, and they'd sneer and call him a fag.
Jeremy tells Brandon that his family loves him, but I had serious doubts. Love isn't spiteful; love doesn't tear you down. That's not love. That's resentment and envy. I hated that Jeremy was so dependent on the approval of people who didn't give a flying fuck about him.
Jeremy's obsession with winning a medal is all-consuming. Jeremy doesn’t drink. He doesn’t eat sugar (like EVER). He doesn’t have sex. He does nothing but go to school and train. He’s a machine.
Brandon does most of the work in their relationship. He puts up with Jeremy's moods and rudeness, and slowly, carefully breaks through Jeremy's hard exterior to the deep-seated insecurity that lies beneath.
To be fair, Jeremy does care about Brandon; he's just scared. He takes care of Brandon when Brandon falls ill with the flu, and when he discovers Brandon's precarious financial situation, he immediately wants to help.
However, Jeremy's love goes only so far. Shaken up by yet another conversation with his callous father, Jeremy is cruel to Brandon (much like his father is cruel to him) and admits that he will ALWAYS choose diving over Brandon.
Jeremy breaks Brandon's heart, and this is not a case of "I'm breaking up with you because I think it's best for YOU." Oh, no, this is all, "I'm breaking up with you because it's best for ME." I was astounded by Jeremy's selfishness.
The pacing in the story is a little uneven. Some moments go on for pages, and some months just disappear. Despite this, the story never dragged. I was very much invested in Brandon and Jeremy's relationship.
I loved the sexy moments between Jeremy and Brandon (Jeremy is an honest-to-god virgin, and Brandon the very best teacher).
I even liked all the diving talk. I'm always impressed when authors do their research, and it's clear Springer knows diving.
But for me to fully believe in this HEA, I needed Jeremy to SAY more, to DO more. We see his internal musings, but I didn't think he truly communicated his feelings to Brandon. Likewise, Brandon's future is nebulous: Is he going to dive again? What about money? This is barely touched on.
To be fair, the ending is NOT a cliffie. The MCs ARE together. The feels are there. It’s a HFN.
BUT:
May 2, 2019
4.5 stars
Ahhhh, this book is so cute. This book is a male/male romance that follows Jeremy Reeve, who is training for the Olympics as a diver, and Brandon Evans - who is also a diver, and starts training alongside Jeremy. Jeremy has been diving for thirteen years and he finally has his shot to compete in the Olympics and he won't let anything distract him from winning a gold medal. Brandon is openly gay and doesn't care about diving nearly as much as Jeremy does - he mainly does it for fun. Jeremy claims he is straight, but he is so far in the closet, because he's terrified of coming out to his Dad and his brothers who he feels he needs to prove himself to.
This book is written so well, and it's the first book I've ever read from this author, but I'm definitely going to have to check out her other books now! I love that this book is told from Jeremy and Brandon's POV's so you really get to see their thoughts and see why they are the way they are. In the beginning Jeremy is so focused, he's kind of an asshole towards Brandon because he understandably doesn't need a distraction, but Brandon eventually wins him over. These two are so fucking cute together. All of their scenes together had me smiling so widely and laughing out loud. JEREMY IS SO PRECIOUS. The fact that he's never been with a guy before Brandon, and it's so adorable. Jeremy is really irritating with his need to push Brandon away, but at the same time I can relate to him and I feel like I am the exact same way, so I understand where he is coming from. I also have a tendency to put "superficial" things in front of people, and I just understand where he's coming from.
Brandon is a really inspiring character, and he has such a big heart. Jeremy's need to impress his Dad and his brothers was heartbreaking because he always feels like he's never good enough and they tell him diving is a weak sport, and are always putting him down and it was getting on my last nerve. I really love Valerie as a side character and I think she was very fleshed-out as a character.
This book just had so many CUTE moments, I was so giddy because they are so CUTE. I feel like the ending was a little abrupt, and I would've like maybe one more chapter or an epilogue added to the end. But, overall I LOVED this book and if you're looking for your next favorite M/M romance novel, definitely check this one out! Also, if you're into forbidden romance and/or sports romances, this book is definitely for you!
Ahhhh, this book is so cute. This book is a male/male romance that follows Jeremy Reeve, who is training for the Olympics as a diver, and Brandon Evans - who is also a diver, and starts training alongside Jeremy. Jeremy has been diving for thirteen years and he finally has his shot to compete in the Olympics and he won't let anything distract him from winning a gold medal. Brandon is openly gay and doesn't care about diving nearly as much as Jeremy does - he mainly does it for fun. Jeremy claims he is straight, but he is so far in the closet, because he's terrified of coming out to his Dad and his brothers who he feels he needs to prove himself to.
This book is written so well, and it's the first book I've ever read from this author, but I'm definitely going to have to check out her other books now! I love that this book is told from Jeremy and Brandon's POV's so you really get to see their thoughts and see why they are the way they are. In the beginning Jeremy is so focused, he's kind of an asshole towards Brandon because he understandably doesn't need a distraction, but Brandon eventually wins him over. These two are so fucking cute together. All of their scenes together had me smiling so widely and laughing out loud. JEREMY IS SO PRECIOUS. The fact that he's never been with a guy before Brandon, and it's so adorable. Jeremy is really irritating with his need to push Brandon away, but at the same time I can relate to him and I feel like I am the exact same way, so I understand where he is coming from. I also have a tendency to put "superficial" things in front of people, and I just understand where he's coming from.
Brandon is a really inspiring character, and he has such a big heart. Jeremy's need to impress his Dad and his brothers was heartbreaking because he always feels like he's never good enough and they tell him diving is a weak sport, and are always putting him down and it was getting on my last nerve. I really love Valerie as a side character and I think she was very fleshed-out as a character.
This book just had so many CUTE moments, I was so giddy because they are so CUTE. I feel like the ending was a little abrupt, and I would've like maybe one more chapter or an epilogue added to the end. But, overall I LOVED this book and if you're looking for your next favorite M/M romance novel, definitely check this one out! Also, if you're into forbidden romance and/or sports romances, this book is definitely for you!
April 8, 2017
I picked up Heels Over Head because I truly enjoyed Whiteout by the same author. And I also have a certain fascination with the sport of diving at each Summer Olympics.
Jeremy has been training to dive since he was seven. It was the only thing he found he was good at, and since his father and brothers have bullied him since birth about how much of a "fairy" he is, he will prove his worth by being a world champion. An injury took him out of the running for the Olympics last time, so he's determined not only to train harder than anyone, he will win the gold medal in men's diving at the next events in Toronto.
Jeremy is training with the best coach, who came out of retirement for him. He attends college classes part time, but diving and training is all he does, 24/7. While I imagine, of course, that kind of dedication and focus is needed to be an athlete at this level, it was truly to the detriment of anything else he could experience in life. And Jeremy wouldn't have it any other way.
Brandon is one of those scary-talented people with no training. He is literally "discovered" while cliff diving and manages to find himself hand delivered to Jeremy's coach by complete chance. He is raw and completely unpolished, but everyone can see that the talent is there, and he could be amazing with some formal training. The thing is....Brandon loves diving, but he has no aspirations to go to the Olympics. He looks at diving as a hobby, not a life. He'll train and practice, sure - he enjoys it, but to let it become his whole life where there's no actual FUN, pfft. He's not having that.
Jeremy and Brandon butt heads immediately. Because Jeremy has zero social skills, and he's a complete dick. But not only that, he was training one-on-one with his coach, and now he has to share with this person who not only needs a helluva lot of training, but thinks there's more to life than diving. And the all-over tattoos are really distracting too.....
Brandon's gaydar pings pretty early on, but when he tries to talk about it with Jeremy, the man is so scared, he's visibly shaking.
Jeremy has been told for years that diving is a "fag" sport, and that he's weak. But he knows if he can win the gold medal, it will prove to his father that he's strong and a champion. Jeremy doesn't read the writing on the wall that his father has never attended or watched a single one of his competitions, but at twenty-two, I can't blame him for still seeking the approval of his only parent.
While Brandon will take a few years training to compete solo, their coach tells them they will begin training and soon competing in the men's synchronized diving events. Jeremy is furious, Brandon wary. He doesn't think he's ready to compete in anything. Having to pay such close attention to the other though, it makes them both better. And when they have to become literally in sync with the other, Jeremy does start to thaw to Brandon bit by bit.
There is a lot of dive-speak in this one. But I was never bored, and I loved all of it!
I'll be honest, though, this story was hard to get into at first, because it's told in alternating first person present tense POV. It wasn't smooth, for me, in the beginning, and I kept coming out of the story. By the third or fourth chapter, however, I was in. I was invested, and the story itself is really engaging. I was hooked!
This "team" won my heart. Jeremy completely grew up over the course of this story, which spans two years. Brandon learned about family and loyalty. Valerie, a subsequent diver to join, was integral to showing Jeremy that there was more to live for. And Andrey, their coach, was the father figure there for them through it all.
I was expecting the angst, but I loved how Springer played this one out. No doormat behavior here folks! These boys needed to work for their HFN/HEA, and they did! I was very pleased with the outcome of the relationship.
Jeremy has been training to dive since he was seven. It was the only thing he found he was good at, and since his father and brothers have bullied him since birth about how much of a "fairy" he is, he will prove his worth by being a world champion. An injury took him out of the running for the Olympics last time, so he's determined not only to train harder than anyone, he will win the gold medal in men's diving at the next events in Toronto.
Jeremy is training with the best coach, who came out of retirement for him. He attends college classes part time, but diving and training is all he does, 24/7. While I imagine, of course, that kind of dedication and focus is needed to be an athlete at this level, it was truly to the detriment of anything else he could experience in life. And Jeremy wouldn't have it any other way.
Brandon is one of those scary-talented people with no training. He is literally "discovered" while cliff diving and manages to find himself hand delivered to Jeremy's coach by complete chance. He is raw and completely unpolished, but everyone can see that the talent is there, and he could be amazing with some formal training. The thing is....Brandon loves diving, but he has no aspirations to go to the Olympics. He looks at diving as a hobby, not a life. He'll train and practice, sure - he enjoys it, but to let it become his whole life where there's no actual FUN, pfft. He's not having that.
Jeremy and Brandon butt heads immediately. Because Jeremy has zero social skills, and he's a complete dick. But not only that, he was training one-on-one with his coach, and now he has to share with this person who not only needs a helluva lot of training, but thinks there's more to life than diving. And the all-over tattoos are really distracting too.....
Brandon's gaydar pings pretty early on, but when he tries to talk about it with Jeremy, the man is so scared, he's visibly shaking.
Me and Aaron have a word for people like him. We call them skeletons - people so far in the closet that they die there, decompose, never willing to step out into the light.
Jeremy has been told for years that diving is a "fag" sport, and that he's weak. But he knows if he can win the gold medal, it will prove to his father that he's strong and a champion. Jeremy doesn't read the writing on the wall that his father has never attended or watched a single one of his competitions, but at twenty-two, I can't blame him for still seeking the approval of his only parent.
While Brandon will take a few years training to compete solo, their coach tells them they will begin training and soon competing in the men's synchronized diving events. Jeremy is furious, Brandon wary. He doesn't think he's ready to compete in anything. Having to pay such close attention to the other though, it makes them both better. And when they have to become literally in sync with the other, Jeremy does start to thaw to Brandon bit by bit.
There is a lot of dive-speak in this one. But I was never bored, and I loved all of it!
I'll be honest, though, this story was hard to get into at first, because it's told in alternating first person present tense POV. It wasn't smooth, for me, in the beginning, and I kept coming out of the story. By the third or fourth chapter, however, I was in. I was invested, and the story itself is really engaging. I was hooked!
This "team" won my heart. Jeremy completely grew up over the course of this story, which spans two years. Brandon learned about family and loyalty. Valerie, a subsequent diver to join, was integral to showing Jeremy that there was more to live for. And Andrey, their coach, was the father figure there for them through it all.
I was expecting the angst, but I loved how Springer played this one out. No doormat behavior here folks! These boys needed to work for their HFN/HEA, and they did! I was very pleased with the outcome of the relationship.
June 29, 2019
(Insert gasp)
What a book! I was immediately hooked on it. I lost count of how many times I wanted to slap Jeremy for being so....so...frustrating! A slow simmer romance for sure! Sigh! How I loved this book, reminded me of Wall of Winnipeg or Kulti just a different sport. Lol.
What a book! I was immediately hooked on it. I lost count of how many times I wanted to slap Jeremy for being so....so...frustrating! A slow simmer romance for sure! Sigh! How I loved this book, reminded me of Wall of Winnipeg or Kulti just a different sport. Lol.
June 11, 2017
**5 stars and more if it were possible**
A beautiful love story between 2 different men, both with their flaws, their strengths, their dreams, set up in the uncommon but fascinating universe of diving.
Jeremy has dreamed about winning the Olympics as a diver since childhood, desperately hoping to make his father and brothers proud of him. He breathes diving and spends all his time, apart from studying, training hard to be the best for National and Worldwide competitions.
Two years before the Olympics, his coach decides to partner him with Brandon, not only to help Jeremy improves individually but also to pair him for synchronized diving.
Brandon is the opposite of Jeremy : he's easy-going, he dives because it's fun and he only accidentally ended up in this competing world. He has no prior records, apart from his natural abilities in diving.
As opposite as they are, months after months, their pairing is blooming, inside and outside of the pool, and Jeremy and Brandon slowly but surely face the challenges brought by the competitions and their relationship.
I loved everything in this book :
• The characters, Jeremy who can seem cold but who is caring and adorable in his inability to talk, Brandon with his sunny attitude but having a hard time to ask for help, the coach and the friends.
• The settings : it’s not a sport romance, imo, more a story among the diving world that I discovered a tiny bit by watching a few videos and reading about Greg Lougaris, an American Olympic diver who won gold medals at the 1984 and 1988 Olympic Games.
• The pace of the story that spans two years with a ticking schedule (“xx months until the Olympics, xx months since meeting Jeremy, xx months until – no, 3 months since I fucked up”,...) with a slow burn that made the sexy moments even more emotional.
From the first page until the last one, I was completely immersed in this story (no pun intended) and rooted for Jeremy and Brandon.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED - go on and dive in : it’s worth it !!!
A beautiful love story between 2 different men, both with their flaws, their strengths, their dreams, set up in the uncommon but fascinating universe of diving.
Jeremy has dreamed about winning the Olympics as a diver since childhood, desperately hoping to make his father and brothers proud of him. He breathes diving and spends all his time, apart from studying, training hard to be the best for National and Worldwide competitions.
Two years before the Olympics, his coach decides to partner him with Brandon, not only to help Jeremy improves individually but also to pair him for synchronized diving.
Brandon is the opposite of Jeremy : he's easy-going, he dives because it's fun and he only accidentally ended up in this competing world. He has no prior records, apart from his natural abilities in diving.
As opposite as they are, months after months, their pairing is blooming, inside and outside of the pool, and Jeremy and Brandon slowly but surely face the challenges brought by the competitions and their relationship.
.
“What do I get if I win ?” […]
“What do you want” I swallow again. “I mean, as a prize. What do you want as a prize ?” […]
“You” he says. “If I compete and win, I want you as my prize”
I loved everything in this book :
• The characters, Jeremy who can seem cold but who is caring and adorable in his inability to talk, Brandon with his sunny attitude but having a hard time to ask for help, the coach and the friends.
• The settings : it’s not a sport romance, imo, more a story among the diving world that I discovered a tiny bit by watching a few videos and reading about Greg Lougaris, an American Olympic diver who won gold medals at the 1984 and 1988 Olympic Games.
• The pace of the story that spans two years with a ticking schedule (“xx months until the Olympics, xx months since meeting Jeremy, xx months until – no, 3 months since I fucked up”,...) with a slow burn that made the sexy moments even more emotional.
From the first page until the last one, I was completely immersed in this story (no pun intended) and rooted for Jeremy and Brandon.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED - go on and dive in : it’s worth it !!!
September 12, 2017
No creo que esta novela, de la que sólo he leido un tercio, merezca más de una estrella. Gracias a Amazon por los previos gratis porque me ha salvado de malgastar mi dinero.
July 2, 2017
2.5 Stars
Honestly? I felt like I invested years into this and was left without a resolution. Don't get me wrong, there's an HFN...but the overarching plot of the whole diving bit was left without, for me, a proper end.
Dual POV, slow burn, not-quite-enemies to lovers, with some angst and a whole lot of diving info.
Honestly? I felt like I invested years into this and was left without a resolution. Don't get me wrong, there's an HFN...but the overarching plot of the whole diving bit was left without, for me, a proper end.
Dual POV, slow burn, not-quite-enemies to lovers, with some angst and a whole lot of diving info.
June 1, 2017
Words, words! I need new ones to describe how much I loved this book.
Jeremy and Brandon are two young men finishing their final years in college. Jeremy has been training as a diver since he was a little boy. He is serious about the sport and focused on getting to the Olympics. Brandon dives off cliffs for fun until he is recruited by a college scout. When the two meet, sparks fly.
No, no, not those kind of sparks. The two clash in every which way. One is quiet and regimented. The other is gregarious and outgoing. Eventually though, "those" sparks also fly.
✔️It's a sports romance.
✔️It's an enemies to lovers story.
✔️It's a slow-burn romance.
✔️It's an 'out-for-you' story.
✔️It's a hurt-comfort tale.
It's all about friends and family and finding yourself.
"...we'll dive together, and see where life takes us."
A gorgeous story!!!
I've read (and loved!) one other of Elyse Springer's books. If she writes all her stories this well, I'll be a fan for life.
Review ARC graciously provided by the publisher via NetGalley
Jeremy and Brandon are two young men finishing their final years in college. Jeremy has been training as a diver since he was a little boy. He is serious about the sport and focused on getting to the Olympics. Brandon dives off cliffs for fun until he is recruited by a college scout. When the two meet, sparks fly.
No, no, not those kind of sparks. The two clash in every which way. One is quiet and regimented. The other is gregarious and outgoing. Eventually though, "those" sparks also fly.
✔️It's a sports romance.
✔️It's an enemies to lovers story.
✔️It's a slow-burn romance.
✔️It's an 'out-for-you' story.
✔️It's a hurt-comfort tale.
It's all about friends and family and finding yourself.
"...we'll dive together, and see where life takes us."
A gorgeous story!!!
I've read (and loved!) one other of Elyse Springer's books. If she writes all her stories this well, I'll be a fan for life.
Review ARC graciously provided by the publisher via NetGalley
June 20, 2019
Lovely! I absolutely adore sport centered romances and this book was no different. The slowly moving story mapped out the growing relationship of pseudo enemies to tolerable team mate to lovers. The pacing suited the story told about an Olympic class diver and a new raw talent. One's so deep in the closet he's a skeleton full of self recrimination. The other is a powerful, out and proud new diver, floating through life.
I loved their story, I only wish there had been more tension between the two young men. There was a lot of angst surrounding Jeremy and his emotionally abusive family. His family was quite cruel to him, but it felt almost too much.
Still, I liked this book, loved the cover, and adored Brandon, our tattoed new talent.
I loved their story, I only wish there had been more tension between the two young men. There was a lot of angst surrounding Jeremy and his emotionally abusive family. His family was quite cruel to him, but it felt almost too much.
Still, I liked this book, loved the cover, and adored Brandon, our tattoed new talent.
September 12, 2017
The characters behave badly and are idiotic.
There's better YA books over there, try Silvera's.
There's better YA books over there, try Silvera's.
September 12, 2017
So very silly.
September 15, 2017
Terrible
September 12, 2017
DNF al 1%, una pregunta, ¿es necesario puntuar un libro cuando abandonas su lectura?.
Lo dejo aquí porque "la merda quan més es remena més pudor fa".
Lo dejo aquí porque "la merda quan més es remena més pudor fa".
December 25, 2023
Re-Read: Dec 2023
Original Read: Aug 2022
Sometimes I stumble across a romance book that seems like it was made specifically for me, with very aspect being written in ways that hit things on my favorite list. Everything worked for me: Jeremy's character development, the pacing of the romance, the characterizations of the MCs, the usage of the side characters and the portrayal of professional diving - it was all done exactly the way I wanted.
The side characters and the sports aspect were done perfectly (at least, according to my preferences). Characters like Val (a fellow diver and Jeremy's long time friend), Aaron (Brandon's ex and best friend) and Audry (the diving coach) were interesting, well developed characters who had meaningful roles in the story but they never took the focus away from Brandon and Jeremy. The diving part was explored in enough detail to be educational and to make it believable that the MCs were professional divers but the romance always remained centerstage.
Jeremy's character development reminded me a lot of Taylor Fitzpatrick's Coming In First Place. David and Jeremy are very similar characters, having spent their lives fully devoted to their sports and ignoring anything else that life might offer them. Meeting the other MC creates the opportunity to go down new roads for both of them and how they navigate this new direction is a big part of the story. But I like Heels Over Head better. It's the better romance out of the two because it provides a character arc for Brandon as well and the story splits the focus evenly between the character development and the MCs romance.
I adored Jeremy and Brandon. The opposite-attract enemies-to-lovers aspect was done so well! It was wonderful that they're annoyed by each other's personalities but they're also intrigued by what the other person represents. Brandon is openly gay, outgoing and doesn't take anything seriously, which means he's never committed to anything and has a transient lifestyle. Jeremy is deeply in the closet and has committed his entire life to reaching the Olympics, which means he's a repressed, grumpy, touch-starved control freak who is terrified by everything Brandon does and says. What I loved was the balance in their dynamic. They both bring a lot of baggage and flaws to their relationship and they both have to work hard to push things along, one step at a time. The fact that Brandon learns as much from Jeremy as Jeremy does from him was really great. In stories like this, the less repressed MC is often underdeveloped but that's not the case here. Brandon has his own issues that he works on throughout the story and Jeremy ends up positively impacting Brandon's life in a lot of ways. At the beginning of the story, you'd never think that Mr. Laidback-Clown would end the story , which was great.
My favorite aspect was how patient and understand Brandon was of Jeremy. Brandon is a lot of 'firsts' for Jeremy and it's understandable that doing every single one of those firsts was nerve wracking and took courage, which Brandon always understood. But I also loved that once Jeremy gets a bit more comfortable with the whole relationship thing, he does his best to help Brandon when he needs a hand, even if Jeremy is nervous and has no clue what he's doing at the time. There were two specific examples that I loved.
First example - how Brandon navigated Jeremy's discomfort with physical intimacy in combination with Jeremy being touch starved. Since the poor guy has spent his life barricaded in the closet, he's not accustomed to any physical contact that's not purely clinical (done by people who help him with diving) so he's very uncomfortable with casual physical intimacy of any kind, despite being touch starved and desperately craving it.
Second example - watching Jeremy struggling between his instinctual emotional reactions to Brandon versus his ignorance over what physical reaction would be required or appropriate. Jeremy's feelings for Brandon make him desperately want to be a good boyfriend but his lack of experience means he often has no clue how to deal with the situation.
In general, Jeremy's character development was extremely well done.
A small touch I really liked was the chapter headings. The chapters alternate between Jeremy and Brandon's POV and each one has a heading that indicates where the chapter takes place within the story's 24 month time frame, as we move forward through time. The number of months also has a notation to go along with it, which expresses the character's mental state at that time (ex. Brandon's chapter headings start out being 'X months since leaving Texas' when he's still homesick for Texas and hates everything about Ohio, then they become 'X months since coming to Ohio' once he settles in and starts enjoying himself). Once I noticed this pattern, I started paying attention to the chapter headings and I was THRILLED that the author used these headings throughout the entire book to illustrate how the MCs change throughout the story, including how their life priorities change and how their feelings for each other change and impact them.
This little technique was wonderful and it was one of my favorite aspects of the story. It led to some of the best moments in the story. Jeremy's chapter headings are always the same (X months until the Olympics), which perfectly represents his character. That was such a wonderful addition!
Other readers were disappointed that the author finished the story before we find out if Jeremy wins gold at the Olympics or not (the story literally ends with Jeremy being at Olympic Village and having a few days to go before his event), but I felt that's exactly the point of the story. That's the whole point of the story and it's why I love it so much.
Original Read: Aug 2022
Sometimes I stumble across a romance book that seems like it was made specifically for me, with very aspect being written in ways that hit things on my favorite list. Everything worked for me: Jeremy's character development, the pacing of the romance, the characterizations of the MCs, the usage of the side characters and the portrayal of professional diving - it was all done exactly the way I wanted.
The side characters and the sports aspect were done perfectly (at least, according to my preferences). Characters like Val (a fellow diver and Jeremy's long time friend), Aaron (Brandon's ex and best friend) and Audry (the diving coach) were interesting, well developed characters who had meaningful roles in the story but they never took the focus away from Brandon and Jeremy. The diving part was explored in enough detail to be educational and to make it believable that the MCs were professional divers but the romance always remained centerstage.
Jeremy's character development reminded me a lot of Taylor Fitzpatrick's Coming In First Place. David and Jeremy are very similar characters, having spent their lives fully devoted to their sports and ignoring anything else that life might offer them. Meeting the other MC creates the opportunity to go down new roads for both of them and how they navigate this new direction is a big part of the story. But I like Heels Over Head better. It's the better romance out of the two because it provides a character arc for Brandon as well and the story splits the focus evenly between the character development and the MCs romance.
I adored Jeremy and Brandon. The opposite-attract enemies-to-lovers aspect was done so well! It was wonderful that they're annoyed by each other's personalities but they're also intrigued by what the other person represents. Brandon is openly gay, outgoing and doesn't take anything seriously, which means he's never committed to anything and has a transient lifestyle. Jeremy is deeply in the closet and has committed his entire life to reaching the Olympics, which means he's a repressed, grumpy, touch-starved control freak who is terrified by everything Brandon does and says. What I loved was the balance in their dynamic. They both bring a lot of baggage and flaws to their relationship and they both have to work hard to push things along, one step at a time. The fact that Brandon learns as much from Jeremy as Jeremy does from him was really great. In stories like this, the less repressed MC is often underdeveloped but that's not the case here. Brandon has his own issues that he works on throughout the story and Jeremy ends up positively impacting Brandon's life in a lot of ways. At the beginning of the story, you'd never think that Mr. Laidback-Clown would end the story , which was great.
My favorite aspect was how patient and understand Brandon was of Jeremy. Brandon is a lot of 'firsts' for Jeremy and it's understandable that doing every single one of those firsts was nerve wracking and took courage, which Brandon always understood. But I also loved that once Jeremy gets a bit more comfortable with the whole relationship thing, he does his best to help Brandon when he needs a hand, even if Jeremy is nervous and has no clue what he's doing at the time. There were two specific examples that I loved.
First example - how Brandon navigated Jeremy's discomfort with physical intimacy in combination with Jeremy being touch starved. Since the poor guy has spent his life barricaded in the closet, he's not accustomed to any physical contact that's not purely clinical (done by people who help him with diving) so he's very uncomfortable with casual physical intimacy of any kind, despite being touch starved and desperately craving it.
Second example - watching Jeremy struggling between his instinctual emotional reactions to Brandon versus his ignorance over what physical reaction would be required or appropriate. Jeremy's feelings for Brandon make him desperately want to be a good boyfriend but his lack of experience means he often has no clue how to deal with the situation.
In general, Jeremy's character development was extremely well done.
A small touch I really liked was the chapter headings. The chapters alternate between Jeremy and Brandon's POV and each one has a heading that indicates where the chapter takes place within the story's 24 month time frame, as we move forward through time. The number of months also has a notation to go along with it, which expresses the character's mental state at that time (ex. Brandon's chapter headings start out being 'X months since leaving Texas' when he's still homesick for Texas and hates everything about Ohio, then they become 'X months since coming to Ohio' once he settles in and starts enjoying himself). Once I noticed this pattern, I started paying attention to the chapter headings and I was THRILLED that the author used these headings throughout the entire book to illustrate how the MCs change throughout the story, including how their life priorities change and how their feelings for each other change and impact them.
This little technique was wonderful and it was one of my favorite aspects of the story. It led to some of the best moments in the story. Jeremy's chapter headings are always the same (X months until the Olympics), which perfectly represents his character. That was such a wonderful addition!
Other readers were disappointed that the author finished the story before we find out if Jeremy wins gold at the Olympics or not (the story literally ends with Jeremy being at Olympic Village and having a few days to go before his event), but I felt that's exactly the point of the story. That's the whole point of the story and it's why I love it so much.
September 22, 2019
One, two, three - go
Loved this story. The main characters are beautifully flawed. The journey to the Olympics and growing a relationship kept me glued to this book. 4.0 for flying.
Loved this story. The main characters are beautifully flawed. The journey to the Olympics and growing a relationship kept me glued to this book. 4.0 for flying.
July 1, 2017
Enjoyed this NA contemporary romance, set in the world of competitive diving. It was delightful. 3.5-4 stars.
September 12, 2017
Having read the available preview, this book is literally not for me.
May 21, 2022
A diver preparing for the Olympics has no room in his life for the second diver his coach takes on. This is one of my all-time favorite sports romances and the type of enemies-to-lovers story that works for me: The MCs are at odds because of fundamental differences in their personalities that take time and patience to overcome.
Diving has been the most important thing in Jeremy’s life since he was a small child, and getting to the Olympics is the only thing that matters to him. He’s a difficult character to like at first, because he’s standoffish and sometimes downright rude to Brandon, but he’s nevertheless a sympathetic and relatable character, and his deeply rooted flaws make his character arc satisfying and realistic. Jeremy believes that the only valuable part of him is his diving skill, so he has to prioritize it above everything else because success is his only hope of being respected by his family. His internalized homophobia is intense but makes sense in this context.
Each chapter is one month of the two years leading to Jeremy’s goal of the Olympics, and every month of that journey is shown. This lets the reader feel how all-consuming his training is, how diligently Jeremy is working towards his long-term goal, and why it’s so difficult for him to shift his worldview and his beliefs about himself. Being in a relationship with another person means reevaluating his most fundamental beliefs and changing his relationship with the sport he’s shaped his entire life around. The month-by-month narrative makes each step in Jeremy’s journey feel important and hard-won. I appreciated that Sewell showed how difficult it is to change the way you think about yourself – or to even realize you want to change in the first place.
Brandon, meanwhile, is not your typical sunshine character. He’s outwardly happy and optimistic, but he has his own struggles with feeling he needs to be independent and solve all his problems himself. His story arc is about learning to trust and rely on others, and is just as satisfying as Jeremy’s. And, as with Jeremy, the changes he undergoes are aided by the romantic relationship but ultimately separate from it, and come from hard work he does himself rather than because the relationship is a magical cure. Brandon also isn’t your typical sports romance character. He’s extremely talented but doesn’t care about winning, and instead is motivated by his interpersonal relationships. I appreciated that he wasn’t molded into a “win at all costs” athlete by the end. One of this book’s strengths is how it embraces each character’s different views about success and treats each as equally valid.
Val, a female diver who shares Jeremy and Brandon’s coach, plays a crucial role in the story and has her own complicated relationship with family and the sacrifices it takes to make it to the Olympics. Although she does help Jeremy and Brandon figure things out, she’s not just there to support their relationship – she also needs support, and Jeremy and Brandon’s friendships with her are just as important to their character arcs as their relationship with each other.
In addition to the exceptional character work, this book also has one of the strongest sports settings I’ve seen in sports romance. The author appears to be very knowledgeable about competitive diving, and though I can’t determine whether these aspects of the book are accurate, they’re plausible and highly detailed.
I highly recommend this book to all sports romance fans, though please note that it deals with intense internalized homophobia and homophobic family members.
Diving has been the most important thing in Jeremy’s life since he was a small child, and getting to the Olympics is the only thing that matters to him. He’s a difficult character to like at first, because he’s standoffish and sometimes downright rude to Brandon, but he’s nevertheless a sympathetic and relatable character, and his deeply rooted flaws make his character arc satisfying and realistic. Jeremy believes that the only valuable part of him is his diving skill, so he has to prioritize it above everything else because success is his only hope of being respected by his family. His internalized homophobia is intense but makes sense in this context.
Each chapter is one month of the two years leading to Jeremy’s goal of the Olympics, and every month of that journey is shown. This lets the reader feel how all-consuming his training is, how diligently Jeremy is working towards his long-term goal, and why it’s so difficult for him to shift his worldview and his beliefs about himself. Being in a relationship with another person means reevaluating his most fundamental beliefs and changing his relationship with the sport he’s shaped his entire life around. The month-by-month narrative makes each step in Jeremy’s journey feel important and hard-won. I appreciated that Sewell showed how difficult it is to change the way you think about yourself – or to even realize you want to change in the first place.
Brandon, meanwhile, is not your typical sunshine character. He’s outwardly happy and optimistic, but he has his own struggles with feeling he needs to be independent and solve all his problems himself. His story arc is about learning to trust and rely on others, and is just as satisfying as Jeremy’s. And, as with Jeremy, the changes he undergoes are aided by the romantic relationship but ultimately separate from it, and come from hard work he does himself rather than because the relationship is a magical cure. Brandon also isn’t your typical sports romance character. He’s extremely talented but doesn’t care about winning, and instead is motivated by his interpersonal relationships. I appreciated that he wasn’t molded into a “win at all costs” athlete by the end. One of this book’s strengths is how it embraces each character’s different views about success and treats each as equally valid.
Val, a female diver who shares Jeremy and Brandon’s coach, plays a crucial role in the story and has her own complicated relationship with family and the sacrifices it takes to make it to the Olympics. Although she does help Jeremy and Brandon figure things out, she’s not just there to support their relationship – she also needs support, and Jeremy and Brandon’s friendships with her are just as important to their character arcs as their relationship with each other.
In addition to the exceptional character work, this book also has one of the strongest sports settings I’ve seen in sports romance. The author appears to be very knowledgeable about competitive diving, and though I can’t determine whether these aspects of the book are accurate, they’re plausible and highly detailed.
I highly recommend this book to all sports romance fans, though please note that it deals with intense internalized homophobia and homophobic family members.
April 13, 2017
Jeremy is a very focused and dedicated diver with goals to one day compete in the Olympics. He trains with a one of the best trainers in the world and keeps his eye on the prize. That is, until Brandon walks into their training one day and his trainer decides to take him on as well. Jeremy is not only annoyed because now the trainer will have to split the focus between the two of them, but also because Brandon represents everything that he pushes away inside of himself. Brandon is out and proud and is just all about a good time. Jeremy comes from a family that uses the term "fag" to describe anyone they find weak, and they constantly harass him for being in a sport for "fairies". Because of this, Jeremy has always pushed himself to be the greatest because he wants his family to finally be proud of him and respect him. He doesn't like any distractions from his goal, and Brandon is a big distraction. They are both instantly attracted to one another, but Jeremy treat Brandon poorly to keep him at arms length.
Eventually their training coach wants them to start training together to compete in a synchronized diving event, which means they will have to work closely together. Brandon is determined to break down his walls and have Jeremy take him seriously. Jeremy finds himself unable to keep pushing him away but also torn by his need to win the Olympic gold to make his family proud.
I had some trouble with this one, if I'm being honest. The pacing felt really off for me. At times the story would really drag on and then other times were were jumping ahead months when I really wanted to see what was going to happen in that moment. It was a little frustrating. I also had a really hard time liking Jeremy through most of this book. He's just so nasty and cold to everyone around him, even his supposed best friend. He even goes as far as to say that if it came down to picking an Olympic medal over his relationship with Brandon, he would chose the medal....and this wasn't something he said early on. That was said rather late in the story. I couldn't root for him.
The highlights of the story for me were Brandon and Valerie. Brandon was the shining light in this one for me. He tried to always remain positive, and he was really tough. Even when things got really difficult for him he didn't break down and he figured out what his next step was going to be. He was stubborn about asking for help, but I can really relate to that. Valerie was another diver that their coach ended up taking on, and also Jeremy's only real friend. I liked that she always looked out for both Jeremy and Brandon, and genuinely worried about them hurting each other.
I have to say that I thought the story also ended really abruptly. I wanted to know what happened! We hear about the Olympics the entire book and then we don't even get to know how it goes?! An epilogue would have been great, because at the end I would say they are at the HFN stage, not a true HEA. I've said it a million times and I can't help it, but I like things to be wrapped up neatly at the end of the story and I didn't think we got that.
*I received an ARC of this title via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own *
Eventually their training coach wants them to start training together to compete in a synchronized diving event, which means they will have to work closely together. Brandon is determined to break down his walls and have Jeremy take him seriously. Jeremy finds himself unable to keep pushing him away but also torn by his need to win the Olympic gold to make his family proud.
I had some trouble with this one, if I'm being honest. The pacing felt really off for me. At times the story would really drag on and then other times were were jumping ahead months when I really wanted to see what was going to happen in that moment. It was a little frustrating. I also had a really hard time liking Jeremy through most of this book. He's just so nasty and cold to everyone around him, even his supposed best friend. He even goes as far as to say that if it came down to picking an Olympic medal over his relationship with Brandon, he would chose the medal....and this wasn't something he said early on. That was said rather late in the story. I couldn't root for him.
The highlights of the story for me were Brandon and Valerie. Brandon was the shining light in this one for me. He tried to always remain positive, and he was really tough. Even when things got really difficult for him he didn't break down and he figured out what his next step was going to be. He was stubborn about asking for help, but I can really relate to that. Valerie was another diver that their coach ended up taking on, and also Jeremy's only real friend. I liked that she always looked out for both Jeremy and Brandon, and genuinely worried about them hurting each other.
I have to say that I thought the story also ended really abruptly. I wanted to know what happened! We hear about the Olympics the entire book and then we don't even get to know how it goes?! An epilogue would have been great, because at the end I would say they are at the HFN stage, not a true HEA. I've said it a million times and I can't help it, but I like things to be wrapped up neatly at the end of the story and I didn't think we got that.
*I received an ARC of this title via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own *
July 22, 2018
I received an arc from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review
Review also posted on my blog
So if I'm being honest, I thought I wouldn't like this book as much as I did. I've read two of the author's other books, both of which were much shorter, and didn't like them too much. This one though? I can't even put into words how much I loved it.
Initially I thought I wouldn't like it due to some things at the start. Brandon, who's out and proud as gay, automatically assumes Jeremy, who's deeply in the closet, is gay. While he is not wrong, just the way he talked about it didn't initially sit well with me. It was also because he realised Jeremy was deeply in the closet and in a way sort linked it to him calling him a homophobic slur. Which leads me to address that. Jeremy experiences a lot of internalised homophobia and when Brandon tells him he's gay he uses a slur when advising him to not be too outspoken about that. This is actually later addressed how Jeremy actually really struggled with being gay. While I wasn't a fan of him using the slur, it does show how much he struggled with being gay and growing up around a father and two brothers who thought nothing of talking in such a crude way. He was so used to saying the slur he could barely say 'gay'.
So, leading on to what I loved about this book. It dealt really well with Jeremy's internalised homophobia. He receives a lot of demeaning comments from his family for being a diver. It's very clear how it affected him negatively and how he wants to gain his father's respect, a big part of that is working towards the Olympics. Again, his internalised homophobia plays a massive role in his life. He does struggle a lot with his feelings for Brandon but he does work through it realistically. Brandon also doesn't pressure him to do physical stuff, he never did anything when Jeremy was uncomfortable.
Their relationship was genuinely so good. It was definitely lust at first sight but they did have a lot of chemistry. Communication was also noted as an important thing which I loved. There is sex in the book and I don't think I've read a book with more realistic sex scenes. Since it was Jeremy's first time having sex with a guy, even though Jeremy researched, there was a lot of communication throughout it. And there was also references to laughing! I don't think I've read a book with a sex scene where the characters laughed.
This book was such a pleasant surprise and I can't recommend it enough. If you want a good m/m romance that deals with working through internalised homophobia, I definitely recommend it.
Review also posted on my blog
So if I'm being honest, I thought I wouldn't like this book as much as I did. I've read two of the author's other books, both of which were much shorter, and didn't like them too much. This one though? I can't even put into words how much I loved it.
Initially I thought I wouldn't like it due to some things at the start. Brandon, who's out and proud as gay, automatically assumes Jeremy, who's deeply in the closet, is gay. While he is not wrong, just the way he talked about it didn't initially sit well with me. It was also because he realised Jeremy was deeply in the closet and in a way sort linked it to him calling him a homophobic slur. Which leads me to address that. Jeremy experiences a lot of internalised homophobia and when Brandon tells him he's gay he uses a slur when advising him to not be too outspoken about that. This is actually later addressed how Jeremy actually really struggled with being gay. While I wasn't a fan of him using the slur, it does show how much he struggled with being gay and growing up around a father and two brothers who thought nothing of talking in such a crude way. He was so used to saying the slur he could barely say 'gay'.
So, leading on to what I loved about this book. It dealt really well with Jeremy's internalised homophobia. He receives a lot of demeaning comments from his family for being a diver. It's very clear how it affected him negatively and how he wants to gain his father's respect, a big part of that is working towards the Olympics. Again, his internalised homophobia plays a massive role in his life. He does struggle a lot with his feelings for Brandon but he does work through it realistically. Brandon also doesn't pressure him to do physical stuff, he never did anything when Jeremy was uncomfortable.
Their relationship was genuinely so good. It was definitely lust at first sight but they did have a lot of chemistry. Communication was also noted as an important thing which I loved. There is sex in the book and I don't think I've read a book with more realistic sex scenes. Since it was Jeremy's first time having sex with a guy, even though Jeremy researched, there was a lot of communication throughout it. And there was also references to laughing! I don't think I've read a book with a sex scene where the characters laughed.
This book was such a pleasant surprise and I can't recommend it enough. If you want a good m/m romance that deals with working through internalised homophobia, I definitely recommend it.
October 30, 2017
Heels Over Head is a lovely sports romance centered on a sport I’ve not yet seen written about in this genre. Springer does a great job with the technical aspects of this story. I know nothing about diving other than what I see on the Olympics: this book really takes the reader behind the curtain and into what it takes to be an Olympic level diver (caveat being that since I don’t know anything, I cannot vouch for the 100% accuracy here. It seemed to me, however, that the author did a lot of research).
I tend to be on the fence about novels where a character is closeted, because this is a plot that can easily become overwrought or that can fall on easy clichés. Heels Over Head did an excellent job of making us understand why Jeremy is closeted — it didn’t feel like a cheap plot device used for the sake of sensationalizing it at all.
Jeremy was an interesting character to fall for (as a reader). He was frustrating and fascinating and although I yelled out loud at him a few times, I was absolutely in love with him too. Although I had a hard time with his decision toward the end of the book (I won’t spoil it), Springer’s commitment to the character, and her deep understanding of how Jeremy ticks and how focused he’s been on his goal made this make sense. It would have been easy for an author take an easier route to a happy ending, but it would not have remained true to the character that had been created all through the book.
Brandon is one of those characters that has been developed with an easy charisma that attracted me from the start. Not only was his approach to life, to diving, and to his sexuality great character building, but it was an excellent foil for Jeremy. The characters’ differences didn’t just serve as a tension to teach each other or to grow each other, but to really flesh out well-rounded people with their own issues and obstacles to overcome.
The only reason this book didn’t get a five star rating is because of the way Jeremy’s family speaks to him. I don’t object to the use of homophobic language here in the sense that it’s true to the story and these characters are homophobic. It was more that the dialogue often felt over the top and clichéd. I think that the author could have pulled back on it and it would have served the story even better.
I recommend this book very, very highly.
I tend to be on the fence about novels where a character is closeted, because this is a plot that can easily become overwrought or that can fall on easy clichés. Heels Over Head did an excellent job of making us understand why Jeremy is closeted — it didn’t feel like a cheap plot device used for the sake of sensationalizing it at all.
Jeremy was an interesting character to fall for (as a reader). He was frustrating and fascinating and although I yelled out loud at him a few times, I was absolutely in love with him too. Although I had a hard time with his decision toward the end of the book (I won’t spoil it), Springer’s commitment to the character, and her deep understanding of how Jeremy ticks and how focused he’s been on his goal made this make sense. It would have been easy for an author take an easier route to a happy ending, but it would not have remained true to the character that had been created all through the book.
Brandon is one of those characters that has been developed with an easy charisma that attracted me from the start. Not only was his approach to life, to diving, and to his sexuality great character building, but it was an excellent foil for Jeremy. The characters’ differences didn’t just serve as a tension to teach each other or to grow each other, but to really flesh out well-rounded people with their own issues and obstacles to overcome.
The only reason this book didn’t get a five star rating is because of the way Jeremy’s family speaks to him. I don’t object to the use of homophobic language here in the sense that it’s true to the story and these characters are homophobic. It was more that the dialogue often felt over the top and clichéd. I think that the author could have pulled back on it and it would have served the story even better.
I recommend this book very, very highly.
May 16, 2020
rep: gay mcs
tw: internalised homophobia, homophobia, homophobic slurs, abusive parents, homelessness
some of the events are clearly like 'who cares abt logic, we need this to move the plot forward and have the character do some cute shit', at times it can feel like it's written by a straight person just lowkey idealising gay ppl, but overall it's actually pretty fun! and, for a new adult m/m romance book, very respectful
tw: internalised homophobia, homophobia, homophobic slurs, abusive parents, homelessness
some of the events are clearly like 'who cares abt logic, we need this to move the plot forward and have the character do some cute shit', at times it can feel like it's written by a straight person just lowkey idealising gay ppl, but overall it's actually pretty fun! and, for a new adult m/m romance book, very respectful
June 12, 2017
3.75 Stars
July 11, 2022
ooooooooooookay
I've been sitting here for an hour and I just............ listen, I love this book. somehow, when I first read it last year it took a place in my heart, and it rooted itself there. all year long I wanted to reread it because I missed my boys but I was scared I wouldn't love it as much because, as much as I tried to ignore them, there were things that didn't sit well with me.
anyways, I still love this book, I still love Jeremy and Brandon, I'm still rooting for them and I'm still soft. they are soft okay!!! soft boys who deserve to be happy!! ALSO I LOVE VALERIE WITH ALL MY HEART AND SOUL I WOULD DIE FOR HER MY DEMI, BRAVE WIFE!!!!
I'm going to give it four stars, though, because that's how I feel like right now. byeee
I've been sitting here for an hour and I just............ listen, I love this book. somehow, when I first read it last year it took a place in my heart, and it rooted itself there. all year long I wanted to reread it because I missed my boys but I was scared I wouldn't love it as much because, as much as I tried to ignore them, there were things that didn't sit well with me.
anyways, I still love this book, I still love Jeremy and Brandon, I'm still rooting for them and I'm still soft. they are soft okay!!! soft boys who deserve to be happy!! ALSO I LOVE VALERIE WITH ALL MY HEART AND SOUL I WOULD DIE FOR HER MY DEMI, BRAVE WIFE!!!!
I'm going to give it four stars, though, because that's how I feel like right now. byeee
May 28, 2017
I'm head over heels in love with this.
Review to come closer to release date, but basically: go and buy it. This is one of the best enemy to lovers I've ever read and I absolutely adore Jeremy and Brandon.
Review to come closer to release date, but basically: go and buy it. This is one of the best enemy to lovers I've ever read and I absolutely adore Jeremy and Brandon.
June 16, 2017
*4.5 stars*
September 12, 2017
El libro no me gustó nada.
December 19, 2020
6 STARS!!!
- because 5 is too low for this AMAZING book!!
"Heels over Head" is my new favourite MM romance (next to HIM) and it really deserves more credit. I pick it up because my favourite BookTuber (gabbyreads) recommended it. I´m really grateful since it was the first time - and only-I heard about this book.
Jeremy, as most elite athletes, has been working all his life to get a gold olympic medal. He is the perfect athlete: focused, hard-working and talented. He´s been trained by a legend, Andrey, who was retired and decided to return to coach him. Jeremy is one of the best divers in the world, but his dad is ashamed of him. He´s always telling Jeremy that diving is for "fags" (his own words). Jeremy didn´t even tell him that he is actually gay - and he´s not going to. He only want his father to be proud of him and thinks he´ll be if he wins the Olympic medal. So his life consists of training, studying and staying "inside the closet".
Brandon is the opposite from Jeremy. He´s openly gay and doesn´t really care about medals. He loves diving and he´s just got a scolarship for it - he can barely believe his luck! He´s been diving only for two years, but he´s incredible talented. So talented, that Andrey makes another excepcion and decides to train him too. But Brandon is not as serious as Jeremy, and Jeremy is angry at him for waste his talent. But Brandon want to be his friend and show Jeremy he´s wrong.
The book is written in dual POV. Although Jeremy is the one who wins the championships, Brandon is the HEROE of this book without doubt. Brandon is so nice, charming and cute. He´s the reason this book exists, because Jeremy is truly rude at him in the beginnig. I would have stop trying to be friendly with an asshole, but Brandon is a ray of light. However, I didn´t hate Jeremy because I truly connected with him. He´s a little like me: workaholic, always doing everything perfect and focused in his goal. He´s also a cold-hearted bastard (Brandon´s words). He kind of deletes his emotions because he thinks they would make him weak. So he keeps going without feeling focused only in the Olympic Games.
Thankfully, he´s only rude at the beginning, but their friendship will be built by small steps. But if you don´t like a focused, hard-working character, you´ll hate Jeremy and this book is not for you. If you were a athlete, you are workaholic, or just don´t mind this personality, you´ll connect with Jeremy too.
But "Heels Over Head" is not only about sport and love. It´s also about a boy who doesn´t want to tell the world he´s gay. It was so hard listening to his family, and how they make Jeremy feel bad about who he is. When I often read MM romance, the characters are openly gay, or think that they are straight and they´re not. They may had problems with their family, but you don´t usually see a man like Jeremy, 22 years old, who know that he´s gay and tries to delete that part of him. And you have Brandon, who has already fought for his freedom, and doesn´t deserve having to hide again.
"Heels Over Heads" was the perferct book for me. It´s a slow-burn, friend-to lovers (almost enemies to lovers) romance, that deals with being gay in a homophobic family and learning to accept yourself and be proud of who you are. But if you are looking for romance, there is a lot of love - and hot scenes- too! It´s well-written, easy to read and entertaining. The characters are so human, beautiful and cute. I connect with them 100%. I cried when Jeremy hurts Brandon with his words, cried again when Jeremy realised that he´s wrong, and weep listenning to his dad. I don´t like drama, but this book has a the perfect little amount to make this love story EPIC.
- because 5 is too low for this AMAZING book!!
"Heels over Head" is my new favourite MM romance (next to HIM) and it really deserves more credit. I pick it up because my favourite BookTuber (gabbyreads) recommended it. I´m really grateful since it was the first time - and only-I heard about this book.
Jeremy, as most elite athletes, has been working all his life to get a gold olympic medal. He is the perfect athlete: focused, hard-working and talented. He´s been trained by a legend, Andrey, who was retired and decided to return to coach him. Jeremy is one of the best divers in the world, but his dad is ashamed of him. He´s always telling Jeremy that diving is for "fags" (his own words). Jeremy didn´t even tell him that he is actually gay - and he´s not going to. He only want his father to be proud of him and thinks he´ll be if he wins the Olympic medal. So his life consists of training, studying and staying "inside the closet".
Brandon is the opposite from Jeremy. He´s openly gay and doesn´t really care about medals. He loves diving and he´s just got a scolarship for it - he can barely believe his luck! He´s been diving only for two years, but he´s incredible talented. So talented, that Andrey makes another excepcion and decides to train him too. But Brandon is not as serious as Jeremy, and Jeremy is angry at him for waste his talent. But Brandon want to be his friend and show Jeremy he´s wrong.
The book is written in dual POV. Although Jeremy is the one who wins the championships, Brandon is the HEROE of this book without doubt. Brandon is so nice, charming and cute. He´s the reason this book exists, because Jeremy is truly rude at him in the beginnig. I would have stop trying to be friendly with an asshole, but Brandon is a ray of light. However, I didn´t hate Jeremy because I truly connected with him. He´s a little like me: workaholic, always doing everything perfect and focused in his goal. He´s also a cold-hearted bastard (Brandon´s words). He kind of deletes his emotions because he thinks they would make him weak. So he keeps going without feeling focused only in the Olympic Games.
Thankfully, he´s only rude at the beginning, but their friendship will be built by small steps. But if you don´t like a focused, hard-working character, you´ll hate Jeremy and this book is not for you. If you were a athlete, you are workaholic, or just don´t mind this personality, you´ll connect with Jeremy too.
But "Heels Over Head" is not only about sport and love. It´s also about a boy who doesn´t want to tell the world he´s gay. It was so hard listening to his family, and how they make Jeremy feel bad about who he is. When I often read MM romance, the characters are openly gay, or think that they are straight and they´re not. They may had problems with their family, but you don´t usually see a man like Jeremy, 22 years old, who know that he´s gay and tries to delete that part of him. And you have Brandon, who has already fought for his freedom, and doesn´t deserve having to hide again.
"Heels Over Heads" was the perferct book for me. It´s a slow-burn, friend-to lovers (almost enemies to lovers) romance, that deals with being gay in a homophobic family and learning to accept yourself and be proud of who you are. But if you are looking for romance, there is a lot of love - and hot scenes- too! It´s well-written, easy to read and entertaining. The characters are so human, beautiful and cute. I connect with them 100%. I cried when Jeremy hurts Brandon with his words, cried again when Jeremy realised that he´s wrong, and weep listenning to his dad. I don´t like drama, but this book has a the perfect little amount to make this love story EPIC.
August 20, 2017
DNF. Brandon had a low IQ or he had a mental disorder. He wasn't doing drugs. So........ Well, whatever his issue was, he was abnormal plus he had a crappy attitude. He was very unlikable. I quit caring and lost interest in him.
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