Front and Center by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

Synopsis:
After five months of sheer absolute craziness I was going back to being plain old background D.J. In photographs of course I'm always in the background--it's a family joke, actually, that us Schwenk kids could go to school naked on picture day, we're all so crazy tall. But I mean I was returning to the background of life. Where no one would really notice me or talk about me or even talk to me much except to say things like "Nice shot," and I could just hang out without too many worries at all.

But it turns out other folks have big plans for D.J. Like her coach. College scouts. All the town hoops fans. A certain Red Bend High School junior who's keen for romance and karaoke. Not to mention Brian Nelson, who she should not be thinking about! Who she's done with, thank you very much. But who keeps showing up anyway...

What's going to happen if she lets these people down? What's going to happen when she does? Because let's face it: there's no way, on the court or off, that awkward, tongue-tied D.J. Schwenk can manage all this attention. No way at all. Not without a brain transplant. Not without breaking her heart.

My Rating: 5/10

My Thoughts:
Oh man, what to say. I had some problems with the second book, but it was nothing compared to this one. My biggest problem was finishing it. D.J. drove me crazy in this book. The fact that she gets nervous talking to people is STILL a major theme. Dead horse? Stick? Anyone? I wanted to scream at her. Suck it up, talk to the coaches, make the phone call, believe in yourself a little bit! I thought it was a big unrealistic that D.J. who admits readily that she's the best female basketball player at her school, and she has all these coaches telling her she should play for them, yet she still questions her ability. I was over that whine fest early in the novel.

It was only worth reading as a wrap-up for the series, and to see the growth Brian ends up going through as a person. Though in my opinion, I don't know if I would have forgiven him like D.J.

Read it to conclude the series, but really that's all it has going for it.