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mandathebiblio's review against another edition
3.0
**I got a copy of this book from Netgalley for my honest review**
Unfortunately, I really wanted to love this one, but I just didn't. There were aspects that I really enjoyed. I loved the bowling backdrop to the story and I really did enjoy the overall story between these two. My biggest issues with the book, though, were that it just felt so LONG. But at the same time, I felt like it needed more to it. I felt like a lot of the big plot points of this book were just skimmed over. There were a lot of conversations that we should have seen happening and they were just passed by and later said that the conversation happened and made a huge difference in relationships. I just wish that some parts were delved deeper into.
Unfortunately, I really wanted to love this one, but I just didn't. There were aspects that I really enjoyed. I loved the bowling backdrop to the story and I really did enjoy the overall story between these two. My biggest issues with the book, though, were that it just felt so LONG. But at the same time, I felt like it needed more to it. I felt like a lot of the big plot points of this book were just skimmed over. There were a lot of conversations that we should have seen happening and they were just passed by and later said that the conversation happened and made a huge difference in relationships. I just wish that some parts were delved deeper into.
cakt1991's review
3.5
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
When announcements were trickling in about the authors releasing books with the Afterglow imprint, Karmen Lee was the one I was most excited for, as I’ve read a few of her indie titles, and enjoyed them. Also, I’ll never stop being excited for Black sapphic representation! And in the sea of relatively “same-y” sports romances, focused on hockey or football, I loved that this one was about bowling, something I know a bit more about, albeit not on the competitive level.
The characters absolutely are the standout here, along with their developing relationship. Ava and Grace have a history as best friends and friendly rivals until they fell apart due to them not being able to reckon with the feelings between them. I enjoyed watching them being thrown back together and being forced to reckon with all the baggage and unresolved tension between them.
But as much as I really liked the romance, I felt like it wasn’t strong enough to fully carry the overall story. Yes, there was also the bowling competition aspect, but the book still felt oddly paced, with long stretches of not much happening.
But the story is sweet overall, and I’m excited that there’s more to come following supporting characters from this world. I recommend this book to readers looking for a Black sapphic romance, I’d recommend checking this out!
sarrie's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
TL;DR: This was just fun. Don't get in expecting a super deep or involved novel, but it was fun and unique with a focus on bowling.
Source: NetGalley, thank you to Harlequin for the eARC!
Plot: Old high school rivals become co-coaches for the teams bowling team and the lanes get hot!
Characters: I liked them, though I wish we'd gotten clearly motivations on a lot of what happens to them and their families.
Setting: A small town, with small town vibes. It was integrated well but not explained in depth.
Romance: I did really like the relationship between the two even if I feel like we didn't get all the details on what happened to them before? I was happy with where they ended up.
Thoughts:
The 7-10 Split is what I would call a super fun and light romance. It follows two women, one who has recently moved back home to become a teacher as they come together to co-coach a bowling team. The two once had an intense rivalry/friendship that ended poorly before high school graduation and bad feelings still linger. So they have to figure that out in order to save the team and of course they catch feelings in the process.
Overall my only big complaint about this story is that I felt like it was maybe too light on it’s touch? It was fun, and engaging and the chemistry was there on page! But any time we started to get just a hint of something deeper or more involved we were swiftly shown a different part of the story and the conflict/feelings where shared and solved off page with a little bit of throwaway mention.
So if you’re wanting something super easy and light - this is going to be the book. If you want something with a bit more meat, maybe not? I will definitely be continuing to read Karmen Lee in the future.
4 out of 5 bowling balls
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Racism, Death of parent, Misogyny, and Death
annagwritesandreads's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book early.
General Description: Ava Williams has been petitioning for a bowling club at the high school she teaches at for the past four years. However, it's always shot down. Until, local bowling legend Grace Jones, returns to town as a teacher and suggests the club to the principal, who readily agrees. Ava is conflicted, especially because she is told she must coach alongside Grace, her high school nemesis. The women will have to face their past if they want to move forward with a bowling team, but will they be able to do it? What will their relationship develop into? Will the bowling team triumph? You'll have to read to find out!
The goods:
- The banter between Ava and Grace for me is top tier.
- The side characters were meddling in both of the women's lives and I was here for it.
- You do handle heavier topics such as moving, death, and discovering yourself as a person which I felt added depth to the book.
- The high school kids' commentary was hilarious
The loss of a star:
- A half start off is because of the lack of bowling information in this book. And this is because I am being nit-picky as a current high school bowling coach and someone who was on a high school bowling team for four years. It is called the 7-10 split but I had a lot of bowling logistical questions that weren't answered in the book.
- It ended way too quickly. I feel like the final resolution could have been quite a bit longer, which made the pacing of the book feel off for me.
Overall: If you're looking for a contemporary romance book, this would be a great next pick for you!
General Description: Ava Williams has been petitioning for a bowling club at the high school she teaches at for the past four years. However, it's always shot down. Until, local bowling legend Grace Jones, returns to town as a teacher and suggests the club to the principal, who readily agrees. Ava is conflicted, especially because she is told she must coach alongside Grace, her high school nemesis. The women will have to face their past if they want to move forward with a bowling team, but will they be able to do it? What will their relationship develop into? Will the bowling team triumph? You'll have to read to find out!
The goods:
- The banter between Ava and Grace for me is top tier.
- The side characters were meddling in both of the women's lives and I was here for it.
- You do handle heavier topics such as moving, death, and discovering yourself as a person which I felt added depth to the book.
- The high school kids' commentary was hilarious
The loss of a star:
- A half start off is because of the lack of bowling information in this book. And this is because I am being nit-picky as a current high school bowling coach and someone who was on a high school bowling team for four years. It is called the 7-10 split but I had a lot of bowling logistical questions that weren't answered in the book.
- It ended way too quickly. I feel like the final resolution could have been quite a bit longer, which made the pacing of the book feel off for me.
Overall: If you're looking for a contemporary romance book, this would be a great next pick for you!
pn_hinton's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
fanboyriot's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
♡ Small Town
♡ Rivals to Lovers
♡ Workplace Romance
Such a cozy entertaining read. The rivals to lovers was done nicely and the workplace romance did not disappoint.
Ava being turned down after suggesting they start a bowling team at the school then things get worse when she meets the new AP Science Teacher. Grace moving back to the small town and learning the history between them was just as awkward as expected.
The only thing I felt lacking was the reveal as to why they didn’t work out in college. It fell a bit flat for me. I did really enjoy this book though, this really played into the slow burn trope, and the ending was great.
Thank you to the author, Afterglow Books by Harlequin, and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️ (2/5)
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️ (2/5)
Angst Level: 💧 (1/5)
POV: Duel, Third Person
Release Date: 21, May 2024
Rep: BIPOC (Main and Side Characters), LGBTQIA+ (Main and Side Characters), Gay (Side Characters)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Alcohol, Cancer, and Sexual content
Minor: Grief and Death of parent
sapphic_library's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
THE 7-10 SPLIT is a sapphic friends to rivals to lovers story about ava and grace, two estranged high school friends. after ten years of not seeing each other, they end up teaching at the same school and coaching the bowling team together, and along the way, some old feelings start to resurface. i absolutely loved their dynamic and i felt like the build up of their relationship was very well done, which can sometimes be tricky with rivals/enemies to lovers. along with that, i really enjoyed the cast of side characters and was very excited to find out vini's story is coming out next!! if you enjoy sapphic romances, rivals to lovers, and/or bowling, you should definitely read this book. thanks to netgalley and harlequin for the advanced copy! THE 7-10 SPLIT comes out may 21st!
readwithkait's review
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
This was fun and lighthearted! It’s not very deep, but it’s cute for what it is - you get bowling, second chance, teachers, and a bit of even enemies to lovers. The plot isn’t super deep, and you don’t get way into some of the back story, but I think that’s to be expected by a book this size.
I was provided a complimentary ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
bookishmillennial's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial
A sweet sapphic workplace rivals & sports romance!
Ava and Grace advise the new bowling team at their small town high school (where Ava has taught for years, & Grace became a teacher recently), & must lead them to victories to ensure the success of the club. However, they used to be best friends a long time ago, but after sharing a kiss, they are now rivals & deeply upset with the other. Their new close proximity gives them a second chance at whatever went wrong last time, & they must finally confront their feelings for one another.
This was a super quick read, and since it’s set at a high school, it felt familiar and cozy. I hadn’t engaged with a bowling romance or even story in general since Alley Cats Strike! So this was quite delightful for me. I felt similarly about why they stopped talking as I did with Emily Henry’s People We Meet on Vacation (sorry to spoil the book for anyone), because I was like, “really?!” But I also can’t judge because I recognize it rings true to so many situations so I feel conflicted about my feelings 😂
Overall, it was cute and I’d read more from Karmen Lee in the future. I think this would be a cute romcom on a made-for-streaming-service movie.
Steam rating: 2.5/5
A sweet sapphic workplace rivals & sports romance!
Ava and Grace advise the new bowling team at their small town high school (where Ava has taught for years, & Grace became a teacher recently), & must lead them to victories to ensure the success of the club. However, they used to be best friends a long time ago, but after sharing a kiss, they are now rivals & deeply upset with the other. Their new close proximity gives them a second chance at whatever went wrong last time, & they must finally confront their feelings for one another.
This was a super quick read, and since it’s set at a high school, it felt familiar and cozy. I hadn’t engaged with a bowling romance or even story in general since Alley Cats Strike! So this was quite delightful for me. I felt similarly about why they stopped talking as I did with Emily Henry’s People We Meet on Vacation (sorry to spoil the book for anyone), because I was like, “really?!” But I also can’t judge because I recognize it rings true to so many situations so I feel conflicted about my feelings 😂
Overall, it was cute and I’d read more from Karmen Lee in the future. I think this would be a cute romcom on a made-for-streaming-service movie.
Steam rating: 2.5/5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent, Alcohol, and Cancer
whitwein's review
4.0
Sapphic romance with bowling?! Yes please!
This was a cute romance with second chance romance, rivals to lovers, small town, teachers/coaches and bowling!
Ava is trying to start a bowling league at the high school she teaches at and when she gets it approved it comes with a co-coach! Her childhood rival Grace is back in town and teaching too. Will they be able to coach together and leave all the childhood drama behind them?
This was cute. I like a second chance romance. I feel like where I struggled was the pacing-felt a tad slow at the beginning with a lot crammed in at the end but I would absolutely continue with this series!
Thanks to netgalley and harlequin for an eARC.
This was a cute romance with second chance romance, rivals to lovers, small town, teachers/coaches and bowling!
Ava is trying to start a bowling league at the high school she teaches at and when she gets it approved it comes with a co-coach! Her childhood rival Grace is back in town and teaching too. Will they be able to coach together and leave all the childhood drama behind them?
This was cute. I like a second chance romance. I feel like where I struggled was the pacing-felt a tad slow at the beginning with a lot crammed in at the end but I would absolutely continue with this series!
Thanks to netgalley and harlequin for an eARC.