When I read the description for Out of Play, I got really excited and couldn't wait to read it, but I was actually pretty underwhelmed by it all. Here are my problems with it:

1. I do not believe a guy in a famous Grammy winning band could go to small town anywhere, interact with people, and not be recognized by at least more than one person. Sorry, not buying, never have and never will.

2. If Bishop had such a huge problem, why just send him of to detox? If you really want to help him, get his ass in rehab! On a similar note, Gary doesn't seem to actually do much other than talk to Troy on the phone and have unsuccessful therapy-like talks with Bishop. He gives a kid detoxing a bit too much free reign for it to be realistic for me.

3. It is very easy to see what Bishop sees in Penny, but I'm not sure what she sees in him. He's broody, secretive, and (my one major no-no) smokes. If I were looking through Penny's eyes, I'd be staying far away from Bishop. (And lip piercing? Yuck!)

4. Though I like Penny, I do not always understand her. I guess we're just too vastly different (she'd hate me because I despise hockey in all shapes and forms) because I couldn't understand why she wouldn't want to at least consider the option of going to one of the awesome schools offering her a scholarship. Idiot!

5. Penny's mom just got under my skin! What a horrible excuse for a mother! Sure, you can sneak around with a boyfriend and leave your daughter to run your house, but see her sneak back in once and you throw a fit? She didn't even seem to know Penny at all.

6. Penny lingers on liking Mitch for too long. That whole thing should've been wrapped up sooner.

So, now that I've effectively trashed major points to the book, let me praise it a little bit. I loved the banter between Penny and Bishop, and while the romantic scenes felt familiar, they were enjoyable. I did like Penny. I felt like she was a huge change from the typical girl in these books. You know, the one that is holding onto some deep dark secret and then falls in love with some alpha male who protects her? Nope, Penny ain't having none of that. She's more than capable of taking care of herself, and I would definitely say she is a great example of someone young girls could look up to. It's good to know those kind of girls still exist in YA. My favorite character had to be Gramps because he was just so funny and real, and I've never had a grandfather but I'd want mine to be like Gramps.

Out of Play was neither a hit nor a miss for me. It fell in the middle. Not sure if I recommend.

P.S. You don't need to know anything about hockey or drumming to enjoy this book. (Just in case that was a concern.)