meh. but almost too unrealistic. cute and easy, light read. ( )

I really liked how this story started out at first. Girl who loves Soccer so much everything doesn't seem to matter to her, until she meets a guy who was so good at the sport she loved and everything changed. I liked it how Trisha seemed clueless and awkward of the feelings she's starting to have for Graham.What I do not like is how she's whiny and blames it to her bestfriends. I mean how could you blame your bestfriends for making you realize you like someone? Shouldn't you be grateful that they helped you realize that? I was a little bit irritated with Trisha because she was being a brat. Instead of helping Sara with her situation with Kirk, she goes on and complain about how Sara and Beth ruined her life. She loved soccer that much that she's blaming everything on her friends?This is a classic example of how girls should not assume. How can Trisha assume that Graham doesn't like her? And all the other assumptions made the story unnecessarily complicated.I feel bad for her though. She had to denounce her feelings for Graham because she was so afraid she'd lose the one thing that matters to her the most. Soccer. And when she saw Sara and Beth getting all happy, and she felt alone, I feel really sad for her.She finally realized she was a girl in a really painful way.It's funny how things seemed to worked out for her in the end though. She got into the Varsity Team, she made up with her friends and she felt good about Soccer again. I guess in the end Trisha is just so naive and stubborn and totally clueless how to deal with her feelings for Graham. She was so unsure and it was kind of cute in a way. Her friends had to help her out again.Overall I think this an okay book. I enjoyed reading it. It wasn't the best but I was satisfied with how it ended. I think Graham and Trisha would make a cute couple! ( )

Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com

Trisha is focused on soccer. Her two best friends, Sara and Beth, also play soccer, but they'd rather be hanging out at Pop's flirting with the boys.

When the JV Soccer coach announces that two of the players will be bumping up to Varsity, Trisha is overjoyed to hear she's on the short list for consideration. Sara is by far the best player, but she isn't nearly as excited as Trisha. So while Sara and Beth head off to Pop's, Trisha decides she's going to put in extra practice time.

When she heads over to the other field, she finds a lone (cute) boy practicing, as well. Trisha has never seen him before, and he's good! He introduces himself as Graham, a new student. He invites Trisha to practice with him, and the two get serious. They push each other harder and soon they are both aching and drenched in sweat. They decide to continue practicing together each afternoon and Graham is just as determined to help Trisha reach Varsity status.

But it doesn't help Trisha when her two friends notice Graham and start telling Trisha how hot he is. Trisha isn't into boys yet, and Graham can't be bothered with girly girls. But when Sara and Beth keep on about Graham, Trisha slowly starts to realize that she gets strange feelings when she's around him.

When the Varsity coach comes to preview the girls before tryouts, Trisha loses her concentration and knows that she can't be around Graham anymore. She'll just have to practice on her own to make the Varsity cut.

THE BOYFRIEND GAME is a sweet look at first love. Trisha is taken by surprise with her feelings for Graham, but what is equally as appealing is seeing Graham struggle with his own conflicting emotions.

The story is simple and quick, but leaves the reader with a happy feeling by the final page. ( )