Hannah Knight's husband Ryan passed away in a car accident three years ago. Since then, she and her young son
Brayden have made it a tradition to take a vacation around the anniversary of his death. They're at a beach resort in the Bahamas this year, which also happens to be where professional baseball player Matt O'Riley is staying with a couple of friends to relax after a grueling
season. Hannah and Brayden are playing catch on the beach when they meet Matt, who's all too happy to join in, especially after noticing that pretty Hannah isn't wearing a wedding ring. Matt and Hannah's connection only grows as they continue to run into each other around the resort, and he asks her to have dinner alone with him on the night before she and Brayden are scheduled to leave. One thing leads to another, and four weeks later, Hannah is staring at a positive pregnancy test. The problem is that she and Matt never exchanged last names or contact information. How will she ever find him to share the news?
"The Change Up" was a fast-paced, sweet, and steamy read that featured likeable characters. Matt and Hannah were cute together, and I loved the way that Matt bonded with Brayden and immediately accepted him as his own. That said, Matt and Hannah's relationship just felt too easy to me. From the time they met, there was basically no conflict between them. Sure, Hannah had to track Matt down since they hadn't exchanged contact information at the resort, but when she did, he reacted like a doting husband and immediately jumped into family life. There never seemed to be any doubts or hesitation on either side, and without that, I was frankly a little bored at times.
There were also several details about the story that didn't entirely make sense to me. For example, the timeline was a bit confusing. Early in the story there are two time jumps of four weeks each, but when Hannah tracks Matt down, she's somehow already 16 weeks pregnant. Where did the other eight weeks go? I was also confused about why Hannah referenced a "media frenzy" when her husband died. I thought he was just a financial planner, but was he actually famous somehow? If not, why would the media be involved? There's rarely much, if any, coverage of car accidents that don't involve famous people beyond a single mention on the evening news or in the local paper.
Overall, I'd still recommend "The Change Up" for contemporary/sports romance fans looking for a light, quick read, but I can't say that this one is going to be a keeper for me. I would give the author another chance in the future, however.
*Review copy provided by the author/publisher via Wildfire Marketing Solutions. All opinions expressed are my own.
About "The Change Up"
Matt
I had it all:
A great job.
Fame.
Wealth.
I didn’t have her.
She’s the one I let slip away – from my bed on vacation.
She didn’t know who I was or what my batting average was.
I got to be myself with her and now I wish I’d gotten her number.
Hannah
It was supposed to be fun.
He was hot.
I needed a break.
I got two little pink lines.
So much time had passed and I didn’t know how to find him or what to say.
But here he is.
Matt Riley - professional baseball player and my baby's daddy.
Maybe, a night of fun could turn into my forever.
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