Release Date: February 1st 2013
Published By: Harlequin Teen
Pages: 368
Goodreads: Add it to your reading list

Rating: 4 out of 5

Synopsis:

When Native American Fredericka ‘Fred’ Oday is invited to become the only girl on the school’s golf team, she can’t say no. This is an opportunity to shine, win a scholarship and go to university, something no one in her family has done.

But Fred’s presence on the team isn’t exactly welcome — especially not to rich golden boy Ryan Berenger, whose best friend was kicked off the team to make a spot for Fred.

But there’s no denying that things are happening between the girl with the killer swing and the boy with the killer smile…

GET HOOKED ON A GIRL NAMED FRED.

Review: Hooked is about a girl named Fred Oday. She is native American and lives on the Rez. Her family is struggling financially, and her mother is an alcoholic and can be quite abusive towards the family. The one escape from her life is golf. Fred practices on the course after hours (it’s free then), and is ecstatic when she is accepted onto the school golf team. Problem is, is that the rest of the team is male. And for her to be given a spot, someone was kicked off the team.

Ryan Berenger is on the golf team, and his best friend Seth was kicked off in place of a girl. He thinks this is ridiculous - that is until he meets Fred for himself.

I really loved this story. I identified with Fred’s character from the family perspective. My family was a similar background and so often I wasn’t able to afford things I really wanted because there just wasn’t the money around. Similarly, there was also drug and alcohol abuse in my family and so reading Fred’s life bought a lot of that back to me, and so I instantly felt for her. I loved her nature, that she wasn’t one to complain about how her is - it just is, and she gets on with it. I found that quite admirable.

Ryan and Fred have a rocky relationship, and for about half the book (on and off), there’s tension and issues between them, and for the other half they’re quite close and have resolved their problems. I thought that it was quite realistic of a teenage romance, and found it refreshing to not have another case of instalove, where everything is perfect after the moment they meet.

I really thought highly of Ryan’s attitude when he found out more about Fred and her living conditions. He didn’t offer her pity or look down on her. He didn’t treat her any differently, and considering he’s quite a well off kid, you’d expect them to turn their nose, but he showed a lot of class. I just enjoyed his character as a whole really - there was a lot of development with Ryan. He was quite close minded and went along with the crowd at the start, even when his friends were obnoxious, rude and racist towards Fred. And then we start to see him wake up to himself and he makes progress - tells his friends to stop it, and becomes really aware of how badly people have treated Fred. It’s quite endearing to see his progress throughout the book.

The side characters added more dimension to this also. Gwyneth and Seth were just nasty pasties, and they stayed that way consistently throughout… I don’t feel like either of them ultimately learnt their lesson which was a shame. Riley and Sam are sooooo cute! I really liked both of their characters a whole lot. I am excited to know the next book in this series, Played, is based on Riley and Sam’s story, so that sounds promising!

A great book, I even liked the golf parts (and I hate golf). Highly entertaining, lots of drama that kept me turning the pages. Check this one out for sure! :)

Trailer: