Publishers Weekly
05/31/2021
The spare, bold latest from Adrian (Everything Here Is Under Control) follows a sportswriter as she reckons with middle age. Ruth Devon, 42, covers NBA games and longs for a television analyst position now held by her ex-husband, Lester, who is about to retire. Meanwhile, Ruth and Lester’s daughter, Ariana, a high school senior, aspires to be a model, and Ruth has a boyfriend, Joel, who is six years her junior. When Ruth learns she is unexpectedly pregnant, she struggles with deciding whether to tell Joel and weighs her career ambition as well as her devotion to Ariana. Adrian cleverly structures the novel around Ruth’s experiences during the NBA finals, as she covers a conflict between two best friends who play play for the opposing teams (“For the next four games he’s my enemy,” one says). As the games unfold in sharp detail, with attention paid to the action on the court and on the sidelines, Adrian raises the stakes on Ruth’s attempt to keep a handle on things. Even the sports-averse will be caught up in the drama. (July)
Library Journal
08/13/2021
Ruth Devon is a college basketball player turned sideline reporter who has worked her way up through the NCAA, the WNBA, and the NBA. She was the first woman to announce a nationally televised NBA game, she has been inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, and she is a favorite among the players she interviews. What she really loves doing is calling NBA games from the analyst's chair, the job her ex-husband Lester has just announced he is retiring from. Ruth shoots her shot, but can she balance her career and her home life while competing against well-qualified men in a male-dominated profession? Adrian (Everything Here Is Under Control) captures the experience of working women with impeccable nuance, touching on topics like imposter syndrome, sexist double standards, and the pressure to be a perfect mother and a successful working woman. VERDICT Adrian's latest isn't just for basketball lovers; fans of the sport will enjoy the view of an eventful NBA season from the locker rooms and the sidelines, while non-sporty readers will enjoy the complex characters managing very public and sometimes messy lives.—Cate Triola, Univ. of Minnesota
