Review: Under the Lights (The Field Party #2) by Abbi Glines

Title: Under the Lights
Series: The Field Party #2

Author: Abbi Glines
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Published: August 23, 2016
Pages: 320
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Source: Ebook

In the follow-up to Abbi Glines’s #1 New York Times bestseller Until Friday Night—three teens from a small southern town are stuck in a dramatic love triangle.

Willa can’t erase the bad decisions of her past that led her down the path she’s on now. But she can fight for forgiveness from her family. And she can protect herself by refusing to let anyone else get close to her.

High school quarterback and town golden boy Brady used to be the best of friends with Willa—she even had a crush on him when they were kids. But that’s all changed now: her life choices have made her a different person from the girl he used to know.

Gunner used to be friends with Willa and Brady, too. He too is larger than life and a high school football star—not to mention that his family basically owns the town of Lawton. He loves his life, and doesn’t care about anyone except himself. But Willa is the exception—and he understands the girl she’s become in a way no one else can.

As secrets come to light and hearts are broken, these former childhood friends must face the truth about growing up and falling in love…even if it means losing each other forever.

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MY REVIEW

Warning: This review MAY contain SPOILERS.

Compared to the first book in this series, this one felt like it was lacking something. I really loved the first book of this series and I was fairly shocked when I didn't love this one as much. I certainly enjoyed it, but it didn't wow me as much as the first book did. 

I think that the differences between Until Friday Night and Under the Lights lie in a few areas. The first thing that I noticed was most of the story seemed to take place outside of school or school functions. And for a book series centered around high school football, it seemed odd. I was in the mood for a high school story and I didn't feel like I got that. The majority of the story centers around the drama surrounding the two main characters' family and personal lives. The other part of the story was the romance, which was a love triangle between childhood friends. 

Another difference was the lack of a family support system. Granted, this was one of the issues that each of the main characters had, but I felt like the author could have included more support from friends. I know that the way the two main characters confided in each other was a way that they grew close and fell in love, but they could have still done that with the support of friends. It felt a little unrealistic that Gunner would not have confided in Brady about ANYTHING that was going on in his home life. And since he didn't, what does that say about their friendship? 

While the first thirty percent of the book felt way too slowly paced, once the drama started coming out things started to pick up. And I have to admit that the drama was shocking and definitely compelled me to read more. I was not expecting the way that all the drama unfolded, which I appreciated. I love when I can't see the twists coming in a story. 

I really liked the journey that the two main characters face. They both have their own demons to conquer and they find themselves doing so with help from the other. That being said, I didn't feel overly connected to the characters as I did in the first book. I felt like they could have used more development in terms of depth. They had great backstories, but that isn't all that makes a character relatable. 

Okay, that ending was pretty uneventful and disappointing. After everything that happens in the story, I was expecting something more. I did like seeing the scene at the end from when Gunner and Willa were children, but I needed more of them in the present. I needed an ending with more finality. There wasn't enough closure. 

Overall, I enjoyed this book but it did not live up to the first book for me. This book left me feeling like something was missing. That something special that makes a book stand out to you when you read it. It has a decent story and likable characters, but the magic was missing. I still recommend this series to those that enjoy small town YA stories. I'm definitely continuing the series with After the Game, and I am hoping that Brady's story wows me where this one did not.

THIS BOOK CONTRIBUTED TO THESE 2018 READING CHALLENGES

- Beat the Backlist Challenge
- Tackle My TBR Challenge
- Finishing the Series Challenge
- Contemporary Romance Challenge
- Popsugar 2019 Reading Challenge

Check out my 2019 Challenge Page to see my progress!

This was a book that ran the middle of the road for me. I didn't dislike it by any means, but I wasn't wowed. I think that those are the books that are the hardest to review. What are some books that were hard for you to review? Do you have a love/hate relationship with 3 star reads?