Kate Marchant, author of Float, presents a story about a young journalist who fights for the truth to come to light―even if it means she might lose everything . . .
Laurel Cates, a junior at Garland University, has no desire for the spotlight. She's determined to complete her degree with as little fuss as possible. As a writer for Garland’s school paper, the Daily, Laurel sticks to well-written fluff pieces. But when she uncovers a scandal involving the school’s beloved football coach, Laurel knows she has to expose the truth.
Even if her classmates don't believe her.
Even if her boss threatens to fire her from her desperately-needed job.
And even if the superhot quarterback with a heart-of-gold, Bodie St. James, is hell-bent on stopping her from publishing.
In the aftermath of the article, Laurel’s crush turns into her enemy as Bodie tries to protect the man who has been like a father to him. But as the interactions between the pair deepen, so too do their feelings for each other and an unlikely romance blossoms. Laurel soon realizes her uncompromising values will bring her closer to her desires, and closer to the truth–and closer to finding her voice.
Laurel never expected to uncover any major truths when writing for the school paper at Garland University, but a late assignment about the school’s football coach causes her to dive deeper than she ever has into any story before. The football coach, Truman Vaughn, has been sober for many years, but Laurel is certain she has proof to question his sobriety and, not only that, she has reason to suspect the school is covering for his sexism, and hiding truths to keep the money flowing in. Determined to get the truth out in the open, Laurel starts to investigate.
Bodie St. James is the star quarterback, and although he owes a lot to Vaughn, even he can’t deny that something is going on, and when Laurel starts poking around for interviews, he finds himself drawn deeper into trying to find out the truth. Between classes, interviews, and assignments, Bodie and Laurel start finding themselves spending more and more time together. And as the truth starts to reveal itself, certain feelings between them also start to shine through…
I absolutely loved reading this book. The characters were easy to fall in love with, and I was desperate to know the truth behind Vaughn’s actions. Laurel is an incredibly dedicated person, when she gets her mind set on something, she can’t stop until she has achieved what she set out to. Even if it means publishing things the school doesn’t want revealed, or staging mass uprisings to get the voices of the marginalised heard. I adored Laurel, she is a very easy character to get behind, and I just wanted to be her friend!
The romance between Laurel and Bodie is inevitable, but slow in coming. The chemistry is undeniable, but there are things keeping them apart, things that would severely compromise both Laurel’s quest to reveal the truth, and Bodie’s position on the football team. I can easily say that I absolutely loved Bodie, he is so kind and considerate, always trying to do the right thing, even when he’s not sure what the right thing is. He puts so much effort into looking after everybody else, and cares a lot about his friends. I think everyone needs a Bodie in their life, and it is a real shame that he is a fictional character. If there were a way to bring fictional men to life, the whole world would be a much better place!
One thing in particular that I loved about this book is that it has a lot of inclusivity, without making it too pronounced, or making it a main plot point. There is a lot of casual representation, such as the mention of a same-sex marriage, and the use of they/them pronouns. I loved coming across these topics mentioned so casually, as in a lot of books that talk about things such as gender and sexuality, it is made a main topic, rather than just being considered a normal part of the characters’ lives. I think the author has done a fabulous job of portraying normality and acceptance in regards to these topics.
There are some difficult subjects covered in this book, including rape and sexual harassment, and readers should be aware that these topics are covered when going into the book. With the difficulty Laurel has in finding the truth after things have been covered up and overlooked, it is easy to see how so many women struggle to have their voices heard, even if it’s about something important. Truths are twisted into lies to protect the positions of the men, and the women are pushed aside until everyone forgets anything ever happened. The author clearly has very strong opinions on these topics, which are so incredibly important, and it was heartbreaking to read about how some of the women were scared to come forward, knowing that they weren’t going to get any kind of justice. This book has been written amazingly well with regards to such sensitive subjects, and any reader will be able to feel the emotion behind the words.
This book isn’t all intense topics, though. After all, they are university students. There are parties aplenty, and more than enough instances with a little too much wine. Relationships come and go, and there are bad part-time jobs to deal with. This book is a wonderfully real representation of a university student's life, and Laurel and her friends come across as very real in the telling. The author has done a wonderful job with this book. There is drama, truths and lies, love, and trust. And, of course, attempting to reveal hidden secrets to the world. This is an author I hadn’t come across before, but one I will certainly be returning to. I loved reading this book, and can’t wait to read more by this author!
Kate Marchant is an American author of Young Adult and New Adult contemporary fiction. Born and raised in Oakland, California, she began writing on the serialization fiction platform Wattpad when she was just fifteen. In 2017, she graduated magna cum laude from the University of Southern California with a degree in Creative Writing and a minor in Art. After a brief stint at a startup and a few years working at a private school, she now lives and writes in San Francisco.
Her debut novel, Float, is being adapted for the big screen and will star Robbie Amell and Andrea Bang.
Kate Marchant is an American author of Young Adult and New Adult contemporary fiction. Born and raised in Oakland, California, she began writing on the serialization fiction platform Wattpad when she was just fifteen. In 2017, she graduated magna cum laude from the University of Southern California with a degree in Creative Writing and a minor in Art. After a brief stint at a startup and a few years working at a private school, she now lives and writes in San Francisco.
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