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Catching feelings
Author: Emily CharlottePage Count: UnknownPublication Date: Expected publication 2026-09-01 APL The synopsis for Catching Feelings reads like a high school yearbook entry—all glossy promises and carefully curated chaos, the kind of thing that makes you wonder if the author’s ever actually been in a locker room where the air smells like sweat and regret, not just some sanitized version of football glory. There’s a certain Friday Night Lights nostalgia here, but where T. C. McGrath’s work had the grit of a real town, this feels more like a TikTok trend—swoony chemistry, a cousin plot twist, and the kind of romantic tension that’s been distilled into a single emoji: 🔥. And yet—here’s the thing—it’s not bad. It’s just… expected. Like a perfectly baked cookie that still tastes like the recipe from the back of a box. The synopsis leans hard into the "romance with school spirit" trope, which is fine if you’re craving the kind of escapism that doesn’t require you to think too hard. Sabrina’s focus on the Spirit Committee is a classic YA stand-in for "I’m too busy being responsible to fall in love," and Tyler’s transfer story is the kind of backstory that’s been mined for decades—new kid, new town, new problems. But where Heart Check (Charlotte’s previous book) had a sharper edge, this feels more like a warm-up act for the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before franchise, if that franchise had a football team. The cousin plot twist is the kind of thing that makes you roll your eyes in advance, because it’s been done so many times it’s practically a YA cliché now—like the "fake dating" trope, but with more cleats. And don’t even get me started on the Ryan character. He’s the kind of love-to-hate side character that exists solely to make the protagonist’s life miserable, which is fine in moderation, but here it feels like the synopsis is trying too hard to sell the "chaos" angle. Ryan is exactly the kind of guy who would show up in a Riverdale episode, not a contemporary YA romance—flirtatious, persistent, and ultimately a distraction from the real drama, which is Sabrina and Tyler’s inevitable, doomed romance. But here’s the kicker: the synopsis doesn’t even show us the chemistry. It just tells us it’s there, like a movie trailer where the only thing you see is a guy in a jersey and a girl in a cheer uniform, both smiling at the camera. Where’s the tension? Where’s the conflict? The synopsis is so vague it might as well be a Choose Your Own Adventure book—you’re just supposed to trust that the romance will happen, because that’s the whole point. Yet—yet—there’s something oddly comforting about the way this book is being marketed. It’s the kind of thing you’d read while sipping chai, the kind of thing that makes you feel like you’re back in high school, even if you’ve been out of it for a decade. It’s the Falling Like Leaves of the YA romance world—sweet, predictable, and just sweet enough to make you forget about the messier parts of life. But then I remember how much I hated The Love Hypothesis, and how much I still can’t stand the way contemporary YA romances often treat emotional labor like a game of musical chairs, and I start to wonder if this is just another step in the direction of formulaic, algorithm-friendly romance. The cousin plot twist is the kind of thing that makes you want to scream, but also makes you wonder if the book will actually deliver on the tension. Because let’s be honest—if this were a movie, the cousin reveal would be the moment where the camera zooms in on their faces, and you’d just know they were going to kiss anyway. The synopsis doesn’t give us enough to go on, which is frustrating, but also kind of refreshing in a way. It’s like being handed a puzzle with half the pieces missing—you can imagine the rest, but you’re not sure if it’s going to be pretty or a mess. And then there’s the whole "senior year" thing. It’s a trope so overused it’s practically a meme now, but it’s also the kind of thing that makes you nostalgic, even if you don’t want to be. It’s the same way The Secret History made you feel like you were back in college, even though you’ve been out of it for years. But where The Secret History had depth, this feels like it’s trying to be The Hating Game meets Spirit Animals—a mix of banter and animal symbolism that doesn’t quite land. The synopsis doesn’t even mention animals, but I can’t help but wonder if there’s going to be some kind of metaphorical cheerleading squad or something, because that’s just how YA romances work these days. But enough about all that. The real question is: will this book live up to the hype? Or will it be another one of those romances that’s so sweet it’s almost painful? I don’t know, but I do know that if it’s anything like The Love Hypothesis, I’m going to be very disappointed. And if it’s anything like Heart Check, then maybe it’ll be worth the read. But right now, all I can say is that I’m waiting for the book to arrive, and I’m already dreading the cousin plot twist. My daughter just informed me her science fair is tomorrow, not next week. #BookTok #YARomance #SeniorYearNostalgia #FootballRomance #CousinPlotTwist