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The Comeback Season

by Jennifer E. Smith (Goodreads Author)

3.86 · rating details · 247 ratings · 63 reviews

The last place Ryan Walsh should be this afternoon is on a train heading to Wrigley Field. She should be in class, enduring yet another miserable day of her first year of high school. But for once, Ryan isn't thinking about what she should be doing. She's not worried about her lack of friends, or her suffering math grade, or how it's been five whole years since the last ti...more

Hardcover, 240 pages

Published March 4th 2008 by Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing

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Jan 22, 2011

oliviasbooks rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult-fiction, ya-contemporary, read-2011, love-story, stays-with-me, cry-a-little, favorites-of-2011, scb-challenge-2011

'Hi,' he says.
'Hi,' she says back, and then to her great surprise, she begins to cry.
'You know,' Nick says as he hands her a tissue from the bedside table,' for all this talk about how you don't cry, you sure are sprouting a lot of water.'

This could be a conversation between me and one of my friends: What is is with me and my dripping eyes lately? I always used to read reviews of books I loved but survived with all my lashes still encased in an immaculate layer of mascara...more'Hi,' he says.
'Hi,' she says back, and then to her great surprise, she begins to cry.
'You know,' Nick says as he hands her a tissue from the bedside table,' for all this talk about how you don't cry, you sure are sprouting a lot of water.'

This could be a conversation between me and one of my friends: What is is with me and my dripping eyes lately? I always used to read reviews of books I loved but survived with all my lashes still encased in an immaculate layer of mascara and wonder what made my fellow readers' tears spill when I didn't even feel the tell-tale burning. "The Comeback Season" is the third book this year already that had me sniffing almost non-stop and my husband, who tried to practice a really difficult piece on the guitar, to cluck his tongue with slightly annoyed pity.

Jennifer E. Smith has this very distinct voice. I've admired it already in You Are Here. It peels away your protective layers and rubs an already sore spot.

I wanted so badly to say to Ryan, the fifteen-years-old heroine, that things would get back on track eventually, but I knew she wouldn't listen to me. In contrast to her mom, who remarried, and her sister Emily, who was only three in the year of the accident, Ryan ist still not able to go forward with her life. Her view is directed back. She longs for a chance to turn back the dial to the pre-loss era of her family and resents her mom for changing dad-induced family traditions and trying to be happy with tea-drinking insurance guy and golfer Kevin. Somehow Ryan broke apart from her two best friends, who shielded and comforted her during her dark times, but made up their minds to work hard at scoring in-crowd spots at High School lately. When newcomer Nick, a fan of the underdog baseball team, the Cubs, too, actively seeks out Ryan's company inspite of his own popularity, Ryan holds back - already too used to be alone, to munch over this season's possibilities for the Cubs and her dad's would be predictions and bargains: Dad had the habit to promise outrageous things (like becoming a part-time vegetarian or walking to work) to fate should the Cubs win a game. As Ryan dares to give in to Nick's perstistent attempts at friendship - and romance - but detects a terrible secret, she spontaneously offers her own Cubs-related bargain to the baseball-gods - inspite of Nick insisting he does not believe in luck and dad's voice saying that losing points is the fun of a game, because "You never know when there might be a comeback". (view spoiler) I wracked my brain after finishing to read and after erasing the last traces of my tears if the amount of offered hope and the degree of positive changes in the heroine's view on life had made the cut of what I demand from an outstanding book. I had to admit they didn’t really, but I am still puzzlingly satisfied and need to press the five-stars button. What on earth happened to my loathing of overly sad stories? Can you tell me?

I recommend to read this book.

TBR Pile Reduction Challenge 2011 Book #5 (challenger: Tina)(less)

like 16 likes

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Oct 26, 2008

Kristi (The Story Siren) added it

Ryan is accustomed to loss. Her father passed away five years ago, she doesn’t relate to her best friends anymore, and she is a Cubs fan. The anniversary of her father’s death happens to land on opening day, so Ryan skips school to go to the game. This is where she meets Nick. Another Cubs fan and also a new kid from her school. Thus, starting their friendship.

Nick’s friendship and the Cubs good fortune transform Ryan into the person she was before she let herself be dulled with grie...more

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Dec 28, 2011

Joy (joyous reads) rated it

Shelves: own

I always have a difficult time reviewing books about grief - this book in particular, is even harder. I can't quite reconcile my feelings toward the main character. On the one hand, I truly feel for her. Ryan's inability to move forward five years after her father's death deserves all my sympathy. On the other, and forgive me if I may sound a bit callous, but to be inside Ryan's head was painful in a way that didn't have anything to do with her grief. We see her struggle day in and day out with ...moreI always have a difficult time reviewing books about grief - this book in particular, is even harder. I can't quite reconcile my feelings toward the main character. On the one hand, I truly feel for her. Ryan's inability to move forward five years after her father's death deserves all my sympathy. On the other, and forgive me if I may sound a bit callous, but to be inside Ryan's head was painful in a way that didn't have anything to do with her grief. We see her struggle day in and day out with the memories of her dad, the life lessons he'd imparted through baseball euphemisms, and everybody else's capability to move on, leaving her seemingly stagnant in her own depressed state. I wanted to take her by the shoulders and tell her to snap out of it. I wanted her to see that whatever she was doing was the exact opposite of how her father would want her to do. I get it, truly I do. You cannot possibly know what a person is going through unless you've actually been there. But that doesn't mean that she had my full empathy.

This book is really about life's inevitable disappointments - and what better way to immortalize life's heartaches than the Cubs' merry-go-round of curses and heartbreaks? I'm a bit of a sports nut myself, so I understand the emotions we go through with every wins and every losses. I just have never actually applied it in reality. The author either did her homework well, or she wrote from experience. This book is rich in sports history and psychology euphemisms - some a bit more clichéd than others. But the beauty of it all is that the author, in one way or another, gave it a fresh new take that it didn't induce some justified eye rolls.

I also loved that even though Ryan was always on the outside looking in, she couldn't care less either way. She didn't spend her time grumbling about her isolation in school and at home, she just accepted it the way it is. It was her choice, after all. And really, this is where I'm feeling the most conflicted about our character. I have this certain admiration for her but at the same time, it wasn't easy to ignore her defeatist attitude.

A lot of people have cried over this book; it was an emotional read after all. I would too had I known Nick's eventual fate. And I don't know, it was just not as draining a read as I thought it would be. I also wish that the author didn't leave the ending in such a manner. It was vague that I didn't get any resolution. But you need to read this book and take it for what it is.(less)

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Jul 31, 2009

Elizabeth K. rated it

Shelves: 2008-new-reads

This was a little disappointing. I had been eager to pick it up after reading a blurb somewhere about this YA novel about Cubs fans. For some reason on which even I am not entirely clear, I know a lot of Cubs fans, so I thought this would be a fun read and then I could pass it along to someone else who would appreciate it. Now, I'm not sure it's worth sharing, it's too maudlin.

The basic set-up is that high school freshman Ryan's love of the Cubs was instilled by her dad, who died when ...more

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Dec 12, 2009

Jenna rated it

Shelves: young-adult, read-in-2009

I kind of have mixed feelings on this book. I liked the baseball aspect of it, though it was a little hard to get behind the Cubs. I’m don’t have a lot of love for the Lovable Losers. But I totally understand Nick and Ryan’s (and her dad’s) love for the team. I’ve been a Braves fan for as long as I can remember, so I’ve spent a lot of time cheering for them no matter the outcome of the season. I mean, seriously – 14 Division titles in a row with only one World Series? And now they’re not ev...more

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Sep 29, 2011

Brooke rated it

Shelves: i-own-a-copy, kindle, death-tragedy-suicide, realistic-fiction, tugged-the-heartstrings, favourites, lovey-mushy-stuff, taught-me-a-lesson

Well. This is book two by Jennifer E. Smith for me, and I wasn't disappointed. She has this way of writing that just makes you feel, sucks you into the story, tumbles your insides around with her words, makes you laugh and cry and sight contentedly when you're finished reading.

The Comeback Season just about ripped my heart out, I don't think I've been so moved by a book in a long while! You know that feeling of incredible loss? Heartbreak? That gut churning, throat tightening sensati...more

like 6 likes

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Nov 19, 2009

Carmen rated it

Shelves: own-it, signed-books, marked-up-by-author, won-it

So here's the honest truth, perhaps to the disappoint of baseball-fan Jennifer Smith, I don't watch baseball. At all. Honestly, I don't watch sports at all. Besides the Olympics. But that's different. Despite this fact though, I loved the novel. I loved the characters, and practically fell in love with Nick myself. As for Ryan, well, though I'm not a baseball fan like her, or have suffered the loss of my father, I found myself relating to her in other ways. Those feelings when friends turn their...more

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Dec 14, 2008

Abby Johnson rated it

Shelves: cybils-2008

Ryan's dad died five years ago and she's been a little lost since then. Now she's a freshman in high school and her best friends have ditched her, trying for a spot in the popular clique instead. When her mom and stepdad announce that they're going to have a baby, Ryan feels like everything's changing... and not in a good way. She ditches school to go to Wrigley Field on the Cubs' opening day and that's where she meets Nick, a boy who will help her find herself again. But Nick's got a secret tha...more

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Jan 22, 2009

Kris rated it

Shelves: bookreviewcenter, youngadult

Recommended for upper middle school and high school. Nothing inappropriate for younger grades, I just don't think they'd find it interesting. High school freshman Ryan has felt out of place since her father died five years ago. She and her friends have drifted apart, and her mother has remarried. When she decides to visit Wrigley field on Opening Day to try to bring back memories of happy times with her father, she meets Nick, who is also skipping school to be there. They form a comfortable...more

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Sep 05, 2011

Michelle (FabbityFabBookReviews) rated it

Shelves: read-young-adult

This is the first YA novel I have read by Smith. I was interested in reading this because Smith's upcoming 2012 release, The Statistical Probability of Love at First Site, is garnering lots of positive buzz.

This story's overall theme, if you will, is baseball. Well, okay, not baseball. But everything in this book- life lessons, metaphors, analogies, etc.,- can all be linked to baseball (and vice versa). Which is not to say you have to be a Cubs fan, or baseball fan to enjoy it. At the ...more

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May 11, 2009

Nora rated it

Recommends it for: 7th grade and up

Recommended to Nora by: CPS Battle of the Books 08-09

Shelves: older-elementary, teen-fiction

The Chicago Cubs were a main part of the plot. I wonder if that was the reason it was a selection for Chicago Battle of the Books. It was otherwise a pretty ho-hum high school romance. Good, but I wasn't a huge fan of her writing style. I felt like I was reading as an outsider, analyzing the author's choices, rather than just being sucked into the plot. With such an emphasis on sports (and tons of stats on the Cubs), I wished it had been told from the boy's perspective because I could have sold ...more

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Jan 18, 2010

Lacey Crough rated it

Shelves: young-adult, 2010-challenge

Baseball has always been my favorite past time. I grew up on it, my dad taking me to Triple A ballgames in Wichita, and helping on the grounds crew during summer tournaments in my home town. I'm no stranger to it and try to always catch a game when it's on. I've been tempted to even start my own fantasy league since Dad always did that when I was younger too. So, when I picked up this book, I was excited that it was not only a love story, but completely about baseball as well. And even though I'...more

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Sep 22, 2009

Dawn rated it

Shelves: 2008-ya-lit

Pretty well written, but too sad. Isn't one major life tragedy enough for one book and one girl?! The author has painfully accurate insight into how it feels to be unpopular and lonely in high school. I'm glad that the main character has enough personal integrity to be herself, hang in there, and realize that life won't always be this way. The interweaving of baseball and life is interesting. The narrative choice of using present tense, third person is unusual, but works. What I didn't lik...more

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Nov 22, 2008

Becky rated it

Smith, Jennifer E. 2008. The Comeback Season.

Opening Day at Wrigley Field isn't always April 8. It's not like Christmas or the Fourth of July, with their dependable calendar slots, the reassurance of a fixed number.

Ryan Walsh is a baseball loving teen who is still aching over the loss of her father--five years or so previous--her mother and sister may have moved on...her mother has remarried and is expecting a baby even. But Ryan can never forget her father--the man who t...moreSmith, Jennifer E. 2008. The Comeback Season.

Opening Day at Wrigley Field isn't always April 8. It's not like Christmas or the Fourth of July, with their dependable calendar slots, the reassurance of a fixed number.

Ryan Walsh is a baseball loving teen who is still aching over the loss of her father--five years or so previous--her mother and sister may have moved on...her mother has remarried and is expecting a baby even. But Ryan can never forget her father--the man who taught her how to keep score while watching the game. The man who passed on his love for the Cubs. That the anniversary of his death should fall on Opening Day? A sign that she should skip school and go to the game.

Ryan is in many ways a girl after my own heart--"she doesn't care about makeup or jewelry, and has grown used to getting the once-over for her lack of fashion sense, an up-and-down stare reminiscent of the way her mom studies produce at the grocery store. Ryan prefers ponytails to curling irons, the soapy smell of her shampoo to the fruity ones all the other girls use. She feels most put together when wearing jeans, and she would never trade her flip-flops for a pair of heels. And mostly, she's okay with this." (27) And this telling passage as well--"Given the choice between future and past, she would always and without hesitation choose to move backward, and for years she has lingered through her life in this way, loitering and meandering, a wanderer with the most aimless of intentions." (38)

On that fateful day, April 8, Ryan meets Nick. Okay, so they've been going to the same school together. And true, she's seen him around enough to know that he's her classmate. But on this day--the two share a purpose--to catch the Cubs game. The two begin talking, chatting, and soon it looks like a beautiful friendship is born. Could it be more than friendship? Ryan certainly hopes so. There is an easiness, a rightness, about when they are together. Perhaps Nick says it best, "Sometimes I feel like talking to you is the same as talking to myself. Like you already know all there is to know, so there's no point in explaining..." (123) For Ryan to find love with Nick, she'll have to risk her heart--risk that it could be broken once more.

The Comeback Season is a bittersweet novel about life, love, hope, and redemption. You don't have to love baseball to love this novel. (Though if you do, it might mean that much more to you.) Ryan Walsh is a character that I won't soon be forgetting. I ache when she does. And her hope became my hope.

This is Jennifer E. Smith's first novel, and it is definitely recommended.

Other reviews: The Compulsive Reader, Not Acting My Age, TeenSpace Blog, Shooting Stars Mag, The Story Siren, Let(t)'er Rip, A Patchwork of Books.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews (less)

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Jul 23, 2008

Relyn rated it

Recommends it for: boys and girls who love baseball. girls who like love stories. teens dealing with loss.

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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May 03, 2008

Jennifer Wardrip rated it

Shelves: trt-posted-reviews

Reviewed by Lauren Ashley for TeensReadToo.com

Ryan Walsh is a girl who loves the Chicago Cubs. It's not just about baseball to her, though. It's more about her dad, who passed away when she was ten years old, who sparked her love for the team. She's a freshmen in high school now, and the year didn't turn out quite how she wanted it to, with her drifting further apart from her grade school friends, Kate and
Sydney.

Everything changes for Ryan on Opening Day, when she...more

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Mar 14, 2011

'Chele rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: sister-s-reads

This book is no Pride and Prejudice, but is still a good story! Ryan loses her dad and feels like her family also. A big part of her life before her dad's accident were spent with him watching Chicago Cubs baseball games (whether on TV or better, at Wrigley Field). She meets Nick, a boy with his own sad story, and the two become close. Good YA novel especially if you get the whole rooting for the Cubs no matter how they play and the ambiance of Wrigley Field.

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Jun 30, 2008

Fluxbrarian rated it

Recommends it for: baseball fans, girls, 6th-8th grade

Shelves: middle-school

In this poignant debut novel, Chicago Cubs fandom is used as a metaphor for having unwavering faith despite bleak outlooks. Ryan, a diehard Cubs fan, meets new boy Nick, an equally devoted fan, and the two become close friends. Ryan is still struggling with the death of her father (also a Cubs fan), and then discovers that her new friend is in remission for cancer. SLJ criticizes Ryan’s irrational thoughts saying it “strains even the most willing suspension of disbelief,” but I think it's in per...more

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Feb 05, 2011

Monique rated it

· review of another edition

I could not put this book down, in spite of the fact that it focuses a lot on baseball, a sport we South Africans aren't familiar with.

The story of first love is mixed with themes of loss and fitting in. The writing is spot on and the characters work their way into your heart.

Easily one of the most enjoyable books I have read in a while and I even appreciated the insight into being a Chicago Cubs fan for better or worse!

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Aug 20, 2011

Sarah rated it

Shelves: read-some

I bought this book because it's about two characters who love Chicago Cubs baseball. However, it has too much ballpark/baseball history in it for me. It's written from the teen girl's perspective and the baseball info just doesn't flow with the rest of the love/drama story. I stopped on page 148. I wish it were written from the guy's point-of-view--I think we need more YA drama fiction for teen boys.

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Mar 05, 2011

Jennifer Taylor rated it

· review of another edition

So to be honest, I found this boook to revolve only on one thing- Baseball. I don't think it helped that I am a Baseball fan, but after a while, I got tired of how much they talked about The Cubs. Although I did like the whole idea, I did kind of get confused at some points. SO I think that it was a good read if you just looking for something to quickly read for no point exactly.

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Apr 09, 2009

Jill rated it

A sweet book. The stories of the two young high schoolers who discover a mutual interest in baseball parallels the story of the hapless Cubs. They all think this could be their comeback season, but for the the young girl and guy, their hopes for their own futures rest superstiously on the successes of the Cubs. Nothing deep, but very nice.

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Dec 30, 2008

Paige rated it

So I was expecting this book to be well-written (which it most definitely was) and to be off-putting since it involved baseball (which it was not) but I wasn't expecting it to be -this- sad. I'm still not quite sure what the heck happened at the end, but if it's what I think happened, then I am a sad, sad little girl and I need a moment to cry in silence. Jennifer Smith has written a really beautiful story. The ending was a little rushed, compared to the calm pacing of the rest of the novel, but...more

like 1 like

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Aug 02, 2011

Apoorva rated it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Oct 27, 2011

Jen Ryland added it

It took me a while to adjust to the fact that this book was written in third person present POV -- an unusual choice for a YA. But once I got used to that, I really loved this book. A poignant and gripping story about love and hope.

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Jun 27, 2010

Olivia rated it

This was a good book, but not absolutely fantastic. I tend not to be a big fan of sports stories. I enjoyed how the author illustrated emotions though the book as a whole was very sad.

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Dec 29, 2009

Terresa rated it

This book made me cry so much! It's so sweet and relatable. I thought her writing style evoked a feeling that touched my heart. I totally recommend to anyone!

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Sep 12, 2011

Elizabeth rated it

Shelves: baseball, romance

The author did a good job of tying baseball and romance into Ryan's life. I loved the characters! Ryan (the girl) really reminded me of myself.

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May 22, 2009

David rated it

Shelves: 2009-books

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jan 21, 2009

Melissa rated it

Sad but wonderful! I deeply connected to this book, growing up a cubs fan in the northwest suburbs of chicago. I couldn't put it down!

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About Jennifer E. Smith

Jennifer E. Smith is the author of the three young adult novels: The Comeback Season, You Are Here, and The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight. She earned her master's degree in creative writing from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, and currently works as an editor in New York City.

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Quotes from The Comeback Season

“Emily tucks her knees up beneath her and leans forward on the table. 'Do you like Ryan?' she asks Nick, and Mom's eyes go wide. Kevin chokes a little on his water. Mortified, Ryan looks away, holding her breath.
Nick turns to Emily, and with mock seriousness, leans down to consult with her. 'Do you like Ryan?'
Emily considers this a moment, tapping a finger against her lips in thought. 'I guess most of the time,' she says finally. 'I guess she's okay.'
'Then I think so too' he says, turning back to the rest of the table. He winks at Ryan. 'We've decided you're okay.'
She breathes out. 'I can live with that.” — 5 people liked it

“Hi,' he says.
'Hi,' she says back, and then to her great surprise, she begins to cry.
'You know,' Nick says as he hands her a tissue from the bedside table,' for all this talk about how you don't cry, you sure are sprouting a lot of water.” — 3 people liked it

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