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Switching Gears

(Love, Lucas #2)

Chantele Sedgwick (Goodreads Author)

4.23 · Rating details · 276 ratings · 44 reviews

Still mourning the loss of Lucas Nelson, the boy she loved in secret for years, seventeen-year-old Emmy Martin turns to her passion for mountain biking to try to fill the empty void in her life. But just when things start looking up, Emmy discovers her mom has been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s. Confused and angry that her parents didn’t tell her sooner, she throw ...more

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Hardcover, 288 pages

Published February 14th 2017 by Sky Pony (first published February 7th 2017)

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· 276 ratings · 44 reviews

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Start your review of Switching Gears (Love, Lucas, #2)

Apr 06, 2017 Katie W rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult

My inner teenage self loves the angsty stories and I would have devoured this back then. Even now, I still really enjoyed it. I love the passion that Emmy has found for mountain bike racing, as that is something that carries her through the trials in her life. I love that she has an escape and something to focus on that helps her become a better person all-around.

A great moral to this story is to be careful how you judge others. I think it's human nature to jump to quick conclusions about people ...more

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Jul 11, 2017 Kara rated it really liked it

Shelves: ya, contemporary

I picked this one up based on a blogging friend's high recommendation and was so happy I did! Even though I hadn't read the first book, Love, Lucas, this one is more of a companion novel than an outright sequel, so it stands very well all on its own. Emmy is the reason I loved this story. Still coping with the grief of losing the boy she loved, I connected with her struggles to handle those complicated emotions. Add to that the fact that her mother has a huge health crisis and I completely under ...more

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Apr 08, 2017 Adriana rated it liked it

Please ignore the summary it is only partially correct which bothers me more than you could know. First of all Cole isn't the rich boy who only cares about himself. He does have money but he always has had an interest in our main character, Emmy. Second, Cole helps train Emmy after her one-on-one race with Emmy and that is at the very very end of the book. There is so much more that goes on with her and Cole before the training. Also, why is the terrible accident even mentioned? This summary.... Please ignore the summary it is only partially correct which bothers me more than you could know. First of all Cole isn't the rich boy who only cares about himself. He does have money but he always has had an interest in our main character, Emmy. Second, Cole helps train Emmy after her one-on-one race with Emmy and that is at the very very end of the book. There is so much more that goes on with her and Cole before the training. Also, why is the terrible accident even mentioned? This summary....

Now that my complaints of the summary are over, which I completely forgotten about before I read the book, on to my thoughts on Emmy. Emmy has fire and attitude which is done in a way that makes her sound like the cool kid in the story. Not the actual kid because she has exactly one friend at the beginning of the book, but just like that loner kid in the school ground that doesn't take anything from anybody. I loved her spirit and that spirit was only rivaled by her best friend Kelsie who will not let Emmy lose her fire. Kelsie is always there for her friend. She's just the type of person you would want as a best friend - encouraging and (for the reader's sake) always the one trying to push her towards her love interest.

Cole is very sweet when we first meet him. He cares for Emmy clearly and will keep on teasing her even when she tries to push him away. He always tries to be encouraging towards her mountain bike training. He races as a mountain biker as well and is captain of the team she created which is where a bunch of tension is placed towards him. The bad news is that the first half I really liked him but in the second half I felt he was too pushy. It felt like he thought she owed him something because he liked her/was nice to her. So Emmy tries to push back. If you don't like it go away. Don't complain. I know it's something she obviously needs to work on but I just didn't like him later on. The relationship kind of bored me after a while. By default, I didn't feel as connected to Emmy because of the relationship she was in or really the way she kept on acting as I did in the beginning.

Emmy's mom has been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's which pretty much sucks on Emmy's end. The way Emmy goes about it isn't right. I would hope I would do the direct opposite. I can see her point of view of it all. She latches on to the bad part to justify her behavior but still. That's your mom. Her relationship with her mom ended up being unclear to me. There was something that I see could have been done towards the end to get them closer. Their relationship could have been explored more but that twist at the end changed things. That twist never really registered with me because it felt so unnecessary.

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Lucas is a character who died a little while back that Emmy hasn't been able to get over. At least, I supposed that was true. I was worried from the initial Cole flirting with her and her focus on training that she didn't really care about Lucas anymore. But there were moments throughout the book that had her mentioning him and I got the sense that she really did care. There is actually another book I discovered about his sister's adjustment after his death called Love, Lucas. I wouldn't mind reading about her time because I got something really juice spoiled in this one about what happens to her.

I almost forgot about Emmy's brother and father! I really liked her relationship with her brother. I felt with her father she interacted with him just enough to make me satisfied. I liked that she did interact with her family and it wasn't just her out in the world. I dislike when books ignore the family.

A note on the mountain biking: It really made me want to get outside and go running. I would never do mountain biking like my crazy brother but I do enjoy being in the outdoors in other ways. I love being motivated by books! All the training and races were the best part for me because I like all of that stuff.

Although the first half did better for me than the last I did enjoy Emmy's personality, her friend, her relationship with her brother, and the mountain bike training. The romance could have done with a bit of less in the book, the mother-daughter relationship could have been resolved, and the twist didn't need to be there. I will still like to try Sedgwick's other books because her character writing shows she has potential.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sky Pony Press for letting me read and review Switching Gears in exchange for an honest review! ...more

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Jan 17, 2018 Roxanne rated it really liked it

Thank you to Sky Pony Press for providing me a copy of book in exchange for a fair review.

Emmy hasn't been dealing with things well, she quit the mountain bike team after Lucas's death and hasn't won first place in a long time. Just when things are starting to look up she finds out that her mom has been diagnosed with early on-set Alzheimer.

Now she is trying to navigate her feelings for Cole, her place on the team and the reality of losing her mom as she knows her. Then an accident almost chang ...more

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Oct 21, 2016 Sarah added it

Cute!

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Jan 24, 2018 Mia Giarritano rated it it was amazing

The best book ever, and the sequel to "Love Lucas." ...more

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Jun 13, 2019 Jeanene rated it it was amazing

Such a great follow up to book one. It is it’s own story with sneak peeks at book one. Loved it 💗💗

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Feb 21, 2017 Beatrice Rivers rated it it was amazing

Shelves: good-young-adult-books, books-from-netgalley, my-favourite-books

*I received a copy of this book from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review*

This is a gripping, reality which shows that you are in danger doing the simplest of things…

Emmy Martin intrigued me. She has lost her best friend, the one boy who she can’t stand likes her and her family is not as close as she thought it was. Even after all of this happening, she still pushes herself every day to keep herself fit enough to race her mountain bike. But she is always just that little bit behind Whitne ...more

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Sep 25, 2017 The Flipped Page (Susan K) rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult, fiction, death, series, coming-of-age, contemporary, family, friendship, library-copy, illness

Romance, clean, YA, series but stand alone
Emmy's second book with Cole. This can be read without reading Love, Lucas, although that was a wonderful read. Very poignant. The disease (won't say who), the competition, the injuries, the 'thing' between Emmy and Cole. It was just a beautiful, heartfelt, read. Two competitors, who become friends, who trust and build on the attraction. Kelsey was a great foil and friend, Gavin a nice secondary character in her brother, and the relationship with her par ...more

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Jul 12, 2018 Kristie rated it really liked it

Review originally posted on www.yabookscentral.com

Lucas Nelson loved Emmy Martin, but he waited until a week before he died of cancer to tell her that. Emmy had loved Lucas for years, but she kept quiet out of respect for their friendship, her friendship with Lucas's sister, and her belief that he only thought of her as a friend.

As SWITCHING GEARS by Chantele Sedgwick begins, it's been a month since Lucas died, and Emmy is understandably still grieving. Mountain biking is one way she copes with Review originally posted on www.yabookscentral.com

Lucas Nelson loved Emmy Martin, but he waited until a week before he died of cancer to tell her that. Emmy had loved Lucas for years, but she kept quiet out of respect for their friendship, her friendship with Lucas's sister, and her belief that he only thought of her as a friend.

As SWITCHING GEARS by Chantele Sedgwick begins, it's been a month since Lucas died, and Emmy is understandably still grieving. Mountain biking is one way she copes with her loss, and her close relationship with her family along with the support of her best friend, Kelsie, help keep her going when missing Lucas seems too much to bear.

As she struggles to deal with he loss of Lucas, Emmy engages in a rivalry with another talented female mountain biker, Whitney. Emmy is also trying to figure out how she feels about Cole Evans, a handsome and persistent classmate and the captain of the school mountain biking team. And then when Emmy thinks that these are her biggest problems, her parents share the news that Emmy's mom has been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's Disease, and Emmy's world is rocked one more time.

SWITCHING GEARS is a classic young adult love story. The action provided by the bike training and racing scenes helps keep the plot moving, and Emmy is a believable character as she reacts to the events happening around her. There came a point where I wondered what else this poor girl could be put through to help things progress, but the story was put together well, so none of Emmy's trials seemed too forced.

Emmy's reaction to her mom's diagnosis was well written, and Emmy's and Kelsie's friendship was natural and fun. Cole seemed a little too perfect, but after everything she had been through, I think Emmy deserved a little perfection, so I forgave Cole for being too good to be real. Emmy's nemesis, Whitney, was a bit of a stereotype, too, but there are a few references to a hidden depth to Whitney that save her from being one-dimensional.

Overall, SWITCHING GEARS is a quick read, and despite the sometimes heavy and depressing subject matter, it never gets bogged down in sadness and desperation. Kudos to Chantele Sedgwick for handling difficult themes while walking the fine line between hope and desperation with a light touch. It's the second book from the author that focuses on the aftermath of the death of Lucas Nelson (LOVE, LUCAS is the first), but both books stand alone.

My thanks to the publisher and YA Books Central for a copy of the book in exchange for my unbiased review. ...more

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Jan 29, 2021 Mika T rated it it was amazing

Not my favorite book of the series, but still really good.
If you pay attention on p.220, Cole explains how his aunt and uncle, Mia and Maddison's parents were like parents to him, but book three, Interlude, is completely about Mia going to New York to find her mother because she LEFT WHEN MIA WAS 3. I'm not complaining, though. It's just a simple mistake. Maybe it was left there on purpose to see if anyone would notice. I didn't till the second time I read it, which was today... Besides, Chante ...more

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Feb 08, 2017 Sharon rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley, young-adult, romance

Sky Pony Press and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Switching Gears. This is my honest opinion of the book.

Only one month after Lucas, neighbor and best friend, died from an illness, Emmy decides to ride in her first mountain bike race of the season. When a second place finish prompts her to accept a race with her biggest rival, Whitney, will Emmy put everything on the line to prove that she can win? Will family issues and confusing feelings about Cole, fellow racer and high scho ...more

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Jan 21, 2020 Natalia rated it it was ok

21 January review:
The first book i read written by this author is “Interlude“. I just loved it. This book was the second one. It’s an epic fail for me. One star. I could tolerate it only till I reached a middle of it (60% to be precise). Then I gave up and returned the copy to the library.
The main character had been annoying me from the beginning. Then it got worse and worse.
Others characters were not written enough to get to know them better, and I didn’t feel to them anything. The love story ...more

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Jun 30, 2017 Emily F - Seriously Sweet Reads rated it it was amazing

This was a fantastic teen drama, and it demonstrated that emotional teen drama DOES NOT have to have vulgarity and explicit content to reach teens. This was a beautiful wakeup call. It was poignant with emotional depth and shows characters recognizing potentially harmful coping mechanisms. So inspiring! I borrowed this, but I definitely want my own copy of this book, along with (at least) one for my classroom! It is so well-written - I'm wanting to underline stuff left and right. I thought Love, ...more

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Jun 05, 2017 Rebecca Baughman rated it really liked it

This companion (not sequel) to Love, Lucas stands alone.

Emmy is having a hard time getting over the death of her best friend, Lucas. On top of that, her mother has been diagnosed with an unforgiving disease. Emmy decides to put her focus on mountain biking and pushes everyone else away except her friend, Kelsie. Cole sees something special in Emmy and is quite persistent in getting to know her. Despite how hard she tries to alienate him, Cole won't give up.
...more

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Jul 02, 2020 grace rated it it was amazing

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I absolutly adored this book. Everything about it was well written. The book was not to rushed nor was it too slow. Emmy's romance with Cole was not rushed or too slow like many other romance books. This book showed a lot of Emmy's complex feelings which is quite rare in many books because lots of times authors tend to reveal a character's torn feelings but then dismiss or forget about them later on. Kudos to Chantele Sedgwick for dealing with Emmy's feelings and for displaying them to satisfact ...more

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Jun 26, 2017 Christina Burbage rated it it was amazing

This was a goodreads win and I am thrilled that I got to read it. It is probably not one that I would have purchased but I will definitely look forward to reading more from this author. The characters were lovable and relatable. I thought that it was going to be just a predictable sweet read until the end and then it became a fantastically weaved story.

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Mar 16, 2020 Summer Bennett rated it it was amazing

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

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Dec 10, 2020 McKenna rated it it was amazing

Soo good!!!!! Like no joke!! Usually second books aren't as good as the first but this one definitely was!! Cole is so good! And the fact that Emmy when she realized how bad she was hurt she thought why did it happen to me but then she thought that she wouldn't wish it on any one else. Dang. I am not that selfless. ...more

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Oct 09, 2020 Elizabeth rated it really liked it

Shelves: sports, companion, unrequited-love, enemies-to-lovers

I definitely shed a lot of tears reading this one. It would have been five stars, but a lot of the writing didn’t seem totally natural to me, especially the dialogue, which seemed more like someone would write and less like what someone would actually say out loud.

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May 11, 2017 Tamara rated it liked it

A worthy and well-written YA novel about navigating life.

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Jun 08, 2017 Suey rated it really liked it

A companion novel to Love, Lucas about the girl that loved him, that he left behind and how she tries to get on with her life.

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Aug 29, 2017 Tami rated it really liked it

I think the writing was much improved from her other book I recently read. Similar-ish plot line...she likes the plot twist close to the end of her books.

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May 10, 2018 Lucy Sprange rated it it was amazing

Great book 😂👏

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Feb 24, 2019 Laura rated it it was amazing

Great book!

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May 23, 2019 Briana.C rated it it was amazing

Shelves: chantele-sedwick-s-books

i love it

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Aug 12, 2019 Siani rated it it was amazing

What an amazing story about a girl only used as an example of what happens on the day to day.

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Aug 20, 2019 Jayden rated it it was amazing

This story is so intresting and I honestly loved it all.

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Mar 06, 2020 Juniper Schaefer rated it it was amazing

AMAZING, loved it.

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Apr 20, 2020 Warden rated it it was amazing

I LOVED this book

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About Chantele Sedgwick

Chantele Sedgwick

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Chantele Sedgwick is a YA author, harpist, wife to one and stay-at-home mom to four. She loves happy endings, Kit Kats and judging by her book shelves, buys way too many books.