Blindsided

by T. Christensen

Betrayed. Blindsided. Bullied.

My high school experience is nothing like I’d imagined.

Brock had been my best friend since we were four years old. We were inseparable. Or so I thought. In our early teens, our friendship started to feel like something more, something I desperately wanted.

Then I was betrayed by him, along with Victoria, the girl who had made our duo into a trio. Blindsided by the accusation that I was a traitor. Bullied and ostracized for three years, all for something I never did.

All I want to do is keep my head down and make it through senior year. I miss Brock every day, even though he has made my high school days miserable. Unlike him, I can’t just forget our past, or the bond we had. And even after three years, no guy has ever made me feel the way he did.

When Rylan arrives and becomes the new star of the football team, I finally find myself with a friend and ally. Through him, I see glimpses of my former best friend. The more I soften toward Brock, the more confused I become. My head is screaming at me to stay away, but my heart still wants him. Which one do I trust? And will I live to regret it?

Genres: Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Abuse, High School, Sports Romance, Sports, Young Adult

314 pages, Paperback

Published December 9, 2021

About the author

T. Christensen has been addicted to reading ever since she read her first romance book in middle school. When different characters and scenes started invading her brain she would write them down and put it away.

Gradually she took the steps to give them a beginning, middle, and a happily ever after. It has been a long-time dream to have her stories published.

T. has been a lifelong resident of South Dakota. Occasionally she ventures out, but being at home, with her family, is always the best place to be. Reading a romance novel is still the best reward at the end of the day.

Reach out!
facebook.com/TChristensenAuthor
pinterest.com/tchristensenauthor/boards/
bookbub.com/authors/t-christensen

Receive Updates and Talk about Romance
https://t-christensen-romance-author....

Reviews

[Fre06 Begum · Rating 1 out of 5]

How could she forgive such a disgusting wimp like this so called hero?! She blamed Victoria when actually it was all Brock for being the lying disloyal crap he was who started it in the first place. Not once did I feel he genuinely felt bad for his actions or the fact he was with Victoria knowing it would hurt pathetic heroine. Suddenly after three years of him betraying her and sleeping around he wants to know the truth and becomes all possessive alpha? Would have worked if he hadn’t shown how weak he was being led by his hormones or how he forgot heroine his so called best friend for 3 years and then us the reader knowing how sexually active he had been through the 3 years of agony he put pathetic heroine through. After all that the needy heroine forgives him because she is that much without any self respect. In this bully story heroine should have moved on and been with a guy who deserved to have her. Brock was too smug and not sorry enough, he only felt bad because he realised how stupid he had been listening to Victoria rather than using the right head. This was not romance and this couple should not have ended together!

[Athena Que Será, Será · Rating 1 out of 5]

What the f*** did I just read!?!
Ok... so the h is a doormat... no, scratch that... the h is a self-degrading, pathetic doormat! She lacked self-respect. I felt disgusted reading the book. I'm usually all for angst, cheating and remorseful heroes but this book lacked the last two criteria. There is NO cheating but there definitely is betrayal. How can the they claim to be best friends if the H chooses to believe his fuck buddy instead of his so-called best friend!?! I would've liked it if there was enough groveling from the H's side or the h had a backbone and chooses to walk away from the H. And there was no proper closure; the ow walks away without any repercussions after bullying the h for 3 years.

[Jac K · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t realize this was a HS romance and thought we were going to FFW into adulthood… but that’s not the case. And it’s like YA/HS, not the bully trope with 18yr old rich thugs running around unchecked doing grown up stuff. This is the immature bullying shenanigans you see in RL… tripping, name calling, water throwing, etc.

The blurb sets this up, Brock and Kirsa were the best of friends when Victoria joined their group. At 14, Kirsa has her heart ripped out when she witnesses Brock and Victoria kissing. Soon after she’s accused of telling exaggerated lies and calling Victoria a whore. ENRAGED Brock and Victoria vow to make Kirsa’s life a living hell until she admits her crime.

I really should’ve stopped reading there because it screamed immaturity, and I am WAY TOO old for HS bullshit… but I’m a sucker for OW drama and Victoria is certifiable.

I predict a lot of strict romance/safety readers will dislike this book because they find Brock irredeemable. He’s a total ass and her “crime” does not warrant his extreme reaction…not to mention he barely apologizes. But for me… Other than the twist/mystery being (IMO) super obvious, the book had one major issue… and I just couldn’t get over it.

The foundation for the conflict made absolutely ZERO sense to me. Why would Brock believe some random chick over his best friend since the age of 4? He wouldn’t even listen to her? Then the “explanation” was just as confusing.

“Think about it from his point-of-view, Kirsa. He probably felt like an idiot for thinking you were such a good friend, only to have you throw Victoria under the bus so viciously. For him to even consider you might be innocent would make him look even stupider and weaker. He defends his friends fiercely, and to take your side over Victoria’s would have destroyed him.” My heart stutters and then squeezes— Rylan’s right. Brock was in an impossible position, and he did what he thought was right, but am I ready to forgive and move forward?

What?? That makes no sense. Why would taking her side, his BFF of 10 years instead of the girl he was “experimenting” with destroy him??

Bottom Line- I’m not going to rate this because I never should’ve read it. 😂 I thought the plot was balanced 50/50 of him hate/believing her, but there were a couple plot holes and a lack of development. I really needed his change of heart to be explained better, and the ending was rushed. The whistleblower comes at 96% and it was such a leap they’d be so gullible/stupid that I couldn’t get onboard. There’s a short epilogue 2 years later, but there’s no comeuppance for the guilty parties.

I did have a friend ask the appropriateness of this for a teen. There’s not a lot of sexual content. A couple trips to second and third base and one homerun towards the end. :)

[Melluvsbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

This had a lot of potential, but in the end wasn’t a winner.

- I did not like the way it was set up where we have to start when the MCs were FOUR YEARS OLD. And then moved up through he years. It actually took me 3 months to finally get past that part to finish the book. I wanted to DNF so bad. We do not need a romance to start at birth of the MCs. There has to be a better way to portray their connection.

- the H was way too easily swayed by his dick

- even when he no longer even liked the OW anymore he still inexplicably continued to hate and torment the h -
Why??

- how dumb is this guy that he couldn’t see through Victoria??

- why did the only guy to give the h attention have to be batting for the other team?? She can’t get back some of her own through real OM interest??

- there is 0 comeuppance for the OW. None. The h let’s the H and Ow go off for an intimate ending of their special relationship 🙄 And that’s it 🤷🏼‍♀️

- not even a wimper of a grovel 😩😩 He felt bad but he was mostly annoyed he’d been duped.


There were things in here I loved, which is why i still gave it 3 stars. The H is jealous/possessive and aggressive. I loved the bulldozing and manhandling. I liked how protective he was. I really wish he’d been protective behind the scenes over the last 3 years too.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

The hero was totally not redeemed in my eyes. He bore very little responsibility for the torment Kirsa went thru. I couldn’t believe he would get frustrated with her when she ran away or when she didn’t automatically trust him. It’s called self preservation dick wad Brock! 3 years of torture should not be swept under the rug. If I was Kirsa, I would be channeling GAYLE and singing at the top of my lungs… a b c d e F U

[Camille · Rating 4 out of 5]

4🌟

I am absolutely 💯 Not the target audience for this book and Bully Romances are not my go-to, but darn it, the angst in this book was fantastic throughout and that’s what I came for. Will I read more in the series? Probably not. Or at least not right now. But this sure did hit the spot and fill up my angsty cup for just a bit!

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually found this in my library .I must have gotten it a while back as a freebie so thank you to the author as I enjoyed this unique take on the bully genre.Angst and anticipation built to fever pitch until the big reveal which was ultimately unsurprising yet satisfying still! There is Hella ow drama and ott,totally undeserved and tortuous mistreatment of the heroine .Ludicrous for some reviewers to feign offense while deigning to choose the genre. This has all the elements readers love tied in a bow of a long awaited hea!
I will enjoy perusing this author's catalog for more options!
Addendum,I was confused... I know,nothing new there,lol.This is only a year old,was not in my Library but borrowed via KU. Must have mixed it up with another title.Everything else in my review,my professed enjoyment... Accurate!

[Nikki · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rating: 2 Stars

I hate to give low ratings, but this just didn’t work for me. The main characters’ relationship was more toxic than romantic in my opinion. Ten years down the road I imagine the MMC as being a controlling and possessive husband and the FMC being his doormat wife.

Quick breakdown: The FMC catches her best friend (MMC) making out with their other best friend (OW) when they were fourteen. Shortly after, a rumor started that the OW was “practicing her blow-job skills on [MMC] and she was willing to experiment on other guys.” The FMC is implicated by a third-party as being the one to start the rumor. The MMC decides the FMC is guilty, and despite having been best friends for a decade, he refuses to believe her when she says it wasn’t her. He, along with the OW, spend the next three years making the FMC’s high school experience a living hell by keeping her isolated from her peers and bullying her. Even when the MMC finally admits the FMC may be innocent, he refuses to fully pardon her until he had rock solid evidence (which he didn’t need when he turned on the FMC in the first place). He’s now angry that someone put a wedge between him and his best friend (FMC) three years ago and wants to find the person responsible and make them pay. (It’s important to note that he doesn’t take any accountability for his part in ending his friendship). He needs the FMC’s help in order to find the real culprit, and he refuses to take no for an answer. He literally shows zero respect for the FMC’s desire to be left alone, instead forcing her into a fake public relationship that puts her under the scrutiny of the very people who have bullied her for three years. The MMC proceeds to basically tell the FMC to get over it whenever she gets overwhelmed due to the entire school judging and tormenting her. He also gets angry any time she tells him he has no right to make demands of her after the way he’s treated her all of these years.

Keep in mind that my opinion is just that—my opinion. My review should not be used to make an informed decision about whether this book will work for you or not.

Title: Blindsided
by T. Christensen
POV(s): Dual—First Person
Interconnected Series: No
Standalone: Yes
Cliffhanger: No
HEA: Yes
Relationship: M/F
Genre(s): Contemporary Romance, Young Adult
Triggers: N/A
Tags/Tropes:
❖ Bully-Romance
❖ Childhood-Best-Friends
❖ Doormat-FMC
❖ Ex-Best-Friends
❖ FMC-Isolated-Outcast
❖ FMC-Wrongly Accused
❖ Grovel-MIA
❖ High-School
❖ MMC-Abandons-FMC
❖ MMC-Tricked-By-OW

[Jai Hara · Rating 1 out of 5]

What the hell did I read.The pathetic ,whimpy heroine deserves everything thrown her way.Suddenly the other woman is bad while the hero who insulted,abused and harrased her for three years,she just takes him back as he makes her body tingles.See.. no apologies needed.Why do these authors write such cringeworthy heroine who need to debase and degrade themselves to get such a pathetic zero.It isnt angsty.It is sad to see writers make woman so weak that they look unbelievable..

[Mojo_Mama · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to 5 star this. The angst is REAL. But in the end…no one apologized or grovels to the h and the fact H didn’t believe her or even try to listen to her in the beginning…yeah. All of the important scenes, confronting OW minion, final breakdown between H/OW are all off page…totally shit writing and comprehension of how to bring the angst to a fiery explosion and resolution.

Read it for the h’s angst at loss of H/OW. It’s there in spades. Just don’t read it expecting vindication for h.

3.5.

[Valeria · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ella es una tonta. No hay otra palabra, lo perdona sin que siquiera el le pidiera perdón después de 3 años de hacerle la vida imposible. Me dio tanta rabia que ya no soportaba leer, no se arrastró así de simple. Ni supiera hubo arrepentimiento, solo culpar al resto por SUS acciones. NO LO LEAN

[Fiona Davies · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75 stars.
The ending was just a little bit too abrupt for my liking apart form that it was a good addictive read!

[SaviLeeLind · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went into this book unsure what to expect, and I came out overjoyed that I picked it up. Its a book that showcases jealousy, teenage angst, bullying, and a sheep like mentality. There was soo much in this book that brought out emotions as a mom and then also as the teenager I once was.
Kirsa and Brock were best friends since the dawn of time practically and when Victoria moved in she became that 3rd part of the group. When a misunderstanding takes place it puts Kirsa on the outside of that friendship and leads to intense bullying and harassment. Brock and Victoria become that King of Queen of mean making Kirsa's life miserable. When new boy Rylan arrives he and Kirsa bond, and things that were unsaid come to light regarding her past friendships.
Its a very emotional read, but such a good one. Kirsa was braver than she knew, and she made it through those tough years and eventually truly stood up for herself. A lot of people say love and hate regarding Brock, but I feel he was a boy being lead astray. All in all this was a great story and it will definitely bring out something in you once you read it.

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ehh

I wish I could say I loved this, but honestly I can't. It was an OK read, but the way she forgave him so easily was more like a needy obsession. My daughter is a preteen girl and I am trying so very hard to teach her that while it is alright to need and rely on others, especially your partner, taking the hits and still having googly eyes is NOT OK. What he did was horrific to the point of borderline psychotic. And I really didn't see much regret with him, mainly just blame at the "person" who tore them apart. He really didn't take that much responsibility for his own actions in everything that took place, it was more like boo hoo poor him for being deceived. I guess with Kirsa I could somewhat miniscule understand why she was so doormat like for him, being a teenager and not having any kind of positive attention from anyone, including her own parents, can be a little understandable. I just wish she had a bit more backbone. Oh well, just gives me more parenting material to go over with both my girls

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars

Blindsided: A Contemporary Sports Romance by T. Christensen is a dramatic story with a friends to enemies to lovers/bully romance- with betrayal, emotion, angst, tension, intrigue, and much more.
What happens when two neighbours become best friends with so much potential for more, only for betrayal and miscommunication to ruin everything. Things take a dramatic turn when one forms an agenda to make the other’s life a living hell- and things get pretty intense.
The story is has some interconnected details and other interesting touches. The tension was quite palpable and I’m pretty sure the author took delight in toying with my, and the characters, emotions. We were put through the wringer, that’s for sure! There were times I wanted to scream and shake the characters, and other times I didn’t like them very much. But, as always, the author delivered an intriguing read.
Happy Reading!

Thank you, T. Christensen!

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars

Blindsided: A Contemporary Sports Romance by T. Christensen is a dramatic story with a friends to enemies to lovers/bully romance- with betrayal, emotion, angst, tension, intrigue, and much more.
What happens when two neighbours become best friends with so much potential for more, only for betrayal and miscommunication to ruin everything. Things take a dramatic turn when one forms an agenda to make the other’s life a living hell- and things get pretty intense.
The story is has some interconnected details and other interesting touches. The tension was quite palpable and I’m pretty sure the author took delight in toying with my, and the characters, emotions. We were put through the wringer, that’s for sure! There were times I wanted to scream and shake the characters, and other times I didn’t like them very much. But, as always, the author delivered an intriguing read.
Happy Reading!

Thank you, T. Christensen!

[Katie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not for me (contains spoilers)

This book had potential but there should have been a second book with Brock groveling and winning Kirsa. He did NO groveling at all. And what’s worse was the evil ow…. Nothing happened to her. Even if Kirsa started that lame rumor (which she didn’t) she didn’t deserve three years of bullying and humiliation. The supposed crime didn’t fit the punishment. Wow…. With friends like Brock and Victoria… who needs enemies 😂. I would have rated this higher if only Kirsa had a backbone. She unfortunately was just another pathetic doormat 😔. In my opinion a hea for this book would have been Kirsa leaving everything behind and finding true love in college and Brock never finding happiness 😂. Unfortunately dingbat Kirsa follows HIM to college 🤦🏼‍♀️.

[Sam Domingo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bully

I really liked Kirsa, except for the humungous BBS she suffers from, but otherwise, I liked her character a lot. On the other hand, I wish our hero got a lot more coming to him, he basically just got jealous and decided to switch his perspective and realized how much Kirsa was suffering. But I wanted more. Also, wtf happened to Victoria? Was that it? After all the suffering our heroine has gone through in three years, no real comeuppance came to the bullies.

Anyway, I liked Kirsa, Rylan, and Kellan. I had hoped we got to see more of Rylan and that he also got his happy ending.

I loved the angst in this book but it lacked the suffering of the bullies (in my opinion). It's not fair that Kirsa suffered for years and we only got a confirmation of who actually started everything then nothing.

[Adensanti · Rating 1 out of 5]

i thought this was written in 1990 something year. but nope. it's 2021. and the heroine still written to be THIS DOORMAT? and the H is to be THAT JERK? forcing everything as if nothing was ever wrong in his and her life ? while for 3 effing years they and the whole school made the heroine's life miserable? (read: BULLIED). and the author still breath? LOL. when we will stop making the heroine as a doormat? being weak for the H that's been cruel to her and brush it off as if nothing is wrong IS NEVER RIGHT, be it in a fictional world OR in Real life. nothing is romantic by being a doormat who fall in love w/ a cruel H. na'a... not in this era

[Diedre · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent angsty bully story. That was done exceptionally well. The whodunit factor was a let down. The answer was so obvious that I was expecting a plot twist. All the detective work seemed so juvenile, but I guess this is a high school romance so as I am re-thinking now, that's par for the course! The emotional description and live through stages of the h was what kept me reading til the end. I teared up several times. The H? Not so much. He needed a LOT more self awareness paragraphs and chapters to satisfy the ending. And the bitch? She needed some heavy doses of comeuppance. Will I re-read this? You betcha.

[Booklover · Rating 2 out of 5]

Terrible book

I could not comprehend the actual absurdity of the entire book.

Spoiler!

Victoria is a total bitch and not even believably. The extreme bullying, name calling, slut shaming, VIOLENCE was absolutely insane and what is even crazier is that the "hero" the guy that Kirsa ends up with in her "happily ever after" was okay with her being tormented alll these years. he thought she had spread a rumor about them -> okay that is bad but how did he justify in his own little brain that her bullying was acceptable

insane man like he took no accountability and kirsa did NOT get justice - bad book overall

[RomeoJuliet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hero betrayed the heroine by trusting words of another common evil manipulative friend.

It was so bittersweet for me to see him going back to protecting her after all he put her through. THe grovel was decent but what he did prior to that put a damper on it for me.

I wonder what happened to OW in the end. Did people find out about her part in all what was done to the heroine?

I really loved the OM. Really wanted him to be the new hero but of course he had to be gay friend. In a weird way I did want h and H to end up together.

[Alice Malary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Won this from Goodreads for honest review.....

I love this book even though it made me cry, made me mad and made me see how some people can be so mean. It goes to show that sex can take over a young boys mind and can question his own best friend...I hate Kirsa had it so bad in high school because of one jealous girl that was suppose to be her friend..It all works out in the end but it takes a toll on Kirsa for 3 years.. had a great ending though..

[Martha B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was full of teenage angst and raging hormones. It was a high school drama. It was entertaining. The MCs were immature and both were offer to a TBS. The H wasn’t selective. The heroine was. It would be nice with more comeuppance for all the bulling the heroine has suffered. I wasn’t impressed with the H’s change of heart after three years of treating her like crap. But as a teenager H was supposed to be thinking with his other head.

[Mas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book would have been perfect if not because of how the villain chick in this story got no punishment. The hero/anti-hero talked a big game about what would happen to her but in the end, nothing was done so minus one star there.

[VoraciousReader · Rating 1 out of 5]

OMG, what is this crap? Brock betrayed Kirsa after being friends since they were children. He made her life HELL for more than three years and all she can think about is how much she wants to kiss him?

[Stephanie Fansler]

This is a good read. Emotional at times

[Amy Moen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. Good plot and story kept me entertained throughout the book, lots of ups and downs!

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book free through the Goodreads giveaway. It was a great read. Thank you for the opportunity.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blindsided

A story of heart breaking betrayal, it was predictable, but that didn't detract from the story for me. I really enjoyed this one.