EVERYTHING'S BETTER WITH YOU

Two old friends reconnect when they both begin working at the same rural college in Merrill’s sports romance.

Dancer Joe Judd returns to his alma mater, Greenvale College in Iowa, for the first time in 15 years to see old friend and fellow alumnus Les Payton, a retired NFL player who is now a football coach at the school. For Les, Joe is the one who got away; Les was attracted to him back in college, but Joe was too ambitious to stick around after graduation. Joe’s hard work has paid off—he has a thriving career as a dancer and choreographer on TV and Broadway. As such, Les and his brother, Barry (the college president), want to hire him to coach the cheerleaders at Greenvale as part of a program to revamp the athletic department. After giving it some thought, Joe takes the job. Both men worry their bodies are falling apart; Les incurred head injuries in the NFL, and Joe knows he has a finite number of days in which he’ll be able to keep dancing. As they work together (and in competition) on a fundraising project, Les and Joe grow closer. But then Joe gets a call about a potential job on Broadway that reminds him he has other options beyond Iowa. Will he stay? As a romance, the narrative is charming—the author has an engaging voice. Still, there are small niggles: Not all of the dialogue sounds natural; both leads are constantly telling each other how glad they are that the other is there (“ ‘You’re here now. I’m so happy you’re here now.’ Joe leaned down and kissed his forehead. ‘I am here, and I’m not going anywhere’ ”). Given that Joe has gained fame—and possibly fortune—in a splashy career as a dancer, it seems like a step down to become the cheerleading coach at a small, rural college, though Joe treats it like a huge opportunity. There also isn’t much conflict, and everyone is very nice, which makes for a pleasant, if not always compelling read. Overall, though, the characters are likable, and some fun sports details keep the narrative lively.

A sweet, sporty romance.