The Unexpected Dream by Nicole Pyland | ARC Review

The Unexpected Dream (Sports #3) by Nicole Pyland

• Publisher: Pyland Publishing LLC, September 3rd 2020
• Genre: Romance, LGBTQ+
• Format: Ebook (eARC)
• Page Count: 236 pages
• My Rating: ★★★★ (4/5)

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Content warnings: divorce, biphobia

The Unexpected Dream is a softball romance, which should totally be a trope.

Mia Landis (30, bisexual) accidentally got pregnant and misses her chance of playing at Tokyo Olympics. Used to be a prodigy pitcher on the national team, her life now revolves around handling her divorce, caring for her two-year-old daughter Hazel, and coaching softball at her old high school. When a player mentions tryouts for a professional league, Mia decides to give it a try. Skylar Donahue (25, lesbian) also wanted to play at Tokyo but had injured her wrist weeks before the games. She ends up being the pitching coach when all she wants is to be a player. With her lingering injury, she cannot pitch but just might make the team in the new league as a catcher.

I used to play softball and baseball for my university, and everything in The Unexpected Dream has brought back memories of the thrill of running on red clay. Also, I think it is very relevant to know that pitcher-catcher chemistry is important in the games.

One thing that first struck me as unusual was how the pair didn’t meet until one-fourth into the book. I personally love this choice. As readers, we have the time to establish them as two complete individuals sharing the Olympic dream before really seeing them together as an item.

Maybe it is because I am the exact same age as Sky, it was easy for me to relate to her. Let’s be honest: Most student athletes have sustained some sort of lasting injury while playing sports. How many times have we pretended our shoulders or knees weren’t hurting even though they totally were? I was never a fraction as good as Sky, but I understand why she pushed herself despite feeling pain all the time. I also adore how honest and straightforward she is when talking about her own future.

“But while I like the sound of your laugh, it’s more that I love what it symbolizes.”

“What’s that?”

“That you’re happy. And if I made you laugh, I got to be a part of that.”

Mia is amazing. She is a single mother and a professional softball player. This story delivers an honest depiction of her as a mother wanting to realize her dream while worrying about her daughter at the same time. She seems very tired energy-wise and it is so very true for single parents.

Their attraction is somewhat insta-lust but not insta-love. Maybe this kind of negatively impacted how I feel about their relationship, but Mia and Sky are really wonderful for each other. I had no idea I wanted a pitcher-catcher romance until I read this. It’s a beautiful on-field relationship and off-field romance, a wonderful teammates-to-friends, and friends-to-lovers story.

Sky calls Mia Number One because she thinks of her as the starting pitcher. I don’t understand why, but in baseball/softball scorekeeping, pitcher position is denoted as number one (catcher is number two). I just pretend that is the reason, even though Sky is likely talking about jersey numbers. And of course there are baseball/softball sex jokes involving bases.

There are no miscommunication once they started dating. Everything is so sweet and wonderful. I love how both Mia and Skylar are a little insecure about themselves and how vulnerable Sky is in front of Mia. Side characters apart from Hazel aren’t fully established, but for this story, having full focus on Mia and Sky works great. And every single scene with Sky and Hazel is so adorable. I just tear up seeing them bond. There are so many “family” moments that made me awwwwed.

Pyland’s epilogues are different from most other authors’ I have read. She often includes a little more lovely drama and leaves future developments of the main relationship hopeful and open for interpretation. I absolutely love the closing paragraph of The Unexpected Dream. It is beautiful, cinematic, and purposeful. Everything comes full circle, or in this case, full diamond.

This is the third book in the Sports series but can definitely be read as a standalone. Wyatt Wicked from book one Always More is mentioned a few times for winning in volleyball and the love department, but not knowing her backstory does not take anything away from this book.

“I’m talking about toe-curling; fingers gripping the sheets with white knuckles, sweat covering your skin and their skin because you’ve been going at it for hours. You can’t keep your hands from their skin, and they can’t keep theirs from yours, so they just keep touching and stroking and licking and sucking and kissing until you come again and again. And, eventually, you lie there completely sated, thinking you’ll never need another orgasm again, but then, they reach over and touch you, because they can’t not, and it’s like you can’t live without it again all of a sudden.”

Skylar

The Unexpected Dream is a pitcher/catcher romance with a bisexual single mother lead. It was such a joy to read and is a guaranteed treat for anyone who enjoys baseball/softball as well as some cute family dynamics. It is a quick, light, and sweet story that left me smiling upon finishing. [4 Sep 2020]

I received an e-ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.