Title: Fresh Start: A Rob Mathews Sports Season – Book 1

Author: Mac McGowan

Genre: Young Adult

 

The memory was bittersweet in Rob Matthews’s mind. He was playing in the championship baseball game where he pitched almost flawlessly and hit a walk off home run. Rob’s father would pass away soon after. Rob was already in a period of adjustment as he had recently moved and was set to enter high school. Adapting to the death of his father will prove a much harder transition. Rob and his father bonded over their mutual love of sports and Rob throws himself into each sport he plays. With the arrival of the new school year, Football beckons. As a new face in the school and on the team, Rob will need to distinguish himself. The lofty expectations of the town along with an antagonistic coach make Rob’s year an uphill climb.

The awkwardness of adolescent youth in transition is viewed primarily through the eyes of Rob Matthews in Mac McGowan’s entertaining work. The narrative primarily consists of Rob and his mother Emily as they face life without father and husband Jack Matthews. The development of the plot benefits with the point of view of next door neighbor Allison, a friend of Rob’s and potential romantic interest. McGowan expresses the angst that runs through Rob and Allison in a way that makes them easy to sympathize with.

Grief is a thematic element that runs throughout the story. The loss of Jack Matthews has left an enduring pain in Rob and his mother’s hearts. As Rob begins a pivotal moment in his life in entering high school, the sorrow nearly overcomes the both of them. The encouragement Rob would receive in his tryouts for the high school football team is slightly muted with the loss of one of his biggest supporters. Each day brings mother and son closer to acceptance of their dual loss, yet the significance of Jack’s presence never completely fades.

Two important concepts which figure prominently in the story are friendship and teamwork. Rob establishes himself as an exemplary teammate on the football team when he stands up for another player. Through the ups and downs of a grueling football season, Rob never wanes in this regard. Rob’s affability brings him friends on the football team but also appeals to his next-door neighbor Allison. Allison forms a friendship with Emily and soon wins over Rob with her sense of humor, along with her intelligence. The pair work well as a team when Rob needs help in a project for one of his classes. The friendship Rob forms with the new Varsity Football coach serves as an important factor in Rob’s development as a football player, as well as a person.

The story is near perfect in its development and dialogue. The book would improve even further with a few more scenes illustrating the dynamic between Rob and his father. The bonding over sports between father and son is very relatable and would be seamlessly explored.

Fresh Start is a book possessing a lot of heart. Rob Matthews is a character with depth, who the reader will find common ground with and root for on and off the field. This is an enjoyable read from start to finish.

 

 

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