title: Give Me a Shot
author: Gia De Cadenet
publisher: Dell
publication date: May 6, 2025
pages: 320
peppers: 3 (on this scale)
warnings: death of a sister (inpast), bad relationship with parents, highly sensitive person, a fall/injury, grief, domestic violence leading to death (in past)
summary: Jess has moved to a new town in the wake of grief about her sister's death. In addition to her job as a teacher, she decides to reconnect with her past hobby of archery, so she joins the local folk school, where she crosses paths with Mo, the group's master smithy. Mo, a highly sensitive person, is attracted to Jess, but has a lot on his plate, with co-parenting his pre-teen daughter and taking care of his elderly neighbor. Both of them have reasons not to want to participate in the folk school's fundraising Ren Fair, but they will help out together.
tropes:
- breaking down walls
- working together
- saving a local landmark
- divorced father
- neurodivergence
what I liked:
- good representation of neurodivergence
- good representation of grief
- friends who help
- learning together
- Mo's relationship with his family
what I didn’t like:
- characters aren't all white, but they never mention race
- a little preachy at times about teaching reader about neurodivergence
overall rating: 3 (of 5 stars)