By Estelle Laure

An empowering novel with a lot of heart. Jo Beckett is still reeling from the death of her dad; he was her best friend and lifelong wrestling coach. Looking for comfort, Jo gets into romantic relationships with several different guys on the wrestling team. Each time Jo thinks it’s true love, but the guys don’t feel the same. Soon Jo finds out that the guys on the team have a nickname for her, “practice girl.” She’s someone to practice sex with before moving on to a real relationship. This revelation is crushing. Jo feels betrayed by her teammates and her own heart. Not willing to give up on herself, Jo makes a plan to show the guys that she’s more than a “Practice Girl.” Her initial intention is revenge, but what she finds is healing.
This realistic novel about the double-standards girls face and the labels society places on them for being sexually active is given a unique spin by being set in the world of high school wrestling. Many teens will connect with Jo’s struggle to distinguish between physical attraction and true affection. Although this is a needed story, with a strong heroine, the novel is hampered by character voices that are not distinguishable from one another.