Story for the Week
What do you want to be when you grow up? A common question asked of children, a variety of answers typically pop up. Yet, almost none of them will be what those children actually do when they grow up. I don’t recall what I wanted to be when I was in grade school, but by the time I reached high school, I planned to be a newspaper columnist.
After being the editor-in-chief of both my high school and college newspapers, I earned a degree in journalism. I even interviewed and wrote a couple sample articles for a local newspaper after I graduated. But as I sit here writing this today, I am definitely not a newspaper columnist. I don’t even read the newspaper anymore, which I used to do religiously every single day…both Chicago newspapers.
I work in human resources and have for a very long time. I have never worked for a newspaper, and this blog is my creative outlet for my writing. Obviously, I still love to write. I wouldn’t be writing this otherwise. But I don’t know that I would enjoy it as much if I had to do it for a living.
I know they say to do what you love, but I follow a lot of authors. I don’t know if I would love what goes into being a successful author in addition to just sitting down and writing a book. Could I do it? I’d like to think so. Do I want to do it? I really don’t think so.
First of all, I’m not going to earn a living as an author with a single book. There will always have to be more books. My favorite authors, even those who started writing later in life, have written dozens. But they can’t work on just one book at a time. While they’re writing one, they’re editing another, and maybe publicizing yet another one. I can’t even read more than one book at a time, let alone trying to work on three at once.
Then let’s talk about the publicizing—newsletters, book tours, meet-and-greets. Do I subscribe to author newsletters? Yes. Do I participate as a reader in book tours and meet-and-greets? Yes. Have I started conversations with authors and shared stories about how their work has touched me in some way? Absolutely!
But do I want to be the one traveling from city to city meeting sometimes hundreds of readers talking about myself and my latest novel? Have you met me?! Ok, you probably haven’t, so I’ll just tell you. No…no I would not like to travel from city to city meeting hundreds of people. I barely like going to the grocery store and having random people start up a conversation!
Have you ever seen those posts on social media with a picture of a giant house on a cliff, surrounded by water on one side and the forest on the other, literally in the middle of nowhere? The caption is always something like, “could you stay here for a month with no internet” for some outlandish amount of money? Umm…yes…yes I could. I even saw one that asked if you could spend a week without stepping outside your home, also for an outlandish amount of money. Yes! I don’t need to be outside. Give me a good book, a blanket, snacks, and a beverage, and I’m good to go.
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy spending time with family and friends. I’m not saying I want to spend the rest of my life by myself. But that doesn’t mean I want to get pulled into a conversation by the cashier at the grocery store or someone on an airplane who happens to sit next to me. So while I love the idea of being a writer and I enjoy the art of writing, I don’t think I would enjoy the business of being an author.
I can also see the irony in the fact that I’m an introvert who works in human resources. 🤷🏼♀️
When Corinne was young and we had kids’ days at the office, she loved going with me. On one of her “about me” posters at the beginning of the school year, she wrote that she wanted to be a Senior HR Manager like her mom when she grew up. She’s currently a musical theater and digital media major…a far cry from human resources. In fact, she has told me that when her friends ask what I do for work, she says human resources. When they ask for specifics, she has no idea.
I don’t think many people grow up to be what they wanted to be in kindergarten. One of the main characters in the book reviewed below says she couldn’t tell you her dream job for a million dollars because she never thought about it. “Gramps has mentioned the idea of me taking over eventually, which I probably will, but only because I don’t know how to tell him no. It’s never been my dream to run a septic pump and grinding operation. I mean, does anyone write that on their first day of kindergarten All About Me board?”
She only thought about her future with her sister, and after her sister dies much too young, she finds herself at a bit of a loss to see how her future will play out.
Book Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
5 Stars for Alive and Kicking by Kathryn R. Biel
281 pages
Publisher: Resilient Books
Publication Date: October 20, 2025
I received an advance copy of this title from the author.
Publisher’s Description
Rachel Cramer prefers quiet nights, familiar routines, and absolutely no surprises. But when her adventurous sister Richie dies far too young, she leaves Rachel a parting gift: a bucket list of all the things she never got to do—and a gentle nudge from beyond to start living boldly. Tasked with honoring her sister’s wishes, Rachel finds herself juggling her not-so-glamorous job at her grandparents’ sewage pump company (yes, really) and an unexpectedly viral social media presence that has the internet flushing with laughter.
Enter TJ Doyle, midfielder for the Boston Buzzards and professional life avoider. Off the field, TJ is lost—adrift in endless scrolling, shallow content, and a growing sense that something’s missing. He’s not sure what he’s searching for, but he knows it’s not more of the same.
Number 8 on Richie’s list? Meet TJ Doyle. And when their paths collide, Rachel and TJ—polar opposites on paper—begin to challenge each other in all the right ways. As they stumble toward connection, healing, and maybe even love, they’ll discover that sometimes, the best goals in life aren’t the ones you plan.
************
Main Characters:
- Rachel Cramer – 29 years old, works for her grandparents’ sewage pump company, posts septic cleanup videos on ClikClak, she and her younger sister Richie (Richelle) were raised by their grandparents because their mom was always looking for her next love interest, lost Richie to a brain tumor six months before, Richie left her a bucket list of things she wanted Rachel to do
- TJ Boyle – 32 years old, midfielder for the Boston Buzzards in the United States Soccer League, has a huge following on ClikClak for what are basically thirst trap videos, comes from a close-knit family, considers himself a dumb jock, doesn’t know what he wants to do for his career after soccer
- Ophelia Henry – married to Xavier Henry who also plays for the Buzzards, met Xavier when she went viral as she live-streamed herself surprising her long-distance boyfriend with disastrous results, now writes vampire romance novels under a pen name
I was so excited to read this book. Kathryn R. Biel has quickly become one of my favorite authors for fun romance novels that are easy to read, hard to put down, and just awesome closed-door romances. I have enjoyed each book in the Boston Buzzards series of soccer romance increasingly more than the last, and this fourth book definitely ended up being my favorite. To quote Rachel Cramer, “Now I know why sports romance is a thing. You’d think soccer romance books would be way more popular.”
Rachel works with her grandparents’ sewage cleanup company, posts cleanup videos on their ClikClak account, and basically keeps to herself. A bit of an introvert to start with, after losing her sister to a brain tumor six months ago, Rachel feels lost. Her grandmother shocks her one day with a hand-written bucket list left by her sister.
On top of that, the company plans to open a new location they want Rachel to run, and when she mentions the commute, her grandfather tells her it’s time she moved out on her own. When her grandmother agrees, Rachel feels betrayed since they had told her and Richie they would always have a home with them.
TJ doesn’t think many of his teammates like him, and he thinks it’s because they’re jealous of his social media presence. Definitely a pretty boy, TJ’s ClikClak account consists of shirtless videos of him cooking or working out. The only Buzzards player actually from Boston, he is considered a bit of a hometown hero, but he is admittedly not sure why people like him. He has one brother who performs comedy and has his own Netflix special and another who graduated from Harvard Law. Soccer is all he has.
Talk about self-esteem issues all around! What’s great about this story is the fact that the esteem issues come from completely opposite scenarios. As Rachel and TJ’s friendship develops, it’s easy to understand why they try to ignore their attraction because they both desperately want to help the other. At the same time, neither one can truly appreciate what the other one has gone through so how can they help?
Rachel grew up with an unstable home life—never knowing when her mom was going to dump her and Richie back on their grandparents. She and Richie figured out on their own that they have different dads who weren’t in the picture. She’s angry at the world and has been since long before her sister died.
“We romanticize books and movies because it doesn’t happen in real life. There is no prince on a white horse, ready to swoop in and solve all the problems. In reality, guys send dick pics in hopes of getting laid and then ghost you as soon as they do. Moms don’t want to be moms and follow random guys all over the place rather than staying with their kids. Sisters die. Shit happens. And I can say that with authority, considering my job.”
On the flip side, TJ grew up in a loving, close-knit family. His brothers pick on him, as older siblings do, but his family attends every home game followed by a trip to a local ice cream shop. Dad helps him manage his money. Mom even does his laundry every week even though he lives on his own. He’s more angry at himself than anything else because he feels like he has no other purpose in life and soccer won’t last forever.
“Truth be told, when Ma drops my laundry off tomorrow, and the kitchen is a mess, she’ll probably clean it for me. Yes, I know. I’m 32 years old, and my mommy still does my laundry. I’ve never asked her to do that. She just does. She’s retired, so it gives her something to do, I guess. Makes her feel needed. We have an unspoken agreement. In return for her picking up after me, I get to have her meddling in my personal life, including near-constant harassment about finding a wife, settling down, and being less of a loner.”
Their lives could not be more different. But when one of the items on Richie’s list for Rachel is to meet TJ Doyle…well, their paths definitely have to cross. And this is a romance, so they definitely have to fall in love. I always say the enjoyment is in the journey in a romance, and this book is no exception.
Biel writes fantastic characters. I think that’s my favorite thing about her books…even more than the stories themselves. It’s obvious she puts a lot of thought into why her characters act the way they do. And Ophelia is one of my favorites from XOXO, the first book in the series (Come On, You Spurs or Bear Down, Chicago Bears). I was thrilled to see her back for this book. I just can’t help but love the energy she creates for every character around her. Ophelia exudes a care-free attitude (unless there are birds involved). She makes no apologies for who she is, and I’m here for it.
When TJ asks Ophelia’s husband Xavier about her street smarts, Xavier’s response sums her up perfectly. “You’re joking, right? You’re asking about the Ophelia who flew to Baltimore to surprise her wanker ex, only to find out he was cheating on her, but she had to have all of ClikClak tell her that because she didn’t realize it herself, even though it was blatantly obvious to all of us at the party. The woman who asked the internet to set her up on blind dates, but the way she worded it made them think she was a prostitute for her day job, which she’s not, by the way. The woman who got drunk and proposed to me over FaceTime so I could [get] my citizenship without ever researching to see if that was a valid thing, which, it turns out, it’s not. That Ophelia?”
I mean, seriously, how can you not love her? And yes, that is pretty much a synopsis of XOXO.
Every book in this series is a stand-alone. This one has a bit of crossover in the timeline of Zero to Hero (Do You Watch Football…or Football?). You don’t need the context of the previous book to read this one, but you’ll probably want to read that one too.
And if you like physical books, Biel recently re-released the first three books in the series with new covers so that the spines create a picture. I do not read physical books, but I do buy physical books that I feel are a little special. As I write this, I’m waiting for the physical copy of this one to go on sale, but the other three books in the series await the newest arrival.
If you’re looking for a fun, witty romance, this book is an excellent choice, and Kathryn R. Biel is definitely an author to follow.
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