OFFSETTING PENALTIES by Ally Mathews is set in a Texas high school where football reigns supreme. This young adult contemporary romance story about a ballet dancer and a football player will not disappoint. This is a story that follows smoothly from high school football, ballet, and both sides of the tracks seamlessly without leaving out any of the juicy details.

Senior year creates a buzz of activity for Garret who is the captain of the football team. That buzz ranges from applying for scholarships, playing football, and hoping to play college football. He also manages to find time to work at his father's yard. Isabelle or Izzy as she is called by her friends, is the rich daughter of a politician. She lives with her father, two dogs, and a housekeeper in one of the largest homes in town. Izzy's mom died when she was younger making her even more determine to go to college so that she can dance in a ballet company. What happens when her audition does not go has planned?

Garret and Izzy went to the same school their whole lives. They each hang out with a different group of friends. Somehow, they do not know much about each other except that he blames her for his best friend losing his scholarship to an art school when they were in middle school. When their paths cross because the football coach thinks ballet will help Garret's flexibility they make a deal to help each other. What they do not plan is getting closer and learning that they have more in common than they once thought. Will this new-found friendship turn to romance or will being from different backgrounds have an impact on the outcome?

Matthews has written a novel that is spot on when it comes to Texas high school football. She has meshed together two different group of high school teens making them see each other for who they are and not where they are from. OFFSETTING PENALTIES is a book that focuses on real problems that most teens face making this a realistic life like read. The perfect novel for anyone who loves young adult romance and football.