The Ex Games by Jennifer Echols

The Ex Games:
Brace yourself for the battle of the exes...

Hayden and Nick used to be a hot item, but their brief affair ended with a highly publicized breakup. Now the two are "just friends," excluding the occasional flirtation.

When Hayden wins the girls' division of a local snowboarding competition, Nick is unimpressed, claiming that Hayden wouldn't have a chance against a guy. Hayden calls Nick's bluff and challenges him to a head-to-head boarding contest. Their mutual friends quickly take sides, the girls on Hayden's and the boys on Nick's, making for an all-out battle of the sexes. This friendly competition is bound to get heated—and they might end up igniting some old flames.




Jennifer Echols has quickly become one of my favorite contemporary, young adult authors. This book was sweet and funny, but underneath all that is a girl struggling to overcome her greatest fear in hopes of gaining a promising future. And the fun loving, cocky and self-assured guy hides his vulnerabilities from everyone, making it hard to get close to him. Except when it comes to Hayden; four years ago she found out the truth of their relationship and was mortified, but little does she know that Nick has had a soft spot in his heart for her all that time.

After a repelling accident that caused a severe break in her leg, Hayden became deathly afraid of heights and when they moved to a ski resort town, she fell in love with snowboarding; as long as she is only doing tricks off the half-pipe and not any major jumps. When she wins a competition and the prize is lessons from a famous snowboarder Hayden realizes that unless she can get over her fear, she will never become a professional. Adding flames to the fire is her ex-boyfriend, Nick, when he claims a girl can never beat a boy if they were to compete head-to-head. So begins the battle of the sexes. With the help of her brother and her two best-friends, Hayden struggles with the idea of conquering the jump. While they have played back-and-forth with one another for years, Hayden and Nick discover that their feelings run deeper than they imagined, and with a little bit of luck and some faith together they find a new beginning and a bright new future in their sights.