Review: The Finnish Line

Review: The Finnish Line by Linda Gerber

When Nordic ski jumper Maureen "Mo" Clark set foot in Finland, she breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, escape from her famous skier father's shadow and a chance to jump in the renowned Lahti Ski Games. But Mo quickly realizes that balancing practice and classes is more challenging than she expected. So when a gorgeous bad boy teammate offers coaching assistance, for a little publicity in return, how can she refuse? Surely she can work in a few extra practices somewhere between studying for calculus and sightseeing in Finland? Amid snowmobiling and dog-sledding, ice hotels and Northern lights, Mo begins to discover what strength and perseverance? the Finnish sisu?is all about. Now it's up to her to take that final jump and cross the finish line in style.
-summary and cover via Goodreads

Plot: I enjoyed the plot! I love reading books set in other countries and this series seems to be perfect for that. And Finland isn't a country that gets a lot of mentions in YA books. (I found it particularly interesting because my Grandmother is Finnish) The sport Mo participated in wasn't one I knew really anything about and it was nice to read about a lesser known one! I wish we had gotten to see a little bit more of her family since the whole reason she wanted to study in this program was to get away from them, but having the whole book actually be set in Finland was neat overall!

Characters: I liked the characters in this book! And a refreshing thing was that the "mean girl" wasn't really all that mean (at least not in the usual way) You felt bad for her and she wasn't that way through the whole book. Mo was interesting, though I do feel that she didn't...feel that different in her inner voice? I mean, she didn't stand out that much from other voices in YA books. I would have liked to see a bit more of her friends she made there too. I liked her love interest! Overall the characters were good!

The Cover: The cover is okay! :) I don't love it, but I don't hate it either!

Overall: This book was fun read overall! It wasn't perfect, but it did get me out of a reading slump which was nice! If you're looking for a quick enjoyable read set in a lesser written about country, this is one I would suggest to you! :)

Would I Recommend This Book?: Yes! :)
Authors Website: lindagerber.blogspot.com
Series?: Kind of! It's part of the S.A.S.S series of books about teens going on study abroad programs, but from what I know about them each book is a stand-alone! :)
Age Range: Young Adult