Girls of Summer

Sometimes a chance meeting can change everything. At 15, Jamie Maxwell’s main goals in life are to make the United States youth national soccer pool, move past the Incident-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named, and maybe - someday - kiss a girl. When she meets Emma Blakeley at a tournament in Southern California, something about the older girl draws her in. And it isn’t that she expects to ever get the chance to kiss Emma. Really.

It’s late 2013, and the world’s best soccer players are gearing up for the 2015 World Cup. In London, Jamie has just completed her third year as a professional footballer at Arsenal Ladies F. C. Only one soccer dream still eludes her: a spot on the US women’s national team. Emma, a national team regular, has recently moved back to Seattle to play professionally in the NWSL, the latest incarnation of an American women’s pro soccer league.

Training Ground, book one of the Girls of Summer series, introduced Emma Blakeley and Jamie Maxwell, two young athletes with seemingly bright soccer futures. In book two, Game Time, those futures caught up to them - and brought them back together. Now, in Outside the Lines, Jamie and Emma are forced to come to terms with their relationship as each dedicates herself to a lifelong dream: Making the 2015 World Cup roster for the US Women’s National Team, the top-ranked squad in the world.

In The Road to Canada, a staffing change on the US Women’s National Team (USWNT) shortly before the 2015 World Cup has altered the playing field for both women. Who will make the final cut for a chance to stand on top of the winner’s podium in Vancouver? To find out, join Jamie and Emma for the latest installment in the ongoing story of their lives, loves, and would-be world championships in The Road to Canada, book four of the bestselling series.

The first four books of the Girls of Summer series introduced Emma Blakeley and Jamie Maxwell, two athletes with bright soccer futures. Now, in Girls of Summer, the US Women's National Team (USWNT) is in its final round of preparations before the 2015 World Cup. For Jamie, a starting spot on the World Cup roster would be a dream come true. For Emma, the summer of 2015 offers a chance at redemption. Will both women see their lifelong hopes and dreams realized? And can their relationship withstand the intense scrutiny of the outside world?