"A story about heartbreak whose protagonist is fittingly a lifelong fan of the Chicago Cubs. Ryan once had two best friends and a dad who took her to baseball games. But then her father was killed in an accident, and her mother remarried; her friends drifted away. Can Ryan leave behind her new "small and lost" personality and recover the person she was supposed to become? Smith doesn't entirely avoid sentimentality, but Ryan's "comeback" with the help of a new kid in school — a boy, and a Cubs fan — is convincingly put over the top." - The New York Times
"…a novel about the complex deal-making that has become part of the lore of Cubs devotion…a piece of magical thinking that any baseball fan will recognize as eternally binding." - The Los Angeles Times
"Smith, obviously well-versed in baseball, expertly navigates the themes of loss and the loss of innocence, too. She might be a rookie, but she hits a home run with a poignant and touching novel about hope, perseverance and the strength of the human spirit." – The Columbus Dispatch
"Smith writes earnestly and gets the North Side atmospherics right…Sentimental believers will eat up Ryan's tale." – The Chicago Sun-Times
"…a deeply moving, often beautifully rendered story…[written] with scenes of genuine emotional power and language of sometimes breathtaking beauty and clarity…Smith is clearly a writer with extraordinary gifts, from whom great things should be expected." - School Library Journal
"Smith deftly twines strands of grief, romance, baseball, family, and friendships lost and regained into this tale of a teenager who begins to the recover from the pain of an old loss while facing the prospect of a new one…the present-tense narrative has an immediacy that will engage readers and the supporting cast is unusually vivid…Ryan, a good-hearted sort with unusual sensitivity to glances and silences, is a protagonist that will strongly appeal to fans." - Booklist
"…this moving debut isn't so much about baseball as it is an examination of the roles that faith, luck and fate play in the game of life. Even though Smith's clean, uncomplicated prose and gently told story are more Sarah Dessen than Chris Crutcher, both romantics and sports fans will find something here to like." - Kirkus Reviews
"Smith is a smooth writer, and she has something wise to say about the way people process loss."
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Publishers Weekly
"A story that touches difficult subjects the way we gingerly touch a sensitive tooth…There is nothing sentimental about this story; nothing trite…An unusually poignant story." - KLIATT
"Beautifully written in prose so word-perfect and fluid it feels like poetry, this debut novel seamlessly weaves themes of family dynamics, grief, survival, guilt, fear, and longing. Smith has created a real and empathetic heroine whose heartbreak is felt by the reader, while never allowing the plot to descend into the trite or maudlin. A great novel for anyone." - Childrenslit.com.
"Jennifer E. Smith's debut novel is poignant and memorable. The premise will grab sports fans, but the story is for everyone. You needn't be a baseball enthusiast to enjoy this book. It's far more about loss, hope, and trust than about pitches and innings. The Comeback Season will appeal not only to fans of the Cubs, but also to fans of Sarah Dessen and Nicholas Sparks." - Little Willow
"The Comeback Season is a heartwarming mix of love and acceptance, life and death, and humor and sadness that you will not soon forget. Jennifer E. Smith is definitely an author to watch." - The Compulsive Reader
"You'll laugh, you'll cry…but most of all, you'll love this book." - Teensreadtoo.com
"…one of the season's best books. Don't miss it." -YA Books Central
"Amazingly written…a very powerful debut. Highly recommended." - Book Chic
"…a gripping, raw and heartbreaking novel about first love, baseball, and friendship." - Harmony Book Reviews
"The Comeback Season by Jennifer E. Smith is the most amazing book ever written…Love, romance, passion, baseball, and reality all packed into one easy flowing book." - Life on the Run Reviews