For the most part, this heart warming story is so much more than a lusty relationship between semi-pro skaters Pirate and Uno who get married as a publicity stunt within the first chapters of the book.

The relationship between Thomas and Arturo (their names outside of the skate park) was a bit taxing at times but was definitely representative of the inner monologues that plague members of the LGBTQIA+ community when it comes to love and intimacy. The situations felt real but incredibly drawn out. It would have been a bit more believable had the characters been in their late teens not their early 30’s.

The other main themes of the book were family and team work. One quote that struck me was “In this sport, you have to commit to showing up, putting on the uniform, and trying to play your position the best you can. But you also have to trust that your teammate will commit to putting on the uniform and trying to play his position the best he can.” But there was one character who was an outlier to this - Nads. He was annoyingly antagonistic, even calling the police on his own team mate.

I loved that this book worked to show the struggles of marginalized voices in plain, clear ways. Like this quote “For some of us, the label is the closest approximation, even if there are aspects that don’t quite feel right.” It felt so good to interact with characters you see in real life and not force them to explain themselves.

I requested and received an ARC of this book from Bold Stroke Books, Inc. through NetGalley. Head Over Heelflip by Sander Santiago is a unique experience from beginning to end. Set in the world of street sports, this book definitely explored new territory for me. In Santiago's story we follow a skate crew competing in the Colorado Amateur Street Sports Tour. An element of this competition involves gaining points for doing various things including doing certain public stunts and supporting local businesses (maybe I don't understand this competition fully? lol) but in order to gain a lead among the other teams, best friends Arturo "Uno" and Thomas "Pirate" marry in a public ceremony. Uno is still working out his sexuality, while Pirate is harboring a secret love for Uno. What could go wrong?

A number of things, apparently, including acts of homophobia and racism/xenophobia aimed at our protagonists. This added an extra layer to the novel that allowed the author to explore social politics and identity in an area (street sports) that is perhaps underrepresented in fiction while also offering a nuanced discussion of intersectionality as pertains to our protagonists. At times the book felt heavy on exposition which can sometimes be irksome, but I didn’t find that it bothered me with this particular story as it allowed me to develop a more intimate understanding of the characters and their motivations, particularly how they respond to these stressful situations while grappling with their own feelings towards each other.

I loved both protagonists, but I think the character I responded most to was Nads. I found myself annoyed with him several times and while his behavior did make sense by the end of the story, I wish there had been some padding along the way to make him slightly more palatable. The romance in this book was wonderfully and sensitively done. Both MCs are absolutely endearing and I couldn’t help but cheer and cross my fingers for Pirate as I made my way through this story!

Head Over Heelflip
Author Sander Santiago

📚💕⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💕📚

Worth the read!

While personally I’m a Colorado native currently living in Grand Junction my family has lived as far as Alaska, Las Vegas and Arizona so to say I’ve exposed my now young adult boys to everything is not that far off. I have both female and male cousins only a couple years older than my boys that are both in same sex relationships and both of them lived with my family at some point after they came out to their parents because this home will just love you because we’ve always loved you who you love or how you love will and has never been an thing. So this book at times was a bit hard to read because the cruelty just seem so unnecessary. I for one like the dynamic between Arturo and Thomas was interesting to see through the others eyes. I was truly rooting for them all the way through. The authors ability to have two separate individuals struggling in their everyday life and try to navigate someone else’s thoughts, needs and desires was intense and gives all the fills.

Authors blurb: For most, the Colorado Amateur Street Sports Tour means a chance to see some local skateparks and fun antics as participants compete for some unusual point prizes. While he doesn’t expect to go pro as a skateboarder or BMX biker, Arturo hopes winning will jump-start his career in media. To win, his team must snag one of the bigger prizes, which means marrying his best friend Thomas “Pirate” Jefferson. But every plan has its hiccups. With bigots, journalists, and pressure from sponsors and teammates, Arturo must perform his best to pull it off.
The stakes are high for skateboarder and rollerblader Thomas. Invited onto the team because he’s that good, Thomas must win to prove he deserves to be there. To secure the biggest prizes, he’ll do almost anything, even marry his crush—Arturo “Uno” Ortiz. Although his feelings are a secret, his attraction gets harder to hide when the competition starts to push their relationship out into the open. When pressure drives a wedge through his team, Thomas is going to need more than a win to keep everyone he loves.
Arturo and Thomas know falling can hurt, but they didn’t anticipate marriage would be an extreme sport.

This book has everything I love in a book. Then you add that it's beautifully written and believable. It is easily a five star read. Written in dual POV my personal favorite this story flows so incredibly well that the next thing you know your 80% into the book and loving every second of it. The believable way the characters interact is perfect. Run, Hop, Jump or use your (1 click) finger to do whatever you have to do and get this amazing book. It'll break your heart, you'll want to scream with frustration and it'll let you discover that love just might conquer all. The chemistry is steamy and sweet and oh so romantic.

Thanks Netgally for letting me read and review.📚💕