Welcome friend! Every now and then, I pick up a Young Adult novel for a light read, and Emily Charlotte’s Catching Feelings was just the story I needed! The second book in the Varsity series, it brings together a new school year, football, friendships, and a romance neither Sabrina nor Tyler was expecting.
I particularly enjoyed being swept into the world of pep rallies, homecoming plans, and the excitement of senior year. Reading this story also brought back a little nostalgia for my own school days. I’m delighted to welcome Emily to Armed with A Book today to chat about writing YA romance, creating memorable friendships, bringing sports into her stories, and the world of the Varsity series.
Catching Feelings
The first rule for a drama-free senior year? Don’t fall for the mysterious new football transfer. A swoony young adult romance full of undeniable chemistry and school spirit perfect for fans of Lynn Painter and Friday Night Lights, from the author of Heart Check.
When Sabrina and Tyler meet by accident outside (okay, inside) the football locker rooms, it’s not a big deal. After a rocky summer, Sabrina is focused on leading the Spirit Committee to its best year ever, while Tyler is eager to leave behind the mess from his old school with a second chance playing football as a transfer. Neither is looking for romance.
But as the team’s newest (and most eligible) varsity athlete, Tyler is suddenly the center of attention. And Sabrina is busy dodging Ryan, her longtime flirtationship who is determined to take her to the homecoming dance. Ryan is exactly the kind of chaos Sabrina doesn’t need, so she asks Tyler to go as friends instead. Eager to fend off other unwanted advances, Tyler is happy to accept.
Of course, this was before Sabrina realized Tyler is Ryan’s cousin. But as long as they’re just friends, everything should be fine. Tyler is less willing to ignore the connection he feels toward Sabrina, but he’s also desperate to keep his past buried. When the chemistry between them becomes impossible to deny, can their carefully laid plans survive the fallout, or will secrets and social pressure threaten everything they’ve built?
Get to know the author: Emily Charlotte
Hi Emily. Welcome to Armed with A Book. It is a pleasure to chat with you. Please tell me and my readers a bit about yourself.
Thank you for making the time! My first novel, Heart Check, came out last year to launch the Varsity series—it’s a YA spin on the Off Campus series, focusing on a small town obsessed with sports and all the drama that ensues as a result! This fall, the companion novel released: Catching Feelings, which turns the camera from hockey to football. It’s a joy to be featured!
What do you particularly enjoy about telling stories set during the high school years?
I love thinking about transitions and the ways we’re always evolving and becoming more ourselves. I don’t think that stops after high school, but the YA category is all about exploring what it means to change and grow. I love exploring defining moments, the heightened emotions around all kinds of “firsts,” and the messiness of navigating all the influences and pressures surrounding you.
Sabrina and Tyler both have ideas about what their senior year should look like, but their plans don’t quite survive meeting each other! What do you think each character teaches the other about taking chances and letting people in?
I love this question! I always try to build my romance arcs around the characters’ growth, and Sabrina and Tyler are just what each other need to break their patterns. They’re both the person who takes care of everyone around them because they’ve been taught that others won’t be there for them when the rubber hits the road. Sabrina’s dealing with the fallout of her parents’ divorce and the role she played in exposing the dysfunction of their relationship; Tyler is dealing with assumptions classmates made about him at his last school. As a result, neither of them is inclined to be vulnerable—but because of the ways they both show up for each other, they gradually let their walls down. Sabrina eventually learns that she doesn’t need to carry the weight of the world on her own, and Tyler learns that the right people will stand by him.
I enjoyed how Sabrina and Tyler’s relationship develops through ordinary moments—walking to class, car rides home, and spending time together. What do you enjoy most about writing a slow-burn romance where friendship comes first?
I think there’s so much beauty in the little details of getting to know someone. One of the animating principles of my writing and my life is that the more you get to know someone, the easier it is to love them. Writing slow-burn romance lets me explore all those little moments and shine a light on the conversations that slowly crack you open. For two characters who needed to learn how to trust and open up again, this friends-first romance felt like the only right way to let them get to know each other. Neither of them is ready for a relationship when the book starts!
One of my favorite aspects of Catching Feelings was the supporting cast. Kara is wonderfully protective of Sabrina, while Will makes an effort to create a supportive environment for Tyler on the football team. How did you approach writing friendships that feel important beyond the central romance?
Friendships are always so important to my work. I want to remind teenagers that their community and support can come from lots of different places; I’m really lucky to have tons of wonderful friends in my life, all of whom both echo certain parts of my experience and also challenge me in other important ways! When building friendships in my work, I take a really similar approach to building a romantic relationship—each character needs to see or appreciate something about the other while also shining a light on something that will help them grow. Both Kara and Will are unequivocally there for my FMC and MMC, and they’re not afraid to call them on their nonsense because of how much they love them! That balance helps me create character arcs that feel earned and friendships that (I hope!) feel real.
Another thing I enjoyed about Catching Feelings was the camaraderie among the football players. Tyler’s encouragement of Gabe stood out to me as a lovely example of teammates supporting one another. What did you want to explore about friendship and emotional support within a competitive sports environment?
I think especially when under a lot of pressure in a competitive environment, it’s so important to have a team you can rely on. When I talk to serious athletes, they give so much credit to their coaches and teammates—without strong trust and chemistry, it’s hard to perform at your best! I feel really strongly about exploring strong friendships between teenage boys, too—I think they sometimes get undersold in the media at large, and I love to spotlight healthy, supportive, emotionally available interactions!
Which scene in Catching Feelings was the most fun for you to write, and what made it memorable?
One of my favorite scenes is a party at Ryan’s house, which Sabrina and Tyler are trying to survive without tipping their hand about their growing secret relationship. It was a total delight writing about the tension building between them and the degree to which other characters are catching on—some of them totally oblivious, some nudging Tyler to “go get your girl.” A party scene is always fun for me—so many chaotic dynamics and different characters to populate it—and this one was more fun than most!
Sabrina is a Gilmore Girls fan. If she could spend a weekend in Stars Hollow, which character do you think she would hang out with?
I think she’d thrive with the characters of another generation, haha! She’d get such a kick out of Babette and Miss Patty—they’d love swapping gossip and planning extravagant performances for the town. (Sabrina would probably get way too involved out of excitement. Confetti and streamers would end up everywhere.) I’d also love to see her and Lorelai in a yap-battle! I think Sabrina would fit right into the Sherman-Palladino dialogue cadence.
Reading Catching Feelings took me back to my own senior year, even though my school experience was quite different from Sabrina’s. What memories or feelings from your own school years find their way into your writing?
I’m so glad it gave you a bit of nostalgia—I think this is a key ingredient in my work! I rarely pull anything specific from my own years as a teenager, but so many of the feelings are mine or my friends’. The intensity of navigating complex relationships and friendships for the first time, the ever-imminent pressure to find your passion and achieve your dreams, the giddiness of blasting music through open car windows on a drive with your friends. I love reliving those feelings through my writing—even the messy, challenging parts!
The third Varsity book, Your Better Half, is already scheduled for next fall. What can you tell us about the next story, and what should readers look forward to?
I’m so excited for this one—we revealed the cover recently, and it’s stunning! It’s the story of a teen matchmaker who has to find the perfect match for the school’s stubbornly single heartthrob in order to revive his failing fundraiser. It’s inspired by Emma, one of my favorite Austen novels, and also includes an exploration of chronic illness that’s really close to my heart. They’re raising money for type one diabetes research, which our protagonist, Avery, has just been diagnosed with; I was diagnosed as a teen, too, and was really excited to put this perspective into a YA novel. Most importantly, though, it’s a romcom that’s my love letter to the genre—it’s full of all my favorite tropes (my favorite scene is an only-one-couch sequence) and a lot of musings on what it means to be seen, vulnerable, and loved. I can’t wait for everyone to read it!
You’re also an English teacher. How do your students influence your stories?
It’s a good reminder of what it’s like to be that age—especially all the pressures they’re juggling, whether they’re athletes or have other passions! They are all so busy, and also working so hard to be good people, good friends, and figure out who they want to be in the world. They’re really inspiring to me. I try not to condescend to teens in my books, because I’m surrounded by ones who are really wise, warm, ambitious, funny, smart—all the good things. And of course, they’re still growing up and making mistakes… and learning from them! I love writing stories where messing up is okay—where characters find a way to make it right in the end.
Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me!
Thank you for such perceptive, thoughtful questions! They were a joy to answer!
Thank you, reader, for joining me and Emily today!
Catching Feelings is now available wherever books are sold! Be sure to check your local library too. Add this book on Goodreads or read the first book, Heart Check. You can read my review here.
Many thanks to the Margaret K. McElderry Books and Beth Parker PR for the review copy and the interview opportunity! I appreciate every book that meets me in my mailboxes and every author who will take a few moments to chat about their book.
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