Knockout Girl

Knockout Girl is a young adult novel about a girl named Elli who is forced to move from Hawaii to Toronto in the dead of winter. Although she's rather resistant at first, she makes friends with Julian, who she discovers is being used as a punching bag for the school's boxing champion, Red. Elli quickly realizes the only way to get this guy off her friend's back is to beat him at his own game. With the help of a cute jock, a sweet tattooed loner, and Elli's burnt out boxing champion uncle, she and Julian enter a boxing tournament where Julian will have to face his bully in the ultimate showdown.

Why I love this story: for starters, Elli is hilarious. She's moody, sassy, and generally unhappy with her life, which somehow comes across in the funniest of ways. Once she learns that living in Canada is not the end of the world, however, she becomes a pretty good friend to Julian. (Just friends.) Julian is a perfect counter-part to Elli's narration - he's calm, cool, and collected. He's smart and a self-admitted loner. But he's also compassionate to Elli's plight in having to be the new girl in school and in a new country.

This story isn't just about bullying or how two people learned how to beat someone up. It's a coming-of-age story about finding friendship in unlikely places and having courage in the face of adversity. I don't want to give away the ending, but I will say that before Julian even fights Red, he's already won in the eyes of his peers.

If you're curious about my novel-writing process, I did a fun interview about it with Josh.

Knockout Girl recently won me two Indie Originals awards: one for Best Young Adult Book and the other for Best New Author. Super proud that someone chose my book to represent those two categories!

Here's what the Indie Originals reviewers had to say:

"The story is immediately engaging, with a strong, authentic voice. Great, accessible, fluid style with compelling immediacy, and the pacing is excellent. Characters and relationships are well-developed, interesting, and true to the age. Additionally, Elli makes for a smart, funny, engaging protagonist with a singular perspective. The boxing element feels both fresh and completely organic to the story world, leading to a triumphant climax and a toucing, satisfying ending."

Knockout Girl is officially available to buy in ebook or paperback from Amazon or read on Kindle Unlimited here or here if you're Canadian. You can also leave me a lovely (but honest review) on Goodreads. You can also become a fan of the series on Facebook.

What people are saying about the book: