5 Stars For ‘One Happy Accident’: Mind Over Matter, A Legend Is Born.
One Happy Accident by Gary Simonds.
Would-be soccer star Sean McLaine knows what it’s like to still inhabit a child’s body in high school. Well into junior year, he remains woefully puberty-challenged, and it’s messing with his soccer dreams. Ignored by his coaches, he faces daily embarrassment and bullying. Out on the pitch, he’s up against practically full-grown men who don’t mind greeting his undeniable talent with repeated pummeling.
At school none of the girls seem to see him at all. He’s a nothing, a nonentity. But not in the eyes of brilliant, whimsical Kayleigh McLaughlin, a recent transplant from Ireland. She is hopelessly drawn to Sean’s poetic nature, both in class and on the soccer pitch.
Kayleigh wants to help Sean clear the hurdles of a potentially career-ending injury and the echoes of a horrific past trauma. But will Sean’s unbridled devotion to soccer doom the couple’s budding relationship? He can juggle a soccer ball, but can he juggle reaching for his dreams and having a personal life too?
5 Stars For ‘One Happy Accident’: Mind Over Matter, A Legend Is Born.
I enjoyed ‘Death’s Pale Flag’ so much, when author Gary Simonds emailed me about his latest book ‘One Happy Accident’, I find it an honor to be one of the first to read and review it.
As a lifetime soccer fanatic, Gary waits with anticipation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Whether you are a soccer fan or not, ‘One Happy Accident’ is a story worth reading and passing along.
The story revolves around Sean McLaine who dreams to be a soccer legend. In his junior year of high school, Sean’s body is not catching up with his dream. His coaches ignore him, and his teammates habitually harass him. On the field he faces the goliaths with grit and determination. I refer to his stamina as ‘Mind Over Matter’.
When an injury threatens his dream, Ireland comes to the rescue with Kayleigh McLaughlin. Also, a junior at New Bethany, in Pennsylvania, Kayleigh would normally be out of his league. This beautiful, intelligent, sensitive girl is drawn to Sean’s personality on and off the soccer field.
Let me share a quote: Tell me everything. Kayleigh obliges, describing all that had been going on— the whole Sean McLaine experience. She finishes with the assessment, “I think there’s some real depth there. Some real emotional intelligence, and I think it’s fueled by . . . I don’t know . . . a world-weariness. He seems to be churning away with unsettled energy and angst . . . I can feel it.” “Ladies and gentlemen,” replies Aliyah, with sweeping hands and a bow, “may I introduce Ms. Kayleigh McLaughlin, famous Celtic psychoanalyst.”
Will Sean be able to balance PTSD with the rigors of the soccer field? Will he achieve the focus that will turn is indisputable talent into his “Soccer Field Of Dreams”? Will he be able to balance the academic demands, social commitments and romantic pressure with the mental and physical stress on the soccer field?
Once it is all said that done ‘One Happy Accident’ will prepare your mind and heart for the upcoming. 2026 FIFA World Cup. This fictional sports story will stay with you long after fans have left the stadium. ‘One Happy Accident’ will be available for you to purchase in early 2025. Please pick up Gary’s book ‘Death’s Pale Flag’ now, you won’t be disappointed. I can’t wait to see what North Carolina author and neurosurgeon Gary Simonds will come up with next.
Editorial Review and Endorsement by Book Marketing Global Network.
Product Details:
Print Length: 344 Pages
Publisher: Koehler Books (February 18, 2025)
Language: English
Reading Age: 13-17 Years
Literature: Teens and Young Adults
Amazon Softcover Print:
https://www.amazon.com/One-Happy-Accident-Gary-Simonds/dp/B0DPBNB6JZ/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0
Author’s Page At Book Marketing Global Network:
https://bookmarketingglobalnetwork.com/book-marketing-global-network/author-gary-r-simonds/
