The Ultimate Blindside JustRead Tour {book review and giveaway}
Welcome to the Blog Tour for The Ultimate Blindside by Leslea Wahl, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
About the Book
Title: The Ultimate Blindside
Series: Blindside series #3
Author: Leslea Wahl
Publisher: Perpetual Light Publishing
Release Date: February 3, 2026
Genre: YA Adventure/Mystery
Jake’s silver-medal life is movie-worthy.
Sophie’s role is about to be sabotaged.
Their sleepy Colorado town is overrun by a Hollywood film crew as the two teens, now high school seniors, find their private lives laid open for the world to see. Meanwhile, a mysterious woman and her daughter seek the couple’s help running from a powerful, dangerous man. In this tale of twists, whom can Sophie and Jake truly trust?
PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon
More in This Series
Excerpt 1 Jake
I have a theory. There is often one simple decision that can become the turning point in your life. One moment that changes the whole trajectory of your journey in this world. I’ve had a lot of time in the last few months to contemplate this idea. But even though the theory makes sense, I’m still trying to identify that ultimate, path-changing event in my own history. What single incident sent me careening down this path to such an extraordinary life?
Not that long ago, I was just a normal kid living in a small Kansas town without a care in the world. How did I go from that to becoming an “international icon,” as one recent press release claimed? I may be over-analyzing, but it’s a little hard not to, with the past few months literally replaying over and over in my mind.
Watching your life flash before your eyes. Whoever coined the expression certainly did not mean what I’m witnessing now. This is not a “death’s-doorstep” moment, but it’s definitely strange. Surreal.
Excerpt 2 Sophie
“Well, look who it is, the superstar himself,” the guy in the lead says with a sneer.
“The Man, the Myth, the Legend,” the other one agrees.
I’m not sure which is more confusing: the way these strangers hover over us or the snark that penetrates their words. I’ve never seen them before. I glance at Jake. His face is pale and rock- hard, like a marble statue.
“What are you doing here?” Jake’s voice has an odd, gravely tone to it.
The bulky guy lifts his chin. “Heard there was some excitement going on in your life, and we didn’t want to miss it.”
Jake’s jaw twitches as he holds the guy’s steady gaze, shared animosity sizzling between them.
Having had enough, I reach out my hand, which they completely ignore. “Hi, I’m Sophie.”
The taller, thin one glances at me like he just noticed there are other people at the table. “I’m Jon.” He nudges his friend. “And this is Rick.”
Oh…understanding washes over me. These are Jake’s childhood friends who promptly dumped him when he became famous. No wonder he’s less than thrilled to see them.
I withdraw my neglected hand and reach under the table to rest it on Jake’s knee to give an encouraging squeeze. He turns to me. The sad little grin he offers breaks my heart. My incredible boyfriend, who seems to have it all, has never recovered from the betrayal of his childhood friends.
Excerpt 3 Jake
As I stare down at the halfpipe, I keep reminding myself that I’m at Copper Mountain, but the glaring lights, the Olympic banner, the crowd of spectators, even what I’m wearing, have all transported me back in time to the final Olympic event when I was awarded the Silver Medal.
The two weeks of the Olympic Games, as well as the months that followed, have always been such a jumble in my mind. But standing here now, it all comes flooding back to me: the awe of competing against the guys I’d grown up admiring, the nervous energy that emanated all around me, the ease with which I boarded my first couple runs, the shock of realizing I was actually in medal contention, and then the complete disbelief when the final scores were posted. The memories are overwhelming.
I squat down and take a few breaths, unsure why they are affecting me so much. Maybe because I never really had the chance to process everything. I was too young and unprepared for the moment and all that followed. Heck, I still don’t understand it all.
I peer up at the night sky. The full moon shines as bright as one of the spotlights. God, I don’t know why all this has happened to me. I believe all things can work for Your glory. Please help me to see how this crazy life can bring others to You.
My Thoughts
The Ultimate Blindside is the third book in the Blindside series, but seems to work fairly well as a stand alone. In this one, we follow more adventures of Jake and Sophie, the teen main characters.
I was hooked from the beginning, and remained so throughout the whole story, as Jake and Sophie set out to help a mother and her daughter. It is full of mystery, danger, and intrigue...and even some sweet teen romance.
If you are looking for faith based suspense, mystery, and sweet romance for your teen, I recommend all of the Blindside series. I will also say that even young adults, and those of us not so young anymore, will enjoy the series, too.
I received a complimentary copy. These opinions are my own.
About the Author
Leslea Wahl is an award-winning author of adventurous teen mysteries. She not only writes for teens but is an avid reviewer of Christian fiction and a founding member of Catholic Teen Books. Her journey to become an author came through a search for value-based fiction for her own children. Leslea now strives to be an advocate for other families battling against society’s secular messages through her faith-based writing and reviews.
Connect with Leslea by visiting lesleawahl.com to follow her on social media and subscribe to email updates.
Tour Giveaway
(1) winner will receive print copies of the first two books of the series and book-themed items including socks, a mug, a bookmark, and a bible-verse magnet!
Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight March 31, 2026 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on April 7, 2026. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US/CAN only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.
Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!
this sounds like a great read! thanks for sharing your thoughts :)
ReplyDelete