Scan barcode
A review by teacupsandtropes
Home Field Advantage by Dahlia Adler
5.0
Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for providing me with an ARC of Home Field Advantage.
This book was an utter delight! I read a lot of LGBTQ romance, but most of it involves M/M pairings. I don't read nearly enough Sapphic fiction or romance but everything is going to change as of today. Dahlia Adler wrote something that was poignant, funny, relatable, and so real. As a bi woman, there was so much in this story that I was able to relate to and I find that's so important for me when I'm reading. If I can't connect with what I'm reading, or what the characters are experiencing, I find that those kinds of books don't resonate well with me.
But this book did not have that problem.
Home Field Advantage follows Amber, a cheerleader who is gunning for cheer captain and a scholarship to get her out of Atherton. But several things hinder her process: her best friend and her Pastor daddy, trying to show her squad she is the leader they need; and... being a queer girl who has no attraction to cis boys. When Amber meets Jaclyn Walsh - preferably known as Jack (let's not get it wrong) - she needs to determine what's more important: friendship, love and her relationships, or getting a scholarship and becoming a cheer captain to some (not all), not-so-nice girls.
Jack faces her own challenges. Having moved to Atherton solely to play football, she faces resistance in the role by trying to fill the shows of the dead quarterback, Robbie. Oh. And she's a girl. Between missing friends, being shunned as an outcast, and feeling guilty over splitting her family apart, Jack isn't sure how she's going to cope with everything. But she tries to focus on football... and on her own personal cheering section.
Jack and Amber were great together. There were times where I wanted to shake Amber. I honestly remember screaming at my Kindle at one point. But despite making some bad decisions, Amber knew that she was in the wrong and she was quick to make up for it.
Jack was such a standout character. She lives her life unapologetically and the end of the book, when she could really come into her own, was so important. Amber's faux-beau, Miguel, was also a great character and I was so happy for him at the end of the story.
Basically: read this book. It was one of my most anticipated titles of the year and it did not disappoint!
This book was an utter delight! I read a lot of LGBTQ romance, but most of it involves M/M pairings. I don't read nearly enough Sapphic fiction or romance but everything is going to change as of today. Dahlia Adler wrote something that was poignant, funny, relatable, and so real. As a bi woman, there was so much in this story that I was able to relate to and I find that's so important for me when I'm reading. If I can't connect with what I'm reading, or what the characters are experiencing, I find that those kinds of books don't resonate well with me.
But this book did not have that problem.
Home Field Advantage follows Amber, a cheerleader who is gunning for cheer captain and a scholarship to get her out of Atherton. But several things hinder her process: her best friend and her Pastor daddy, trying to show her squad she is the leader they need; and... being a queer girl who has no attraction to cis boys. When Amber meets Jaclyn Walsh - preferably known as Jack (let's not get it wrong) - she needs to determine what's more important: friendship, love and her relationships, or getting a scholarship and becoming a cheer captain to some (not all), not-so-nice girls.
Jack faces her own challenges. Having moved to Atherton solely to play football, she faces resistance in the role by trying to fill the shows of the dead quarterback, Robbie. Oh. And she's a girl. Between missing friends, being shunned as an outcast, and feeling guilty over splitting her family apart, Jack isn't sure how she's going to cope with everything. But she tries to focus on football... and on her own personal cheering section.
Jack and Amber were great together. There were times where I wanted to shake Amber. I honestly remember screaming at my Kindle at one point. But despite making some bad decisions, Amber knew that she was in the wrong and she was quick to make up for it.
Jack was such a standout character. She lives her life unapologetically and the end of the book, when she could really come into her own, was so important. Amber's faux-beau, Miguel, was also a great character and I was so happy for him at the end of the story.
Basically: read this book. It was one of my most anticipated titles of the year and it did not disappoint!