Reviews

We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry

nerdywerewolf's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Someone threw this out to read it I'm currently missing Yellowjackets (I am 😭) and it was PERFECT.

1989. Ladies Field Hockey. Danvers, MA...you know, used to be part of Salem? What happens when girls *really* bond?

I could believe it's this. I loved all the 80s/90s references and the girls were a blast to get to know. I loved flirting with the idea of the supernatural and all the witchy history. A+

chloeknight's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

azura's review against another edition

dark informative inspiring mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

sarahruthsreads's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Overall I really enjoyed this one. But it’s kinda hard to tell if I loved the book itself or if I just felt deeply connected to this story as a former field hockey player from Massachusetts who’s obsessed with the Salem witch trials. The writing was pretty dense at times, which made some parts hard to get through,  there were so many characters to keep track of, and the last chapter felt really thrown together. I think there was a lot more potential here. But ultimately I really loved the plot, the message, the characters, and the vibe. 

juliawo's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

aislina's review against another edition

funny inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

eileen_reads's review against another edition

medium-paced

2.0

nakbari's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

jess_mango's review against another edition

4.0

1989 in the Boston 'burb of Danvers, MA. We meet the 11 members of the Danvers High School field hockey team. This group of 10 girls and 1 boy form a strange bond centered around an Emilio Estevez notebook. They believe it works some charms to help them win games.

I really enjoyed this book. It was told from a 3rd person plural perspective of the team. I loved all of the 80's nostalgia, the local Boston North Shore references, including mentions of businesses that are long gone. The prose was a bit dense in parts but I plowed on through and enjoyed this one.

markcastaneda's review against another edition

5.0

such a fun book! Definitely a personal nostalgia trip for the author, and probably a little overwritten to her own interests rather than for an audience. I know very little about field hockey, but you really feel yourself pulled into the author's world. Definitely a better read if you have /some/ sort of connection to the material, mine being from MA as well, but even just understanding team sports will instill some empathy into you in order to pull you through that first little bit.