Reviews with content warning for Child death - Home Field Advantage

Urgh...teenagers.

This book presents itself as a fluffy YA romcom, but it really reads more like a New Adult teen drama. It can be fluffy, it can be romantic, it certainly isn't a tragedy, but man...teenagers. This is the most accurate depiction of dumb highschoolers I have ever read, and I mean that both positively for the author and negatively for teenagers as a class. So much of this book is just both the football team and the cheerleaders repeatedly shooting themselves in the foot to spite their face. And Jack really doesn't deserve that! Jack is precious and must be protected (she can protect herself, but point stands)! I read this book rather quickly because I was just waiting for just one moment when everyone would just get their heads out of their butts and help one another. And there is some comeuppance towards the end, but it is too little too late. It especially sucks that the adults don't get involved. I get that there are probably some genre conventions that adults can't solve every problem or else what's the point of a teen story, but these adults are exceedingly useless. You would think that at least Amber's cool bisexual mom would know about Title IX. There is also a huge twist towards the end that I won't spoil, but it immediately makes this story brush up against an actual tragedy. Seriously: if you have common triggers, look into it before reading. I hate being negative on them kids these days, but we never see any other group of teenagers besides the football team that outwardly bullies Jack and the cheerleaders who go out of their way to make Jack not feel welcome. I don't think any other club or "clique" on campus would have been as hostile towards a girl playing sports. I could even see the other teams like volleyball and basketball going out of their way to help one of their own, and seeing some support anywhere would have really helped brighten the mood of this book. The "point" of school sports is supposed to teach us how to work together, right?

But if you're really in the mood for a relatively-light sports story, I do think there are things to enjoy about this book. I really like Jack. I think if the book had been more focused on her having to get the teams to accept her so they're all working together by Homecoming instead of against each other, it would have been better off. Amber does do some awful things in the book, but as someone who has been a part of both a toxic friend group and a toxic team where I was fighting for seniority, I see where she's coming from in both trying to salvage said friends but also do the right thing. And the chemistry between the two is very cute and believable. I have never seen flirting depicted so well in fiction before. Do what I do at any sporting event and read this book when there isn't action on the field.

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library_dreamer's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective fast-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

This book reminded me why I would never in a million years want to revisit my high school years. Amber is a cheerleader in a small, conservative town with her eyes on the captain spot, because she sees it as her best bet at a college scholarship and a ticket out of town where she can be herself.

After the untimely death of the quarterback, Amber falls for the replacement, Jack. The problem is that Jack is short for Jacyln. Now Amber and Jack must navigate an environment that doesn't want Jack there. Some players are just resentful of the loss of their friend, but most are angry that he was replaced by a girl.

This YA romance novel was deep and introspective, appropriate for the target audience. We see the characters navigating a variety of tough topics, like coming out, not outing others, discovering your own identity, challenging misogyny, all while trying to cultivate new love. I recommend this book for kids in high school and adults who care about kids in high school, particularly those in unwelcoming environments.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Content Warnings

kalin_grace's review

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challenging medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

There was a lot that this book did that just didn’t work for me. Most of the characters didn’t feel fully formed. The two MC’s really didn’t have any interactions that made me understand why they liked each other romantically. Most of the attraction seemed to be physical. (If I had to read one more line about how “bendy” Amber’s ‘great legs’ were I was going to lose it). I felt like full chapter could’ve been removed because they didn’t really add anything to the story. There was a payoff at the end, but getting to that point was painful.

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theartsybookwitch's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

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

4.25

I really enjoyed reading Home Field Advantage!

I think this was my first Dahlia Adler book and it certainly won't be my last.

From the very beginning of following the path of HFA from Adler's twitter, to seeing it come to life, and reading it, I knew I was gonna enjoy it. I just didn't know how much.

I loved reading in both Amber and Jack's perspectives, on how they both felt throughout the book; the pull between each other, the feelings about their sports, etc…

Despite HFA being a YA, this has hard hitting topics that pull at your heartstrings. I liked seeing the topics and how they were woven into HFA. The bubbly, fun, airy world view of Home Field Advantage is definitely one that everyone knows, but getting into these hard dynamics was a surprise. I felt like it was done well, the balance of light and "dark".

Content Warnings

foreverinastory's review

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emotional 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

4.5

Thank you to Wednesday Books & Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

4.5/5

This one was so good!!

Rep: white polysexual-questioning female MC, white gender non-conforming (butch) female lesbian MC, Latine questioning-achillean male side character, Black female side character, white nonbinary side character, various BIPOC side characters (ethnicity/race not indicated).

CWs: General queerphobia/queermisia, bullying, misogyny/toxic masculinity, threatened outing of side character/blackmailing, religious bigotry, sexism. Moderate: discussions of abortion, pregnancy and miscarriage, alcohol consumption, fatal car accident from DUI, child death, death, grief, violence.

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