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spicymakeupreads's review against another edition
4.0
It was slow going. A little younger than I guessed. It was recommended to me and id def say while it was cute and I liked it that it was better suited for my daughter who is 16.
charspages's review against another edition
1.0
POST-REVIEW NOTES: I just read up on the twitter drama involving siobhan vivian, sarah dessen, jodi picoult, and other authors. i have A LOT of thoughts regarding that, but will address those later. for now, all i can say is that i am absolutely APPALLED at vivian's comments and reactions, and that i find her extremely laughable. writing a "feminist book" after calling a university graduate who RIGHTFULLY expressed her opinion WITHOUT being demeaning or hurtful a "fucking bitch"? faux feminism at its peak. i'm embarrassed to have ever spent money on this author.
DNF on page 207
Man, this book was so boring, I don't even have words for it. I feel like I was completely set up with an amazing cover, cool premise, and promising characters that all turned out so flat, one-dimensional, and straight-up not entertaining at all. It feels like I have been reading this book forever, and yet, absolutely nothing happened.
All I know is that Mel is a horrible fucking person and should get her "I'm not like other girls because I don't do silly feminine sports like yoga" attitude in check. It's not cute. (Also, Coach thinking that the Truman scouts could make her do "ballet dancing" as casual practice??? I laughed. Ballet is twelve million times as difficult as field hockey. Also, thanks for putting it down, like the only sport that matters is hockey! I hated it.)
This book could have been important. Instead, though, it took itself way too seriously, relying on heavy prose and amateur hints at deep, complex issues. In reality, this book had nothing to say.
DNF on page 207
Man, this book was so boring, I don't even have words for it. I feel like I was completely set up with an amazing cover, cool premise, and promising characters that all turned out so flat, one-dimensional, and straight-up not entertaining at all. It feels like I have been reading this book forever, and yet, absolutely nothing happened.
All I know is that Mel is a horrible fucking person and should get her "I'm not like other girls because I don't do silly feminine sports like yoga" attitude in check. It's not cute. (Also, Coach thinking that the Truman scouts could make her do "ballet dancing" as casual practice??? I laughed. Ballet is twelve million times as difficult as field hockey. Also, thanks for putting it down, like the only sport that matters is hockey! I hated it.)
This book could have been important. Instead, though, it took itself way too seriously, relying on heavy prose and amateur hints at deep, complex issues. In reality, this book had nothing to say.
bookishjosh's review
3.0
Thank you, Simon & Schuster, for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
It's never been her place to question him. It's her job to trust him. And she did trust him.
This is my very first Siobhan Vivian book. If you look at its Goodreads page or Google the author, you might notice a trend: references to the Twitter war last November. I don't want to be redundant, so all you have to know is that Siobhan's way of supporting Sarah Dessen wasn't exactly helpful. Nonetheless, since book reviewers have to be objective, I won't let my opinion on the controversy affect my rating of this feminist novel. Those three stars are for the book, not the author.
We Are the Wildcats doesn't have anything to do with High School Musical. It's about six girls (Mel, Phoebe, Luci, Ali, Grace, and Kearson) who a part of a 20-member field hockey team called the Wildcats. They have a major game coming, so they need to prepare themselves physically and mentally. Luci, the team captain, organizes a meaningful evening event to motivate everyone, but their beloved coach gets in the way and changes the game plan. However, because of Coach's interference, the girls eventually see his true, dark colors.
The book was indeed suspenseful. Coach was a complex character, and I wanted to understand why the girls, especially Mel, adored him. Regardless of his cold and brusque temperament, they claimed that everything he did was to bring out the best players in them. Sometimes, the story made me uncomfortable because Mel's feelings for Coach weren't just respect and admiration. She treasured their conversations and felt special whenever he texted her. Their texts weren't romantic, but it was apparent that Coach was pulling Mel's strings.
The other girls weren't infatuated with Coach, but they all wanted to please him through their athletic performance. It came to the point that I felt sorry for the Wildcats. Were they just too innocent or ignorant to realize his malicious power over them? For most of the book, Coach was an excellent manipulator. He often succeeded in making them feel indebted to him. So when things began to unravel, I was excited to see the girls kick his ass.
The was supposed to cover only 24 hours. I expected a very fast-paced plot but found an intermittent one instead. There were too many perspectives to follow, and all of them had flashbacks to give their relationships with Coach some context. Unfortunately, I only cared about a few of them. Among the six POVs, I enjoyed Ali's the most. She was one of the two Asians on the team and had fascinating interactions with her Korean family. Grace (Wildcat #5) also had a cool big brother, and I loved their shared screentime. Finally, Phoebe (Wildcat #2) had one of the most significant struggles. Her ACL was torn, but she refused to let that get in the way of her dreams.
The most notable aspect of this book was its depiction of female friendship. The protagonists rarely had petty arguments. Coach tried to break their faith in each other with manipulative tactics but failed as a result of their tenacity and loyalty. Still, several side characters behaved differently and were perfect examples of girl hate; they resented Grace and Kearson out of pathetic envy. Perhaps balance was achieved that way?
Overall, We Are the Wildcats shows how girls can break free from the chains of toxic masculinity. It will make you curious, wary, and a little happy. I didn't thoroughly enjoy the book, but I would recommend it to anyone looking for something sporty and enlightening to read.
It's never been her place to question him. It's her job to trust him. And she did trust him.
This is my very first Siobhan Vivian book. If you look at its Goodreads page or Google the author, you might notice a trend: references to the Twitter war last November. I don't want to be redundant, so all you have to know is that Siobhan's way of supporting Sarah Dessen wasn't exactly helpful. Nonetheless, since book reviewers have to be objective, I won't let my opinion on the controversy affect my rating of this feminist novel. Those three stars are for the book, not the author.
We Are the Wildcats doesn't have anything to do with High School Musical. It's about six girls (Mel, Phoebe, Luci, Ali, Grace, and Kearson) who a part of a 20-member field hockey team called the Wildcats. They have a major game coming, so they need to prepare themselves physically and mentally. Luci, the team captain, organizes a meaningful evening event to motivate everyone, but their beloved coach gets in the way and changes the game plan. However, because of Coach's interference, the girls eventually see his true, dark colors.
The book was indeed suspenseful. Coach was a complex character, and I wanted to understand why the girls, especially Mel, adored him. Regardless of his cold and brusque temperament, they claimed that everything he did was to bring out the best players in them. Sometimes, the story made me uncomfortable because Mel's feelings for Coach weren't just respect and admiration. She treasured their conversations and felt special whenever he texted her. Their texts weren't romantic, but it was apparent that Coach was pulling Mel's strings.
The other girls weren't infatuated with Coach, but they all wanted to please him through their athletic performance. It came to the point that I felt sorry for the Wildcats. Were they just too innocent or ignorant to realize his malicious power over them? For most of the book, Coach was an excellent manipulator. He often succeeded in making them feel indebted to him. So when things began to unravel, I was excited to see the girls kick his ass.
The was supposed to cover only 24 hours. I expected a very fast-paced plot but found an intermittent one instead. There were too many perspectives to follow, and all of them had flashbacks to give their relationships with Coach some context. Unfortunately, I only cared about a few of them. Among the six POVs, I enjoyed Ali's the most. She was one of the two Asians on the team and had fascinating interactions with her Korean family. Grace (Wildcat #5) also had a cool big brother, and I loved their shared screentime. Finally, Phoebe (Wildcat #2) had one of the most significant struggles. Her ACL was torn, but she refused to let that get in the way of her dreams.
The most notable aspect of this book was its depiction of female friendship. The protagonists rarely had petty arguments. Coach tried to break their faith in each other with manipulative tactics but failed as a result of their tenacity and loyalty. Still, several side characters behaved differently and were perfect examples of girl hate; they resented Grace and Kearson out of pathetic envy. Perhaps balance was achieved that way?
Overall, We Are the Wildcats shows how girls can break free from the chains of toxic masculinity. It will make you curious, wary, and a little happy. I didn't thoroughly enjoy the book, but I would recommend it to anyone looking for something sporty and enlightening to read.
abbyl819's review
4.0
While I didn't feel particularly attached to any of the characters, I loved the way the team and friendship dynamic was set up throughout this book. I enjoyed the way that everything started out as if it was fine until near the end when all of the secrets started coming out and changing the perspective on the story.
inejgafaswife's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
gabrielle_erin's review against another edition
3.0
Nothing objectively wrong with this book, I just kept waiting for a big twist that never came. I guess a grown man manipulating, abusing and gaslighting a group of teenage girls for his own personal gain just isn't all that shocking and surprising anymore.
chickenlady's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
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
arieanstar's review against another edition
3.0
Thank you to NetGalley, Simon and Schuster and Siobhan Vivian for sending me an eARC for review.
Disclaimer: I am aware of the controversy behind Siobhan Vivian and her tweets. However, my rating and opinions of the story have not been swayed in any way by this. My rating is purely on her work and not on her character.
I have to admit, I am not much of a sports fiction reader, however, the synopsis intrigued me. It promised silly adventures and team bonding with a team that would do anything for each other. I absolutely loved seeing the dynamic between the six points of view. The story emphasized a lot on how the Wildcats were a family through and through, no matter the hardships and fights. However, we were also promised a suspenseful read as the girls try to "outplay their coach". Because the book focused so much on the dynamics between the girls, we never fully explore all the perspectives and their part in "uncovering the mystery". Instead, we get a rushed, last 15% of the novel to discover why the girls even want to ruin their coach.
Disclaimer: I am aware of the controversy behind Siobhan Vivian and her tweets. However, my rating and opinions of the story have not been swayed in any way by this. My rating is purely on her work and not on her character.
I have to admit, I am not much of a sports fiction reader, however, the synopsis intrigued me. It promised silly adventures and team bonding with a team that would do anything for each other. I absolutely loved seeing the dynamic between the six points of view. The story emphasized a lot on how the Wildcats were a family through and through, no matter the hardships and fights. However, we were also promised a suspenseful read as the girls try to "outplay their coach". Because the book focused so much on the dynamics between the girls, we never fully explore all the perspectives and their part in "uncovering the mystery". Instead, we get a rushed, last 15% of the novel to discover why the girls even want to ruin their coach.
lillanaa's review against another edition
This book was received as an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I wasn't a fan of this one, the writing felt clunky and pretty much all of the characters felt the same. I got about a quarter of the way into the book and it was still all buildup. That, along with the fact that there were six points of view makes this book feel overdone to me. Not into it.
I wasn't a fan of this one, the writing felt clunky and pretty much all of the characters felt the same. I got about a quarter of the way into the book and it was still all buildup. That, along with the fact that there were six points of view makes this book feel overdone to me. Not into it.