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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
♡ Swimming
♡ Queer Sports Romance
♡ Wholesome Friendships
The anxiety rep in this felt personal. And just having to exist or be perceived being too much was way too relatable. Getting to see the difference between how the main character sees themself versus how their friends see them is done so well.
The friendships were written so nicely and while the plot wasn’t anything too dramatic it felt comforting like a slice of life kind of vibe.
For anyone who is a fan of All for the Game by Nora Sakavic I highly suggest this book. It had all the queer sports romance you could ask for.
Spice Level: n/a
Angst Level: 💧 (1/5)
POV: First Person
Release Date: 17, January 2023
Rep: Pansexual (Main Character), Demisexual Transmasc (Love Interest), Asexual (Side Character), Lesbian (Side Character)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Dysphoria
Minor: Bullying, Cursing, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Abandonment, Alcohol
“It’s hard to understand who you really are when all you can think of is who the world expects you to be.”
I enjoyed this slice of life story about a group of young people attending a sports academy. The story itself is quite slow and not a lot happens (action wise), but this is certainly a book where the characters are developing. The story goes into themes of identity, gender, and sexuality and people are truly figuring themselves out. Alex is the POV character and the one who’s in focus throughout the story, and yet I felt like all the other characters were given enough time to shine as well.
I loved the friendship vibes in this book. Alex was an incredibly anxious person and being exposed to new people was difficult. Seeing this little friendship group grow, was super wholesome. I enjoyed how they confided in each other and supported each other (both in their respective sports and everyday life) throughout the story.
If you enjoy volleyball, swimming and queer awakenings, I recommend giving this one a go.
I enjoyed this slice of life story about a group of young people attending a sports academy. The story itself is quite slow and not a lot happens (action wise), but this is certainly a book where the characters are developing. The story goes into themes of identity, gender, and sexuality and people are truly figuring themselves out. Alex is the POV character and the one who’s in focus throughout the story, and yet I felt like all the other characters were given enough time to shine as well.
I loved the friendship vibes in this book. Alex was an incredibly anxious person and being exposed to new people was difficult. Seeing this little friendship group grow, was super wholesome. I enjoyed how they confided in each other and supported each other (both in their respective sports and everyday life) throughout the story.
If you enjoy volleyball, swimming and queer awakenings, I recommend giving this one a go.
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
мені на диво була близька головна героїня. я дійсно насолодилась історією, хоч я думала що все буде набагато трагічніше, angst, але на щастя все обійшлось без цього. незважаючи на те що для мене деякі речі було не закінченими у сюжеті і мені здавалось що останні розділи були надто поспішними, можливо це також було не надто реалістично (хоча переживання героїні були для мене реалістичними), тим не менш мені не хочеться ставити нижче бал, це те що я відчуваю
fast-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Generally a sweet read, although it is obvious the author self-published the book. While the characters are loveable their story lacks drive and direction as the explanation (not exploration) of sexual and gender identity takes precedence. The content warnings specifically mention neurodivergence but the story itself does not pursue this any further apart of showing that the MC suffers from anxiety and coding them as autistic.
Overall, the story would benefit of another round or two of editing
Overall, the story would benefit of another round or two of editing
This book was so comforting omg
Reread: I loved it even more than the first time
Reread: I loved it even more than the first time
One of the key strengths of this book is clearly the diversity. There are only a small handful of characters, but of different races, orientations and gender identities. The MC is non-binary and pansexual while the love interest is trans masc and demisexual. Unlike the "show but don't tell" books, this one states clearly each orientation and gender identity —which is always greatly appreciated in contemporary fiction.
On top of that, the writing style of the author is rather simple and, thus, easy to read. Even if English is not your native language, you will have no difficulty understanding it and it might also be well suited for a younger audience.
The written parts that felt the truest and most impactful were the confessions of each character's feelings. It came out, to me, as pretty well executed and expressed while directly appealing to the emotions of the reader.
The most interesting addition to this story, that completely differed from other works I've read, is the presence of the concept of consent in a non-sexual context. Not everyone thinks of this, but it is definitely something important in some specific situations and depending on the person you are interacting with. It is always good to remind people of that.
Through the main character, which many could relate to, we learn what healthy relationships are, both romantic and platonic and the importance of communication.
This is the second reason why I would recommend this book to young teenagers.
The values and messages conveyed in TITW are some that should be transmitted and understood by people growing up.
However, the progression of time in this book felt sudden and not gradual enough. Weeks pass by —and then months— between the moment the characters meet and become well acquainted with each other, but we do not clearly see on paper this continuous progression of their relationships. It's as if we went from point A to C without passing by B.
The moment this problem particularly struck me is when the love interest confessed to the MC and they both became a couple. We have no idea of how their relationship progressed from mere acquaintance to friends —leading to lovers— and I definitely had a hard time understanding how the MC got comfortable enough with the love interest to get to that point. While the love interest seemed to have taken interest in Alex from the very beginning, they were not close and before they got together, the story did not show us any real development on that side, leading to the relationship feeling a bit abrupt.
And this is only a sole example amongst many. We barely see Skylar and the progression of the relation between Xiuying and her, the development of the friendship between Uriah and Alex felt also quite blurry and I almost wondered if I missed a few chapters at the end.
When it comes to the writing, I also have to admit that the internal dialogues of the MC —understand: the sentence in italic— appeared most of the time cliché, just as a few moments in the first half of the book. The perfect example I can give, that I was quite taken aback by, is the reaction of the love interest to the MC having a date with someone else, when nothing was happening between the two of them yet. It came out as petty jealousy, he did not know anything about the guy and his direct reaction was to be mad and unsupportive. The other guy ended up being a player, like it happens more than half of the time in those scenarios and I couldn't help but feel extremely frustrated by the way this particular event was unfolding.
Furthermore, the way the MC's feelings were narrated felt a bit repetitive at times. The contrast between how the MC perceives themselves (negatively) versus the rest of their friends (positively) is highlighted many times throughout the story in the exact same way. While this is definitely how anxiety works, when it comes to expressing it through words, I think it could have been made more impactful by using different ways of portraying it.
[In my opinion, the book could have been made richer and more interesting by having multiple POVs, which would have given more rhythm to the story.]
On top of that, the writing style of the author is rather simple and, thus, easy to read. Even if English is not your native language, you will have no difficulty understanding it and it might also be well suited for a younger audience.
The written parts that felt the truest and most impactful were the confessions of each character's feelings. It came out, to me, as pretty well executed and expressed while directly appealing to the emotions of the reader.
The most interesting addition to this story, that completely differed from other works I've read, is the presence of the concept of consent in a non-sexual context. Not everyone thinks of this, but it is definitely something important in some specific situations and depending on the person you are interacting with. It is always good to remind people of that.
Through the main character, which many could relate to, we learn what healthy relationships are, both romantic and platonic and the importance of communication.
This is the second reason why I would recommend this book to young teenagers.
The values and messages conveyed in TITW are some that should be transmitted and understood by people growing up.
However, the progression of time in this book felt sudden and not gradual enough. Weeks pass by —and then months— between the moment the characters meet and become well acquainted with each other, but we do not clearly see on paper this continuous progression of their relationships. It's as if we went from point A to C without passing by B.
The moment this problem particularly struck me is when the love interest confessed to the MC and they both became a couple. We have no idea of how their relationship progressed from mere acquaintance to friends —leading to lovers— and I definitely had a hard time understanding how the MC got comfortable enough with the love interest to get to that point. While the love interest seemed to have taken interest in Alex from the very beginning, they were not close and before they got together, the story did not show us any real development on that side, leading to the relationship feeling a bit abrupt.
And this is only a sole example amongst many. We barely see Skylar and the progression of the relation between Xiuying and her, the development of the friendship between Uriah and Alex felt also quite blurry and I almost wondered if I missed a few chapters at the end.
When it comes to the writing, I also have to admit that the internal dialogues of the MC —understand: the sentence in italic— appeared most of the time cliché, just as a few moments in the first half of the book. The perfect example I can give, that I was quite taken aback by, is the reaction of the love interest to the MC having a date with someone else, when nothing was happening between the two of them yet. It came out as petty jealousy, he did not know anything about the guy and his direct reaction was to be mad and unsupportive. The other guy ended up being a player, like it happens more than half of the time in those scenarios and I couldn't help but feel extremely frustrated by the way this particular event was unfolding.
Furthermore, the way the MC's feelings were narrated felt a bit repetitive at times. The contrast between how the MC perceives themselves (negatively) versus the rest of their friends (positively) is highlighted many times throughout the story in the exact same way. While this is definitely how anxiety works, when it comes to expressing it through words, I think it could have been made more impactful by using different ways of portraying it.
[In my opinion, the book could have been made richer and more interesting by having multiple POVs, which would have given more rhythm to the story.]
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
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
i loved every one of these characters. sometimes the anxiety inducing inner monologues we're almost too much for me and I had to put the book down for a minute and come back to it, that's how well written it was.
now I need a story about Xuiying and Sky 🧡🤍💖
now I need a story about Xuiying and Sky 🧡🤍💖
Absolutely lovely. A slice of life, coming of age - gender exploration story. I loved all the characters, the truly sweet wholesome and honest dialogue. It’s very relatable in my opinions. Highly recommend for people of all ages and demographic.
Pg rating, no spice and just a wonderfully good time.
Note; that it is an indie author and minor spelling/grammar errors but the story is there and the errors are so minor. You’ll probably mindlessly fix them as you read it.
Pg rating, no spice and just a wonderfully good time.
Note; that it is an indie author and minor spelling/grammar errors but the story is there and the errors are so minor. You’ll probably mindlessly fix them as you read it.
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No