Reviews with content warning for Injury/Injury detail - The Foxhole Court

The Foxhole Court follows Neil Josten, a boy trying to outrun his violent past. He gets recruited to a college Exy team, the Palmetto Foxes. A ragtag bunch whose members have only one thing in common: they all needed a second chance.

In 2016, I devoured this trilogy in a week. Right now, my reread has proven that this was definitely not the 5⭐️ read I remember 🥴 I never noticed the massive amounts of exposition, for one thing, and the amount of times a grown man threw around the R word was certainly…something.

This isn’t the most realistic story, okay? By any means. The author didn’t want to research a sport so she created her own which may or may not be her approach towards the drugs in this universe. I don’t want to say this reads like fanfiction because there are quality fan-made stories out there, but parts of this story felt like someone prompted a Tumblr user to write a found family, sports AU with queer angst.

To be fair, I think she delivered on that count. I think about these characters to this day. I read fanfiction about these characters to this day. I think the characters are the best part, to be honest. If you want a brain off, just vibes book, you could give this a chance.

If you do decide to read this story DO NOT listen to the audiobook! You know how when someone does something talented, people will say, “Oh, rent was DUE!!” This guy…. 🤦🏾‍♀️ Rent was not due. Mortgage was not due. In fact, he received a generous gift and bought the place in cash. He sucked any and all soul from this story. All the characters sound the same and he sounds like someone told him to do a Fonzy impression the entire narration. It’s embarrassing.

TW: Child abuse, murder, death, drinking, drug use, flashbacks, ablest slurs, sexual assault (forced kissing under the influence)

Rep: Asexual MMC, gay side character

Content Warnings

bi_n_large's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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infinite_helix's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

I literally cannot rate this. It’s amazing. It’s awful. I want to hide the characters away and also smack half of them upside the head for being assholes. So much problematic. But omg did I devour this. Like in two days. As in: up till the wee hours squinting at my phone screen. As in: immediately had the urge to make myself a jersey for this fake college sports team. I love vicious, damaged people being unabashedly different, not doing anything by “normal” rules because they aren’t “normal” and shouldn’t have to pretend to be, and still there’s love and loyalty and it’s twisted and warped from trauma and pain but is it not still love?

There’s something about seeing your ugly parts you’ve hidden being reflected so honestly in a book and being told you can still win and be a team and be a champion and leave the things you don’t want and move on and you don’t have to be soft, you can be ugly and callused and you’ll find your people who understand and know and are doing the same and they will love you and you will love them and that’s what it’s about.

Content Warnings

neoralisa22's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny lighthearted tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Content Warnings

lunar_lapis's review against another edition

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challenging slow-paced

Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

A friend recommended this book series as it's her favourite. I listened on Audible while also reading the physical book. Unrelated to the story, but my copy of the book is missing a few pages at the start of the book which was annoying. I'm also not a fan of the narrator on Audible.

Onto the actual review. I was intregued by Neil's backstory or lack thereof. Neil keeps his past secret and is always running away from it, until he meets the Palmetto State Foxes, an Exy team made up of misfits, druggies and second chance stories.

It took me a while to understand the many different characters intentions and how they interact with the world. This story is more "adult" than I was expecting and quite depressing from the main characters perspective, as Neil doesn't feel safe or interested in becoming close to his teammates.

I enjoyed the middle of the book as we saw Kevin's walls coming down while training Neil, and Andrew settled down a bit too. I loved the chapter with the first Exy game, Foxes v Jackels.
Then towards the end of the book it sets up the next book, introducing Riko, a person from Neil and Kevin's past. The book ends on the death of a Foxes member and sets up the idea that Riko had something to do with it.

When I was midway through the book I considered leaving it unfinished, because I was quite numbed from all the hostility and fighting within the group (TW)

and I wasn't a fan of the homophobic slurs or jokes about R-wording the main character.

but now that I've finished this book, I can't help but feel curious about the rest of the trilogy.

Content Warnings