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A review by qace90
Home Field Advantage by Dahlia Adler
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
I received an advance copy from the publisher via Netgalley for review purposes. This in no way influences my review; all words, thoughts, and opinions are my own.
Full review closer to release, but this is a delightful quarterback-cheerleader romance full of friendship and grand gestures.
Full review:
This is a delight, which I knew it would be after loving Dahlia Adler’s Cool for the Summer last year.
Amber has dreams of becoming cheer captain and being able to get a scholarship so she can go to college away from Atherton and be able to be out and openly date girls. But while she’s still in high school, she and her best friend Miguel are each other’s beard, especially after Miguel had been blackmailed, to make sure if the blackmailer tried to out him he could have Amber to alleviate suspicion. When Robbie, the quarterback at Atherton, dies suddenly Jack is brought on (but not recruited) because she has the skills that could finally get Atherton a winning season. Unfortunately everyone on the football team and the cheerleader squad is more concerned with the fact she’s a girl than the fact she has skills, which makes Jack’s experiences less than stellar.
I really enjoyed this book and the romance between Amber and Jack was overall really cute. I also adored Amber and Miguel’s friendship and the solidarity they’ve built to survive their closeted experience. I did find some of Amber’s selfishness and lying frustrating at the end but that could be a product of me being an adult reading the book because it definitely aligned with her character and motivations. If you want an overall fluffy contemporary quarterback-cheerleader romance this will absolutely satisfy!
Full review closer to release, but this is a delightful quarterback-cheerleader romance full of friendship and grand gestures.
Full review:
This is a delight, which I knew it would be after loving Dahlia Adler’s Cool for the Summer last year.
Amber has dreams of becoming cheer captain and being able to get a scholarship so she can go to college away from Atherton and be able to be out and openly date girls. But while she’s still in high school, she and her best friend Miguel are each other’s beard, especially after Miguel had been blackmailed, to make sure if the blackmailer tried to out him he could have Amber to alleviate suspicion. When Robbie, the quarterback at Atherton, dies suddenly Jack is brought on (but not recruited) because she has the skills that could finally get Atherton a winning season. Unfortunately everyone on the football team and the cheerleader squad is more concerned with the fact she’s a girl than the fact she has skills, which makes Jack’s experiences less than stellar.
I really enjoyed this book and the romance between Amber and Jack was overall really cute. I also adored Amber and Miguel’s friendship and the solidarity they’ve built to survive their closeted experience. I did find some of Amber’s selfishness and lying frustrating at the end but that could be a product of me being an adult reading the book because it definitely aligned with her character and motivations. If you want an overall fluffy contemporary quarterback-cheerleader romance this will absolutely satisfy!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny
Moderate: Homophobia and Lesbophobia
Minor: Miscarriage
- Past death of teen, off page
- Past car accident, off page
- Cisnormativity
- Mention of blackmail
- Masturbation (vague)
- Underage drinking
- Alcohol consumption
- Casual ableism