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bibliophilelin 's review for:
You Don't Have a Shot
by Racquel Marie
Racquel Marie does it again!! Her debut Ophelia After All is one of my favorite books of all time, and Racquel Marie’s sophomore novel solidified her as a favorite author.
Vale is definitely an imperfect main character. She is selfish, often thinking only about how any given situation will impact her. She has been conditioned to see the worst in people, from their skills on the field to their personal flaws. She, arguably, takes soccer way too seriously. But I still found myself rooting for her. After her mom’s death, Vale was left with only her dad, who pushes her to her breaking point. Some scenes with Vale’s dad left /me/ feeling guilty for not being a good enough soccer player (and daughter), and I’ve never even touched a soccer ball in my life. Vale’s summer away from her dad is a breath of fresh air, and presents her with an opportunity to grow and change while not under his judgmental gaze.
YDHAS is billed as a romance, and it is. But what shone through for me was undoubtedly Vale’s journey of growing as a person. With Leticia’s help, Vale learns to have fun with soccer, something she had previously viewed as something to make her dad proud, and as her eventual ticket to get into college and out of her house. I loved watching Vale grow and realize that soccer can be fun, that you can have a team full of camaraderie and laughter and lifting each other up— and, yes, winning.
With regards to the romance, I will never ever get over having stories where two queer brown people fall in love, no matter how many we get. They will always be so special to me, and YDHAS is no different. Another reason YDHAS is special to me is the explicit ace rep. It’s not a big part of the story, but Vale’s asexuality is mentioned in passing on multiple occasions. I will always love stories of questioning and discovering asexuality, but to have a character who is proudly ace-spec and not questioning is so so special. And the fact that that wasn’t an issue in her romance with Leticia was also so precious. A big fear of a lot of aspec people is that our lack of attraction will make us less desirable to potential partners who value sex. I know YDHAS is YA and therefore not as likely to deal with navigating physical intimacy in a relationship, but still, to have an openly asexual girl be accepted by her friends and love interest is a wonderful thing.
I put off writing this review for a while because I wanted to write these really beautiful words that would compel everyone to immediately go out and buy this book. I decided to finally bite the bullet so you get my incoherent rambling about how amazing this book is, but I hope I did it justice.
Vale is definitely an imperfect main character. She is selfish, often thinking only about how any given situation will impact her. She has been conditioned to see the worst in people, from their skills on the field to their personal flaws. She, arguably, takes soccer way too seriously. But I still found myself rooting for her. After her mom’s death, Vale was left with only her dad, who pushes her to her breaking point. Some scenes with Vale’s dad left /me/ feeling guilty for not being a good enough soccer player (and daughter), and I’ve never even touched a soccer ball in my life. Vale’s summer away from her dad is a breath of fresh air, and presents her with an opportunity to grow and change while not under his judgmental gaze.
YDHAS is billed as a romance, and it is. But what shone through for me was undoubtedly Vale’s journey of growing as a person. With Leticia’s help, Vale learns to have fun with soccer, something she had previously viewed as something to make her dad proud, and as her eventual ticket to get into college and out of her house. I loved watching Vale grow and realize that soccer can be fun, that you can have a team full of camaraderie and laughter and lifting each other up— and, yes, winning.
With regards to the romance, I will never ever get over having stories where two queer brown people fall in love, no matter how many we get. They will always be so special to me, and YDHAS is no different. Another reason YDHAS is special to me is the explicit ace rep. It’s not a big part of the story, but Vale’s asexuality is mentioned in passing on multiple occasions. I will always love stories of questioning and discovering asexuality, but to have a character who is proudly ace-spec and not questioning is so so special. And the fact that that wasn’t an issue in her romance with Leticia was also so precious. A big fear of a lot of aspec people is that our lack of attraction will make us less desirable to potential partners who value sex. I know YDHAS is YA and therefore not as likely to deal with navigating physical intimacy in a relationship, but still, to have an openly asexual girl be accepted by her friends and love interest is a wonderful thing.
I put off writing this review for a while because I wanted to write these really beautiful words that would compel everyone to immediately go out and buy this book. I decided to finally bite the bullet so you get my incoherent rambling about how amazing this book is, but I hope I did it justice.