Home Field Advantage by Dahlia Adler

 Home Field Advantage by Dahlia Adler

Rating — 4 Stars

This is the cutest and sweetest sports romance I’ve read in a while. This sapphic romance tackles some challenging conversions relating to homophobia, misogyny, and living as a queer teenager. I had no idea that this book would get so deep when I started it.

Amber McCloud’s dream is to be the cheer captain. Amber has it all planned out, and she has been playing the part to be offered this role. When the high school Quarterback Robbie is killed in a car accident, the team and squad are notified there will be a new replacement, Jack Walsh. Only the team and squad aren’t prepared for Jaclyn Walsh, and they refuse to play or cheer for a girl, especially not the girl who replaced their beloved QB, Robbie. Amber isn’t too bothered by this new development. She thinks Jack is kind of hot. Amber has two choices, make the team and squad love Jack like she is beginning to, or be on the outs and lose the opportunity to become cheer captain.

I thoroughly enjoyed watching jack and Amber fall for each other and find themselves. At first, I found neither Jack nor Amber to be likable characters. However, as I progressed further into the book, I developed a sweet spot for them. It was interesting to view both dynamics of this sports romance. We got dual POV where we gained insight into Amber and her role on the cheer squad and Jack’s POV as the only female player on the football team. They both endured struggles that helped them mold their identity and find love. They both, in a way, were risking it all for one another, which made this romance altogether swoon-worthy and a top read on my shelf. Although this is a high-school romance, it doesn’t feel that way. The writing was done so well and contained pop-culture references without seeming too cheesy or like an adult writing a high-school romance. This book comes equipped with steam and some fade-to-black because this is YA, but those scenes are still rewarding.

Overall, I loved this book and would recommend it.

Thank you, Dahlia Adler & NetGalley