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laurenkara's review against another edition
3.0
I have a few issues with this book. Will go into more detail when it's not 1am. All the footy references were amazing though.
mischief_in_the_library's review against another edition
2.0
I loved the cover, I will say that. But it just wasn't believable, for me. Maybe, as well, I'm not mad about AFL and stats and so was put off by a lot of the technical talk, as well as at least 70% of the book being directly involved with footy. As a backdrop, I would've enjoyed it, but it just became a bit much. I also didn't feel like the relationship between Shelley and Mick was believable at all - I would've liked slightly more build up, and maybe some more insight into the thought process of Shelley. They were 'friends' very suddenly, before they had actually interacted more than a couple of times.
But the biggest thing I didn't like was what seemed to me a bit of slut-shaming. Girls who were implied to have slept with the players copped judgement from Shelley and her group, without much thought to the boys. Particularly when
Finally, the sudden relationship between Josh and Shelley at the end was a bit out of left field. I get that they were super close before the accident, and I get that she had a bit of a crush on him since, but they hardly saw each other towards the end and it didn't seem particularly believable that they'd get together at that point in time. To me, anyway.
But the biggest thing I didn't like was what seemed to me a bit of slut-shaming. Girls who were implied to have slept with the players copped judgement from Shelley and her group, without much thought to the boys. Particularly when
Spoiler
Tara catches Shelley kissing Mick and it's 'You're a slut, he's married' without a second of thought towards the lecherous married man who is not only kissing an underaged girl, but cheating on his wife as well.Finally, the sudden relationship between Josh and Shelley at the end was a bit out of left field. I get that they were super close before the accident, and I get that she had a bit of a crush on him since, but they hardly saw each other towards the end and it didn't seem particularly believable that they'd get together at that point in time. To me, anyway.
imoji123's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
kashvm's review against another edition
1.0
I really did not like this book. Normally i don't find football interesting but it wasn't even about that. The whole book was just wasn't my type of book i think. The main character(Shelly) was always crying, or fighting back tears, or lying, or stuck in an awkward situation, and i felt like the characters were so undeveloped, like they had no life in them.
There was practically no plot, and for half the book Shelly does basically the same thing everyday. Things happen, but they don't make an impact. I had to force myself to continue reading it. To me, it was like the book started off low, drama escalated a little, things happened, and the ending felt abrupt, and too happy for a book that had such a miserable atmosphere carried throughout it. Like all the characters suddenly accept the trauma of their past and moved on, in like a chapter...
It just wasn't my type of book is all, i suppose. I hope others who read it get more out of the story than I did.
There was practically no plot, and for half the book Shelly does basically the same thing everyday. Things happen, but they don't make an impact. I had to force myself to continue reading it. To me, it was like the book started off low, drama escalated a little, things happened, and the ending felt abrupt, and too happy for a book that had such a miserable atmosphere carried throughout it. Like all the characters suddenly accept the trauma of their past and moved on, in like a chapter...
It just wasn't my type of book is all, i suppose. I hope others who read it get more out of the story than I did.
jouljet's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
hcube3's review against another edition
3.0
totally not what i would normally read, it's a bit throwaway-teen-fic but it's at least a good way to introduce gender readings of texts thanks to the discussions of football, identity and romance. I'm completely split as to whether i like or dislike the twist in the middle though
melbsreads's review against another edition
3.0
Trigger warnings: death of a parent (in the past), cheating, alcohol abuse,
This book was SLOW for me. I think part of the problem is that it's set in Melbourne in the 1980s, but it's really only the lack of technology and the songs mentioned that indicate that it's the 1980s. There's one mention once of the protagonist having been born in the late 1960s, but it's about two thirds of the way through the book. So in the early stages especially, it was Melbourne but also NOT??
This is also a book that's very centred around AFL. But Hayes has changed the names of all the teams. Which, look. I get it. You don't want people comparing the footballers in the book to actual footballers. But it honestly took me a while to work out that Shelley was talking about AFL teams and not VFL teams. But once I joined the dots, it was quite fun to try and work out which team was which. The names of major streets and suburbs are also frequently changed, and I'm honestly not quite sure why.
Anyway. I liked the way this dealt with grief and new schools and complex friendships. But the cover really doesn't fit with the book and I struggled with just how CONSTANT the football stuff was. It sometimes felt like the plot was "will this team win the premiership?" rather than "teenage girl struggles with grief", and I honestly just did not caaaaaaaaare.
That being said, the way it depicted the interactions between football players and teenage girls was horrifyingly accurate to what certain sections of my high school class were doing and Y.I.K.E.S.
So yeah. I liked Shelley as a character. I liked her story. I just didn't care about the football side of things. Like, at all.
Spoiler
death of a sibling (in the past), car accident, grooming???This book was SLOW for me. I think part of the problem is that it's set in Melbourne in the 1980s, but it's really only the lack of technology and the songs mentioned that indicate that it's the 1980s. There's one mention once of the protagonist having been born in the late 1960s, but it's about two thirds of the way through the book. So in the early stages especially, it was Melbourne but also NOT??
This is also a book that's very centred around AFL. But Hayes has changed the names of all the teams. Which, look. I get it. You don't want people comparing the footballers in the book to actual footballers. But it honestly took me a while to work out that Shelley was talking about AFL teams and not VFL teams. But once I joined the dots, it was quite fun to try and work out which team was which. The names of major streets and suburbs are also frequently changed, and I'm honestly not quite sure why.
Anyway. I liked the way this dealt with grief and new schools and complex friendships. But the cover really doesn't fit with the book and I struggled with just how CONSTANT the football stuff was. It sometimes felt like the plot was "will this team win the premiership?" rather than "teenage girl struggles with grief", and I honestly just did not caaaaaaaaare.
That being said, the way it depicted the interactions between football players and teenage girls was horrifyingly accurate to what certain sections of my high school class were doing and Y.I.K.E.S.
So yeah. I liked Shelley as a character. I liked her story. I just didn't care about the football side of things. Like, at all.
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