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dododenise's review
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
This was a lot of fun! The perfect lighthearted read for the summer.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia, Alcohol, Body shaming, Bullying, and Homophobia
Minor: Sexual content, Abandonment, and Mental illness
blupies's review
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I think this book is kind of average. I’d recommend it if you’re looking for uplifting themes about coming of age and some fun sports goofiness but I do have some criticisms.
There were so many characters (I assume to make it seem like there’s actually a full team) but the issue with having so many characters is that I couldn’t keep track of who is who. A lot of them could have been merged into one character or been cut completely. The ones that I could keep track of had one or two ‘signature’ traits and that’s it.
The way the only female character is portrayed is very ‘not like other girls’ and the way she is treat by the guys reeks of misogyny, especially considering her signature trait is chasing after Mason, who treats her like shit throughout the entire book and it’s kind of just played off as a “Oh he’s mean because he likes you” thing at the end (YIKES!). He’s mean to everyone and it’s kind of just “Oh that’s just how Mason is, he’s just an asshole to everyone” as if that’s not a huge red flag. I mean the guy sees his ex girlfriend and Sebastian talking and being happy after their breakup and almost implodes on the spot.
The way mental health is treat in this book seems very shallow to me, as if it’s thrown in as an afterthought. Some ambiguity can be good but I don’t think it’s beneficial in this book. The hints are subtle and it ultimately builds up to Emir going “Don’t worry, everyone is imperfect” and suddenly Sebastian’s body image issues are cured because they’re never mentioned again after that.
We get a pretty sweet scene between Coach Patrick and Sebastian at the end (Why were there three coaches, very easily could have all been made into one character.) Overall I like it but we get some really random backstory that, had it been sprinkled in throughout the whole book, would have been fine but because it’s all half explained in a matter of pages I was left wondering if I’d missed something and questioning what had actually happened to Xander. It was also told as if whatever happened happened a few years ago, before Sebastian was on the team or before Coach Patrick was their coach but it seems like Xander is a similar age to Sebastian, if not younger. I don’t know it just felt weird and info dumpy
There were so many characters (I assume to make it seem like there’s actually a full team) but the issue with having so many characters is that I couldn’t keep track of who is who. A lot of them could have been merged into one character or been cut completely. The ones that I could keep track of had one or two ‘signature’ traits and that’s it.
The way the only female character is portrayed is very ‘not like other girls’ and the way she is treat by the guys reeks of misogyny, especially considering her signature trait is chasing after Mason, who treats her like shit throughout the entire book and it’s kind of just played off as a “Oh he’s mean because he likes you” thing at the end (YIKES!). He’s mean to everyone and it’s kind of just “Oh that’s just how Mason is, he’s just an asshole to everyone” as if that’s not a huge red flag. I mean the guy sees his ex girlfriend and Sebastian talking and being happy after their breakup and almost implodes on the spot.
The way mental health is treat in this book seems very shallow to me, as if it’s thrown in as an afterthought. Some ambiguity can be good but I don’t think it’s beneficial in this book. The hints are subtle and it ultimately builds up to Emir going “Don’t worry, everyone is imperfect” and suddenly Sebastian’s body image issues are cured because they’re never mentioned again after that.
We get a pretty sweet scene between Coach Patrick and Sebastian at the end (Why were there three coaches, very easily could have all been made into one character.) Overall I like it but we get some really random backstory that, had it been sprinkled in throughout the whole book, would have been fine but because it’s all half explained in a matter of pages I was left wondering if I’d missed something and questioning what had actually happened to Xander. It was also told as if whatever happened happened a few years ago, before Sebastian was on the team or before Coach Patrick was their coach but it seems like Xander is a similar age to Sebastian, if not younger. I don’t know it just felt weird and info dumpy
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Homophobia
Moderate: Islamophobia and Sexual content
Minor: Mental illness, Cursing, and Racism
darkmattersoybean's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Racism, and Cursing
Moderate: Sexual content, Violence, Fatphobia, and Mental illness
Minor: Medical content and Death
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