[4.5 stars] What a refreshing read! So nice to see boys playing sports and supporting each other! It’s much preferable to the typical toxic masculinity that tends to invade sports books.

I also loved the portrayal of Sebastian’s body issues. This book would be the perfect gift for a sensitive/awkward boy! Also, like, everyone is queer!

Oh God, I had such high hopes for this that it isn't a wonder the book couldn't meet them all. LGBTQ, teen boys and sports are my ultimate favorite combo and thus for others Running With Lions can deliver more than it did for me. The book is about a LGBTQ friendly soccer team Bloomington High School Lions. Our main character is the goalie Sebastian Hughes, whose former friend Emir Shah joins the team and the two don't really get along until they do. The story revolves around the summer camp, but sadly so there wasn't enough playing for me, since that's what makes sports books - well depicted games. Mostly it's just Sebastian and Emir practicing, since Emir isn't really good at the beginning and Sebastian is about to become the captain.

The story is surely cute and I loved how accepting the team and the coach are. Alongside this we have diversity as the characters vary in nationality, skin color and whatnot. Sebastian's friends are great and even they get their stage time, which is nice. My only concern is that Sebastian is too obsessed with Emir as in, his thoughts are very narrow and we don't really get to see the real him. The book is perhaps too full trying to fit in so many things that it doesn't deliver anything fully, but offers mostly scratches. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but concerning how much Sebastian worries about his future, looks and all, we don't get that much anything to correct the situation and it feels like the story isn't moving forward. Sebastian and Emir's relationship goes back and forth too and I would've wanted more coherence. I'm not saying that the book isn't good or that it doesn't work. It's actually very good for Winters' first novel, so I must congratulate. Perhaps I'd say less is more in this case and I wait eagerly what Winters has to offer in the future!

I could not put this down from start to finish, it was so so good. I'm happy crying right now because of how much I loved this. Please check this book out! It has everything you need: great friendships, cute romance plot (childhood friends to lovers trope with a hint of enemies to lovers thrown in!!), well written characters, hilarious moments and banter and is really diverse. 10/10 would love to cry over sebastian again.

<blockquote><i>”’You’re beautiful.’
Sebastian rolls his eyes. ‘Guys aren’t-‘
‘Hey,’ Emir cuts in. ‘Guys </i>are<i> beautiful. And girls are handsome. Words aren’t gender-specific. Don’t be some jerk asshole about this.’”</i></blockquote>
At its core, this book is just all-around <b>cute</b>. Even though it gets deep and sad sometimes, it’s generally light-hearted and when I finished, I felt like I could do anything. Be anyone. It made me so happy and smile-y, and I would recommend it to any <s>gay</s> person just for that reason.

First off – every character in this book is a downright disaster, and it shows. Save maybe Hunter, no one knows what they’re doing and everyone is just doing their best and being gay/bi and hoping that the rest of everything falls into place. And you know what? It does.

One of my favorite things about this book was the romance between Emir and Hunter. If the words “childhood best friends to enemies to lovers” doesn’t entice you to read this book, then why tf are you reading this review? Go play Xbox or something. Damn.

But besides that, it was excellently developed and <b>so beautifully shippable. </b> Basically Sebastian’s first reaction when he sees Emir at camp again is ‘oh no, he’s hot,’ which is so valid and funny that I shipped them from that second onward forever and amen.

The plot of <i>Running With Lions</i> was also largely character-driven, which is right up my ally. Plot-driven romances are so boring to read, but this book was fun and exciting. Even when I reached a dead spot, I wanted to keep reading because I wanted to know how it would all end! It was also fun reading (almost) all of the side romances.

The one side romance that I didn’t enjoy reading was the whole Gray/Mason fiasco. I just found Gray’s crush on Mason honestly kind of creepy?? And obsessive?? Sure that culminating scene at the end was cool but besides that I was like dang she just needs to <i>back off</i>. Though maybe Mason shouldn’t have been so rude about it, I probably would have been fed up, too if someone who I had rejected many times over was still so in-your-face about their crush.

I also wasn’t the hugest fan of the writing. Especially in the beginning, it was really choppy and awkward, especially the exposition. The dialogue was fine, but I kept getting lost when they were describing things. Though I got used to the writing in the last two thirds, I was pretty uncomfortable for the first bit.

Also, Emir has a British accent but they don’t even mention it until, like, the second or third scene he’s in? Mention it right when he speaks for the first time smh I was so confused and had to rework my entire perception of him.

The messages in this book were very uplifting, though, and I loved that this novel include a guy with body image problems, because that’s <b>so rare</b> to see in media. I loved the acceptance and appreciation for everyone in this book.

I feel like some cynical people are gonna complain that it isn’t realistic for an entire soccer team to be accepting to everyone of all sexualities just through the sheer hopefulness of their coach, so before you do complain, consider this: maybe don’t? So what if it’s not entirely realistic? It doesn’t matter. I think that lgbt people, myself included, deserve to have a cute romance where there isn’t any homophobia/biphobia present in the supporting characters. It’s okay for it to be cheesy. This book is meant to make people, especially queer teens, feel happy inside, and it does that.

To conclude, I would recommend this book to anyone, especially members of the lgbt community, who are looking for a good, sweet romance that brings joy and happiness to both its characters and its readers. It exceeded my expectations, and I know it will exceed yours, too.

3.5
I have mixed feelings about this book. The first 30% was sooo slow for me and I was really contemplating DNFing this one because I was not connecting with the characters or the voice. I don't know what won me over or made me connect but around the 45% mark I was hooked. I could really hear Bastian's voice then and I was very invested in the team and whether they were going to beat their rivals.

I loved all the representations and attitudes in this book. There were parents who were actually supportive and could even be considered role models. The coach was a great adult figure in their lives too. I was excited to see how the team did not care about their fellow teammates sexualities and how they stood up for each other, especially in the locker room against their rivals. I liked the fact that Emir was Muslim but it wasn't made a big deal out of. We got to see a little bit about how prayer worked in his life but other than that it was just another facet of his life. I was also very excited to see a gay Muslim character. I am confused, however, on why he didn't observe Ramadan. It could potentially be occurring when they first go off to camp so I was wanting some sort of mention of that because it is such an important religious event for them.

I was also really pleased with Lily's response to Bastian not knowing what to do with his life. It was refreshing to see a character so lost. Many people go into their senior year of high school having no clue where they want to go to school, if they do at all, or what their future holds. You don't have to know right then and it's okay if you have to take some time to figure it out. I really think that teens should get to see more examples of this so they don't feel so alone.

The representation was superb and so were the very real problems that many, if not all, teenagers face. Towards the end, I was really getting Bastian's unique voice but I think it needed to be stronger in the first third. Overall, it was a really great read and I can't wait to recommend this to some friends.

Round up to 2.5 stars.

This was a sweet story with a truly diverse cast of characters. I loved that there were many LGBTQ characters in the book, not just the MC and the love interest. I appreciated that the author worked to undercut stereotypes by setting a M/M romance in a “macho” but accepting athletic milieu and by emphasizing the coach’s promotion of tolerance. I was also pleased by the attention given to body image, an issue not explored frequently enough in books about boys. Emir, in particular, was thoughtfully portrayed, although I found his motivation for attending camp unconvincing: it’s hard to swallow that a painfully shy kid with minimal soccer experience would try out for (and make!) a highly competitive varsity soccer team in his senior year just because his father is a soccer fan.

My main problem with the book is the writing, which is sloppy and frequently awkward. I noticed many mid-sentence tense shifts, problems with subject-verb agreement (“his features immediately morphs into that mortified look”), examples of clumsy syntax (“this pack of misfits is his misfits”; “His prideful stance is maintained”), and so forth. There are inconsistencies in the text, and sometimes a moment of exposition or a characterization is undercut by a detail introduced a few paragraphs later. These problems frequently pulled me out of the story and sometimes made the narrative confusing.

The writing is also repetitious. The word “epic” is epically overused. Eyebrows wiggle relentlessly. The color of the sky is described obsessively. The workings of Sebastian’s stomach, throat, and brain – lazy shorthand for his emotions – are invoked so frequently that they practically become secondary characters: “it cracks open Sebastian’s brain,” “all of this is unhealthy for his overcrowded brain,” “Sebastian’s brain goes offline,” “his brain is still frozen,” “he has a brain freeze,” “his brain is fried,” etc. The text is rife with clunky, inapt similes and metaphors, and the same metaphors are used multiple times, which deprives them of freshness; for example, one character is compared to “a dead starfish” and another to “a paralyzed starfish.”

The text seems to rely on many of the tics and tropes that I’m accustomed to seeing in fan fiction. I have no problem with fan fiction – I read it and frequently enjoy it – but fan fiction is a place where many readers will excuse careless writing in exchange for a good story. In a published, edited book, I expect a cleaner, more polished, and more professional text.

I know that these issues will not matter so much to some readers. But, to me, this book read as though it still needed another couple of rounds of revision and editing.

[One last point: I cringed at the idea of an adult woman giggling while calling her teenage son’s friend “a tease.” Yuck.]

I loved this book's diverse cast and how very realistic Bastain is. He's dedicated to his friends, worries about what his future holds and so perfectly confused about what to do about Emir, both as a new teammate and as a former friend that he's attracted to. Teens of all kinds are going to find themselves here. I can't wait to read what Julian Winters writes next.

I expected to love this, but I'm sad to say I didn't like it that much. It was super cute, but the writing style just never really worked for me and it kept me from really connecting with the story/characters. I LOVED the idea of it and I think it has a lot of good things going for it, the execution just didn't work for me. It's not terrible so I definitely still recommend it, it's just one of those "it's not you it's me" things.

I really wanted to like this book. It has everything I generally like in my YA book reading. And a lot of those things weren't the problem. The characters were fine. The plotting worked, for the most part. I liked the diversity, how sexuality was handled, etc.

What really turned me off to this was the writing. It wasn't bad, per se. It just felt forced. It relied too heavily on bad metaphors. It tried too hard to be lofty, when most of the time it fell flat. It reminded me a lot of fanfiction (not to rip on people who write or like fanfiction. I have just never been a fan of a lot of the writing tropes that it leans on) or cheesy romance novels.

Just know what you are getting into. The writing is mediocre and a little cringey sometimes. If you can look past that at the story, you will probably like this book.

Unfortunately, I couldn't.

Delightfully queer. Loved how Winters established a sports community that accepted all identities, even though sometimes that wasn't always accepted by outsiders. A rewarding read. Excited to see what Winters does next.

4/5 Stars

Whenever I hear soccer in conjunction with a book my ears perk up, so I was delighted to have the chance to read Julian Winters' Running with Lions before release. It's a story of friendship, sports, romance, life and the intersections between them all with characters that jump off the page and straight into readers' hearts. Plus it's all centered around one of my true loves.

Sebastian's an awkward yet adorable bisexual goalkeeper trying to navigate his senior soccer season and worrying about what the future holds. His friend group is a bit of a mess but wonderful in all it's complexity. There's Mason with his big personality, Willie with his encouraging kindness, Grey with her passion and reserve, and so many more. Of course everything is thrown off kilter when an old friend, Emir, also goes out for the team.

The inclusiveness and diversity within these pages is off the charts with bisexual and gay characters, M/M romance, and a Muslim love interest. The soccer camp and team itself is a safe haven for those wanting to be open in their identity and it was super encouraging to see that in the sports world. Friends to enemies to lovers is quickly become a fave trope and the way the romance happens felt very authentic.

Honestly my favorite part of this book was all the soccer talk. I grew up living and breathing the sport (I still do really), spending most of my weeks at the fields whether it was practice, playing, or watching my brothers. It was a total family affair and this book truly resonated those feelings. I loved every mention of player names or clubs and truly saw myself in Grey. This book felt like home in the strongest way!

Overall Running with Lions by Julian Winters was such an endearing chronicle of soccer, life, and love. It played on all my emotions and the characters provided such complex diversity to the page. While the writing was a bit choppy at points and there's not a whole lot of plot, I still thoroughly enjoyed this book. If you like contemporaries or soccer totally pick this one up!

I love this book. It's adorable. Winters was able to create a sports team for queer teens that made me believe that they were real teens in a real situation. Sure, it reads a little every young sport playing queer's fantasy self-insert but why not? Sports book need more representation of queer characters (also diversity of race, the love interest is a gay British American Pakistani Muslim!) too many queer YA novels stay in the realm of theatre or no hobbies. This is really a character driven book and every single character is believable as a teenage boy. There are no paradigms and no solely assholes (except some bit characters late in the novel from the teams great rival, warnings for that f-word once). And for once, the teenage boys think about and talk about sex but aren't disgusting or vulgar ever. Yes the writing style is a little repetitive but teenagers are repetitive, especially about their insecurities. I even enjoyed that Sebastian talked with his parents about his insecurities and got counseling. I do think that could have been fleshed out a bit more because Sebastian is teetering on the edge of an eating disorder and has some unhealthy connections to exercise that often goes excused in young men. But I also really liked that getting counseling and being vulnerable isn't a sin against these boys. Many of the teens are given moments of vulnerability with their teammates and are supported. I even liked that the author points out, tells the reader, when characters are being vulnerable because too often society tells young men they aren't allowed to be. I just really love that this book exists.

I am not even sure how to start this review. I requested this book completely accidentally, after seeing people I follow on Twitter being excited about it. And I am SO GLAD I did request it and that I was approved. 

I've read quite a few YA books in the past and nowadays there are more and more queer YA books, and I have to catch up with most of them. But this one is currently one of my favourite. Okay, yes, I love steamy romances that are quite far from YA genre, but if they are written well, I don't mind if the sex scenes are 'hidden'. And teenagers, and younger, as well as older (*hi* :) ) queer people deserve to read stories like this. When I was a teen, there were almost no queer stories for teens that I could find. 

But back to the book. It's about football (stubbornly called 'soccer' in here because...America? :) ). And so one would expect less-than-queer-friendly environment. But it isn't. At least not in the team. There are openly gay and openly bi characters, including one of the coaches who is married to a guy. And I loved that. The idea that people in the team are supportive and comfortable with other players being openly queer, and that it's established from the beginning. 

Sebastian (Bastian) is openly bi to his team but has never been with a guy, and had his girlfriend break up with him. I don't think the reason is actually given, but they just weren't meant to be together. Then, at the annual summer football camp, he meets his ex-best-friend Emir Shah. 

This is not quite friends-to-enemies-to-lovers but more friends-to-strangers-to-lovers. They haven't spoken in a long time and Sebastian is nervous and wants to reconnect, and Emir is seemingly not interested into making friends. 

It's a very sweet story, with football, some kissing, some rule breaking, and some relatively mild angst and drama. I just loved everything about the book, from Emir being Pakistani-British and practicing Muslim (and I am pretty sure I saw that the author used a sensitivity reader so this rep should be good :) ). It has a lot of friendship in it and sport, and some angsting about what to do after high school. 

I have to say once again that it is a very cool book that deserves all the attention it gets and I am so happy I had the chance to read it :) 

(Note: Yes, I used football because I just can't get myself to call it soccer :) )

Running with Lions, is an LGBTQIA+ Young adult novel that is incredibly relatable for todays generation. This book tells the story of a summer camp where a sports team compiled of youth, some who are LGBTQIA+ are training for the upcoming season. The book centres on Sebastian and Emir and a friendship that was, and the reconnecting after many years apart. There are many trials and tribulations felt over the course of the Summer camp and choices are made that will change not only Sebastians life but all around him. The book never shys away from serious topics such as bullying, body shaming and Islamophobia just to name a few, these are all dealt with delicately and accurately represent the issue at hand. The message felt all across this novel; is that you are more than your sexuality and I felt this to be incredibly empowering as a young gay man, and to explain to those who don't understand that we are no different to you except in who we love.

I will definitely be recommending this book for purchase.

I really should only give this three stars, because I didn't really like it until about halfway through. Some of the early dialogue is boring and feels forced, and there are so many guys on the team that they never get developed much and kind of blend together. It's also never really clear why Emir and Sebastian are so hostile with each other. Friends grow apart all the time, but their seems like there should be a lot more to the situation--but there isn't.

HOWEVER.

Once Bastian and Emir start to work things out and we get to know them (and some of their teammates) better, the story became super cute--enjoyable and surprisingly emotional. I love that everyone on the team is accepting of each other, and there are multiple characters that are gay or bi. It's not a big deal, though--EVERYONE TREATS IT AS IF IT IS PERFECTLY NORMAL. *gasp* I also love that there are strong male characters that are accepting of the boys.

All in all, the end outweighed the beginning for me, and I ended up loving the whole adorable team.

What sets this book apart is how inclusive it is. I've never seen a group of characters, let alone teenage boy characters, who were so confident in their identities. Although somewhat unrealistic in the degree to which this plays out, it was very refreshing. Sebastian's voice is very believable, conveying all of the teenage angst you'd expect from someone who rekindling an old friendship, finding a new crush, and worrying about an uncertain future.

Based on the cover, it may look like the middle grades or middle school book. It is not. I'd recommend it for high school.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC!

When I heard about this book I was super excited. I love sports books (despite not caring about sports in real life). I love LGBTQ love stories. It seems like a slam dunk for me. But here's the thing...

The story is really cute. I loved the slow burn between Sebastian and Emir coming together again after their friendship breakup earlier in their childhood. The diversity in awesome. I'm glad there is bi representation, along with a lot of examples of diversity through race and religion. I really liked getting to know Sebastian, being inside his head. The discussion of boys and body issues is something that is so rare in YA lit. Sebastian, as an athlete, scrutinizes his body and his consistently unhappy with his appearance.

My huge issue with this book is the writing. It's...not good. I feel really bad saying that, but it's so clunky. There are SO many pop culture references thrown in, it gets annoying. "And then we listened to this song and this song and this song" because we're cool teenagers and love every kind of music. It feels super try-hard.
-I wish the origin of "Sebastian the trash can". It's obviously something that had a major impact on Sebastian and his body image, yet it's only referred to in passing, that kids sometimes said it and it made him sad. There has to be more to that story.
-Sebastian finds Willie and Hunter napping together, tangled up in each other, yet is SHOCKED two chapters later to realize they are interested in each other. Uhhhhh, what?
-Mason is a dick. And is he bi? He makes a comment about making out with a dude, but then forgets about it. He's an asshole to Gray, who seems like a nice girl. Are we supposed to like him? Because I really don't.

Overall I really enjoyed this book, but I hope Winters' writing style develops as he writes more.

Definitely a useful story in the GLBTQ realm that focuses not on the sexuality of the characters but on their teenagery-ness of being at a summer soccer camp and all that comes with a bunch of boys goofing off and playing ball.

Very cute lighthearted fluff. I love the diversity of the main characters. Representation is so important for teens and this book has it.

It’s nice to read a LGBTQ book that isn’t a super serious, this reads like a nice contemporary fluff book where the characters just happen to be gay. There is a bit mixed in of the reality of the situation for a lot of LGBTQ teens in sports, but overall is a nice lighthearted story. Not every book about a boy being gay has to be dramatic and end in tears and this story really embraces that and goes with the fluff you need sometimes. It’s nice that any drama in the book is just interpersonal and not due to someone’s sexuality.

Overall recommend for someone looking for a fluff feel good quick read.

My initial review for Running With Lions basically just said: “this book proves that 1) sports are inherently gay & 2) goalies are the best kind of (train wrecks) people” and frankly, I stand by this. It’s a contemporary novel about a bunch of teens at a soccer camp, it’s beautifully diverse, and a perfect read for summer.

Our protagonist, Sebastian, is a goalie & if you have ever been into any kind of sport, you know that goalies are always the most wild & weird but also pure people on the team. I think it’s a prerequisite for the position... Sebastian is also bisexual (and yes! they use the b-word!) and honestly, he’s the perfect example of a Disaster Bi. It’s incredible. The amount of secondhand embarrassment you have to deal with in basically every single one of his scenes is overwhelming & every second of it is relatable, because every second of it is rooted in not being straight. It’s such a joy and it’s so refreshing to read about a character like that.

Now the part of the book I loved most, the part that’s the sweetest - is the romance between Sebastian and Emir. Emir is his childhood best friend but they haven’t spoken in years, before he randomly showed up at the camp. Emir is also a gay Muslim - like I said, this book realises the world we live in is a diverse one. I adored Sebastian’s clumsy attempts at making friends with Emir again, how he was desperately trying to hide his very obvious crush but really, it was there for everyone to see.

The romance happens in the heat of summer, somewhere on a soccer pitch or at a running trail in the woods or a bench on front of an ice cream parlor or… This carefree, summery atmosphere is always there, always making things more vivid & more bright. And honestly, it’s the boys’ journey from not-really-enemies-but-definitely-not-friends-anymore to lovers that made me love Running With Lions so much.

This is very much a characters driven novel. I mean, not much really happens - they train, they go on dates, there are some unexpected hospital visits & grand romantic gestures, but overall? It’s not the plot that matters here, it’s the characters. And they’re all so lovely & real! It definitely helps that pretty much none of them are straight? Well, we all know that gay people flock together, but the book also has an explanation for that. Basically, the soccer team is run by a coach who made it very clear he does. not. care. about players’ sexualities, as long as they can play well. And it’s such a concept! Especially when in real life, this almost never happens. This team truly is a family & the boys look out for each other at every turn (Sebastian always being the first in line for that). It shows brilliantly in the example of Emir. We meet him as a rather shy recluse but over time he grows into this bunch of sweet fools. Friendships are formed and he truly becomes one of them, part of the family.

But while I loved the book as a whole, there are some little things that bothered me. You could probably chalk all of them up to this being a debut, as well - and a really good, solid one! - but we strive for perfectness in this gay household. The writing can sometimes feel a bit choppy, like there’s too much to say in too few words, and the cuts between scenes are so sudden here & there, that you can get slightly lost. But I think the weirdest part for me was that there really is a lot of showing here, it’s great in that aspect! But then? We would also get the dreaded telling? And it would happen in scenes we already lived and saw clearly enough to make our own conclusions, which makes the inclusion of wordy descriptions even more unnecessary? Telling isn’t even the right term for this phenomena, more like explaining of the showing.

And two other tiny bumps, kind of connected with each other, if you squint. One is the use of an internal monologue of the MC, written in cursive. It might not be a bad thing, per se, more like a personal preference, but yeah, personally I really, really don’t like it. The other is the fact that Sebastian talks out loud to himself. A lot. Which is cool, I mean I literally do the same… But he does it so much, there comes a point where it feels more like it’s used as a device to describe things rather than just his habit? Like a shortcut in a narrative.

Overall, though, Running With Lions is a wonderful, heartwarming book. It’s packed to the brim with lgbt characters and only a few of them are white and that’s exactly the kind of books we deserve more of. Especially when they’re wholesome and uplifting like this one. Because this is truly a novel about the power of friendship & how having soft, loving people in your life can change it for the better without you even noticing.