I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. I couldn't get into this book, maybe because high school was so long ago but we will buy a copy for our teen area.

This was a book that I Really enjoyed this read and I would recommend to others easily, I will be looking out for other titles by this author.

Three stars: A football book that explores some tough issues, but it doesn’t follow through. 

Wyatt is used to being invisible. It’s Friday night in Grayport and the entire small town is at the big football game. Instead of being in the stands watching Brett, the star quarterback who happens to be Wyatts brother, Wyatt is below the stands wearing a ridiculous costume to sell rain ponchos. Things change the next year when Wyatt unexpectedly lands a place on the team. What follows is the agony of football from fat shaming, taunts and then the glory of winning. Then football gets dangerous when Brett is injured and refusing to tell. Will Wyatt dash the hopes of the town to save his brother?

What I Liked:

Gut Check is not your average football book. This book has a lot going for it. At times it is darkly funny, then sad and also serious. I appreciated the depth, the emotions, the humor and the exposure to the downsides of football. This was an informative, funny and entertaining read. 
Wyatt is a fun main character. When the book opens he presents himself as a pathetic, fat loser. He constantly pokes fun at himself especially when it comes to his weight. Beneath his curves, there is a kind, genuine boy who wants to step out of the shadow of his older brother and be seen. I adored Wyatt, and I found myself constantly cheering him on. I loved his successes and I also loved his defeats. 
I appreciated that the author captured the intensity, emotion and even the insanity when it comes to football in a small town. Grayport doesn’t have much going for it except for it’s championship winning football team. When Red Tide strikes killing the sea life and decimating the fishing boats, things get even worse. Football is all the town has. Then things take a serious turn when Wyatt and Brett are dealing with the repercussions of a serious injury. Is it right to put so much pressure on a young man when his health and life are in jeopardy? These are the intense questions the reader must grapple with. I loved that the author made you see things through different lenses. 
Surprisingly, even though the book takes on some serious stuff, it is funny. I loved the humor. It made me giggle out loud time and time again. 
I also appreciated the complicated familial relationships. Brett and Wyatt are completely different. They may share a room and their DNA but they rarely even speak. I loved how Wyatt idolized Brett, and I liked that he was willing to sacrifice everything to save his brother. I also loved how the boys formed a stronger more open relationship. 
The ending is bittersweet. I was happy to see Brett and Wyatt going in a new positive direction, but I was left wanting. 
And The Not So Much:

ARGH! What the heck! The final part of the book centers around Brett’s football injury and the book builds and builds to this climatic point and then all hell breaks loose. I was so disappointed that the author never finished that story line. It is such an important part of the story, and then there are no answers! What gives!!! What happened? Was he evaluated? What did they find out? I needed the answers. I couldn’t believe after all the coverage and the mentions of all the detrimental effects that type of injury could cause that we never get to see that story line completed. So frustrating!!!
Even though I know it doesn’t always happen, especially in real life, I found myself longing for some type of positive relationship between the boys’ and their father. That part of the story was dismal. 
I hated all the fat shaming in the book. Even though the author tries to make light of it, fat shaming is disgusting.
Gut Check was a book that started out strong for me. I loved the characters, the focus on football and the humor. Sadly, the book ended without completing several story lines, including one of the major ones centered around concussions. I wish the author had finished that story line. I was left wanting much more from this one. 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for this review.

I'm not a huge football fan but I still really enjoyed this book. Great writing, solid relationships built, very funny, yet still dealt with serious topics in a good way. There was mature humor due to the realistic high school football player settings. Not sure I'd give it to the younger teens, but High Schoolers would definitely love this book.